Theory Brew: Bess, Soul Nourisher EDH Deck Tech – $50 Banquet of Tokens

Hey fellow brewers, and welcome back to ThemEDH! We’re diving into another “Theory Brew” today – an untested deck concept built around flavor and our $50 budget constraint. I love exploring these initial blueprints and hearing your thoughts before potentially taking them for a spin!

Today’s concept features Bess, Soul Nourisher as our commander, leading a resilient community built on good food, mutual support, and surprising strength in numbers.

The Deckbuilding Goal & Process

The objective was clear: build a Commander deck featuring Bess that adhered strictly to the under $50 budget while capturing her lore – nourishing the common folk, fostering community, and overcoming hardship through sustenance and collective action.

We approached this card-by-card, prioritizing budget first, then thematic fit, and finally mechanical synergy. Each potential inclusion was weighed against Bess’s abilities, the deck’s themes of nourishment and community resilience, and its place within the ever-tightening budget.

The Commander & Core Plan

Bess, Soul Nourisher is a three-mana (1GW) 1/1 Human Citizen who gets a +1/+1 counter whenever another creature with base power 1 enters under your control. Her real power lies in her attack trigger: she gives each other creature you control with base power 1 +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of +1/+1 counters on Bess herself.

The plan is simple but potentially potent:

Cast Bess early.
Flood the board with base 1/1 creatures and tokens (growing Bess bigger and bigger).
Protect Bess.
Attack with Bess to turn your wide board of small fries into a massive, game-ending threat!

The Decklist (Approx. $42.69 – Prices Outdated)

(Note: Prices based on TCGplayer Market around late April 2025. Prices fluctuate! Card names in the list below are not linked for readability.)

Commander (1)
1 Bess, Soul Nourisher $0.45 Legendary Creature — Human Citizen

Creatures (27) 
1 Benevolent Bodyguard $0.52 Creature — Human Cleric
1 Ollenbock Escort $0.20 Creature — Human Cleric
1 Soul Warden $2.48 Creature — Human Cleric
1 Wyrm's Crossing Patrol $0.19 Creature — Human Soldier
1 Defiant Elf $0.24 Creature — Elf
1 Dragon Sniper $0.31 Creature — Human Archer
1 Backup Agent $0.15 Creature — Human Citizen
1 Fencing Ace $0.19 Creature — Human Soldier
1 Luminarch Aspirant $0.40 Creature — Human Cleric
1 Harvester Druid $0.25 Creature — Human Druid
1 Teachings of the Kirin // Kirin-Touched Orochi $0.25 Enchantment Creature — Snake Monk
1 Obsessive Skinner $0.20 Creature — Human Rogue
1 Pollenbright Druid $0.20 Creature — Elf Druid
1 Prosperous Innkeeper $0.25 Creature — Halfling Citizen
1 Wose Pathfinder $0.15 Creature — Human Shaman
1 Conclave Mentor $0.34 Creature — Centaur Cleric
1 Farmer Cotton $1.31 Legendary Creature — Halfling Peasant
1 Katilda, Dawnhart Prime $0.50 Legendary Creature — Human Warlock
1 Yotian Dissident $0.20 Creature — Human Artificer
1 Mentor of the Meek $0.25 Creature — Human Soldier
1 Rosie Cotton of South Lane $0.25 Legendary Creature — Halfling Peasant
1 Brandywine Farmer $0.16 Creature — Halfling Peasant
1 Hungry Spriggan $0.20 Creature — Goblin Warrior
1 Peregrin Took $0.27 Legendary Creature — Halfling Citizen
1 Sam, Loyal Attendant $0.50 Legendary Creature — Halfling Peasant
1 Apothecary White $1.66 Legendary Creature — Human Cleric
1 Saradoc, Master of Buckland $0.40 Legendary Creature — Halfling Citizen
1 Boss's Chauffeur $0.25 Creature — Elf Citizen

