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Commander Nexus
  1. Commander Nexus
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  3. Selvala, Explorer Returned

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Selvala, Explorer Returned

Selvala, Explorer Returned

Legendary Creature — Elf Scout

Selvala wants a deck that helps every player at the table, itself included. It also works in a deck built around Elves, Library Manipulation or Scouts.

  • Mana cost1 genericgreenwhite
  • White, Green ()
  • Power / toughness2 / 4
  • RarityRare

Parley — tap: Each player reveals the top card of their library. For each nonland card revealed this way, add green and you gain 1 life. Then each player draws a card. (Activate only as an instant.)

Build a deck with Selvala Find it in the app

Archetypes

Cards That Fit Selvala, Explorer Returned

Picked for what they do in Selvala's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Selvala'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.Sol RingOpen the full glossary

plan6

The 6 Cards

plan6

The 6 Cards

Rulings for Selvala, Explorer Returned

explain how Selvala works in tricky situations. They come from Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic, and from Scryfall, the card database Magic players use.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 Coast 29 May 2014

Except in some very rare cases, the card each player draws will be the card revealed from the top of their library.

Scryfall note 5 Aug 2026

Selvala’s ability is not a mana ability. Players can respond to it, and it can’t be activated in the middle of paying for a cost. A recent update to rule 605.1a has made any abilities that move cards to or from libraries no longer mana abilities.

2 rulings, 1 written by Wizards of the Coast. Read the originals on Gatherer ↗

Similar Commanders

Commanders that share the most with Selvala, and what they share.

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 glossaryWGPlayers write colors as letters: W for white, G for green.Group HugGroup Hug decks give every player extra cards, mana or life, making friends at the table while they quietly work toward their own win. The trick is to be the player best placed to use all that extra.Open the Group Hug pageGroup HugGives everyone at the table something: extra cards, extra mana, extra lands. It really is generous, and that is the trick: the player who built the deck around it knows what to do with the surplus, and the other three usually do not. Howling Mine, Heartbeat of Spring, Rites of FlourishingOpen the Group Hug pageDrawDraws you extra cards. More cards means more choices every turn, and in a 100-card deck it is the main way to find the pieces you need. Rhystic Study, SkullclampOpen the Draw pageRampAn effect that accelerates your mana, giving you a reusable mana source beyond the usual one land per turn. Cultivate Rampant GrowthOpen the Ramp 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 pageLibrary ManipulationCards that let you look at, rearrange or play from the top of your deck, so you control what you draw next.Open the Library Manipulation page