I built this deck knowing very little about its commander previous to the build. I had no idea what Ghave could do, and in all honesty tried my best to steer away from clear combo or infinite. I tried my best, but he is a degenerate beast. I still haven't added anything to this deck with the intentions of going infinite, but I know for a fact that he still can with the list as it stands. I've identified at least one or two combos, but I've come to the conclusion that it can't be helped running Ghave.
I've tried to make this quite an aggressive build, insofar as getting Ghave on early, and him hitting hard. There's less of a focus on attrition or sacrifice than I've seen in some builds, I have several decks that cover that area in other ways and I'm happy with that. The idea here is to ramp early, ramp hard, and get the mana and tokens flowing. From then go wide or go big, or sit back and watch the resources swell and bide your time. This deck has some degree of resilience, and that's what I've aimed for initially. It's not quite a pillow fort, but it is reasonably indomitable.
I'd be interested in feedback if there are any suggestions, I know this Ghave is not insanely well tuned to the levels he can be. I'm not interested in having a super competitive deck, but I am interested in avenues I've not thought of yet. Feel free to comment.
Tracked down a copy of Bloodspore Thrinax which takes Sunscorch Regent's place. I'm loath to lose some of the evasion the regent gave me, but the explosive value of the thrinax can't be ignored.
Aether Revolt has not really yielded a lot for this deck. The one thing I feel could make a good addition is Metallic Mimic. Naming saproling allows Ghave to double his yield each time I sac a counter from him, same for Mycoloth. Not sure if it does anything infinite per se, but could be a solid add nonetheless.
I've heavily played combo Ghave for about 3-4 years now, and I tend to fall back on fair Ghave when my plans are stopped, so I have some pretty solid card advice for you.
Seedborn Muse is probably one of the best cards you can run for fair Ghave. A source of counters, like Champion of Lambholt or something, leads to ridiculous board states after your opponent's turns. It's kind of expensive, but definitely among the best cards you could run as it currently outperforms your entire 6cmc grouping of cards.
Triskelion is really weak without Mikaeus. Maybe replace it with Walking Ballista or just eliminate it entirely?
Devoted Druid > Druids' Repository. Repository is meh anyway, but Devoted Druid enables third turn Ghave assuming you hit all 3 land drops that turn. The -1/-1 counters are removed by +1/+1 counters, so you never really have to worry about it dying (it's simply a Gyre Sage that can tap more than once per turn). Also... there is the ability for it to produce infinite mana with Cathars' Crusade, but that's not the primary reason to run it.
Karmic Guide and Reveillark are the best options for graveyard recursion. I've played them for years over Twilight Shepherd and Champion of Stray Souls. I also run Saffi Eriksdotter. They enable some of the most degenerate board states the deck can provide and it's always great to be able to look your opponents in the eyes and tell them that their sweepers or removal don't matter at all because everything you had is coming right back.
Perilous Forays is a card that I strongly feel doesn't belong here. If you've already got 5 mana then you're already pretty well off. Something like Eldrazi Monument would be a much better fit here and would help your end game a lot more.
Heartbeat of Spring is rough. Wouldn't you rather run something like Solemn Simulacrum, Wood Elves, Farhaven Elf, Sakura-Tribe Elder, etc.? These cards at least don't give your opponents a significant boost in mana production as well. Like, I get that Ghave is a mana hungry deck, especially when played fairly, but giving your opponents free gas is really, really rough, especially when fair Ghave creates a board state that is harder and harder to protect the more mana your opponents have.
Anyway, that's all I've got for now. I've got some more ideas but it's better to see whether you even like these suggestions or not.
I've heavily played combo Ghave for about 3-4 years now, and I tend to fall back on fair Ghave when my plans are stopped, so I have some pretty solid card advice for you.
Seedborn Muse is probably one of the best cards you can run for fair Ghave. A source of counters, like Champion of Lambholt or something, leads to ridiculous board states after your opponent's turns. It's kind of expensive, but definitely among the best cards you could run as it currently outperforms your entire 6cmc grouping of cards.
Triskelion is really weak without Mikaeus. Maybe replace it with Walking Ballista or just eliminate it entirely?
Devoted Druid > Druids' Repository. Repository is meh anyway, but Devoted Druid enables third turn Ghave assuming you hit all 3 land drops that turn. The -1/-1 counters are removed by +1/+1 counters, so you never really have to worry about it dying (it's simply a Gyre Sage that can tap more than once per turn). Also... there is the ability for it to produce infinite mana with Cathars' Crusade, but that's not the primary reason to run it.
