Green Devotion is the true "Big Mana" deck of the Modern Format. Devotion, unlike other big mana decks; allows the builder/player a very malleable strategy that can attack from very different angles while taking advantage of a "Core" of cards that can build huge sums of mana as early as turn three. This Primer provides the most successful Green Devotion lists as well as the many strategy choices one can make when playing Green Devotion.
Anthony S. Devotion PACT List (16th @ SCG Modern Open)
Introduction
In October 2013, Theros was unleashed unto the Magic world. One of the new keywords introduced was Devotion. The impact devotion had on Modern was not immediate, however, Green just felt like it had to be the perfect home for such a mechanic. Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, was the first real devotion card that saw play in Modern. Slowly, a few lists began to see play on MTGO and many people caught on to the idea that some very fun and powerful cards could be played in a Green Devotion deck.
What truly brought the deck to the forefront was an article by Gavin Verhey (based on a deck from one of the "founding fathers" of devotion (and our original OP) Gnuhouse . The article was entitled “The Most Fun I’ve Had in Modern” (see link below). Since this article, the deck has developed significantly, the lists have been tested and honed, and several high level players have adopted the deck such as Michael Jacob, Michael Hetrick, Jarvis Yu, and Travis Woo. While not every list stood the test of time; the green fever had taken hold! Michael Jacobs, in particular, took quite a liking to the deck; streaming it for several months.
In addition to this, however, there was a community of green mages churning away at new ideas and new ways to break devotion in Modern. This very community has pushed the boundaries of Green Devotion to new and interesting heights. In the past year, the mechanic has been exploited in many different ways; however five distinct "archetypes" of Green Devotion have arisen. These "archetypes" include "Traditional Mono Green", "Toolbox", "Nyxwave Combo", "Tooth and Nail Combo" and "Stompy". While "Elf Combo" is thought of as it's own form of devotion; often times Elves lists will fall under either "Nyxwave Combo" or "Stompy" depending on the build.
With the banning of Twin and Summer Bloom (and thus Amulet Bloom) and the printing of Oath of Nissa within a week of one another, however; Green Devotion saw a resurgence as it's two worst match ups were officially banned at the same time the consistency of the deck was improved...Green Devotion has seen a growth once again; and is becoming one of the best "big mana" decks in the format. More resilient (although potentially slower) and more interactive than Tron, and more powerful than Eldrazi; Green Devotion has a special place in Modern as the true Green Ramp Deck.
This primer will talk about the differences between each version; and more importantly, what ties them all together as "Green Devotion" decks. We'll discuss what makes a Green Devotion deck, what is not a Green Devotion deck, and how Green Devotion has been and will be made competitive in the Modern Meta.
Green devotion is for anyone that loves:
Generating HUGE sums of mana and trampling in for hundreds of points of damage...ON TURN 3...
Time Walking your opponent over, and over, and over, before crushing them underfoot and putting them at the bottom of a future lake...
Starting the turn with three lands and a mana dork and ending the turn with infinite mana, infinite life, your entire deck in your hand, and your opponent having no lands...
Creating infinite tokens, and infinite damage quickly
Or simply ramping into fatties and beating face
If this sounds like you, then Green Devotion is for you!
Devotion "Core Cards"
While there are four current versions of devotion; all of the devotion decks utilize the same "Core" (within only their win-cons and support cards varying). Below is an outline of each of the "Core" cards in devotion and why they are so very important to the Devotion archetype.
[spoiler=Devotion Core Cards]
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
The centerpiece of the deck, Nykthos acts as a pseudo Gaea’s Cradle, allowing you to do some borderline degenerate things with all the mana it generates. Used in conjunction with effects that allow you to untap it, and the latest version of the legend rule, it’s not uncommon to be producing 30+ mana in a turn.
Arbor Elf and Utopia Sprawl
These two, in conjunction, are the beginnings of the engine of the deck. This little combo will allow you to do things like power out a turn two Garruk Wildspeaker, or turn three Primeval Titan. Because Utopia Sprawl acts as an "instant speed" ramp card (if you have more than one Forest); If Arbor Elf is played on turn one and Utopia Sprawl is played on turn 2; you then have access to four mana left on turn two! Casting a Garruk Wildspeaker from there is where things get really crazy!
Garruk Wildspeaker
A true Devotion All-Star, Garruk Wildspeaker may be the most powerful devotion card ever printed (even though it was printed well before Devotion was in existence. The original Garruk plays a dual role here. For starters, his +1 ability allows you to untap two lands. ANY two lands. With lands like Nykthos or enchanted Forests, the ability to use them twice in one turn opens up many possibilities for abuse. Further, his -4 is not only achievable but can act as a win condition on its own if you a reasonable board presence (which devotion decks often do).
Oath of Nissa
Printed in Oath of the Gatewatch, Oath of Nissa provided a distinct advantage to Green Devotion decks. As a 1-mana enchantment, it greatly increased the consistency of the Green Devotion deck as it allows the player to "dig" for all of the essential pieces (Nykthos, Primeval Titan, Garruk Wildspeaker, etc.). This is the card that reinvigorated Green Devotion along with the banning(s) of Twin and Amulet Bloom.
Forest
While it may seem obvious, it is important to every Green Devotion deck to run actual "Forest" primary lands. Utopia Sprawl and Arbor Elf both only work with Forests (as does Nissa Worldwaker) and much of the land destruction utilized in Modern is for Non-Basic lands. Land destruction can be tough on devotion; so it is important to ensure your enchanted lands are generally forests. While shock lands are technically Forests (and any deck splashing a color should use them); every devotion deck has to run basic Forests.
[/spoiler]
Support Cards
The next portion of any Green Devotion deck is its Support Cards. These are the cards that "bridge the gap" between pure early ramp and the win-conditions of the deck. Often times these cards are meant to:
Add ample devotion to the board
Draw into other permanents
Tutor to important permanents/win-conditions
Pour permanents on the board to develop devotion and card/board advantage
Provide the devotion pilot ways to interact with the opponent
Provide even greater ramp quickly get to 6+ CMC spells.
The following is the list of the "best" or most used "support cards" found within devotion decks:
[spoiler=Green Devotion Support Cards]
Burning-Tree Emissary - BTE is an interesting devotion card due to its EBT trigger, low cost, and high devotion. It essentially "nets" you mana when it is played (as it's cost is equal to it's devotion AND it adds mana to your pool). BTE is used mainly in "Traditional" devotion decks due to the interaction it has with Genesis Wave (as it can trigger another Nykthos just from entering the battlefield off of a Wave) as well as it's use as a quick devotion-boost. As a creature that essentially "pays for itself", BTE can rapidly speed up the amount of devotion the pilot can build in the very early turns. Turns with multiples of BTE and a Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx are the lightning fast turns that lead to turn 2-3 wins.
Eternal Witness - While she also falls under the "win-condition" section; Eternal Witness provides spectacular value all her own. By allowing the player to "bring back" any card, she lets Genesis Wave players "string" waves, provides for the "infinite lock" (or soft lock depending on the deck), brings back a fetch land if land is needed, and can literally bring back any card in the graveyard you'd prefer to cast for pure card advantage. Eternal Witness is extremely close to being considered a "Core" card as it is in nearly ever green devotion deck every made.
Primal Command - One of the most versatile green spells printed; Primal Command allows you to tutor for a creature, gain life, get rid of a pesky non-creature permanent for at least one turn, guarantee that the opponent draws a land WHILE losing one of their current lands, AND shuffling your (or your opponent's) graveyard back into their library for both graveyard-based and mill match-ups. At 5-CMC, there are few decks that can quickly and profitably play the green Command; however devotion decks can. What makes Primal Command so amazing is the many match ups it is useful in as well as the potential for the Eternal Witness/Primal Command Lock (discussed in the "win-conditions" section). While not many non-permanents make it into green devotion decks; Primal Command makes the cut.
Elvish Visionary - Any green permanent that says "draw a card" on it has a place in green devotion. Elvish Visionary shines in the Elf Combo version of green devotion; however it is useful in many different decks as a green permanent adding to both devotion and your hand. With Cloudstone Curio, Visionary also becomes a tool to draw multiple cards in conjunction with Burning-Tree Emissary (2 mana will draw a card as many times as you can afford).
Abundant Growth - Just as with Visionary above; Abundant Growth is great in devotion decks because it draws a card (replaces itself) while fixing mana AND adding one to the pilot's devotion count. This card has many additional uses when paired with cards like Fetch Lands and Eternal Witness or Cloudstone Curio; but it's main advantageous use in devotion is just its power as a fixer, devotion enabler, and card advantage engine for devotion.
Courser of Kruphix - A great card for building card advantage with a solid "butt" to boot; Courser is an extremely solid card for devotion builds. The life gain and large body make it great for burn and aggro match ups, and the digging for land ability and 2-devotion make it an extremely powerful mana-generating tool for the deck. 3-CMC is a somewhat "sweet spot" for the deck as well. Courser has the toughness to stay on board for extended periods as well as through board wipes (which is great for devotion) and the card advantage it can create is astounding. Courser is seen in many of the more interactive devotion lists. It also has really great synergy with Domri Rade, Coiling Oracle, Oath of Nissa, and any other card interested in the top card of the deck.
Voyaging Satyr - Mainly utilized in Tooth and Nail builds, Voyaging Satyr can be seen as a "beefed up" Arbor Elf. Because Voyaging Satyr can untap ANY land; she can untap enchanted Forest's as well as Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx. This leads to huge sums of mana quite quickly (and with the goal being to get to 9-mana in tooth in nail decks; she is a perfect fit). Any deck playing a heavy amount of land enchantments love Voyaging Satyr. If your goal is to exponentially ramp each turn, this is your best 2-drop option.
Overgrowth - Just as Voyaging Satyr is the "beefed up" Arbor Elf, Overgrowth is the "beefed up" Utopia Sprawl. When combined with cards that untap lands; the additional GG you get with each tap gets out of hand extremely quickly. Again utilized mainly in Tooth and Nail decks; when paired with Arbor Elf, Voyaging Satyr, and Garruk Wildspeaker; you can see how one land could quickly begin producing 6+ mana on its own.
Leatherback Baloth - a 4/5 for 3-mana is good. When it also adds three devotion it becomes great! In many "Stompy" decks, Leatherback is the perfect 3-drop. It outclasses nearly every creature in Modern that can come down as quickly as it can (as early as turn 2 in devotion decks) and when paired with cards like Nylea, God of the Hunt and/or Kessig Wolf Run; Leatherback quickly becomes a trampling powerhouse that will end the game if not dealt with.
Chord of Calling - The most powerful green tutor to date; Chord of Calling is especially impressive in Green Devotion decks due to the high amounts of mana that can be generated quickly. This card can be used in a variety of ways from "Chording" for a peice of a combo (like the Kiki/Resto combo) to "chording" for a Craterhoof for the "beatdown" win. Chord of Calling seems to really shine in the "Toolbox" devotion lists; as it is played both proactively and re-actively to gain the advantage over the opponent by tutoring for an array of often over a dozen specific creatures.
Summoners Pact - Another great tutor, Pact seems to work best in a beatdown deck to tutor for a creature that ends the game on the spot (such as Craterhoof Behemoth). When the downside doesn't come until the next turn, it is not a worry when you win on the spot Even if you have to pay for it; often times the tutor is well worth the 4-mana the following turn (as four mana is generally very little for a devotion deck anywhere past turn two).
Wistful Selkie - As stated above, any green permanent that says "draw a card" is a good option in green devotion. One that adds 3-devotion at the same time is great! Wistful Selkie is a great option for a full-mono-green devotion deck (as often times GGG is difficult to obtain as early as you would like with utility lands and Nykthos. Despite this, Wistful Selkie is one of the best "cantrip" devotion creatures printed (if not the best).
Genesis Hydra - This is an interesting and powerful option for many "Stompy" builds (and even some combo builds) of devotion. It is well suited for devotion because it gets larger the more mana you have and can dig for any of your other permanents. It is a great "card advantage" choice (as you get both the Hydra AND the card it reveals/you choose)...and very interestingly even if the Genesis Hydra gets countered you still get the card (as it says "when you cast..."). The fact that you get a huge body, dig for ANY permanent, AND you you get 2-devotion to boot makes this a powerful card that hasn't seen it's full utilization yet in devotion.
Temur Sabertooth - Temur Sabertooth changes the way devotion decks (a) react to removal and/or board wipes as well as (b) give many "value" devotion decks (like the Toolbox versions and the Elf Combo version) another potential avenue to abuse Enter the Battlefield (ETB) triggers. Temur Sabertooth has an activated ability that is not available on any potential green devotion card. The ability not only to "bounce" a creature, but also gaining indestructible in the process creates a creature that has enough uses/value/utility to ensure a spot in many devotion decks. Between the ETB effects of Elvish Visionary, Wistful Selkie, Eternal Witness, Craterhoof Behemoth, Burning-Tree Emissary, Restoration Angel, Craterhoof Behemoth, Siege Rhino, Purphoros, Outpost Siege (LTB Trigger) and a litany of other creatures/cards that are played in devotion builds...Temur Sabertooth can abuse any ETB (or LTB) effect triggered by creatures. He also can "reset" the Undying and/or Persist counters placed on creatures like Strangleroot Geist and Kitchen Finks. Lastly, however not least, he can simply be used to maintain your devotion count and/or "save" a creature. If an opponent plays a board wipe such as Supreme Verdict or Anger of the Gods; Temur Sabertooth can "return" any creatures you want (at a cost of 2-mana per creature) and does not die in the process. Sabertooth turns potential X-for-1's into as low as 0-for-1! Although he requires ample mana; that is one thing devotion decks have. This is a card that can only grow in popularity among devotion players.
Strangleroot Geist - The only creature printed with both Undying and Haste; this 2/2 for 2-mana is pure value. It its early and often and is nearly impossible to kill (especially with a Temur Sabertooth and/or Eternal Witness available). What makes Strangleroot especially strong in devotion is its resiliency. The fact that it stays on the board even after the opponent has "killed" it means you keep your two devotion for longer than you would for any other two drop. Strangleroot is spectacular in "Stompy" devotion decks as well as any devotion deck wishing to overwhelm the opponent's board quickly.
Kitchen Finks - A modern staple, Kitchen Finks is the example many people point to as a card with TONS of "value" or utility. The life-gain Finks offers can put many decks like Burn and Zoo in a bind; and the resiliency of Finks means you will have the two devotion it provides for quite some time. Anyone whose played Modern for any period of time knows just how powerful it can be.
Predator Ooze - This card is a great example of a card that works well in devotion and only devotion. Predator Ooze is a nigh unkillable creature that grows and grows until it is lethal all it's own. Devotion is a mechanic that wants to "overwhelm" and grow quickly. This can be done either with card draw/advantage of permanents or with resiliency. Predator Ooze falls on the "resiliency" side along with Kitchen Finks and Strangleroot Geist. It doesn't take long before a Predator Ooze "pumped" with a Kessig Wolf Run deals lethal damage.
Fertile Ground - These cards function as additional "Utopia Sprawl" - like cards. For those decks that go "all-in" on ramping (such as many Tooth and Nail combo versions of devotion); these are additional ways to quickly multiply the ramping of the deck when paired with Arbor Elf and/or Voyaging Satyr. While utilized less often than the others; this is perfect for 3-5 color devotion decks looking to take advantage of cards like Bring to Light.
Cloudstone Curio - This is an underutilized card in green devotion. While currently only seen in Elf Combo versions; this card allows the devotion player to abuse ETB triggers nearly for free once it is on the board. It creates both infinite loops as well as very cheap "card draw loops" with cards such as Abundant Growth and Elvish Visionary. It also creates numerous infinite combos with Elves, BTE's, (as two infinitely "loop" with one another), and Garruk Wildspeaker with Nissa, Worldwaker! While it may see more play in the future, it does require the deck to be built around the card/interactions.
Coiling Oracle - While requiring blue, this Snake Elf Druid acts like Elvish Visionary copies 5-8 with the added benefit of actually playing the drawn card if it is a land. While generally only seen in the Elf Combo version of devotion; it is a great call for any devotion deck splashing blue.
Scavenging Ooze - Green's most valuable version of graveyard-hate; "Scooge" can act as graveyard hate while also gaining life and growing to quite a large beater. Because we generally have access to ample mana; it can only make Scavenging Ooze that much better. While often only seen as a 1-of in Toolbox decks and/or in the sideboard of many devotion decks; it is still a great addition to any devotion deck that wants to compete in a meta with cards like Living End, Goyro's Vengeance, Snapcaster Mage, and Delve cards.
Nylea, God of the Hunt - Nylea is one of the better cards that is only playable in devotion decks. She is a 6/6 indestructible creature 80% of the time, and her mana sink and trample-enabling abilities turn every single creature in a devotion player's deck into a potential trampling fatty. Nylea literally represents green devotion; and is a great addition to multiple versions of devotion decks.
Knight of the Reliquary - A GREAT land tutor and also a potential powerhouse (that gets very large, very fast); KOR is one of the best cards in many Toolbox lists and any list splashing white. KOR essentially guarantees that the devotion player will be able to utilize Nykthos quickly while at the same time providing for a large body on board. While he definitely requires some knowledge to pilot perfectly; KOR can take many toolbox lists to the "next level" with the right pilot.
Restoration Angel - This is a favorite Chord target for many green devotion decks. It allows "value" and Toolbox devotion decks to include a infinite combo (Kiki-Resto) and allows another way for ETB/LTB triggers to be abused. While this idea is not new to devotion alone; it is extremely powerful in a deck that can tutor for her as quickly (or even more quickly) than most decks can hard cast her. With other "natural" green targets like Kitchen Finks, Strangleroot Giest, and Thragtusk, along with "specialized" targets like Siege Rhino and Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker; Restoration Angel plays a very important role in the Toolbox devotion decks seen later in this primer.
Tasigur, the Golden Fang and Shaman of the Great Hunt - These two are great options for very well costed creatures with a card-draw engine built in. Both are great options for devotion decks splashing their colors; with Tasigur being the current favorite given his synergy with the other "Abzan" choices of Restoration Angel and Siege Rhino.
Domri Rade - A potential card-draw engine and with available removal trigger; Domri Rade is a choice for many Stompy versions of devotion. With Courser of Kruphix you can pretty much guarantee how you draw your "extra" cards and with Leatherback Baloth Domir's -2 ability essentially destroys most creatures...needless to say in the right builds this 3-drop planeswalker is a powerful and versatile permanent.
Acidic Slime - A great "interactive" permanent; Acidic Slime is often a Chord target meant to destroy a pesky artifact, land, or enchantment. With land destruction at a premium in Modern, often times Acidic Slime can be extremely destructive to an opponent who does not have answer for it.
Siege Rhino - With a 4/5 Trampling body and one of the best ETB triggers in the game; devotion decks tend to splash for Siege Rhino despite it providing only 1-devotion. Toolbox decks in particular can Chord for Siege Rhino and/or many different ways to bounce it..often times riding the Rhino's back all the way to victory!
Polukranos, World Eater - This is a card that allows even mono-green decks the ability to destroy a large portion of the opponent's board. A 4-mana 5/5 is strong on its own right; however the Monstrous ability is really what sets Polukranos apart from other fatties. Removal is not easy to come by in Green Devotion; and having a creature with built-in removal can often be very advantageous. In meta's heavy with tokens and smaller creatures; Polukranos is a must have in either the main- or side-board of many devotion decks.
Leyline of Vitality & Leyline of Lifeforce - Both of these cards see play at different times in very specific metas. Both are great for devotion because they add 2-devotion on one's opening hand (which can lead to VERY fast starts) and both actually have very powerful effects (life gain for each creature AND a toughness boost or making counters not effect ANY of your creatures). While it takes certain decks within certain metas to fully take advantage of the Leylines; they can lead to very broken situations.
[/spoiler]
Win-Conditions
While devotion decks have numerous support cards; there really are only about 10 true devotion win-cons. Once you have tons of mana (or even infinite mana); you've got to put it somewhere that wins the game! Below are the best choices for "Win-Cons" in green devotion.
[spoiler=Devotion Win Conditions]
Craterhoof Behemoth - The "go to" green win-con since its printing; Craterhoof is a great way for any green deck with creatures to win. While it requires un-summoning-sick creatures to pump; often times the huge hastey Craterhoof alone deals enough damage to win the game. And while 8-mana is high; it is extremely obtainable in Green Devotion. "Fetchable" by Primal Command, Genesis Hydra, Summoner's Pact, and Oath of Nissa; Craterhoof is a card that can be played in low quantities and still be hit.
Garruk Wildspeaker - Garruk pretty much shows up in every section, however there's a reason! In this case, Garruk's ultimate can be used as a win-con. It's easy to get to (requires only one turn of +1), and it is powerful. The ability to Ovverrun your creatures (even at sorcery speed) is very powerful in decks with many creatures on board. The fact that you'd want Garruk in the deck whether he had the ultimate or not is just a happy coincidence.
Genesis Wave - One of the most powerful green cards ever printed; Genesis Wave did not have a true home until devotion. Genesis Wave is the catalyst for numerous devotion combo decks; and even when not pouring a combo on the board it represents an amount of card advantage no other spell in the game can reach. When Wave is combined Garruk Wildspeaker and/or Eternal Witness, things really get out of hand (as you can begin "stringing" waves and/or casing large spells post-wave). Genesis Wave is quite possibly the most powerful and broken card one can cast in a devotion deck; however it does take a level of "build around me" that can make it not a perfect fit in every devotion deck. In those deck that do play it; however, a Wave for anything over 5 generally will end the game on the spot.
Primeval Titan - Quite possibly the most powerful green creature ever made. Once Prime Time hits the board you pretty much quickly gain advantage if you didn't have it and apply TONS of pressure if you were already ahead. The fact that Primeval Titan can "fetch" our two most important lands (Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx and Kessig Wolf Run pushes him well past a "vanilla" 6/6 Trampler for 6-CMC. Generally Prime Time is used to grab a Wolf Run and end the game the following turn. 6-CMC is a "sweet spot" for the deck (as we can technically hit 6-mana on turn 2 with our best hands and often times will have 6-mana on average by turn 3). A turn 2-3 Primeval Titan will win a vast majority of games; and even a turn 4 Titan will end over half of the games with a win.
Kessig Wolf Run - This is a great additional win-con for any deck splashing red. Having the ability to turn any creature (including Blimkmoth Nexus or any many dork) into a large trampling threat. There are many cards in green that dig or fetch lands; making this a great way to "scale" your mana. This could easily be considered a "Core" card (as it is in pretty much every green devotion list ever brewed); but the fact that it requires a red splash means it is a win-con that a player must decide to utilize (however you would have to have a VERY good reason not to )
Tooth and Nail - This card is a 9-mana win-con that is a great option for any devotion player that loves "combo" decks. Utilizing creatures like Xenagos, God of Revels, Progenitus, Craterhoof Behemoth, Blightsteel Colossus, and/or Emrakul, the Eons Torn; Tooth and Nail decks can often deal a lethal blow the very same turn they cast the signature card. The current most popular combination of creatures are Xenagod and Emrakul (see below).
