MTG Salvation

This is the latest iteration of the deck. It'll be up to date with any changes I make.
(on TappedOut) (on DeckStats)

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I've created an aggro deck that translate damage to the opponent effectively. This began as a mana ramp deck before I understood that it uses LARGE monsters. The largest monster in this deck is 5 mana, and the mana curve for creatures peaks at 3 mana, so I've tried to create an aggro-ramp deck that I'd enjoy playing.

It still retains a minor ramp at 1 mana with Arbor Elf + Elvish Mystic, efficient monsters at 2 and 3 mana, and ends with Surrak, the Hunt Caller, Primal Rage and Aspect of hydra for quick and effective damage translation.

This deck isn't meant to be very optimized, just something that's fun to play and feels like a green deck.

Apart from general feedback, my main questions are,

1. Should I swap out Naturalize for Vines of Vastwood
2. Is the deck too 1 mana heavy? The creature curve plateaus at 3 mana, but the spell curve is mostly at a 1 mana.
3. Is the land generation OK for this deck? (23 Forest + Arbor Elf + Elvish Mystic)

Let me know what you think.

Since posting this, I've replaced Primal Rage with Canopy Cover, Aspect of Hydra with Vines of Vastwood, and have reworked the mana slightly. I'm pretty happy with how this looks now, but am still looking forward to any thoughts on either version of the deck

Unless you need the instant and surprise Naturalize, I'd rather go for something that can also be a threat, like Wickerbough Elder, Indrik Stomphowler, Conclave Naturalists, or if those are too high on the curve for you, Reclamation Sage. And if the instant surprise is essential, then you might still be better of with Krosan Grip.

You also may want your removal to be an instant, in which case, for just 1 mana more, you can upgrade Prey Upon to Pit Fight. Clear Shot or Rabid Bite can make it a one sided deal. Or Nature's Way, Epic Confrontation, or ... I guess, what I'm trying to say is, if you can afford to spend a little more mana on your removal, you should replace Prey Upon. I would also go with a full playset of your chosen removal.

Stomper Cub is inferior to a lot of comparable options, strictly inferior. Just look at Arborback Stomper, Molder Beast, or Tajuru Pathwarden. And those are just some nonrare options. If you look at rare and mythic, you can get things like Vorapede, Verdurous Gearhulk, Kodama of the North Tree, Deus of Calamity, Deity of Scars, etc. You may also consider Stampeding Elk Herd or Baru, Fist of Krosa as ways to grant trample.

You can also get some 5/5s for just four mana, like Polukranos, World Eater, Deadbridge Goliath, or the budget friendly Imperiosaur, since you're only playing basics so far. (In that case, Arbor Elf becomes better than Elvish Mystic.)

The biggest problem you'll likely face is running out of cards. Harmonize is a very good green card draw effect. Try to find room for at least three copies. You won't regret it.

Canopy Cover is a weak card, and it suffers from the age old aura drawback, in that removing the target in response will also remove the aura, giving the opponent a 2-for-1 card advantage. It's almost always better to just accept the loss of a creature and replace it than to try to protect it. And if you really want the untargetable and unblockable effect, there is always Whispersilk Cloak.

Thanks for the suggestions Rezzahan. I've taken some time to go through them and see what would work for me. I've updated my deck with some of what you've written.

1. I've decided to keep Naturalize as it is, a lot of the problems I've had in my games are with enchantments or artifacts dealing a lot of hurt.

2. I've swapped Prey upon with Nature's way. Vigilance is amazing to have, letting me triple the damage output of the creature it's attached to (sorcery + attack + block).

3. Stomper cub is out, and Stampeding elk herd is in. Gotta love mass trample!

4. Canopy cover is definitely weak especially when Vines of Vastwood provides spell cancellation in a pinch. I've removed it and used that space for Harmonize.

Here's the latest deck,

Glad I could help.

Also

Stampeding

Elf

Herd

???

Thanks for getting that image stuck in my head. It gave me quite the laugh.

Haha, I can't not see a bunch of elves running scared from some big monster.

Also, the mana curve on the deck is much nicer now.

What are your thoughts on Hunter's Insight instead of Harmonize in this deck?

It can be great if the creature can connect consistently. A pretty big "if". I prefer card draw and effects in general to not rely on some major game developments going right (in this case a creature getting through and surviving potential instant removal to deal combat damage). I wanted to like Hunter's Insight when it was first printed, but it never really worked out for me. Harmonize, otoh, does great every time.

That makes sense, a lot can go wrong between attacking and actually dealing damage.

I'll order these cards next weekend and playtest it a bit, see how it goes.

I like Hunter's Prowess much more than Hunter's Insight. The +3/+3 and trample helps ensure your big dumb green beast will deal combat damage to the opponent. You can draw many cards off it. Opponent will probably chump block or double block just to reduce the number of cards you draw, so you can get board advantage from it too. Both open you up to 2-for-1s from removal, but the potential reward from Prowess connecting is so high that I think it's worth the risk.

EDIT: Of course you can't go wrong with Harmonize. It's consistently reliable. But if you wanted to play a Hunter-type effect, go with Prowess over Insight.

Hunter's prowess has too high a mana cost for this deck. It'll be a good card in a proper mana ramp deck.

Given the high level of Green devotion you run, you might want to consider Aspect of Hydra or Karametra's Acolyte. You're also a bit short on creature removal, so consider Pit Fight, Clear Shot, or Beast Within.