Elvish Visionary
Creature — Elf Shaman
When this creature enters, draw a card.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Duel Decks: Nissa vs. Ob Nixilis
- Price
- $0.14
- EDHREC rank
- #2221
Elvish Visionary replaces itself the moment it enters, which means a 1/1 body for two mana is essentially free — you're paying for the card draw and getting a creature as a bonus. In engines built around Galadriel, Elven-Queen or loops enabled by Mortuary, that distinction matters enormously: the body is a resource, not the cost.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Galadriel, Elven-Queen
Galadriel, Elven-Queen triggers off Elves entering the battlefield and rewards card draw, so Elvish Visionary does double duty — it fuels her passive and advances your hand in the same motion.
Marwyn, the Nurturer
Every Elf that enters grows Marwyn, the Nurturer, and Elvish Visionary is one of the cheapest ways to stack that counter while replacing itself and keeping the hand full for the storm-style lines Marwyn enables.
Ezuri, Renegade Leader
Ezuri, Renegade Leader wants the battlefield flooded with Elves, and Elvish Visionary contributes a body without costing you a card — low-risk volume that scales well with Ezuri's overrun ability.
Abomination of Llanowar
Abomination of Llanowar grows with every Elf in play and in the graveyard, so Elvish Visionary's ability to enter, draw, and eventually die means it contributes to that count from both zones.
Emiel the Blessed
Emiel the Blessed blinks creatures for value, and blinking Elvish Visionary each turn cycle converts mana directly into cards — a clean, repeatable engine that justifies the slot on its own.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Elvish Visionary is a staple in Commander, where the combination of an Elf creature type and a free card is worth a slot in nearly every green Elf deck regardless of the specific game plan. In Pauper it has seen genuine competitive play, functioning as both an enabler and a card-neutral threat in Elf combo shells where hitting land drops and cycling through the deck is critical. Modern and Legacy still have access to it, but faster formats rarely have room for a 1/1 that doesn't immediately threaten the board; it shows up as a fringe piece in Elf tribal sideboards rather than a core four-of. Pioneer lists are similar — legal, but rarely chosen. The floor across every format is the same: it never costs you a card, which means the worst-case scenario is a 1/1 that replaces itself.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
MortuaryCarrion FeederAlurenElvish Visionary
Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature; Infinite death triggers; Infinite draw triggers; Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite storm count
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
$0.14 bulk tier
At $0.14, Elvish Visionary is deep bulk — multiple printings have kept it at a floor it won't drop below. It's a free inclusion from any bulk box, and there's no meaningful price ceiling to worry about on a card this widely reprinted.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.