Karmic Guide and Reveillark are the best options for graveyard recursion. I've played them for years over Twilight Shepherd and Champion of Stray Souls. I also run Saffi Eriksdotter. They enable some of the most degenerate board states the deck can provide and it's always great to be able to look your opponents in the eyes and tell them that their sweepers or removal don't matter at all because everything you had is coming right back.
Perilous Forays is a card that I strongly feel doesn't belong here. If you've already got 5 mana then you're already pretty well off. Something like Eldrazi Monument would be a much better fit here and would help your end game a lot more.
Heartbeat of Spring is rough. Wouldn't you rather run something like Solemn Simulacrum, Wood Elves, Farhaven Elf, Sakura-Tribe Elder, etc.? These cards at least don't give your opponents a significant boost in mana production as well. Like, I get that Ghave is a mana hungry deck, especially when played fairly, but giving your opponents free gas is really, really rough, especially when fair Ghave creates a board state that is harder and harder to protect the more mana your opponents have.
Anyway, that's all I've got for now. I've got some more ideas but it's better to see whether you even like these suggestions or not.
Thanks for the feedback! I'm always happy to receive suggestions, so if you have more, fire away.
Seedborn muse, I get the value, but I don't have that sort of money.
Walking Ballista seems weak in it's own way, I'd rather just eliminate the Trike and put a better card in.
I have a Devoted Druid somewhere. The repository was really just there for early gas. The druid is better, I agree.
I dont have spare copies of Karmic Guide or Reveillark unfortunately. Tbh the champion is as much a sac outlet as anything. And the fact that stuff has to die to recur other stuff ties in well with Reyhan. The shepherd I'd look at switching if the right choice came along. Saffi would be it if I had a copy.
Perilous Forays is good ramp, but i can see where you're coming from. Earlier options for ramp are better, and that's where heartbeat of spring came from. I'd be happy to take suggestions in either of these spots. I am limited in what I can spend, but I'd definitely be interested in alternatives if you have more suggestions.
Perilous Forays is good ramp, but i can see where you're coming from. Earlier options for ramp are better, and that's where heartbeat of spring came from. I'd be happy to take suggestions in either of these spots. I am limited in what I can spend, but I'd definitely be interested in alternatives if you have more suggestions.
My apologies; I wasn't aware Saffi Eriksdotter jumped up in price. I'm imagining it's because of Aether Revolt's Renegade Rallier, but it is unfortunate since that's several times its original price.
As for Perilous Forays and Heartbeat of Spring, you could easily utilize Sakura-Tribe Elder, Solemn Simulacrum (cheaper than Forays and just as easily abused), Wood Elves, Farhaven Elf (since you don't have Temple Garden or Overgrown Tomb), Skyshroud Claim (still cheaper than Forays and gets you up to six). The general thing is that it may be well better to focus on cheaper, earlier ramp that allows an early Ghave, Cathars' Crusade, etc., rather than a spell that competes with him in mana cost and is really just win-more. For example, Forays doesn't help you if you're already behind on board position. It's an okay sac outlet, but there are significantly strictly superior sac outlets you could use (huge fan of Evolutionary Leap if you're okay with mana-requiring sac outlets as it's generally pure card advantage in this deck). For mana ramp, it comes down way too late and only helps you when you're already at a strong board position- meaning if people are interfering with you, you're stuck without ramp instead of just casting a Wood Elves and getting a Forest and a body. Also, even the t3 ramp guys enable a fourth turn Ghave if you hit your land drops, so there's little reason not to avoid them.
As for Heartbeat, literally anything mentioned above over it. Sure, you can have 8 mana on turn 4 with it. However, you just spent your third turn casting it and gave each of your opponents between 3 and 4 free mana for their own third and fourth turns, letting them ramp past you because you spent your turn casting this card and they get to take advantage of it. I may be overthinking it, but letting a control or combo deck jump right up to turn 6 or 8 (at least) before while you just used your turn 3 just sounds terrible to me, so anything from Avacyn's Pilgrim to Sakura-Tribe Elder to Farhaven Elf would be flat-out better in that spot. I'm imagining your group plays without Sol Rings so that's off the table, but still, any of the above would be nice without helping your opponents to boot.
Last, Eldrazi Monument would still be a good choice here as it makes it much more difficult to eliminate your army when you finally create one. If you're looking to replace Trike, I see no reason to avoid a card that gives all of your creatures +1/+1, flying, and indestructible for what is essentially 1 mana per turn.