Xenagos, God of Revels - While often not a win-con all his own (although a extremely large threat that is often an indestructible creature in devotion decks); it's "Xenagod's" second ability that makes him a potential win-con. With numerous pumps, numerous large creatures, and numerous trample-enabling aspects of the deck; often times doubling a creatures power AND giving it haste provides for lethal damage. This is what makes Xenagod popular in many Tooth and Nail devotion decks.
Emrakul, the Eons Torn - As green devotion decks tend to develop large sums of mana quite quickly, Emrakul become a viable option to both cheat in (with Tooth and Nail, Breach, and other such cards) or even to hard-cast.
Karn Liberated - Just as with many "big mana" decks, Karn has seen play in green devotion decks. As a powerful option at a cost that green devotion can reach by turn 3; Karn is a great way for green devotion to go "over the top" of the opponent. Also, because Karn gets out so early in Green Devotion; often times we have the option to reset the game within only a few turns.
Restoration Angel + Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker - This is a relatively known combo in Modern, however in toolbox decks it is a great "oops I win" combo. Restoration Angel has so many amazing uses in a deck filled with numerous ETB effects (Eternal Witness, Elvish Visionary, Siege Rhino, Kitchen Finks, and many more) and Kiki-Jiki is an extremely powerful card in it's own right as well. Together, however, they make for infinite 3/4 flying Angels with haste. And for a deck with several tutors, you can get away running only 1 of each (although many devotion decks prefer to run more than one Resto Angel anyways).
Dragonlord Atarka - A more recent addition to some decks, Dragonlord atarka is a very powerful creature for its cost with the added benefit of an ETB trigger that allows the player to deal damage exactly where it is needed at the time.
Banefire - This has been utilized in several cases to ensure the damage is dealt. Because devotion decks can make so much mana, having an X-spell that can't be countered and can't be prevented is a very powerful option.
Ezuri, Renegade Leader - This is one of the better mana-sinks in the game. When playing an Elf version of green devotion, you can't get a much better option than a 3-drop that can trigger Overrun as many times as you can afford and can also regenerate many of your creatures. Ezuri is a fast and powerful option for many elf-based devotion decks.
Eternal Witness + Primal Command - In some decks this is a "soft lock". In others (with the aid of Cloudstone Curio and/or infinite mana) the "lock" these two can create is infinite. While it can be somewhat complicated, you can "lock" your opponent out of the game by putting their lands on top of their library. Even when only a "soft" lock; the devotion player tends to get so far ahead of their opponent in board state and mana that the game is essentially over. In "hard" lock situations, it's even more powerful.
With infinite mana and a Cloudstone Curio you can actually gain infinite life, put all of the opponents lands (and other non-creature enchantments) on top of their library in the order of your choosing, tutor up every creature in your deck, and play them. While technically you can also shuffle graveyards back in (for mill matches and/or graveyard-based hate) you won't need to as you effectively have already won the game (the opponent does get another turn, however with only one land and you're having infinite life and your entire deck on the board...it's really already won.
Nylea, God of the Hunt - Nylea is a spectacular devotion card. While her being a 6/6 Indestructible creature makes her a threat all her own; it's her mana sink and "trample enchanting" that allows her to become a potential win con. Just as with Kessig Wolf Run; with large sums (or even infinite) mana, even +2/+2 triggers add up....and trample means that no single chump blocker can stop you from winning the game.
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Devotion Archetypes (and Decklists)
There are six current distinct Devotion Archetypes. These include:
Traditional Green Devotion
Toolbox Green Devotion
Tooth and Nail Devotion
Stompy Green Devotion
Combo Devotion
Other Devotion Decks (Defender Devotion, Disruptive Devotion, etc.)
Each "archetype" has its own playstyle, speed, pros, and cons; and of course lists can vary somewhat inside of each archetype; but what makes each individual archetype special is listed within this section.
[spoiler=DEVOTION ARCHETYPES]
Traditional Green Devotion
[spoiler=Traditional Green Devotion]
Traditional Green Devotion decks are the decks that have actually show the highest percentage of performance in the Modern meta (per MTGO). "Traditional" decks utilize many of the cards that are considered "green devotion staples" and often are "jam packed" with great cards. This is the list that was seen early and often when devotion became popular; and is most likely what the "general public" could consider Green Devotion to be. An example list is Michael Jacob's list:
As can be seen, utilizing the best green has to offer all the way up the curve while playing some of the most interesting "devotion enablers" such as Burning-Tree Emissary and Wistful Selkie. It's truly difficult to find much fault with the Traditional Devotion decks; however a few weaknesses did arise with more play (which of course will occur with any deck). Traditional Devotion is the archetype for anyone that likes to play extremely explosive hands; but also want some interaction with the opponent.
PROS
Very explosive
Several powerful top decks
CONS
Tends to "run out of cards" if disrupted early and/or match goes long
Can be "clunky" if low drop ramp cards are removed or too many high-CMC cards are drawn
Summary
Traditional Devotion is an archetype that is less "linear" or "focused" than other versions of Devotion; however it does utilize the most powerful green spells available. The archetype is explosive and powerful; however it trades this for explosiveness for potential "clunkiness"...as many of the cards are either low-CMC ramp cards or high-CMC spells. The tradeoff, however, is that you have the best green cards available along the curve; and can interact with your opponent to a certain degree to gain advantage through strong play. Traditional Devotion is currently the most successful version of devotion (with the most evidence of successful 3-1 and 4-0 finishes). One can never go wrong playing the Traditional Archetype.
Other Examples
** COMING SOON **
[/spoiler]
Toolbox Green Devotion
[spoiler=Toolbox Green Devotion]
The Toolbox archetype was born out of the desire from some Green Devotion players to effectively interact with their opponents. A few players on this thread felt that with the potential of both Primal Command and Chord of Calling; that a green devotion deck could be created very similar in structure to the "Pod" decks of the past (where an "answer" could be "tutored" to deal specifically with the opponent's threat). While it has evolved somewhat; the lists that have seen recent accolades are quite similar to the original lists created on this very thread. The following are lists generated by one of the creators of the archetype (Purklefluff) as well as the list that has seen the most success (winning the GP Vancouver Grinder):
Purklefluff's Toolbox Green Devotion (02/20/2015)]
Tooth and Nail Devotion decks have seen a very steady rise to popularity and are fighting with Traditional Devotion to take the perch as the most "successful" MTGO deck. The power behind the Tooth and Nail deck is in its focus. The deck's goal is to get to 9-mana and once it's there it can simply win the game outright with a "one-card-combo" of Tooth and Nail. There has been more "play" added to recent Tooth and Nail decks (with UEGJO and others adding a few slots even in the main to deal with the opponents cards rather than strictly ramping/building devotion).
Tooth and Nail decks are a great fit for anyone that loves "big mana" decks. It plays somewhat similar to Tron and other such decks and is somewhat "combo" in nature (as your goal is to get your pair of "fatties" on the board at the same time to end the game the turn they enter.
Combo Devotion decks generally function around Cloudstone Curio and generating infinite "loops" via green permanents and Curio. There are a few types of Combo Devotion decks including "Walker Combo", "Elf Combo", and "Witness Combo". Recently, the Walker Combo deck has begun to see more popularity; as more players have found Planeswalkers to be powerful additions to Green Devotion and as CurdBros has pointed out that infinite loops can be made (with many wining the same turn they are played) to generate infinite damage with cards the deck would be playing anyways!
There are some other great examples of Devotion Decks that haven't hit the "mainstream" yet; however many of which are just as powerful/versatile as the others. Defender Devotion is perhaps one of the best examples of this:
While sideboards will always change with the meta and differ between each archetype; there are many cards that have been found to be very effective sideboard options for Green Devotion decks.
[spoiler=Sideboard Options for Green Devotion]
Sideboarding depends VERY heavily on the type of devotion deck you run. The combo decks for the most part will traditionally side in less cards than the "toolbox" and/or Traditional devotion decks. Of course, we will discuss all of the options here.
[/spoiler]
Tips and FAQ to Playing Green Devotion
While each deck has it's own pros and cons, and each plays differently from the other; there are some lines of play, triggers, and other items that should be known prior to playing Green Devotion. The below are among the most commonly asked questions, missunderstood interactions, and difficult-to-see synergies that can lead to success with Green Devotion.
[spoiler=Tips, Tricks, and FAQ]
Deck Construction:
1. General Green Devotion Tips
a. Card Advantage Matters
b. Why permanent-based card draw is superior
Build Tips
1. Tips for "Genesis Wave" decks
2. Tips for Tooth and Nail decks
3. Tips for
Play Guide
1. "Nut Draw"
2. How Eternal Witness / Primal Command Combo works
3. How Elf Infinite Combos work
4. How Restoration Angel
5. When to cast Chord of Calling
6. How multiple triggers are stacked off Genesis Wave
7. How Cloudstone Curio works
8. Temur Sabertooth tips/tricks
9. Sequencing
10. Cantrips where devotion = casting cost...when to play?
Special thanks goes to GnuHouse for the primer prior to this and for being the author of the devotion deck that first saw major attention. Special thanks also to BaddBusiness, Walk, and Lucidcheeta for the first Green Devotion Primer (prior to GnuHouse's oversight).
Additional special thanks to Pedros, Purkefluff, and Hypaspist for help creating new versions of Green devotion decks (including the "Toolbox" and Disruptive devotion decks) and pushing devotion into new places. While it's a little odd, I do have to note my creation the "Elf Devotion" archetype (as two of our prevalent posters insist that I give myself credit). More importantly, however, thanks has to go to the entire "Green Devotion" community. In truth, every deck is the entire community's. Without the great conversation, innovation, and brewing of the community on here; Devotion would not be where it is at today.
A big thanks to [url=http://zeerbe.blogspot.com]The Proxy Guy[/url] (@theproxyguy) for doing this banner
1) Introduction
In October 2013, Theros was unleashed unto the Magic world. One of the new keywords introduced was Devotion. In Standard, devotion had an immediate impact, with both Mono Black and Mono Blue devotion making waves and becoming the decks to beat over the next several months. The impact on Modern, however, took some time. Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, was the first real devotion card that saw play. It first started creeping up online with decks like this
However, what really brought the deck to the forefront was an article by Gavin Verhey (based on a deck from yours truly ) entitled “[url=http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/rc/276]The Most Fun I’ve Had in Modern[/url]”. Since this article, the deck has developed significantly, the lists have been tested and honed, and several high level players have adopted the deck (such as Michael Jacob, Michael Hetrick, and Travis Woo). In addition, the deck has developed down two different paths; a more combo version centered on Genesis Wave, and a more midrange version centered on Primal Command. This primer will talk about both versions.
What should I play either one of these decks?
Because you love fun. Seriously, what's more fun than generating a ton of mana and trampling in for hundreds of points of damage...ON TURN 3? Alternatively, what's more fun than Time Walking your opponent over, and over, and over, before crushing them underfoot and putting them at the bottom of a future lake?
Despite there being two versions of the deck, both decks have the same general core.
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
The centerpiece of the deck, Nykthos acts as a pseudo Gaea’s Cradle, allowing you to do some borderline degenerate things with all the mana it generates. Used in conjunction with effects that allow you to untap it, and the latest version of the legend rule, it’s not uncommon to be producing 30+ mana in a turn.
4 Arbor Elf
4 Utopia Sprawl
These two, in conjunction, are the beginnings of the engine of the deck. This little combo will allow you to do things like power out a turn two Garruk Wildspeaker, or turn three Primeval Titan.
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
The original Garruk plays a dual role here. For starters, his +1 ability allows you to untap two lands. Any two lands. With lands like Nykthos or enchanted Forests, the ability to use them twice in one turn opens up many possibilities for abuse. Further, his -4 is not only achievable but can act as a win condition on its own if you have a large board presence.
2-4 Primeval Titan
Ah, the big daddy, Prime Time. If you played Standard anytime between 2010 and 2012, you know just how good Primeval Titan is. Not only is he a 6/6 trampler for 6 mana (which is very easy to hit in this deck), but he tutors up two lands when he comes into play or attacks. Given how key Nykthos is to the deck, his tutor ability is vital.
3-4 Eternal Witness Eternal Witness is a great utility card, regardless of which version you run. She’ll help you bring back cards like Genesis Wave, help put your opponent into a Primal Command lock, bring back fetchlands in a pinch, and even help through disruption by bringing back cards that have been Thoughtseized/ Duressed/ Inquisitioned away.
3) Genesis Wave version
The Genesis Wave version of the deck is, at its core, a combo deck; build up a quick devotion count, cast Genesis Wave, and win. That being said, it does have four routes to victory
• Kessig Wolf Run + Nykthos
• Loop Eternal Witness and Primal Command until you can play Craterhoof Behemoth
• Garruk’s ultimate and a lot of little creatures
• Genesis Wave FTW
a. Core cards
In addition to the shared core cards, there are cards that are core to the Genesis Wave version of the deck:
4 Genesis Wave
How could this be a Genesis Wave deck without the namesake card? Resolving one of these typically ends the game as it gives you such an overwhelming board presence. With the latest version of the Legend rule, Genesis Wave becomes so much better, allowing you to replace used Planeswalkers and Legendary Lands.
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
An obvious combo with Nykthos and a body that can kill fast with Garruk Wildspeaker's ultimate. Special note is that Burning-Tree Emissary produces mana when put into play from Genesis Wave, allowing us to coincidentally use whatever Nykthos we find to do other things
4 Wistful Selkie Wistful Selkie serves two purposes. For starters, he replaces himself, allowing you to dig one card deeper into your deck. Secondly, at GGG, he’s your biggest devotion enabler and effectively a Dark Ritual every time you use Nykthos.
1-2 Craterhoof Behemoth
Here’s your boom stick! One is all you really need, although some versions run two for redundancy. From the pure combo point of view, this is your end goal, casting Genesis Wave for more than 8 and hitting him for the win
1 Kessig Wolf Run
2 Stomping Ground
4 Verdant Catacomb
Your non-basic land package. Kessig Wolf Run and Stomping Grounds provide you with some reach and a great win condition. If you're on a budget, Verdant Catacomb can be excluded from your list. That being said, if you have access to them then play them. Not only do you get a shuffle, thin your deck, and make cards like Courser of Kruphix that much more powerful, but it does give you a great interaction with Eternal Witness, allowing you to hit your land drops.
b. Flex cards
Everyone has their own way of building their decks, but these are some of the cards that you most commonly see in Genesis Wave decks
i. Mana Accelerators
Joraga Treespeaker – The green Sol Ring and a great mana accelerator. Problem is that most of the time he Time Walks you by eating a Bolt/Path/etc. in response to you levelling him up Birds of Paradise – A classic, provides you with red mana for Kessig Wolf Run, or to cast potential sideboard cards. Another Bolt target and doesn’t provide you with the same value as an Arbor Elf can Llanowar Elves/Elvish Mystic – Classics, but still no Arbor Elf Noble Hierarch – The Exalted is good, but this deck rarely attacks with just one creature. Most splashes are into red, which she doesn’t do. Abundant Growth – Replaces itself, can target non-Forests, but doesn’t generate extra mana Fertile Ground – Generates extra mana, and mana of any colour. Costs a little more than Utopia Sprawl, so potentially too slow. On turn 2, you would rather be casting Garruk than another enchantment Overgrowth – Again, to slow for what you get out of it
ii. Creatures
Strangleroot Geist – A two drop that adds two devotion, has haste, and is resilient. The haste is a nice touch if you Genesis Wave into it alongside a Craterhoof Voyaging Satyr – Allows you to untap your Nykthos, but tends to be a turn too slow. Kitchen Finks – Adds two devotion, gains you life, hard to get rid of. Not the worst choice at the three drop slot, but competes with Wistful Selkie. Would definitely have to be a metagame call. Elvish Visionary – Two drop that draws you a card but does little to add to your devotion count Lotus Cobra – When Genesis Wave was in Standard this was a great card. Running 20 land with only four fetches, its value diminishes greatly. It does work really well if you hit a ton of lands off of a Genesis Wave and can utilize it. Courser of Kruphix – A newer addition to the deck, this gives the deck a little more staying power. With 4 toughness, it survives a bunch of removal in the format. With only 20 lands, gaining life from him might not be a good plan, but he will help smooth out your draws. Becomes much better in builds that include fetches. Scavenging Ooze – Depending on the metagame, this is either a main deck inclusion or a sideboard card. It excels in environments where Pod and Snapcaster decks are strong. However, given its low devotion count it doesn’t stack up well versus other two drops Polukranos - A good 5/5 body that can utilize the devotion mechanic and shoot down a ton of little guys on the other side of the board.
iii. Alternate Win Conditions
Summoner’s Pact/Tooth and Nail – Lumping these two together as they do similar things; win on the spot. Summoner’s Pact has a ton of versatility but really needs to allow you to win on the spot so you don’t tie up mana on your next upkeep. Tooth and Nail, on the other hand, lets you tutor up your Craterhoof and drop it and something else into play for an instawin. The entwine does need 9 mana, which is the equivalent of a six mana Genesis Wave. If you don’t have the board presence, Genesis Wave is far superior.
Primal Command – While the Genesis Wave version is primarily a combo deck, Primal Command gives the deck a different dimension. While not necessary for the deck, it tutors, gains you life, recycles graveyards, and bounces your opponent’s permanents! When combined with Eternal Witness it allows you to play a little more of a midrange game and disrupt your opponent enough for you to develop your board and drop a Craterhoof for the win. Of all cards, this is as close to a core card are you can get.
Wolfbriar Elemental – Speaking of not having much of a board presence, Wolfbriar Elemental helps build that board presence and put that Green mana to good use.
Inkmoth Nexus – Definitely a combo with Kessig Wolf Run. Genesis Wave decks usually run 20 lands, with 7 dedicated to Nykthos, Kessig Wolf Run, and Stomping Ground, with another 4 potentially tied up with fetchlands. That leaves you with between 9 and 13 slots for Forests. Forests are key to the deck, since Utopia Sprawl and Arbor Elf require Forests, so diluting the mana base will hurt the deck’s ability to operate effectively.
In order to win on this turn, you'd have to hit a Craterhoof and about 15 creatures. Haste creatures will reduce that number, as will your opponent's Fetches and Shocks.
And yes, this is the nut. Turn 3s are possible and don't require BTEs. They typically will require a play on turn 2 with a creature with at least GG in its casting cost.
You could go
T1 - Forest, Arbor Elf
T2 - Forest, Utopia Sprawl on untapped Forest, tap enchanted Forest (GG), untap Forest with Arbor Elf, tap Forest (GGGG), cast Garruk Wildspeaker. Use Garruk's +1 ability, untap both lands. Tap both lands (GGG), cast Wistful Selkie.
T3 - Nykthos, tap Forest and enchanted Forest (GGG), activate Nykthos (GGGGGGG). Untap Nykthos and enchanted Forest. Tap enchanted Forest (GGGGGGGGG), activate Nykthos (GGGGGGGGGGGGGG), cast Genesis Wave for 11.
e. Build and Play guide (mulligans, sequencing, matchups)
i. Don’t fall into the trap of “cute cards”
There are a lot of cards that, when people first look at this deck, say “Oh, this would be great because it has so many green mana symbols”. Cards like Primalcrux, Leatherback Baloth, Predator Ooze and Cloudthresher come to mind. When looking at cards to include, you have to look beyond devotion and look at the card’s utility when it comes to card advantage, mana generation, and flexibility with our combo. Most Devotion heavy creatures are just big, dumb creatures that do nothing.
If you Tooth and Nail, you are able to attack for between 15 and 25. Definitely not guaranteed to win. A Path to Exile really pooches you in this scenario, and you’ve lost one of your win conditions.
If you Genesis Wave, you will get all of your permanents except for Craterhoof, which you can afford to lose given you run Eternal Witness. It is a distinct possibility that you hit something that will allow you to continue to play that turn, like Garruk/Eternal Witness/Nykthos. At a minimum, you build your board presence, allowing for a bigger Tooth and Nail turn next turn.
Further to this, Genesis Wave has the flexibility of being castable for less than 9 mana. Yes, you can play Tooth and Nail at 7 mana, but the likelihood of that happening is low. However, a Genesis Wave for 4-5 can generate value for you.
In our opening seven, we want to see cards that will allow us to get our combo off as quickly as possible. Barring that, if we have Primal Command in our deck, we want to be able to start a Primal Command lock as quickly as possible.
Regardless of the path you take, an ideal hand has Forest, Forest, Utopia Sprawl, and Arbor Elf. With this, you can hit four mana on turn 2, enabling almost anything in your deck. You could substitute a Forest for either a Stomping Ground or Nykthos, but not Kessig Wolf Run. You could also keep a hand that doesn’t have Arbor Elf OR Utopia Sprawl, but hands without either one should be pitched.
You really don’t want to see multiple Genesis Waves, Nykthos, or any number of Craterhoofs in your opener. Unless you have the stone cold nuts, then those hands should go back.
Hands with Primeval Titans are debateable, depending on what accompanies it. Remember that Modern is a turn 4 format, so if you can’t cast him by turn 4, you should think about keeping the hand.
Wistful Selkie hands are surprisingly keepable, granted you can cast them. The ability to draw into something of value, plus the devotion bump, tends to work out in your favour most of the time. You do, however, need a Utopia Sprawl or Arbor Elf in hand as well.
iv. Sequencing (what to play when, trigger stacking, Primal Command loop)
If, in your opening hand, you have the choice between playing Arbor Elf and Utopia Sprawl, you play the Arbor Elf first. By playing Arbor Elf first, you open yourself up to more explosive plays on turn 2. For example, you can play Garruk into a 3 drop.
Eternal Witness will be your best tool against disruption. Sometimes you’ll be hesitant to cast something, knowing that it will get countered. However, it is usually the correct play to just go for it, and play Eternal Witness the next turn in the event your plan gets disrupted. Witness also allows you to work around cards like Thoughtseize by getting back those key cards you lose.
This one doesn’t need much explaining, but it is an important interaction. Primal Command has four modes, but the two most relevant are the “Put non-creature permanent on top of player’s library” and “Search for a green creature card and put it into your hand”. With the loop, you typically target an opponent’s land, and then tutor up an Eternal Witness. On the next turn, you cast Eternal Witness and bring back a Primal Command to your hand. Once you get 8 mana, doing this on one turn is fairly simple. Eventually, you run out of Witnesses, at which point you tutor for a win condition (Primeval Titan, Craterhoof Behemoth) and run over your opponent.
Obviously, the earlier you can Genesis Wave, the better. The earlier you Genesis Wave, the earlier you build a dominating board presence, and the earlier you win.
That being said, what should you Genesis Wave for?
Obviously, you want to Genesis Wave for more than 8 (11 mana total). This means that any permanent that you hit is going to come into play, including the big daddy Craterhoof Behemoth. But should you Genesis Wave for less than 8?
ABSOLUTELY!
A Genesis Wave for 6 (9 mana) is completely acceptable. You will hit everything EXCEPT for Craterhoof, but that’s 1-2 permanents out of your deck. You will be able to land a Primeval Titan, which is probably the best card in your deck. You can hit Garruk, the next most expensive, and he’s critical to being able to continue your turn.
