Ganax, Astral Hunter is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Flying Whenever Ganax or another Dragon you control enters, create a Treasure token. (It's an artifact with ", Sacrifice this token: Add one mana of any color.") Choose a Background (You can have a Background as a second commander.)
Complete guide
Ganax, Astral Hunter is a powerful legendary Dragon that fuels your mana pool while flying over your opponents' defenses. As a commander with the Choose a Background ability, he offers incredible flexibility in deckbuilding and resource generation.
Hoarding the Wealth
Ganax, Astral Hunter focuses on a triggered ability that creates a Treasure token whenever he or another Dragon enters the battlefield under your control. Because Ganax is a Dragon himself, his ability triggers immediately when he enters the battlefield, ensuring you get a return on your mana investment right away. These Treasure tokens can be sacrificed at any time to add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Mastering the Background
The 'Choose a Background' ability is a variant of the partner mechanic. If Ganax is your commander, you may have a legendary Background enchantment as a second commander, and their combined color identities determine what cards you can include in your deck. Both start in the command zone and are tracked separately for commander tax and damage purposes. If an effect checks if you control your commander, it is satisfied as long as at least one of them is on the battlefield.
Strategic Resolution
When a Dragon enters the battlefield, Ganax's ability goes on the stack. This is a triggered ability, meaning it can be responded to by players. Once it resolves, you create a Treasure token. If multiple Dragons enter at the same time, Ganax will trigger once for each of them. Remember that if you have multiple commanders, an effect that refers to 'your commander' allows you to choose which one it applies to, though Backgrounds are typically not creatures.
Common Pitfalls
A frequent mistake is forgetting that Ganax triggers for himself; you don't need another Dragon already on board to get your first Treasure. Additionally, note that 'Choose a Background' only works with legendary Background enchantments, not cards with other partner abilities. Also, commander tax is tracked individually—casting your Background does not increase the cost to cast Ganax later.
Interaction examples
Ganax, Astral HunterWhen you cast Ganax, Astral Hunter and he resolves, he enters the battlefield. His own triggered ability checks the state of the game, recognizes a Dragon has entered, and puts a Treasure token creation effect on the stack. You resolve this to gain one Treasure.
Roaming ThroneIf you control Roaming Throne and chose 'Dragon' as its type, Ganax's ability will trigger an additional time. When Ganax or another Dragon enters, Roaming Throne sees a triggered ability of a creature of the chosen type. Instead of one Treasure, you will create two.
Solemn SimulacrumWhen you play Solemn Simulacrum, it enters the battlefield as a Golem. Because it does not have the Dragon creature type, Ganax, Astral Hunter's ability does not trigger, and you do not create a Treasure token.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Ganax, Astral Hunter
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Choose a Background is a variant of the partner ability. You may have two commanders if one of them is a legendary creature with the choose a background ability and the other is a legendary Background enchantment. Backgrounds and cards with choose a Background do not interact with cards which have any other partner ability.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If your Commander deck has two commanders, you can include only cards whose own color identities are also found in your commanders' combined color identities.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Both commanders start in the command zone, and the remaining 98 cards (or 58 cards in a Commander Draft game) of your deck are shuffled to become your library.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If your commander loses the choose a Background ability or stops being a Background during the game, as appropriate, it is still your commander.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
Once the game begins, your two commanders are tracked separately. If you cast one, you won't have to pay an additional
the first time you cast the other. A player loses the game after having been dealt 21 combat damage from any one of them, not from both of them combined (although your Background won't usually be a creature anyway).No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
If something refers to your commander while you have two commanders, it refers to one of them of your choice. If you are instructed to perform an action on your commander (e.g. put it from the command zone into your hand due to Command Beacon), you choose one of your commanders at the time the effect happens.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
An effect that checks whether you control your commander is satisfied if you control one or both of your two commanders.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
You can choose two commanders that are the same color or colors.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
If a card refers to a commander creature you own, a Background won't usually be counted or included for that effect. If another spell or ability causes your Background to become a creature, however, it will be included. Any effect that refers to your commander or a commander you own or control without specifying creature will apply to a Background that is your commander, as appropriate.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
If you control a Background that grants an ability to commander creatures you own, and you own more than one commander creature, each of them will have that ability.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Ganax, Astral Hunter + Aggravated Assault + Utvara Hellkite
- 1Declare six Dragons you control as attackers.
- 2Utvara Hellkite triggers six times, creating six 6/6 Dragon creature tokens.
- 3The Dragons enter the battlefield, triggering Ganax six times, creating six Treasure tokens.
- 4Move to your postcombat main phase.
- 5Activate five Treasure tokens you control by tapping and sacrificing them, adding at least
. - 6Activate Aggravated Assault by paying , causing you to untap all creatures you control and to get an additional combat and main phase after this one.
- 7Repeat.