Edit: I just checked the price of Burgeoning. You should totally run one while they're cheap from the Commander 16 reprint. $3 and is probably among the better ramp options for you since you have 38 lands since you can untap with 3-4 mana on turn 2, and when your draw engines get going, it'll be like you never took Perilous Forays out of the deck. I'll bring up draw engines next time.
Tbh I wasn't aware she had jumped. I just don't have a copy, that's all that's holding me from rolling Saffi.
As it turns out, I don't have Devoted Druid. I was thinking of wickerbough elder. It's a shame, cause that guy's nuts in here. I have a spare wood elves, sakura, farhaven, probably wood elves will get the nod.
Eldrazi Monument is unfortunately in use somewhere else. It may make the move, but not right now. I only have one.
Burgeoning I have a copy of in here. It's insanely good. I made sure to pick up at least 2 in the recent reprints, I'd grab more if they became available.
I'll allow myself Mike, but not Trike too. Mike is good enough on his own. I may have found a copy of Saffi Eriksdotter and Reveillark to add too, that's a WIP. If I can get them, I'll pretty much be happy with the recursion side of things.
Hopefully this will all help to iron out the early curve, they all seem good adds. It galled me to remove the Ashnod's Altar but Phyrexian Altar is a next best option with plenty of gas, and Ahsnod's was needed elsewhere. Still very much a WIP, I have my eye on a Reveillark and I'm in the process of tracking down Saffi Eriksdotter, then maybe looking at adding some persist. Woodfall Primus and Puppeteer Clique would go crazy here.
Because you're playing around with counters and tokens the white mikaeus would be a pretty good add. Also if you have the funds doubling season. Another one that I like to use pretty heavily is daghatar, the adamant. Yes he's a mana sink but it's still funny especially against other counter based strategies. I would dump triskelion for a walking ballista and add a basilisk collar to combo with it. Also maybe some outlast cards. They work extremely well with counters. Also if you find yourself playing a bunch of humans Thalia's lieutenant might be worth considering. My atraxa deck is very similar but I don't have the funds for a doubling season so I make do with what I have. Also you need a solid sweeper so a wrath or damnation would be a pretty solid add to the deck. Also more spot removal.
Because you're playing around with counters and tokens the white mikaeus would be a pretty good add. Also if you have the funds doubling season. Another one that I like to use pretty heavily is daghatar, the adamant. Yes he's a mana sink but it's still funny especially against other counter based strategies. I would dump triskelion for a walking ballista and add a basilisk collar to combo with it. Also maybe some outlast cards. They work extremely well with counters. Also if you find yourself playing a bunch of humans Thalia's lieutenant might be worth considering. My atraxa deck is very similar but I don't have the funds for a doubling season so I make do with what I have. Also you need a solid sweeper so a wrath or damnation would be a pretty solid add to the deck. Also more spot removal.
Thanks for the update.
Triskelion shouldn't be on the list. I'll remove him if he is.
I kind of feel like Mikaeus, the Lunarch doubles up on Cathar's Crusade and as an enchantment, the crusade is much harder to remove.
I have used Daghatar the Adamant before, and I must say I much prefer Forgotten Ancient.
Unfortunately I have nowhere near the money needed for Doubling Season. I feel like Ghave is easy enough to abuse without it being an absolute necessity anyway. So it's not something I'm gunning for desperately.
I do need some sweepers in here, just a little low on decent options at present. Duneblast and Phyrexian Rebirth are in here, but they are expensive. I have a spare Vindicate and Utter End that should suffice for spot removal. Still, I'd prefer Woodfall Primus.
I feel like the best place to work on in this deck at present is draw options. I'm definitely open to suggestions there.
Fecundity is a good draw option, although it has the drawback of being symmetrical. Grim Haruspex and Harvester of Souls aren't, but have the downside that they don't proc off of tokens. Smothering Abomination could be useful, but can come back to bite you in the ass.
Yeah I'd love another copy of lantern. I already run ffecundity but I have been wondering if elemental bond would work the way I'd hope for. Less symmetrical and easier to abuse. I'm also adding sylvan library very soon. Which should help nicely.
For draw options harmonize is a must add for any deck running green. I agree with skios on lantern. It needs to be in any deck running 3 or more colors. Another one I forgot about that combos well with spot removal and something like languish is vulturous zombie. Languish actually might not be a bad sweeper. It may not wipe the board but it does give everything -4/-4 until eot. If you want dorks avacyn's pilgrim might be a solid option as well as cultivator and the birds. As far as lands are concerned the shocks are a good option and I like the common zendikar lands. They etb tapped but they're solid. The white one gains you 2 life. The black makes them lose a life. And the green gives target creature +1/+1 until eot. They're fun options.
