I've seen people mention this in the old thread and now this one about possibly decking themselves with a big wave by hitting too many selkies/regal force. Genesis Wave is a may ability. You don't have to put everything you flip over into play. I've done it before where I flipped over the deck and then just put all the card drawers in the bin (and you know killed them with Hoof Power). Just wanted to make sure that people reading this primer know that.
Also, thanks for the primer. I've been playing this deck off and on for a few months and it is hilarious to see the look on people's faces when you pick up 20+ cards from the deck and plop them onto the battlefield. An being able to just top deck something silly (like Prime/Wave) after going empty handed is demoralizing for some people.
Yes, Genesis Wave is a MAY ability, and that's sometimes lost on people. I have found myself, at times, not doing my math properly and just putting EVERYTHING into play, resulting in losses that shouldn't be losses because of Wistful Selkie and Regal Force ETB effects.
Definitely test this out and report back. Although I'm not in the Chord camp, I'd like to see how this fares and would be more than happy to make additions to the primer if this is successful.
Actually, I'd like to see more of this; if you have ideas, then test them out. The decks, as you see them now, have come about as a result of a lot of testing and playing. I've been playing this deck since about December, so I've put a lot of miles in with this deck (I'm on my third set of sleeves with it!), and I've tested a lot of different cards in my build. Theorizing is great, and I love the discussion, but if you have the opportunity to test out something new online or in paper, please do so and report back
I'm just going to throw this out there as my opinion on Chord.
I look at this as a Chord vs Genesis Wave discussion, much like Genesis Wave vs Tooth and Nail. Tooth and Nail looks like a much better card than Genesis Wave at first glance; you can tutor for the exact cards you want and put them into play immediately, and for the same mana cost as a 6 card Genesis Wave. The thing about Genesis Wave is the flexibility, in that you can cast it for anywhere between 4 and 7 for value, and you can get something other than two creatures (land, enchantments, and planeswalkers). Sometimes tutoring up two creatures isn't what you want to be doing because it doesn't win you the game, whereas you can start to chain Genesis Waves and win the game almost on the spot.
So enough about Tooth and Nail, let's talk Chord of Calling.
I see the appeal of Chord; it's instant speed and let's us play more of a toolbox. We can, in theory, play around our weaknesses by having one-ofs in our deck, and tutor them up at a moment's notice. We have the ability to generate a lot of mana, and running upwards of 20 creatures with CMC of 3 or less, we can utilize Convoke at the same time.
Here are the two problems I see with Chord
1) It's an X spell that just doesn't win us the game. Yes, we can tutor up cards like Elesh Norn or Craterhoof Behemoth, but it just doesn't out and out win us the game. If I've got an X spell and the ability to run X up through the roof (either mana or Convoke), I want something that will win me the game on the spot.
A simple comparison. Let's call X=8. If I Chord, I grab Craterhoof. It comes into play, gives the team +X/+X. Great, but how big is X going to be? 2? 3? 4? Likely not that big. Further, if I tap any of my creatures to use Convoke (a definite plus for Chord), I lose them as attackers. Now what happens if I Genesis Wave for 8? I get up to 8 new permanents, one of which could be Craterhoof. I might also hit 7 other creatures, which makes my Craterhoof pump at least +7/+7 (so now I have a 12/12 trampling Behemoth, plus whatever other creatures attack). I could also hit Garruk, or a Nykthos, and keep on going. Eternal Witness lets me chain Waves, so the explosiveness of the Genesis Wave > the precision of the Chord of Calling
2) Dead cards. If we go the toolbox route, there's the likelihood of us having dead cards in our hand. Inferno Titan with only one red source? Elesh Norn with only one White source? Chord of Calling without mana dorks? What about these cards in your opening hand?
I'm not saying that there's not a spot for Chord, and maybe it's more of a midrange style deck (which is what I haven't advocated as I'm so deeply attached to the Genesis Wave version), but this is just my opinion
As for the enchantment build, I gave it a shot and really didn't like it. It was a lot clunkier than prior builds and Eidelon wasn't as impressive as I would have expected
There's a lot of stuff that is getting discussed, and I'd just like to go back to Michael Jacob's article to bring a little sanity back to the discussion
On Big Green Idiots
These are all just giant creatures that offer no card advantage, mana, or flexibility for our combo beyond devotion to Nykthos. These all seem like cards that would fit into a completely different deck. That deck would be a lot better against "fair" decks with Wild Nacatl, Bitterblossom, and/or Cryptic Command but significantly worse against turn 4 combo decks like Goryo's Vengeance, Pyromaster's Ascension, Birthing Pod, Splinter Twin, Tron, Scapeshift, and Burn.
On Xenagos, Emrakul, and Tooth and Nail
Tooth and Nail does allow us to kill easily from nine mana, as a Genesis Wave for six has a low chance of missing. The problem is I often cast Genesis Wave for five to eight mana just for value, something Tooth and Nail is unable to do. Adding a second Craterhoof Behemoth to search for does not guarantee wins, so you would need to add the combo of Xenagos God of Revels and Emrakul, the Aeons Torn as the win condition. Even this combination is vulnerable to Pestermite / Deceiver Exarch / Cryptic Command tapping, so this is still not 100%. Many deckbuilders underestimate the impact of adding blank draws like these to the deck, so I believe in its current configuration and that Tooth and Nail is not good enough
On Regal Force
Similar to Elves in Legacy, Mono-Green Devotion uses a multitude of green mana producers to reach a critical mass and end the game with Craterhoof Behemoth instead. There are two scenarios that often come up—you either have little going on and a Regal Force drawing a card will not save you or have a lot going on in and Craterhoof Behemoth would just kill them.
As a side note, I did run Regal Force in earlier versions of the deck. I found it to be unimpressive, not to mention a little dangerous with the Wave. I've decked myself more than once because I hit a Regal Force after a big Wave, only to have to draw more cards than were available.
Hey guys, I've been stupid busy between work and almost buying a house. I'll update the primer with CurdBros' list, and make some comments on some of the posts/comments later. I'm really happy and excited to see the discussion the new primer and CurdBros' list are generating, and I'm really happy to see the quantity and quality of the contribution of the newer members of the thread.
In general, I would suggest that people re-read the primer. I'm seeing discussion about cards like Primalcrux and that's specifically addressed in the primer. I also think I have to go back into the old thread to dig up the discussions we had about Sarkan Vol, Xenagos, etc. I would also recommend reading Michael Jacob's SCG article (linked in the primer) for his thoughts on those cards.
