This land makes only 1 extra Mana. With Garruk 2 Mana. A forrest with Utopia Sprawl makes more.
This is a good point. It may not be useful in enough scenarios to be included (and really is only super useful in creature-heavy builds of course). You have to:
(a) Have a creature, creatures, or creature ability
(b) Need the additional mana to make the trigger worth it.
(C) have the Castle in play.
BUT....it makes one extra mana at a pretty low cost to deck building. How often are we hurt by playing it over a Forest or other land? Seems like a tough card to gauge opportunity cost without actually playing it in interactive games.
And you don’t always have Utopia Sprawl. Redundancy can be important. Sometimes 1-2 mana is all you need to go from casting your 6, 7, or 8-drop drop or not casting it (almost time walking yourself). It is not a game changing land that will always be unreal; but it is a land that can be extremely important in limited scenarios with limited downside.
It’s no Nykthos; but I believe it has potential in creature-heavy builds. If you’re playing 3 colors or are really heavy into a second color; maybe not...but for someone like me that stays pretty close to mono-green....I think this is likely better than a 7th Forest.
** EDIT ** an Issue I just thought of...you can’t use the mana to re-trigger Land with Garruk early (as the 6-mana can’t trigger Land abilities)...you can with Nissa (as she makes it a creature)...but that could be a big strike against it.
Here is one random Example:
1. Tap 3 Forests and Castle for 4-G.
2. Untap a Forest and Castle with Garruk
3. Tap Forest for 5-G
4. Trigger Castle and cast Hornet Queen or Primeval Titan and a dork to overrun next turn, etc.
Sure. This is a remote scenario; but it can happen. Between Primeval Titan, Hornet Queen, and Craterhoof Behemoth; there are cards at each CMC which could benefit from 1 additional mana.
There are absolute downsides to not being a Forest for sure. It’s all about the opportunity cost.
1. Are the times where it is in your opening hand and you have no other Forest more prevalent than the times you trigger it?
2. How often is the additional 1-2 mana actually needed?
3. Would you be better off playing a different land (Blast Zone, Horizon Land, etc.)?
4. Does it hurt other interactions (like not being a Forest for Nissa Who Shakes the World, Utopia Sprawl, Arbor Elf, etc.)
These are all questions we get to answer in testing. Of course Once Upon a Time could help mitigate “only land in your opening hand” and/or “only this+ Nykthos in opening hand” issue(s)...and Nissa’s interaction with it basically negates it not being a Forest...so this is an EXTREMELY tight choice. definitely requires testing to see how it plays in real interactive games.
When I say a card has potential I mean it is worth testing. Not that it is a Devotion staple or auto-include (those tend to be pretty obvious and are exceedingly rare)...just that it is worth testing.
I do think even at only an additional 1-2 mana depending on the situation; this still may make the cut in mono-green creature-heavy lists.
**It also has me interested in what they have planned for Devotion in the next set **
Wolf / Garruk tribal looks super fun. Also worth noting that Oath of Gideon lets you ultimate both the new Garruk and Garruk Wildspeaker immediately after casting them. Abzan tokens/Walkers could be a thing.
This is a cool idea. I’m going to test this tonight (just my normal “core” but with some Oath of Gideon, 2-3 Garruk Huntsman, and maybe a Nissa Vital Force (as she ult’s immediately with Oath as well).
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Darn it! I was hoping for the GG creature to be a “etb draw a card” creature (I.e. a Devotion-pushed Elvish Visionary)...but it’s another Stompy-card. It looks like that is where they are headed with Green..more about pumping smaller creatures than ramp.
This could be interesting for my version of the deck. I'm creature heavy and my tutor spell is Summoner's Pact and it doesn't require mana ^^
I don't want it to ever come into play tapped though, so testing will be required.
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French Commander : Yisan Liliana Kytheon Kari Zev Grenzo Karlov Tajic Gitrog Prossh Turboramp Najeela Modern : Solemnity Prison Martyr Proc Devotion to Green 8 Whacks Eldrazi Processor Bogles Landfall Aggro Legacy : Goblins
This could be interesting for my version of the deck. I'm creature heavy and my tutor spell is Summoner's Pact and it doesn't require mana ^^
I don't want it to ever come into play tapped though, so testing will be required.
Yeah...this is the type of deck I was thinking it would be perfect in. Where having that extra one mana could make a turn. It may not be a big enough effect; but if it works well sometimes and doesn't cause any major downsides; then it Is probably worth it. It is absolutely a card that has to be tested to get a good feel for though.
The Great Henge is a lot of card It likely will end up being “win-more” but I do like that it pays the 2-green for itself and gains life (I learned with Hydroid Krasis how life gain could be very potent). Fun card nonetheless.
This far it looks like we won’t get much from Eldraine (I thought maybe because it was right before Theros we’d get a plant or two...a cool adamant spell/creature, etc.)....who knows. There’s still a lot left to spoil.
He said essentially the same thing I did. It is great for getting Primeval Titan out a turn earlier than you may have otherwise (and great in a creature heavy deck also playing Once Upon a Time).
