Looking at the list of decklists and guides to playing them, I have noticed an absence of information regarding Red/Green decks. To rectify this, I thought I might share some of my insight, gained from having played those colors since 2009. To that end, the best general matching those colors I have found in that time has been Dragonlord Atarka. In the card analysis, I’ll give some of the reasons for Atarka being at the helm.
Playing the colors Red and Green (hereafter referred to as "Gruul") offers a set of strengths and weaknesses unique to the color pair. Green grants access to the best suite of
High-Impact creatures of any color, as well as unparalleled protected ramp in the game. Red offers the best controlled-wraths and second-best board-police. Red and Green together also creates the most value-driven, resilient, board presence. Green/White plays the most similarly to Gruul, and Blue/Black typically plays the least similarly. Gruul has weak pure card-advantage, and struggles against tempo and recursive decks.
Building then towards the strengths of Gruul (as opposed to hedging against its weaknesses), the foundation of the deck should be acceleration (ramp). Ramp can come in protected and unprotected forms. Some decks do call for the use of unprotected ramp- artifacts and creatures that produce mana, but they should have a reason to deviate from protected ramp (the norm). Protected ramp takes the shape of lands being put on the battlefield* (Technically, rituals are also a form of protected ramp, but their short-lived nature mean that only a very specific handful of decks are built to run them). According to Gatherer, there are only 198 cards in Magic that destroy lands, compared to 252 cards that destroy artifacts, and 763 cards that destroy creatures.
When it comes to ramping lands, there are still several routes available. There are creatures, fast-ramp, and value spells. Creatures that bring lands out of the deck and onto the battlefield are useful for Green decks, as they provide acceleration, card advantage, and fuel a myriad of synergies. A wide scope of Green decks and Commander decks in general have a requisite threshold of creatures to function, making bodies with lands attached a means to fit more than 100 “cards” into a deck**. Creatures do have limitations. Typically, they only find one land, though their board presence helps to offset this constraint. So while ramping creatures represent two cards worth of value, only one of those two progress your curve.
Fast-ramp are those cards that can be cast early and put the pilot a land ahead. Rampant Growth, Search for Tomorrow, and Explore are all different examples of this effect. For a quick rule of thumb, look for cards that cost less than three mana that find at least one land. Decks looking to play a 4 or 5 mana general a turn earlier or have a glut of midrange spells are those poised to benefit from these effects. Cards of this nature make poor topdecks in the late game, and sometimes just behave like drawing a Transguild Promenade or Rupture Spire for the turn.
Value-driven land ramp cards are possibly Gruul’s most potent tool. While they come down a turn or two later than the fast-ramp spells nor provide a body like creature-driven land ramp, once cast, they catapult a deck into the late game. Usually they cost four or more mana, and will search for two or more lands. Some examples include Cultivate, Explosive Vegetation, and Boundless Realms. Decks featuring a general costing six or more mana or desiring to overload the tale with “hay-makers” maximize the utility of these cards.
Utilizing value-driven land ramp allows a Gruul deck to dedicate the majority of its nonland slos to HIgh-Impact creatures. What is a High-Impact creature? It’s easiest to first define a Minimal-Impact creature. Squire is a 1/2 human soldier that costs one white mana. Squire has a very low (read: zero) impact on the game. Looking then at a High-Impact cerature, examine Terastodon. A 9/9 elephant that can remove up to three troublesome permanents or turn three extraneous permanents into creatures. Terastodon can kill a player within a few turns, and wiht the attached value, it’s a staple HIgh-Impact creature. Look for creatures with big bodies with value attached. Note that value alone does not always translate to high-impact. Solemn Simulacrum offers three cards worth of value in just one body. However, it isn’t high-impact, as it can (mostly) just be ignored.
How many high-impact creatures can a deck run before its hands begin to stagnate? Typically, the high-impact creatures reside in the upper strata of the mana curve (essentially, you get what you pay for). If a deck consists solely of high-costing spells you will have a miserable first half of the game, or may not even live long enough to cast them. Cue the ramp spells. Depending on the mix of lands, ramp, and other spells, a player can choose where on curve they want to play, as well as how quickly they get there. If a player is willing to dedicate 10-20% of their deck to acceleration, then, (assuming ~35 lands) upwards of 40% of the deck can be reasonably devoted to hay-makers (high-impact creatures and spells). In addition, when one specifies that the hay-makers of the deck be creatures, one can combine the roughly ten percent traditional spell effects (things like drawing cards, naturalizing sweeping creatures, recursion, etc) with value creatures to reach 50% threat density. What this means is that in the late game, in games of attrition, or even just in a topdeck war, Gruul decks become heavily favored as their number of live draws are significantly higher than other decks.
On, finally to the decklist. At the end of the decklist, I’ll explain some unorthodox cards, their roles, and potential alternates:
When going over the list, it’s important to know that my playgroup consists of adults who have been playing for many years- the oldest even having played back in alpha. Most of us are out of school or already have careers, so budget is less of an issue than it once was, or still is for many playgroups. Due to this, the average power levels of our decks is higher than traditional playgroups, and so our banlist looks much different than that of the intro-bans. Only cards with ante, and most silver-bordered cards are banned (I may one day make a post detailing our list, and give an explanation of why each card on it is disallowed). This deck contains several cards on the intro-banlist. They are not vital to the deck, but they do make it significantly more powerful and fun to play with and against. Any or all of them can be substituted with other more entry-level cards and still function without glitches.
Card-by-Card Analysis
Commander Dragonlord Atarka: The seventh land is usually on the battlefield by turn five, making this a strong mid-game play. Five damage is enough to pick off several utility creatures, or one mid-sized creature or planeswalker. Also key, is the 8 powers worth of flying. Three turns is a healthy clock to pick players off, and trample ensures all your attacks net value. At this point, only Xenagos, God of Revels and Ruric Thar, the Unbowed. Ruric Thar is hindered by his/their inability to play non-creature spells, and Xenagod trends towards running large idiots that take a significant hit if Xenagos is out of commission. Atarka maximizes Green’s most efficient ramp, and combines it with Gruul’s strongest creatures. The coupling creates an effect that only Atarka can fully harness.
Creatures: Arashi, the Sky Asunder: As a five mana 5/5, Arashi is a well-costed beater that can take turns off of attacking to snipe opposing flyers, or can be used as a one-time Windstorm to sweep all aerial units. Try to identify early if your opponents are running decks heavily built around flyers (i.e. Scion of the Ur-Dragon). If you can cast Arashi before they get going, you can keep them off of mounting any kind of board presence. If they cast their monster before you draw Arashi, don’t be afraid of firing off Arashi’s instant speed channel. Balefire Dragon: Oh boy, this is one of Red’s best offerings to Commander. Balefire is a fatty that keeps your opponents’ boards clear every turn and scares them off contributing more. This dragon is one of your best cards, and is one of the primary reasons to run red in any deck looking to go long. Obviously good against tokens, his six damage (or more if combined with Xenagod, Skarrg, or Kessig Wolf Run etc) is enough to take down titans. Though niche, there are situations when Tooth-and-Nailing out Balefire and Xenagos will lead to you winning an otherwise unwinnable game. Bane of Progress: A relatively new addition to the deck, Bane makes you alter your deck composition to maximize his effect, but rewards you handsomely for doing so. Even casting him to just kill one permanent is a fine play, although I’d recommend being a little greedier and holding out for a full table. His interaction with Lurking Predators is a tad tragic, though still nets you value usually. Blightsteel Colossus: This is the only creature in the deck that serves no other purpose than being a giant beater. However, no other creature in Commander has quite the same stats. Playing him with Akroma’s Memorial out, or grabbing him and Xenagos with Tooth and Nail will usually kill a player outright, and is even the slightest bit favored to finish the table. Like any infect creature he’s also a dandy answer to infinite life, if somehow your general is occupied with other things. Conclave Naturalists: The second coming of Indrik Stomphowler! This is a better card in decks running Lurking Predators, but worse in decks that can run Contested Cliffs. At four power, the Naturalists are a little small to be particularly relevant, but can pressure planeswalkers fairly well at least. The Naturalists do naturalize, so are still worth the slot. Elvish Piper: This card used to be Quicksilver Amulet, once upon a time. Then, Uktabi Kong, Bane of Progress, and Furnace Dragon joined the mix and made the Amulet make me look very foolish. Piper is an alright substitute, despite its frailty. Understand that her primary reason for inclusion isn’t to cheat the curve- it’s to sneak monsters into play at end of turn, in response to combat, or to dodge counterspells. She synergizes with things like Garruk, Paleoloth, and a few other cards as well. Just please don’t cast her when you have a Gruul Ragebeast online- unless there’s a wall or something out there. Emrakul, the Aeons Torn: The fattiest fatty. This deck is meant to get to fifteen mana, so what’s better to run than the most expensive creature in Magic (yes, yes, Draco, BFM, and Autochthan Wurm exist, but all with discount)? Casting her honestly is usually better than cheating her into play, which is somewhat at odds with normal intuition. The extra turn spells game over for some unlucky sap, but just being a 15/15, Emrakul will still die to any decent sweeper. “But Emrakul is on the banlist!” Nope. Not around here, anyway. Just make sure to keep an eye on those pesky Blue mages running Bribery. For this reason, it’s often correct to sandbag your Homeward Path in hand until you need to make a land drop. Few things in life are as sweet as paying one mana for your Emrakul. Fertilid: Not a super-exciting card, but it serves its purpose. Casting this elemental on turn three lets you ramp for two lands on turn four, in addition to a free two damage. Being a creature is worth more than a random sorcery in this deck, but as previously stated- this card is a boring (still necessary) part of the glue that holds the deck together. Flameblast Dragon: This dragon looks unassuming, but is truly a great creature. While fair, a Blaze on a stick every turn that also bashes for five in the air is a fundamentally sound card. Again, as Gruul lacks the pure draw power of other colors, maximizing your cards utility is a top concern. Furnace Dragon: A Bane of Progress that only hit artifacts would be playable, though a tad worse. This card is better than that, putting it right around the same level as the Bane. Exiling turns out to be far more relevant than destroying, especially regarding artifacts. This card doesn’t make you feel terrible about blind flipping to Lurking Predators if you have your own artifacts out (thanks