I think with draw I'm more interested in sustained gas through a longer game. Put it this way: if I had a Phyrexian Arena or Necropotence spare, it would be in here. I'm pretty sure Elemental Bond does what I'd like it to, and Sylvan Library will come in too as I'm pulling apart a Rashmi deck in the next few days so I'll probably playtest and see if I need more.
Ramp wise, I don't really like dorks, I prefer ramp. Especially with a mild element of recursion. I feel like with Burgeoning, Sakura-tribe Elder, Wood Elves, so on and so forth, my mana base is probably ok. Colour fixing, well maybe there could be work to be done. I run cryptolith rite to help that, and I may add Chromatic Lantern if or when I get one.
I like Languish, but I think if I'm going for utility, Black Sun's Zenith probably suits better as I can scale to ensure my creatures survive and other's don't. The shuffle clause is excellent too.
Land base is a work in progress here. Definitely don't have the money to track down shocks right now, although they are on the list as they are searchable with rampant growth and the ilk. The BFZ duals for the same reason; I have Canopy Vista, and if enemy duals of the same type are ever on the way I'd pick up the golgari version. I won't be picking up the ones that only tap for one relevant colour though; I have too many decks to justify that sort of expense.
In: Sylvan Library - no brainer Elemental Bond - I'd prefer not to share, and checking the list most of my creatures will trigger this. Mortify - spot removal Mosswort Bridge - This will trigger so easily, I don't know why I hadn't thought of it before. Yavimaya Elder - Probably least easy about this add. Great value, but it's not a direct to battlefield ramp, won't draw from Bond, and could be good but could be bad. Playtest will confirm.
Shocks are all surprisingly cheap. The most expensive one I think is only $10-$12. Another dual land I'd suggest is the temples. Scry can potentially save you a lot of heartache on your draws. Conveniently with the temples there is a b/w a b/g and a g/w one. They're all no more than about $3 each. The ones you're looking for are no more than $2 each. I think I would've kept abzan charm in just for the options. All of the charms are designed for situational use. Because of the counters thing abzan ascendancy might be a decent option. A counter on etb and when a creature dies you get a token with evasion. Bolster is a good mechanic in a deck like this. Same with outlast. I prefer an even mix of both so you can buff everyone with counters and they all get a combat keyword from the outlast ability.
Shocks are all surprisingly cheap. The most expensive one I think is only $10-$12. Another dual land I'd suggest is the temples. Scry can potentially save you a lot of heartache on your draws. Conveniently with the temples there is a b/w a b/g and a g/w one. They're all no more than about $3 each. The ones you're looking for are no more than $2 each. I think I would've kept abzan charm in just for the options. All of the charms are designed for situational use. Because of the counters thing abzan ascendancy might be a decent option. A counter on etb and when a creature dies you get a token with evasion. Bolster is a good mechanic in a deck like this. Same with outlast. I prefer an even mix of both so you can buff everyone with counters and they all get a combat keyword from the outlast ability.
Abzan charm has utility, yes, but even then I can only reliably see myself using the first mode repeatedly. I'd rather pay 3 for Phyrexian Arena and get continued draw, and I have more efficient ways of putting +1/+1 counters on my creatures.
The temples are good. Pretty sure I have at least one kicking about. Shocks are WIP, maybe later on. Springing $30 on my Kozilek list this weekend, so Ghave is sort of on the backburner till that's done.
Abzan Ascendancy...yeah I get why, I just don't think it's awesome value. I have some evasion with Hangarback Walker, but even then I'd rather play Gravity Well and force fliers to hit my main forces and suffer for it. With things like Reyhan, last of the Abzan and Mikaeus the Unhallowed I even stand to benefit from my own creatures dying. I've been tossing up Gravity Wellfor a while, and I may yet take the leap.
I like outlast, and can see Herald of Anafenza and Mer-Ek Nightblade going in. Maybe Longshot Squad. All of them I can recur in one way or another, and they add to the team. The outlast mechanic is still slower and less efficient than I would really like though. Of those three, probably nightblade is the surest bet.
I felt kind of ripped off by the bolster mechanic, and haven't really found anything that holds its place here in that respect. I did toss up adding Sunbringer's Touch at one point, but I don't feel like I need it at this point.
I must admit, I underestimated Mikaeus, the Lunarch. He probably needs to be in here. Really cheap pump is not a bad thing at all. He will probably replace Necrotic Ooze, which I initially really liked here, but it now has a total of 6 cards it can interact with so doesn't really fit.
