Sup dudes. I've been playing a more midrangy devotion strat instead of the Tooth and Nail or other big mana spells. I guess that gives us more game against grindy decks, where you won't probably resolve your big spell and against aggro, when you'll be dead before you even attempt it.
Domri, Anarch of Bolas is a great removal maindeck. It also doubles as protection against Cryptic Command and other permission. Hydroid Krasis is also great against counterspells, because you get the cards and life regardless. Voracious Hydra is also pretty good, and when you don't have targets you can just make it a big boi. Sideboard Negate has also been clutch, nobody expects it from an almost mono-green list.
Nightmare matchup is Neoform or other fast combo decks that we can't interact very well. So I guess you just need to dodge that and try to grind the other ones.
Sup dudes, Voracious Hydra was THE PRINT I was looking for. I'm so excited to test that marvelous beast to double with Domri, Anarch of Bolas. Llanowar Tribe is also very interesting, I was going to play 4 maindeck, but I couldn't let go of my 1-of stronghold Overgrowth, it's so beautiful.
Too bad they didn't print Wild Growth in Modern Horizons, that would be the ultimate jazz. I'm rocking a temur splashed Devotion list. Props to Domri, Anarch of Bolas, he does everything we want: protection against permission, pumps our dorks into attackers and removal for opp's creatures. Hydroid Krasis is awesome too, I might even switch the Genesis Wave for a second copy.
Sup guys, I've been testing the following list, and I must say Hydroid Krasis is REALLY GOOD. I've taken out the Tooth and Nail plan for Genesis Wave strat. I just hated to draw Emrakul or Xenagos in my opening. Kiora's Follower is also great, but you need to fetch accordingly to avoid surprises.
I've been taking a more mid-range approach too Devotion rather than going full on big mana. Tooth&Nail, multiple copies of Genesis Wave and those big payoff cards tend to sit in your hand more often than not, while they've just interacted with your early ramp. In my testing, Bloodbraid Elf has been pulling weight against most of the non-combo part of the format. A cheap and honest modern deck that can fight through the tiers (and lose to combo miserably, specially Living End and Ad Nauseam).
I only play Flame Slash because of Thing in the Ice, I can't afford to let that dude flip. If I could, those three slots would be 1 Overgrowth, and one more copy of Garruk Wildspeaker and Primal Command
I really hope Wild Growth comes in Modern Horizons, that would definitely make this deck a LOT better and more consistent in the big mana plan. I'd love to cast big Genesis Waves again.
Sup guys. I've taken a more midrangy approach with this deck, focusing less on the big payoff and playing some value cards. This deck gets beat pretty bad when our early ramp is disrupted. More often than not we're stuck on 3~4 mana and full of uncastable bombs in our hand. Moreover, this deck doesn't interact very well with the opponent's board, usually we win by overpowering the board more than controlling it, which can be a problem in a metagame full of efficient creatures like Thing in the Ice and Death's Shadow.
1) Primeval Titan + Kessig Wolf Run finish has been pretty good. Sometimes they can deal with your big boys, but your Birds to Paradise can fly over with Kessig.
2) Tireless Tracker is probably best card in the deck, it lets you win the card advantage battle against other midrange or control decks. The list has been running pretty fine, except against bad matchups like UR Phoenix and some combos.
3) Steel Leaf Champion steals more wins than you can imagine. It often comes turn 2, which puts a huge pressure on the board, mainly due to the unblockable effect against small creatures. 3 devotion to Nykthos in a very welcome, pretty all-around card for the strategy.
4) Heavy removal package on the sideboard. Some creature heavy archtypes can be very hard to disrupt, Elves and Humans needs to be controlled early or they'll overpower you in no time. Firespout is easy on the splash mana, and it's very useful against Spirits. Abrade doubles as removal and artifact hate, which can be relevant in some matchups.
AEther Vial is very good in this deck. Being able to cheat in Arcbound Ravager in response to spot removal overweights the fetching of Ancient Stirrings. Cheating in Steel Overseer EOT also messes up your foe's tempo. Vial has only 18 targets maindeck, which is not low, but not high, so I usually cut one or two after sideboarding against some decks.
Welding Jar and Animation Module are surprisingly good. Throne of Geth underperformed for me, so I cut it, but it can be playable as a 1-of.
Deck is very fun, nobody expects to be murdered by a Walking Ballista that had 2 counters ten seconds ago.
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
5 Forest
2 Stomping Ground
2 Breeding Pool
1 Kessig Wolf Run
3 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
Creatures [28]
4 Arbor Elf
4 Birds of Paradise
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Scavenging Ooze
3 Llanowar Tribe
4 Steel Leaf Champion
2 Eternal Witness
2 Tireless Tracker
1 Thrashing Brontodon
2 Hydroid Krasis
2 Primeval Titan
1 Voracious Hydra
1 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
4 Utopia Sprawl
2 Domri, Anarch of Bolas
2 Garruk Wildspeaker
2 Primal Command
1 Genesis Wave
2 Negate
2 Blood Moon
2 Pithing Needle
2 Dismember
2 Force of Vigor
2 Obstinate Baloth
1 Collector Ouphe
1 Firespout
1 Scavenging Ooze
Domri, Anarch of Bolas is a great removal maindeck. It also doubles as protection against Cryptic Command and other permission. Hydroid Krasis is also great against counterspells, because you get the cards and life regardless. Voracious Hydra is also pretty good, and when you don't have targets you can just make it a big boi. Sideboard Negate has also been clutch, nobody expects it from an almost mono-green list.
Nightmare matchup is Neoform or other fast combo decks that we can't interact very well. So I guess you just need to dodge that and try to grind the other ones.
