<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bess, Soul Nourisher" href="#" target="_blank">Bess, Soul Nourisher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/leossart">Leonardo Santanna</a></span></em></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Over the last few weeks, we've been touring the creature types of <em>Marvel Super Heroes</em>. We started with <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-hero-typal-with-captain-america-super-soldier">Heroes</a>, then a <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/marvel-super-heroes-typal-set-review">general overview</a> of Typal cards, and bookended the heroic start with their <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-villain-typal-with-loki-the-deceiver">villainous</a> counterparts.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But, as in the comics, there's a group that often gets overlooked in the conflicts between Heroes and Villains. When Heroes and Villains clash, it is often forgotten that there are regular people living in these areas. Every superpowered clash leaves buildings and lives destroyed. And, every now and then, ordinary people prove themselves capable of extraordinary actions.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Have you guessed it? It's Citizens!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Oftentimes, Citizens find themselves relegated to the backseat in battle, with their fates serving as collateral damage, if anything. They can be damsels in distress, angry mobs, supportive fans, and a range of roles in between. They're small, seemingly unthreatening to the super-powerful, but by no means powerless.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Frodo, Sauron&#039;s Bane"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Iroh, Tea Master"></div></div>
<h2><strong>Citizen History</strong></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Citizens are a difficult type to analyze in <em>Magic</em>, as they have some precedent but are mostly new to the game, seeing a tremendous uptick in Universes Beyond. In-universe, their primary support came in <em>Streets of New Capenna</em>. A variety of creatures in the main and Commander set made Citizen tokens, little 1/1s that are both green and white.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since Citizens, by and large, are small creatures, it makes sense to create an identity around their small stature, finding strength in the limited power they do wield. In particular, white has benefited quite a bit recently from exploring the design space around creatures with less than 2-3 power or toughness.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But how do we win a game with tiny creatures? And what kind of commander could unite the commoners?</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bess, Soul Nourisher"></div></div>
<h2><strong>What Does <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bess, Soul Nourisher" href="#" target="_blank">Bess, Soul Nourisher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Do?</strong></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bess's raw stats inspire little fear, much like Citizens on their own. But, like the general citizenry, Bess gets stronger the more Citizens rally to her cause. She gets a counter whenever a 1/1 creature enters, token or otherwise. What she does with those counters is where we can start to formulate a plan.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When Bess attacks, she gives our other 1/1 creatures a boost equal to the number of counters on her. This supercharges our citizenry, creating a rally that can overtake any opponent!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But what would a Citizen deck look like? And how do we get the masses to work together?</span></p>
<h2><strong>Key Cards for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bess, Soul Nourisher" href="#" target="_blank">Bess, Soul Nourisher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></strong></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Like with the Strixhaven mascots, not all Citizen cards are creatures with the type Citizen. Some are noncreatures or non-Citizen creatures that make the 1/1 Citizen tokens. And some Citizens don't fit the Bess theme, so it's a bit of a mix-and-match to find Citizen cards that fit the theme of a smallfolk revolution.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Icatian Town"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Origin of the Hulk"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Citizen tokens have a surprisingly old lineage, as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Icatian Town" href="#" target="_blank">Icatian Town</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> hearkens back all the way to <em>Fallen Empires</em>. These were only white, but they all trigger Bess and are perfectly willing to live, work, and fight alongside their green-tinted brethren.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Speaking of being green-tinted, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Origin of the Hulk" href="#" target="_blank">Origin of the Hulk</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a Saga that makes a Citizen, grows a creature, and then gives trample and a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Giant Growth" href="#" target="_blank">Giant Growth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to a creature. The intention was likely to grow the Citizen into a 6/6 trampler, but giving Bess the counters alongside the initial trigger from the token is much bigger game, making this a really strong card!</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sky Crier"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Citizen&#039;s Crowbar"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sky Crier" href="#" target="_blank">Sky Crier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an example of a nontoken 1/1 Citizen and is one of my favorite cards. Flying and lifelink are fine, but being a mana sink and a political card draw engine makes it one of the coolest unsung common creatures in white.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While Sky Crier lets us sneak in card draw, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Citizen&#039;s Crowbar" href="#" target="_blank">Citizen&#039;s Crowbar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> lets us sneak in a Disenchant. I also love this card, as its name makes me think of "The People's Elbow," which was The Rock's signature move. Interestingly, the Crowbar can be a signature weapon, or Arsenal, in the format I created of the same name!