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{B} {G}

Golgari Commander Staples

The Golgari cards that raise a deck's measured win rate the most, compared with decks on the same commander that leave them out.

Last computed 31 Jul 2026 · recomputed weekly
154,730
Tracked games measured

What are the best Golgari commander staples?

The best Golgari Commander staples are the cards that raise a deck's win rate the most when added, measured against decks running the SAME commander without them across 154,730 tracked Commander games. Because the comparison is commander-matched, none of the lift here belongs to the commander. Cards are ranked by the 95% lower bound of the measured lift, so an unusually lucky handful of games cannot put a card on top.

See the staples for every color identity on the main list.

{B} {G}

The best Golgari cards by measured win-rate lift

Ranked against decks on the same commander that leave the card out.

+8.8 pp
Top card: Squandered Resources
# Card Lift
1
Squandered Resources
Squandered Resources 700 games · 84 pilots · Archetype 		+8.8 pp
2
Turbulent Fen
Turbulent Fen 1,083 games · 234 pilots 		+7.8 pp
3
Carth the Lion
Carth the Lion 414 games · 49 pilots · Archetype 		+8.9 pp
4
Professor Dellian Fel
Professor Dellian Fel 413 games · 77 pilots · Archetype 		+8.5 pp
5
Cauldron of Essence
Cauldron of Essence 1,460 games · 286 pilots 		+6.1 pp
6
Underground Mortuary
Underground Mortuary 6,483 games · 650 pilots 		+4.0 pp
7
Revitalizing Repast // Old-Growth Grove
Revitalizing Repast // Old-Growth Grove 5,528 games · 579 pilots 		+3.6 pp
8
Assassin's Trophy
Assassin's Trophy 15,802 games · 1760 pilots 		+3.2 pp
9
Overgrown Tomb
Overgrown Tomb 18,870 games · 1968 pilots 		+2.6 pp
10
Darkbore Pathway // Slitherbore Pathway
Darkbore Pathway // Slitherbore Pathway 2,938 games · 357 pilots 		+3.4 pp
Show 13 more Golgari staples (ranks 11-23)
# Card Lift
11
Grist, Voracious Larva // Grist, the Plague Swarm
Grist, Voracious Larva // Grist, the Plague Swarm 485 games · 68 pilots · Archetype 		+6.4 pp
12
Savra, Queen of the Golgari
Savra, Queen of the Golgari 480 games · 62 pilots · Archetype 		+6.2 pp
13
Undergrowth Stadium
Undergrowth Stadium 11,400 games · 1276 pilots 		+2.4 pp
14
Wastewood Verge
Wastewood Verge 3,234 games · 382 pilots 		+3.1 pp
15
Mosswood Dreadknight // Dread Whispers
Mosswood Dreadknight // Dread Whispers 430 games · 46 pilots 		+5.9 pp
16
Tend the Pests
Tend the Pests 473 games · 80 pilots · Archetype 		+6.2 pp
17
Glissa Sunslayer
Glissa Sunslayer 2,750 games · 401 pilots 		+2.9 pp
18
Restless Cottage
Restless Cottage 1,043 games · 149 pilots 		+3.8 pp
19
Llanowar Wastes
Llanowar Wastes 16,176 games · 1873 pilots 		+1.4 pp
20
Rise of the Witch-king
Rise of the Witch-king 2,162 games · 251 pilots 		+2.6 pp
21
Deathcap Glade
Deathcap Glade 6,966 games · 898 pilots 		+1.5 pp
22
The Gitrog Monster
The Gitrog Monster 3,671 games · 500 pilots 		+2.5 pp
23
Wight of the Reliquary
Wight of the Reliquary 3,064 games · 449 pilots 		+2.2 pp

Every row clears the same gates: at least 300 games with the card, 15 distinct commander and pod-size comparisons, 20 distinct pilots, and no single pilot above 15% of the sample.

Also worth playing

Mono-color staples every Golgari deck also wants

A Golgari deck can play everything in its two mono-color identities, plus the colorless list. Those rankings live on the main staples page:

Black staples Green staples Colorless staples Multicolor staples
Methodology

How this list is ranked

Cards are compared only against decks on the same commander at the same pod size, with and without the card, and those matched comparisons are pooled with Mantel-Haenszel weighting into one win-rate lift with a 95% confidence interval. The ranking uses the lower bound of that interval, so a lucky small sample cannot top the list, and it is an observational estimate rather than a randomized experiment.

Publication gates: at least 300 games with the card, 15 distinct commander and pod-size comparisons, 25 distinct decks, 20 distinct pilots, and no single pilot above 15% of the sample.

Read the full methodology, including why Craterhoof Behemoth is not on top

Golgari staples FAQ

What are the best Golgari Commander staples?
The list on this page, ranked by measured win-rate lift. Every Golgari deck can also play the Black and Green staples, so the mono-color lists are the other half of the answer.
What is a Commander staple?
On this page a staple is a card that measurably raises a deck's win rate. Every card is compared against decks running the SAME commander at the same pod size, with and without the card, so the commander gets no credit for the card and the card gets no credit for the commander. Cards are ranked by the 95% lower bound of that lift, not the raw number.
How is this different from EDHREC inclusion rates?
Inclusion rates, the numbers EDHREC publishes at edhrec.com, measure popularity: how many decklists contain a card. That is a measure of what players copy from each other, and Sol Ring tops it whether or not it wins games. These lists measure outcome: the difference in win rate between decks that run the card and decks on the same commander that do not, across real tracked games. A card can be in 90 percent of lists and show no measurable lift.
How is this different from the Commander Game Changers list?
The Game Changers list at /commander/game-changers is the official Wizards of the Coast list of format-warping cards, used to set a deck's bracket. It is a rules artifact, not a measurement. This page is measured from tracked games and answers a different question: which cards actually move your win rate. A card can be a Game Changer without topping these lists, and most cards on these lists are not Game Changers.
Why does this list look so different from other Commander staples lists?
Most staples lists are editorial: an author's judgment, usually anchored to popularity data, so they converge on the same famous cards. This list is computed from game results and nothing else. A card only appears if decks running it win measurably more than decks on the same commander without it, across at least 300 tracked games, 20 pilots and a spread of commanders. That surfaces quiet engine cards that editors overlook and leaves out famous cards that do not move win rates. Where a card's evidence is concentrated in one archetype, it is tagged rather than removed.
Why isn't Craterhoof Behemoth at the top?
Because win rate when cast is a misleading metric. Craterhoof Behemoth wins a huge share of the games where it resolves, but that is mostly survivorship: you cast it when you were already winning. Measured at the deck level, against the same commander without it, the effect is about one percentage point. Consistent mana, interaction and card advantage beat finishers on this metric.
How often are the Commander staples updated?
The lists are recomputed weekly from the full tracked-game history, and the date they were last computed is shown on the page. Rankings move slowly: a card needs at least 300 games with it before it can appear at all.
Keep exploring
All Commander Staples Commander Game Changers Commander Tier List Color Win Rates Bracket Calculator

Lift measured from Commander games tracked on Playgroup.gg. Every card name links to its full stat page.