Helga wants a deck that makes huge amounts of mana for giant spells. It also suits a deck that keeps making its creatures bigger turn after turn.
Mana cost
White, Blue, Green ()
Power / toughness1 / 3
RarityMythic
Whenever you cast a creature spell with mana value 4 or greater, you draw a card, gain 1 life, and put a +1/+1 counter on Helga.
: Add X mana of any one color, where X is Helga's power. Spend this mana only to cast creature spells with mana value 4 or greater or creature spells with in their mana costs.
Picked for what they do in Helga's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Helga's color identity.Mana ValueThe total amount of mana a card costs, all added up. A card costing two generic and one green has a mana value of three. Wizards renamed this from "converted mana cost" in 2021, so older cards and articles may still use the old name.Open the full glossary
explain how Helga works in tricky situations. They come from Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic.RulingThe official answer to how a card works in a tricky situation. Most rulings are written by Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic, and a few are notes from Scryfall, the card database Magic players use. A ruling explains a card. It does not change what the card says.Open the full glossary
Wizards of the Coast26 Jul 2024
Helga's last ability is a mana ability. It doesn't use the stack and can't be responded to.
Wizards of the Coast26 Jul 2024
If a spell has {X} in its mana cost, use the value chosen for that X to determine the mana value of that spell.
Wizards of the Coast26 Jul 2024
If you spend the mana added by Helga's last ability on a creature spell with {X} in its mana cost, the mana can be spent on any part of that spell's total cost. You're not limited to spending it only on the {X} part.
Wizards of the Coast26 Jul 2024
You don't have to spend all the mana added by Helga's last ability on the same spell.
Color identityEvery color of mana symbol on a card, in its cost and in its rules text. Your commander's color identity sets the limit for your whole deck: every other card has to fit inside it. A deck led by a green and white commander cannot play a card with any blue in its color identity.Open the full glossaryWUGPlayers write colors as letters: W for white, U for blue, G for green. Blue is U because B was already taken by black.Big ManaBig Mana decks build up far more mana than usual, then spend it on huge spells. Some are X spells, which have X in their cost and get stronger the more mana you put in.Open the Big Mana pageBig ManaProduces several mana at once from a single source, rather than the one extra mana most acceleration gives you. That surplus is what lets a deck cast something enormous far ahead of schedule. Compare Ramp, which is a reusable source you build up over time, and Burst Mana, which pays out once and is then gone. Cabal Coffers, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Savage VentmawOpen the Big Mana pageLife GainGains you life, once or over and over. Soul Warden, The Great Henge. In Commander life is something to spend, not just a cushion, and many of these cards also set off others that reward gaining life.Open the Life Gain pageRampAn effect that accelerates your mana, giving you a reusable mana source beyond the usual one land per turn. Cultivate Rampant GrowthOpen the Ramp pageGame ChangerCards that warp the game disproportionately around themselves, requiring immediate answers.What the brackets mean+1/+1 Counters+1/+1 counter decks put small markers on their creatures that make each one permanently bigger, and keep adding more every turn. Each +1/+1 counter adds one to a creature's power (the damage it deals) and toughness (the damage it can take).Open the +1/+1 Counters pageCounter EngineAdds +1/+1 counters over and over rather than once. A counter here is a small permanent marker that raises a creature's power and toughness for good. It is not a counterspell, which is a different thing entirely. Something that adds them every turn makes your whole board bigger and keeps it that way. Hardened Scales, Corpsejack MenaceOpen the Counter Engine page+1/+1 CountersPuts +1/+1 counters on creatures, permanently raising their power and toughness. Unlike a temporary boost that wears off at end of turn, these markers stay put and stack up over a long game. Hardened Scales, The Great HengeOpen the +1/+1 Counters page
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: Add X mana of any one color, where X is Helga's power. Spend this mana only to cast creature spells with mana value 4 or greater or creature spells with 
in their mana costs.
Open the full glossary
