Food | Art by Lucas Graciano

Welcome to Too-Specific Top 10, where if there isn’t a category to rank our pet card at the top of, we’ll just make one up! (Did you know that Momo, Playful PetMomo, Playful Pet is the only one-mana Food commander?)

Sitting here munching on post-Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches, I realized that while I've talked about "Tri-Token" strategies ad nauseam, I've never done the new hotness that is Food justice all on its own.

Seems like it's about time, no?

Top 10 Food Commanders

Criteria: Commanders that create or mention Food tokens specifically. As is tradition, all results are ordered by EDHREC score, although in this case it will be by amount of decks helmed, not total inclusions.

1. Sam, Loyal AttendantSam, Loyal Attendant & Frodo, Adventurous HobbitFrodo, Adventurous Hobbit: 20648
2. Ygra, Eater of AllYgra, Eater of All: 16762
3. Shelob, Child of UngoliantShelob, Child of Ungoliant: 12393
4. Rocco, Street ChefRocco, Street Chef: 10496
5. Ragost, Deft GastronautRagost, Deft Gastronaut: 10486
6. Brenard, Ginger SculptorBrenard, Ginger Sculptor: 9075
7. Sorin of House MarkovSorin of House Markov: 5486
8. Sophia, Dogged DetectiveSophia, Dogged Detective: 4906
9. AsmoranomardicadaistinaculdacarAsmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar: 4584
10. Camellia, the SeedmiserCamellia, the Seedmiser: 4527

Well, no wonder I've never talked about Food specifically. This list is... uninspiring. The face commanders of the Lord of the Rings Food precon, the awfulness that is the "wipe the board again" play patterns of Ygra, Eater of AllYgra, Eater of All, ShelobShelob being so generically good that the Food part doesn't even matter, it's just boring, all the way down. Some group hug could be fun with Rocco, Street ChefRocco, Street Chef, I suppose, but that's not being a Food deck now, is it? Same with Ragost, Deft GastronautRagost, Deft Gastronaut, who looks awesome, but is an artifact commander, not a Food commander.

So, why don't we find a way to give thanks to the little guy this Thanksgiving instead?

Top 10 Worst Food Commanders

Criteria: Commanders that create or mention Food tokens specifically. As is tradition, all results are ordered by EDHREC score, although in this case it will be by amount of decks helmed, not total inclusions, and we'll also be ranking those commanders with the least inclusions first.

10. Graham O'BrienGraham O'Brien & The Twelfth DoctorThe Twelfth Doctor

(Partners 163 Decks, Rank #2,522; Graham O'Brien 5.02K Inclusions, 0.15% of 3.41M Decks)

While I'm not sure that the most popular pairing with Graham O'BrienGraham O'Brien is actually the one I would go with, I do enjoy the card and the idea immensely. It's easier than ever to cast cards from somewhere other than your hand, and while Grant can't see him cast himself, he can see you cast your other commander. With that in mind, rather than having another commander that also wants you to cast cards from elsewhere and therefore having to fill your whole deck with impulse draw effects that let you cast from exile, I think I'd probably go the route of having a second commander that does that part for you.

While the FirstFirst, FourthFourth, EighthEighth, and The Tenth DoctorThe Tenth Doctors all can trigger Graham's Food ability, I think I personally would slam The Fourth DoctorThe Fourth Doctor as my partner of choice for a Food deck. Sure, you're two-color instead of three-color, but you get to double-dip on Foods with both of your commanders, and he doesn't cost a fortune like the Eighth and Tenth Doctors do.

9. Old FlitterfangOld Flitterfang

(Helms 144 Decks, Rank #2,601; 14.5K Inclusions, 0.39% of 3.74M Decks)

In this day and age where there's 50 legends a set, supposedly in support of Commander and Brawl and the like, we seem to get between five and twenty of them in those sets that are Old FlitterfangOld Flitterfang. The antithesis of pushed, little to no character to excuse their being legendary, and nothing to really build around. You could go down to bracket one of Pauper EDH, and I still wouldn't even stop scrolling to look at this card, much less think about actually playing it. So who does it serve? Why is it here? It's not legendary for Limited reasons, either; it's just legendary for the sake of being legendary, the laziest of checking boxes.

Which sucks, because if they'd taken the time to make Old FlitterfangOld Flitterfang cool, he would be. Legendary Rat Faerie? Sign me up! ...so long as he's not actively and aggressively awful, of course.

8. Ignis ScientiaIgnis Scientia

(Helms 128 Decks, Rank #2,667; 5.59K Inclusions, 0.87% of 646K Decks)

I wouldn't call Ignis ScientiaIgnis Scientia a Food commander, but I would call him a fun commander. His tap ability that makes Foods if you exile creatures from graveyards is awful and will essentially never get used unless you're drowning in mana, but his main ability does drown you in mana. Combine that with it being ramp that can find nonbasic lands in colors that can blink him to abuse it, and there's definitely a fun deck here.

It just... doesn't have anything to do with Food.