And just a housekeeping thing. When posting deck lists, or single card discussions, can you please use the appropriate tags. The bbcode for them is pretty simple and is in the top part of the reply window. Just makes the thread a lot nicer
I knew we'd be seeing Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx in Modern, and I'm happy that it's finally picking up some steam. This version of the Green Devotion deck makes a lot of mana very quickly and uses it to cast a massive Genesis Wave turn after turn thanks to Eternal Witness. Against combo decks, this deck needs to attack the opponent's mana base or use Beast Within from the sideboard, but the deck seems nearly unbeatable for the decks that are trying to play fair. Again, we see Garruk Wildspeaker in a competitive strategy. It may seem odd for Arbor Elf to be making an appearance, but with Utopia Sprawl and Fertile Ground in the deck, untapping a Forest can produce a lot of mana. Garruk has a similar effect with the land Auras.
The nice thing about this deck is that it does very powerful things even when it isn't comboing. For example, it won't be unusual to Primal Command our opponent's land on the third turn. This is an archetype with a ton of potential that will probably be refined over time. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a tier-1 strategy somewhere in here. Will one of us be the one to find it?
The sideboard is really strange, with Stone Rain, Ancient Grudge and Lightning Bolt making appearances with no natural red sources. Primeval Titan is also noticeable in it's absence, with the deck running Expedition Map instead.
So thanks to everyone who has contributed to the thread and to the primer. This deck really is a labour of love for me. I never expected to see it hit the front page of Daily MTG and, since then, I've tried to take ownership of the deck when possible; be it at my LGS or on here. I want to help people have fun with the deck, and show that Modern is more than Tarmogoyf, Bob, Cryptic Command, and fetchlands. I'm proud of the fact that so many people seem to fall in love with the deck, talk about it, and refine it. And I'm more than happy to write about it and answer people's questions about it.
Unfortunately, my labour of love failed me tonight.
I played the same list as last week, running Coursers over Tooth and Nail and Summoner's Pact. Mana base included 4 Stomping Ground, 1 Boseiju, and no fetches, with two Ghost Quarter in the side.
R1 - Esper Gifts
G1 - I got some traction but couldn't find gas in either Primal Command or Genesis Wave. He casts Gifts for Liliana, Snapcaster, Unburial Rites, and Thoughtseize. I put Liliana and Snapcaster in the graveyard and gave him Rites and Thoughtseize. I might have split this wrong, but he proceeded to Thoughtseize himself, discarding Elesh Norn, then reanimated it and wiped my board.
G2 - I started a Primal Command loop, then broke it to find a Titan, fetching Nykthos+Kessig. Next turn I Craterhoof for the win
G3 - I keep an opener with the following - Forest, Nykthos, Arbor Elf, Strangleroot, Plow Under, Primeval Titan, and Garruk. He Thoughtseizes me and takes the Plow Under. I thought that this was a mistake; if I was in his shoes, I take the Arbor Elf knowing that I have a near unplayable hand otherwise. I proceed to topdeck land, and run over him with a Kessig.
1-0
R2 - RG Tron
G1 - I kept a 1 lander that needed another Forest to take off. I was on the play and decided to keep. By the time the land came, he had Karn on the table
G2 - Turn 3 Tron, then Wurmcoil, Wurmcoil, Wurmcoil
1-1
R3 - Ad Nauseum combo
G1 - I start to Primal Command him, stopping the loop to gain 7 life and keep myself out of combo range. He can't combo off, so I Hoof him to death
G2 - He combos off on turn 3, so just a little too fast for me
G3 - He combos off on turn 4. I couldn't draw into Primal Command or Plow Under to keep him in check
1-2
R4 - RUG
G1 - My big devotion enablers get countered, and I get the rough end of a Clique beatdown
G2 - See game 1, add Goyf and Batterskull
1-3
Played some games inbetween rounds. Beat up on Pod and Merfolk, split matches against Twin variants (UR Twin and RUG TarmoTwin)
I'll run this again next week. My foils should be in by Thursday so my deck will have lots of pimp to it. I grabbed a bunch of foil Forests tonight so I'm happy with that.
Foiling status (including Sideboard cards and some cards that I've used in the past)
Currently foiled: 3x Arbor Elf, 4x Strangleroot Geist, 4x Burning-Tree Emissary, 2x Garruk Wildspeaker, 4x Primeval Titan, 2x Genesis Wave, 3x Damping Matrix, 1x Tooth and Nail, 1x Summoner's Pact
Incoming: 1x Kessig Wolf Run, 2x Stomping Ground, 2x Craterhoof Behemoth, 4x Eternal Witness, 1x Boseiju, Who Shelters All, 2x Garruk Wildspeaker, 1x Arbor Elf, 2x Utopia Sprawl
Yet to be foiled: 4x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, 4x Wistful Selkie, 1x Genesis Wave, 4x Primal Command, 2 Courser of Kruphix, 2 Birds of Paradise
A big thanks to [url=http://zeerbe.blogspot.com]The Proxy Guy[/url] (@theproxyguy) for doing this banner
1) Introduction
In October 2013, Theros was unleashed unto the Magic world. One of the new keywords introduced was Devotion. In Standard, devotion had an immediate impact, with both Mono Black and Mono Blue devotion making waves and becoming the decks to beat over the next several months. The impact on Modern, however, took some time. Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, was the first real devotion card that saw play. It first started creeping up online with decks like this
However, what really brought the deck to the forefront was an article by Gavin Verhey (based on a deck from yours truly ) entitled “[url=http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/rc/276]The Most Fun I’ve Had in Modern[/url]”. Since this article, the deck has developed significantly, the lists have been tested and honed, and several high level players have adopted the deck (such as Michael Jacob, Michael Hetrick, and Travis Woo). In addition, the deck has developed down two different paths; a more combo version centered on Genesis Wave, and a more midrange version centered on Primal Command. This primer will talk about both versions.
What should I play either one of these decks?
Because you love fun. Seriously, what's more fun than generating a ton of mana and trampling in for hundreds of points of damage...ON TURN 3? Alternatively, what's more fun than Time Walking your opponent over, and over, and over, before crushing them underfoot and putting them at the bottom of a future lake?
Despite there being two versions of the deck, both decks have the same general core.
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
The centerpiece of the deck, Nykthos acts as a pseudo Gaea’s Cradle, allowing you to do some borderline degenerate things with all the mana it generates. Used in conjunction with effects that allow you to untap it, and the latest version of the legend rule, it’s not uncommon to be producing 30+ mana in a turn.
4 Arbor Elf
4 Utopia Sprawl
These two, in conjunction, are the beginnings of the engine of the deck. This little combo will allow you to do things like power out a turn two Garruk Wildspeaker, or turn three Primeval Titan.
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
The original Garruk plays a dual role here. For starters, his +1 ability allows you to untap two lands. Any two lands. With lands like Nykthos or enchanted Forests, the ability to use them twice in one turn opens up many possibilities for abuse. Further, his -4 is not only achievable but can act as a win condition on its own if you have a large board presence.