to the cast clause), but sometimes you’d still rather it just had an enters-play ability since the deck is warped around minimizing artifacts and enchantments. Nine mana is a hindrance, but less so than one would expect and being guaranteed a 5/5 flying body is a boon the Bane does not have. Gruul Ragebeast: I had my concerns when first adding this card to my deck: what if my opponents only had deathtouch creatures? What if they only have giant monsters? It turns out these were baseless fears. This beast is well, a Beast (read: A+). A 6/6 body is resilient, and will net you a creature the turn you cast him almost 100% of the time. Subsequent fight triggers generally favor you as well, given the average size of the deck’s creatures relative to other decks’. The only creature that really punishes you is Elvish Piper, as Burnished Hart and Fertilid can likely sac themselves in response to the trigger if need be by the time you have this guy out. Hateflayer: The rare Gruul answer to indestructible creatures. Wither is no infect, but the majority of the time for this deck plays better. Hateflayer also can kill normal creatures every turn for three mana, and wields a pseudo-vigilance. Hellkite Tyrant: A Balefire Dragon variant that handles artifacts instead. Even better: gaining control of opposing mana rocks and even some creatures makes this a card to fear. Stealing is the best form of removal and gets around shrouded and indestructible permanents. Remember that you maintain control of the stolen goods even if this creature leaves play. Technically this dragon also has the words “win” and “ game” on it, but I’ve never once seen it trigger, even regularly playing against Sharuum and Daretti decks. God bless the player who does though. Hoard-Smelter Dragon: This used to be the go-to creature for eliminating artifacts, but Hellkite Tyrant took the throne. Don’t take that as a knock against this card though. Hoard-Smelter still is a legitimate threat that eats your opponents’ toys. With the right board he can kill players quite quickly, while keeping the streets safe. Jiwari, the Earth Aflame: See: Arashi, the Sky Asunder. Not quite as much a hoser as Arashi can be, Jiwari still makes a strong name for himself (herself??) by keeping tables honest. I find myself channeling Jiwari more than I do Arashi, partly because 3 power is significantly weaker than 5, and partly because ground-pounders are far more prevalent than flyers. Like Flameblast Dragon, Blaze is a great effect to always have access to- if a hair unexciting. Kozilek, Butcher of Truth: Drawing cards and being a monstrous threat are two of the best attributes for creatures in this deck, and Kozilek possesses both in buckets. Four cards drawn, four permanents annihilated a turn- this guy does it all. It’s frustrating that Kozilek lacks any sort of protection, but the card advantage more than makes up for any shortcomings. Lifeblood Hydra: A better Pelakka Wurm. I like casting this card for 6-9 mana, although part of the utility of hydras is the ability to cast them anywhere on curve. The lifegain is cute, but drawing cards is still as good as it has ever been. Lord of Shatterskull Pass: Before the days of Balefire Dragon, this was one of the two strong sweeping creatures in Red. Still, he remains a great card, similar to how Hoard-Smelter has with Hellkite Tyrant’s printing. Six damage is a sweet spot in commander, even though a number of Commanders can still survive. Dealing the damage before blocks is fantastic, and occasionally combines with other cards to make blocking an impossibility. Paleoloth: Nobody will make the claim that Paleoloth is fast, but he is an engine that is worth building around. Five power is already sort of the threshold for entry in Commander combat (“you must be this tall to ride”),so you don’t need to put in too much effort to make him good. When the games get grindy, Paleoloth is an all-star. Polis Crusher: Eating enchantments is satisfying; Borborygmos approves. By now you may be noticing a theme of creatures doing some specific task each turn: this is how the bulk of Gruul’s card advantage manifests. Slower, but more reliable than other color pairs, if you can get your creatures operational few can keep up with the advantage you accrue. Primeval Titan: So good, it’s not for kids. In all seriousness, the Jolly Green Giant is a workhorse that makes your good games great, and your bad games good. Still beatable, but Titan is a pleasure to play, and a great reason to go green. Titan is the only six drop I’m willing to keep in an opening hand. Interestingly, the deck doesn’t really need any single land to work, but there still are good targets. Valakut is always a safe call with solid synergies. Yavimaya Hollow can protect your Titan, as can Homeward Path. If you have fearsome creatures awaiting in hand, Flame-kin Village might be the best. Kessig Wolf Run and Skarrg, the Rage Pits can push through lethal if you have Xenagod or extra mana to spend. Sometimes a manland or hideaway land is the right call. The decision to choose any one land is usually clear and easy to make, depending on what you have in front of you. Rimescale Dragon: Rimescale Dragon is a unique creature in the deck. Its freeze can win you games that no other creature can. Use it to tap down a team of blockers, to prevent attackers from hitting you, or keep utility creatures from performing their duties. It does mean you have to run snow-basics, so no pretty full-arts for now. Scourge of Kher Ridges: The terror of the kobolds deserves her reputation. With mana backup, she may be the single strongest Red creature in the game. Ensuring no opponent can ever keep a creature locks up most games of EDH. Use Scourge with Vigor out to grow needlessly large creatures, if you’re into that sort of thing. Silklash Spider: 2/7 are a weird stat set, that’s for sure. Thankfully, seven health means that the spider can withstand most assaults without much bother. Two attack is lame. The primary purpose of Silklash Spider though is not to crush your enemies, but to kill anything with a wing...dead. Essentially channeling Arashi any time there’s cause makes this one arachnid you’ll not want to leave at home. Spearbreaker Behemoth: Alara’s Naya mechanic gave several good cards to this deck, even though their numbers are dwindling. Spearbreaker does a good impression of Avacyn, Angel of Hope most of the time, really only being vulnerable to things like Final Judgment, big Mutilates, and Barter in Blood. If you know your playgroup and their decklists, you can usually figure out when it’s necessary to leave mana up for your team’s continued health. Since this deck usually only focuses on having a few goliaths online rather than hordes of minions, leaving up enough mana isn’t difficult. Steel Hellkite: The metal dragon serves as a catch-all for almost any pesky permanent. With the exception of lands, Hellkite can smash whatever ails you into rust. Kessig and Skarrg will be your friends here, as will Memorial’s trample-granting ability. Sylvan Primordial: Another rebel card that most new players never get to experience. This card was thoughtfully and specifically engineered for EDH, so it seems rude to call him banned. The ramping ability is gravy, but the real meat and potatoes is nuking problems away. True, it can become degenerate with things like Deadeye Navigator, but anything can become degenerate with the Navigator, so that argument seems moot. I recommend playing Sylvan Primordial anytime you get the chance- you’ll feel better having done so. Terastodon: I spoke briefly about Terastodon in the sections above, using it as an example of a high-impact creature. If you didn’t read that, the skinny is that a big body, plus high value means that this angry elephant will probably be played for as long as Commander is a format. Uktabi Kong: An 8 mana 8/8 with Shatterstorm tacked on is another perfect example of a high-impact creature. Like Furnace Dragon and Bane of Progress, he makes you consider each artifact you run and whether they’re worth the slot. It’s a fair card, but an extremely powerful one if you can amass the resource to cast it. There’s a rider ability that lets you make mini-monkeys with Treetop Village, but I think I’ve only ever activated that ability one time in the six years I have ran this deck. Talk to your playgroup or local store to see if they’ll rule King Kong legal. I’ve never had anyone who didn’t allow him. Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger: Ten mana is pushing the boundaries for most decks, but fills out the high end quite nicely here. A 10/10 indestructible is great, and exiling two thorns in your side is invaluable. For the most part, consider the attacking clause nothing more than flavor text, even if you snipe some vital combo piece every so often. Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre: The first incarnation of Ulamog is likewise a potent play at any point in the game. Destroy remains worse than exile, but will do the trick the majority of the time. Hitting only one target is made up for by upgrading the attacking trigger to Annihilator, level four. Vigor: Vigor looks a little cute, but still serves a role: protecting your creatures from any number-based sweep. Granted the size of Gruul’s threats already makes them more resilient to things like Blasphemous Act and Languish, but the added protection is worth a card. Alternatively, Vigor also combines with things like Scourge of Kher Ridges to quickly end the game. Wickerbough Elder: A better Conclave Naturalists,as it can be cast for a mana less. It beats Torpor Orb particularly well. As with the dryad, it won’t close out games with its size, but can still apply meaningful pressure to the right targets. Woodfall Primus: Being a 6/6 is much better than a 4/4. Having a built-in wrath protection and triggering to kill a second threat is considerably nice as well. Though not printed on the card, Primus has an invisible line of text that says “prevent yours opponents from casting edicts (cards that make someone sacrifice a creature).” World Breaker: World Breaker is the most recent addition to the deck, beating out Acidic Slime for the same effect. Cast triggers can work around things that battlefield triggers cannot. 5/7’s can impact the board in ways that a 2/2 (even with deathtouch) cannot. The recursion effect is an interesting one; my advice is to be sparing with sacrificing lands, but don’t live in fear of cashing in lands either. Worldspine Wurm: Worldspine Wurm is no Emrakul, but being shabbier than the best creature of all time still leaves plenty of room to be great. 15/15’s are a rarity, and well worth the hoops to cast; trample is a sexy add-on for creatures of such magnitude as well. The dies trigger is what really sells the card, since just being large is not enough to merit inclusion in EDH. But making fifteen more power after hitting the yard means a simple removal spell won’t suffice in clearing away the wurm. Wurmcoil Engine: Apparently, draco-annelids all share the same progenitor, since the good ones all leave things behind. Wurmcoil possesses the frailty of being an artifact, so suffers being hit by Bane of Progress, Uktabi Kong, and Furnace Dragon. It’s alright, the stats make up for it: 6 power that gains six life a turn and wins (or at least breaks even in) any combat, with another six power left behind when it dies. Wurmcoil just does enough good things to be viable in any deck with creatures. Xenagos, God of Revels: Xenagod carries with him the distinction of being the only other creature in the deck that could lead the army. Tricky to remove; can always grants your newly spawned creature haste; and can pump whichever threat to lethal heights, he’s quite the package. However, he doesn’t always have an immediate impact, can’t win the game without help, can’t be returned with Homeward Path (barring some strange boards), and will often be targeted even if not a threat. I sometimes run him as my general when playing against one or two opponents, but any more than that and he lets you become overrun. A dedicated Xenagos deck also looks substantially different, with more giant vanillas and trample-granters. However, Xenagos is a terrific Tooth and Nail target, and can set up wins out of the blue.