The list i'll test as soon as M20 comes around:
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Arbor Elf
1 Scavenging Ooze
4 Steel Leaf Champion
3 Llanowar Tribe
2 Eternal Witness
2 Tireless Tracker
1 Thrashing Brontodon
2 Primeval Titan
1 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
1 Hornet Queen
2 Voracious Hydra
4 Utopia Sprawl
1 Overgrowth
1 Rhythm of the Wild
Land [21]
7 Forest
1 Kessig Wolf Run
2 Stomping Ground
3 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
Planeswalker [4]
2 Domri, Anarch of Bolas
2 Garruk Wildspeaker
Sorcery [2]
2 Primal Command
1 Relic of Progenitus
2 Obstinate Baloth
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Rhythm of the Wild
2 Ravenous Trap
2 Dismember
2 Force of Vigor
2 Firespout
2 Crumble to Dust
It's more midrangy than other big mana lists. Steel Leaf Champion is still a boss and can win games even if your Nykthos plan doesn't work.
The list:
6 Forest
2 Stomping Ground
2 Breeding Pool
4 Windswept Heath
3 Wooded Foothills
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Kessig Wolf Run
4 Arbor Elf
4 Birds of Paradise
2 Kiora's Follower
1 Scavenging Ooze
4 Steel Leaf Champion
2 Eternal Witness
2 Tireless Tracker
2 Primeval Titan
1 Hornet Queen
1 Hydroid Krasis
4 Utopia Sprawl
3 Overgrowth
2 Garruk Wildspeaker
2 Domri, Anarch of Bolas
2 Primal Command
1 Genesis Wave
2 Negate
2 Crumble to Dust
2 Dismember
2 Obstinate Baloth
2 Ravenous Trap
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Creeping Corrosion
1 Thrashing Brontodon
1 Rhythm of the Wild
1 Firespout
3 Wooded Foothills
6 Forest
2 Stomping Ground
2 Breeding Pool
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Kessig Wolf Run
4 Arbor Elf
3 Birds of Paradise
3 Kiora's Follower
1 Scavenging Ooze
4 Steel Leaf Champion
2 Eternal Witness
2 Tireless Tracker
2 Primeval Titan
1 Ruric-Thar, the Unbowed
2 Hydroid Krasis
2 Overgrowth
1 Rhythm of the Wild
2 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Kiora, Master of the Depths
2 Genesis Wave
2 Primal Command
2 Negate
2 Crumble to Dust
1 Alpine Moon
2 Obstinate Baloth
1 Scavenging Ooze
2 Ravenous Trap
1 Creeping Corrosion
1 Trinisphere
2 Dismember
1 Firespout
7 Forest
4 Windswept Heath
3 Wooded Foothills
2 Stomping Ground
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Kessig Wolf Run
4 Arbor Elf
3 Birds of Paradise
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Steel Leaf Champion
2 Tireless Tracker
2 Eternal Witness
1 Wistful Selkie
1 Thrashing Brontodon
4 Bloodbraid Elf
1 Surrak, the Hunt Caller
2 Primeval Titan
1 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
2 Garruk Wildspeaker
2 Primal Command
1 Genesis Wave
3 Flame Slash
2 Damping Sphere
2 Alpine Moon
2 Cindervines
2 Rhythm of the Wild
2 Firespout
2 Ravenous Trap
2 Obstinate Baloth
1 Creeping Corrosion
I only play Flame Slash because of Thing in the Ice, I can't afford to let that dude flip. If I could, those three slots would be 1 Overgrowth, and one more copy of Garruk Wildspeaker and Primal Command
I really hope Wild Growth comes in Modern Horizons, that would definitely make this deck a LOT better and more consistent in the big mana plan. I'd love to cast big Genesis Waves again.
The list:
7 Forest
2 Stomping Ground
4 Windswept Heath
3 Wooded Foothills
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Kessig Wolf Run
Creature [28]
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Arbor Elf
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
1 Scavenging Ooze
4 Steel Leaf Champion
3 Tireless Tracker
2 Eternal Witness
2 Thrashing Brontodon
1 Surrak, the Huntcaller
2 Primeval Titan
1 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
4 Utopia Sprawl
PW [3]
3 Garruk Wildspeaker
Sorcery [4]
2 Primal Command
2 Genesis Wave
3 Lightning Bolt
2 Firespout
2 Abrade
3 Damping Sphere
1 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
2 Obstinate Baloth
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Choke
Main points:
1) Primeval Titan + Kessig Wolf Run finish has been pretty good. Sometimes they can deal with your big boys, but your Birds to Paradise can fly over with Kessig.
2) Tireless Tracker is probably best card in the deck, it lets you win the card advantage battle against other midrange or control decks. The list has been running pretty fine, except against bad matchups like UR Phoenix and some combos.
3) Steel Leaf Champion steals more wins than you can imagine. It often comes turn 2, which puts a huge pressure on the board, mainly due to the unblockable effect against small creatures. 3 devotion to Nykthos in a very welcome, pretty all-around card for the strategy.
4) Heavy removal package on the sideboard. Some creature heavy archtypes can be very hard to disrupt, Elves and Humans needs to be controlled early or they'll overpower you in no time. Firespout is easy on the splash mana, and it's very useful against Spirits. Abrade doubles as removal and artifact hate, which can be relevant in some matchups.
Welding Jar and Animation Module are surprisingly good. Throne of Geth underperformed for me, so I cut it, but it can be playable as a 1-of.
Deck is very fun, nobody expects to be murdered by a Walking Ballista that had 2 counters ten seconds ago.