He did make mention of Summoner's Pact as well @Semoreh
Below are some quotes from the article for those that don't read StarCity articles...he makes some of the points I made above...but is WAY better at it :
This land has very little downside and the advantage of casting Primeval Titan a turn early. If you've ever played a game with Primeval Titan, you know that casting it a turn early matters, a lot. As in, in Primeval Titan decks, most of the other cards in the deck are just there to shave a turn off when you get to cast your first Primeval Titan.
...If you imagine that for whatever reason, your ramp spells all cost two mana, and your plan is to play one on Turn 2 and one on Turn 3, then hit your fourth land drop and cast Primeval Titan, you might look at this and think, "I was already casting Primeval Titan on Turn 4, and this doesn't let me cast it on Turn 3, so this doesn't do anything." That's not how Magic works. Sometimes you only draw one ramp spell or only draw three lands, sometimes your opponent counters a ramp spell. Things don't always go according to plan. This land always gets you from four mana to six mana. It's always a ramp spell to cast Primeval Titan. Yes, there will occasionally be draws where that doesn't let you cast it a turn early, but most of the time, it will.
...If your deck plays Primeval Titan, it should be playing Castle Garenbrig. I don't care that it's not a Mountain and it doesn't give green mana on Turn 1, and I don't care that space for lands in Amulet Titan is tight. This will win you a lot of games by letting you cast Primeval Titan a turn earlier than you would otherwise be able to.
...When you have access to Castle Garenbrig, the target turn for casting Primeval Titan shifts from Turn 4 to Turn 3, and you don't have to jump through all the hoops of Amulet Titan. This is a strong case for using creatures to cast Primeval Titan. All you need is something as simple as two mana creatures living and drawing Castle Garenbrig, and you can cast Primeval Titan on Turn 3.
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We may finally have enough tools to become a Primeval Titan deck again. One of my pet peeves in the past was Devotion being a "Worse X" deck. We were a worse Karn deck than Tron...a worse Primeval Titan Deck than Amulet, etc.
Between Castle Garenbrig, Nykthos, and Garruk...we may now compete for the best Primeval Titan deck in Modern. At minimum we won't just be a "worse" Amulet Titan anymore.
As for the Great Henge, I feel the card is great. Gives you a draw engine the deck didn't have before. Transforms birds and elves into cantrips late game. I dig it
These days I don't have time to play modern, but I hope this leads to at least a few green devotion getting videos on Youtube. It's been a lot of time since there's been any activity around the archetype, sadly.
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French Commander : Yisan Liliana Kytheon Kari Zev Grenzo Karlov Tajic Gitrog Prossh Turboramp Najeela Modern : Solemnity Prison Martyr Proc Devotion to Green 8 Whacks Eldrazi Processor Bogles Landfall Aggro Legacy : Goblins
Ok, so I decided to see if Once Upon a Time could work in Devotion, because I think the card has a lot of potential, I just haven’t found the deck for it yet (haven’t put much thought into it). This deck is untested, I don’t get to play much magic these days.
I just added OUaT to the the Green Devotion combo-focused deck that prioritizes winning fast over consistency and value. This decklist is almost the same as Anthony Skrzypczak‘s decklist. For those that don’t know, he is one of the most successful Green Devotion pilots, I think the most successful, with a bunch of top 8’s and 16’s at big tournaments, SCG Classics and Opens. Unfortunately, I never went to many tournaments, and the few that I did go to I didn’t play Green Devotion.
His list has varied slightly, but he always plays Prime Time, which I cut because I am not a fan of it in Green Devotion, I think there are better options. I replaced it with Wolfbriar Elemental, a card that has been a staple of my Devotion decks for a while now.
I thought OUaT could fit nicely in this deck, since it can help to find the perfect cards to combo off with. It will usually be used to find a turn 1 mana dork, a BTE, or a Nykthos.
EDIT:
Perhaps 4 of OUaT is too many. Two to three might be better. I think making room for Dragonlord Atarka is wise, since now there are more Walkers in the format, and more traditional aggro based decks as well.
-1 OUaT +1 Atarka
Additional Edit:
-1 Zacama SD
-1 Thrun SD
-1 Scooze SD
+3 Veil of Summer SD
I forgot about this card, it’s bonkers.
LEGACY: Soldier Stompy WW // Blue Stompy UU // Fit Variants BGRW // Sol Land Brews BGRUWC MODERN: Pure Pili-ness GU // Red Devotion RR // Green Devotion Variants GRWUG // U/G Emerge CGU // Lots and Lots of Brews BGRUWC
Ok, so I decided to see if Once Upon a Time could work in Devotion, because I think the card has a lot of potential, I just haven’t found the deck for it yet (haven’t put much thought into it). This deck is untested, I don’t get to play much magic these days.
I just added OUaT to the the Green Devotion combo-focused deck that prioritizes winning fast over consistency and value. This decklist is almost the same as Anthony Skrzypczak‘s decklist. For those that don’t know, he is one of the most successful Green Devotion pilots, I think the most successful, with a bunch of top 8’s and 16’s at big tournaments, SCG Classics and Opens. Unfortunately, I never went to many tournaments, and the few that I did go to I didn’t play Green Devotion.
His list has varied slightly, but he always plays Prime Time, which I cut because I am not a fan of it in Green Devotion, I think there are better options. I replaced it with Wolfbriar Elemental, a card that has been a staple of my Devotion decks for a while now.