2-4 Primeval Titan
Ah, the big daddy, Prime Time. If you played Standard anytime between 2010 and 2012, you know just how good Primeval Titan is. Not only is he a 6/6 trampler for 6 mana (which is very easy to hit in this deck), but he tutors up two lands when he comes into play or attacks. Given how key Nykthos is to the deck, his tutor ability is vital.
3-4 Eternal Witness Eternal Witness is a great utility card, regardless of which version you run. She’ll help you bring back cards like Genesis Wave, help put your opponent into a Primal Command lock, bring back fetchlands in a pinch, and even help through disruption by bringing back cards that have been Thoughtseized/ Duressed/ Inquisitioned away.
3) Genesis Wave version
The Genesis Wave version of the deck is, at its core, a combo deck; build up a quick devotion count, cast Genesis Wave, and win. That being said, it does have four routes to victory
• Kessig Wolf Run + Nykthos
• Loop Eternal Witness and Primal Command until you can play Craterhoof Behemoth
• Garruk’s ultimate and a lot of little creatures
• Genesis Wave FTW
a. Core cards
In addition to the shared core cards, there are cards that are core to the Genesis Wave version of the deck:
4 Genesis Wave
How could this be a Genesis Wave deck without the namesake card? Resolving one of these typically ends the game as it gives you such an overwhelming board presence. With the latest version of the Legend rule, Genesis Wave becomes so much better, allowing you to replace used Planeswalkers and Legendary Lands.
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
An obvious combo with Nykthos and a body that can kill fast with Garruk Wildspeaker's ultimate. Special note is that Burning-Tree Emissary produces mana when put into play from Genesis Wave, allowing us to coincidentally use whatever Nykthos we find to do other things
4 Wistful Selkie Wistful Selkie serves two purposes. For starters, he replaces himself, allowing you to dig one card deeper into your deck. Secondly, at GGG, he’s your biggest devotion enabler and effectively a Dark Ritual every time you use Nykthos.
1-2 Craterhoof Behemoth
Here’s your boom stick! One is all you really need, although some versions run two for redundancy. From the pure combo point of view, this is your end goal, casting Genesis Wave for more than 8 and hitting him for the win
1 Kessig Wolf Run
2 Stomping Ground
4 Verdant Catacomb
Your non-basic land package. Kessig Wolf Run and Stomping Grounds provide you with some reach and a great win condition. If you're on a budget, Verdant Catacomb can be excluded from your list. That being said, if you have access to them then play them. Not only do you get a shuffle, thin your deck, and make cards like Courser of Kruphix that much more powerful, but it does give you a great interaction with Eternal Witness, allowing you to hit your land drops.
b. Flex cards
Everyone has their own way of building their decks, but these are some of the cards that you most commonly see in Genesis Wave decks
i. Mana Accelerators
Joraga Treespeaker – The green Sol Ring and a great mana accelerator. Problem is that most of the time he Time Walks you by eating a Bolt/Path/etc. in response to you levelling him up Birds of Paradise – A classic, provides you with red mana for Kessig Wolf Run, or to cast potential sideboard cards. Another Bolt target and doesn’t provide you with the same value as an Arbor Elf can Llanowar Elves/Elvish Mystic – Classics, but still no Arbor Elf Noble Hierarch – The Exalted is good, but this deck rarely attacks with just one creature. Most splashes are into red, which she doesn’t do. Abundant Growth – Replaces itself, can target non-Forests, but doesn’t generate extra mana Fertile Ground – Generates extra mana, and mana of any colour. Costs a little more than Utopia Sprawl, so potentially too slow. On turn 2, you would rather be casting Garruk than another enchantment Overgrowth – Again, to slow for what you get out of it
ii. Creatures
Strangleroot Geist – A two drop that adds two devotion, has haste, and is resilient. The haste is a nice touch if you Genesis Wave into it alongside a Craterhoof Voyaging Satyr – Allows you to untap your Nykthos, but tends to be a turn too slow. Kitchen Finks – Adds two devotion, gains you life, hard to get rid of. Not the worst choice at the three drop slot, but competes with Wistful Selkie. Would definitely have to be a metagame call. Elvish Visionary – Two drop that draws you a card but does little to add to your devotion count Lotus Cobra – When Genesis Wave was in Standard this was a great card. Running 20 land with only four fetches, its value diminishes greatly. It does work really well if you hit a ton of lands off of a Genesis Wave and can utilize it. Courser of Kruphix – A newer addition to the deck, this gives the deck a little more staying power. With 4 toughness, it survives a bunch of removal in the format. With only 20 lands, gaining life from him might not be a good plan, but he will help smooth out your draws. Becomes much better in builds that include fetches. Scavenging Ooze – Depending on the metagame, this is either a main deck inclusion or a sideboard card. It excels in environments where Pod and Snapcaster decks are strong. However, given its low devotion count it doesn’t stack up well versus other two drops Polukranos - A good 5/5 body that can utilize the devotion mechanic and shoot down a ton of little guys on the other side of the board.
iii. Alternate Win Conditions
Summoner’s Pact/Tooth and Nail – Lumping these two together as they do similar things; win on the spot. Summoner’s Pact has a ton of versatility but really needs to allow you to win on the spot so you don’t tie up mana on your next upkeep. Tooth and Nail, on the other hand, lets you tutor up your Craterhoof and drop it and something else into play for an instawin. The entwine does need 9 mana, which is the equivalent of a six mana Genesis Wave. If you don’t have the board presence, Genesis Wave is far superior.
Primal Command – While the Genesis Wave version is primarily a combo deck, Primal Command gives the deck a different dimension. While not necessary for the deck, it tutors, gains you life, recycles graveyards, and bounces your opponent’s permanents! When combined with Eternal Witness it allows you to play a little more of a midrange game and disrupt your opponent enough for you to develop your board and drop a Craterhoof for the win. Of all cards, this is as close to a core card are you can get.
Wolfbriar Elemental – Speaking of not having much of a board presence, Wolfbriar Elemental helps build that board presence and put that Green mana to good use.
Inkmoth Nexus – Definitely a combo with Kessig Wolf Run. Genesis Wave decks usually run 20 lands, with 7 dedicated to Nykthos, Kessig Wolf Run, and Stomping Ground, with another 4 potentially tied up with fetchlands. That leaves you with between 9 and 13 slots for Forests. Forests are key to the deck, since Utopia Sprawl and Arbor Elf require Forests, so diluting the mana base will hurt the deck’s ability to operate effectively.
In order to win on this turn, you'd have to hit a Craterhoof and about 15 creatures. Haste creatures will reduce that number, as will your opponent's Fetches and Shocks.