Out: Winding Constrictor - The added risk of infect is not major but enough to give me pause. It's a double up from Hardened Scales which is harder to remove anyway Cryptolith Rite - I'm unsure whether this was a good idea or not. Kodama's Reach - Similarly uncertain.
The tracker is good value, but it feels unnecessary here. I can put that 2C to better use with Fertilid and Realm Seekers. Whereas Norn is a pseudo board wipe, buffer and potential win con with enough of a swarm.
Played 1v1 against Zur the Enchanter yesterday, and realised I will probably need more enchantment removal. This deck is incredibly resilient; it was only through poor timing I lost, and I really shouldn't have. But things like oblivion ring and grasp of fate can be a bit of a stall out without aura shards or shinewend.
Two words: Geralf's Messenger. While it is mana-intensive, it allows you to pay 2 mana to make an opponent lose 2 life. Along with some of your other synergies, it means you can get a lot more out of that 2 mana.
Two words: Geralf's Messenger. While it is mana-intensive, it allows you to pay 2 mana to make an opponent lose 2 life. Along with some of your other synergies, it means you can get a lot more out of that 2 mana.
It's a bit TOO easy to infinite. I know it's a staple here, I guess it just sticks in my throat to add combo pieces with the intention of immediate degeneracy. That might seem hypocritical given the rest of the list (it's hard to avoid combo with Ghave) but I just can't do it. I'm trying for extreme resiliency in the deck rather than closing out games immediately.
Out: Yavimaya Elder - It's a good card that doesn't really fit in here. Phyrexian Rebirth - Of limited use, a huge token without evasion is still just a huge token. Eldrazi Monument - I know its a wincon, it just isn't as interactive or fun as I'd like. I don't like winning easy. It might come back, it might not.
I've tried to make this quite an aggressive build, insofar as getting Ghave on early, and him hitting hard. There's less of a focus on attrition or sacrifice than I've seen in some builds, I have several decks that cover that area in other ways and I'm happy with that. The idea here is to ramp early, ramp hard, and get the mana and tokens flowing. From then go wide or go big, or sit back and watch the resources swell and bide your time. This deck has some degree of resilience, and that's what I've aimed for initially. It's not quite a pillow fort, but it is reasonably indomitable.
I'd be interested in feedback if there are any suggestions, I know this Ghave is not insanely well tuned to the levels he can be. I'm not interested in having a super competitive deck, but I am interested in avenues I've not thought of yet. Feel free to comment.
5 Ghave, Guru of Spores
Creatures
1 Elves of Deep Shadow
1 Avacyn's Pilgrim
1 Carrion Feeder
1 Caustic Caterpillar
1 Viscera Seer
2 Lotus Cobra
2 Sakura-tribe Elder
2 Saffi Eriksdotter
2 Devoted Druid
2 Blood Artist
2 Zulaport Cutthroat
3 Pawn of Ulamog
3 Pious Evangel
3 Farhaven Elf
3 Eternal Witness
3 Champion of Lambholt
3 Wood Elves
3 Mentor of the Meek
4 Solemn Simulacrum
4 Spike Weaver
4 Necrotic Ooze
4 Smothering Abomination
4 Meren of Clan Nel Toth
5 Archon of Justice
5 Juniper Order Ranger
5 Puppeteer Clique
5 Reveillark
5 Karmic Guide
5 Ghoulcaller Gisa
5 Phyrexian Delver
5 Seedborn Muse
6 Sun Titan
6 Thunderfoot Baloth
7 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
8 Ashen Rider
1 Sol Ring
1 Skullclamp
3 Ashnod's Altar
Enchantments
1 Burgeoning
2 Sylvan Library
3 Beastmaster Ascension
3 Awakening Zone
3 Aura Shards
4 Path of Discovery
4 Deathreap Ritual
4 Greater Good
4 Glare of Subdual
4 Frontier Siege
5 Cathar's Crusade
5 Dictate of Erebos
5 Mirari's Wake
Instants
1 Swords to Plowshares
3 Vindicate
3 Anguished Unmaking
4 Faith's Reward
4 Utter End
Sorceries
3 Cultivate
3 Primal Growth
4 Skyshroud Claim
5 Living Death
7 Tooth and Nail
Land
1 Sunpetal Grove
1 Vault of the Archangel
1 Grim Backwoods
1 Springjack Pasture
1 Llanowar Wastes
1 Forge of Heroes
1 Tainted Field
1 Fortified Village
1 Caves of Koilos
1 Temple of Malady
1 Canopy Vista
1 Concealed Courtyard
1 Tainted Wood
1 Temple of the False God
1 Mosswort Bridge
1 Command Tower
7 Plains
6 Swamp
9 Forest
Maybe's: Gravity Well, Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest, persist cards?