A Genesis Wave for 4 or 5 (7 or 8 mana) is a little trickier but not unheard of. This is basically a “called shot” Genesis Wave, where you need specific cards to keep you going, like a Garruk or Eternal Witness. While not preferred, sometimes you have to go for it for less than six, especially if you know you’re not going to survive the next turn.
A Genesis Wave for less than 4. Do you play the lottery and win a lot? Then go for it. Otherwise, don’t do it
There’s a lot going on when you Genesis Wave. If you haven’t noticed, something will happen with pretty much every permanent that you put into play (save the Arbor Elves). Some things to consider
1. The Legend Rule – remember to destroy the Nykthos and Garruk that you have already used this turn and replace it with the new one you have Waved for
2. Eternal Witness should typically be used to buy back a Genesis Wave. Your first Wave tends to be small (5-8 mana), so you want to buy it back in order to recast it for a larger amount
3. Utopia Sprawls MUST be put on lands that are already in play, not ones that came into play via the Genesis Wave. Unless you’re worried about Ghost Quarter, pile them on the land that you have put your other Utopia Sprawl on. Also think about which colour you want to name; Green is obvious, but you might want Red for Kessig Wolf Run
4. Draw effects – Remember that some of the cards you hit will have mandatory draw effects when they enter the battlefield. Therefore, you want to make sure that you have enough cards left in your library in order to draw and not lose. While this sounds silly, it has happened before so don’t let it happen to you! Also keep this in mind with Primeval Titan triggers; in some cases it is better to miss the Titan triggers than to risk losing the game
Well, aren't you just unlucky! I think the thing here is to remember that Genesis Wave isn't the be all and end all of the deck. Yes, it's our preferred method of winning, but there are other routes to victory here. You can Primal Command+Eternal Witness and build up to a Craterhoof, or use a really big Kessig Wolf Run to trample over an opponent, or you can use Garruk's ultimate and do the same. The long and short of it is that not having a Genesis Wave (and it does happen) isn't the end of the world. Watch the Michael Jacob video in section 7 where he mulligans to 5 versus Tron.
I can't find Nykthos
Okay, now I think you're lying. Can't find Nykthos AND Genesis Wave? Not having a Nykthos is pretty bad, but again not horrible. There's a lot that you can do with enchanted Forests as you have 8 ways to untap them; 4 Arbor Elf and 4 Garruk. The ability to untap an enchanted Forest is so strong, allowing you to make plays like a turn 3 Titan (which, BTW, lets you find a Nykthos :). Don't fret...you can still do it!
v. Matchups
Since the metagame constantly changes, I’ll focus on some of the top decks of the format at the moment
BGx (Jund/Junk)
A deck that tries to play an attrition game, whittling away your resources through discard and removal, then beats you with Tarmogoyf. Okay, maybe not that simple, but you get the gist.
The good thing about Jund-esque decks is that they’re midrange decks, and Genesis Wave punishes midrange by overwhelming them with card advantage in Genesis Wave.
They will have ways to disrupt you. Thoughtseize/Inquisition/Duress will disrupt your early game. Your turn 1 Arbor Elf will likely eat a Bolt. A Utopia Sprawl will meet an Abrupt Decay. Maelstrom Pulse and Anger of the Gods can destroy a well laid out plan.
Twin
Arguably the hardest matchup. Regardless of variant, Twin will run blue, which means Mana Leak, Remand, Cryptic Command, Pestermite and Deceiver’s Exarch. With a half decent draw, you will have a hard time getting critical cards under their disruption, and on your critical turn you’ll probably have your hands tapped down by a Pestermite or Exarch.
That’s not to say that the matchup is impossible. The best route to victory is actually the Primal Command route, if you run it in your main deck. Tucking their lands over and over sometimes buys you just enough time to sneak in a victory.
Pod
Regardless of the Pod variant, you’re likely playing two separate games here, with little interaction. Not that Pod can’t interact with you, but they’re less likely to interact with you if they can’t get an early Pod on the table. If they can’t get into a Pod Chain by turn 3 or 4 you’ll win without an issue. Keep in mind they do run Murderous Redcap, Orzhov Pontiff, and Shreikmaw, which can disrupt your game plan.
Affinity
This is another non-interactive matchup, which favours us. With the nut draw, Affinity is looking at a turn 4 win, which can be just long enough for us to put together a board presence that’s overwhelming. Go for the combo as quickly as possible, which means look for hands that allow you to power out a Wave for 6 as quickly as possible
UR Delver
Similar to Twin decks, running blue and red gives this deck some of the better disruption against our deck, in counter magic and direct damage that can 2 for 1. Again, being able to Primal Command loop them is probably the best way to pull out game 1.
Burn
Again, not that interactive, which should favour us. That being said, if they start to point their burn spells towards our creatures instead of us, we could run into issues building up a high enough devotion count. This is where cards like Kitchen Finks, Courser of Kruphix, and Primal Command for 7 life are really useful.
RG Tron Scapeshift
e. Sideboarding
This is not intended as a hard and fast guide as to what to bring in and out, but more of a list of options you have to fight various decks in the format, and what you may put in your main that you may consider bringing out
BGx decks are all about attrition, so having anti-attrition cards will help you out here. Finks and Geist will help buy time for a Genesis Wave. Garruk and Harmonize, along with Eternal Witness, will help you overcome Liliana and other discard effects
I don’t like additional mana dorks as they tend to bite the dust fairly quickly. The exception is Arbor Elf because of the potential you get with Utopia Sprawl Burning-Tree Emissary is good if you want to go the combo route as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, these decks tend not to want you to go the quick route, in which case BTE is expendable
Good cards – Kitchen Finks, Obstinate Baloth, Primal Command
Bad cards – ???
They’ll likely bring in – Anger of the Gods
I really like this matchup, so long as I can get to five mana. The modes for Primal Command will change here, so instead of bouncing a land, you want to gain seven life. The burn decks usually don’t have the reach to allow them to overcome an initial gain of seven life, never mind looping it with Primal Command. Kitchen Finks isn’t something that pops up in Genesis Wave lists much anymore, but if there’s going to be a burn/BGx filled meta then they may find a spot in your 75
In this matchup you can probably shave Burning-Tree Emissaries, Wistful Selkies, and maybe a Primeval Titan.
Tron
Good Cards - Primal Command, Plow Under, Ghost Quarter, Beast Within
Bad Cards - Genesis Wave
They'll likely bring in - Torpor Orb, Pyroclasm, Slaughter Games
The key is to slow them down from getting Tron assembled. That means you want as much land disruption as possible, so Ghost Quarters, Primal Command loops, Plow Under, and Beast Within are the tools of choice. If they assemble Tron and land a Karn, you might as well scoop.
Torpor Orb is a complete hoser for us. Since all of our cards, save Arbor Elf, have ETB effects, our creatures become infinitely worse. Be mindful that they will pack it, and blow it up at the appropriate time (see one of the videos at Section 7)
As you would in game 1, be cognizant of Pyroclasm. That can be fatal for you, so watch out for Grove of the Burnwillows
Scapeshift
Good Cards
Bad Cards
They'll likely bring in - Swan Song, Anger of the Gods, Inferno Titan, Counterflux, Gigadrowse, Engineered Explosives
4) Primal Command version
Core cards
Core of the deck:
4 Arbor Elf
4 Utopia Sprawl
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
Good accelerators that combos well together. Arbor elf and Garruk untaps utopia sprawled forest to produce twice a mana. Garruk also have synergy with small creatures for his overrun ultimatum.
3 Wistful Selkie
4 Eternal Witness
Card advantage and devotion enablers. Some lists use only 2 Selkies, however I found them quite good especially with restoration angels.
4 Primal Command
Our "combo" with eternal witness. From my testing I found that I dont really like genesis wave or Tooth and Nail as they cost too much mana and arent relevant in mid game. They only works when your opponent isnt interracting with you, however even combo decks such as Twin or Storm have ways to interact (Lightning Bolt, remand, etc) so you are stuck with them and watching them winning. Primal Command however can lock your opponent out of the game by bouncing land every turn while slowly getting mana to cast craterhoof or ulti garruk. Another thing is the fact that Primal Command + Witness can be broken to 2 turns and used separately.
Our creature lategame. Craterhoof wins most games on the spot, Elesh Norn wipes opponents team. Primeval titan fetches relevant lands (Nykthos, Kessig Wolf Run) that lets you win on next turn most of the time.
Cards from above (28 of them) are a core of this deck that mostly are same in every read I linked. Elesh Norn is sometimes 2nd Craterhoof, Xenagod, or other big monster, and number of Selkies floats from 2 to 4.
Flex Cards
Additional Mana ramp
3 (0-4) Birds of Paradise
1 (4) Burning-Tree Emissary
1 (0) Lotus Cobra
1 (0) Knight of the Reliquary
Only deck that used Lotus Cobra and Knight of the Reliquary was Petr Brozek's from GP Vienna. Michael Jacob (DarkestMage on twitch) is another person who was trying out Knight of the Reliquary as an 1 off as an additional tutor target for Primal Command (usuful when you are constricted on mana and cant cast Primeval Titan).
As for Lotus Cobra I am currently testing if I want more of them. They give massive burst of mana (such as potential 8 mana on turn 3).
Birds of Paradise is a last 1 mana accelerator worth bringing into this deck, however a lot of decks mentioned earlier dont bring them. In my testing and experience starting with turn 1 accelerator is crucial, and because of that I settled on 3 Birds of Paradise.
Burning Tree Emissary is a stock 4 off in most decks mentioned earlier. I also started with 4 of them, however they combo of only with Nykthos. Without nykthos they are outclassed by virtually anything. 1 is crucial to fetch with Primal Command when you have nykthos but lacks colored symbols. Having 1 also allows you for turbo starts such as turn 2 Primeval Titan or Turn 3 Elesh Norn.
Blinks card advantage bodies (Eternal Witness, Wistful Selkie), resets Kitchen FInks, protects cards from removal. Good bodies and good blockers that can close a game on their own (with a little bit of help from Kessig Wolf Run). Another thing I notices is the fact, that this deck was previously stone cold to flyers. With restoration angel it isnt the case anymore.
There are of course other midrange cards menioned earlier: Kitchen Finks, Knight of the Reliquary, Courser of Krupnix - cards that are good on their own and works well together.
Mana base
From earlier reads we can see that this deck often have 18-22 lands. Decks with more lands have less accelerators and vice versa. My current aproach is 20 as I have 11 turn 1 manadorks plus additional 2 mana generators in Knight of the Reliquary and Lotus Cobra. Notice 8 fetchlands to support those 2 cards (as well as Courser of Krupnix, as having option of shuffling bad card from top is quite relevant).
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Stomping Ground
2 Temple Garden
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Forest
Notice red splash here. Only red card I use in main deck is Kessig Wolf Run. From amount of mana this deck can produce, in my oppinion this is better option than Gavony Township, however much less consistent. Sometimes this 1 stomping grounds allows use of relevant sb cards (currenly not there anymore).
From another good read (http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/frank-analysis-how-many-colored-mana-sources-do-you-need-to-consistently-cast-your-spells/) I should have 19 green sources for turn 3 double green card and 22 for tripple green card. With turn 1 Manadork I always have double green on turn 2 and need 19 green sources for trupple green card. I might be scientific person, however I would rather make a simulator than make calculations, so I would love help of others how to build this manabase. Sometimes I feel like having 1 more land(forest) wouldnt be bad choice, however I currently dont know what to cut (probably some cards from flex slots that arent birds of paradise).
Sideboard
1 Arena
1 Beast Within
1 Courser of Kruphix
2 Damping Matrix
2 Ghost Quarter
3 Path to Exile
1 Polukranos, World Eater
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Spellskite
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Wolfbriar Elemental
From the top:
Arena is a fightland that is much better now when we have access for bigger bodies. It works around hexproof (as your opponent is choosing target), can prevent attacking with tapping the target. Works good when creatures are involved. This doesnt produce mana, so never cut lands for it!
Beast Within is catch all removal spell with multiple purposes. Blowing up lands is one thing, however killing your own creature in response to removal, reseting kitchen finks, blowing your own land, etc gives you plenty of options.
Courser of Kruphix is good vs agressive decks where big butt is relevant, and vs lightning bolt decks where keeping devotion high is crucial. Also awsome as a card advantage machine, especially in matchups where keeping mana dork alive is almost impossible.
Damping Matrix is a card I am currently testing as a catch all card vs Twin, Pod and affinity. It might be that it would be better to personalize those matchups to have more slots dedicated to those matchups (such as stony silence vs affinity, etc).
Ghost quarter is additional land that is brought vs decks where keeping manadork alive is really hard. In addition to that, it have some lategame potential of blowing celestial colonades vs UW or keeping scapeshift of mountains. Works wonder vs Tron with combination of Eternal Witness.
Path to Exile is catch all removal spell. With much harder white splash than before, I merged Dismembers and Combusts to this.
Polukranos, World Eater & Wolfbriar Elemental - in testing I figured out that in some matchups having access for big spell is relevant. I wanted to have Tooth & Nail or Genesis Wave in the sb, however I just thought that maybe big mana sink creature would be better. Here comes those 4 mana monsters. Polukranos is awsome vs small dorky decks, affinity and Jund, where often it is biggest thing on a board, Wolfbriar Elemental is good vs decks that plans 1 for 1 you all the time, such as UWR and Jund.
Scavenging Ooze - good graveyard hate card.
Spellskite - good vs bolt decks, jund, scapeshift, twin.
Thrun, the Last Troll - in testing right now, should be relevant vs blue decks.
Other cards not in the deck
Summoner's Pact - fetching creature that is needed at this specific turn. It however is card disadvantage and blocks your next turn often.
Time of Need - fetches legendary permanents such as Nykthos, Elesh Norn, sb specific legendary hatecards such as Kataki, Linvala, Polukranos.
Both of those cards are much better when placed in sb when we have more relevant hate bears such as Kataki, Linvala, Polukranos, etc.
Stony Silence - good sb card vs affinity, potentially better than Damping Matrix
Kataki, War's Wage - another good sb card vs affinity. Creature, legendary, good synergy with summoner's pact, time of need, primal command.
Linvala, Keeper of Silence - good sb card vs pod and twin, relevant flying body. Creature, legendary, good synergy with summoner's pact, time of need, primal command.
Summoning Trap - in previous version of the deck, spells were mostly important, so the were often countered. In this version however, mayority of things we do is connected with creatures. It has cascade effect with eternal witness and restoration angel blinking witness, where you can rebuy Trap and cast it again till you find your haymaker (Hoof, Titan or Elesh).
Cavern of Souls - another way of interacting vs counterspells, similar to trap.
Boseiju, Who Shelters All - much better in heavier spell version of the deck.
Wurmcoil Engine - possible another 6 drop good in midrange fights. Might find place in md / sb.
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben - good sb card vs storm, Creature, legendary, good synergy with summoner's pact, time of need, primal command.
Thorn of Ametyst - similar to Thala, but permanent
Rest in Peace - anti graveyard card, however no synergy with eternal witness
Wheel of Sun and Moon - anti graveyard card, have synergy with a deck with eternal witness and nykthos, however not a good topdeck similar to rest in peace.
5) What version should I play? 6) Interesting stuff to read/view
Articles
[url=http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/rc/276]The Most Fun I've Had in Modern[/url]
[url=https://www.starcitygames.com/article/27950_Mono-Green-Devotion-In-Modern.html]Mono-Green Devotion in Modern[/url]
[url=http://www.cmus.cz/dnn/%C4%8Cl%C3%A1nky/V%C5%A1echny%C4%8Dl%C3%A1nky/tabid/265/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/4388/New-Modern-Deck--Mono-Green-Nykthos.aspx]New Modern Deck - Modern Green Nykthos[/url]
[url=http://www.gatheringmagic.com/jarvisyu-decks-12052013-mono-green-devotion-in-modern/]Mono-Green Devotion in Modern[/url (different article)
[url=http://www.starcitygames.com/article/28669_Quick-Hits-Mono-Green-Devotion-in-Modern.html]Quick Hits - Mono-Green Devotion in Modern[/url]
[url=http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/woo-brews-mono-green-aura-ramp/]Woo Brews - Mono-Green Aura Ramp[/url] (Ignore the comment section)
Videos
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fB3aWKu5Qs]Dave Williams Genesis Wave deck from Worlds 2010[/url] (Standard, but good to watch)
[url=http://www.channelfireball.com/videos/channel-twoo-modern-mono-green-aura-ramp/]Channel TWoo - Mono-Green Aura Ramp[/url] (again, ignore the comments)
[url=http://www.channelfireball.com/videos/channel-_shipitholla-modern-mono-green-devotion/]Channel _Shipitholla Modern Mono-Green Devotion[/url]
[url=http://www.twitch.tv/darkest_mage/c/3605807]Mulligan to 3 with mono green devotion![/url]
[url=http://www.twitch.tv/darkest_mage/c/3604991]A typical draw with mono green devotion[/url]
[url=http://www.twitch.tv/darkest_mage/c/3508198]Mulligan to 5, Mono G vs Tron[/url]
7) Acknowledgements
This primer wouldn’t have been possible without the help of a number of people. BaddBusiness, Walk, and Lucidcheeta all helped in the development of the previous primer. It was a great source of information and they deserve some credit for that. Thanks to pedros who has been an advocate for the Primal Command version of the deck, and his writings over at DiesToRemoval have helped form the primer for that version.
8) Change log
July 7, 2014 - Primer posted
July 17 - Primer posted to new thread
July 28 - Added link to archived primer
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Currently playing:
Standard BUG Control
Modern :UAffinity, GNyxWave
Legacy UBTezzAffinity
Another of my small talk about upgrades to a primer:
iv. Sequencing (what to play when, trigger stacking, Primal Command loop)
Utopia Sprawl and Arbor Elf
If, in your opening hand, you have the choice between playing Arbor Elf and Utopia Sprawl, you play the Arbor Elf first. By playing Arbor Elf first, you open yourself up to more explosive plays on turn 2. For example, you can play Garruk into a 3 drop.
You should write somewhere that this is best when you dont have any information about opponent, eg. in game 1. It also depends if you are on a draw or a play in sb. games and if you opponent has access to a 1 mana removal spell. It also differ if you know your opponent have access to discard spells.
Sometimes playing it safe and playing around turn 1 removal is wiser. Getting guaranted turn 2 3 drop (especially if it is wistful selkie and you have nykthos) with utopia sprawl is much better than risking getting manadork killed and casting only Utopia Sprawl turn 2.
On a draw vs 1 and 2 mana removal heavy decks (Jund, BG, Twin, UWR, Delver, etc) if I have 3 drop and Garruk I would go for turn 2 3 drop. On a play I would go for turn 2 Garruk into 3 drop. If I have only Garruk I would always play Arbor Elf first. If I only have 3 drop I would play Utopia Sprawl First.
good job gnuhouse for the great primer, I would suggest add-on for storm and bogle matchup. realized I did not but in certain sideboard cards that are useful, will revamp my sideboard later.
just a question, will it be better to go all in wave/primal loop or a 50/50 is better? I like the idea of 50/50 as it gives me more option, not sure how the 50/50 will affect the overall performance and card choice though.
current decklist
2 x craterhoof behemoth
4 x primeval titan
4 x eternal witness
4 x burning tree emissary
4 x strangleroot geist
4 x elvish visionary
4 x arbor elf
3 x genesis wave
3 x primal command
14 x forest(to -1 and considering +1 inkmoth nexus)
1 x mountain( to be replace with stomping ground later)
4 x nyxthos, shrine of nyx
1 x kessig wolf run
sideboard is still in construction, have most of the sideboard cards, just need to determine the quantity and which to use.
feel free to comment on the above list.
So thanks to everyone who has contributed to the thread and to the primer. This deck really is a labour of love for me. I never expected to see it hit the front page of Daily MTG and, since then, I've tried to take ownership of the deck when possible; be it at my LGS or on here. I want to help people have fun with the deck, and show that Modern is more than Tarmogoyf, Bob, Cryptic Command, and fetchlands. I'm proud of the fact that so many people seem to fall in love with the deck, talk about it, and refine it. And I'm more than happy to write about it and answer people's questions about it.
Unfortunately, my labour of love failed me tonight.
I played the same list as last week, running Coursers over Tooth and Nail and Summoner's Pact. Mana base included 4 Stomping Ground, 1 Boseiju, and no fetches, with two Ghost Quarter in the side.
R1 - Esper Gifts
G1 - I got some traction but couldn't find gas in either Primal Command or Genesis Wave. He casts Gifts for Liliana, Snapcaster, Unburial Rites, and Thoughtseize. I put Liliana and Snapcaster in the graveyard and gave him Rites and Thoughtseize. I might have split this wrong, but he proceeded to Thoughtseize himself, discarding Elesh Norn, then reanimated it and wiped my board.
G2 - I started a Primal Command loop, then broke it to find a Titan, fetching Nykthos+Kessig. Next turn I Craterhoof for the win
G3 - I keep an opener with the following - Forest, Nykthos, Arbor Elf, Strangleroot, Plow Under, Primeval Titan, and Garruk. He Thoughtseizes me and takes the Plow Under. I thought that this was a mistake; if I was in his shoes, I take the Arbor Elf knowing that I have a near unplayable hand otherwise. I proceed to topdeck land, and run over him with a Kessig.
1-0
R2 - RG Tron
G1 - I kept a 1 lander that needed another Forest to take off. I was on the play and decided to keep. By the time the land came, he had Karn on the table
G2 - Turn 3 Tron, then Wurmcoil, Wurmcoil, Wurmcoil
1-1
R3 - Ad Nauseum combo
G1 - I start to Primal Command him, stopping the loop to gain 7 life and keep myself out of combo range. He can't combo off, so I Hoof him to death
G2 - He combos off on turn 3, so just a little too fast for me
G3 - He combos off on turn 4. I couldn't draw into Primal Command or Plow Under to keep him in check
1-2
R4 - RUG
G1 - My big devotion enablers get countered, and I get the rough end of a Clique beatdown
G2 - See game 1, add Goyf and Batterskull
1-3
Played some games inbetween rounds. Beat up on Pod and Merfolk, split matches against Twin variants (UR Twin and RUG TarmoTwin)
I'll run this again next week. My foils should be in by Thursday so my deck will have lots of pimp to it. I grabbed a bunch of foil Forests tonight so I'm happy with that.
Foiling status (including Sideboard cards and some cards that I've used in the past)
Currently foiled: 3x Arbor Elf, 4x Strangleroot Geist, 4x Burning-Tree Emissary, 2x Garruk Wildspeaker, 4x Primeval Titan, 2x Genesis Wave, 3x Damping Matrix, 1x Tooth and Nail, 1x Summoner's Pact
Incoming: 1x Kessig Wolf Run, 2x Stomping Ground, 2x Craterhoof Behemoth, 4x Eternal Witness, 1x Boseiju, Who Shelters All, 2x Garruk Wildspeaker, 1x Arbor Elf, 2x Utopia Sprawl
Yet to be foiled: 4x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, 4x Wistful Selkie, 1x Genesis Wave, 4x Primal Command, 2 Courser of Kruphix, 2 Birds of Paradise
Private Mod Note
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Currently playing:
Standard BUG Control
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I knew we'd be seeing Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx in Modern, and I'm happy that it's finally picking up some steam. This version of the Green Devotion deck makes a lot of mana very quickly and uses it to cast a massive Genesis Wave turn after turn thanks to Eternal Witness. Against combo decks, this deck needs to attack the opponent's mana base or use Beast Within from the sideboard, but the deck seems nearly unbeatable for the decks that are trying to play fair. Again, we see Garruk Wildspeaker in a competitive strategy. It may seem odd for Arbor Elf to be making an appearance, but with Utopia Sprawl and Fertile Ground in the deck, untapping a Forest can produce a lot of mana. Garruk has a similar effect with the land Auras.