And yes, this is the nut. Turn 3s are possible and don't require BTEs. They typically will require a play on turn 2 with a creature with at least GG in its casting cost.
You could go
T1 - Forest, Arbor Elf
T2 - Forest, Utopia Sprawl on untapped Forest, tap enchanted Forest (GG), untap Forest with Arbor Elf, tap Forest (GGGG), cast Garruk Wildspeaker. Use Garruk's +1 ability, untap both lands. Tap both lands (GGG), cast Wistful Selkie.
T3 - Nykthos, tap Forest and enchanted Forest (GGG), activate Nykthos (GGGGGGG). Untap Nykthos and enchanted Forest. Tap enchanted Forest (GGGGGGGGG), activate Nykthos (GGGGGGGGGGGGGG), cast Genesis Wave for 11.
e. Build and Play guide (mulligans, sequencing, matchups)
i. Don’t fall into the trap of “cute cards”
There are a lot of cards that, when people first look at this deck, say “Oh, this would be great because it has so many green mana symbols”. Cards like Primalcrux, Leatherback Baloth, Predator Ooze and Cloudthresher come to mind. When looking at cards to include, you have to look beyond devotion and look at the card’s utility when it comes to card advantage, mana generation, and flexibility with our combo. Most Devotion heavy creatures are just big, dumb creatures that do nothing.
If you Tooth and Nail, you are able to attack for between 15 and 25. Definitely not guaranteed to win. A Path to Exile really pooches you in this scenario, and you’ve lost one of your win conditions.
If you Genesis Wave, you will get all of your permanents except for Craterhoof, which you can afford to lose given you run Eternal Witness. It is a distinct possibility that you hit something that will allow you to continue to play that turn, like Garruk/Eternal Witness/Nykthos. At a minimum, you build your board presence, allowing for a bigger Tooth and Nail turn next turn.
Further to this, Genesis Wave has the flexibility of being castable for less than 9 mana. Yes, you can play Tooth and Nail at 7 mana, but the likelihood of that happening is low. However, a Genesis Wave for 4-5 can generate value for you.
In our opening seven, we want to see cards that will allow us to get our combo off as quickly as possible. Barring that, if we have Primal Command in our deck, we want to be able to start a Primal Command lock as quickly as possible.
Regardless of the path you take, an ideal hand has Forest, Forest, Utopia Sprawl, and Arbor Elf. With this, you can hit four mana on turn 2, enabling almost anything in your deck. You could substitute a Forest for either a Stomping Ground or Nykthos, but not Kessig Wolf Run. You could also keep a hand that doesn’t have Arbor Elf OR Utopia Sprawl, but hands without either one should be pitched.
You really don’t want to see multiple Genesis Waves, Nykthos, or any number of Craterhoofs in your opener. Unless you have the stone cold nuts, then those hands should go back.
Hands with Primeval Titans are debateable, depending on what accompanies it. Remember that Modern is a turn 4 format, so if you can’t cast him by turn 4, you should think about keeping the hand.
Wistful Selkie hands are surprisingly keepable, granted you can cast them. The ability to draw into something of value, plus the devotion bump, tends to work out in your favour most of the time. You do, however, need a Utopia Sprawl or Arbor Elf in hand as well.
iv. Sequencing (what to play when, trigger stacking, Primal Command loop)
If, in your opening hand, you have the choice between playing Arbor Elf and Utopia Sprawl, you play the Arbor Elf first. By playing Arbor Elf first, you open yourself up to more explosive plays on turn 2. For example, you can play Garruk into a 3 drop.
Eternal Witness will be your best tool against disruption. Sometimes you’ll be hesitant to cast something, knowing that it will get countered. However, it is usually the correct play to just go for it, and play Eternal Witness the next turn in the event your plan gets disrupted. Witness also allows you to work around cards like Thoughtseize by getting back those key cards you lose.
This one doesn’t need much explaining, but it is an important interaction. Primal Command has four modes, but the two most relevant are the “Put non-creature permanent on top of player’s library” and “Search for a green creature card and put it into your hand”. With the loop, you typically target an opponent’s land, and then tutor up an Eternal Witness. On the next turn, you cast Eternal Witness and bring back a Primal Command to your hand. Once you get 8 mana, doing this on one turn is fairly simple. Eventually, you run out of Witnesses, at which point you tutor for a win condition (Primeval Titan, Craterhoof Behemoth) and run over your opponent.
Obviously, the earlier you can Genesis Wave, the better. The earlier you Genesis Wave, the earlier you build a dominating board presence, and the earlier you win.
That being said, what should you Genesis Wave for?
Obviously, you want to Genesis Wave for more than 8 (11 mana total). This means that any permanent that you hit is going to come into play, including the big daddy Craterhoof Behemoth. But should you Genesis Wave for less than 8?
ABSOLUTELY!
A Genesis Wave for 6 (9 mana) is completely acceptable. You will hit everything EXCEPT for Craterhoof, but that’s 1-2 permanents out of your deck. You will be able to land a Primeval Titan, which is probably the best card in your deck. You can hit Garruk, the next most expensive, and he’s critical to being able to continue your turn.
A Genesis Wave for 4 or 5 (7 or 8 mana) is a little trickier but not unheard of. This is basically a “called shot” Genesis Wave, where you need specific cards to keep you going, like a Garruk or Eternal Witness. While not preferred, sometimes you have to go for it for less than six, especially if you know you’re not going to survive the next turn.
A Genesis Wave for less than 4. Do you play the lottery and win a lot? Then go for it. Otherwise, don’t do it
There’s a lot going on when you Genesis Wave. If you haven’t noticed, something will happen with pretty much every permanent that you put into play (save the Arbor Elves). Some things to consider
1. The Legend Rule – remember to destroy the Nykthos and Garruk that you have already used this turn and replace it with the new one you have Waved for
2. Eternal Witness should typically be used to buy back a Genesis Wave. Your first Wave tends to be small (5-8 mana), so you want to buy it back in order to recast it for a larger amount
3. Utopia Sprawls MUST be put on lands that are already in play, not ones that came into play via the Genesis Wave. Unless you’re worried about Ghost Quarter, pile them on the land that you have put your other Utopia Sprawl on. Also think about which colour you want to name; Green is obvious, but you might want Red for Kessig Wolf Run
4. Draw effects – Remember that some of the cards you hit will have mandatory draw effects when they enter the battlefield. Therefore, you want to make sure that you have enough cards left in your library in order to draw and not lose. While this sounds silly, it has happened before so don’t let it happen to you! Also keep this in mind with Primeval Titan triggers; in some cases it is better to miss the Titan triggers than to risk losing the game
Well, aren't you just unlucky! I think the thing here is to remember that Genesis Wave isn't the be all and end all of the deck. Yes, it's our preferred method of winning, but there are other routes to victory here. You can Primal Command+Eternal Witness and build up to a Craterhoof, or use a really big Kessig Wolf Run to trample over an opponent, or you can use Garruk's ultimate and do the same. The long and short of it is that not having a Genesis Wave (and it does happen) isn't the end of the world. Watch the Michael Jacob video in section 7 where he mulligans to 5 versus Tron.
