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Commander Nexus
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  3. Toph, Hardheaded Teacher

Command zone

Toph, Hardheaded Teacher

Toph, Hardheaded Teacher

Legendary Creature — Human Warrior Ally

Toph wants a deck that keeps making its creatures bigger turn after turn. It also works in a deck built around Allies, Humans or Warriors.

  • Mana cost2 genericredgreen
  • Red, Green ()
  • Power / toughness3 / 4
  • RarityRare

When Toph enters, you may discard a card. If you do, return target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand.

Whenever you cast a spell, earthbend 1. If that spell is a Lesson, put an additional +1/+1 counter on that land. (Target land you control becomes a 0/0 creature with haste that's still a land. Put a +1/+1 counter on it. When it dies or is exiled, return it to the battlefield tapped.)

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Archetypes
Themes

Cards That Fit Toph, Hardheaded Teacher

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

Does what Toph, Hardheaded Teacher does6

The 6 Cards

Rulings for Toph, Hardheaded Teacher

explain how Toph 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 Coast 2 Oct 2025

"Earthbend N" means "Target land you control becomes a 0/0 land creature with haste in addition to its other types. Put N +1/+1 counters on it. When it dies or is exiled, return it to the battlefield tapped under your control."

Wizards of the Coast 2 Oct 2025

Earthbend doesn't give the land you control a color. As most lands are colorless, in most cases the resulting land creature will also be colorless.

Wizards of the Coast 2 Oct 2025

If a land was animated by earthbend and would go to any zone other than the graveyard or exile, it will not be returned to the battlefield by the delayed triggered ability created by earthbend.

Wizards of the Coast 2 Oct 2025

If the targeted land becomes an illegal target before the spell or ability that includes earthbend resolves, earthbend does nothing. If the spell or ability didn't have other targets, it won't resolve.

Wizards of the Coast 2 Oct 2025

The land will retain any other types, subtypes, or supertypes it previously had. It will also retain any mana abilities it had as a result of those subtypes. For example, a Forest that's turned into a creature this way can still be tapped for {G}.

Wizards of the Coast 2 Oct 2025

You may target a land that is already a creature, perhaps because of a previous earthbend ability. The land will get the +1/+1 counters, gain haste, and have its base power and toughness set to 0/0.

6 rulings, all written by Wizards of the Coast. Read the originals on Gatherer ↗

Similar Commanders

Commanders that share the most with Toph, 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 glossaryRGPlayers write colors as letters: R for red, G for green.+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 pageRecursionBrings cards back from the graveyard: to your hand, to the battlefield, or letting them be cast again from where they lie. Eternal Witness, Reanimate, VictimizeOpen the Recursion pageLand AnimationTurns your lands into creatures. That gives you extra attackers without spending extra cards, and a manland, a land that can become a creature, is safe as a land the rest of the time, though a board wipe can catch it while it is a creature. Nissa, Who Shakes the WorldOpen the Land Animation pageSelf-DiscardDiscards your own cards as a cost or an effect. Filling your own graveyard on purpose is the point: it feeds cards that bring things back, madness and channel abilities, and some cards are worth more there than in hand. Faithless Looting, Boseiju, Who EnduresOpen the Self-Discard page