Instants and Sorceries: Blasphemous Act: 13 damage to the battlefield kills nearly every creature in the game. Usually costing around 4 or 5 mana, sometimes casting it for 8 is still fine to kill that one game-breaking creature. Vigor gets along with this card quite well (yes, I’m aware that Vigor still dies) Boundless Realms: Seven drops that don’t do anything besides find more land have some redundancy issues on the surface. To be played then, expensive ramp spells have to really impress, which this one succeeds at doing. If you can ensure you have at least seven realms before casting, you’ll be set on lands for the rest of the game. Boundless Realms yields such a huge bounty it’s warrants running more basic lands than the deck typically would run. If you can land Valakut on the board before firing this off, you can wrath a board, nuke as many planeswalkers off as you wish, or finish a player off. Just a great card. Chain Reaction: Another Red sweeper, this one is worse than Blasphemous Act, but still worthy of inclusion. It needs the field to be full for it to have a decent effect, but that’s the most common scenario requiring a board wipe anyway. Creeping Renaissance: This slot used to be Praetor’s Counsel, but Renaissance plays better. Spells aren’t generally what you want to regrow anyhow, so being limited to permanents isn’t a big loss. Getting to use it twice is a pretty substantial upgrade, however. Things like Soul’s Majesty, Hunter’s Insight, or Hunter’s Prowess could be used here instead as the hand-filler of choice, but they are all significantly riskier since they are easier to counter (via removal, counterspells, or other means). Cultivate, Kodama’s Reach, Peregrination, and Nissa’s Pilgrimage: Cultivate and Kodama’s Reach are the gold-standard ramp spells in the deck. Two cards from one spell, with the Rampant Growth aspect being the primary purpose. Peregrination is quite a bit worse with the added man tacked on, but still is good enough to play. The scry does less than in some decks since Green shuffles more than other colors. Nissa’s Pilgrimage is the worst of the four. The words ‘basic’ and ‘forest’ in combination make this card not feel great, despite the spell mastery clause. Were it only basic land or a forest, then this card would be stellar. The mana fixing element of these spells is pertinent, since the deck has fewer dual lands than other decks, so not being able to fix (or trigger Valakut) is painful. However, the ramp and card advantage make even the Pilgrimage strong plays in the early stages of the game. Explosive Vegetation, Hunting Wilds, Nissa’s Expedition, Ranger’s Path, and Skyshroud Claim: I’m lumping these all together, as they play similarly enough. Some say basic, and some say forest- it doesn’t really matter. There are three actual dual lands to be fetched out by those that say forest, so they can still fix for color and trigger Valakut when needed. Kicking Hunting Wilds outs you at risk of losing two lands, but is a viable mode when you need to ambush a player or planeswalker. Nissa’s Expedition does require a creature on board to be cast for four, but is still alright for five. Skyshroud Claim puts the land into play untapped, so can be used on the same turn with other spells. Insurrection: Red’s best out-of-nowhere-I-win card. Sometimes a table stalls out, and you can kill each player with it. Sometimes you just kill the biggest threat at the table or the guy with the best field (acting similarly to a board wipe). Sometimes it’s a very expensive Expedite. All these combine to make it a powerful card worthy of inclusion in decks that can run triple red spells. See the Unwritten: The unwritten turns out to write quite a lot in this deck, as flipping two or more creatures in the six to ten mana range each can be devastating. The likelihood of missing is very low, as the deck is 40% creatures (very roughly: around three and a half creatures should be flipped). It’s less of a Tooth and Nail, and more of a ritual effect. Starstorm: Instant speed, hits all creatures, and is as big as you choose it to be. I don’t typically cycle it, but having the option is always attractive. Tooth and Nail: Simply one of the greatest (and most at-risk) cards in Commander. It can be used degenerately, fairly, or anywhere in between. Blightsteel and Xenagod are a potent pair; tutoring up two disenchants is not bad; even getting Wurmcoil and Worldspine to grind through a game is occasionally correct. I’d avise always entwining this- the deck can get to nine without struggle. Remember that the two you tutor for don’t have to be the same two you drop into play. While grabbing a pair of annihilating eldrazi is tempting, if you can manage to wait on dropping them into play, save them for the cast ability. If things somehow go horribly wrong and your Tooth and Nail couple are dealt with, it’s better to have the eldrazi still in the deck than say, Blightsteel Colossus. They just have more topdeck weight to them. Not that it matters as much to me, some opponents will also complain about you being unfair when you grab Emrakul and something else, and throw a fit about why cards need to be banned.
Planeswalkers: Garruk, Caller of Beasts: At six mana, Dramatic Entrance isn’t really what I’m after, though it’s a fine activation. It’s really just about drawing two (live) cards a turn. His bust is game winning, yadda, yadda. But getting relevant cards in hand every turn makes all the mana you’ve ramped into become very important. There are only two planeswalkers in the deck, and both serve first and foremost as great ways to get ahead on cards. Garruk, Primal Hunter: Medium Garruk also serves to draw cards. Yes, he also helps keep things like Sheoldred at bay, and can make a massive army, but I’d recommend using his minus ability every four turns. He doesn’t target, either, which makes your drawing safer. It is a pity that he is also Garruk, as there is no (profitable) way of having both on the battlefield at the same time, but if needed, this one can always ‘bust’ the turn he comes down to draw however many cards and make way for bigger Garruk.
Enchantments: Asceticism: Hexproofing your fatties is wonderful, and infuriating for your opponents. Having your threats be a few colossi rather than a whole field makes spells such as Wrath of God less appealing, as they gain fewer cards value. The only reason this isn’t Archetype of Endurance is that this can regenerate each member of your team, and the invisi-pig can’t save a single one. If Archetype wasn’t itself an enchantment, he might still get the nod, but Asceticism works for now. Defense of the Heart: Tooth and Nail suspending for one turn with a cost of four instead of nine isn’t better than Tooth, but is worth running alongside. All the things said about Tooth apply here as well. Lurking Predators: This card is great for storytelling. Either your opponents will wail about how you “got so lucky,” or you will rage on about how you turned over Bane of Progress when you were the only player with artifacts or enchantments (including Lurking Predators) out. The good outweighs the bad here by a wide margin, so don’t fret too much about running into the worst-case scenario.
Artifacts: Akroma’s Memorial: I usually see this card in weenie decks, but it has application here as well. Akroma’s suite of abilities turns every creature into terrors that have to be dealt with or else. Haste is perhaps the best here, but the entire package is great. Orbs of Warding: This card is a necessary concession to the multitude of combo decks out there that rely on targeting their opponents or their decks etc to win. Orbs is an upgrade over Witchbane Orb, as it at least can help stave off swarms of little harassers, and curses have never been particularly prevalent. If there ever comes a day when this effect is found on a creature or enchantment that doesn’t require white, Orbs will be the easiest cut I’ve made. Sol Ring: Why does Sol Ring get the nod here when things like Gilded Lotus and Thran Dynamo got cut? No card has been printed with the same power level as Sol Ring in Commander. Even Mana Crypt ends up hurting as the game progresses, and all mana rocks get hit by the three Creeping Corrosion creatures currently in the deck. Sol Ring is just too good not to run. It helps you cast your ramp spells on turn two, and your threats starting on turn three. Every deck needs the One Ring, and this one is no exception.
Lands: Blighted Woodland and Myriad Landscape: Lands that also Rampant Growths- what’s not to love? Cinder Glade, Stomping Ground, and Taiga: Honest dual lands are perfect for this deck considering all the forest-specific ramp. These hold the ship afloat. Flamekin Village: Used to be Hall of the Bandit Lord, but the damage added up, and only tapping for colorless occasionally hurt. There aren’t too many elementals in the deck, but even without them this is a great land. Homeward Path: Nobody likes having their toys taken away (Zedruu is an outlier). Homeward Path protects your threats, and can be used as a political tool from time to time. Kessig Wolf Run and Skarrg, the Rage Pits: Mostly used for the trample-granting, sometimes the pump is more relevant. Mosswort Bridge and Spinerock Knoll: Lands that net you card/tempo advantage. Bridge is a little niftier, since it can be used at end of turn more easily, but both are relatively easy to trigger. Raging Ravine and Treetop Village: Strong means to kill planeswalkers, counter edicts, and utilize extra mana. The Village can combo with Uktabi Kong to make 1/1’s, if you so desire. Snow-Covered Basics: Basic lands are worth a little more in this deck than others, thanks to all the search effects for them. The sole reason they are snowy is to let Rimescale Dragon be as effective as possible. Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle: If you played Standard back when Primeval Titan+Valakut was a deck, then you need no explanation for this card. If you were not, that’s okay too: here’s a quick rundown of what you missed. Valakut is repeatable; it is a colorless source of damage; stacks when multiple mountains enter at the same time (notably your 5th and 6th will both trigger); and is dealt in sets of three, so targeting a creature or player twice does 3 damage, followed by 3 damage- not one assignment of 6. Yavimaya Hollow: Regeneration works a little wonky, but is still a valuable asset.
So that sums up the actual decklist, and what roles the cards serve. For the notable exclusions, I’m mostly going to touch on the creatures. Artifacts and enchantments that are left out are likely omitted because of Bane of Progress and friends.