I thought OUaT could fit nicely in this deck, since it can help to find the perfect cards to combo off with. It will usually be used to find a turn 1 mana dork, a BTE, or a Nykthos.
EDIT:
Perhaps 4 of OUaT is too many. Two to three might be better. I think making room for Dragonlord Atarka is wise, since now there are more Walkers in the format, and more traditional aggro based decks as well.
-1 OUaT +1 Atarka
I like this list a lot. I’m a very big fan of Wolfbriar Elemental (as most times you cast it you will win the next turn of the opponent doesn’t). OUaT adds smoothness that Pact also already added. Looks great to me.
And yes...Anthony S is the most successful Green Devotion player to date. He’s done a lot for Devotion by getting top-8’s; getting on camera, etc.
Kenrith’s Transformation is a cool card for us those who play mono green. Turns off problem creatures, infect creatures, flyers, combo creatures, etc. The cantrip changes everything (as it replaces itself which is important in Devotion). I’ve played Lignify in past meta’s (when playing mono green) and this is just better. Also being able to turn a token into a 3/3 to overrun while drawing a card isn’t awful for 2-mana if they don’t have a creature.
I like this card. Not a staple for all decks, but really cool option to have available when playing mono-green. I call cards like this “Devotion Box” cards. I have a box that has all the cards I think can work in Devotion depending on the meta, which cards I’m trying to maximize, etc.). Some I play very rarely; but they are there for me to see so I don’t forget about them when I’m looking for cards.
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Deathless Knoght seems strong too. Haste is always great, recursion is easy with incidental life gain. It’s going in my “Devotion Box” too
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I would say all in all; we didn’t get any major “Staples” from Throne if Eldraine (unless you play stompy). I do think:
1. Castle Garenbrig will see play and is a reason for us to play powerful 6-drops (Primeval Titan, Woodland Bellower, any X-creature, etc.). This may end up being the most impactful card in the set.
2. The Great Henge could make a deck of its own. It’s a powerful “build around me” card that does some crazy stuff.
3. The new Garruk Huntsman is a very strong 6-drop. Given its synergy with other Garruk’s and its ultimate at only one additional loyalty...there is a deck there.
4. Stompy got lots of toys
5. Once Upon a Time is likely the card that will see the most play in Devotion decks from Throne. Any creature-heavy deck is going to play it.
6. There are a few other cards that have interesting synergies and power that could see play in certain decks/meta’s; but they are somewhat specific rather than overtly powerful.
Throne is a cool set. The few Devotion plants have me wondering how they are going to handle Green Devotion...but for me there is nothing more exciting than knowing we’ll be back in Theros at the beginning of the year.
End-Raze Forerunners is interesting. It is better than Hoof if cast alone...does give vigilance...so it comes down to how many games the +2/+2 isn’t enough.
Lol. This guy... What list are you playing these days?
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Always wear protection kids, sleeve up your deck.
LEGACY: Soldier Stompy WW // Blue Stompy UU // Fit Variants BGRW // Sol Land Brews BGRUWC MODERN: Pure Pili-ness GU // Red Devotion RR // Green Devotion Variants GRWUG // U/G Emerge CGU // Lots and Lots of Brews BGRUWC
LEGACY: Soldier Stompy WW // Blue Stompy UU // Fit Variants BGRW // Sol Land Brews BGRUWC MODERN: Pure Pili-ness GU // Red Devotion RR // Green Devotion Variants GRWUG // U/G Emerge CGU // Lots and Lots of Brews BGRUWC
Heyo everyone. I went 3-4 in an MCQ. 57th of 124 is not the most exciting finish, but it was still fun and I learned some things.
Wins vs Bogles (2-0), Grixis Control(2-0), and Izzet Phoenix(2-0).
Losses vs Kiln Fiend(0-2), Bant Stoneforge Eldrazi(0-2), Titanshift(1-2), and Burn(1-2).
I made play mistakes at least twice. Vs. Eldrazi I had the chance to kill Eldrazi Displacer vs play Prime Time. I played primetime, and the Displacer stopped him from doing much of anything. Vs. Titanshift in game 3 I knew he was going to play Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, so I held up mana to call instead of playing overgrowth. What I should have done is called and played an arbor elf, so I had more mana to rebuild with later. That game was long, and came down to my opponent topdecking better than me, so that misplay definitely cost me the match. Oh well. Only way to get better is to play.
Changes to Deck:
- Move the mainboard Scooze to the side. I like having two of them, but graveyard decks are not so fast nor so prevalent anymore to warrant its inclusion in the main. I won't auto-lose game 1 without it.
- Replace Thragtusk and Champion with Kitchen Finks. Two of my losses (and both where bad play on my part was not involved) were to aggressive red decks. I was not stoked about either of those cards. Thragtusk sometimes isn't fast enough when opponents are bolting arbor elf, and these decks do not play enough creatures for Champion to shine. Sure, it's hard to get rid of, but so is finks, while being more immediately impactful.
- I wouldn't mind finding room for another Voracious Hydra or Knight of Autumn in the 75.