The nice thing about this deck is that it does very powerful things even when it isn't comboing. For example, it won't be unusual to Primal Command our opponent's land on the third turn. This is an archetype with a ton of potential that will probably be refined over time. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a tier-1 strategy somewhere in here. Will one of us be the one to find it?
The sideboard is really strange, with Stone Rain, Ancient Grudge and Lightning Bolt making appearances with no natural red sources. Primeval Titan is also noticeable in it's absence, with the deck running Expedition Map instead.
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I just saw this up on the Mothership in this week's Perilous Research
The sideboard is really strange, with Stone Rain, Ancient Grudge and Lightning Bolt making appearances with no natural red sources. Primeval Titan is also noticeable in it's absence, with the deck running Expedition Map instead.
Seems more all in on the hard land ramp using the maps to find nykthos regularly and earlier. Also its playing sprawl and fertile ground (7 total) for the red splash i suppose.
Hey guys! Great primer! As a devoted green mage; I have also been playing green devotion since Nykthos was spoiled (kinda jumped out to those of us who love green ) I've played around and brewed a few different green devotion decks since then; but I wanted to post my current deck as it's slightly different from the others I've seen. It has the same "core" of Arbor Elf, Utopia Sprawl, and Garruk with Prime Time/Kessig and One Craterhoof as win-cons. The only real difference lies in the fact that I don't have the E.Witness/ Primal Command lock; and instead opted for a little more speed and card-draw to overwhelm the opponent. It's tested extremely well, and I wanted to provide it as another potential option for any green mage wanting to play with Nykthos.
I'm new to the forums; so I don't quite know how to post lists here. It's on TappedOut at:
Obviously, the sideboard is subject to change with the meta and match ups. But I wanted to throw it out here just to show a slightly different take from the two presented within the initial primer. Thanks again for all you've done to promote Green Devotion. Keep up the great work guys!
Hey guys! Great primer! As a devoted green mage; I have also been playing green devotion since Nykthos was spoiled (kinda jumped out to those of us who love green ) I've played around and brewed a few different green devotion decks since then; but I wanted to post my current deck as it's slightly different from the others I've seen. It has the same "core" of Arbor Elf, Utopia Sprawl, and Garruk with Prime Time/Kessig and One Craterhoof as win-cons. The only real difference lies in the fact that I don't have the E.Witness/ Primal Command lock; and instead opted for a little more speed and card-draw to overwhelm the opponent. It's tested extremely well, and I wanted to provide it as another potential option for any green mage wanting to play with Nykthos.
I'm new to the forums; so I don't quite know how to post lists here. It's on TappedOut at:
Obviously, the sideboard is subject to change with the meta and match ups. But I wanted to throw it out here just to show a slightly different take from the two presented within the initial primer. Thanks again for all you've done to promote Green Devotion. Keep up the great work guys!
This is similar to a Genesis Wave ramp deck that was in M13 after Innistrad Block, time when 8 sets were in standard. I remember it as I played with it, it had elf subtheme with mana elves and a way to untap creatures after you tap them with Village Bellringer, and a way of drawing more cards with Elvish Visionary and Soul of the Harvest, everything improved with Restoration Angels. It had Green Sun's Zenith too, so bad we dont have it in modern ;/. It was a fun deck to play with, and this reminds me of it. It even have Elderscale wurm in a sideboard
Coiling Oracle is a sick card, I would snap play it all the time if it cost G/U G/U. This deck has another way of winning games - Ezuri does so, however I dont know if I like it without Green Sun's Zenith in a deck. Wouldnt this deck also benefit from playing additional 1 drop elf to suplement Arbor Elves? One of the best stuff you could do in this deck is Turn 1 Elf into Archdruid with nykthos on board into Set of 1 drop elves that give you 2 mana (1 from nykthos, 1 from archdruid).
I think I will try this version out (with my tweeks probably but that is normal) as I really like idea of having:
a) Lover curve that is drawing you more cards (Visionary, Coiling Oracle), that works awsome with other stuff: Archdruid, Restoration Angel and Chord of Calling
b) Additional mana synergy (devotion subtheme and elves subtheme)
c) Additional win condition based around Elves (stuff like ezuri), however I am not sure if he is needed. If I remember correctly I even cut him from standard deck as I didnt need him - either hoof them, kessig them out or outgrind them was generally better.
You need to tell us how Nissa, Worldwaker is working. I think no one here had time to test her out, so we gladly take any thoughts and ideas around her.
Same with Chord of Calling, as I am the only one her using it currently. It is much better with Visionary / Coiling Oracle right?
How are you managing mana? Does Cavern of Souls fix it most of the time? Do you think Abundant Growth could be cut for something like another 1 drop elf / Birds of Paradise (one is helping archdruid, the other fixes mana)
I think this is one of the better Genesis Wave build, as it has additional ways of generating huge mana - not only Nykthos Devotion subtheme, but also Elves subtheme. I would try to put some Eternal Witness here get a Genesis Wave rebuy, but it looks beautyful.
I think you should link CurdBros's tappedout somewhere, as it gives amazing amount of information.
Also as he pointed out, we might have to consider playing nylea's presence in Nissa's shell - it allows untaping Nykthos with Nissa and Arbor Elf.
Another oddball suggestion - I have 0 time to test, zero. - Squall Line. Against the control decks we just need to get ahead in the life total race and then instant speed burn them out. It also does great again BW Tokens, Faeries, Pestermite and many other problem cards.
Hey all! I've been playing Nykthos Wave now for about six months and love playing it. I did a quick write-up back in January for a friend's blog. Click below to expand.
My LGS finally added a Modern night to the weekly schedule at the beginning of the year. The first couple weeks we had four players at most. This week, we finally had the minimum 8 players to make it a sanctioned tournament. My choice of deck this week was the relatively new brew of Mono-Green Devotion AKA NykWave.
Quick & Dirty Primer: The idea is to take full advantage of the new devotion mechanic that the Theros set has given us. Basically, it’s ramp-ramp-BOOM! with the win condition being big trampling creatures running over your opponent. The early game is important in that you need to hit your land drops and ramp (Arbor Elf, Utopia Sprawl, Fertile Ground). You should hopefully be able to have Garruk Wildspeaker and Nykthos both on the board by turn 4. You will have card draw to help you along the way (Elvish Visionary, Wistful Selkie). Primeval Titan is a big beat stick that also lets you fetch Nykthos from your library and put it directly on to the battlefield. Then, you go big on Genesis Wave. If you don’t hit the main win condition (Craterhoof Behemoth) then you should at least hit an Eternal Witness to allow you to grab the Genesis Wave you just cast back from your graveyard so you can cast it again immediately (assuming you hit another Nykthos and/or Garruk on the first Wave), or you can go off again on your next turn. An alternative to Craterhoof is using Garruk’s third ability, which can still give you a win as soon as turn 4 provided you have enough creatures already on the board (if you’re lucky, you’ve chained a couple Burning-Tree Emissary in turn 2 or 3).
Personal Touches: In my list, I’ve added two (Vexing Shusher( as well as one Boseiju, Who Shelters All as protection against counter magic. Most lists I’ve seen run these in the sideboard, but I’ve opted to main deck them as it is easy enough to keep one mana floating in case you need to activate Vexing Shusher’s ability. If I cast an early Primeval Titan, the two lands I fetch from my library are Nykthos and Boseiju if I don’t already have them. The “tool box” cards I run are Primal Command, Rude Awakening, and Tooth and Nail.
Sideboard: I had a makeshift sideboard that I had put together on the fly about an hour before the event. I don’t remember exactly what was what in there and I didn’t even need to use it, so I won’t even bother including it here.
Tournament Report:
Round 1 vs. Merfolk: Okay, quick disclaimer… This Merfolk deck was actually *my* deck that I had loaned to a friend for the night. I knew everything in this deck. In fact, I was rushing to reconfigure it from a Legacy build in to a Modern build before I handed it off to him for the event. That said, I thumped him. 2-0. No contest. Both games I had Garruk out on turn 2 and cast Genesis Wave by turn 4. This deck seems to consistently match up well against other aggro decks. While an aggro opponent may have four creatures by turn 4, NykWave will at least that many on turn 4 and they’ll be trampling their way to victory
Round 2 vs. UWR Midrange: Being a UWR player myself, I knew what to expect with this opponent, though I usually play more of a control build. First game, my opponent got land flooded and I won on turn 4. The second and third games were more drawn out as my opponent had sided in some different things to try to stop my ramp. Electrolyze was effective in slowing my ramp as it zapped my Arbor Elfs. In each of the last two games, I cast Primeval Titan, and both times he responded with a Path to Exile. He had also sided in a Disenchant that took out one of my Utopia Sprawls. What won the match for me on game 3 was an entwined Tooth and Nail. I fetched for Craterhoof Behemoth as my win condition, and an Eternal Witness to grab back Tooth and Nail from the graveyard as an insurance policy. As it turned out, I didn’t need the insurance and won the match 2-1.
Round 3 vs. Death & Taxes: My third opponent was playing a budget version of Death & Taxes. I had played against him before in casual games at the LGS and knew his deck inside and out. He, however, had never played against my NykWave deck. Game 1, I mulled a no-lander and kept a mediocre six. I didn’t draw any ramp and was stuck on two lands. In the meantime, my opponent was swinging with first strike the whole way with Thalia, Precinct Captain, and Mirran Crusader. No bueno. In the second and third games, I mulled down to six cards both times but with better results. I was able to hit all my early land drops and mana ramp. On game 3, however, I was getting a little stuck on my mana ramp. I was hoping to go big with Genesis Wave on my next turn when my opponent put an Oblivion Ring on Garruk. I had to pay 7 to cast a Genesis Wave for 3 with my opponent’s Thalia on the board. The three cards I revealed were a Forest, a Nykthos, and a Utopia Sprawl. Ramp problem solved! The next turn, I cast an Eternal Witness that I’d had since my opening hand and snagged Genesis Wave out of the graveyard. I then cast Genesis Wave for 13, which brought forth a number of creatures, including Craterhoof Behemoth. Good game.
My reward for the evening… $20 in store credit (cha-ching!) We also prize drafted a pack of Modern Masters, from which I pulled a Kitchen Finks (the rare was a Cold-Eyed Selkie and the foil a Rift Bolt.) I also got to cross a couple items off my list of Magic goals for 2014… I got a sanctioned Modern event to fire at my LGS (previously, they had only supported Standard and Limited formats), as well as taking 1st Place in a constructed format event (the first time I’ve ever done that).
Since this was from six months ago... There are a few new cards that may work very well in this deck. I've seen people using Courser of Kruphix with good results. I've considered using Aspect of Hydra as a sucker punch game winner type of card. I also really like Nissa, Worldwaker, which I happen to open one when I got my box of M15 on Friday.
Another idea I've fiddled with is splashing a little more red in the deck. I have since started using Kessig Wolf Run in my list and a couple Bird of Paradise and Stomping Ground to make sure I get the red mana needed. I've also contemplated adding in either Sarkhan Vol for more stompy fun, or Xenagos, the Reveler for additional ramp, mana fixing, and hasty token dudes. Another fun idea is Xenagos, God of Revels, which I haven't had the chance to test out.
Standard (KLD):UR Thermo-Thing Modern:UR Delver, URB Delver, URB Control, G Elves, WB Soul Sisters Legacy:UR Delver, URB Delver, G Elves EDH:GWTrostani, Selesnya's Voice, UBOona, Queen of the Fae
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Sorry guys! Was out for a golf outing for two days Thanks for some of the kind words! This is such a great primer that I was excited to see such amazing green decks already! To answer some of the questions:
1. I did play a version that was even slight more "elf-centric" (i.e. that played Elvish Mystic and one that played Heritage Druid as well); however with the amount of Pyroclasm and Anger of the Gods running around; it just seemed too fragile to those cards.
2. I like Ezuri as a one-of. It can be "Chorded" for if you have a lot of elves; I've found his regeneration ability to actually be almost as useful as his "elf overrun"; and he can win games out of nowhere I ran two for quite some time; but did find hands where I was either keeping in my hand for too long; or he kind of "slowed down" the line (as he neither draws nor ramps). He seems to be a great win-con and great with decks with substantial removal. But you are absolutely right that he is not so necessary that you would need more than one (and you probably could get away with removing him if he didn't fit your playstyle). I love him though; as a one-of.
3. Nissa Worldwaker is CRAZY good. She is essentially free (or nets you positive mana) in 80%+ of the games you play her and she MUST be answered. I've found that she is especially good in both control and more grindy match-ups (especially B/G Rock match-ups). 4/4 puts you ahead of Treetop Village, kills Courser of Kruphix if they block, and can the trample is a huge plus! She plays similar to Garruk Wildspeaker in the sense that she can either give you a creature or ramp; however both are slightly "super charged" (unless you have an active Nykthos); however she is far different. She creates a faster clock and oddly enough feels more like a "must answer" as she is always plus-sing herself. I've found that with Utopia Sprawl I often will kind of "bait" a spell out first (like a Prime Time) so the control deck can counter it; then untap everything with Nissa to cast a wave. That, and with everyone seemingly playing full sets of Remand as the counter-of=choice, she essentially allows you to re-cast your win-cons. I've been pleasantly suprised as 5-drop is a kind of "odd spot" and planeswalkers seem to perform best against those decks that are stronger against the other facts of this deck.
4. Pedros, you are right again that Coiling Oracle is one of the better cards in the deck. The fact that he puts lands directly into play can be huge. Chord of Calling, Ezuri, Renegade Leader, and Craterhoof Behemoth are really what make the elves powerful (as they all work off of having more creatures). I was playing other ramp versions of the deck prior to playing all of the "draw effects" and kept running out of cards, so I wanted to find ways to keep fueling the gas At one point, I did take it too far, however, as I tried to squeeze in both Courser of Kruphix (because I love how well he works with Coiling Oracle) and Eidolon of Blossoms but I found that there is such a thing as too much card draw I was essentially cycling the entire deck for three turns without doing anything but generating a ton of mana and drawing a ton of cards!
5. I did try Nylea's Presence but not nearly long enough. I've found that having Abundant Growth at 1-mana is pretty important. I sometimes play it on turn one, it can be used to dig you into your land for turn (and is part of what allows us to only run 20 lands), etc. I'm sure there are situations where Nylea's Presence would have been better in later turns (especially with Nissa Worldwaker as it would just get crazy). My only concerns were that (a) speed is a very important factor to this deck and the early turns can be actually be effected quite a bit going from 1 to 2 mana for a similar (although better) effect, and (b) while very minimal, I have some odd fear of Merfolk and didn't want to give them an Island I'd had played it as Abundant Growth for so long, however, that I also may have become kind of biased in my play-style for Abundant Growth. I would not instantly say one is better than the other and I haven't tested it enough. I prefer A.Growth, but I see the argument for both.
6. I do believe (although many of you would know better than me give your history with the decks) that versions with the Eternal Witness / Primal Command lock are probably better against Twin and Control decks. They are the match-ups I side the most in for. There are some matches this deck kind of "steam rolls" (like Pod, Rock, Most Burn, Boggles, Infect, etc.) as you simply can build up more than they can deal with and they don't have much interaction/removal. Twin, however, you have to race in game one (as if you don't win by turn 4 and they have the combo they win). I've found Cavern of Souls to be REALLY strong (I really wanted to run three, but needed the Forests) as it can be crippling for them to not counter a Primeval Titan or simply not be able to counter all of the elves.
GreenPowerNow is exactly right as well that against control-based decks, I end up siding out the Genesis Waves and move to more of a "beat down" mode. I'm still trying out some other sideboard cards (of course I guess in reality sideboard are always changing but Twin/Control are the decks that require the most changes after game one.
Sorry for the super-long post. I just wanted to address all of the questions/thoughts! I LOVE green decks and especially green-devotion; so it's great to have a place where the pre-eminent brewers of the decks are available for conversation! Keep up the great work!
Squall Line is an interesting idea. Flying can be troublesome to green, and especially for the versions that run Primal Command and can gain life; they may have enough life to win the race. Neat idea Caspian.
1. Mana fixing hasn't been an issue. Between 4 Abundant Growth, 4 Utopia Sprawl, and 2 Cavern of Souls as well as 3 fetch lands; I haven't found any difficulties getting either the red or blue mana I need. And you are right that with an early (turn 1 or 2) Cavern, I will just name Elves to ensure Coiling Oracle has the blue needed. That, and Kessig Wolf Run gets "tutored" for by Primeval Titan 70% of the time, so you often can either grab a Stomping Ground with it (or you already have an Abundant Growth or something down. The deck has a lot of fixing in it, but it does need it to splash the extra color(s).
2. You could easily splash white instead to play things like Restoration Angel. Obviously, the sideboard would be spectacular at that point too! Resto Angel would also be AMAZING (seeing as how Visionary, Oracle, Prime Time, and Craterhoof all have ETB triggers! Also, Path to Exile is basically the best removal in the format.
I can't wait to see it!
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Green Devotion is the true "Big Mana" deck of the Modern Format. Devotion, unlike other big mana decks; allows the builder/player a very malleable strategy that can attack from very different angles while taking advantage of a "Core" of cards that can build huge sums of mana as early as turn three. This Primer provides the most successful Green Devotion lists as well as the many strategy choices one can make when playing Green Devotion.
Anthony S. Devotion PACT List (16th @ SCG Modern Open)
4x Arbor Elf
3x Birds of Paradise
4x Burning-Tree Emissary
1x Scavenging Ooze
1x Eternal Witness
1x Chameleon Colossus
1x Acidic Slime
1x Primeval Titan
1x Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
1x Hornet Queen
1x Craterhoof Behemoth
4x Utopia Sprawl
4x Oath of Nissa
Planeswalker (7)
3x Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
4x Garruk Wildspeaker
Sorcery/Instant (5)
1x Primal Command
4x Summoner's Pact
Lands (21)
6x Forest
2x Stomping Ground
8x Green Fetch Land
4x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1x Kessig Wolf Run
9 Forest
1 Kessig Wolf Run
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
2 Stomping Ground
4 Wooded Foothills
Mana Acceleration (15)
4 Arbor Elf
3 Birds of Paradise
4 Utopia Sprawl
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
2 Oath of Nissa
4 Strangleroot Geist
3 Courser of Kruphix
3 Eternal Witness
1 Temur Sabertooth
Power Cards (12)
3 Wolfbriar Elemental
4 Primal Command
2 Primeval Titan
1 Dragonlord Atarka
1 Hornet Queen
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
[/spoiler]
Tooth and Nail Devotion Stock List
[spoiler=Tooth and Nail Devotion Stock List]
4 arbor elf
4 voyaging satyr
4 utopia sprawl
4 overgrowth
4 garruk wildspeaker
Combos
4 primal command
3 eternal witness
4 tooth and nail
1 xenagos, god of revels
1 emrakul, the aeons torn
1 harmonize
1 primeval titan
3 blood moon
lands
3 windswept heath
3 wooded foothills
2 stomping ground
2 nykthos, shrine to nyx
1 kessig wolf run
11 forest
2 grafdigger's cage
2 obstinate baloth
2 bonfire of the damned
2 nature's claim
2 crumble to dust
1 boil
1 wurmcoil engine
1 boseiju, who shelters all
1 spellskite
1 creeping corrosion
4x Arbor Elf
4x Voyaging Satyr
3x Eternal Witness
1x Acidic Slime
1x Scavengting Ooze
2x Primeval Titan
1x Xenagos, God of Revels
1x Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
4x Utopia Sprawl
4x Overgrowth
Planeswalker (4)
3x Garruk Wildspeaker
1x Nissa, Worldwaker
Instant/Sorcery (9)
4x Tooth and Nail
3x Primal Command
2x Harmonize
10x Forest
4x Stomping Grounds
5x Green Fetch Lands
2x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1x Kessig Wolf Run
[/spoiler]
Modern Pact Green Devotion List
[spoiler=Modern Pact Green Devotion List]
4x Arbor Elf
3x Birds of Paradise
4x Burning-Tree Emissary
3x Courser of Kruphix
1x Eternal Witness
4x Primeval Titan
1x Hornet Queen
1x Craterhoof Behemoth
4x Utopia Sprawl
4x Oath of Nissa
Planeswalker (8)
4x Garruk Wildspeaker
4x Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
Sorcery/Instant (3)
3x Summoner's Pact
Lands (20)
7x Forest
2x Stomping Ground
6x Green Fetch Land
4x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1x Kessig Wolf Run
[/spoiler]
Introduction
In October 2013, Theros was unleashed unto the Magic world. One of the new keywords introduced was Devotion. The impact devotion had on Modern was not immediate, however, Green just felt like it had to be the perfect home for such a mechanic. Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, was the first real devotion card that saw play in Modern. Slowly, a few lists began to see play on MTGO and many people caught on to the idea that some very fun and powerful cards could be played in a Green Devotion deck.
What truly brought the deck to the forefront was an article by Gavin Verhey (based on a deck from one of the "founding fathers" of devotion (and our original OP) Gnuhouse . The article was entitled “The Most Fun I’ve Had in Modern” (see link below). Since this article, the deck has developed significantly, the lists have been tested and honed, and several high level players have adopted the deck such as Michael Jacob, Michael Hetrick, Jarvis Yu, and Travis Woo. While not every list stood the test of time; the green fever had taken hold! Michael Jacobs, in particular, took quite a liking to the deck; streaming it for several months.
In addition to this, however, there was a community of green mages churning away at new ideas and new ways to break devotion in Modern. This very community has pushed the boundaries of Green Devotion to new and interesting heights. In the past year, the mechanic has been exploited in many different ways; however five distinct "archetypes" of Green Devotion have arisen. These "archetypes" include "Traditional Mono Green", "Toolbox", "Nyxwave Combo", "Tooth and Nail Combo" and "Stompy". While "Elf Combo" is thought of as it's own form of devotion; often times Elves lists will fall under either "Nyxwave Combo" or "Stompy" depending on the build.
With the banning of Twin and Summer Bloom (and thus Amulet Bloom) and the printing of Oath of Nissa within a week of one another, however; Green Devotion saw a resurgence as it's two worst match ups were officially banned at the same time the consistency of the deck was improved...Green Devotion has seen a growth once again; and is becoming one of the best "big mana" decks in the format. More resilient (although potentially slower) and more interactive than Tron, and more powerful than Eldrazi; Green Devotion has a special place in Modern as the true Green Ramp Deck.
This primer will talk about the differences between each version; and more importantly, what ties them all together as "Green Devotion" decks. We'll discuss what makes a Green Devotion deck, what is not a Green Devotion deck, and how Green Devotion has been and will be made competitive in the Modern Meta.