Omissions: Avenger of Zendikar: One of the sweetest cards to have seen print, and a big reason why Worldwake has been my favorite set all-time. Avenger keeps things like Grave Pact at bay, buys a couple turns of chump blocking, or can grow you an army. It works very well with Nissa’s Expedition (Convokes for free and gives +2/+2 to the squad). Ruric Thar, the Unbowed: Ruric is a fantastic creature, and the one I most wish was in the deck. He (they?) do such an amazing job of keeping the table honest. Some decks just can’t win with Ruric online. As more Burnished Hart-esque creatures are printed as ways to replace the sorcery ramp spells, Ruric Thar creeps ever closer to making it into the deck. He/they also makes a pretty decent general himself/themselves. Indrik Stomphowler: Extra naturalizes are never dead, and 4/4 are passable stats. However, being obligated to kill something when it enters the battlefield, even if it’s yours, makes this a notch below the other cards in the deck. Acidic Slime: Similar to Stomphowler, Slime used to be in the deck, but was forced out by better cards getting printed. 2/2’s still have some weight on the battlefield when coupled with deathtouch, but Acidic Slime doesn’t kill players at an efficient rate. Solemn Simulacrum: So much value! A body, a land, and a random card make Jens a handsome package. However, only getting one land up front means that this robot is destined to ride the pine. Mold Shambler: Shambler is a decent six drop, and has the beast creature type, for when that matters. If his body was a little bigger, I’d probably rework him into the deck, but as a Hill Giant, he doesn’t quite pass muster. Artisan of Kozilek: A 10/9 body, resurrects a lost minion, and annihilates every attack. I wouldn’t fault anyone for running this one, even though I’ve elected to pass over it. The card is good, and this deck casts it very well. Cloudthresher: Killing faeries well usually isn’t that important in most EDH games, as the average flying creature runs a little bit larger. Good stats and effect, but just doesn’t come up enough. Hellkite Charger and Scourge of the Throne: Most games this deck will end up with 14 or more lands out, so getting two extra attack steps a turn can be crushing. However, the Charger offers little value on its own the turn it comes into play, and leaves no value behind if it dies. The Scourge suffers for the same reasons, even though both are fine additions to a deck. Inferno Titan: Another great creature that just barely misses out on making it. Arc Trail every turn on a firebreathing giant is good value, but misses out on killing something enough times that I don’t feel comfortable running him. Perhaps if he had flying, or protection of some sort he could make the team. Urbrask, the Hidden: Good card; poor fit. This deck just doesn’t maximize Urabrask’s effects. The haste is nice, and I suppose you could consider running the Praetor over something like Akroma’s Memorial, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Greenwarden of Murasa and Genesis: I don’t feel compelled to overload on this effect, and Paleoloth works better. It’s a neat effect, but a hair unnecessary. Same reasoning goes against Genesis. Soul of the Harvest and Primordial Sage: I’m sure you can tell by now, but this deck is about a few big things, not many small ones. These two card engines aren’t at their best here. Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger: Doubling your mana is a bit over the top here, and slowing your opponents guarantees a price on your head. A card that makes you targeted doesn’t mean you shouldn’t run it, but Vorinclex doesn’t help you win, just keeps your opponents from doing so. Duplicant: A good Nekrataal effect that even exiles rather than kills is strong, and isn’t wrong to include. It doesn’t make my current list, but I could see one day running it again. Soul of New Phyrexia: Not at all a bad creature, but its artifact status limits its appeal. True, you could always leave five mana up to protect your things (and of decks out there, this one certainly can), but that puts a lower ceiling on your per-turn-potential and still only protects against the first removal effect. This is a perfect example of a play-style card. If you know that you’re the type of player that will maintain discipline and never tap out, then this guy’s (horror’s?) stock goes up. However, if you like to gamble or play to the percentages more, then I’d advise leaving this one out. Kozilek, the Great Distortion: This card has a future. Not a player alive doesn’t like drawing up to seven, and a 12/12 with evasion gets the job done. Despite this, the biggest hindrance to Kozilek is actually his mana cost. This deck runs six lands that can tap for colorless, plus a Sol Ring, but getting two colorless consistently is too big a barrier. If, however, Wizards finds a way to make a Forest/Waste dual land, then I think Kozilek can safely be included. Until that day, I’ll sit here and wait.
Various Other Large Eldrazi X: Annihilator is sweet and some of the larger eldrazi have additional cool effects, but most just don’t have enough initial impact on the game. You can slot in any that you prefer, but they will all be a half-step down from the level you want them to be. Bogardan Hellkite: It’s like another Atarka! Except, no, it’s not. 8 mana is more than seven, and 5 power is less than 8. Flash and the ability to hit players is nice, but this dragon is one that I’m fine cutting. Dragon Mage: A nice way to ensure you never have fewer cards than any given player doesn’t make up for the fact that in a four player game, you drew 7 cards and your opponents as a whole drew 21. I’ll pass. Sandstone Oracle: As an artifact, this is just too small, too fragile, and with too much variance. Still a neat card. Knollspine Dragon: I’m always on the fence with this card. I’ve had it be very good, and I’ve had it be very dead. It could deserve a slot, but I’m not sure it needs to be in the list. Molten Primordial: A creature that emulates Insurrection would be awesome, but this is not that card. Against too many decks this is just a mediocre play at best. If Greater Good were in the deck, I’d be more inclined to jam this. Rampaging Baloths: Somewhat a worse Avenger of Zendikar. It has its moments, but also plays a lot like Craw Wurm some days. Borborygmos Enraged: The actual lands in the deck thin pretty quickly, meaning that you won’t draw very many, and other than Paleoloth/Creeping Renaissance shenanigans, there isn’t a compelling reason to dump things in the yard. Crater Hellion and Bloodfire Colossus: It’s tempting to run this and something like Bloodfire Colossus to serve as both a creature and a sweep, but the costs don’t quite match the cards. True, Gruul can get to six (or 9 for Colossus) quickly, but I like my sweeps to have the flexibility to come down early and clean up an early swarm. Hydra Broodmaster: Yes, this makes a gigantic army within a turn of untapping, but Avenger of Zendikar still does this effect better, and even he isn’t in the deck. It’s a cute idea, but executes poorly. Magmatic Force: Red’s take on a per-upkeep elemental is reasonable, but is limited by its inability to kill larger creatures. Many of the arguments against Inferno Titan apply here as well. Moldgraf Monstrosity: The two-for-one is saucy, but there are better alternatives. I ran it for quite some time before determining that it looks better on paper than in play. Penumbra Wurm: Yet another wurm that leaves value behind when it dies. If it cost six, or had another ability, I’d be more keen on it. Protean Hulk: The Clan’s favorite dish is a menace to most, but only because of its combo potential. Here it serves as another sweet death-bent creature that can grab a Primeval Titan, Wurmcoil Engine, Bane of Progress, etc. Honestly, it may be more deserving of play than something else in the deck. Tornado Elemental: There was a time when this was great, but then a lot of great dragons were printed that ended up in the deck. Now, this usually kills at least one of yours every time you cast it. Ulvenwald Hydra: If this deck had one sweet land to go fetch (like a Gaea’s Cradle or something to that effect), then I could see running it. Without one though, this is just fine, not amazing. Archetype of Endurance: I discussed some of the issues with this card when talking about Asceticism. Summed up: with no regeneration clause, this is a hair too delicate, even though it has sky-high potential. Perhaps one day the cards needed to keep this alive will see print. Gruul Turf: Bounce lands are a big game, and this was in a deck for years. It wasn't until Boundless Realms came that it finally had to be axed to pave the way for a more basic-centric mana base. I still love the effect, but it's time to shine has passed. Nissa’s Renewal and Verdant Confluence: The biggest barrier for these three is their cost. At six mana, they are a little slow to be ramping. Primeval Titan costs six, and Boundless Realms costs seven to ramp- but the advantage they offer is, well, nigh boundless. The difference between ramping for three and ramping for seven is tremendous. Three basic lands simply can’t get me excited at six mana. The Confluence is better at least for the flexibility it offers. I can see games occurring where having access to this card would be nice, but not enough to make me want to cut something else for it.
There are of course, plenty of other cards that could go in the deck, and if you would like to hear my reasons for excluding them (or just to hear me pontificate poetically), I am more than happy to oblige. Anyhow, on to the deck strategy.
General (Brief) Walkthrough
For an opening hand (assuming Partial Paris mulligans) ideally you have three to four lands, and two or three ramp spells. The first ramp spell is essential, so mulligan aggressively if you must to find it, though never below four cards (and hopefully not below five). The first two turns are normally just draw-go, unless you have the Sol Ring opener. These are great turns to play the lands that enter tapped. Starting on turn three, however, is when your game begins in earnest. Turns three through five are spent casting your ramps spells, pulling ahead on curve and making up for the slow start. By turn six, your general is ready to come in a kill whatever has popped up as the most troubling creature(s) or planeswalker(s) so far. From there, just cast goliath after goliath, taking turns off when appropriate to kill creatures or destroy nasty non-creature permanents. Depending on your meta, I recommend holding a way to kill an enchantment/artifact in hand, rather than just playing them out for lesser value. Against some decks, it’s fine to run out your Conclave Naturalists etc to just hit whatever’s available and start bashing for damage; You’ll be the best judge of that. Like in any game of Commander, basic threat assessment is required. Do you need to kill that creature, or is it just annoying? Is that enchantment a part of a combo, or is it just a value-engine? Always kill the combo player(s) first, followed by the control decks, then recursion, then whatever else. Generals like Savra may have to climb in priority as needed.
That’s the foundation of piloting the deck, and most of the Gruul variants out there. There is more, but like anything, it takes personal experience to understand the inner-workings and intricacies. Like the individual cards, I’ll attempt to answer any questions regarding play as well.
Thanks for reading- McDeity.
Nice, primer. I've been trying to make a R/G Radha, heir to keld deck and there's been a frustrating lack of R/G primers with good card break downs from recently enough to have some of the newer cards discussed. My list is pretty similar to your but I went with the little elf at the helm instead of the big dragon to be a bit quicker!
High-Impact creatures of any color, as well as unparalleled protected ramp in the game. Red offers the best controlled-wraths and second-best board-police. Red and Green together also creates the most value-driven, resilient, board presence. Green/White plays the most similarly to Gruul, and Blue/Black typically plays the least similarly. Gruul has weak pure card-advantage, and struggles against tempo and recursive decks.
Building then towards the strengths of Gruul (as opposed to hedging against its weaknesses), the foundation of the deck should be acceleration (ramp). Ramp can come in protected and unprotected forms. Some decks do call for the use of unprotected ramp- artifacts and creatures that produce mana, but they should have a reason to deviate from protected ramp (the norm). Protected ramp takes the shape of lands being put on the battlefield* (Technically, rituals are also a form of protected ramp, but their short-lived nature mean that only a very specific handful of decks are built to run them). According to Gatherer, there are only 198 cards in Magic that destroy lands, compared to 252 cards that destroy artifacts, and 763 cards that destroy creatures.