I can't find Nykthos
Okay, now I think you're lying. Can't find Nykthos AND Genesis Wave? Not having a Nykthos is pretty bad, but again not horrible. There's a lot that you can do with enchanted Forests as you have 8 ways to untap them; 4 Arbor Elf and 4 Garruk. The ability to untap an enchanted Forest is so strong, allowing you to make plays like a turn 3 Titan (which, BTW, lets you find a Nykthos :). Don't fret...you can still do it!
v. Matchups
Since the metagame constantly changes, I’ll focus on some of the top decks of the format at the moment
BGx (Jund/Junk)
A deck that tries to play an attrition game, whittling away your resources through discard and removal, then beats you with Tarmogoyf. Okay, maybe not that simple, but you get the gist.
The good thing about Jund-esque decks is that they’re midrange decks, and Genesis Wave punishes midrange by overwhelming them with card advantage in Genesis Wave.
They will have ways to disrupt you. Thoughtseize/Inquisition/Duress will disrupt your early game. Your turn 1 Arbor Elf will likely eat a Bolt. A Utopia Sprawl will meet an Abrupt Decay. Maelstrom Pulse and Anger of the Gods can destroy a well laid out plan.
Twin
Arguably the hardest matchup. Regardless of variant, Twin will run blue, which means Mana Leak, Remand, Cryptic Command, Pestermite and Deceiver’s Exarch. With a half decent draw, you will have a hard time getting critical cards under their disruption, and on your critical turn you’ll probably have your hands tapped down by a Pestermite or Exarch.
That’s not to say that the matchup is impossible. The best route to victory is actually the Primal Command route, if you run it in your main deck. Tucking their lands over and over sometimes buys you just enough time to sneak in a victory.
Pod
Regardless of the Pod variant, you’re likely playing two separate games here, with little interaction. Not that Pod can’t interact with you, but they’re less likely to interact with you if they can’t get an early Pod on the table. If they can’t get into a Pod Chain by turn 3 or 4 you’ll win without an issue. Keep in mind they do run Murderous Redcap, Orzhov Pontiff, and Shreikmaw, which can disrupt your game plan.
Affinity
This is another non-interactive matchup, which favours us. With the nut draw, Affinity is looking at a turn 4 win, which can be just long enough for us to put together a board presence that’s overwhelming. Go for the combo as quickly as possible, which means look for hands that allow you to power out a Wave for 6 as quickly as possible
UR Delver
Similar to Twin decks, running blue and red gives this deck some of the better disruption against our deck, in counter magic and direct damage that can 2 for 1. Again, being able to Primal Command loop them is probably the best way to pull out game 1.
Burn
Again, not that interactive, which should favour us. That being said, if they start to point their burn spells towards our creatures instead of us, we could run into issues building up a high enough devotion count. This is where cards like Kitchen Finks, Courser of Kruphix, and Primal Command for 7 life are really useful.
RG Tron Scapeshift
e. Sideboarding
This is not intended as a hard and fast guide as to what to bring in and out, but more of a list of options you have to fight various decks in the format, and what you may put in your main that you may consider bringing out
BGx decks are all about attrition, so having anti-attrition cards will help you out here. Finks and Geist will help buy time for a Genesis Wave. Garruk and Harmonize, along with Eternal Witness, will help you overcome Liliana and other discard effects
I don’t like additional mana dorks as they tend to bite the dust fairly quickly. The exception is Arbor Elf because of the potential you get with Utopia Sprawl Burning-Tree Emissary is good if you want to go the combo route as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, these decks tend not to want you to go the quick route, in which case BTE is expendable
Good cards – Kitchen Finks, Obstinate Baloth, Primal Command
Bad cards – ???
They’ll likely bring in – Anger of the Gods
I really like this matchup, so long as I can get to five mana. The modes for Primal Command will change here, so instead of bouncing a land, you want to gain seven life. The burn decks usually don’t have the reach to allow them to overcome an initial gain of seven life, never mind looping it with Primal Command. Kitchen Finks isn’t something that pops up in Genesis Wave lists much anymore, but if there’s going to be a burn/BGx filled meta then they may find a spot in your 75
In this matchup you can probably shave Burning-Tree Emissaries, Wistful Selkies, and maybe a Primeval Titan.
Tron
Good Cards - Primal Command, Plow Under, Ghost Quarter, Beast Within
Bad Cards - Genesis Wave
They'll likely bring in - Torpor Orb, Pyroclasm, Slaughter Games
The key is to slow them down from getting Tron assembled. That means you want as much land disruption as possible, so Ghost Quarters, Primal Command loops, Plow Under, and Beast Within are the tools of choice. If they assemble Tron and land a Karn, you might as well scoop.
Torpor Orb is a complete hoser for us. Since all of our cards, save Arbor Elf, have ETB effects, our creatures become infinitely worse. Be mindful that they will pack it, and blow it up at the appropriate time (see one of the videos at Section 7)
As you would in game 1, be cognizant of Pyroclasm. That can be fatal for you, so watch out for Grove of the Burnwillows
Scapeshift
Good Cards
Bad Cards
They'll likely bring in - Swan Song, Anger of the Gods, Inferno Titan, Counterflux, Gigadrowse, Engineered Explosives
4) Primal Command version
Core cards
Core of the deck:
4 Arbor Elf
4 Utopia Sprawl
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
Good accelerators that combos well together. Arbor elf and Garruk untaps utopia sprawled forest to produce twice a mana. Garruk also have synergy with small creatures for his overrun ultimatum.
3 Wistful Selkie
4 Eternal Witness
Card advantage and devotion enablers. Some lists use only 2 Selkies, however I found them quite good especially with restoration angels.
4 Primal Command
Our "combo" with eternal witness. From my testing I found that I dont really like genesis wave or Tooth and Nail as they cost too much mana and arent relevant in mid game. They only works when your opponent isnt interracting with you, however even combo decks such as Twin or Storm have ways to interact (Lightning Bolt, remand, etc) so you are stuck with them and watching them winning. Primal Command however can lock your opponent out of the game by bouncing land every turn while slowly getting mana to cast craterhoof or ulti garruk. Another thing is the fact that Primal Command + Witness can be broken to 2 turns and used separately.
Our creature lategame. Craterhoof wins most games on the spot, Elesh Norn wipes opponents team. Primeval titan fetches relevant lands (Nykthos, Kessig Wolf Run) that lets you win on next turn most of the time.