7. Michelangelo, the HeartMichelangelo, the Heart & Leonardo, the BalanceLeonardo, the Balance

(Partners 119 Decks, Rank #2,712; Michelangelo 569 Inclusions, 0.13% of 443K Decks)

If you were looking for five-color Foods, here is your best option! Not only that, but it's a cohesive, straight-forward one that's going to love the Food strategy. Michelangelo, the HeartMichelangelo, the Heart comes down early and immediately starts making Food if you had a one-drop. Leonardo, the BalanceLeonardo, the Balance comes down late and makes the creatures you were making bigger with Michelangelo even bigger. Honestly, it's going to make for a pretty mean aggro Food deck, even if you never get to the WUBRG you need to have things go really cowabunga.

6. Elanor GardnerElanor Gardner

(Helms 69 Decks, Rank #3,070; 36K Inclusions, 1.05% of 3.41M Decks)

I want to like Elanor GardnerElanor Gardner, but she's just not quite there. In mono-green, you can't abuse her ETB to farm Food. Her end-of-turn trigger is great, but it only happens once, not once for each Food, and only on your end step, not everybody else's. In other words? This one unfortunately ended up at the bottom of the heap for a reason.

5. Butterbur, Bree InnkeeperButterbur, Bree Innkeeper

(Helms 65 Decks, Rank #3,105; 6.61K Inclusions, 0.42% of 1.57M Decks)

Butterbur, Bree InnkeeperButterbur, Bree Innkeeper is expensive, but straightforward. That doesn't mean he'll be good, but he is at least something that interests me. A Food a turn, consistently, can be something to build around. Still, we've already seen better elsewhere on this list, so let's call him "almost good enough" and move on, shall we?

4. Galadriel, Gift-GiverGaladriel, Gift-Giver

(Helms 51 Decks, Rank #3,255; 11.4K Inclusions, 0.33% of 3.41M Decks)

Honestly, ditto on Galadriel, Gift-GiverGaladriel, Gift-Giver. There's enough here that you could force a mono-green Food commander, but at five mana for a Food a turn, you'd be better off just doing mono-green with either Graham O'BrienGraham O'Brien or Michelangelo, the HeartMichelangelo, the Heart; even without Partners, they'd be a better deal.

That said, Galadriel does have slight upside over Butterbur, Bree InnkeeperButterbur, Bree Innkeeper in that she can get you Food, Treasures, or +1/+1 counters. Unfortunately, that probably just distracts you from the Food thing and likely makes you into some kind of Tri-Token nonsense.

3. Bosco, Just a BearBosco, Just a Bear

(Helms 35 Decks, Rank #3,540; 612 Inclusions, 0.25% of 244K Decks)

If you really wanted to do mono-green Food, though? I would go with Bosco, Just a BearBosco, Just a Bear. Well, actually, that's jumping the gun a bit. I would consider Bosco, Just a Bear, by looking at what other green legends there are out there that care about Food.

Top 10 Mono-Green Legendary Creatures That Care About Food

1. Peregrin TookPeregrin Took
2. Karn, Legacy ReforgedKarn, Legacy Reforged
3. Syr Ginger, the Meal EnderSyr Ginger, the Meal Ender
4. Elanor GardnerElanor Gardner
5. Meriadoc BrandybuckMeriadoc Brandybuck
6. Galadriel, Gift-GiverGaladriel, Gift-Giver
7. Spider-Ham, Peter PorkerSpider-Ham, Peter Porker
8. The Cabbage MerchantThe Cabbage Merchant
9. Graham O'BrienGraham O'Brien
10. Michelangelo, the HeartMichelangelo, the Heart

Now, would any of these commanders probably be a better mono-green Food commander? Yes. But answer me this: are they Just a Bear? I rest my case.

2. Meriadoc BrandybuckMeriadoc Brandybuck

(Helms 27 Decks, Rank #3,728; 21.1K Inclusions, 0.62% of 3.41M Decks)

Meriadoc BrandybuckMeriadoc Brandybuck is on that list of cards that's probably better than Bosco as a mono-green Food commander, but honestly, you're never going to beat the Bear, and the other two-mana options we've talked about that can also have a partner pairing are also just better on their face. Still, we're looking at the least popular commanders. A few of them are going to be here for a reason.

1. Momo, Playful PetMomo, Playful Pet

(Helms 23 Decks, Rank #3,851; 2.40K Inclusions, 0.79% of 303K Decks)

But the reason I went with this list? Well, it's because I secretly think that the worst Food commander is actually one of the best. Maybe not in raw power, but in being an interesting take? Momo, Playful PetMomo, Playful Pet takes the cake! As a 1/1 vigilant flier, he's a sneaky Voltron option, but the real thing that makes me interested here is that Momo's trigger to make a Food, put out a +1/+1 counter, or scry 2 is a leaves the battlefield trigger, not a dies trigger. That means blink is on the table, setting the table for everything from slow-moving Teleportation CircleTeleportation Circle shenanigans to infinite Food, counters, and scries, depending on how you build things, so if you're doing one of these, let me know in the comments! Momo deserves some love.