When it comes to ramping lands, there are still several routes available. There are creatures, fast-ramp, and value spells. Creatures that bring lands out of the deck and onto the battlefield are useful for Green decks, as they provide acceleration, card advantage, and fuel a myriad of synergies. A wide scope of Green decks and Commander decks in general have a requisite threshold of creatures to function, making bodies with lands attached a means to fit more than 100 “cards” into a deck**. Creatures do have limitations. Typically, they only find one land, though their board presence helps to offset this constraint. So while ramping creatures represent two cards worth of value, only one of those two progress your curve.
Fast-ramp are those cards that can be cast early and put the pilot a land ahead. Rampant Growth, Search for Tomorrow, and Explore are all different examples of this effect. For a quick rule of thumb, look for cards that cost less than three mana that find at least one land. Decks looking to play a 4 or 5 mana general a turn earlier or have a glut of midrange spells are those poised to benefit from these effects. Cards of this nature make poor topdecks in the late game, and sometimes just behave like drawing a Transguild Promenade or Rupture Spire for the turn.
Value-driven land ramp cards are possibly Gruul’s most potent tool. While they come down a turn or two later than the fast-ramp spells nor provide a body like creature-driven land ramp, once cast, they catapult a deck into the late game. Usually they cost four or more mana, and will search for two or more lands. Some examples include Cultivate, Explosive Vegetation, and Boundless Realms. Decks featuring a general costing six or more mana or desiring to overload the tale with “hay-makers” maximize the utility of these cards.
Utilizing value-driven land ramp allows a Gruul deck to dedicate the majority of its nonland slos to HIgh-Impact creatures. What is a High-Impact creature? It’s easiest to first define a Minimal-Impact creature. Squire is a 1/2 human soldier that costs one white mana. Squire has a very low (read: zero) impact on the game. Looking then at a High-Impact cerature, examine Terastodon. A 9/9 elephant that can remove up to three troublesome permanents or turn three extraneous permanents into creatures. Terastodon can kill a player within a few turns, and wiht the attached value, it’s a staple HIgh-Impact creature. Look for creatures with big bodies with value attached. Note that value alone does not always translate to high-impact. Solemn Simulacrum offers three cards worth of value in just one body. However, it isn’t high-impact, as it can (mostly) just be ignored.
How many high-impact creatures can a deck run before its hands begin to stagnate? Typically, the high-impact creatures reside in the upper strata of the mana curve (essentially, you get what you pay for). If a deck consists solely of high-costing spells you will have a miserable first half of the game, or may not even live long enough to cast them. Cue the ramp spells. Depending on the mix of lands, ramp, and other spells, a player can choose where on curve they want to play, as well as how quickly they get there. If a player is willing to dedicate 10-20% of their deck to acceleration, then, (assuming ~35 lands) upwards of 40% of the deck can be reasonably devoted to hay-makers (high-impact creatures and spells). In addition, when one specifies that the hay-makers of the deck be creatures, one can combine the roughly ten percent traditional spell effects (things like drawing cards, naturalizing sweeping creatures, recursion, etc) with value creatures to reach 50% threat density. What this means is that in the late game, in games of attrition, or even just in a topdeck war, Gruul decks become heavily favored as their number of live draws are significantly higher than other decks.
On, finally to the decklist. At the end of the decklist, I’ll explain some unorthodox cards, their roles, and potential alternates:
1 Arashi, the Sky Asunder
1 Balefire Dragon
1 Bane of Progress
1 Blightsteel Colossus
1 Burnished Hart
1 Conclave Naturalists
1 Elvish Piper
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
1 Fertilid
1 Flameblast Dragon
1 Furnace Dragon
1 Gruul Ragebeast
1 Hateflayer
1 Hellkite Tyrant
1 Hoard-Smelter Dragon
1 Jiwari, the Earth Aflame
1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
1 Lifeblood Hydra
1 Lord of Shatterskull Pass
1 Paleoloth
1 Polis Crusher
1 Primeval Titan
1 Rimescale Dragon
1 Scourge of Kher Ridges
1 Silklash Spider
1 Spearbreaker Behemoth
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Sylvan Primordial
1 Terastodon
1 Uktabi Kong
1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
1 Vigor
1 Wickerbough Elder
1 Woodfall Primus
1 World Breaker
1 Worldspine Wurm
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Xenagos, God of Revels
1 Asceticism
1 Defense of the Heart
1 Lurking Predators
Artifact (3)
1 Akroma's Memorial
1 Orbs of Warding
1 Sol Ring
Planeswalker (2)
1 Garruk, Caller of Beasts
1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
Sorcery (16)
1 Blasphemous Act
1 Boundless Realms
1 Chain Reaction
1 Creeping Renaissance
1 Cultivate
1 Explosive Vegetation
1 Hunting Wilds
1 Insurrection
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Nissa's Expedition
1 Nissa's Pilgrimage
1 Peregrination
1 Ranger's Path
1 See the Unwritten
1 Skyshroud Claim
1 Tooth and Nail
Instant (1)
1 Starstorm
Land (35)
1 Blighted Woodland
1 Cinder Glade
1 Flamekin Village
1 Homeward Path
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Mosswort Bridge
1 Myriad Landscape
1 Raging Ravine
1 Skarrg, the Rage Pits
12 Snow-Covered Forest
8 Snow-Covered Mountain
1 Spinerock Knoll
1 Stomping Ground
1 Taiga
1 Treetop Village
1 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
1 Yavimaya Hollow
When going over the list, it’s important to know that my playgroup consists of adults who have been playing for many years- the oldest even having played back in alpha. Most of us are out of school or already have careers, so budget is less of an issue than it once was, or still is for many playgroups. Due to this, the average power levels of our decks is higher than traditional playgroups, and so our banlist looks much different than that of the intro-bans. Only cards with ante, and most silver-bordered cards are banned (I may one day make a post detailing our list, and give an explanation of why each card on it is disallowed). This deck contains several cards on the intro-banlist. They are not vital to the deck, but they do make it significantly more powerful and fun to play with and against. Any or all of them can be substituted with other more entry-level cards and still function without glitches.
Card-by-Card Analysis
Commander
Dragonlord Atarka: The seventh land is usually on the battlefield by turn five, making this a strong mid-game play. Five damage is enough to pick off several utility creatures, or one mid-sized creature or planeswalker. Also key, is the 8 powers worth of flying. Three turns is a healthy clock to pick players off, and trample ensures all your attacks net value. At this point, only Xenagos, God of Revels and Ruric Thar, the Unbowed. Ruric Thar is hindered by his/their inability to play non-creature spells, and Xenagod trends towards running large idiots that take a significant hit if Xenagos is out of commission. Atarka maximizes Green’s most efficient ramp, and combines it with Gruul’s strongest creatures. The coupling creates an effect that only Atarka can fully harness.
Arashi, the Sky Asunder: As a five mana 5/5, Arashi is a well-costed beater that can take turns off of attacking to snipe opposing flyers, or can be used as a one-time Windstorm to sweep all aerial units. Try to identify early if your opponents are running decks heavily built around flyers (i.e. Scion of the Ur-Dragon). If you can cast Arashi before they get going, you can keep them off of mounting any kind of board presence. If they cast their monster before you draw Arashi, don’t be afraid of firing off Arashi’s instant speed channel.
Balefire Dragon: Oh boy, this is one of Red’s best offerings to Commander. Balefire is a fatty that keeps your opponents’ boards clear every turn and scares them off contributing more. This dragon is one of your best cards, and is one of the primary reasons to run red in any deck looking to go long. Obviously good against tokens, his six damage (or more if combined with Xenagod, Skarrg, or Kessig Wolf Run etc) is enough to take down titans. Though niche, there are situations when Tooth-and-Nailing out Balefire and Xenagos will lead to you winning an otherwise unwinnable game.
Bane of Progress: A relatively new addition to the deck, Bane makes you alter your deck composition to maximize his effect, but rewards you handsomely for doing so. Even casting him to just kill one permanent is a fine play, although I’d recommend being a little greedier and holding out for a full table. His interaction with Lurking Predators is a tad tragic, though still nets you value usually.
Blightsteel Colossus: This is the only creature in the deck that serves no other purpose than being a giant beater. However, no other creature in Commander has quite the same stats. Playing him with Akroma’s Memorial out, or grabbing him and Xenagos with Tooth and Nail will usually kill a player outright, and is even the slightest bit favored to finish the table. Like any infect creature he’s also a dandy answer to infinite life, if somehow your general is occupied with other things.
Conclave Naturalists: The second coming of Indrik Stomphowler! This is a better card in decks running Lurking Predators, but worse in decks that can run Contested Cliffs. At four power, the Naturalists are a little small to be particularly relevant, but can pressure planeswalkers fairly well at least. The Naturalists do naturalize, so are still worth the slot.
Elvish Piper: This card used to be Quicksilver Amulet, once upon a time. Then, Uktabi Kong, Bane of Progress, and Furnace Dragon joined the mix and made the Amulet make me look very foolish. Piper is an alright substitute, despite its frailty. Understand that her primary reason for inclusion isn’t to cheat the curve- it’s to sneak monsters into play at end of turn, in response to combat, or to dodge counterspells. She synergizes with things like Garruk, Paleoloth, and a few other cards as well. Just please don’t cast her when you have a Gruul Ragebeast online- unless there’s a wall or something out there.
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn: The fattiest fatty. This deck is meant to get to fifteen mana, so what’s better to run than the most expensive creature in Magic (yes, yes, Draco, BFM, and Autochthan Wurm exist, but all with discount)? Casting her honestly is usually better than cheating her into play, which is somewhat at odds with normal intuition. The extra turn spells game over for some unlucky sap, but just being a 15/15, Emrakul will still die to any decent sweeper. “But Emrakul is on the banlist!” Nope. Not around here, anyway. Just make sure to keep an eye on those pesky Blue mages running Bribery. For this reason, it’s often correct to sandbag your Homeward Path in hand until you need to make a land drop. Few things in life are as sweet as paying one mana for your Emrakul.