Green devotion is for anyone that loves:
If this sounds like you, then Green Devotion is for you!
Devotion "Core Cards"
While there are four current versions of devotion; all of the devotion decks utilize the same "Core" (within only their win-cons and support cards varying). Below is an outline of each of the "Core" cards in devotion and why they are so very important to the Devotion archetype.
[spoiler=Devotion Core Cards]
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
The centerpiece of the deck, Nykthos acts as a pseudo Gaea’s Cradle, allowing you to do some borderline degenerate things with all the mana it generates. Used in conjunction with effects that allow you to untap it, and the latest version of the legend rule, it’s not uncommon to be producing 30+ mana in a turn.
Arbor Elf and Utopia Sprawl
These two, in conjunction, are the beginnings of the engine of the deck. This little combo will allow you to do things like power out a turn two Garruk Wildspeaker, or turn three Primeval Titan. Because Utopia Sprawl acts as an "instant speed" ramp card (if you have more than one Forest); If Arbor Elf is played on turn one and Utopia Sprawl is played on turn 2; you then have access to four mana left on turn two! Casting a Garruk Wildspeaker from there is where things get really crazy!
Garruk Wildspeaker
A true Devotion All-Star, Garruk Wildspeaker may be the most powerful devotion card ever printed (even though it was printed well before Devotion was in existence. The original Garruk plays a dual role here. For starters, his +1 ability allows you to untap two lands. ANY two lands. With lands like Nykthos or enchanted Forests, the ability to use them twice in one turn opens up many possibilities for abuse. Further, his -4 is not only achievable but can act as a win condition on its own if you a reasonable board presence (which devotion decks often do).
Oath of Nissa
Printed in Oath of the Gatewatch, Oath of Nissa provided a distinct advantage to Green Devotion decks. As a 1-mana enchantment, it greatly increased the consistency of the Green Devotion deck as it allows the player to "dig" for all of the essential pieces (Nykthos, Primeval Titan, Garruk Wildspeaker, etc.). This is the card that reinvigorated Green Devotion along with the banning(s) of Twin and Amulet Bloom.
Forest
While it may seem obvious, it is important to every Green Devotion deck to run actual "Forest" primary lands. Utopia Sprawl and Arbor Elf both only work with Forests (as does Nissa Worldwaker) and much of the land destruction utilized in Modern is for Non-Basic lands. Land destruction can be tough on devotion; so it is important to ensure your enchanted lands are generally forests. While shock lands are technically Forests (and any deck splashing a color should use them); every devotion deck has to run basic Forests.
[/spoiler]
Support Cards
The next portion of any Green Devotion deck is its Support Cards. These are the cards that "bridge the gap" between pure early ramp and the win-conditions of the deck. Often times these cards are meant to:
The following is the list of the "best" or most used "support cards" found within devotion decks:
[spoiler=Green Devotion Support Cards]
Burning-Tree Emissary - BTE is an interesting devotion card due to its EBT trigger, low cost, and high devotion. It essentially "nets" you mana when it is played (as it's cost is equal to it's devotion AND it adds mana to your pool). BTE is used mainly in "Traditional" devotion decks due to the interaction it has with Genesis Wave (as it can trigger another Nykthos just from entering the battlefield off of a Wave) as well as it's use as a quick devotion-boost. As a creature that essentially "pays for itself", BTE can rapidly speed up the amount of devotion the pilot can build in the very early turns. Turns with multiples of BTE and a Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx are the lightning fast turns that lead to turn 2-3 wins.
Eternal Witness - While she also falls under the "win-condition" section; Eternal Witness provides spectacular value all her own. By allowing the player to "bring back" any card, she lets Genesis Wave players "string" waves, provides for the "infinite lock" (or soft lock depending on the deck), brings back a fetch land if land is needed, and can literally bring back any card in the graveyard you'd prefer to cast for pure card advantage. Eternal Witness is extremely close to being considered a "Core" card as it is in nearly ever green devotion deck every made.
Primal Command - One of the most versatile green spells printed; Primal Command allows you to tutor for a creature, gain life, get rid of a pesky non-creature permanent for at least one turn, guarantee that the opponent draws a land WHILE losing one of their current lands, AND shuffling your (or your opponent's) graveyard back into their library for both graveyard-based and mill match-ups. At 5-CMC, there are few decks that can quickly and profitably play the green Command; however devotion decks can. What makes Primal Command so amazing is the many match ups it is useful in as well as the potential for the Eternal Witness/Primal Command Lock (discussed in the "win-conditions" section). While not many non-permanents make it into green devotion decks; Primal Command makes the cut.
Elvish Visionary - Any green permanent that says "draw a card" on it has a place in green devotion. Elvish Visionary shines in the Elf Combo version of green devotion; however it is useful in many different decks as a green permanent adding to both devotion and your hand. With Cloudstone Curio, Visionary also becomes a tool to draw multiple cards in conjunction with Burning-Tree Emissary (2 mana will draw a card as many times as you can afford).
Abundant Growth - Just as with Visionary above; Abundant Growth is great in devotion decks because it draws a card (replaces itself) while fixing mana AND adding one to the pilot's devotion count. This card has many additional uses when paired with cards like Fetch Lands and Eternal Witness or Cloudstone Curio; but it's main advantageous use in devotion is just its power as a fixer, devotion enabler, and card advantage engine for devotion.
Courser of Kruphix - A great card for building card advantage with a solid "butt" to boot; Courser is an extremely solid card for devotion builds. The life gain and large body make it great for burn and aggro match ups, and the digging for land ability and 2-devotion make it an extremely powerful mana-generating tool for the deck. 3-CMC is a somewhat "sweet spot" for the deck as well. Courser has the toughness to stay on board for extended periods as well as through board wipes (which is great for devotion) and the card advantage it can create is astounding. Courser is seen in many of the more interactive devotion lists. It also has really great synergy with Domri Rade, Coiling Oracle, Oath of Nissa, and any other card interested in the top card of the deck.
Voyaging Satyr - Mainly utilized in Tooth and Nail builds, Voyaging Satyr can be seen as a "beefed up" Arbor Elf. Because Voyaging Satyr can untap ANY land; she can untap enchanted Forest's as well as Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx. This leads to huge sums of mana quite quickly (and with the goal being to get to 9-mana in tooth in nail decks; she is a perfect fit). Any deck playing a heavy amount of land enchantments love Voyaging Satyr. If your goal is to exponentially ramp each turn, this is your best 2-drop option.
Overgrowth - Just as Voyaging Satyr is the "beefed up" Arbor Elf, Overgrowth is the "beefed up" Utopia Sprawl. When combined with cards that untap lands; the additional GG you get with each tap gets out of hand extremely quickly. Again utilized mainly in Tooth and Nail decks; when paired with Arbor Elf, Voyaging Satyr, and Garruk Wildspeaker; you can see how one land could quickly begin producing 6+ mana on its own.
Leatherback Baloth - a 4/5 for 3-mana is good. When it also adds three devotion it becomes great! In many "Stompy" decks, Leatherback is the perfect 3-drop. It outclasses nearly every creature in Modern that can come down as quickly as it can (as early as turn 2 in devotion decks) and when paired with cards like Nylea, God of the Hunt and/or Kessig Wolf Run; Leatherback quickly becomes a trampling powerhouse that will end the game if not dealt with.
Chord of Calling - The most powerful green tutor to date; Chord of Calling is especially impressive in Green Devotion decks due to the high amounts of mana that can be generated quickly. This card can be used in a variety of ways from "Chording" for a peice of a combo (like the Kiki/Resto combo) to "chording" for a Craterhoof for the "beatdown" win. Chord of Calling seems to really shine in the "Toolbox" devotion lists; as it is played both proactively and re-actively to gain the advantage over the opponent by tutoring for an array of often over a dozen specific creatures.
Summoners Pact - Another great tutor, Pact seems to work best in a beatdown deck to tutor for a creature that ends the game on the spot (such as Craterhoof Behemoth). When the downside doesn't come until the next turn, it is not a worry when you win on the spot Even if you have to pay for it; often times the tutor is well worth the 4-mana the following turn (as four mana is generally very little for a devotion deck anywhere past turn two).
Wistful Selkie - As stated above, any green permanent that says "draw a card" is a good option in green devotion. One that adds 3-devotion at the same time is great! Wistful Selkie is a great option for a full-mono-green devotion deck (as often times GGG is difficult to obtain as early as you would like with utility lands and Nykthos. Despite this, Wistful Selkie is one of the best "cantrip" devotion creatures printed (if not the best).
Genesis Hydra - This is an interesting and powerful option for many "Stompy" builds (and even some combo builds) of devotion. It is well suited for devotion because it gets larger the more mana you have and can dig for any of your other permanents. It is a great "card advantage" choice (as you get both the Hydra AND the card it reveals/you choose)...and very interestingly even if the Genesis Hydra gets countered you still get the card (as it says "when you cast..."). The fact that you get a huge body, dig for ANY permanent, AND you you get 2-devotion to boot makes this a powerful card that hasn't seen it's full utilization yet in devotion.
Temur Sabertooth - Temur Sabertooth changes the way devotion decks (a) react to removal and/or board wipes as well as (b) give many "value" devotion decks (like the Toolbox versions and the Elf Combo version) another potential avenue to abuse Enter the Battlefield (ETB) triggers. Temur Sabertooth has an activated ability that is not available on any potential green devotion card. The ability not only to "bounce" a creature, but also gaining indestructible in the process creates a creature that has enough uses/value/utility to ensure a spot in many devotion decks. Between the ETB effects of Elvish Visionary, Wistful Selkie, Eternal Witness, Craterhoof Behemoth, Burning-Tree Emissary, Restoration Angel, Craterhoof Behemoth, Siege Rhino, Purphoros, Outpost Siege (LTB Trigger) and a litany of other creatures/cards that are played in devotion builds...Temur Sabertooth can abuse any ETB (or LTB) effect triggered by creatures. He also can "reset" the Undying and/or Persist counters placed on creatures like Strangleroot Geist and Kitchen Finks. Lastly, however not least, he can simply be used to maintain your devotion count and/or "save" a creature. If an opponent plays a board wipe such as Supreme Verdict or Anger of the Gods; Temur Sabertooth can "return" any creatures you want (at a cost of 2-mana per creature) and does not die in the process. Sabertooth turns potential X-for-1's into as low as 0-for-1! Although he requires ample mana; that is one thing devotion decks have. This is a card that can only grow in popularity among devotion players.
Strangleroot Geist - The only creature printed with both Undying and Haste; this 2/2 for 2-mana is pure value. It its early and often and is nearly impossible to kill (especially with a Temur Sabertooth and/or Eternal Witness available). What makes Strangleroot especially strong in devotion is its resiliency. The fact that it stays on the board even after the opponent has "killed" it means you keep your two devotion for longer than you would for any other two drop. Strangleroot is spectacular in "Stompy" devotion decks as well as any devotion deck wishing to overwhelm the opponent's board quickly.
Kitchen Finks - A modern staple, Kitchen Finks is the example many people point to as a card with TONS of "value" or utility. The life-gain Finks offers can put many decks like Burn and Zoo in a bind; and the resiliency of Finks means you will have the two devotion it provides for quite some time. Anyone whose played Modern for any period of time knows just how powerful it can be.
Predator Ooze - This card is a great example of a card that works well in devotion and only devotion. Predator Ooze is a nigh unkillable creature that grows and grows until it is lethal all it's own. Devotion is a mechanic that wants to "overwhelm" and grow quickly. This can be done either with card draw/advantage of permanents or with resiliency. Predator Ooze falls on the "resiliency" side along with Kitchen Finks and Strangleroot Geist. It doesn't take long before a Predator Ooze "pumped" with a Kessig Wolf Run deals lethal damage.
Fertile Ground - These cards function as additional "Utopia Sprawl" - like cards. For those decks that go "all-in" on ramping (such as many Tooth and Nail combo versions of devotion); these are additional ways to quickly multiply the ramping of the deck when paired with Arbor Elf and/or Voyaging Satyr. While utilized less often than the others; this is perfect for 3-5 color devotion decks looking to take advantage of cards like Bring to Light.
Cloudstone Curio - This is an underutilized card in green devotion. While currently only seen in Elf Combo versions; this card allows the devotion player to abuse ETB triggers nearly for free once it is on the board. It creates both infinite loops as well as very cheap "card draw loops" with cards such as Abundant Growth and Elvish Visionary. It also creates numerous infinite combos with Elves, BTE's, (as two infinitely "loop" with one another), and Garruk Wildspeaker with Nissa, Worldwaker! While it may see more play in the future, it does require the deck to be built around the card/interactions.
Coiling Oracle - While requiring blue, this Snake Elf Druid acts like Elvish Visionary copies 5-8 with the added benefit of actually playing the drawn card if it is a land. While generally only seen in the Elf Combo version of devotion; it is a great call for any devotion deck splashing blue.
Scavenging Ooze - Green's most valuable version of graveyard-hate; "Scooge" can act as graveyard hate while also gaining life and growing to quite a large beater. Because we generally have access to ample mana; it can only make Scavenging Ooze that much better. While often only seen as a 1-of in Toolbox decks and/or in the sideboard of many devotion decks; it is still a great addition to any devotion deck that wants to compete in a meta with cards like Living End, Goyro's Vengeance, Snapcaster Mage, and Delve cards.
Nylea, God of the Hunt - Nylea is one of the better cards that is only playable in devotion decks. She is a 6/6 indestructible creature 80% of the time, and her mana sink and trample-enabling abilities turn every single creature in a devotion player's deck into a potential trampling fatty. Nylea literally represents green devotion; and is a great addition to multiple versions of devotion decks.
Knight of the Reliquary - A GREAT land tutor and also a potential powerhouse (that gets very large, very fast); KOR is one of the best cards in many Toolbox lists and any list splashing white. KOR essentially guarantees that the devotion player will be able to utilize Nykthos quickly while at the same time providing for a large body on board. While he definitely requires some knowledge to pilot perfectly; KOR can take many toolbox lists to the "next level" with the right pilot.
Restoration Angel - This is a favorite Chord target for many green devotion decks. It allows "value" and Toolbox devotion decks to include a infinite combo (Kiki-Resto) and allows another way for ETB/LTB triggers to be abused. While this idea is not new to devotion alone; it is extremely powerful in a deck that can tutor for her as quickly (or even more quickly) than most decks can hard cast her. With other "natural" green targets like Kitchen Finks, Strangleroot Giest, and Thragtusk, along with "specialized" targets like Siege Rhino and Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker; Restoration Angel plays a very important role in the Toolbox devotion decks seen later in this primer.
Tasigur, the Golden Fang and Shaman of the Great Hunt - These two are great options for very well costed creatures with a card-draw engine built in. Both are great options for devotion decks splashing their colors; with Tasigur being the current favorite given his synergy with the other "Abzan" choices of Restoration Angel and Siege Rhino.
Domri Rade - A potential card-draw engine and with available removal trigger; Domri Rade is a choice for many Stompy versions of devotion. With Courser of Kruphix you can pretty much guarantee how you draw your "extra" cards and with Leatherback Baloth Domir's -2 ability essentially destroys most creatures...needless to say in the right builds this 3-drop planeswalker is a powerful and versatile permanent.
Acidic Slime - A great "interactive" permanent; Acidic Slime is often a Chord target meant to destroy a pesky artifact, land, or enchantment. With land destruction at a premium in Modern, often times Acidic Slime can be extremely destructive to an opponent who does not have answer for it.
Siege Rhino - With a 4/5 Trampling body and one of the best ETB triggers in the game; devotion decks tend to splash for Siege Rhino despite it providing only 1-devotion. Toolbox decks in particular can Chord for Siege Rhino and/or many different ways to bounce it..often times riding the Rhino's back all the way to victory!
Polukranos, World Eater - This is a card that allows even mono-green decks the ability to destroy a large portion of the opponent's board. A 4-mana 5/5 is strong on its own right; however the Monstrous ability is really what sets Polukranos apart from other fatties. Removal is not easy to come by in Green Devotion; and having a creature with built-in removal can often be very advantageous. In meta's heavy with tokens and smaller creatures; Polukranos is a must have in either the main- or side-board of many devotion decks.
Leyline of Vitality & Leyline of Lifeforce - Both of these cards see play at different times in very specific metas. Both are great for devotion because they add 2-devotion on one's opening hand (which can lead to VERY fast starts) and both actually have very powerful effects (life gain for each creature AND a toughness boost or making counters not effect ANY of your creatures). While it takes certain decks within certain metas to fully take advantage of the Leylines; they can lead to very broken situations.
[/spoiler]
Win-Conditions
While devotion decks have numerous support cards; there really are only about 10 true devotion win-cons. Once you have tons of mana (or even infinite mana); you've got to put it somewhere that wins the game! Below are the best choices for "Win-Cons" in green devotion.
[spoiler=Devotion Win Conditions]
Craterhoof Behemoth - The "go to" green win-con since its printing; Craterhoof is a great way for any green deck with creatures to win. While it requires un-summoning-sick creatures to pump; often times the huge hastey Craterhoof alone deals enough damage to win the game. And while 8-mana is high; it is extremely obtainable in Green Devotion. "Fetchable" by Primal Command, Genesis Hydra, Summoner's Pact, and Oath of Nissa; Craterhoof is a card that can be played in low quantities and still be hit.
Garruk Wildspeaker - Garruk pretty much shows up in every section, however there's a reason! In this case, Garruk's ultimate can be used as a win-con. It's easy to get to (requires only one turn of +1), and it is powerful. The ability to Ovverrun your creatures (even at sorcery speed) is very powerful in decks with many creatures on board. The fact that you'd want Garruk in the deck whether he had the ultimate or not is just a happy coincidence.
Genesis Wave - One of the most powerful green cards ever printed; Genesis Wave did not have a true home until devotion. Genesis Wave is the catalyst for numerous devotion combo decks; and even when not pouring a combo on the board it represents an amount of card advantage no other spell in the game can reach. When Wave is combined Garruk Wildspeaker and/or Eternal Witness, things really get out of hand (as you can begin "stringing" waves and/or casing large spells post-wave). Genesis Wave is quite possibly the most powerful and broken card one can cast in a devotion deck; however it does take a level of "build around me" that can make it not a perfect fit in every devotion deck. In those deck that do play it; however, a Wave for anything over 5 generally will end the game on the spot.
Primeval Titan - Quite possibly the most powerful green creature ever made. Once Prime Time hits the board you pretty much quickly gain advantage if you didn't have it and apply TONS of pressure if you were already ahead. The fact that Primeval Titan can "fetch" our two most important lands (Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx and Kessig Wolf Run pushes him well past a "vanilla" 6/6 Trampler for 6-CMC. Generally Prime Time is used to grab a Wolf Run and end the game the following turn. 6-CMC is a "sweet spot" for the deck (as we can technically hit 6-mana on turn 2 with our best hands and often times will have 6-mana on average by turn 3). A turn 2-3 Primeval Titan will win a vast majority of games; and even a turn 4 Titan will end over half of the games with a win.
Kessig Wolf Run - This is a great additional win-con for any deck splashing red. Having the ability to turn any creature (including Blimkmoth Nexus or any many dork) into a large trampling threat. There are many cards in green that dig or fetch lands; making this a great way to "scale" your mana. This could easily be considered a "Core" card (as it is in pretty much every green devotion list ever brewed); but the fact that it requires a red splash means it is a win-con that a player must decide to utilize (however you would have to have a VERY good reason not to )
Tooth and Nail - This card is a 9-mana win-con that is a great option for any devotion player that loves "combo" decks. Utilizing creatures like Xenagos, God of Revels, Progenitus, Craterhoof Behemoth, Blightsteel Colossus, and/or Emrakul, the Eons Torn; Tooth and Nail decks can often deal a lethal blow the very same turn they cast the signature card. The current most popular combination of creatures are Xenagod and Emrakul (see below).
Xenagos, God of Revels - While often not a win-con all his own (although a extremely large threat that is often an indestructible creature in devotion decks); it's "Xenagod's" second ability that makes him a potential win-con. With numerous pumps, numerous large creatures, and numerous trample-enabling aspects of the deck; often times doubling a creatures power AND giving it haste provides for lethal damage. This is what makes Xenagod popular in many Tooth and Nail devotion decks.
Emrakul, the Eons Torn - As green devotion decks tend to develop large sums of mana quite quickly, Emrakul become a viable option to both cheat in (with Tooth and Nail, Breach, and other such cards) or even to hard-cast.
Karn Liberated - Just as with many "big mana" decks, Karn has seen play in green devotion decks. As a powerful option at a cost that green devotion can reach by turn 3; Karn is a great way for green devotion to go "over the top" of the opponent. Also, because Karn gets out so early in Green Devotion; often times we have the option to reset the game within only a few turns.
Restoration Angel + Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker - This is a relatively known combo in Modern, however in toolbox decks it is a great "oops I win" combo. Restoration Angel has so many amazing uses in a deck filled with numerous ETB effects (Eternal Witness, Elvish Visionary, Siege Rhino, Kitchen Finks, and many more) and Kiki-Jiki is an extremely powerful card in it's own right as well. Together, however, they make for infinite 3/4 flying Angels with haste. And for a deck with several tutors, you can get away running only 1 of each (although many devotion decks prefer to run more than one Resto Angel anyways).
Dragonlord Atarka - A more recent addition to some decks, Dragonlord atarka is a very powerful creature for its cost with the added benefit of an ETB trigger that allows the player to deal damage exactly where it is needed at the time.
Banefire - This has been utilized in several cases to ensure the damage is dealt. Because devotion decks can make so much mana, having an X-spell that can't be countered and can't be prevented is a very powerful option.
Ezuri, Renegade Leader - This is one of the better mana-sinks in the game. When playing an Elf version of green devotion, you can't get a much better option than a 3-drop that can trigger Overrun as many times as you can afford and can also regenerate many of your creatures. Ezuri is a fast and powerful option for many elf-based devotion decks.
Eternal Witness + Primal Command - In some decks this is a "soft lock". In others (with the aid of Cloudstone Curio and/or infinite mana) the "lock" these two can create is infinite. While it can be somewhat complicated, you can "lock" your opponent out of the game by putting their lands on top of their library. Even when only a "soft" lock; the devotion player tends to get so far ahead of their opponent in board state and mana that the game is essentially over. In "hard" lock situations, it's even more powerful.
With infinite mana and a Cloudstone Curio you can actually gain infinite life, put all of the opponents lands (and other non-creature enchantments) on top of their library in the order of your choosing, tutor up every creature in your deck, and play them. While technically you can also shuffle graveyards back in (for mill matches and/or graveyard-based hate) you won't need to as you effectively have already won the game (the opponent does get another turn, however with only one land and you're having infinite life and your entire deck on the board...it's really already won.
Nylea, God of the Hunt - Nylea is a spectacular devotion card. While her being a 6/6 Indestructible creature makes her a threat all her own; it's her mana sink and "trample enchanting" that allows her to become a potential win con. Just as with Kessig Wolf Run; with large sums (or even infinite) mana, even +2/+2 triggers add up....and trample means that no single chump blocker can stop you from winning the game.