Ganax, Astral Hunter + Draconic Visitor
- 1Cast Draconic Visitor by paying .
- 2When Draconic Visitor enters, Ganax triggers, creating a 5/5 Dragon creature token with flying due to Draconic Visitor.
- 3When the Dragon token enters, Ganax triggers, creating a 5/5 Dragon creature token with flying due to Draconic Visitor.
- 4Repeat step 3.
Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm + Reflections of Littjara + Ganax, Astral Hunter + Parallel Lives
- 1Cast Miirym either from your hand or from the command zone by paying
plus commander tax, if applicable. - 2Reflections of Littjara triggers, copying the Miirym spell, creating two token copies of Miirym.
- 3Put all but one legendary Miirym into your graveyard due to the legend rule.
- 4When the Miirym tokens enter, Ganax triggers twice, creating four Treasure tokens.
- 5Resolve the original Miirym spell. Choose to put the nontoken Miirym into your graveyard due to the legend rule.
- 6Each Miirym you control and Ganax trigger,
- 7Resolve the Ganax trigger, creating two Treasure tokens.
- 8Resolve a Miirym trigger, creating two token copies of Miirym that aren't legendary.
Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm + Ganax, Astral Hunter + Deadeye Navigator
- 1Activate Ganax by paying
, blinking itself. - 2Ganax enters the battlefield, triggering itself, any other Ganax that is on the battlefield, Miirym and Deadeye Navigator's soulbond ability.
- 3Resolve all Ganax triggers, creating that many Treasure tokens.
- 4Resolve the Deadeye Navigator trigger, repairing it and Ganax.
- 5Resolve the Miirym trigger, creating a nonlegendary token copy of Ganax.
- 6The Ganax token enters the battlefield, triggering itself, any other Ganax that is on the battlefield and Deadeye Navigator's soulbond ability.
- 7Resolve all Ganax triggers, creating that many Treasure tokens.
- 8Resolve the Deadeye Navigator trigger, choosing not to pair.
Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm + Reflections of Littjara + Ganax, Astral Hunter + Adrix and Nev, Twincasters
- 1Cast Miirym either from your hand or from the command zone by paying plus commander tax, if applicable.
- 2Reflections of Littjara triggers, copying the Miirym spell, creating two token copies of Miirym.
- 3Put all but one legendary Miirym into your graveyard due to the legend rule.
- 4When the Miirym tokens enter, Ganax triggers twice, creating four Treasure tokens.
- 5Resolve the original Miirym spell. Choose to put the nontoken Miirym into your graveyard due to the legend rule.
- 6Each Miirym you control and Ganax trigger,
- 7Resolve the Ganax trigger, creating two Treasure tokens.
- 8Resolve a Miirym trigger, creating two token copies of Miirym that aren't legendary.
Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm + Reflections of Littjara + Ganax, Astral Hunter + Doubling Season
- 1Cast Miirym either from your hand or from the command zone by paying plus commander tax, if applicable.
- 2Reflections of Littjara triggers, copying the Miirym spell, creating two token copies of Miirym.
- 3Put all but one legendary Miirym into your graveyard due to the legend rule.
- 4When the Miirym tokens enter, Ganax triggers twice, creating four Treasure tokens.
- 5Resolve the original Miirym spell. Choose to put the nontoken Miirym into your graveyard due to the legend rule.
- 6Each Miirym you control and Ganax trigger,
- 7Resolve the Ganax trigger, creating two Treasure tokens.
- 8Resolve a Miirym trigger, creating two token copies of Miirym that aren't legendary.
Ganax, Astral Hunter + Deadeye Navigator + Goldspan Dragon
- 1Activate Ganax by paying , blinking it.
- 2When Ganax enters the battlefield, it and Deadeye Navigator's soulbond ability trigger.
- 3Resolve the Deadeye Navigator trigger, repairing it and Ganax.
- 4Resolve the Ganax, creating a Treasure artifact token.
- 5Activate the Treasure by tapping and sacrificing it, adding .
- 6Repeat.
Deadeye Navigator + Ganax, Astral Hunter + Sarkhan, Soul Aflame
- 1Cast Ganax either from your hand or from the command zone by paying plus commander tax, if applicable.
- 2When Ganax enters the battlefield, it, Deadeye Navigator's soulbond ability and Sarkhan trigger.
- 3Resolve the Ganax trigger, creating a Treasure token.
- 4Resolve the Deadeye Navigator trigger, pairing it and Ganax.
- 5Resolve the Sarkhan trigger, causing it to become a copy of Ganax whose name is still Sarkhan, Soul Aflame until end of turn.
- 6Activate the Treasure by tapping and sacrificing it, adding .
- 7Activate Ganax by paying , blinking it.
- 8When Ganax enters the battlefield, it, Deadeye Navigator's soulbond ability and Sarkhan trigger.
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