Thelon of Havenwood: Comparing Similar Keyword Abilities

Thelon of Havenwood: Comparing Similar Keyword Abilities

In TCG ·

Thelon of Havenwood card art, a lush elf druid surrounded by vibrant fungal growth

Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Thelon of Havenwood and the Fungus Counter Saga

In the tapestry of Time Spiral Remastered, a rare gem surfaces not just for its surface-level beauty but for the quiet way it reshapes board presence. Thelon of Havenwood is a green-heavy, black-tinted legend that leans into the undergrowth of the natural world—the fungi that creep and flourish beneath root and fern. This isn’t a card that shouts its power; it lures you into a different tempo: build your Fungus tribe, stack spore counters, and watch a small army of woodland allies become surprisingly formidable. 🧙‍♂️🔥

At first glance, Thelon is a straightforward two-mana creature: a 2/2 Elf Druid for {G}{G}. But the real magic happens because of its two-part ability, which intertwines a static bonus with a potent activated effect. The static line—“Each Fungus creature gets +1/+1 for each spore counter on it”—is a classic, almost territorial buff that rewards you for proliferating or sustaining Fungus on the battlefield. The more spore counters you place, the bigger your Fungus cohort grows. It’s a design that turns every Fungus into a walking battlefield ledger, a living tally of how far your spores have spread. It’s a reminder that not all growth is a single swing; sometimes it’s an accumulation of small, fungal leaps. 💎

The activated ability—“{B}{G}, Exile a Fungus card from a graveyard: Put a spore counter on each Fungus on the battlefield.”—takes the concept from passive to political. Now you’re controlling not just what sits on the board, but what you pour back into the soil. Exiling a Fungus from the graveyard to seed spore counters on every Fungus on the field is a mass-buff that can turn a handful of green friends into a thundering swarm. It’s black-green mindset in miniaturized form: leverage graveyard resources, pay a dual-color cost, and unleash a chorus of spore counters that can swing combat math in a single moment. The moment you cast that ability, you feel the board tilt in your favor—if you’ve planned your graveyard carefully, Thelon becomes a force multiplier. ⚔️

When you look at similar keyword mechanics across MTG, spore counters sit in a curious middle ground. They’re not the ubiquitous +1/+1 counters you slap on a creature, nor are they experience counters that track a path to a larger plan. Spore counters are a resource with a built-in purpose: they power a provincial buff that scales with the number of counter tokens you accumulate. That creates a satisfying feedback loop: you invest in Fungus, you feed your board with counters, and your Fungus creatures answer back with bigger bodies and a greater impact. It’s a design that rewards tribal synergy while still offering room for clever play with graveyard recursion and timing. 🧩

From a gameplay perspective, Thelon shines in a list that leans into Fungus tribal—think decks that populate the battlefield with a chorus of fungus tokens and cheap green creatures that ripple into bigger threats. The two-mana cost keeps you in the early game, where your opponent may be glancing at their own curve, unaware that a late-game spore storm is brewing beneath the forest floor. The black mana requirement for the exile ability adds a touch of danger and decision, reminding us that the most satisfying plays in this lineage often hinge on what you’re willing to sacrifice for a bigger payoff. The card’s rarity—a rare reprint that still feels fresh in the right build—encourages players to explore the undergrowth rather than sprint straight for the finisher. 🔥

Flavor-wise, the flavor text about the thallids thriving in a bittersweet welcome to a cold waste captures the paradox at the heart of fungal kingdoms: resilience and a quiet, sometimes eerie, abundance. It’s a reminder that in MTG, creatures can carry a narrative weight far beyond their stat lines. Thelon’s art by Kev Walker, with its earthy greens and mossy textures, evokes a world where life persists in hidden corners and the line between forest and faction is braided by mycelial networks. The design and flavor align to celebrate a micro-ecosystem that becomes something larger when you lean into its rules. 🎨

From a collector’s perspective, Thelon’s presence in Time Spiral Remastered adds a touch of nostalgia for players who remember the original thallids era of magic, while offering a modern mechanic that remains approachable in casual formats and intriguing in EDH. The card’s color identity (B and G) invites thoughtful deck-building choices: a mix of Fungus creatures, graveyard synergy, and efficient removal to protect your evolving fungal army. If you’re chasing value, Thelon’s power scale can grow with your board through persistent spore counters, and the activated ability gives you a tactical tool to reanimate your spore ecosystem exactly when you need it. ⚡

In the grand scheme of keyword abilities, the Thelon engine demonstrates how designers balance simplicity with depth. A two-mana, two-toughness body gives you a foothold; a token-like resource—spore counters—adds a layer of strategic planning; and an activated ability that exchanges graveyard material for a sweeping boost connects tempo, resource management, and board development. It’s a microcosm of modern MTG design: leverage tribal identity, manage your graveyard as a resource, and time your surges to maximize impact. For players who enjoy the quiet drama of synergy over sheer power, Thelon offers a fertile ground to grow something truly memorable. 🧙‍♂️💚

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Thelon of Havenwood

Thelon of Havenwood

{G}{G}
Legendary Creature — Elf Druid

Each Fungus creature gets +1/+1 for each spore counter on it.

{B}{G}, Exile a Fungus card from a graveyard: Put a spore counter on each Fungus on the battlefield.

"The sight of my thallids still thriving is a bittersweet welcome to this cold waste."

ID: 783f1b9f-9866-4ead-96cf-88babf459ce2

Oracle ID: c673b7b0-c1e7-4bcd-8fe0-66d83f22ecb9

Multiverse IDs: 509603

TCGPlayer ID: 234015

Cardmarket ID: 547621

Colors: G

Color Identity: B, G

Keywords:

Rarity: Rare

Released: 2021-03-19

Artist: Kev Walker

Frame: 2015

Border: black

EDHRec Rank: 11870

Penny Rank: 11231

Set: Time Spiral Remastered (tsr)

Collector #: 238

Legalities

  • Standard — not_legal
  • Future — not_legal
  • Historic — not_legal
  • Timeless — not_legal
  • Gladiator — not_legal
  • Pioneer — not_legal
  • Modern — legal
  • Legacy — legal
  • Pauper — not_legal
  • Vintage — legal
  • Penny — legal
  • Commander — legal
  • Oathbreaker — legal
  • Standardbrawl — not_legal
  • Brawl — not_legal
  • Alchemy — not_legal
  • Paupercommander — not_legal
  • Duel — legal
  • Oldschool — not_legal
  • Premodern — not_legal
  • Predh — legal

Prices

  • USD: 0.26
  • USD_FOIL: 0.49
  • EUR: 0.30
  • EUR_FOIL: 0.59
  • TIX: 0.02
Last updated: 2025-11-16