- There was a game I lost due to being gated on green b/c of blast zone, but there was another where I knocked off Slippery Bogle, Gladecover Scout, Ethereal Armor, and Rancor the same turn I dropped the zone, thanks to Garruk. I think the card is still worth the include, though it is not without risk. This has, however, convinced me not to up my non-forest count. Four is plenty.
- I still don't now if Shifting Ceratops is good or not. Didn't run into the matchups it's there for.
However, with Throne about to drop, I will try to modify the deck further with Once Upon a Time and Questing Beast. I think Once is a 3- or 4- of, and will be a huge consistency boost to a deck that needs to run a large number of mana dorks but hates seeing them late game. Questing Beast will be added to the tutor package, probably in the main. It is possible, if that card is good enough at hating out stupid planeswalkers, that I could drop Fiery Justice in favor of it and more Voracious Hydra. I'd rather have more creatures, but Justice gets the nod for now becuase it can answer both swarm creatures and T3feri. Post-ELD, I may be able to accomplish that via the toolbox alone, which makes Call that much better.
Or I could drop tooth and nail entirely and play 3 titans, 2-3 hydra, and 1-2 big eldrazi as the top end of a dedicated toolbox deck. Maybe throw in a few chords or pacts. If I build this version, I'd consider The Great Henge as a late game value engine.
~
One of the other two guys from my shop who came down here made top 8. He's a great player, lots of respect for him. We don't get tournaments of this size around here very often, So I'm glad he did well.
This might be a lot of post for a decidedly middle-of-the-pack result, but I had fun and won't get to play another event like this for some time, so I thought I'd make the most of it.
I stand by what i said although, I agree it's super arrogant. Do I have to play devotion 24/7 to prove it? I built some creative decks that were not competitive but it took me some time to figure it out, and also they were unique enough that despite suspecting it, I would have to keep playing them for fun. Wizard did a good job these last months printing cards that would play differently than the ones available before, so it was great to try something i never had the occasion to.
I developped my build/cards choices enough in what I believe a technical way and did not get a clear answer (to me) from you guys about them or other devotion versions of green devotion. Are you guys playing on Mtgo or respectable tournaments so that we can talk about tight plays and technologies? Curdbros, you should invest 100 or 200 box so that we can have a real debate here.
By the way, i added 2 tribes in my deck and am looking forward to play a few leagues. Phoenix being "banned" and stoneforge mystic coming back may help the deck to be viable again.
Heyo everyone. I went 3-4 in an MCQ. 57th of 124 is not the most exciting finish, but it was still fun and I learned some things.
Wins vs Bogles (2-0), Grixis Control(2-0), and Izzet Phoenix(2-0).
Losses vs Kiln Fiend(0-2), Bant Stoneforge Eldrazi(0-2), Titanshift(1-2), and Burn(1-2).
I made play mistakes at least twice. Vs. Eldrazi I had the chance to kill Eldrazi Displacer vs play Prime Time. I played primetime, and the Displacer stopped him from doing much of anything. Vs. Titanshift in game 3 I knew he was going to play Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, so I held up mana to call instead of playing overgrowth. What I should have done is called and played an arbor elf, so I had more mana to rebuild with later. That game was long, and came down to my opponent topdecking better than me, so that misplay definitely cost me the match. Oh well. Only way to get better is to play.
Changes to Deck:
- Move the mainboard Scooze to the side. I like having two of them, but graveyard decks are not so fast nor so prevalent anymore to warrant its inclusion in the main. I won't auto-lose game 1 without it.
- Replace Thragtusk and Champion with Kitchen Finks. Two of my losses (and both where bad play on my part was not involved) were to aggressive red decks. I was not stoked about either of those cards. Thragtusk sometimes isn't fast enough when opponents are bolting arbor elf, and these decks do not play enough creatures for Champion to shine. Sure, it's hard to get rid of, but so is finks, while being more immediately impactful.
- I wouldn't mind finding room for another Voracious Hydra or Knight of Autumn in the 75.
- There was a game I lost due to being gated on green b/c of blast zone, but there was another where I knocked off Slippery Bogle, Gladecover Scout, Ethereal Armor, and Rancor the same turn I dropped the zone, thanks to Garruk. I think the card is still worth the include, though it is not without risk. This has, however, convinced me not to up my non-forest count. Four is plenty.
- I still don't now if Shifting Ceratops is good or not. Didn't run into the matchups it's there for.
However, with Throne about to drop, I will try to modify the deck further with Once Upon a Time and Questing Beast. I think Once is a 3- or 4- of, and will be a huge consistency boost to a deck that needs to run a large number of mana dorks but hates seeing them late game. Questing Beast will be added to the tutor package, probably in the main. It is possible, if that card is good enough at hating out stupid planeswalkers, that I could drop Fiery Justice in favor of it and more Voracious Hydra. I'd rather have more creatures, but Justice gets the nod for now becuase it can answer both swarm creatures and T3feri. Post-ELD, I may be able to accomplish that via the toolbox alone, which makes Call that much better.
Or I could drop tooth and nail entirely and play 3 titans, 2-3 hydra, and 1-2 big eldrazi as the top end of a dedicated toolbox deck. Maybe throw in a few chords or pacts. If I build this version, I'd consider The Great Henge as a late game value engine.