Cards from above (28 of them) are a core of this deck that mostly are same in every read I linked. Elesh Norn is sometimes 2nd Craterhoof, Xenagod, or other big monster, and number of Selkies floats from 2 to 4.
Flex Cards
Additional Mana ramp
3 (0-4) Birds of Paradise
1 (4) Burning-Tree Emissary
1 (0) Lotus Cobra
1 (0) Knight of the Reliquary
Only deck that used Lotus Cobra and Knight of the Reliquary was Petr Brozek's from GP Vienna. Michael Jacob (DarkestMage on twitch) is another person who was trying out Knight of the Reliquary as an 1 off as an additional tutor target for Primal Command (usuful when you are constricted on mana and cant cast Primeval Titan).
As for Lotus Cobra I am currently testing if I want more of them. They give massive burst of mana (such as potential 8 mana on turn 3).
Birds of Paradise is a last 1 mana accelerator worth bringing into this deck, however a lot of decks mentioned earlier dont bring them. In my testing and experience starting with turn 1 accelerator is crucial, and because of that I settled on 3 Birds of Paradise.
Burning Tree Emissary is a stock 4 off in most decks mentioned earlier. I also started with 4 of them, however they combo of only with Nykthos. Without nykthos they are outclassed by virtually anything. 1 is crucial to fetch with Primal Command when you have nykthos but lacks colored symbols. Having 1 also allows you for turbo starts such as turn 2 Primeval Titan or Turn 3 Elesh Norn.
Blinks card advantage bodies (Eternal Witness, Wistful Selkie), resets Kitchen FInks, protects cards from removal. Good bodies and good blockers that can close a game on their own (with a little bit of help from Kessig Wolf Run). Another thing I notices is the fact, that this deck was previously stone cold to flyers. With restoration angel it isnt the case anymore.
There are of course other midrange cards menioned earlier: Kitchen Finks, Knight of the Reliquary, Courser of Krupnix - cards that are good on their own and works well together.
Mana base
From earlier reads we can see that this deck often have 18-22 lands. Decks with more lands have less accelerators and vice versa. My current aproach is 20 as I have 11 turn 1 manadorks plus additional 2 mana generators in Knight of the Reliquary and Lotus Cobra. Notice 8 fetchlands to support those 2 cards (as well as Courser of Krupnix, as having option of shuffling bad card from top is quite relevant).
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Stomping Ground
2 Temple Garden
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Forest
Notice red splash here. Only red card I use in main deck is Kessig Wolf Run. From amount of mana this deck can produce, in my oppinion this is better option than Gavony Township, however much less consistent. Sometimes this 1 stomping grounds allows use of relevant sb cards (currenly not there anymore).
From another good read (http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/frank-analysis-how-many-colored-mana-sources-do-you-need-to-consistently-cast-your-spells/) I should have 19 green sources for turn 3 double green card and 22 for tripple green card. With turn 1 Manadork I always have double green on turn 2 and need 19 green sources for trupple green card. I might be scientific person, however I would rather make a simulator than make calculations, so I would love help of others how to build this manabase. Sometimes I feel like having 1 more land(forest) wouldnt be bad choice, however I currently dont know what to cut (probably some cards from flex slots that arent birds of paradise).
Sideboard
1 Arena
1 Beast Within
1 Courser of Kruphix
2 Damping Matrix
2 Ghost Quarter
3 Path to Exile
1 Polukranos, World Eater
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Spellskite
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Wolfbriar Elemental
From the top:
Arena is a fightland that is much better now when we have access for bigger bodies. It works around hexproof (as your opponent is choosing target), can prevent attacking with tapping the target. Works good when creatures are involved. This doesnt produce mana, so never cut lands for it!
Beast Within is catch all removal spell with multiple purposes. Blowing up lands is one thing, however killing your own creature in response to removal, reseting kitchen finks, blowing your own land, etc gives you plenty of options.
Courser of Kruphix is good vs agressive decks where big butt is relevant, and vs lightning bolt decks where keeping devotion high is crucial. Also awsome as a card advantage machine, especially in matchups where keeping mana dork alive is almost impossible.
Damping Matrix is a card I am currently testing as a catch all card vs Twin, Pod and affinity. It might be that it would be better to personalize those matchups to have more slots dedicated to those matchups (such as stony silence vs affinity, etc).
Ghost quarter is additional land that is brought vs decks where keeping manadork alive is really hard. In addition to that, it have some lategame potential of blowing celestial colonades vs UW or keeping scapeshift of mountains. Works wonder vs Tron with combination of Eternal Witness.
Path to Exile is catch all removal spell. With much harder white splash than before, I merged Dismembers and Combusts to this.
Polukranos, World Eater & Wolfbriar Elemental - in testing I figured out that in some matchups having access for big spell is relevant. I wanted to have Tooth & Nail or Genesis Wave in the sb, however I just thought that maybe big mana sink creature would be better. Here comes those 4 mana monsters. Polukranos is awsome vs small dorky decks, affinity and Jund, where often it is biggest thing on a board, Wolfbriar Elemental is good vs decks that plans 1 for 1 you all the time, such as UWR and Jund.
Scavenging Ooze - good graveyard hate card.
Spellskite - good vs bolt decks, jund, scapeshift, twin.
Thrun, the Last Troll - in testing right now, should be relevant vs blue decks.
Other cards not in the deck
Summoner's Pact - fetching creature that is needed at this specific turn. It however is card disadvantage and blocks your next turn often.
Time of Need - fetches legendary permanents such as Nykthos, Elesh Norn, sb specific legendary hatecards such as Kataki, Linvala, Polukranos.
Both of those cards are much better when placed in sb when we have more relevant hate bears such as Kataki, Linvala, Polukranos, etc.
Stony Silence - good sb card vs affinity, potentially better than Damping Matrix
Kataki, War's Wage - another good sb card vs affinity. Creature, legendary, good synergy with summoner's pact, time of need, primal command.
Linvala, Keeper of Silence - good sb card vs pod and twin, relevant flying body. Creature, legendary, good synergy with summoner's pact, time of need, primal command.
Summoning Trap - in previous version of the deck, spells were mostly important, so the were often countered. In this version however, mayority of things we do is connected with creatures. It has cascade effect with eternal witness and restoration angel blinking witness, where you can rebuy Trap and cast it again till you find your haymaker (Hoof, Titan or Elesh).
Cavern of Souls - another way of interacting vs counterspells, similar to trap.
Boseiju, Who Shelters All - much better in heavier spell version of the deck.
Wurmcoil Engine - possible another 6 drop good in midrange fights. Might find place in md / sb.