[/spoiler]
Devotion Archetypes (and Decklists)
There are six current distinct Devotion Archetypes. These include:
Each "archetype" has its own playstyle, speed, pros, and cons; and of course lists can vary somewhat inside of each archetype; but what makes each individual archetype special is listed within this section.
[spoiler=DEVOTION ARCHETYPES]
Traditional Green Devotion
[spoiler=Traditional Green Devotion]
Traditional Green Devotion decks are the decks that have actually show the highest percentage of performance in the Modern meta (per MTGO). "Traditional" decks utilize many of the cards that are considered "green devotion staples" and often are "jam packed" with great cards. This is the list that was seen early and often when devotion became popular; and is most likely what the "general public" could consider Green Devotion to be. An example list is Michael Jacob's list:
Micheal Jacob's Mono-Green Devotion (02/20/2014 - SCG Article)
4 Arbor Elf
2 Joraga Treespeaker
2 Birds of Paradise
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Eternal Witness
3 Wistful Selkie
1 Wolfbriar Elemental
3 Primeval Titan
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
Planeswalker
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
4 Utopia Sprawl
2 Abundant Growth
Instant/Sorcery
2 Primal Command
3 Genesis Wave
Land
8 Forest
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
4 Verdant Catacomb
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Stomping Ground
1 Kessig Wolf Run
2 Spellskite
1 Scavenging Ooze
2 Ancient Grudge
1 Beast Within
1 Combust
1 Dismember
1 Nature's Claim
2 Creeping Corrosion
1 Primal Command
2 Ghost Quarter
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
As can be seen, utilizing the best green has to offer all the way up the curve while playing some of the most interesting "devotion enablers" such as Burning-Tree Emissary and Wistful Selkie. It's truly difficult to find much fault with the Traditional Devotion decks; however a few weaknesses did arise with more play (which of course will occur with any deck). Traditional Devotion is the archetype for anyone that likes to play extremely explosive hands; but also want some interaction with the opponent.
PROS
Very explosive
Several powerful top decks
CONS
Tends to "run out of cards" if disrupted early and/or match goes long
Can be "clunky" if low drop ramp cards are removed or too many high-CMC cards are drawn
Summary
Traditional Devotion is an archetype that is less "linear" or "focused" than other versions of Devotion; however it does utilize the most powerful green spells available. The archetype is explosive and powerful; however it trades this for explosiveness for potential "clunkiness"...as many of the cards are either low-CMC ramp cards or high-CMC spells. The tradeoff, however, is that you have the best green cards available along the curve; and can interact with your opponent to a certain degree to gain advantage through strong play. Traditional Devotion is currently the most successful version of devotion (with the most evidence of successful 3-1 and 4-0 finishes). One can never go wrong playing the Traditional Archetype.
Other Examples
** COMING SOON **
[/spoiler]
Toolbox Green Devotion
[spoiler=Toolbox Green Devotion]
The Toolbox archetype was born out of the desire from some Green Devotion players to effectively interact with their opponents. A few players on this thread felt that with the potential of both Primal Command and Chord of Calling; that a green devotion deck could be created very similar in structure to the "Pod" decks of the past (where an "answer" could be "tutored" to deal specifically with the opponent's threat). While it has evolved somewhat; the lists that have seen recent accolades are quite similar to the original lists created on this very thread. The following are lists generated by one of the creators of the archetype (Purklefluff) as well as the list that has seen the most success (winning the GP Vancouver Grinder):
Purklefluff's Toolbox Green Devotion (02/20/2015)]
4 Arbor Elf
1 Spellskite
1 Scavenging Ooze
3 Eternal Witness
2 Kitchen Finks
1 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Fulminator Mage
3 Siege rhino
1 Temur sabretooth
1 Polukranos, world eater (flexi slot, could be Nylea, God of the Hunt)
1 Restoration angel
1 Kiki-jiki, mirror breaker
Enchantment/Artifact
4 Utopia sprawl
Planeswalker
3 Garruk wildspeaker
3 Abrupt decay
1 Maelstrom pulse
2 Path to exile
3 Primal command
3 Chord of calling
Lands
4 Nykthos, shrine to nyx
4 Verdant catacombs
2 Windswept heath
5 Forest
2 Temple garden
1 Overgrown tomb
1 Stomping ground
1 Godless shrine
1 Blood crypt
1 Ghost quarter
4 Obstinate baloth (burn/junk/8rack/zoo)
2 Magus of the moon (Tron, Amulet)
1 Kor firewalker (burn)
2 Qasali pridemage (affinity, jeskai, tokens, amulet, tron, whatever)
2 Kataki, war's wage (affinity)
1 Ethersworn canonist (storm/jeskai/ad nauseam, whatever)
1 Mangara of corondor (experimental slot. good for removing troublesome lands/planeswalkers)
2 Flex slot (defense grid, kitchen finks, whatever)
Hypaspist's Grand Prix Trial Winner (GP Vancouver)
4x Arbor Elf
3x Strangleroot Geist
1x Spellskite
1x Scavenging Ooze
3x Eternal Witness
1x Reclamation Sage
3x Siege Rhino
1x Restoration Angel
1x Polukranos, World Eater
1x Thrun, the Last Troll
1x Temur Sabertooth
1x Acidic Slime
1x Kiki-Jiki Mirrorbreaker
4x Utopia Sprawl
Planeswalker
3x Garruk Wildspeaker
Instant/Sorcery
3x Chord of Calling
3x Abrupt Decay
3x Primal Command
Land
4x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
4x Forest
2x Temple Garden
2x Stomping Ground
3x Overgrown Tomb
2x Wooded Foothills
3x Windswept Heath
1x Ghost Quarter
2x Creeping Corrosion
1x avalanche riders
3x Slaughter games
1x Sowing Salt
2x Stony Silence
1x Abrupt Decay
1x Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
3x Beast within
1x kitchen finks
[/spoiler]
Tooth and Nail Combo
[spoiler=Tooth and Nail Combo]
Tooth and Nail Devotion decks have seen a very steady rise to popularity and are fighting with Traditional Devotion to take the perch as the most "successful" MTGO deck. The power behind the Tooth and Nail deck is in its focus. The deck's goal is to get to 9-mana and once it's there it can simply win the game outright with a "one-card-combo" of Tooth and Nail. There has been more "play" added to recent Tooth and Nail decks (with UEGJO and others adding a few slots even in the main to deal with the opponents cards rather than strictly ramping/building devotion).
Tooth and Nail decks are a great fit for anyone that loves "big mana" decks. It plays somewhat similar to Tron and other such decks and is somewhat "combo" in nature (as your goal is to get your pair of "fatties" on the board at the same time to end the game the turn they enter.
4x Arbor Elf
4x Voyaging Satyr
3x Eternal Witness
1x Acidic Slime
1x Scavengting Ooze
2x Primeval Titan
1x Xenagos, God of Revels
1x Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
4x Utopia Sprawl
4x Overgrowth
Planeswalker (4)
3x Garruk Wildspeaker
1x Nissa, Worldwaker
Instant/Sorcery (9)
4x Tooth and Nail
3x Primal Command
2x Harmonize
10x Forest
4x Stomping Grounds
5x Green Fetch Lands
2x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1x Kessig Wolf Run
1x Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1x Misty Rainforest
1x Sacred Foundry
1x Cavern of Souls
5x Forest
1x Kessig Wolf Run
1x Khalni Garden
2x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1x Sejiri Steppe
1x Stomping Ground
1x Temple Garden
4x Windswept Heath
4x Wooded Foothills
4x Lotus Cobra
4x Knight of the Reliquary
4x Primeval Titan
1x Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
1x Xenagos, God of Revels
4x Arbor Elf
Noncreature Spells
4x Utopia Sprawl
4x Garruk Wildspeaker
4x Harmonize
4x Tooth and Nail
2x Genesis Wave
4x Eternal Witness
3x Worship
2x Boseiju, Who Shelters All
2x Cavern of Souls
2x Radiant Fountain
1x Bojuka Bog
1x Arena
See a full discussion on the deck here: http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/modern-tooth-and-nail/
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
5 Forest
2 Breeding Pool
1 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
4 Wooded Foothills
1 Kessig Wolf Run
Creatures
4 Arbor elf
2 Coiling Oracle
3 Elvish Archdruid
4 Elvish Visionary
1 Eternal Witness
2 Seedcradle Witch
2 Eidolon of Blossoms
1 Xenagos, God of Revels
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
1 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
3 Genesis wave
1 Primal Command
4 Tooth and Nail
Enchantments
4 Abundant Growth
2 Freed from the Real
4 Utopia Sprawl
Planeswalker
3 Garruk Wildspeaker
[/spoiler]
Stompy Green Devotion
[spoiler=Stompy Devotion ][/spoiler]
Combo Devotion
[spoiler=Combo Devotion]
Combo Devotion decks generally function around Cloudstone Curio and generating infinite "loops" via green permanents and Curio. There are a few types of Combo Devotion decks including "Walker Combo", "Elf Combo", and "Witness Combo". Recently, the Walker Combo deck has begun to see more popularity; as more players have found Planeswalkers to be powerful additions to Green Devotion and as CurdBros has pointed out that infinite loops can be made (with many wining the same turn they are played) to generate infinite damage with cards the deck would be playing anyways!
4x Arbor Elf
3x Birds of Paradise
4x Burning-tree Emissary
4x Courser of Kruphix
1x Eternal Witness
4x Utopia Sprawl
4x Oath of Nissa
2x Abundant Growth
Artifact (4)
4x Cloudstone Curio
Planeswalker (7)
4x Garruk Wildspeaker
3x Xenagos, the Reveler
4x Genesis Wave
Lands (19)
8x Forest
4x Wooded Foothills
2x Stomping Ground
4x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1x Kessig Wolf Run
4x Arbor Elf
2x Birds of Paradise
4x Burning-tree Emissary
4x Eternal Witness
3x Genesis Hydra
Enchantment (10)
4x Utopia Sprawl
4x Oath of Nissa
2x Fertile Ground
3x Cloudstone Curio
Planeswalker (8)
4x Garruk Wildspeaker
1x Nissa, Worldwaker
3x Karn, Liberated
Instant/Sorcery (3)
3x Primal Command
Lands (19)
8x Forest
4x Wooded Foothills
2x Stomping Ground
4x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1x Kessig Wolf Run
Elf Devotion Combo by CurdBros (03/2015)
4x Arbor Elf
4x Heritage Druid
4x Nettle Sentinel
4x Elvish Visionary
2x Coiling Oracle
1x Eternal Witness
1x Ezuri, Renegade Leader
1x Purphoros, God of the Forge
1x Temur Sabertooth
Artifact
4x Cloudstone Curio
Enchantment
4x Utopia Sprawl
4x Abundant Growth
3x Garruk Wildspeaker
Instant/Sorcery
4x Genesis Wave
1x Primal Command
Lands
5x Forest
4x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
2x Breeding Pool
1x Stomping Ground
2x Misty Rainforest
2x Wooded Foothills
1x Kessig Wolf Run
2x Cavern of Souls
3x Spellskite
2x Seal of Primordium
2x Leyline of Vitality
1x Cavern of Souls
2x Choke
1x Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
1x Fracturing Gust
1x Primal Command
1x Joraga Warcaller
1x Pithing Needle
Elf Devotion Combo V2.0 by CurdBros (05/2015)
4x Arbor Elf
4x Heritage Druid
4x Nettle Sentinel
4x Elvish Visionary
2x Coiling Oracle
1x Fauna Shaman
1x Eternal Witness
1x Ezuri, Renegade Leader
1x Drift of Phantasms
Artifact
4x Cloudstone Curio
4x Utopia Sprawl
4x Abundant Growth
Planeswalker
3x Garruk Wildspeaker
Instant/Sorcery
4x Genesis Wave
1x Primal Command
Lands
5x Forest
4x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
4x Breeding Pool
4x Misty Rainforest
2x Cavern of Souls
3x Spellskite
2x Leyline of Vitality
1x Cavern of Souls
2x Choke
2x Reclamation Sage
1x Primal Command
2x Beast Within
1x Muddle the Mixture
1x Melira, Sylvok Outcast
[/spoiler]
Other Devotion Decks
[spoiler=Other Devotion Decks]
There are some other great examples of Devotion Decks that haven't hit the "mainstream" yet; however many of which are just as powerful/versatile as the others. Defender Devotion is perhaps one of the best examples of this:
4 Wall of Roots
4 Carven Caryatid
4 Wall of Omens
2 Arbor Elf
3 Eternal Witness
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
1 Restoration Angel
1 Temur Sabertooth
4 Collected Company
4 Utopia Sprawl
4 Chord of Calling
2 Primal Command
3 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
2 Verdant Catacombs
2 Misty Rainforest
5 Forest
3 Temple Garden
2 Gavony Township
3 Horizon Canopy
4x Arbor Elf
2x Birds of Paradise
4x Burning-tree Emissary
4x Courser of Kruphix
3x Eternal Witness
4x Utopia Sprawl
4x Oath of Nissa
1x Abundant Growth
Artifact (4)
4x Cloudstone Curio
Planeswalker (4)
4x Garruk Wildspeaker
4x Genesis Wave
3x Grapeshot
Lands (19)
8x Forest
4x Wooded Foothills
2x Stomping Ground
4x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1x Kessig Wolf Run
[/spoiler]
[/spoiler]
Sideboarding
While sideboards will always change with the meta and differ between each archetype; there are many cards that have been found to be very effective sideboard options for Green Devotion decks.
[spoiler=Sideboard Options for Green Devotion]
Sideboarding depends VERY heavily on the type of devotion deck you run. The combo decks for the most part will traditionally side in less cards than the "toolbox" and/or Traditional devotion decks. Of course, we will discuss all of the options here.
[/spoiler]
Tips and FAQ to Playing Green Devotion
While each deck has it's own pros and cons, and each plays differently from the other; there are some lines of play, triggers, and other items that should be known prior to playing Green Devotion. The below are among the most commonly asked questions, missunderstood interactions, and difficult-to-see synergies that can lead to success with Green Devotion.
[spoiler=Tips, Tricks, and FAQ]
Deck Construction:
1. General Green Devotion Tips
a. Card Advantage Matters
b. Why permanent-based card draw is superior
Build Tips
1. Tips for "Genesis Wave" decks
2. Tips for Tooth and Nail decks
3. Tips for
Play Guide
1. "Nut Draw"
2. How Eternal Witness / Primal Command Combo works
3. How Elf Infinite Combos work
4. How Restoration Angel
5. When to cast Chord of Calling
6. How multiple triggers are stacked off Genesis Wave
7. How Cloudstone Curio works
8. Temur Sabertooth tips/tricks
9. Sequencing
10. Cantrips where devotion = casting cost...when to play?
[/spoiler]
Links, Videos, and Articles
[spoiler=Links, Videos, and Articles]
Articles:
http://www.starcitygames.com/article/27950_Mono-Green-Devotion-In-Modern.html - Mono Green Devotion in Modern by Michael Jacobs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GWnK1PcicQ - Channel Fireball , Channel ShipitHolla - Green Devotion in Modern
http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/magic-math-should-you-play-2-chandra-with-4-oath-of-nissa/ - Oath of Nissa Percentages (2/3 WITHOUT ANY MANA OF NEEDED COLOR FOR WALKER)
[/spoiler]
Acknowledgments
[spoiler=Acknowledgements]
Special thanks goes to GnuHouse for the primer prior to this and for being the author of the devotion deck that first saw major attention. Special thanks also to BaddBusiness, Walk, and Lucidcheeta for the first Green Devotion Primer (prior to GnuHouse's oversight).
Additional special thanks to Pedros, Purkefluff, and Hypaspist for help creating new versions of Green devotion decks (including the "Toolbox" and Disruptive devotion decks) and pushing devotion into new places. While it's a little odd, I do have to note my creation the "Elf Devotion" archetype (as two of our prevalent posters insist that I give myself credit). More importantly, however, thanks has to go to the entire "Green Devotion" community. In truth, every deck is the entire community's. Without the great conversation, innovation, and brewing of the community on here; Devotion would not be where it is at today.
** I have a few more names to add still. **
[/spoiler]
A big thanks to [url=http://zeerbe.blogspot.com]The Proxy Guy[/url] (@theproxyguy) for doing this banner
1) Introduction
In October 2013, Theros was unleashed unto the Magic world. One of the new keywords introduced was Devotion. In Standard, devotion had an immediate impact, with both Mono Black and Mono Blue devotion making waves and becoming the decks to beat over the next several months. The impact on Modern, however, took some time.
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, was the first real devotion card that saw play. It first started creeping up online with decks like this
4 Arbor Elf
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Elvish Visionary
4 Eternal Witness
4 Primeval Titan
1 Karn Liberated
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
4 Genesis Wave
3 Fertile Ground
3 Utopia Sprawl
3 Cloudstone Curio
16 Forest
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
4 Blood Moon
3 Firespout
4 Fracturing Gust
However, what really brought the deck to the forefront was an article by Gavin Verhey (based on a deck from yours truly ) entitled “[url=http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/rc/276]The Most Fun I’ve Had in Modern[/url]”. Since this article, the deck has developed significantly, the lists have been tested and honed, and several high level players have adopted the deck (such as Michael Jacob, Michael Hetrick, and Travis Woo). In addition, the deck has developed down two different paths; a more combo version centered on Genesis Wave, and a more midrange version centered on Primal Command. This primer will talk about both versions.
What should I play either one of these decks?
Because you love fun. Seriously, what's more fun than generating a ton of mana and trampling in for hundreds of points of damage...ON TURN 3? Alternatively, what's more fun than Time Walking your opponent over, and over, and over, before crushing them underfoot and putting them at the bottom of a future lake?
Where's the old primer?
[url=http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/modern-archives/modern-archives-established/511926-mono-green-devotion-nykthos-green-10-2013-7-2014]Right here[/url]
2) Core cards
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
The centerpiece of the deck, Nykthos acts as a pseudo Gaea’s Cradle, allowing you to do some borderline degenerate things with all the mana it generates. Used in conjunction with effects that allow you to untap it, and the latest version of the legend rule, it’s not uncommon to be producing 30+ mana in a turn.
4 Arbor Elf
4 Utopia Sprawl
These two, in conjunction, are the beginnings of the engine of the deck. This little combo will allow you to do things like power out a turn two Garruk Wildspeaker, or turn three Primeval Titan.
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
The original Garruk plays a dual role here. For starters, his +1 ability allows you to untap two lands. Any two lands. With lands like Nykthos or enchanted Forests, the ability to use them twice in one turn opens up many possibilities for abuse. Further, his -4 is not only achievable but can act as a win condition on its own if you have a large board presence.
2-4 Primeval Titan
Ah, the big daddy, Prime Time. If you played Standard anytime between 2010 and 2012, you know just how good Primeval Titan is. Not only is he a 6/6 trampler for 6 mana (which is very easy to hit in this deck), but he tutors up two lands when he comes into play or attacks. Given how key Nykthos is to the deck, his tutor ability is vital.
3-4 Eternal Witness
Eternal Witness is a great utility card, regardless of which version you run. She’ll help you bring back cards like Genesis Wave, help put your opponent into a Primal Command lock, bring back fetchlands in a pinch, and even help through disruption by bringing back cards that have been Thoughtseized/ Duressed/ Inquisitioned away.
3) Genesis Wave version
• Kessig Wolf Run + Nykthos
• Loop Eternal Witness and Primal Command until you can play Craterhoof Behemoth
• Garruk’s ultimate and a lot of little creatures
• Genesis Wave FTW
a. Core cards
In addition to the shared core cards, there are cards that are core to the Genesis Wave version of the deck:
4 Genesis Wave
How could this be a Genesis Wave deck without the namesake card? Resolving one of these typically ends the game as it gives you such an overwhelming board presence. With the latest version of the Legend rule, Genesis Wave becomes so much better, allowing you to replace used Planeswalkers and Legendary Lands.
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
An obvious combo with Nykthos and a body that can kill fast with Garruk Wildspeaker's ultimate. Special note is that Burning-Tree Emissary produces mana when put into play from Genesis Wave, allowing us to coincidentally use whatever Nykthos we find to do other things
4 Wistful Selkie
Wistful Selkie serves two purposes. For starters, he replaces himself, allowing you to dig one card deeper into your deck. Secondly, at GGG, he’s your biggest devotion enabler and effectively a Dark Ritual every time you use Nykthos.
1-2 Craterhoof Behemoth
Here’s your boom stick! One is all you really need, although some versions run two for redundancy. From the pure combo point of view, this is your end goal, casting Genesis Wave for more than 8 and hitting him for the win
1 Kessig Wolf Run
2 Stomping Ground
4 Verdant Catacomb
Your non-basic land package. Kessig Wolf Run and Stomping Grounds provide you with some reach and a great win condition. If you're on a budget, Verdant Catacomb can be excluded from your list. That being said, if you have access to them then play them. Not only do you get a shuffle, thin your deck, and make cards like Courser of Kruphix that much more powerful, but it does give you a great interaction with Eternal Witness, allowing you to hit your land drops.
b. Flex cards
i. Mana Accelerators
Birds of Paradise – A classic, provides you with red mana for Kessig Wolf Run, or to cast potential sideboard cards. Another Bolt target and doesn’t provide you with the same value as an Arbor Elf can
Llanowar Elves/Elvish Mystic – Classics, but still no Arbor Elf
Noble Hierarch – The Exalted is good, but this deck rarely attacks with just one creature. Most splashes are into red, which she doesn’t do.
Abundant Growth – Replaces itself, can target non-Forests, but doesn’t generate extra mana
Fertile Ground – Generates extra mana, and mana of any colour. Costs a little more than Utopia Sprawl, so potentially too slow. On turn 2, you would rather be casting Garruk than another enchantment
Overgrowth – Again, to slow for what you get out of it
ii. Creatures
Voyaging Satyr – Allows you to untap your Nykthos, but tends to be a turn too slow.
Kitchen Finks – Adds two devotion, gains you life, hard to get rid of. Not the worst choice at the three drop slot, but competes with Wistful Selkie. Would definitely have to be a metagame call.
Elvish Visionary – Two drop that draws you a card but does little to add to your devotion count
Lotus Cobra – When Genesis Wave was in Standard this was a great card. Running 20 land with only four fetches, its value diminishes greatly. It does work really well if you hit a ton of lands off of a Genesis Wave and can utilize it.
Courser of Kruphix – A newer addition to the deck, this gives the deck a little more staying power. With 4 toughness, it survives a bunch of removal in the format. With only 20 lands, gaining life from him might not be a good plan, but he will help smooth out your draws. Becomes much better in builds that include fetches.
Scavenging Ooze – Depending on the metagame, this is either a main deck inclusion or a sideboard card. It excels in environments where Pod and Snapcaster decks are strong. However, given its low devotion count it doesn’t stack up well versus other two drops
Polukranos - A good 5/5 body that can utilize the devotion mechanic and shoot down a ton of little guys on the other side of the board.
iii. Alternate Win Conditions
Primal Command – While the Genesis Wave version is primarily a combo deck, Primal Command gives the deck a different dimension. While not necessary for the deck, it tutors, gains you life, recycles graveyards, and bounces your opponent’s permanents! When combined with Eternal Witness it allows you to play a little more of a midrange game and disrupt your opponent enough for you to develop your board and drop a Craterhoof for the win. Of all cards, this is as close to a core card are you can get.