Fertilid: Not a super-exciting card, but it serves its purpose. Casting this elemental on turn three lets you ramp for two lands on turn four, in addition to a free two damage. Being a creature is worth more than a random sorcery in this deck, but as previously stated- this card is a boring (still necessary) part of the glue that holds the deck together.
Flameblast Dragon: This dragon looks unassuming, but is truly a great creature. While fair, a Blaze on a stick every turn that also bashes for five in the air is a fundamentally sound card. Again, as Gruul lacks the pure draw power of other colors, maximizing your cards utility is a top concern.
Furnace Dragon: A Bane of Progress that only hit artifacts would be playable, though a tad worse. This card is better than that, putting it right around the same level as the Bane. Exiling turns out to be far more relevant than destroying, especially regarding artifacts. This card doesn’t make you feel terrible about blind flipping to Lurking Predators if you have your own artifacts out (thanks to the cast clause), but sometimes you’d still rather it just had an enters-play ability since the deck is warped around minimizing artifacts and enchantments. Nine mana is a hindrance, but less so than one would expect and being guaranteed a 5/5 flying body is a boon the Bane does not have.
Gruul Ragebeast: I had my concerns when first adding this card to my deck: what if my opponents only had deathtouch creatures? What if they only have giant monsters? It turns out these were baseless fears. This beast is well, a Beast (read: A+). A 6/6 body is resilient, and will net you a creature the turn you cast him almost 100% of the time. Subsequent fight triggers generally favor you as well, given the average size of the deck’s creatures relative to other decks’. The only creature that really punishes you is Elvish Piper, as Burnished Hart and Fertilid can likely sac themselves in response to the trigger if need be by the time you have this guy out.
Hateflayer: The rare Gruul answer to indestructible creatures. Wither is no infect, but the majority of the time for this deck plays better. Hateflayer also can kill normal creatures every turn for three mana, and wields a pseudo-vigilance.
Hellkite Tyrant: A Balefire Dragon variant that handles artifacts instead. Even better: gaining control of opposing mana rocks and even some creatures makes this a card to fear. Stealing is the best form of removal and gets around shrouded and indestructible permanents. Remember that you maintain control of the stolen goods even if this creature leaves play. Technically this dragon also has the words “win” and “ game” on it, but I’ve never once seen it trigger, even regularly playing against Sharuum and Daretti decks. God bless the player who does though.
Hoard-Smelter Dragon: This used to be the go-to creature for eliminating artifacts, but Hellkite Tyrant took the throne. Don’t take that as a knock against this card though. Hoard-Smelter still is a legitimate threat that eats your opponents’ toys. With the right board he can kill players quite quickly, while keeping the streets safe.
Jiwari, the Earth Aflame: See: Arashi, the Sky Asunder. Not quite as much a hoser as Arashi can be, Jiwari still makes a strong name for himself (herself??) by keeping tables honest. I find myself channeling Jiwari more than I do Arashi, partly because 3 power is significantly weaker than 5, and partly because ground-pounders are far more prevalent than flyers. Like Flameblast Dragon, Blaze is a great effect to always have access to- if a hair unexciting.
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth: Drawing cards and being a monstrous threat are two of the best attributes for creatures in this deck, and Kozilek possesses both in buckets. Four cards drawn, four permanents annihilated a turn- this guy does it all. It’s frustrating that Kozilek lacks any sort of protection, but the card advantage more than makes up for any shortcomings.
Lifeblood Hydra: A better Pelakka Wurm. I like casting this card for 6-9 mana, although part of the utility of hydras is the ability to cast them anywhere on curve. The lifegain is cute, but drawing cards is still as good as it has ever been.
Lord of Shatterskull Pass: Before the days of Balefire Dragon, this was one of the two strong sweeping creatures in Red. Still, he remains a great card, similar to how Hoard-Smelter has with Hellkite Tyrant’s printing. Six damage is a sweet spot in commander, even though a number of Commanders can still survive. Dealing the damage before blocks is fantastic, and occasionally combines with other cards to make blocking an impossibility.
Paleoloth: Nobody will make the claim that Paleoloth is fast, but he is an engine that is worth building around. Five power is already sort of the threshold for entry in Commander combat (“you must be this tall to ride”),so you don’t need to put in too much effort to make him good. When the games get grindy, Paleoloth is an all-star.
Polis Crusher: Eating enchantments is satisfying; Borborygmos approves. By now you may be noticing a theme of creatures doing some specific task each turn: this is how the bulk of Gruul’s card advantage manifests. Slower, but more reliable than other color pairs, if you can get your creatures operational few can keep up with the advantage you accrue.
Primeval Titan: So good, it’s not for kids. In all seriousness, the Jolly Green Giant is a workhorse that makes your good games great, and your bad games good. Still beatable, but Titan is a pleasure to play, and a great reason to go green. Titan is the only six drop I’m willing to keep in an opening hand. Interestingly, the deck doesn’t really need any single land to work, but there still are good targets. Valakut is always a safe call with solid synergies. Yavimaya Hollow can protect your Titan, as can Homeward Path. If you have fearsome creatures awaiting in hand, Flame-kin Village might be the best. Kessig Wolf Run and Skarrg, the Rage Pits can push through lethal if you have Xenagod or extra mana to spend. Sometimes a manland or hideaway land is the right call. The decision to choose any one land is usually clear and easy to make, depending on what you have in front of you.
Rimescale Dragon: Rimescale Dragon is a unique creature in the deck. Its freeze can win you games that no other creature can. Use it to tap down a team of blockers, to prevent attackers from hitting you, or keep utility creatures from performing their duties. It does mean you have to run snow-basics, so no pretty full-arts for now.
Scourge of Kher Ridges: The terror of the kobolds deserves her reputation. With mana backup, she may be the single strongest Red creature in the game. Ensuring no opponent can ever keep a creature locks up most games of EDH. Use Scourge with Vigor out to grow needlessly large creatures, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Silklash Spider: 2/7 are a weird stat set, that’s for sure. Thankfully, seven health means that the spider can withstand most assaults without much bother. Two attack is lame. The primary purpose of Silklash Spider though is not to crush your enemies, but to kill anything with a wing...dead. Essentially channeling Arashi any time there’s cause makes this one arachnid you’ll not want to leave at home.
Spearbreaker Behemoth: Alara’s Naya mechanic gave several good cards to this deck, even though their numbers are dwindling. Spearbreaker does a good impression of Avacyn, Angel of Hope most of the time, really only being vulnerable to things like Final Judgment, big Mutilates, and Barter in Blood. If you know your playgroup and their decklists, you can usually figure out when it’s necessary to leave mana up for your team’s continued health. Since this deck usually only focuses on having a few goliaths online rather than hordes of minions, leaving up enough mana isn’t difficult.
Steel Hellkite: The metal dragon serves as a catch-all for almost any pesky permanent. With the exception of lands, Hellkite can smash whatever ails you into rust. Kessig and Skarrg will be your friends here, as will Memorial’s trample-granting ability.
Sylvan Primordial: Another rebel card that most new players never get to experience. This card was thoughtfully and specifically engineered for EDH, so it seems rude to call him banned. The ramping ability is gravy, but the real meat and potatoes is nuking problems away. True, it can become degenerate with things like Deadeye Navigator, but anything can become degenerate with the Navigator, so that argument seems moot. I recommend playing Sylvan Primordial anytime you get the chance- you’ll feel better having done so.
Terastodon: I spoke briefly about Terastodon in the sections above, using it as an example of a high-impact creature. If you didn’t read that, the skinny is that a big body, plus high value means that this angry elephant will probably be played for as long as Commander is a format.
Uktabi Kong: An 8 mana 8/8 with Shatterstorm tacked on is another perfect example of a high-impact creature. Like Furnace Dragon and Bane of Progress, he makes you consider each artifact you run and whether they’re worth the slot. It’s a fair card, but an extremely powerful one if you can amass the resource to cast it. There’s a rider ability that lets you make mini-monkeys with Treetop Village, but I think I’ve only ever activated that ability one time in the six years I have ran this deck. Talk to your playgroup or local store to see if they’ll rule King Kong legal. I’ve never had anyone who didn’t allow him.
Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger: Ten mana is pushing the boundaries for most decks, but fills out the high end quite nicely here. A 10/10 indestructible is great, and exiling two thorns in your side is invaluable. For the most part, consider the attacking clause nothing more than flavor text, even if you snipe some vital combo piece every so often.
Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre: The first incarnation of Ulamog is likewise a potent play at any point in the game. Destroy remains worse than exile, but will do the trick the majority of the time. Hitting only one target is made up for by upgrading the attacking trigger to Annihilator, level four.
Vigor: Vigor looks a little cute, but still serves a role: protecting your creatures from any number-based sweep. Granted the size of Gruul’s threats already makes them more resilient to things like Blasphemous Act and Languish, but the added protection is worth a card. Alternatively, Vigor also combines with things like Scourge of Kher Ridges to quickly end the game.
Wickerbough Elder: A better Conclave Naturalists,as it can be cast for a mana less. It beats Torpor Orb particularly well. As with the dryad, it won’t close out games with its size, but can still apply meaningful pressure to the right targets.
Woodfall Primus: Being a 6/6 is much better than a 4/4. Having a built-in wrath protection and triggering to kill a second threat is considerably nice as well. Though not printed on the card, Primus has an invisible line of text that says “prevent yours opponents from casting edicts (cards that make someone sacrifice a creature).”
World Breaker: World Breaker is the most recent addition to the deck, beating out Acidic Slime for the same effect. Cast triggers can work around things that battlefield triggers cannot. 5/7’s can impact the board in ways that a 2/2 (even with deathtouch) cannot. The recursion effect is an interesting one; my advice is to be sparing with sacrificing lands, but don’t live in fear of cashing in lands either.
Worldspine Wurm: Worldspine Wurm is no Emrakul, but being shabbier than the best creature of all time still leaves plenty of room to be great. 15/15’s are a rarity, and well worth the hoops to cast; trample is a sexy add-on for creatures of such magnitude as well. The dies trigger is what really sells the card, since just being large is not enough to merit inclusion in EDH. But making fifteen more power after hitting the yard means a simple removal spell won’t suffice in clearing away the wurm.