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But what do we do when our opponents start casting big spells?</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Battle of Bywater"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fell the Mighty"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Battle of Bywater" href="#" target="_blank">The Battle of Bywater</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fell the Mighty" href="#" target="_blank">Fell the Mighty</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> both blow up larger creatures while sparing smaller ones, which works well with our plan of amassing an army of small Citizens. We do need to be careful not to catch Bess in the crossfire, but it's entirely possible that she'll catch a removal spell, setting up our board wipe perfectly.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Smile at Death"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Assemble the Players"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alesha always did favor small creatures, and that lives on in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smile at Death" href="#" target="_blank">Smile at Death</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, an enchantment that returns two small creatures each upkeep and grows them. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Assemble the Players" href="#" target="_blank">Assemble the Players</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> likewise cares about creatures with 2 or less power, letting us cast them off the top of the library. Both give the deck afterburners.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pendelhaven"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gavony Township"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pendelhaven" href="#" target="_blank">Pendelhaven</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the perfect locale for our Citizens. It pumps a 1/1 creature, which we have plenty of. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gavony Township" href="#" target="_blank">Gavony Township</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> adds layers of counters, which actually work with the small creature plan, as many of our cards, commander included, care about printed power and toughness.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But how do we close the game out?</span></p>
<h2><strong>How Does This Bess, Soul Nourisher Commander Deck Win?</strong></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Camaraderie"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Akroma&#039;s Will"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Camaraderie" href="#" target="_blank">Camaraderie</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a perfectly thematic win condition for the deck, as it gains us a lot of life for racing, pumps our creatures, and draws a handful of cards. It doesn't grant evasion, however, which is where <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Akroma&#039;s Will" href="#" target="_blank">Akroma&#039;s Will</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> comes in. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Camaraderie" href="#" target="_blank">Camaraderie</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the Citizens getting along, but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Akroma&#039;s Will" href="#" target="_blank">Akroma&#039;s Will</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the Citizens showing their resolution, breaking through opposing lines and working together to win through combat in one glorious uprising.</span></p>
<h2><strong>The Deck List</strong></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Bess, Soul Nourisher Commander Deck Tech" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="&nbsp;
[Commander]
*1 Bess, Soul Nourisher
[/Commander]
&nbsp;
[Creatures]
*1 Angelic Observer
*1 Backup Agent
*1 Boss&#039;s Chauffeur
*1 Caldaia Guardian
*1 Civil Servant
*1 Darling of the Masses
*1 Delney, Streetwise Lookout
*1 Dryad Arbor
*1 Enduring Innocence
*1 Gallant Citizen
*1 Icatian Crier
*1 Inside Source
*1 Kindly Customer
*1 Leonardo, Sewer Samurai
*1 Master of Ceremonies
*1 Mentor of the Meek
*1 Militia Bugler
*1 Prosperous Innkeeper
*1 Reveillark
*1 Sanctuary Warden
*1 Serra Redeemer
*1 Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa
*1 Silk, Web Weaver
*1 Sky Crier
*1 Slumbering Walker
*1 Spider-Girl, Legacy Hero
*1 Squad Rallier
*1 Town Greeter
*1 Welcoming Vampire
[/Creatures]
&nbsp;
[Instants]
*1 Akroma&#039;s Will
*1 Grand Crescendo
*1 Heroic Intervention
*1 Luxurious Libation
*1 Rootborn Defenses
*1 Second Harvest
*1 Warm Welcome
[/Instants]
&nbsp;
[Artifacts]
*1 Ceremonial Groundbreaker
*1 Citizen&#039;s Crowbar
*1 Halo Fountain
*1 Scepter of Celebration
*1 Tawnos&#039;s Wand
*1 Throne of the God-Pharaoh
*1 Unstable Glyphbridge // Sandswirl Wanderglyph
*1 Whalebone Glider
[/Artifacts]
&nbsp;
[Enchantments]
*1 Assemble the Players
*1 Friendly Neighborhood
*1 Origin of the Hulk
*1 Rabble Rousing
*1 Smile at Death
[/Enchantments]
&nbsp;
[Sorceries]
*1 Austere Command
*1 Camaraderie
*1 Citywide Bust
*1 Dusk // Dawn
*1 Expel the Interlopers
*1 Fell the Mighty
*1 Icatian Town
*1 Overrun
*1 Solar Tide
*1 Take to the Streets
*1 The Battle of Bywater
[/Sorceries]
&nbsp;
[Lands]
*1 Abandoned Air Temple
*1 Castle Ardenvale
*15 Forest
*1 Fountainport
*1 Gavony Township
*1 Minas Tirith
*1 Path of Ancestry
*1 Pendelhaven
*15 Plains
*1 Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree
*1 Windbrisk Heights
[/Lands]
&nbsp;"></span></div></span></p>
<h2><strong>Conclusion</strong></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Citizens are tricky creatures and haven't really been supported enough to feel like a cohesive type. Still, there are ways of creating cohesion and flavor, and focusing on embracing the power of the powerless is a resonant way of doing it. There are other routes, however, including showing the process of becoming heroic, like with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Frodo, Sauron&#039;s Bane" href="#" target="_blank">Frodo, Sauron&#039;s Bane</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But how would you build Citizens? And who would lead your united populace?</span></p>


https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/leonardo-santanna-bess-soul-norisher-art.jpg

citizen typal

Building Citizen Typal with Bess, Soul Nourisher