~
One of the other two guys from my shop who came down here made top 8. He's a great player, lots of respect for him. We don't get tournaments of this size around here very often, So I'm glad he did well.
This might be a lot of post for a decidedly middle-of-the-pack result, but I had fun and won't get to play another event like this for some time, so I thought I'd make the most of it.
That’s awesome! Every tourney is a great way to get a true feel for competitive play. Thanks for the great write up!
Vivien, Arkbow Ranger is the one of the best new Planeswalkers printed recently for Devotion, and I think it fits perfectly in Walker Devotion, especially since almost all my Walker Devotion decks run 4-of both Walking Ballista and Kitchen Finks.
I wasn’t sure what color to splash, and so I just threw in Karn. I haven’t made a G/brown Devotion deck yet, and I haven’t used Karn.
LEGACY: Soldier Stompy WW // Blue Stompy UU // Fit Variants BGRW // Sol Land Brews BGRUWC MODERN: Pure Pili-ness GU // Red Devotion RR // Green Devotion Variants GRWUG // U/G Emerge CGU // Lots and Lots of Brews BGRUWC
I would like to try out Castle Garenbrig...but I have not personally had a lot of success with the Pact Lists. I totally understood the linear nature of the deck (especially when Modern was VERY linear for quite some time...) and Pact still works with Castle Garenbrig. I just wanted to start with a more “value-oriented” build.
The list below is a "stage one" main deck with a few ideas that I'd like to test. It likely will see some changes...but you have to start somewhere It has a lot of my pet cards (I have really liked the interaction with Nissa WSTW in my most recent lists, and am one of the few people that play Genesis Hydra)….so I understand if others may not play these cards. I did, however, want to test them with Castle Garenbrig and Once Upon a Time to get a feel for where these cards move the deck.
Once I get a permanent sideboard and am confident in either this list or my Walker list...I will take the plunge and buy all the cards on MTGO and play some digital tourneys. I'll still play the paper ones here and of course continue to thoroughly test against the top 12 decks in the meta (as outlined by MTG decks, MTG top 8, and MTG Goldfish)...but this way maybe I can post some results to help do my part to keep Devotion on the radar as many others have
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I assume the deck will see at least a small change when we return to Theros (at least I hope they provide us at least ONE tool)...but for now I want to try to focus on a few cards and maximize their value.
This is a good point. It may not be useful in enough scenarios to be included (and really is only super useful in creature-heavy builds of course). You have to:
(a) Have a creature, creatures, or creature ability
(b) Need the additional mana to make the trigger worth it.
(C) have the Castle in play.
BUT....it makes one extra mana at a pretty low cost to deck building. How often are we hurt by playing it over a Forest or other land? Seems like a tough card to gauge opportunity cost without actually playing it in interactive games.
And you don’t always have Utopia Sprawl. Redundancy can be important. Sometimes 1-2 mana is all you need to go from casting your 6, 7, or 8-drop drop or not casting it (almost time walking yourself). It is not a game changing land that will always be unreal; but it is a land that can be extremely important in limited scenarios with limited downside.
It’s no Nykthos; but I believe it has potential in creature-heavy builds. If you’re playing 3 colors or are really heavy into a second color; maybe not...but for someone like me that stays pretty close to mono-green....I think this is likely better than a 7th Forest.
** EDIT ** an Issue I just thought of...you can’t use the mana to re-trigger Land with Garruk early (as the 6-mana can’t trigger Land abilities)...you can with Nissa (as she makes it a creature)...but that could be a big strike against it.
Here is one random Example:
1. Tap 3 Forests and Castle for 4-G.
2. Untap a Forest and Castle with Garruk
3. Tap Forest for 5-G
4. Trigger Castle and cast Hornet Queen or Primeval Titan and a dork to overrun next turn, etc.
Sure. This is a remote scenario; but it can happen. Between Primeval Titan, Hornet Queen, and Craterhoof Behemoth; there are cards at each CMC which could benefit from 1 additional mana.
There are absolute downsides to not being a Forest for sure. It’s all about the opportunity cost.
1. Are the times where it is in your opening hand and you have no other Forest more prevalent than the times you trigger it?
2. How often is the additional 1-2 mana actually needed?
3. Would you be better off playing a different land (Blast Zone, Horizon Land, etc.)?
4. Does it hurt other interactions (like not being a Forest for Nissa Who Shakes the World, Utopia Sprawl, Arbor Elf, etc.)
These are all questions we get to answer in testing. Of course Once Upon a Time could help mitigate “only land in your opening hand” and/or “only this+ Nykthos in opening hand” issue(s)...and Nissa’s interaction with it basically negates it not being a Forest...so this is an EXTREMELY tight choice. definitely requires testing to see how it plays in real interactive games.
When I say a card has potential I mean it is worth testing. Not that it is a Devotion staple or auto-include (those tend to be pretty obvious and are exceedingly rare)...just that it is worth testing.
I do think even at only an additional 1-2 mana depending on the situation; this still may make the cut in mono-green creature-heavy lists.