Wurmcoil Engine: Apparently, draco-annelids all share the same progenitor, since the good ones all leave things behind. Wurmcoil possesses the frailty of being an artifact, so suffers being hit by Bane of Progress, Uktabi Kong, and Furnace Dragon. It’s alright, the stats make up for it: 6 power that gains six life a turn and wins (or at least breaks even in) any combat, with another six power left behind when it dies. Wurmcoil just does enough good things to be viable in any deck with creatures.
Xenagos, God of Revels: Xenagod carries with him the distinction of being the only other creature in the deck that could lead the army. Tricky to remove; can always grants your newly spawned creature haste; and can pump whichever threat to lethal heights, he’s quite the package. However, he doesn’t always have an immediate impact, can’t win the game without help, can’t be returned with Homeward Path (barring some strange boards), and will often be targeted even if not a threat. I sometimes run him as my general when playing against one or two opponents, but any more than that and he lets you become overrun. A dedicated Xenagos deck also looks substantially different, with more giant vanillas and trample-granters. However, Xenagos is a terrific Tooth and Nail target, and can set up wins out of the blue.
Blasphemous Act: 13 damage to the battlefield kills nearly every creature in the game. Usually costing around 4 or 5 mana, sometimes casting it for 8 is still fine to kill that one game-breaking creature. Vigor gets along with this card quite well (yes, I’m aware that Vigor still dies)
Boundless Realms: Seven drops that don’t do anything besides find more land have some redundancy issues on the surface. To be played then, expensive ramp spells have to really impress, which this one succeeds at doing. If you can ensure you have at least seven realms before casting, you’ll be set on lands for the rest of the game. Boundless Realms yields such a huge bounty it’s warrants running more basic lands than the deck typically would run. If you can land Valakut on the board before firing this off, you can wrath a board, nuke as many planeswalkers off as you wish, or finish a player off. Just a great card.
Chain Reaction: Another Red sweeper, this one is worse than Blasphemous Act, but still worthy of inclusion. It needs the field to be full for it to have a decent effect, but that’s the most common scenario requiring a board wipe anyway.
Creeping Renaissance: This slot used to be Praetor’s Counsel, but Renaissance plays better. Spells aren’t generally what you want to regrow anyhow, so being limited to permanents isn’t a big loss. Getting to use it twice is a pretty substantial upgrade, however. Things like Soul’s Majesty, Hunter’s Insight, or Hunter’s Prowess could be used here instead as the hand-filler of choice, but they are all significantly riskier since they are easier to counter (via removal, counterspells, or other means).
Cultivate, Kodama’s Reach, Peregrination, and Nissa’s Pilgrimage: Cultivate and Kodama’s Reach are the gold-standard ramp spells in the deck. Two cards from one spell, with the Rampant Growth aspect being the primary purpose. Peregrination is quite a bit worse with the added man tacked on, but still is good enough to play. The scry does less than in some decks since Green shuffles more than other colors. Nissa’s Pilgrimage is the worst of the four. The words ‘basic’ and ‘forest’ in combination make this card not feel great, despite the spell mastery clause. Were it only basic land or a forest, then this card would be stellar. The mana fixing element of these spells is pertinent, since the deck has fewer dual lands than other decks, so not being able to fix (or trigger Valakut) is painful. However, the ramp and card advantage make even the Pilgrimage strong plays in the early stages of the game.
Explosive Vegetation, Hunting Wilds, Nissa’s Expedition, Ranger’s Path, and Skyshroud Claim: I’m lumping these all together, as they play similarly enough. Some say basic, and some say forest- it doesn’t really matter. There are three actual dual lands to be fetched out by those that say forest, so they can still fix for color and trigger Valakut when needed. Kicking Hunting Wilds outs you at risk of losing two lands, but is a viable mode when you need to ambush a player or planeswalker. Nissa’s Expedition does require a creature on board to be cast for four, but is still alright for five. Skyshroud Claim puts the land into play untapped, so can be used on the same turn with other spells.
Insurrection: Red’s best out-of-nowhere-I-win card. Sometimes a table stalls out, and you can kill each player with it. Sometimes you just kill the biggest threat at the table or the guy with the best field (acting similarly to a board wipe). Sometimes it’s a very expensive Expedite. All these combine to make it a powerful card worthy of inclusion in decks that can run triple red spells.
See the Unwritten: The unwritten turns out to write quite a lot in this deck, as flipping two or more creatures in the six to ten mana range each can be devastating. The likelihood of missing is very low, as the deck is 40% creatures (very roughly: around three and a half creatures should be flipped). It’s less of a Tooth and Nail, and more of a ritual effect.
Starstorm: Instant speed, hits all creatures, and is as big as you choose it to be. I don’t typically cycle it, but having the option is always attractive.
Tooth and Nail: Simply one of the greatest (and most at-risk) cards in Commander. It can be used degenerately, fairly, or anywhere in between. Blightsteel and Xenagod are a potent pair; tutoring up two disenchants is not bad; even getting Wurmcoil and Worldspine to grind through a game is occasionally correct. I’d avise always entwining this- the deck can get to nine without struggle. Remember that the two you tutor for don’t have to be the same two you drop into play. While grabbing a pair of annihilating eldrazi is tempting, if you can manage to wait on dropping them into play, save them for the cast ability. If things somehow go horribly wrong and your Tooth and Nail couple are dealt with, it’s better to have the eldrazi still in the deck than say, Blightsteel Colossus. They just have more topdeck weight to them. Not that it matters as much to me, some opponents will also complain about you being unfair when you grab Emrakul and something else, and throw a fit about why cards need to be banned.
Garruk, Caller of Beasts: At six mana, Dramatic Entrance isn’t really what I’m after, though it’s a fine activation. It’s really just about drawing two (live) cards a turn. His bust is game winning, yadda, yadda. But getting relevant cards in hand every turn makes all the mana you’ve ramped into become very important. There are only two planeswalkers in the deck, and both serve first and foremost as great ways to get ahead on cards.
Garruk, Primal Hunter: Medium Garruk also serves to draw cards. Yes, he also helps keep things like Sheoldred at bay, and can make a massive army, but I’d recommend using his minus ability every four turns. He doesn’t target, either, which makes your drawing safer. It is a pity that he is also Garruk, as there is no (profitable) way of having both on the battlefield at the same time, but if needed, this one can always ‘bust’ the turn he comes down to draw however many cards and make way for bigger Garruk.
Asceticism: Hexproofing your fatties is wonderful, and infuriating for your opponents. Having your threats be a few colossi rather than a whole field makes spells such as Wrath of God less appealing, as they gain fewer cards value. The only reason this isn’t Archetype of Endurance is that this can regenerate each member of your team, and the invisi-pig can’t save a single one. If Archetype wasn’t itself an enchantment, he might still get the nod, but Asceticism works for now.
Defense of the Heart: Tooth and Nail suspending for one turn with a cost of four instead of nine isn’t better than Tooth, but is worth running alongside. All the things said about Tooth apply here as well.
Lurking Predators: This card is great for storytelling. Either your opponents will wail about how you “got so lucky,” or you will rage on about how you turned over Bane of Progress when you were the only player with artifacts or enchantments (including Lurking Predators) out. The good outweighs the bad here by a wide margin, so don’t fret too much about running into the worst-case scenario.
Artifacts:
Akroma’s Memorial: I usually see this card in weenie decks, but it has application here as well. Akroma’s suite of abilities turns every creature into terrors that have to be dealt with or else. Haste is perhaps the best here, but the entire package is great.
Orbs of Warding: This card is a necessary concession to the multitude of combo decks out there that rely on targeting their opponents or their decks etc to win. Orbs is an upgrade over Witchbane Orb, as it at least can help stave off swarms of little harassers, and curses have never been particularly prevalent. If there ever comes a day when this effect is found on a creature or enchantment that doesn’t require white, Orbs will be the easiest cut I’ve made.
Sol Ring: Why does Sol Ring get the nod here when things like Gilded Lotus and Thran Dynamo got cut? No card has been printed with the same power level as Sol Ring in Commander. Even Mana Crypt ends up hurting as the game progresses, and all mana rocks get hit by the three Creeping Corrosion creatures currently in the deck. Sol Ring is just too good not to run. It helps you cast your ramp spells on turn two, and your threats starting on turn three. Every deck needs the One Ring, and this one is no exception.
Blighted Woodland and Myriad Landscape: Lands that also Rampant Growths- what’s not to love?
Cinder Glade, Stomping Ground, and Taiga: Honest dual lands are perfect for this deck considering all the forest-specific ramp. These hold the ship afloat.
Flamekin Village: Used to be Hall of the Bandit Lord, but the damage added up, and only tapping for colorless occasionally hurt. There aren’t too many elementals in the deck, but even without them this is a great land.
Homeward Path: Nobody likes having their toys taken away (Zedruu is an outlier). Homeward Path protects your threats, and can be used as a political tool from time to time.
Kessig Wolf Run and Skarrg, the Rage Pits: Mostly used for the trample-granting, sometimes the pump is more relevant.
Mosswort Bridge and Spinerock Knoll: Lands that net you card/tempo advantage. Bridge is a little niftier, since it can be used at end of turn more easily, but both are relatively easy to trigger.
Raging Ravine and Treetop Village: Strong means to kill planeswalkers, counter edicts, and utilize extra mana. The Village can combo with Uktabi Kong to make 1/1’s, if you so desire.
Snow-Covered Basics: Basic lands are worth a little more in this deck than others, thanks to all the search effects for them. The sole reason they are snowy is to let Rimescale Dragon be as effective as possible.
Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle: If you played Standard back when Primeval Titan+Valakut was a deck, then you need no explanation for this card. If you were not, that’s okay too: here’s a quick rundown of what you missed. Valakut is repeatable; it is a colorless source of damage; stacks when multiple mountains enter at the same time (notably your 5th and 6th will both trigger); and is dealt in sets of three, so targeting a creature or player twice does 3 damage, followed by 3 damage- not one assignment of 6.
Yavimaya Hollow: Regeneration works a little wonky, but is still a valuable asset.