Instants (11) 
1 Dispatch $1.62 Instant
1 Path to Exile $0.98 Instant
1 Swords to Plowshares $1.09 Instant
1 Tamiyo's Safekeeping $2.75 Instant
1 Reprieve  $1.13 Instant
1 Rootborn Defenses $0.26 Instant
1 Unbreakable Formation $0.48 Instant
1 Invigorating Surge $0.30 Instant
1 March of the Multitudes $1.00 Instant
1 Pledge of Unity $0.28 Instant
1 Second Harvest $1.21 Instant

Sorceries (6)
1 Courage in Crisis$0.20 Sorcery
1 Cultivate$0.69 Sorcery
1 Increasing Devotion $0.25 Sorcery
1 Collective Unconscious $0.49 Sorcery
1 Camaraderie $0.31 Sorcery
1 Dusk // Dawn  $0.25 Sorcery // Sorcery 

Artifacts (8) 
1 Krovod Haunch $0.19 Artifact — Food Equipment
1 Sol Ring $1.39 Artifact
1 Horn of Valhalla // Ysgard's Call $0.50 Artifact — Equipment // Sorcery — Adventure
1 Carrot Cake $0.16 Artifact — Food
1 Arcane Signet $0.47 Artifact
1 Selesnya Signet $0.38 Artifact
1 Field-Tested Frying Pan $0.28 Artifact — Equipment
1 Heaped Harvest $0.20 Artifact — Food

Enchantments (9) 
1 Assemble the Players $0.42 Enchantment
1 Trail of Crumbs $0.49 Enchantment
1 Light of Promise $0.45 Enchantment — Aura
1 Master Chef $0.20 Legendary Enchantment — Background
1 Cradle of Vitality $0.50 Enchantment
1 Rabble Rousing $ $1.29 Enchantment
1 Dazzling Theater // Prop Room $1.14 Enchantment — Room
1 Legion Loyalty $0.44 Enchantment
(Note: Teachings of the Kirin listed under Creatures as Enchantment Creature)

Lands (38) 
1 Brushland $2.04 $2.04 Land
1 Canopy Vista $0.25 $0.25 Land — Forest Plains
1 Command Tower $0.25 $0.25 Land
1 Evolving Wilds $0.19 $0.19 Land
13 Forest $0.10 $1.30 Basic Land — Forest
18 Plains $0.13 $2.34 Basic Land — Plains
1 Sungrass Prairie $0.25 $0.25 Land
1 Sunpetal Grove $1.10 $1.10 Land
1 Strength of the Harvest // Haven of the Harvest $0.46 $0.46 Land

// Approx. Deck Total: $42.69

Thematic Deep Dive: Nourishing the Community

This deck truly aims to embody the theme of “Nourishing the Community for Resilience and Strength.” Bess herself is a provider, turning simple sustenance (represented by the influx of small 1/1 creatures and Food tokens) into collective power. The deck leans into Halfling and Human creature types, often depicted as common folk banding together. Cards featuring Food, lifegain, and mutual support through counters and anthems reinforce this idea of a community growing stronger by looking out for each other. It’s about the collective, not just individual heroes – the strength comes from the nourished group, led by Bess.

Deck Breakdown & Synergies

The Commander: Bess, Soul Nourisher: Gets bigger as 1/1s enter. Her attack trigger is the key payoff, turning your wide board into a lethal threat.

The Commonfolk (1/1 Creature Focus): The core of the deck. Many creatures naturally have base power 1 (like Benevolent Bodyguard, Prosperous Innkeeper, many Halflings) or create 1/1 tokens, directly fueling both of Bess’s abilities.

Strength in Numbers (Token Generation): We make lots of 1/1 tokens via cards like March of the Multitudes, Increasing Devotion, Rabble Rousing, Farmer Cotton, and Horn of Valhalla. These grow Bess and become huge threats when she attacks. Second Harvest can double our token army for explosive turns.