**It also has me interested in what they have planned for Devotion in the next set **
This is a cool idea. I’m going to test this tonight (just my normal “core” but with some Oath of Gideon, 2-3 Garruk Huntsman, and maybe a Nissa Vital Force (as she ult’s immediately with Oath as well).
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Darn it! I was hoping for the GG creature to be a “etb draw a card” creature (I.e. a Devotion-pushed Elvish Visionary)...but it’s another Stompy-card. It looks like that is where they are headed with Green..more about pumping smaller creatures than ramp.
I bet the Stompy guys/gals are happy though!
I don't want it to ever come into play tapped though, so testing will be required.
Modern :
Legacy :
Yeah...this is the type of deck I was thinking it would be perfect in. Where having that extra one mana could make a turn. It may not be a big enough effect; but if it works well sometimes and doesn't cause any major downsides; then it Is probably worth it. It is absolutely a card that has to be tested to get a good feel for though.
This far it looks like we won’t get much from Eldraine (I thought maybe because it was right before Theros we’d get a plant or two...a cool adamant spell/creature, etc.)....who knows. There’s still a lot left to spoil.
Either way... I can’t wait for Theros!
http://www.starcitygames.com/articles/39096_Meet-Castle-Garenbrig-Primeval-Titans-Best-Friend.html
He said essentially the same thing I did. It is great for getting Primeval Titan out a turn earlier than you may have otherwise (and great in a creature heavy deck also playing Once Upon a Time).
He did make mention of Summoner's Pact as well @Semoreh
Below are some quotes from the article for those that don't read StarCity articles...he makes some of the points I made above...but is WAY better at it
This land has very little downside and the advantage of casting Primeval Titan a turn early. If you've ever played a game with Primeval Titan, you know that casting it a turn early matters, a lot. As in, in Primeval Titan decks, most of the other cards in the deck are just there to shave a turn off when you get to cast your first Primeval Titan.
...If you imagine that for whatever reason, your ramp spells all cost two mana, and your plan is to play one on Turn 2 and one on Turn 3, then hit your fourth land drop and cast Primeval Titan, you might look at this and think, "I was already casting Primeval Titan on Turn 4, and this doesn't let me cast it on Turn 3, so this doesn't do anything." That's not how Magic works. Sometimes you only draw one ramp spell or only draw three lands, sometimes your opponent counters a ramp spell. Things don't always go according to plan. This land always gets you from four mana to six mana. It's always a ramp spell to cast Primeval Titan. Yes, there will occasionally be draws where that doesn't let you cast it a turn early, but most of the time, it will.
...If your deck plays Primeval Titan, it should be playing Castle Garenbrig. I don't care that it's not a Mountain and it doesn't give green mana on Turn 1, and I don't care that space for lands in Amulet Titan is tight. This will win you a lot of games by letting you cast Primeval Titan a turn earlier than you would otherwise be able to.
...When you have access to Castle Garenbrig, the target turn for casting Primeval Titan shifts from Turn 4 to Turn 3, and you don't have to jump through all the hoops of Amulet Titan. This is a strong case for using creatures to cast Primeval Titan. All you need is something as simple as two mana creatures living and drawing Castle Garenbrig, and you can cast Primeval Titan on Turn 3.
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We may finally have enough tools to become a Primeval Titan deck again. One of my pet peeves in the past was Devotion being a "Worse X" deck. We were a worse Karn deck than Tron...a worse Primeval Titan Deck than Amulet, etc.
Between Castle Garenbrig, Nykthos, and Garruk...we may now compete for the best Primeval Titan deck in Modern. At minimum we won't just be a "worse" Amulet Titan anymore.
As for the Great Henge, I feel the card is great. Gives you a draw engine the deck didn't have before. Transforms birds and elves into cantrips late game. I dig it
These days I don't have time to play modern, but I hope this leads to at least a few green devotion getting videos on Youtube. It's been a lot of time since there's been any activity around the archetype, sadly.
Modern :
Legacy :
I just added OUaT to the the Green Devotion combo-focused deck that prioritizes winning fast over consistency and value. This decklist is almost the same as Anthony Skrzypczak‘s decklist. For those that don’t know, he is one of the most successful Green Devotion pilots, I think the most successful, with a bunch of top 8’s and 16’s at big tournaments, SCG Classics and Opens. Unfortunately, I never went to many tournaments, and the few that I did go to I didn’t play Green Devotion.
His list has varied slightly, but he always plays Prime Time, which I cut because I am not a fan of it in Green Devotion, I think there are better options. I replaced it with Wolfbriar Elemental, a card that has been a staple of my Devotion decks for a while now.
I thought OUaT could fit nicely in this deck, since it can help to find the perfect cards to combo off with. It will usually be used to find a turn 1 mana dork, a BTE, or a Nykthos.
Creatures: 16
1 Acidic Slime
4 Arbor Elf
3 Birds of Paradise
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
1 Hornet Queen
1 Wolfbriar Elemental
1 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
Planeswalkers: 7
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
3 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
4 Utopia Sprawl
4 Oath of Nissa
Spells: 8
4 Summoner's Pact
4 Once Upon a Time
Lands: 21
6 Forest
1 Kessig Wolf Run
2 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
4 Windswept Heath
3 Wooded Foothills
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
3 Blood Moon
2 Walking Ballista
2 Abrade
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Knight of Autumn
1 Zacama, Primal Calamity
1 Creeping Corrosion
1 Collector Ouphe
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
EDIT:
Perhaps 4 of OUaT is too many. Two to three might be better. I think making room for Dragonlord Atarka is wise, since now there are more Walkers in the format, and more traditional aggro based decks as well.