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben - good sb card vs storm, Creature, legendary, good synergy with summoner's pact, time of need, primal command.
Thorn of Ametyst - similar to Thala, but permanent
Rest in Peace - anti graveyard card, however no synergy with eternal witness
Wheel of Sun and Moon - anti graveyard card, have synergy with a deck with eternal witness and nykthos, however not a good topdeck similar to rest in peace.
5) What version should I play? 6) Interesting stuff to read/view
Articles
[url=http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/rc/276]The Most Fun I've Had in Modern[/url]
[url=https://www.starcitygames.com/article/27950_Mono-Green-Devotion-In-Modern.html]Mono-Green Devotion in Modern[/url]
[url=http://www.cmus.cz/dnn/%C4%8Cl%C3%A1nky/V%C5%A1echny%C4%8Dl%C3%A1nky/tabid/265/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/4388/New-Modern-Deck--Mono-Green-Nykthos.aspx]New Modern Deck - Modern Green Nykthos[/url]
[url=http://www.gatheringmagic.com/jarvisyu-decks-12052013-mono-green-devotion-in-modern/]Mono-Green Devotion in Modern[/url (different article)
[url=http://www.starcitygames.com/article/28669_Quick-Hits-Mono-Green-Devotion-in-Modern.html]Quick Hits - Mono-Green Devotion in Modern[/url]
[url=http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/woo-brews-mono-green-aura-ramp/]Woo Brews - Mono-Green Aura Ramp[/url] (Ignore the comment section)
Videos
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fB3aWKu5Qs]Dave Williams Genesis Wave deck from Worlds 2010[/url] (Standard, but good to watch)
[url=http://www.channelfireball.com/videos/channel-twoo-modern-mono-green-aura-ramp/]Channel TWoo - Mono-Green Aura Ramp[/url] (again, ignore the comments)
[url=http://www.channelfireball.com/videos/channel-_shipitholla-modern-mono-green-devotion/]Channel _Shipitholla Modern Mono-Green Devotion[/url]
[url=http://www.twitch.tv/darkest_mage/c/3605807]Mulligan to 3 with mono green devotion![/url]
[url=http://www.twitch.tv/darkest_mage/c/3604991]A typical draw with mono green devotion[/url]
[url=http://www.twitch.tv/darkest_mage/c/3508198]Mulligan to 5, Mono G vs Tron[/url]
7) Acknowledgements
This primer wouldn’t have been possible without the help of a number of people. BaddBusiness, Walk, and Lucidcheeta all helped in the development of the previous primer. It was a great source of information and they deserve some credit for that. Thanks to pedros who has been an advocate for the Primal Command version of the deck, and his writings over at DiesToRemoval have helped form the primer for that version.
8) Change log
July 7, 2014 - Primer posted
July 17 - Primer posted to new thread
July 28 - Added link to archived primer
the problem with wave is that we tend to want to wave big. anything smaller than 6 is undesirable
Not necessarily true. Yes, in a perfect world we always Wave for 6 or more, but a Wave for 4 or 5 is acceptable depending on circumstances. The least I would Wave for would be 4, and if I was in a real bind and needed to Wave to stay alive.
OK, obviously I need to work more Garruk into this deck. I'm not sure what I'd cut though. Dauntless Escort is a very experimental move on my part. The Tron match-up has been a huge problem. Last time I played against it, I casted 3 waves in a single turn (after recovering my field from pyroclasm) then hardcasted a Behemoth for a 50 point attack, only to be foiled by an oblivion stone. Even if I had artifact kill in this deck, making my creatures indestructable was the only real answer to that I could come up with - wrath of god and supreme verdict would also delay the G-wave gameplan by reducing my board presense, so those cards are also an issue. If Dauntless escort is not correct, would something like Soul of New Phyrexia be better?
Putting a card like Dauntless Escort in your main really defeats the purpose of the initial 60. In your initial 60, versus an unknown metagame (or even a known metagame), you want to be able to get your devotion count as high as possible as quickly as possible. Dauntless Escort, or other solutions as such, really takes away from that. I mean, Dauntless Escort costs 3, adds 1 to your devotion count, can't naturally be cast, and has to be sacrificed to be used. Something like Soul of New Phyrexia is colourless, so again it does nothing.
Honestly, having your board wiped out because of a OStone on the table is a play error. Versus decks that run Verdict or Wrath, the bigger issue IMHO is not the board wipe but being able to resolve Primal Commands and Genesis Waves. If you resolve a Genesis Wave (or multiples in one turn), you're winning the game and there's nothing that a wrath effect can do.
Soul of the Harvest is also an experiment on my part. It's my way of coping in a format where Glimps of Nature is banned. It's a useful one-of in the deck. If I feel like my devotion isn't high enough to combo-out, or I don't have a wave in hand, then I tutor Soul of the Harvest with Primal Command, then play creatures and draw cards until I hit critical mass. It's a strategy that works really well - there are a lot of creatures in this deck, and my hand fills up very quickly with Soul of the Harvest in play.
Honestly, I look at a 6/6 trampler for 6 and I want Primeval Titan each and every time. It fetches me a win condition (Kessig Wolf Run + Stomping Ground) or a Nykthos. He has an ETB effect, so even if he gets Pathed I still get value out of him. Cards like Wistful Selkie (which you have two of) are much better value for your mana when it comes to drawing cards.
Hahaha, I live on the edge! In all seriousness though, I understand Primeval Titan is considered pretty integral to the build, but with 4x Nykthos Shrine to Nyx in the deck, I never have problems getting that out. With that in mind, devotion is actually more important than having additional forests in play. You could argue "deck thinning", but I could use fetchlands for that if I wanted to. If I need to beat my opponent into submission my weapon of choice is Thrun, the Last Troll. Primeval Titan is a fun card, but he's fiscally expensive and he's staying out unless I find a matchup where I think I need him.
"Pretty" integral is an understatement. Primeval Titan is a key card to the deck. If you go back to the Primer (on page 62...I have to finish it up and then get it promoted), the Wave versions have 4 win conditions; Genesis Wave, Primeval Titan + Kessig Wolf Run, Craterhoof, and Garruk's ultimate. No Primeval Titan means you have a hard time pulling off three of those win conditions. Nykthos is all but required to pull off the first three, and Wolf Run + Stomping Ground is required for the second one. Deck thinning is not an argument for Titan. You're not looking to pull up forests with him, you're looking for ways to win.
I won't go into the fiscal argument, that's between you and your wallet. That said, he's not as cost prohibitive as he once was; SCG has him at $16 or $25 for foil versions of him (including the ever so sexy GP promo). Hell, MP ones are $14.