So that sums up the actual decklist, and what roles the cards serve. For the notable exclusions, I’m mostly going to touch on the creatures. Artifacts and enchantments that are left out are likely omitted because of Bane of Progress and friends.
Avenger of Zendikar: One of the sweetest cards to have seen print, and a big reason why Worldwake has been my favorite set all-time. Avenger keeps things like Grave Pact at bay, buys a couple turns of chump blocking, or can grow you an army. It works very well with Nissa’s Expedition (Convokes for free and gives +2/+2 to the squad).
Ruric Thar, the Unbowed: Ruric is a fantastic creature, and the one I most wish was in the deck. He (they?) do such an amazing job of keeping the table honest. Some decks just can’t win with Ruric online. As more Burnished Hart-esque creatures are printed as ways to replace the sorcery ramp spells, Ruric Thar creeps ever closer to making it into the deck. He/they also makes a pretty decent general himself/themselves.
Indrik Stomphowler: Extra naturalizes are never dead, and 4/4 are passable stats. However, being obligated to kill something when it enters the battlefield, even if it’s yours, makes this a notch below the other cards in the deck.
Acidic Slime: Similar to Stomphowler, Slime used to be in the deck, but was forced out by better cards getting printed. 2/2’s still have some weight on the battlefield when coupled with deathtouch, but Acidic Slime doesn’t kill players at an efficient rate.
Solemn Simulacrum: So much value! A body, a land, and a random card make Jens a handsome package. However, only getting one land up front means that this robot is destined to ride the pine.
Mold Shambler: Shambler is a decent six drop, and has the beast creature type, for when that matters. If his body was a little bigger, I’d probably rework him into the deck, but as a Hill Giant, he doesn’t quite pass muster.
Artisan of Kozilek: A 10/9 body, resurrects a lost minion, and annihilates every attack. I wouldn’t fault anyone for running this one, even though I’ve elected to pass over it. The card is good, and this deck casts it very well.
Cloudthresher: Killing faeries well usually isn’t that important in most EDH games, as the average flying creature runs a little bit larger. Good stats and effect, but just doesn’t come up enough.
Hellkite Charger and Scourge of the Throne: Most games this deck will end up with 14 or more lands out, so getting two extra attack steps a turn can be crushing. However, the Charger offers little value on its own the turn it comes into play, and leaves no value behind if it dies. The Scourge suffers for the same reasons, even though both are fine additions to a deck.
Inferno Titan: Another great creature that just barely misses out on making it. Arc Trail every turn on a firebreathing giant is good value, but misses out on killing something enough times that I don’t feel comfortable running him. Perhaps if he had flying, or protection of some sort he could make the team.
Urbrask, the Hidden: Good card; poor fit. This deck just doesn’t maximize Urabrask’s effects. The haste is nice, and I suppose you could consider running the Praetor over something like Akroma’s Memorial, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
Greenwarden of Murasa and Genesis: I don’t feel compelled to overload on this effect, and Paleoloth works better. It’s a neat effect, but a hair unnecessary. Same reasoning goes against Genesis.
Soul of the Harvest and Primordial Sage: I’m sure you can tell by now, but this deck is about a few big things, not many small ones. These two card engines aren’t at their best here.
Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger: Doubling your mana is a bit over the top here, and slowing your opponents guarantees a price on your head. A card that makes you targeted doesn’t mean you shouldn’t run it, but Vorinclex doesn’t help you win, just keeps your opponents from doing so.
Duplicant: A good Nekrataal effect that even exiles rather than kills is strong, and isn’t wrong to include. It doesn’t make my current list, but I could see one day running it again.
Soul of New Phyrexia: Not at all a bad creature, but its artifact status limits its appeal. True, you could always leave five mana up to protect your things (and of decks out there, this one certainly can), but that puts a lower ceiling on your per-turn-potential and still only protects against the first removal effect. This is a perfect example of a play-style card. If you know that you’re the type of player that will maintain discipline and never tap out, then this guy’s (horror’s?) stock goes up. However, if you like to gamble or play to the percentages more, then I’d advise leaving this one out.
Kozilek, the Great Distortion: This card has a future. Not a player alive doesn’t like drawing up to seven, and a 12/12 with evasion gets the job done. Despite this, the biggest hindrance to Kozilek is actually his mana cost. This deck runs six lands that can tap for colorless, plus a Sol Ring, but getting two colorless consistently is too big a barrier. If, however, Wizards finds a way to make a Forest/Waste dual land, then I think Kozilek can safely be included. Until that day, I’ll sit here and wait.
Various Other Large Eldrazi X: Annihilator is sweet and some of the larger eldrazi have additional cool effects, but most just don’t have enough initial impact on the game. You can slot in any that you prefer, but they will all be a half-step down from the level you want them to be.
Bogardan Hellkite: It’s like another Atarka! Except, no, it’s not. 8 mana is more than seven, and 5 power is less than 8. Flash and the ability to hit players is nice, but this dragon is one that I’m fine cutting.
Dragon Mage: A nice way to ensure you never have fewer cards than any given player doesn’t make up for the fact that in a four player game, you drew 7 cards and your opponents as a whole drew 21. I’ll pass.
Sandstone Oracle: As an artifact, this is just too small, too fragile, and with too much variance. Still a neat card.
Knollspine Dragon: I’m always on the fence with this card. I’ve had it be very good, and I’ve had it be very dead. It could deserve a slot, but I’m not sure it needs to be in the list.
Molten Primordial: A creature that emulates Insurrection would be awesome, but this is not that card. Against too many decks this is just a mediocre play at best. If Greater Good were in the deck, I’d be more inclined to jam this.
Rampaging Baloths: Somewhat a worse Avenger of Zendikar. It has its moments, but also plays a lot like Craw Wurm some days.
Borborygmos Enraged: The actual lands in the deck thin pretty quickly, meaning that you won’t draw very many, and other than Paleoloth/Creeping Renaissance shenanigans, there isn’t a compelling reason to dump things in the yard.
Crater Hellion and Bloodfire Colossus: It’s tempting to run this and something like Bloodfire Colossus to serve as both a creature and a sweep, but the costs don’t quite match the cards. True, Gruul can get to six (or 9 for Colossus) quickly, but I like my sweeps to have the flexibility to come down early and clean up an early swarm.
Hydra Broodmaster: Yes, this makes a gigantic army within a turn of untapping, but Avenger of Zendikar still does this effect better, and even he isn’t in the deck. It’s a cute idea, but executes poorly.
Magmatic Force: Red’s take on a per-upkeep elemental is reasonable, but is limited by its inability to kill larger creatures. Many of the arguments against Inferno Titan apply here as well.
Moldgraf Monstrosity: The two-for-one is saucy, but there are better alternatives. I ran it for quite some time before determining that it looks better on paper than in play.
Penumbra Wurm: Yet another wurm that leaves value behind when it dies. If it cost six, or had another ability, I’d be more keen on it.
Protean Hulk: The Clan’s favorite dish is a menace to most, but only because of its combo potential. Here it serves as another sweet death-bent creature that can grab a Primeval Titan, Wurmcoil Engine, Bane of Progress, etc. Honestly, it may be more deserving of play than something else in the deck.
Tornado Elemental: There was a time when this was great, but then a lot of great dragons were printed that ended up in the deck. Now, this usually kills at least one of yours every time you cast it.
Ulvenwald Hydra: If this deck had one sweet land to go fetch (like a Gaea’s Cradle or something to that effect), then I could see running it. Without one though, this is just fine, not amazing.
Archetype of Endurance: I discussed some of the issues with this card when talking about Asceticism. Summed up: with no regeneration clause, this is a hair too delicate, even though it has sky-high potential. Perhaps one day the cards needed to keep this alive will see print.
Gruul Turf: Bounce lands are a big game, and this was in a deck for years. It wasn't until Boundless Realms came that it finally had to be axed to pave the way for a more basic-centric mana base. I still love the effect, but it's time to shine has passed.
Nissa’s Renewal and Verdant Confluence: The biggest barrier for these three is their cost. At six mana, they are a little slow to be ramping. Primeval Titan costs six, and Boundless Realms costs seven to ramp- but the advantage they offer is, well, nigh boundless. The difference between ramping for three and ramping for seven is tremendous. Three basic lands simply can’t get me excited at six mana. The Confluence is better at least for the flexibility it offers. I can see games occurring where having access to this card would be nice, but not enough to make me want to cut something else for it.
There are of course, plenty of other cards that could go in the deck, and if you would like to hear my reasons for excluding them (or just to hear me pontificate poetically), I am more than happy to oblige. Anyhow, on to the deck strategy.
General (Brief) Walkthrough
For an opening hand (assuming Partial Paris mulligans) ideally you have three to four lands, and two or three ramp spells. The first ramp spell is essential, so mulligan aggressively if you must to find it, though never below four cards (and hopefully not below five). The first two turns are normally just draw-go, unless you have the Sol Ring opener. These are great turns to play the lands that enter tapped. Starting on turn three, however, is when your game begins in earnest. Turns three through five are spent casting your ramps spells, pulling ahead on curve and making up for the slow start. By turn six, your general is ready to come in a kill whatever has popped up as the most troubling creature(s) or planeswalker(s) so far. From there, just cast goliath after goliath, taking turns off when appropriate to kill creatures or destroy nasty non-creature permanents. Depending on your meta, I recommend holding a way to kill an enchantment/artifact in hand, rather than just playing them out for lesser value. Against some decks, it’s fine to run out your Conclave Naturalists etc to just hit whatever’s available and start bashing for damage; You’ll be the best judge of that. Like in any game of Commander, basic threat assessment is required. Do you need to kill that creature, or is it just annoying? Is that enchantment a part of a combo, or is it just a value-engine? Always kill the combo player(s) first, followed by the control decks, then recursion, then whatever else. Generals like Savra may have to climb in priority as needed.
That’s the foundation of piloting the deck, and most of the Gruul variants out there. There is more, but like anything, it takes personal experience to understand the inner-workings and intricacies. Like the individual cards, I’ll attempt to answer any questions regarding play as well.
Thanks for reading- McDeity.
Sylvan Primordial and Primeval Titan are banned, I thought they were at the time this was written also...