-1 OUaT +1 Atarka
Additional Edit:
-1 Zacama SD
-1 Thrun SD
-1 Scooze SD
+3 Veil of Summer SD
I forgot about this card, it’s bonkers.
MODERN: Pure Pili-ness GU // Red Devotion RR // Green Devotion Variants GRWUG // U/G Emerge CGU // Lots and Lots of Brews BGRUWC
I like this list a lot. I’m a very big fan of Wolfbriar Elemental (as most times you cast it you will win the next turn of the opponent doesn’t). OUaT adds smoothness that Pact also already added. Looks great to me.
And yes...Anthony S is the most successful Green Devotion player to date. He’s done a lot for Devotion by getting top-8’s; getting on camera, etc.
I like this card. Not a staple for all decks, but really cool option to have available when playing mono-green. I call cards like this “Devotion Box” cards. I have a box that has all the cards I think can work in Devotion depending on the meta, which cards I’m trying to maximize, etc.). Some I play very rarely; but they are there for me to see so I don’t forget about them when I’m looking for cards.
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Deathless Knoght seems strong too. Haste is always great, recursion is easy with incidental life gain. It’s going in my “Devotion Box” too
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I would say all in all; we didn’t get any major “Staples” from Throne if Eldraine (unless you play stompy). I do think:
1. Castle Garenbrig will see play and is a reason for us to play powerful 6-drops (Primeval Titan, Woodland Bellower, any X-creature, etc.). This may end up being the most impactful card in the set.
2. The Great Henge could make a deck of its own. It’s a powerful “build around me” card that does some crazy stuff.
3. The new Garruk Huntsman is a very strong 6-drop. Given its synergy with other Garruk’s and its ultimate at only one additional loyalty...there is a deck there.
4. Stompy got lots of toys
5. Once Upon a Time is likely the card that will see the most play in Devotion decks from Throne. Any creature-heavy deck is going to play it.
6. There are a few other cards that have interesting synergies and power that could see play in certain decks/meta’s; but they are somewhat specific rather than overtly powerful.
Throne is a cool set. The few Devotion plants have me wondering how they are going to handle Green Devotion...but for me there is nothing more exciting than knowing we’ll be back in Theros at the beginning of the year.
https://mtgdecks.net/Modern/the-liability-5-0-decklist-by-the-liability-819794
I love all the card draw creatures!
End-Raze Forerunners is interesting. It is better than Hoof if cast alone...does give vigilance...so it comes down to how many games the +2/+2 isn’t enough.
Lol. This guy... What list are you playing these days?
MODERN: Pure Pili-ness GU // Red Devotion RR // Green Devotion Variants GRWUG // U/G Emerge CGU // Lots and Lots of Brews BGRUWC
Haha! You got the receipts:)
Well Anthony technically has the receipts.
MODERN: Pure Pili-ness GU // Red Devotion RR // Green Devotion Variants GRWUG // U/G Emerge CGU // Lots and Lots of Brews BGRUWC
Wins vs Bogles (2-0), Grixis Control(2-0), and Izzet Phoenix(2-0).
Losses vs Kiln Fiend(0-2), Bant Stoneforge Eldrazi(0-2), Titanshift(1-2), and Burn(1-2).
4 Utopia Sprawl
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Overgrowth
3 Garruk Wildspeaker
3 Primeval Titan
3 Tooth and Nail
1 Xenagos, God of Revels
1 Emrakul, the Promised End
4 Eladamri's Call
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Eternal Witness
1 Knight of Autumn
1 Obstinate Baloth
1 Voracious Hydra
2 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Blast Zone
2 Temple Garden
2 Stomping Ground
4 Windswept Heath
2 Wooded Foothills
7 Forest
Side
1 Scavenging Ooze
2 Collector Ouphe
1 Auriok Champion
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Shifting Ceratops
1 Thragtusk
1 World Breaker
2 Damping Sphere
I made play mistakes at least twice. Vs. Eldrazi I had the chance to kill Eldrazi Displacer vs play Prime Time. I played primetime, and the Displacer stopped him from doing much of anything. Vs. Titanshift in game 3 I knew he was going to play Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, so I held up mana to call instead of playing overgrowth. What I should have done is called and played an arbor elf, so I had more mana to rebuild with later. That game was long, and came down to my opponent topdecking better than me, so that misplay definitely cost me the match. Oh well. Only way to get better is to play.
Changes to Deck:
- Move the mainboard Scooze to the side. I like having two of them, but graveyard decks are not so fast nor so prevalent anymore to warrant its inclusion in the main. I won't auto-lose game 1 without it.
- Replace Thragtusk and Champion with Kitchen Finks. Two of my losses (and both where bad play on my part was not involved) were to aggressive red decks. I was not stoked about either of those cards. Thragtusk sometimes isn't fast enough when opponents are bolting arbor elf, and these decks do not play enough creatures for Champion to shine. Sure, it's hard to get rid of, but so is finks, while being more immediately impactful.
