Sylvan Caryatid
Creature — Plant
Defender, hexproof
: Add one mana of any color.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Theros
- Price
- $1.58
- EDHREC rank
- #1972
Sylvan Caryatid is one of the best two-mana mana dorks in the game: hexproof makes it nearly impossible to remove at sorcery speed, and five-color production means it fits into any deck that wants green ramp. Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy turns it into a three-mana rock; Felothar the Steadfast gets a 0/3 defender that survives targeted removal and fuels early game plans — either way, the floor is high and the cost is a single green pip.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Felothar the Steadfast
Felothar the Steadfast runs Sylvan Caryatid as a hexproof blocker that also accelerates into the deck's high-cost defenders — an 86% inclusion rate reflects how much the deck wants cheap, durable creatures that pull double duty.
Arcades, the Strategist
Arcades, the Strategist gets a 0/3 that attacks for three, ramps into the deck's expensive walls, and laughs off targeted removal — Sylvan Caryatid's hexproof is uniquely valuable here because Arcades players lean hard on specific defenders and can't afford to lose them to spot removal.
Betor, Kin to All
Betor, Kin to All wants creatures that survive the battlefield long enough to benefit from tribal synergies, and Sylvan Caryatid's hexproof guarantees it sticks while also smoothing out the mana for a five-color strategy.
The Pride of Hull Clade
The Pride of Hull Clade cares about high-toughness creatures, and Sylvan Caryatid is a two-mana 0/3 that can't be picked off by most targeted removal — it fuels the engine while being annoyingly hard to answer.
Indominus Rex, Alpha
Indominus Rex, Alpha wants creatures with keyword soup to copy abilities, and Sylvan Caryatid brings hexproof to the table — a keyword that meaningfully protects Indominus itself when grafted on, making Sylvan Caryatid a functional combo piece in the shell.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Sylvan Caryatid is a Commander staple first and everything else second — the combination of hexproof and five-color fixing is uniquely valuable in a 100-card singleton format where your mana base has to stretch across wide color requirements. In Pioneer, it sees niche play in midrange and ramp shells that want a mana dork that survives Thoughtseize and Fatal Push; it's never been a format pillar but it's always been playable. Modern has largely moved past it in favor of one-mana accelerants, but it slots into creature-light midrange decks that prioritize durability over speed. Legacy and Vintage have no use for a two-mana ramp piece, and Pauper can't run it legally.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Kinnan, Bonder ProdigySylvan CaryatidFreed from the Real
Infinite colored mana
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Kinnan, Bonder ProdigySylvan CaryatidPemmin's Aura
Infinite colored mana
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
$1.58 cheap tier
At $1.58, Sylvan Caryatid is firmly in budget territory for a card with this level of utility — cheap enough to slot into any Commander deck without a second thought. Demand stays consistent because hexproof plus five-color mana is a combination that never falls out of style, so this price isn't going anywhere dramatic.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy
- Felothar the Steadfast
- Arcades, the Strategist
- Betor, Kin to All
- The Pride of Hull Clade
- Indominus Rex, Alpha
- Freed from the Real
- Pemmin's Aura
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.