Definite Wants: Overgrown Tomb, Temple Garden.
Feel free to suggest or comment. Nothing is sacred here if there's a better option.
Thanks!
Out: Skeletal Vampire
Small counter theme upgrade. +1 counter isn't perfect, but it's good value for 2 mana.
Seedborn Muse is probably one of the best cards you can run for fair Ghave. A source of counters, like Champion of Lambholt or something, leads to ridiculous board states after your opponent's turns. It's kind of expensive, but definitely among the best cards you could run as it currently outperforms your entire 6cmc grouping of cards.
Triskelion is really weak without Mikaeus. Maybe replace it with Walking Ballista or just eliminate it entirely?
Devoted Druid > Druids' Repository. Repository is meh anyway, but Devoted Druid enables third turn Ghave assuming you hit all 3 land drops that turn. The -1/-1 counters are removed by +1/+1 counters, so you never really have to worry about it dying (it's simply a Gyre Sage that can tap more than once per turn). Also... there is the ability for it to produce infinite mana with Cathars' Crusade, but that's not the primary reason to run it.
Karmic Guide and Reveillark are the best options for graveyard recursion. I've played them for years over Twilight Shepherd and Champion of Stray Souls. I also run Saffi Eriksdotter. They enable some of the most degenerate board states the deck can provide and it's always great to be able to look your opponents in the eyes and tell them that their sweepers or removal don't matter at all because everything you had is coming right back.
Perilous Forays is a card that I strongly feel doesn't belong here. If you've already got 5 mana then you're already pretty well off. Something like Eldrazi Monument would be a much better fit here and would help your end game a lot more.
Heartbeat of Spring is rough. Wouldn't you rather run something like Solemn Simulacrum, Wood Elves, Farhaven Elf, Sakura-Tribe Elder, etc.? These cards at least don't give your opponents a significant boost in mana production as well. Like, I get that Ghave is a mana hungry deck, especially when played fairly, but giving your opponents free gas is really, really rough, especially when fair Ghave creates a board state that is harder and harder to protect the more mana your opponents have.
Anyway, that's all I've got for now. I've got some more ideas but it's better to see whether you even like these suggestions or not.
Sig and Avatar drawn by me.
Thanks for the feedback! I'm always happy to receive suggestions, so if you have more, fire away.
Seedborn muse, I get the value, but I don't have that sort of money.
Walking Ballista seems weak in it's own way, I'd rather just eliminate the Trike and put a better card in.
I have a Devoted Druid somewhere. The repository was really just there for early gas. The druid is better, I agree.
I dont have spare copies of Karmic Guide or Reveillark unfortunately. Tbh the champion is as much a sac outlet as anything. And the fact that stuff has to die to recur other stuff ties in well with Reyhan. The shepherd I'd look at switching if the right choice came along. Saffi would be it if I had a copy.
Perilous Forays is good ramp, but i can see where you're coming from. Earlier options for ramp are better, and that's where heartbeat of spring came from. I'd be happy to take suggestions in either of these spots. I am limited in what I can spend, but I'd definitely be interested in alternatives if you have more suggestions.
My apologies; I wasn't aware Saffi Eriksdotter jumped up in price. I'm imagining it's because of Aether Revolt's Renegade Rallier, but it is unfortunate since that's several times its original price.
As for Perilous Forays and Heartbeat of Spring, you could easily utilize Sakura-Tribe Elder, Solemn Simulacrum (cheaper than Forays and just as easily abused), Wood Elves, Farhaven Elf (since you don't have Temple Garden or Overgrown Tomb), Skyshroud Claim (still cheaper than Forays and gets you up to six). The general thing is that it may be well better to focus on cheaper, earlier ramp that allows an early Ghave, Cathars' Crusade, etc., rather than a spell that competes with him in mana cost and is really just win-more. For example, Forays doesn't help you if you're already behind on board position. It's an okay sac outlet, but there are significantly strictly superior sac outlets you could use (huge fan of Evolutionary Leap if you're okay with mana-requiring sac outlets as it's generally pure card advantage in this deck). For mana ramp, it comes down way too late and only helps you when you're already at a strong board position- meaning if people are interfering with you, you're stuck without ramp instead of just casting a Wood Elves and getting a Forest and a body. Also, even the t3 ramp guys enable a fourth turn Ghave if you hit your land drops, so there's little reason not to avoid them.