Honorable Mentions

If you were wondering just how many Food commanders there now are that this list is at the bottom of, well, so was I:

Top Food Commanders

1. Sam, Loyal AttendantSam, Loyal Attendant & Frodo, Adventurous HobbitFrodo, Adventurous Hobbit: 20,648 Decks Helmed
2. Ygra, Eater of AllYgra, Eater of All: 16,762
3. Shelob, Child of UngoliantShelob, Child of Ungoliant: 12,393
4. Rocco, Street ChefRocco, Street Chef: 10,496
5. Ragost, Deft GastronautRagost, Deft Gastronaut: 10,486
6. Brenard, Ginger SculptorBrenard, Ginger Sculptor: 9075
7. Sorin of House MarkovSorin of House Markov: 5486
8. Sophia, Dogged DetectiveSophia, Dogged Detective: 4906
9. AsmoranomardicadaistinaculdacarAsmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar: 4584
10. Camellia, the SeedmiserCamellia, the Seedmiser: 4527
11. Pippin, Warden of IsengardPippin, Warden of Isengard & Merry, Warden of IsengardMerry, Warden of Isengard: 3933
12. Gyome, Master ChefGyome, Master Chef: 3600
13. Samwise GamgeeSamwise Gamgee: 3198
14. The Goose MotherThe Goose Mother: 2420
15. Treebeard, Gracious HostTreebeard, Gracious Host: 2317
16. Syr Ginger, the Meal EnderSyr Ginger, the Meal Ender: 2124
17. Jenny FlintJenny Flint & Madame VastraMadame Vastra: 1950
18. Greta, Sweettooth ScourgeGreta, Sweettooth Scourge: 1901
19. The Cabbage MerchantThe Cabbage Merchant: 1267
20. The Fourth DoctorThe Fourth Doctor & Sarah Jane Smith[/el]: 1141
21. Iroh, Tea MasterIroh, Tea Master: 899
22. Apothecary WhiteApothecary White: 801
23. Hurska Sweet-ToothHurska Sweet-Tooth: 797
24. The Third DoctorThe Third Doctor & Sarah Jane SmithSarah Jane Smith: 742
25. Bill the PonyBill the Pony: 693
26. Sierra, Nuka's Biggest FanSierra, Nuka's Biggest Fan: 531
27. Farmer CottonFarmer Cotton: 505
28. Peregrin TookPeregrin Took: 480
29. Rosie Cotton of South LaneRosie Cotton of South Lane: 284
30. Spider-Ham, Peter PorkerSpider-Ham, Peter Porker: 239
31. Astrid PethAstrid Peth: 199
32. Graham O'BrienGraham O'Brien & The Twelfth DoctorThe Twelfth Doctor: 163
33. Old FlitterfangOld Flitterfang: 144
34. Ignis ScientiaIgnis Scientia: 128
35. Michelangelo, the HeartMichelangelo, the Heart & Leonardo, the BalanceLeonardo, the Balance: 119
36. Elanor GardnerElanor Gardner: 69
37. Butterbur, Bree InnkeeperButterbur, Bree Innkeeper: 65
38. Galadriel, Gift-GiverGaladriel, Gift-Giver: 51
39. Bosco, Just a BearBosco, Just a Bear: 35
40. Meriadoc BrandybuckMeriadoc Brandybuck: 27
41. Momo, Playful PetMomo, Playful Pet: 23

It turns out, the number is 41, at least for now. I doubt that we'll see a glut of Food come out of Lorwyn Eclipsed, but with the current print rate on Food, I wouldn't be shocked to see at least one (to say nothing of random Secret Lairs that may happen in the meantime).

As for the list at large, I don't think we're going to see these newer, or so-far nonexistent, cards stay low on it. Momo, Playful PetMomo, Playful Pet really is interesting and possibly powerful. The meme that is Bosco, Just a BearBosco, Just a Bear is going to catch some people's fancy. Michelangelo, the HeartMichelangelo, the Heart seems like he's actually one of the best options to pair with Leonardo, the BalanceLeonardo, the Balance to go five-color, whether that be for Foods or other. At the same time, there do have to be some commanders at the bottom of this list, and with how fast these things are being printed these days, if they haven't caught on yet, they might not ever.

All of which is to say, don't forget to stop and try to get the sweet aroma emanating from the fire hose, folks.

Nuts and Bolts

There always seems to be a bit of interest in how these lists are made (this seems like a good time to stress once again that they are based on EDHREC score, NOT my personal opinion…), and people are often surprised that I’m not using any special data or .json from EDHREC, but rather just muddling my way through with some Scryfall knowledge! For your enjoyment/research, here is this week’s Scryfall search.

What Do You Think?

And finally, what is your favorite Food commander? Is it in the top ten, the bottom ten, or somewhere in the middle?

Let us know in the comments, and we'll see you at the kids table!