Wolfbriar Elemental – Speaking of not having much of a board presence, Wolfbriar Elemental helps build that board presence and put that Green mana to good use.
Inkmoth Nexus – Definitely a combo with Kessig Wolf Run. Genesis Wave decks usually run 20 lands, with 7 dedicated to Nykthos, Kessig Wolf Run, and Stomping Ground, with another 4 potentially tied up with fetchlands. That leaves you with between 9 and 13 slots for Forests. Forests are key to the deck, since Utopia Sprawl and Arbor Elf require Forests, so diluting the mana base will hurt the deck’s ability to operate effectively.
c. Sample decks
4 Utopia Sprawl
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 COurser of Kruphix
4 Wistful Selkie
3 Eternal Witness
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
3 Primeval Titan
2 Craterhoof Behemoth
1 Summoner's Pact
3 Genesis Wave
3 Primal Command
1 Tooth and Nail
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
2 Abundant Growth
1 Kessig Wolf Run
3 Genesis Wave
3 Primeval Titan
2 Joraga Treespeaker
4 Arbor Elf
1 Wolfbriar Elemental
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Misty Rainforest
3 Wistful Selkie
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
2 Primal Command
4 Utopia Sprawl
2 Stomping Ground
4 Eternal Witness
8 Forest
2 Birds of Paradise
Sideboard
1 Scavenging Ooze
2 Spellskite
1 Beast Within
1 Dismember
2 Creeping Corrosion
1 Combust
1 Nature's Claim
1 Primal Command
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Ghost Quarter
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All[/card]
4 Arbor Elf
2 Birds of Paradise
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
2 Craterhoof Behemoth
4 Elvish Visionary
3 Eternal Witness
3 Primeval Titan
4 Wistful Selkie
1 Harmonize
2 Primal Command
2 Tooth and Nail
4 Utopia Sprawl
12 Forest
1 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Kessig Wolf Run
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
3 Stomping Ground
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Banefire
2 Choke
1 Creeping Corrosion
2 Ghost Quarter
1 Krosan Grip
1 Nature's Claim
2 Obstinate Baloth
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Scavenging Ooze
ii. Variants
4 Courser of Kruphix
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
4 Voyaging Satyr
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
1 Kessig Wolf Run
3 Genesis Wave
1 Primeval Titan
4 Arbor Elf
2 Misty Rainforest
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
3 Primal Command
4 Utopia Sprawl
2 Stomping Ground
3 Eternal Witness
8 Forest
4 Fertile Ground
2 Scavenging Ooze
1 Beast Within
2 Dismember
1 Creeping Corrosion
2 Combust
3 Obstinate Baloth
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
1 Eye of Ugin
2 Ancient Grudge
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Temple Garden
6 Forest
4 Nykthos, shrine to Nix
4 Arbor Elf
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Utopia Sprawl
4 Burning Tree Shaman
2 Lotus Cobra
4 Knight of the Relinquary
4 Wistful Selkie
3 Craterhoof Behemoth
1 Terastodon
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
4 Summoners Pact
2 Tooth and Nail
d. The Nut Draw
Opening hand - Arbor Elf, Utopia Sprawl, Forest, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Burning-Tree Emissary, Garruk Wildspeaker, and Genesis Wave
T1 - Forest, Arbor Elf, done
T2 - Draw Burning-Tree Emissary. Tap Forest (G), play Utopia Sprawl (Empty). Target Forest, name Green. Tap Arbor Elf, untapping the Forest. Tap the Forest (GG), cast Burning-Tree Emissary (RG). Cast Burning-Tree Emissary (RG). Play Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx. Activate Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx (GGGGGG). Cast Garruk Wildspeaker (GG). Use Garruk Wildspeaker's +1 ability, untap Forest and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx. Tap Forest (GGGG), activate Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx (GGGGGGGGGG), cast Genesis Wave for 7.
Genesis Wave reveals Garruk, Nykthos, Eternal Witness, Wistful Selkie, and two other cards. Craterhoof not revealed.
Replace Garruk with one revealed by Genesis Wave. Do the same with Nykthos. Return Genesis Wave with Eternal Witness. Draw a card from Wistful Selkie.
Tap Nykthos (1), use Garruk's +1 ability to untap Nykthos and Forest. Tap Forest (GG1), activate Nykthos (GGGGGGGGGGGGG1), cast Genesis Wave for 11.
In order to win on this turn, you'd have to hit a Craterhoof and about 15 creatures. Haste creatures will reduce that number, as will your opponent's Fetches and Shocks.
And yes, this is the nut. Turn 3s are possible and don't require BTEs. They typically will require a play on turn 2 with a creature with at least GG in its casting cost.
You could go
T1 - Forest, Arbor Elf
T2 - Forest, Utopia Sprawl on untapped Forest, tap enchanted Forest (GG), untap Forest with Arbor Elf, tap Forest (GGGG), cast Garruk Wildspeaker. Use Garruk's +1 ability, untap both lands. Tap both lands (GGG), cast Wistful Selkie.
T3 - Nykthos, tap Forest and enchanted Forest (GGG), activate Nykthos (GGGGGGG). Untap Nykthos and enchanted Forest. Tap enchanted Forest (GGGGGGGGG), activate Nykthos (GGGGGGGGGGGGGG), cast Genesis Wave for 11.
e. Build and Play guide (mulligans, sequencing, matchups)
i. Don’t fall into the trap of “cute cards”
"But an Entwined Tooth and Nail is SO much better than a Genesis Wave for six!"
Is it?
Let’s take a look at a typical turn three. In play is a Forest, a Forest enchanted with Utopia Sprawl, Arbor Elf, Wistful Selkie, and a Garruk Wildspeaker on 4 counters. In your hand is a Genesis Wave, a Tooth and Nail, a Forest, and some other irrelevant cards.
So you enter your main phase, play your Forest and have access to 9 mana. Do you Tooth and Nail for Craterhoof/Primeval Titan or Craterhoof/Craterhoof, or Craterhoof/whatever, or do you Genesis Wave?
If you Tooth and Nail, you are able to attack for between 15 and 25. Definitely not guaranteed to win. A Path to Exile really pooches you in this scenario, and you’ve lost one of your win conditions.
If you Genesis Wave, you will get all of your permanents except for Craterhoof, which you can afford to lose given you run Eternal Witness. It is a distinct possibility that you hit something that will allow you to continue to play that turn, like Garruk/Eternal Witness/Nykthos. At a minimum, you build your board presence, allowing for a bigger Tooth and Nail turn next turn.
Further to this, Genesis Wave has the flexibility of being castable for less than 9 mana. Yes, you can play Tooth and Nail at 7 mana, but the likelihood of that happening is low. However, a Genesis Wave for 4-5 can generate value for you.
Long and short of it, Genesis Wave > Tooth and Nail
iii. Mulligans
Regardless of the path you take, an ideal hand has Forest, Forest, Utopia Sprawl, and Arbor Elf. With this, you can hit four mana on turn 2, enabling almost anything in your deck. You could substitute a Forest for either a Stomping Ground or Nykthos, but not Kessig Wolf Run. You could also keep a hand that doesn’t have Arbor Elf OR Utopia Sprawl, but hands without either one should be pitched.
You really don’t want to see multiple Genesis Waves, Nykthos, or any number of Craterhoofs in your opener. Unless you have the stone cold nuts, then those hands should go back.
Hands with Primeval Titans are debateable, depending on what accompanies it. Remember that Modern is a turn 4 format, so if you can’t cast him by turn 4, you should think about keeping the hand.
Wistful Selkie hands are surprisingly keepable, granted you can cast them. The ability to draw into something of value, plus the devotion bump, tends to work out in your favour most of the time. You do, however, need a Utopia Sprawl or Arbor Elf in hand as well.
iv. Sequencing (what to play when, trigger stacking, Primal Command loop)
Utopia Sprawl and Arbor Elf
Eternal Witness
The Primal Command Loop
When to Genesis Wave
That being said, what should you Genesis Wave for?
Obviously, you want to Genesis Wave for more than 8 (11 mana total). This means that any permanent that you hit is going to come into play, including the big daddy Craterhoof Behemoth. But should you Genesis Wave for less than 8?
ABSOLUTELY!
A Genesis Wave for 6 (9 mana) is completely acceptable. You will hit everything EXCEPT for Craterhoof, but that’s 1-2 permanents out of your deck. You will be able to land a Primeval Titan, which is probably the best card in your deck. You can hit Garruk, the next most expensive, and he’s critical to being able to continue your turn.
A Genesis Wave for 4 or 5 (7 or 8 mana) is a little trickier but not unheard of. This is basically a “called shot” Genesis Wave, where you need specific cards to keep you going, like a Garruk or Eternal Witness. While not preferred, sometimes you have to go for it for less than six, especially if you know you’re not going to survive the next turn.
A Genesis Wave for less than 4. Do you play the lottery and win a lot? Then go for it. Otherwise, don’t do it
When you Genesis Wave
1. The Legend Rule – remember to destroy the Nykthos and Garruk that you have already used this turn and replace it with the new one you have Waved for
2. Eternal Witness should typically be used to buy back a Genesis Wave. Your first Wave tends to be small (5-8 mana), so you want to buy it back in order to recast it for a larger amount
3. Utopia Sprawls MUST be put on lands that are already in play, not ones that came into play via the Genesis Wave. Unless you’re worried about Ghost Quarter, pile them on the land that you have put your other Utopia Sprawl on. Also think about which colour you want to name; Green is obvious, but you might want Red for Kessig Wolf Run
4. Draw effects – Remember that some of the cards you hit will have mandatory draw effects when they enter the battlefield. Therefore, you want to make sure that you have enough cards left in your library in order to draw and not lose. While this sounds silly, it has happened before so don’t let it happen to you! Also keep this in mind with Primeval Titan triggers; in some cases it is better to miss the Titan triggers than to risk losing the game
I can never find a Genesis Wave!
I can't find Nykthos
v. Matchups
Since the metagame constantly changes, I’ll focus on some of the top decks of the format at the moment
BGx (Jund/Junk)
The good thing about Jund-esque decks is that they’re midrange decks, and Genesis Wave punishes midrange by overwhelming them with card advantage in Genesis Wave.
They will have ways to disrupt you. Thoughtseize/Inquisition/Duress will disrupt your early game. Your turn 1 Arbor Elf will likely eat a Bolt. A Utopia Sprawl will meet an Abrupt Decay. Maelstrom Pulse and Anger of the Gods can destroy a well laid out plan.
Twin
That’s not to say that the matchup is impossible. The best route to victory is actually the Primal Command route, if you run it in your main deck. Tucking their lands over and over sometimes buys you just enough time to sneak in a victory.
Pod
Affinity
UR Delver
Burn
RG Tron
Scapeshift
e. Sideboarding
BGx Decks (Jund, Rock, Junk)
Bad Cards – Joraga Treespeaker, Scavenging Ooze, Birds of Paradise, Burning-Tree Emissary
They’ll likely bring in – Fulminator Mage, Slaughter Games, Graffdigger’s Cage, Rakdos Charm, Engineered Explosives, Olivia Voldaren, Sowing Salt, Drown in Sorrow, Disfigure
BGx decks are all about attrition, so having anti-attrition cards will help you out here. Finks and Geist will help buy time for a Genesis Wave. Garruk and Harmonize, along with Eternal Witness, will help you overcome Liliana and other discard effects
I don’t like additional mana dorks as they tend to bite the dust fairly quickly. The exception is Arbor Elf because of the potential you get with Utopia Sprawl
Burning-Tree Emissary is good if you want to go the combo route as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, these decks tend not to want you to go the quick route, in which case BTE is expendable
Twin
Bad cards – Genesis Wave, Burning-Tree Emissary
They’ll likely bring in – Anger of the Gods, Engineered Explosives, Negate, Counterflux
Yeah, this sounds super obvious, but the best route here is to disrupt their ability to go off on turn 4. Cards like Plow Under and Primal Command allow you to do this by putting lands back on top of their library, buying you time. Cards like Spellskite, Dismember and Combust are reactive cards that allow you to disrupt them as they are going off. Boseiju gives you the ability to protect these spells and give you a fighting chance.
Against any deck that you’re going to see counter magic in, bring out the Genesis Waves and go the grindier, disruption route. A timely Pestermite/Exarch on a Nykthos hurts far less if you go the disruption route than if you go the Genesis Wave route. If you do the latter, then they’ve pooched you for a turn. The former and you can still disrupt them that turn.
Pod
Bad cards – Primal Command
They’ll likely bring in – Path to Exile, Orzhov Pontiff, Slaughter Pact, Thoughtseize
Damping Matrix just hoses Pod. Seriously, it’s almost an auto concede. Cards like Harmonic Sliver tend to get sided out, so their ability to deal with it is lessened greatly. Ooze is another great addition as it allows you to stop their recursion.
Affinity
Bad cards – Primal Command
They’ll likely bring in – Thoughtseize, Grafdigger’s Cage, Etched Champion, Torpor Orb
The typical Affinity hate cards come in here, with Creeping Corrosion, Spellskite (for Ravager counters) and Damping Matrix being three of the big ones. Nature’s Claim and Beast Within may also be an option for pinpoint removal for cards like Grafdigger’s Cage and Torpor Orb
With threats like Thoughtseize, Grafdigger’s Cage, Etched Champion, and Torpor Orb, Affinity slows down by a turn or two, which means you can still go the combo route. Primal Command loses a lot of value here; you can bounce things like man lands and Cranial Plating, but it doesn’t have the same impact as it does in other matchups
UR Delver
Bad cards – Genesis Wave, Burning-Tree Emissary, Birds of Paradise, Joraga Treespeaker
They’ll likely bring in – Dispel, Counterflux, Izzet Staticcaster, Engineered Explosives, Molten Rain, Negate, Vendillion Clique, Spell Pierce
This is similar to the Twin matchup without the combo. Again, the Primal Command route is probably your best bet.
Burn
Bad cards – ???
They’ll likely bring in – Anger of the Gods
I really like this matchup, so long as I can get to five mana. The modes for Primal Command will change here, so instead of bouncing a land, you want to gain seven life. The burn decks usually don’t have the reach to allow them to overcome an initial gain of seven life, never mind looping it with Primal Command.
Kitchen Finks isn’t something that pops up in Genesis Wave lists much anymore, but if there’s going to be a burn/BGx filled meta then they may find a spot in your 75
In this matchup you can probably shave Burning-Tree Emissaries, Wistful Selkies, and maybe a Primeval Titan.
Tron
Bad Cards - Genesis Wave
They'll likely bring in - Torpor Orb, Pyroclasm, Slaughter Games
The key is to slow them down from getting Tron assembled. That means you want as much land disruption as possible, so Ghost Quarters, Primal Command loops, Plow Under, and Beast Within are the tools of choice. If they assemble Tron and land a Karn, you might as well scoop.
Torpor Orb is a complete hoser for us. Since all of our cards, save Arbor Elf, have ETB effects, our creatures become infinitely worse. Be mindful that they will pack it, and blow it up at the appropriate time (see one of the videos at Section 7)
As you would in game 1, be cognizant of Pyroclasm. That can be fatal for you, so watch out for Grove of the Burnwillows
Scapeshift
Bad Cards
They'll likely bring in - Swan Song, Anger of the Gods, Inferno Titan, Counterflux, Gigadrowse, Engineered Explosives
4) Primal Command version
Core cards
4 Arbor Elf
4 Utopia Sprawl
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
Good accelerators that combos well together. Arbor elf and Garruk untaps utopia sprawled forest to produce twice a mana. Garruk also have synergy with small creatures for his overrun ultimatum.
3 Wistful Selkie
4 Eternal Witness
Card advantage and devotion enablers. Some lists use only 2 Selkies, however I found them quite good especially with restoration angels.
4 Primal Command
Our "combo" with eternal witness. From my testing I found that I dont really like genesis wave or Tooth and Nail as they cost too much mana and arent relevant in mid game. They only works when your opponent isnt interracting with you, however even combo decks such as Twin or Storm have ways to interact (Lightning Bolt, remand, etc) so you are stuck with them and watching them winning. Primal Command however can lock your opponent out of the game by bouncing land every turn while slowly getting mana to cast craterhoof or ulti garruk. Another thing is the fact that Primal Command + Witness can be broken to 2 turns and used separately.
3 Primeval Titan
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
Our creature lategame. Craterhoof wins most games on the spot, Elesh Norn wipes opponents team. Primeval titan fetches relevant lands (Nykthos, Kessig Wolf Run) that lets you win on next turn most of the time.
Cards from above (28 of them) are a core of this deck that mostly are same in every read I linked. Elesh Norn is sometimes 2nd Craterhoof, Xenagod, or other big monster, and number of Selkies floats from 2 to 4.
Flex Cards
3 (0-4) Birds of Paradise
1 (4) Burning-Tree Emissary
1 (0) Lotus Cobra
1 (0) Knight of the Reliquary
Only deck that used Lotus Cobra and Knight of the Reliquary was Petr Brozek's from GP Vienna. Michael Jacob (DarkestMage on twitch) is another person who was trying out Knight of the Reliquary as an 1 off as an additional tutor target for Primal Command (usuful when you are constricted on mana and cant cast Primeval Titan).
As for Lotus Cobra I am currently testing if I want more of them. They give massive burst of mana (such as potential 8 mana on turn 3).
Birds of Paradise is a last 1 mana accelerator worth bringing into this deck, however a lot of decks mentioned earlier dont bring them. In my testing and experience starting with turn 1 accelerator is crucial, and because of that I settled on 3 Birds of Paradise.
Burning Tree Emissary is a stock 4 off in most decks mentioned earlier. I also started with 4 of them, however they combo of only with Nykthos. Without nykthos they are outclassed by virtually anything. 1 is crucial to fetch with Primal Command when you have nykthos but lacks colored symbols. Having 1 also allows you for turbo starts such as turn 2 Primeval Titan or Turn 3 Elesh Norn.
Lifegain, relevant blockers, card advantage, durable devotion
1 (0) Courser of Cruphix
2 (0) Kitchen Finks
Midrange aproach:
3 (0) Restoration Angel
Blinks card advantage bodies (Eternal Witness, Wistful Selkie), resets Kitchen FInks, protects cards from removal. Good bodies and good blockers that can close a game on their own (with a little bit of help from Kessig Wolf Run). Another thing I notices is the fact, that this deck was previously stone cold to flyers. With restoration angel it isnt the case anymore.
There are of course other midrange cards menioned earlier: Kitchen Finks, Knight of the Reliquary, Courser of Krupnix - cards that are good on their own and works well together.
Mana base
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Stomping Ground
2 Temple Garden
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Forest
Notice red splash here. Only red card I use in main deck is Kessig Wolf Run. From amount of mana this deck can produce, in my oppinion this is better option than Gavony Township, however much less consistent. Sometimes this 1 stomping grounds allows use of relevant sb cards (currenly not there anymore).
From another good read (http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/frank-analysis-how-many-colored-mana-sources-do-you-need-to-consistently-cast-your-spells/) I should have 19 green sources for turn 3 double green card and 22 for tripple green card. With turn 1 Manadork I always have double green on turn 2 and need 19 green sources for trupple green card. I might be scientific person, however I would rather make a simulator than make calculations, so I would love help of others how to build this manabase. Sometimes I feel like having 1 more land(forest) wouldnt be bad choice, however I currently dont know what to cut (probably some cards from flex slots that arent birds of paradise).
Sideboard
1 Arena
1 Beast Within
1 Courser of Kruphix
2 Damping Matrix
2 Ghost Quarter
3 Path to Exile
1 Polukranos, World Eater
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Spellskite
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Wolfbriar Elemental
From the top:
Arena is a fightland that is much better now when we have access for bigger bodies. It works around hexproof (as your opponent is choosing target), can prevent attacking with tapping the target. Works good when creatures are involved. This doesnt produce mana, so never cut lands for it!
Beast Within is catch all removal spell with multiple purposes. Blowing up lands is one thing, however killing your own creature in response to removal, reseting kitchen finks, blowing your own land, etc gives you plenty of options.
Courser of Kruphix is good vs agressive decks where big butt is relevant, and vs lightning bolt decks where keeping devotion high is crucial. Also awsome as a card advantage machine, especially in matchups where keeping mana dork alive is almost impossible.
Damping Matrix is a card I am currently testing as a catch all card vs Twin, Pod and affinity. It might be that it would be better to personalize those matchups to have more slots dedicated to those matchups (such as stony silence vs affinity, etc).
Ghost quarter is additional land that is brought vs decks where keeping manadork alive is really hard. In addition to that, it have some lategame potential of blowing celestial colonades vs UW or keeping scapeshift of mountains. Works wonder vs Tron with combination of Eternal Witness.
Path to Exile is catch all removal spell. With much harder white splash than before, I merged Dismembers and Combusts to this.
Polukranos, World Eater & Wolfbriar Elemental - in testing I figured out that in some matchups having access for big spell is relevant. I wanted to have Tooth & Nail or Genesis Wave in the sb, however I just thought that maybe big mana sink creature would be better. Here comes those 4 mana monsters. Polukranos is awsome vs small dorky decks, affinity and Jund, where often it is biggest thing on a board, Wolfbriar Elemental is good vs decks that plans 1 for 1 you all the time, such as UWR and Jund.
Scavenging Ooze - good graveyard hate card.
Spellskite - good vs bolt decks, jund, scapeshift, twin.
Thrun, the Last Troll - in testing right now, should be relevant vs blue decks.
Other cards not in the deck
Summoner's Pact - fetching creature that is needed at this specific turn. It however is card disadvantage and blocks your next turn often.
Time of Need - fetches legendary permanents such as Nykthos, Elesh Norn, sb specific legendary hatecards such as Kataki, Linvala, Polukranos.
Both of those cards are much better when placed in sb when we have more relevant hate bears such as Kataki, Linvala, Polukranos, etc.
Stony Silence - good sb card vs affinity, potentially better than Damping Matrix
Kataki, War's Wage - another good sb card vs affinity. Creature, legendary, good synergy with summoner's pact, time of need, primal command.
Linvala, Keeper of Silence - good sb card vs pod and twin, relevant flying body. Creature, legendary, good synergy with summoner's pact, time of need, primal command.
Summoning Trap - in previous version of the deck, spells were mostly important, so the were often countered. In this version however, mayority of things we do is connected with creatures. It has cascade effect with eternal witness and restoration angel blinking witness, where you can rebuy Trap and cast it again till you find your haymaker (Hoof, Titan or Elesh).
Cavern of Souls - another way of interacting vs counterspells, similar to trap.
Boseiju, Who Shelters All - much better in heavier spell version of the deck.
Wurmcoil Engine - possible another 6 drop good in midrange fights. Might find place in md / sb.
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben - good sb card vs storm, Creature, legendary, good synergy with summoner's pact, time of need, primal command.