Growing Stronger (+1/+1 Counters): Bess naturally grows herself. Other cards like Conclave Mentor, Luminarch Aspirant, Pollenbright Druid, Master Chef, and Courage in Crisis add more counters or enhance counter placement, synergizing with Bess and potentially enabling other counter-matters cards.

Good Food & Good Health (Food & Lifegain): The Food subtheme (Prosperous Innkeeper, Peregrin Took, Sam, Loyal Attendant, Food artifacts) provides lifegain and value. Lifegain can trigger Light of Promise and Cradle of Vitality for more counters or pump. Trail of Crumbs turns Food into card advantage.

Protection & Resilience: Keeping Bess alive is critical. Cards like Benevolent Bodyguard, Ollenbock Escort, Tamiyo's Safekeeping, Rootborn Defenses, and Unbreakable Formation help protect her and/or the wider board from removal or board wipes.

Other Synergies (Card Draw, Ramp, Interaction): Mentor of the Meek and Assemble the Players offer card advantage based on our creature strategy. Collective Unconscious and Camaraderie provide big draw spells based on our creature count. Standard budget ramp (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Selesnya Signet, Cultivate) helps deploy our strategy. Efficient removal (Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Dispatch) handles threats. Dusk // Dawn acts as a potential one-sided board wipe.

How the Deck Should Play (Theory)

The game plan follows a nice curve:

Early Game (T1-3): Deploy mana dorks (Harvester Druid), mana rocks (Sol Ring, Signets), or early 1/1 value creatures (Prosperous Innkeeper, Soul Warden). Set up for Bess.
Mid Game (T4-7): Cast Bess! Start deploying more 1/1 creatures and token generators (Increasing Devotion, Rabble Rousing) to grow Bess. Use cards like Mentor of the Meek for card draw if mana allows. Hold up protection if possible.
Late Game (T8+): Overwhelm the board. With Bess sufficiently large, attack with her to pump your team of 1/1s into a massive army. Use mass token spells (March of the Multitudes) or token doublers (Second Harvest) to go wide before the big attack. Use protection spells to survive board wipes or targeted removal aimed at Bess. The Room enchantment Dazzling Theater // Prop Room adds interesting options, potentially helping cast creatures via Convoke on its front side, while its Prop Room back side offers mass pseudo-vigilance for safer attacks.

Potential weaknesses might include vulnerability to early removal targeting Bess, struggling against decks that go wider faster or have lots of flying blockers, and reliance on Bess surviving to enable the main win condition.

Meeting the Budget (Approx. $42.69 )

Based on the prices recorded when this brew was first conceptualized, this deck clocked in at approximately **$42.69**, landing comfortably under our $50 ThemEDH target! This really highlights how achievable a synergistic, thematic deck can be without needing expensive staples.

While there are a few cards originally priced over a dollar (like some efficient interaction – Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Tamiyo's Safekeeping, Dispatch – or key lands like Brushland), the overwhelming majority of the deck consists of highly affordable commons and uncommons. This focus on budget allows us to explore these fun themes without breaking the bank.

Remember, card prices fluctuate constantly due to reprints, demand, and market trends. Always double-check current prices if you’re building it yourself! What was $43 then might be different now.

Call for Feedback!

As this is a Theory Brew, it’s untested! What do you think? Does the theme of a nourished community come through? Are there any budget Selesnya gems perfect for Bess that I missed? Any obvious weaknesses or potential swaps you’d suggest within the budget constraint? I’m particularly curious if the balance between 1/1 creatures, token generation, and protection feels right. Let me know your thoughts!

Conclusion

Thanks for stopping by ThemEDH, and happy brewing!

I’m really excited by this Bess concept. It feels like a quintessential Selesnya “go-wide” strategy but with a unique commander-centric twist that focuses specifically on base 1/1 creatures. The potential to turn a board of unassuming Halflings, Humans, and tokens into a game-ending force with a single attack from Bess seems incredibly fun and flavorful, especially on a tight budget.