As for Heartbeat, literally anything mentioned above over it. Sure, you can have 8 mana on turn 4 with it. However, you just spent your third turn casting it and gave each of your opponents between 3 and 4 free mana for their own third and fourth turns, letting them ramp past you because you spent your turn casting this card and they get to take advantage of it. I may be overthinking it, but letting a control or combo deck jump right up to turn 6 or 8 (at least) before while you just used your turn 3 just sounds terrible to me, so anything from Avacyn's Pilgrim to Sakura-Tribe Elder to Farhaven Elf would be flat-out better in that spot. I'm imagining your group plays without Sol Rings so that's off the table, but still, any of the above would be nice without helping your opponents to boot.
Last, Eldrazi Monument would still be a good choice here as it makes it much more difficult to eliminate your army when you finally create one. If you're looking to replace Trike, I see no reason to avoid a card that gives all of your creatures +1/+1, flying, and indestructible for what is essentially 1 mana per turn.
Edit: I just checked the price of Burgeoning. You should totally run one while they're cheap from the Commander 16 reprint. $3 and is probably among the better ramp options for you since you have 38 lands since you can untap with 3-4 mana on turn 2, and when your draw engines get going, it'll be like you never took Perilous Forays out of the deck. I'll bring up draw engines next time.
Sig and Avatar drawn by me.
As it turns out, I don't have Devoted Druid. I was thinking of wickerbough elder. It's a shame, cause that guy's nuts in here. I have a spare wood elves, sakura, farhaven, probably wood elves will get the nod.
Eldrazi Monument is unfortunately in use somewhere else. It may make the move, but not right now. I only have one.
Burgeoning I have a copy of in here. It's insanely good. I made sure to pick up at least 2 in the recent reprints, I'd grab more if they became available.
In:
Hunting Grounds
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
Karmic Guide
Wood Elves
Out:
Triskelion
Twilight Shepherd
Druid's Repository
Mentor of the Meek
I'll allow myself Mike, but not Trike too. Mike is good enough on his own. I may have found a copy of Saffi Eriksdotter and Reveillark to add too, that's a WIP. If I can get them, I'll pretty much be happy with the recursion side of things.
Wood elves I'm sort of happy with, I'm thinking of adding Sakura-Tribe Elder and Viridian emissary as early sac-ramp outlets. Would help me playing into Hunting Grounds, which on inital add, feels like a good add.
As always, open to suggestions.
In:
Sakura-tribe Elder
Viridian Emissary
Phyrexian Altar
Crop Rotation
Out:
Mortify
Heartbeat of Spring
Ashnod's Altar
Perilous Forays
Hopefully this will all help to iron out the early curve, they all seem good adds. It galled me to remove the Ashnod's Altar but Phyrexian Altar is a next best option with plenty of gas, and Ahsnod's was needed elsewhere. Still very much a WIP, I have my eye on a Reveillark and I'm in the process of tracking down Saffi Eriksdotter, then maybe looking at adding some persist. Woodfall Primus and Puppeteer Clique would go crazy here.
Thanks for the update.
Triskelion shouldn't be on the list. I'll remove him if he is.
I kind of feel like Mikaeus, the Lunarch doubles up on Cathar's Crusade and as an enchantment, the crusade is much harder to remove.
I have used Daghatar the Adamant before, and I must say I much prefer Forgotten Ancient.
Unfortunately I have nowhere near the money needed for Doubling Season. I feel like Ghave is easy enough to abuse without it being an absolute necessity anyway. So it's not something I'm gunning for desperately.
I do need some sweepers in here, just a little low on decent options at present. Duneblast and Phyrexian Rebirth are in here, but they are expensive. I have a spare Vindicate and Utter End that should suffice for spot removal. Still, I'd prefer Woodfall Primus.
I feel like the best place to work on in this deck at present is draw options. I'm definitely open to suggestions there.
I'd also look into more ramp options that tap for non-green mana. Bloom Tender is probably out of your budget range, but Birds of Paradise hopefully isn't. Utopia Mycon also plays well with Ghave. There's also options like Avacyn's Pilgrim and Deathcap Cultivator. Chromatic Lantern is also a must-have for any three colour deck.
Ramp wise, I don't really like dorks, I prefer ramp. Especially with a mild element of recursion. I feel like with Burgeoning, Sakura-tribe Elder, Wood Elves, so on and so forth, my mana base is probably ok. Colour fixing, well maybe there could be work to be done. I run cryptolith rite to help that, and I may add Chromatic Lantern if or when I get one.
I like Languish, but I think if I'm going for utility, Black Sun's Zenith probably suits better as I can scale to ensure my creatures survive and other's don't. The shuffle clause is excellent too.