Thorn of Ametyst - similar to Thala, but permanent
Rest in Peace - anti graveyard card, however no synergy with eternal witness
Wheel of Sun and Moon - anti graveyard card, have synergy with a deck with eternal witness and nykthos, however not a good topdeck similar to rest in peace.
6) Interesting stuff to read/view
[url=http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/rc/276]The Most Fun I've Had in Modern[/url]
[url=https://www.starcitygames.com/article/27950_Mono-Green-Devotion-In-Modern.html]Mono-Green Devotion in Modern[/url]
[url=http://www.cmus.cz/dnn/%C4%8Cl%C3%A1nky/V%C5%A1echny%C4%8Dl%C3%A1nky/tabid/265/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/4388/New-Modern-Deck--Mono-Green-Nykthos.aspx]New Modern Deck - Modern Green Nykthos[/url]
[url=http://www.gatheringmagic.com/jarvisyu-decks-12052013-mono-green-devotion-in-modern/]Mono-Green Devotion in Modern[/url (different article)
[url=http://www.starcitygames.com/article/28669_Quick-Hits-Mono-Green-Devotion-in-Modern.html]Quick Hits - Mono-Green Devotion in Modern[/url]
[url=http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/woo-brews-mono-green-aura-ramp/]Woo Brews - Mono-Green Aura Ramp[/url] (Ignore the comment section)
Videos
[url=http://www.channelfireball.com/videos/channel-twoo-modern-mono-green-aura-ramp/]Channel TWoo - Mono-Green Aura Ramp[/url] (again, ignore the comments)
[url=http://www.channelfireball.com/videos/channel-_shipitholla-modern-mono-green-devotion/]Channel _Shipitholla Modern Mono-Green Devotion[/url]
[url=http://www.twitch.tv/darkest_mage/c/3605807]Mulligan to 3 with mono green devotion![/url]
[url=http://www.twitch.tv/darkest_mage/c/3604991]A typical draw with mono green devotion[/url]
[url=http://www.twitch.tv/darkest_mage/c/3508198]Mulligan to 5, Mono G vs Tron[/url]
This primer wouldn’t have been possible without the help of a number of people. BaddBusiness, Walk, and Lucidcheeta all helped in the development of the previous primer. It was a great source of information and they deserve some credit for that. Thanks to pedros who has been an advocate for the Primal Command version of the deck, and his writings over at DiesToRemoval have helped form the primer for that version.
8) Change log
July 17 - Primer posted to new thread
July 28 - Added link to archived primer
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Currently playing:
Standard BUG Control
Modern :UAffinity, GNyxWave
Legacy UBTezzAffinity
My Cube
Another of my small talk about upgrades to a primer:
You should write somewhere that this is best when you dont have any information about opponent, eg. in game 1. It also depends if you are on a draw or a play in sb. games and if you opponent has access to a 1 mana removal spell. It also differ if you know your opponent have access to discard spells.
Sometimes playing it safe and playing around turn 1 removal is wiser. Getting guaranted turn 2 3 drop (especially if it is wistful selkie and you have nykthos) with utopia sprawl is much better than risking getting manadork killed and casting only Utopia Sprawl turn 2.
On a draw vs 1 and 2 mana removal heavy decks (Jund, BG, Twin, UWR, Delver, etc) if I have 3 drop and Garruk I would go for turn 2 3 drop. On a play I would go for turn 2 Garruk into 3 drop. If I have only Garruk I would always play Arbor Elf first. If I only have 3 drop I would play Utopia Sprawl First.
just a question, will it be better to go all in wave/primal loop or a 50/50 is better? I like the idea of 50/50 as it gives me more option, not sure how the 50/50 will affect the overall performance and card choice though.
current decklist
2 x craterhoof behemoth
4 x primeval titan
4 x eternal witness
4 x burning tree emissary
4 x strangleroot geist
4 x elvish visionary
4 x arbor elf
3 x genesis wave
3 x primal command
14 x forest(to -1 and considering +1 inkmoth nexus)
1 x mountain( to be replace with stomping ground later)
4 x nyxthos, shrine of nyx
1 x kessig wolf run
sideboard is still in construction, have most of the sideboard cards, just need to determine the quantity and which to use.
feel free to comment on the above list.
Unfortunately, my labour of love failed me tonight.
I played the same list as last week, running Coursers over Tooth and Nail and Summoner's Pact. Mana base included 4 Stomping Ground, 1 Boseiju, and no fetches, with two Ghost Quarter in the side.
R1 - Esper Gifts
G1 - I got some traction but couldn't find gas in either Primal Command or Genesis Wave. He casts Gifts for Liliana, Snapcaster, Unburial Rites, and Thoughtseize. I put Liliana and Snapcaster in the graveyard and gave him Rites and Thoughtseize. I might have split this wrong, but he proceeded to Thoughtseize himself, discarding Elesh Norn, then reanimated it and wiped my board.
G2 - I started a Primal Command loop, then broke it to find a Titan, fetching Nykthos+Kessig. Next turn I Craterhoof for the win
G3 - I keep an opener with the following - Forest, Nykthos, Arbor Elf, Strangleroot, Plow Under, Primeval Titan, and Garruk. He Thoughtseizes me and takes the Plow Under. I thought that this was a mistake; if I was in his shoes, I take the Arbor Elf knowing that I have a near unplayable hand otherwise. I proceed to topdeck land, and run over him with a Kessig.
1-0
R2 - RG Tron
G1 - I kept a 1 lander that needed another Forest to take off. I was on the play and decided to keep. By the time the land came, he had Karn on the table
G2 - Turn 3 Tron, then Wurmcoil, Wurmcoil, Wurmcoil
1-1
R3 - Ad Nauseum combo
G1 - I start to Primal Command him, stopping the loop to gain 7 life and keep myself out of combo range. He can't combo off, so I Hoof him to death
G2 - He combos off on turn 3, so just a little too fast for me
G3 - He combos off on turn 4. I couldn't draw into Primal Command or Plow Under to keep him in check
1-2
R4 - RUG
G1 - My big devotion enablers get countered, and I get the rough end of a Clique beatdown
G2 - See game 1, add Goyf and Batterskull
1-3
Played some games inbetween rounds. Beat up on Pod and Merfolk, split matches against Twin variants (UR Twin and RUG TarmoTwin)
I'll run this again next week. My foils should be in by Thursday so my deck will have lots of pimp to it. I grabbed a bunch of foil Forests tonight so I'm happy with that.
Foiling status (including Sideboard cards and some cards that I've used in the past)
Currently foiled: 3x Arbor Elf, 4x Strangleroot Geist, 4x Burning-Tree Emissary, 2x Garruk Wildspeaker, 4x Primeval Titan, 2x Genesis Wave, 3x Damping Matrix, 1x Tooth and Nail, 1x Summoner's Pact
Incoming: 1x Kessig Wolf Run, 2x Stomping Ground, 2x Craterhoof Behemoth, 4x Eternal Witness, 1x Boseiju, Who Shelters All, 2x Garruk Wildspeaker, 1x Arbor Elf, 2x Utopia Sprawl
Yet to be foiled: 4x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, 4x Wistful Selkie, 1x Genesis Wave, 4x Primal Command, 2 Courser of Kruphix, 2 Birds of Paradise
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Currently playing:
Standard BUG Control
Modern :UAffinity, GNyxWave
Legacy UBTezzAffinity
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1 Kessig Wolf Run
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
4 Arbor Elf
3 Burning-Tree Emissary
2 Courser of Kruphix
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
4 Eternal Witness
1 Predator Ooze
1 Terastodon
3 Wistful Selkie
3 Expedition Map
3 Fertile Ground
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
4 Genesis Wave
2 Primal Command
4 Utopia Sprawl
3 Ancient Grudge
3 Beast Within
1 Bojuka Bog
2 Ghost Quarter
2 Lightning Bolt
3 Nature's Claim
1 Stone Rain
And for the lazy, here's what JVL had to say
The sideboard is really strange, with Stone Rain, Ancient Grudge and Lightning Bolt making appearances with no natural red sources. Primeval Titan is also noticeable in it's absence, with the deck running Expedition Map instead.
Check out my blog and help me improve my game
Currently playing:
Standard BUG Control
Modern :UAffinity, GNyxWave
Legacy UBTezzAffinity
My Cube
Seems more all in on the hard land ramp using the maps to find nykthos regularly and earlier. Also its playing sprawl and fertile ground (7 total) for the red splash i suppose.
I'm new to the forums; so I don't quite know how to post lists here. It's on TappedOut at:
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/modern-elves-pure-ramp-nissa-worldwaker-added/
The list is as follows:
8 Forest
1 Kessig Wolf Run
3 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
2 Cavern of Souls
1 Breeding Pool
3 Misty Rainforest
2 Stomping Ground
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
2 Nissa, Worldwaker
3 Genesis Wave
3 Chord of Calling
4 Abundant Growth
4 Utopia Sprawl
4 Arbor Elf
4 Coiling Oracle
4 Elvish Visionary
3 Elvish Archdruid
1 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
3 Primeval Titan
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
The sideboard currently is:
2 Beast Within
2 Boil
2 Creeping Corrosion
1 Elderscale Wurm
2 Magus of the Moon
2 Nature's Claim
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Silent Arbiter
1 Spellskite
1 Wheel of Sun and Moon
Obviously, the sideboard is subject to change with the meta and match ups. But I wanted to throw it out here just to show a slightly different take from the two presented within the initial primer. Thanks again for all you've done to promote Green Devotion. Keep up the great work guys!
This is similar to a Genesis Wave ramp deck that was in M13 after Innistrad Block, time when 8 sets were in standard. I remember it as I played with it, it had elf subtheme with mana elves and a way to untap creatures after you tap them with Village Bellringer, and a way of drawing more cards with Elvish Visionary and Soul of the Harvest, everything improved with Restoration Angels. It had Green Sun's Zenith too, so bad we dont have it in modern ;/. It was a fun deck to play with, and this reminds me of it. It even have Elderscale wurm in a sideboard
Coiling Oracle is a sick card, I would snap play it all the time if it cost G/U G/U. This deck has another way of winning games - Ezuri does so, however I dont know if I like it without Green Sun's Zenith in a deck. Wouldnt this deck also benefit from playing additional 1 drop elf to suplement Arbor Elves? One of the best stuff you could do in this deck is Turn 1 Elf into Archdruid with nykthos on board into Set of 1 drop elves that give you 2 mana (1 from nykthos, 1 from archdruid).
I think I will try this version out (with my tweeks probably but that is normal) as I really like idea of having:
a) Lover curve that is drawing you more cards (Visionary, Coiling Oracle), that works awsome with other stuff: Archdruid, Restoration Angel and Chord of Calling
b) Additional mana synergy (devotion subtheme and elves subtheme)
c) Additional win condition based around Elves (stuff like ezuri), however I am not sure if he is needed. If I remember correctly I even cut him from standard deck as I didnt need him - either hoof them, kessig them out or outgrind them was generally better.
You need to tell us how Nissa, Worldwaker is working. I think no one here had time to test her out, so we gladly take any thoughts and ideas around her.
Same with Chord of Calling, as I am the only one her using it currently. It is much better with Visionary / Coiling Oracle right?
How are you managing mana? Does Cavern of Souls fix it most of the time? Do you think Abundant Growth could be cut for something like another 1 drop elf / Birds of Paradise (one is helping archdruid, the other fixes mana)
I think this is one of the better Genesis Wave build, as it has additional ways of generating huge mana - not only Nykthos Devotion subtheme, but also Elves subtheme. I would try to put some Eternal Witness here get a Genesis Wave rebuy, but it looks beautyful.
I think you should link CurdBros's tappedout somewhere, as it gives amazing amount of information.
Also as he pointed out, we might have to consider playing nylea's presence in Nissa's shell - it allows untaping Nykthos with Nissa and Arbor Elf.
Edit: Be aware of lightning bolt with this strategy
My LGS finally added a Modern night to the weekly schedule at the beginning of the year. The first couple weeks we had four players at most. This week, we finally had the minimum 8 players to make it a sanctioned tournament. My choice of deck this week was the relatively new brew of Mono-Green Devotion AKA NykWave.
3 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Elvish Visionary
4 Eternal Witness
3 Primeval Titan
2 Vexing Shusher
2 Wistful Selkie
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
2 Fertile Ground
4 Genesis Wave
1 Primal Command
1 Rude Awakening
1 Tooth and Nail
4 Utopia Sprawl
15 Forest
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
Quick & Dirty Primer: The idea is to take full advantage of the new devotion mechanic that the Theros set has given us. Basically, it’s ramp-ramp-BOOM! with the win condition being big trampling creatures running over your opponent. The early game is important in that you need to hit your land drops and ramp (Arbor Elf, Utopia Sprawl, Fertile Ground). You should hopefully be able to have Garruk Wildspeaker and Nykthos both on the board by turn 4. You will have card draw to help you along the way (Elvish Visionary, Wistful Selkie). Primeval Titan is a big beat stick that also lets you fetch Nykthos from your library and put it directly on to the battlefield. Then, you go big on Genesis Wave. If you don’t hit the main win condition (Craterhoof Behemoth) then you should at least hit an Eternal Witness to allow you to grab the Genesis Wave you just cast back from your graveyard so you can cast it again immediately (assuming you hit another Nykthos and/or Garruk on the first Wave), or you can go off again on your next turn. An alternative to Craterhoof is using Garruk’s third ability, which can still give you a win as soon as turn 4 provided you have enough creatures already on the board (if you’re lucky, you’ve chained a couple Burning-Tree Emissary in turn 2 or 3).
Personal Touches: In my list, I’ve added two (Vexing Shusher( as well as one Boseiju, Who Shelters All as protection against counter magic. Most lists I’ve seen run these in the sideboard, but I’ve opted to main deck them as it is easy enough to keep one mana floating in case you need to activate Vexing Shusher’s ability. If I cast an early Primeval Titan, the two lands I fetch from my library are Nykthos and Boseiju if I don’t already have them. The “tool box” cards I run are Primal Command, Rude Awakening, and Tooth and Nail.
Sideboard: I had a makeshift sideboard that I had put together on the fly about an hour before the event. I don’t remember exactly what was what in there and I didn’t even need to use it, so I won’t even bother including it here.
Tournament Report:
Round 1 vs. Merfolk: Okay, quick disclaimer… This Merfolk deck was actually *my* deck that I had loaned to a friend for the night. I knew everything in this deck. In fact, I was rushing to reconfigure it from a Legacy build in to a Modern build before I handed it off to him for the event. That said, I thumped him. 2-0. No contest. Both games I had Garruk out on turn 2 and cast Genesis Wave by turn 4. This deck seems to consistently match up well against other aggro decks. While an aggro opponent may have four creatures by turn 4, NykWave will at least that many on turn 4 and they’ll be trampling their way to victory
Round 2 vs. UWR Midrange: Being a UWR player myself, I knew what to expect with this opponent, though I usually play more of a control build. First game, my opponent got land flooded and I won on turn 4. The second and third games were more drawn out as my opponent had sided in some different things to try to stop my ramp. Electrolyze was effective in slowing my ramp as it zapped my Arbor Elfs. In each of the last two games, I cast Primeval Titan, and both times he responded with a Path to Exile. He had also sided in a Disenchant that took out one of my Utopia Sprawls. What won the match for me on game 3 was an entwined Tooth and Nail. I fetched for Craterhoof Behemoth as my win condition, and an Eternal Witness to grab back Tooth and Nail from the graveyard as an insurance policy. As it turned out, I didn’t need the insurance and won the match 2-1.
Round 3 vs. Death & Taxes: My third opponent was playing a budget version of Death & Taxes. I had played against him before in casual games at the LGS and knew his deck inside and out. He, however, had never played against my NykWave deck. Game 1, I mulled a no-lander and kept a mediocre six. I didn’t draw any ramp and was stuck on two lands. In the meantime, my opponent was swinging with first strike the whole way with Thalia, Precinct Captain, and Mirran Crusader. No bueno. In the second and third games, I mulled down to six cards both times but with better results. I was able to hit all my early land drops and mana ramp. On game 3, however, I was getting a little stuck on my mana ramp. I was hoping to go big with Genesis Wave on my next turn when my opponent put an Oblivion Ring on Garruk. I had to pay 7 to cast a Genesis Wave for 3 with my opponent’s Thalia on the board. The three cards I revealed were a Forest, a Nykthos, and a Utopia Sprawl. Ramp problem solved! The next turn, I cast an Eternal Witness that I’d had since my opening hand and snagged Genesis Wave out of the graveyard. I then cast Genesis Wave for 13, which brought forth a number of creatures, including Craterhoof Behemoth. Good game.
My reward for the evening… $20 in store credit (cha-ching!) We also prize drafted a pack of Modern Masters, from which I pulled a Kitchen Finks (the rare was a Cold-Eyed Selkie and the foil a Rift Bolt.) I also got to cross a couple items off my list of Magic goals for 2014… I got a sanctioned Modern event to fire at my LGS (previously, they had only supported Standard and Limited formats), as well as taking 1st Place in a constructed format event (the first time I’ve ever done that).
Since this was from six months ago... There are a few new cards that may work very well in this deck. I've seen people using Courser of Kruphix with good results. I've considered using Aspect of Hydra as a sucker punch game winner type of card. I also really like Nissa, Worldwaker, which I happen to open one when I got my box of M15 on Friday.
Another idea I've fiddled with is splashing a little more red in the deck. I have since started using Kessig Wolf Run in my list and a couple Bird of Paradise and Stomping Ground to make sure I get the red mana needed. I've also contemplated adding in either Sarkhan Vol for more stompy fun, or Xenagos, the Reveler for additional ramp, mana fixing, and hasty token dudes. Another fun idea is Xenagos, God of Revels, which I haven't had the chance to test out.
Another whacky idea... Drop in Chord of Calling and/or Birthing Pod. Could get spicy!
Modern: UR Delver, URB Delver, URB Control, G Elves, WB Soul Sisters
Legacy: UR Delver, URB Delver, G Elves
EDH: GWTrostani, Selesnya's Voice, UBOona, Queen of the Fae
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1. I did play a version that was even slight more "elf-centric" (i.e. that played Elvish Mystic and one that played Heritage Druid as well); however with the amount of Pyroclasm and Anger of the Gods running around; it just seemed too fragile to those cards.
2. I like Ezuri as a one-of. It can be "Chorded" for if you have a lot of elves; I've found his regeneration ability to actually be almost as useful as his "elf overrun"; and he can win games out of nowhere I ran two for quite some time; but did find hands where I was either keeping in my hand for too long; or he kind of "slowed down" the line (as he neither draws nor ramps). He seems to be a great win-con and great with decks with substantial removal. But you are absolutely right that he is not so necessary that you would need more than one (and you probably could get away with removing him if he didn't fit your playstyle). I love him though; as a one-of.
3. Nissa Worldwaker is CRAZY good. She is essentially free (or nets you positive mana) in 80%+ of the games you play her and she MUST be answered. I've found that she is especially good in both control and more grindy match-ups (especially B/G Rock match-ups). 4/4 puts you ahead of Treetop Village, kills Courser of Kruphix if they block, and can the trample is a huge plus! She plays similar to Garruk Wildspeaker in the sense that she can either give you a creature or ramp; however both are slightly "super charged" (unless you have an active Nykthos); however she is far different. She creates a faster clock and oddly enough feels more like a "must answer" as she is always plus-sing herself. I've found that with Utopia Sprawl I often will kind of "bait" a spell out first (like a Prime Time) so the control deck can counter it; then untap everything with Nissa to cast a wave. That, and with everyone seemingly playing full sets of Remand as the counter-of=choice, she essentially allows you to re-cast your win-cons. I've been pleasantly suprised as 5-drop is a kind of "odd spot" and planeswalkers seem to perform best against those decks that are stronger against the other facts of this deck.
4. Pedros, you are right again that Coiling Oracle is one of the better cards in the deck. The fact that he puts lands directly into play can be huge. Chord of Calling, Ezuri, Renegade Leader, and Craterhoof Behemoth are really what make the elves powerful (as they all work off of having more creatures). I was playing other ramp versions of the deck prior to playing all of the "draw effects" and kept running out of cards, so I wanted to find ways to keep fueling the gas At one point, I did take it too far, however, as I tried to squeeze in both Courser of Kruphix (because I love how well he works with Coiling Oracle) and Eidolon of Blossoms but I found that there is such a thing as too much card draw I was essentially cycling the entire deck for three turns without doing anything but generating a ton of mana and drawing a ton of cards!
5. I did try Nylea's Presence but not nearly long enough. I've found that having Abundant Growth at 1-mana is pretty important. I sometimes play it on turn one, it can be used to dig you into your land for turn (and is part of what allows us to only run 20 lands), etc. I'm sure there are situations where Nylea's Presence would have been better in later turns (especially with Nissa Worldwaker as it would just get crazy). My only concerns were that (a) speed is a very important factor to this deck and the early turns can be actually be effected quite a bit going from 1 to 2 mana for a similar (although better) effect, and (b) while very minimal, I have some odd fear of Merfolk and didn't want to give them an Island I'd had played it as Abundant Growth for so long, however, that I also may have become kind of biased in my play-style for Abundant Growth. I would not instantly say one is better than the other and I haven't tested it enough. I prefer A.Growth, but I see the argument for both.
6. I do believe (although many of you would know better than me give your history with the decks) that versions with the Eternal Witness / Primal Command lock are probably better against Twin and Control decks. They are the match-ups I side the most in for. There are some matches this deck kind of "steam rolls" (like Pod, Rock, Most Burn, Boggles, Infect, etc.) as you simply can build up more than they can deal with and they don't have much interaction/removal. Twin, however, you have to race in game one (as if you don't win by turn 4 and they have the combo they win). I've found Cavern of Souls to be REALLY strong (I really wanted to run three, but needed the Forests) as it can be crippling for them to not counter a Primeval Titan or simply not be able to counter all of the elves.
GreenPowerNow is exactly right as well that against control-based decks, I end up siding out the Genesis Waves and move to more of a "beat down" mode. I'm still trying out some other sideboard cards (of course I guess in reality sideboard are always changing but Twin/Control are the decks that require the most changes after game one.
Sorry for the super-long post. I just wanted to address all of the questions/thoughts! I LOVE green decks and especially green-devotion; so it's great to have a place where the pre-eminent brewers of the decks are available for conversation! Keep up the great work!
1. Mana fixing hasn't been an issue. Between 4 Abundant Growth, 4 Utopia Sprawl, and 2 Cavern of Souls as well as 3 fetch lands; I haven't found any difficulties getting either the red or blue mana I need. And you are right that with an early (turn 1 or 2) Cavern, I will just name Elves to ensure Coiling Oracle has the blue needed. That, and Kessig Wolf Run gets "tutored" for by Primeval Titan 70% of the time, so you often can either grab a Stomping Ground with it (or you already have an Abundant Growth or something down. The deck has a lot of fixing in it, but it does need it to splash the extra color(s).
2. You could easily splash white instead to play things like Restoration Angel. Obviously, the sideboard would be spectacular at that point too! Resto Angel would also be AMAZING (seeing as how Visionary, Oracle, Prime Time, and Craterhoof all have ETB triggers! Also, Path to Exile is basically the best removal in the format.
I can't wait to see it!