Taking some inspiration from ancient world legends, I thought some gods and hydras could form the seed for a fun Gruul deck. The below decklist is the result.
This Xenagos hydra-themed deck is pretty closely themed for Gruul and the backstory for Xenagos (except that a couple other Gruul gods joined the party for S&Gs.) It's designed for early/mid game destruction of resources such as non-basic lands, creatures, artifacts, and enchantments while ramping so I have time to set up my hydras for late game. I kept my land base to all but two basic lands so that when a card like Ruination hits the table, it doesn't hammer me. I would have gone all basic, but the extra two sources of trample are too useful for the hydras.
Now, I know my lands are too low of count for most people's preference and I'm very happy with the actual non-land card slots for my group's play level (meaning not optimized to any real degree) because this list meshes really, really well in gameplay. I'll make adjustment when I see problems in real play, which will probably be at least four more basic lands since I have some easy slots to shoehorn them into. So, this isn't a "fix my deck" posting. Also, I'm not willing to spend major $$$ on goodstuff.dec selections beyond what I already have. I assure you they are not needed for playing in my group.
But, if you have a fun, non-spendy card idea that will fit the theme that I didn't think of, I'M. ALL. EARS. Thanks!
Not sure about Ruric Thar, but Wave of Vitriol is sweeeeet! And Savage Ventmaw is bomb-diggety, too. And ya, I see what you did with Assault and Ventmaw...lol, love it. THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
This Xenagos hydra-themed deck is pretty closely themed for Gruul and the backstory for Xenagos (except that a couple other Gruul gods joined the party for S&Gs.) It's designed for early/mid game destruction of resources such as non-basic lands, creatures, artifacts, and enchantments while ramping so I have time to set up my hydras for late game. I kept my land base to all but two basic lands so that when a card like Ruination hits the table, it doesn't hammer me. I would have gone all basic, but the extra two sources of trample are too useful for the hydras.
Now, I know my lands are too low of count for most people's preference and I'm very happy with the actual non-land card slots for my group's play level (meaning not optimized to any real degree) because this list meshes really, really well in gameplay. I'll make adjustment when I see problems in real play, which will probably be at least four more basic lands since I have some easy slots to shoehorn them into. So, this isn't a "fix my deck" posting. Also, I'm not willing to spend major $$$ on goodstuff.dec selections beyond what I already have. I assure you they are not needed for playing in my group.
But, if you have a fun, non-spendy card idea that will fit the theme that I didn't think of, I'M. ALL. EARS. Thanks!
1 Xenagos, God of Revels
Lands: (34)
16 Forest
16 Mountain
1 Skarrg, the Rage Pits
1 Kessig Wolf Run
Artifacts: (3)
1 Brittle Effigy
1 Duplicant
1 Spine of Ish Sah
Instants: (3)
1 Artifact Mutation
1 Arachnogenesis
1 Blastfire Bolt
Sorceries: (15)
1 Soul's Majesty
1 Shamanic Revelation
1 Hunter's Prowess
1 Hull Breach
1 Savage Twister
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Cultivate
1 Journey of Discovery
1 Decimate
1 Multani's Decree
1 Creeping Mold
1 Shatterstorm
1 Whirlwind
1 Primal Command
1 Turn to Slag
1 Nylea, God of the Hunt
1 Purphoros, God of the Forge
Non-Hydra Creatures: (16)
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Dawntreader Elk
1 Eternal Witness
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Yavimaya Elder
1 Borderland Ranger
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Civic Wayfinder
1 Taurean Mauler
1 Nullmage Shepherd
1 Oxidda Scrapmelter
1 Ondu Giant
1 Silklash Spider
1 Acidic Slime
1 Bane of Progress
1 Genesis
Hydras: (26)
1 Feral Hydra
1 Mistcutter Hydra
1 Protean Hydra
1 Apocalypse Hydra
1 Genesis Hydra
1 Hooded Hydra
1 Primordial Hydra
1 Rock Hydra
1 Savageborn Hydra
1 Vastwood Hydra
1 Lifeblood Hydra
1 Managorger Hydra
1 Scourge of Skola Vale
1 Polukranos, World Eater
1 Ulasht, the Hate Seed
1 Ancient Hydra
1 Heroes' Bane
1 Kalonian Hydra
1 Spitting Hydra
1 Sprouting Phytohydra
1 Hydra Broodmaster
1 Hydra Omnivore
1 Khalni Hydra
1 Nessian Wilds Ravager
1 Oran-Rief Hydra
1 Ulvenwald Hydra
If there is a card you should spend money on it's Aggravated Assault; works wonders with Xenagod, especially with Savage Ventmaw. Another fun mana ramper is Rapacious One.
With your low non-creature count, perhaps Ruric Thar, the Unbowed?
Mid-Tier:
Filthy Casual: WUBRG Jodah WUBRG WUBRG Fatties WUBRG
Not sure about Ruric Thar, but Wave of Vitriol is sweeeeet! And Savage Ventmaw is bomb-diggety, too. And ya, I see what you did with Assault and Ventmaw...lol, love it. THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.