I Speak for the Trees | Building Your Doran, Besieged By Time Commander Deck

There are commanders that want you to draw cards. There are commanders that want you to combo off. And then there is Doran, Besieged By Time, who looks at your creatures and says, “Let's turn your tough into a buff, baby!”

If you enjoy sideways combat math, chunky creatures, and turning defensive stats into offensive nightmares, this is your tree.

Let’s break down how a Doran, Besieged by Time Commander deck works, why he is awesome, and how to build him the right way.

How Doran, Besieged By Time Works

Here is the card text again for clarity:

• Each creature spell you cast with toughness greater than its power costs 1 less to cast.

• Whenever a creature you control attacks or blocks, it gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the difference between its power and toughness.

• 0/5 Legendary Creature — Treefolk Druid

  
  

There are two big things happening here.

First, Doran discounts creatures with higher toughness than power. That means walls, defenders, and big back-end creatures are cast at a discount rate. Your deck naturally wants creatures that look defensive on paper.

Second, and this is the spicy part, whenever your creature attacks or blocks, it gets +X/+X equal to the difference between its power and toughness.

Example time.

If you control a 1/5 creature, the difference between power and toughness is 4. When it attacks or blocks, it gets +4/+4. That 1/5 just became a 5/9 for the turn.

Yes, this stacks with multiple creatures. Yes, combat becomes absurd very quickly.

Doran rewards you for playing creatures that look harmless and then smashing people with them.

What Makes Doran Cool

Doran flips expectations.

Most decks want big power. Doran wants big toughness. Most players ignore defenders. Doran turns them into monsters. Your opponents see a board of 0/4s and 1/6s and feel safe. They should not feel safe.

He also:

• Encourages unique deckbuilding choices

• Makes combat interactive and math-heavy

• Lets you play budget all-stars that nobody else wants

• Feels very on-theme for a grumpy Treefolk who has seen some things

There is something deeply satisfying about attacking with what looks like a pile of brick walls and watching life totals evaporate.

Early Game Strategy

Your early game is about three things: ramp, board presence, and setup.

1. Play Tough Creatures Early

Low-cost creatures with high toughness become discounted and scale later. A 0/4 for two mana might not look exciting, but with Doran out, it is suddenly swinging for real damage.

You want creatures that:

• Have toughness 4 or higher

• Cost 3 mana or less

• Provide utility if possible

Think of your early board as laying bricks for a fortress that eventually starts punching people.

2. Ramp Into Doran

Doran costs four mana, so you want him out on curve or ahead of it. Standard green ramp spells, mana dorks, and land ramp are ideal.

If you can go:

• Turn 2 ramp

• Turn 3 beefy creature

• Turn 4 Doran

You are in business.

3. Do Not Overextend

Board wipes exist. They always exist. Resist the urge to dump your entire hand just because your creatures are discounted.

Build steadily. Let Doran turn incremental pressure into real damage.

Mid Game Strategy

This is where things get fun.

Once Doran is on the battlefield, your creatures stop being defensive and start being terrifying.

1. Turn Defense Into Offense

Swing with your high-toughness creatures. They will scale themselves thanks to Doran.

A 0/5 attacks and suddenly becomes a 5/10. That is not chip damage. That is a statement.

You want to:

• Force awkward blocks

• Punish opponents who thought they were safe

• Use combat tricks wisely

2. Abuse Attack and Block Triggers

Remember that the bonus applies when a creature attacks or blocks. That means even on defense, your creatures become massive.

This makes you very hard to swing into. Opponents will often avoid attacking you altogether, which buys you time to develop your board further.

3. Layer in Support

Anthem effects and toughness boosters get ridiculous fast. If you increase toughness, you increase the power gap, which increases the buff from Doran.

More toughness equals more damage. It is beautifully simple.

Late Game Strategy

In the late game, you are not trying to nickel and dime people. You are trying to close.

1. Go Wide and Swing

With enough creatures on board, a single attack step can end the game. Even small creatures become oversized threats.

You want:

• Evasion

• Overrun style effects

• Protection for Doran

If Doran stays in play, your math stays broken.

2. Protect the Tree

Doran will eat removal. Plan for it.

Include:

• Protection spells

• Recursion

• Indestructible effects

If opponents realize what is happening, Doran becomes priority number one.

3. Grind If Needed

If the board stalls, your creatures still block incredibly well. You can afford to wait for the right swing. Your deck is built to win combat exchanges.

5 Must Include Cards

Here are five cards that truly shine in a Doran, Besieged By Time build.

1. The Walls of Ba Sing Se

A 0/30 Legendary Artifact Creature with defender that gives your other permanents indestructible.

Thirty toughness means a massive Doran trigger. When it attacks (which you would need another piece to do) or blocks, that gap turns into a ridiculous stat boost. On top of that, giving your permanents indestructible makes board wipes far less scary.

It is not just a wall. It is a fortress with anger issues.

2. Arbor Adherent

This 2/4 Dog Druid taps for one mana of any color, or taps for X mana of one color where X is the greatest toughness among other creatures you control.

In a Doran deck, that number gets silly fast.

If you control a creature with 10 or more toughness, Arbor Adherent turns into a ritual every turn. It fuels huge plays and lets you redeploy after wipes.

Mana scaling with toughness is exactly what this deck wants.

3. Tree of Perdition

A 0/13 with defender that can exchange an opponent’s life total with its toughness.

Set someone to 13 life. Then attack with a board of creatures that suddenly swing for massive damage thanks to Doran.

It creates immediate pressure and paints a giant target on that player’s back.

Politically risky. Strategically hilarious.

4. Brave the Sands

Creatures you control have vigilance and can block an additional creature each combat.

Vigilance means you can attack and still hold up blockers. Since your creatures trigger on blocking too, this is huge.

It makes you oppressive in combat. You swing freely and still dare opponents to try their luck.

5. Felothar the Steadfast

This card is absurd in Doran.

First, it gives you redundancy. Even if Doran is removed, your creatures still hit using toughness. That keeps your entire strategy online.

Second, it lets defenders attack. That means every high toughness creature you were planning to block with can now pressure life totals without extra setup.

Third, the activated ability turns your biggest toughness creatures into massive card draw. Sacrifice a 0/13 or 0/30 and you refill your hand while barely discarding anything. In this deck, that ability reads like "Pay 3 mana, draw a ridiculous number of cards."

Felothar does not just support the plan. It protects it, extends it, and refuels it.

If Doran is the engine, Felothar is the backup generator that also happens to carry a flamethrower.

Is a Doran, Besieged by Time the Commander for You?

A Doran, Besieged By Time Commander deck rewards creativity. He asks you to rethink how you evaluate creatures. Suddenly, that 0/6 is not filler. It is a future problem for someone else.

The deck feels different from typical green-based combat builds. You are not relying on giant power stats. You are weaponizing resilience.

If you like surprising the table, winning through combat, and watching opponents reread your commander three times, Doran might be your next favorite build.