- I wouldn't mind finding room for another Voracious Hydra or Knight of Autumn in the 75.
- There was a game I lost due to being gated on green b/c of blast zone, but there was another where I knocked off Slippery Bogle, Gladecover Scout, Ethereal Armor, and Rancor the same turn I dropped the zone, thanks to Garruk. I think the card is still worth the include, though it is not without risk. This has, however, convinced me not to up my non-forest count. Four is plenty.
- I still don't now if Shifting Ceratops is good or not. Didn't run into the matchups it's there for.
However, with Throne about to drop, I will try to modify the deck further with Once Upon a Time and Questing Beast. I think Once is a 3- or 4- of, and will be a huge consistency boost to a deck that needs to run a large number of mana dorks but hates seeing them late game. Questing Beast will be added to the tutor package, probably in the main. It is possible, if that card is good enough at hating out stupid planeswalkers, that I could drop Fiery Justice in favor of it and more Voracious Hydra. I'd rather have more creatures, but Justice gets the nod for now becuase it can answer both swarm creatures and T3feri. Post-ELD, I may be able to accomplish that via the toolbox alone, which makes Call that much better.
Or I could drop tooth and nail entirely and play 3 titans, 2-3 hydra, and 1-2 big eldrazi as the top end of a dedicated toolbox deck. Maybe throw in a few chords or pacts. If I build this version, I'd consider The Great Henge as a late game value engine.
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One of the other two guys from my shop who came down here made top 8. He's a great player, lots of respect for him. We don't get tournaments of this size around here very often, So I'm glad he did well.
This might be a lot of post for a decidedly middle-of-the-pack result, but I had fun and won't get to play another event like this for some time, so I thought I'd make the most of it.
I developped my build/cards choices enough in what I believe a technical way and did not get a clear answer (to me) from you guys about them or other devotion versions of green devotion. Are you guys playing on Mtgo or respectable tournaments so that we can talk about tight plays and technologies? Curdbros, you should invest 100 or 200 box so that we can have a real debate here.
By the way, i added 2 tribes in my deck and am looking forward to play a few leagues. Phoenix being "banned" and stoneforge mystic coming back may help the deck to be viable again.
That’s awesome! Every tourney is a great way to get a true feel for competitive play. Thanks for the great write up!
Vivien, Arkbow Ranger is the one of the best new Planeswalkers printed recently for Devotion, and I think it fits perfectly in Walker Devotion, especially since almost all my Walker Devotion decks run 4-of both Walking Ballista and Kitchen Finks.
I wasn’t sure what color to splash, and so I just threw in Karn. I haven’t made a G/brown Devotion deck yet, and I haven’t used Karn.
Here’s the first draft.
4x Arbor Elf
3x Birds of Paradise
4x Walking Ballista
4x Kitchen Finks
1x Craterhoof Behemoth
1x Hornet Queen
Planeswalkers: 14
4x Garruk Wildspeaker
3x Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
4x Karn, the Great Creator
3x Nissa, Arkbow Ranger
4x Oath of Nissa
4x Utopia Sprawl
Lands: 21
6x Forest
2x Windswept Heath
2x Verdant Catacombs
2x Misty Rainforest
2x Wooded Foothills
2x Stomping Ground
1x Temple Garden
1x Kessig Wolfrun
3x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1x Hornet Queen
1x Craterhoof
1x Knight of Autumn
1x Acidic Slime
1x Scavenging Ooze
1x Dragonlord Atarka
1x Magus of the Moon
1x Mycosinth Lattice
1x Basilisk Collar
1x Tormod’s Crypt
1x Grafdigger’s Cage
1x Wurmcoil Engine
1x Liquimetal Coating
1x Sorcerous Spyglass
1x Torpor Orb
MODERN: Pure Pili-ness GU // Red Devotion RR // Green Devotion Variants GRWUG // U/G Emerge CGU // Lots and Lots of Brews BGRUWC
The list below is a "stage one" main deck with a few ideas that I'd like to test. It likely will see some changes...but you have to start somewhere
4x Arbor Elf
3x Noble Hierarch
4x Wall of Blossoms
2x Carven Caryatid
1x Ramunap Excavator
4x Primeval Titan
1x Woodland Bellower
1x Walking Ballista
3x Genesis Hydra
4x Garruk Wildspeaker
3x Nissa, Who Shakes the World
Enchantment (4)
4x Utopia Sprawl
Instant/Sorcery (4)
4x Once Upon a Time
Land (22)
7x Green Fetch
8x Forest
3x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
3x Castle Garenbrig
1x Blast Zone
Once I get a permanent sideboard and am confident in either this list or my Walker list...I will take the plunge and buy all the cards on MTGO and play some digital tourneys. I'll still play the paper ones here and of course continue to thoroughly test against the top 12 decks in the meta (as outlined by MTG decks, MTG top 8, and MTG Goldfish)...but this way maybe I can post some results to help do my part to keep Devotion on the radar as many others have
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I assume the deck will see at least a small change when we return to Theros (at least I hope they provide us at least ONE tool)...but for now I want to try to focus on a few cards and maximize their value.