Land base is a work in progress here. Definitely don't have the money to track down shocks right now, although they are on the list as they are searchable with rampant growth and the ilk. The BFZ duals for the same reason; I have Canopy Vista, and if enemy duals of the same type are ever on the way I'd pick up the golgari version. I won't be picking up the ones that only tap for one relevant colour though; I have too many decks to justify that sort of expense.
In:
Sylvan Library - no brainer
Elemental Bond - I'd prefer not to share, and checking the list most of my creatures will trigger this.
Mortify - spot removal
Mosswort Bridge - This will trigger so easily, I don't know why I hadn't thought of it before.
Yavimaya Elder - Probably least easy about this add. Great value, but it's not a direct to battlefield ramp, won't draw from Bond, and could be good but could be bad. Playtest will confirm.
Out:
Hazardous Conditions - doesn't hit enough other than weenies/tokens.
Fecundity - I don't want to share.
Abzan Charm - Utility, yes, but limited utility.
Avatar of the Resolute - Lots of counters, but he does nothing with them. Fatty is just a fatty.
Forest
Still want to add to recursion package with Saffi Eriksdotter and Reveillark. Just a matter of tracking them down. Devoted Druid would likely replace Yavimaya Elder if I can find a copy too.
Abzan charm has utility, yes, but even then I can only reliably see myself using the first mode repeatedly. I'd rather pay 3 for Phyrexian Arena and get continued draw, and I have more efficient ways of putting +1/+1 counters on my creatures.
The temples are good. Pretty sure I have at least one kicking about. Shocks are WIP, maybe later on. Springing $30 on my Kozilek list this weekend, so Ghave is sort of on the backburner till that's done.
Abzan Ascendancy...yeah I get why, I just don't think it's awesome value. I have some evasion with Hangarback Walker, but even then I'd rather play Gravity Well and force fliers to hit my main forces and suffer for it. With things like Reyhan, last of the Abzan and Mikaeus the Unhallowed I even stand to benefit from my own creatures dying. I've been tossing up Gravity Wellfor a while, and I may yet take the leap.
I like outlast, and can see Herald of Anafenza and Mer-Ek Nightblade going in. Maybe Longshot Squad. All of them I can recur in one way or another, and they add to the team. The outlast mechanic is still slower and less efficient than I would really like though. Of those three, probably nightblade is the surest bet.
I felt kind of ripped off by the bolster mechanic, and haven't really found anything that holds its place here in that respect. I did toss up adding Sunbringer's Touch at one point, but I don't feel like I need it at this point.
I must admit, I underestimated Mikaeus, the Lunarch. He probably needs to be in here. Really cheap pump is not a bad thing at all. He will probably replace Necrotic Ooze, which I initially really liked here, but it now has a total of 6 cards it can interact with so doesn't really fit.
In:
Puppeteer Clique - no question it's a good add
Deathreap Ritual - I can abuse the hell out of this
Gravity Well - Time will tell
Out:
Winding Constrictor - The added risk of infect is not major but enough to give me pause. It's a double up from Hardened Scales which is harder to remove anyway
Cryptolith Rite - I'm unsure whether this was a good idea or not.
Kodama's Reach - Similarly uncertain.
In
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Out
Tireless Tracker
The tracker is good value, but it feels unnecessary here. I can put that 2C to better use with Fertilid and Realm Seekers. Whereas Norn is a pseudo board wipe, buffer and potential win con with enough of a swarm.
Played 1v1 against Zur the Enchanter yesterday, and realised I will probably need more enchantment removal. This deck is incredibly resilient; it was only through poor timing I lost, and I really shouldn't have. But things like oblivion ring and grasp of fate can be a bit of a stall out without aura shards or shinewend.
It's a bit TOO easy to infinite. I know it's a staple here, I guess it just sticks in my throat to add combo pieces with the intention of immediate degeneracy. That might seem hypocritical given the rest of the list (it's hard to avoid combo with Ghave) but I just can't do it. I'm trying for extreme resiliency in the deck rather than closing out games immediately.
In:
Krosan Grip
Out:
Viridan Emissary
I have plenty of ramp here and never want for mana, so the emissary was an easy swap out.
Cryptolith Rite - Giving it another go. In conjunction with:
Harvest Season - for super fast ramp.
Ahn-Crop Champion - it could be good, could be underwhelming. Fun to try anyway.
Out:
Yavimaya Elder - It's a good card that doesn't really fit in here.
Phyrexian Rebirth - Of limited use, a huge token without evasion is still just a huge token.
Eldrazi Monument - I know its a wincon, it just isn't as interactive or fun as I'd like. I don't like winning easy. It might come back, it might not.