And Thrun vs Primeval Titan, there is no contest. Primetime stomps all over the last troll every day of the week
Hey guys! I've been developing G-wave for about 6 months now. Thought I'd share my current list, and see what you all think! I have found that I am leaning on the "tutor" option of Primal Command quite a lot to solve problems.
The RG Tron matchup is a nightmare! Dauntless escort is basically the only defense against it that I've found. With it, the only way they can kill my board is All is Dust. This build routinely chains G-waves and overruns the opponent with Behemoth on turn 4, 5 at the latest. Aside from G-wave, I have also won many games with Thrun, the Last Troll. What do you guys think?
I really don't think you can get away with less than 4 Garruks main. He's a win condition on his own, not to mention the power of his +1.
Dauntless Escort seems like an awkward card in this deck. With no way to naturally cast him (No Birds, Heirarch, Temple Garden), it looks like you're dependent on a Genesis Wave to get him into play. You really don't want to use a Utopia Sprawl on anything other than Green, and 2 Fertile Grounds probably won't cut it.
Soul of the Harvest is interesting. Talk to us about it; why did you include it and how has it been working out for you?
@gnuhouse, with regards to the sideboard cards, maybe you can list a few sideboard cards that are often use and what match-up are they good against for new players to gauge what sort of sideboard they want to make for their meta.
I kinda went the other way, but I can try to flip it. Not tonight, probably tomorrow or Thursday
Yes, Genesis Wave is a MAY ability, and that's sometimes lost on people. I have found myself, at times, not doing my math properly and just putting EVERYTHING into play, resulting in losses that shouldn't be losses because of Wistful Selkie and Regal Force ETB effects.
Definitely test this out and report back. Although I'm not in the Chord camp, I'd like to see how this fares and would be more than happy to make additions to the primer if this is successful.
Actually, I'd like to see more of this; if you have ideas, then test them out. The decks, as you see them now, have come about as a result of a lot of testing and playing. I've been playing this deck since about December, so I've put a lot of miles in with this deck (I'm on my third set of sleeves with it!), and I've tested a lot of different cards in my build. Theorizing is great, and I love the discussion, but if you have the opportunity to test out something new online or in paper, please do so and report back
I look at this as a Chord vs Genesis Wave discussion, much like Genesis Wave vs Tooth and Nail. Tooth and Nail looks like a much better card than Genesis Wave at first glance; you can tutor for the exact cards you want and put them into play immediately, and for the same mana cost as a 6 card Genesis Wave. The thing about Genesis Wave is the flexibility, in that you can cast it for anywhere between 4 and 7 for value, and you can get something other than two creatures (land, enchantments, and planeswalkers). Sometimes tutoring up two creatures isn't what you want to be doing because it doesn't win you the game, whereas you can start to chain Genesis Waves and win the game almost on the spot.
So enough about Tooth and Nail, let's talk Chord of Calling.
I see the appeal of Chord; it's instant speed and let's us play more of a toolbox. We can, in theory, play around our weaknesses by having one-ofs in our deck, and tutor them up at a moment's notice. We have the ability to generate a lot of mana, and running upwards of 20 creatures with CMC of 3 or less, we can utilize Convoke at the same time.
Here are the two problems I see with Chord
1) It's an X spell that just doesn't win us the game. Yes, we can tutor up cards like Elesh Norn or Craterhoof Behemoth, but it just doesn't out and out win us the game. If I've got an X spell and the ability to run X up through the roof (either mana or Convoke), I want something that will win me the game on the spot.
A simple comparison. Let's call X=8. If I Chord, I grab Craterhoof. It comes into play, gives the team +X/+X. Great, but how big is X going to be? 2? 3? 4? Likely not that big. Further, if I tap any of my creatures to use Convoke (a definite plus for Chord), I lose them as attackers. Now what happens if I Genesis Wave for 8? I get up to 8 new permanents, one of which could be Craterhoof. I might also hit 7 other creatures, which makes my Craterhoof pump at least +7/+7 (so now I have a 12/12 trampling Behemoth, plus whatever other creatures attack). I could also hit Garruk, or a Nykthos, and keep on going. Eternal Witness lets me chain Waves, so the explosiveness of the Genesis Wave > the precision of the Chord of Calling
2) Dead cards. If we go the toolbox route, there's the likelihood of us having dead cards in our hand. Inferno Titan with only one red source? Elesh Norn with only one White source? Chord of Calling without mana dorks? What about these cards in your opening hand?
I'm not saying that there's not a spot for Chord, and maybe it's more of a midrange style deck (which is what I haven't advocated as I'm so deeply attached to the Genesis Wave version), but this is just my opinion
On Big Green Idiots
On Xenagos, Emrakul, and Tooth and Nail
On Regal Force
As a side note, I did run Regal Force in earlier versions of the deck. I found it to be unimpressive, not to mention a little dangerous with the Wave. I've decked myself more than once because I hit a Regal Force after a big Wave, only to have to draw more cards than were available.
In general, I would suggest that people re-read the primer. I'm seeing discussion about cards like Primalcrux and that's specifically addressed in the primer. I also think I have to go back into the old thread to dig up the discussions we had about Sarkan Vol, Xenagos, etc. I would also recommend reading Michael Jacob's SCG article (linked in the primer) for his thoughts on those cards.
And just a housekeeping thing. When posting deck lists, or single card discussions, can you please use the appropriate tags. The bbcode for them is pretty simple and is in the top part of the reply window. Just makes the thread a lot nicer
1 Kessig Wolf Run
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
4 Arbor Elf
3 Burning-Tree Emissary
2 Courser of Kruphix
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
4 Eternal Witness
1 Predator Ooze
1 Terastodon
3 Wistful Selkie
3 Expedition Map
3 Fertile Ground
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
4 Genesis Wave
2 Primal Command
4 Utopia Sprawl
3 Ancient Grudge
3 Beast Within
1 Bojuka Bog
2 Ghost Quarter
2 Lightning Bolt
3 Nature's Claim
1 Stone Rain
And for the lazy, here's what JVL had to say
The sideboard is really strange, with Stone Rain, Ancient Grudge and Lightning Bolt making appearances with no natural red sources. Primeval Titan is also noticeable in it's absence, with the deck running Expedition Map instead.
Unfortunately, my labour of love failed me tonight.
I played the same list as last week, running Coursers over Tooth and Nail and Summoner's Pact. Mana base included 4 Stomping Ground, 1 Boseiju, and no fetches, with two Ghost Quarter in the side.
R1 - Esper Gifts
G1 - I got some traction but couldn't find gas in either Primal Command or Genesis Wave. He casts Gifts for Liliana, Snapcaster, Unburial Rites, and Thoughtseize. I put Liliana and Snapcaster in the graveyard and gave him Rites and Thoughtseize. I might have split this wrong, but he proceeded to Thoughtseize himself, discarding Elesh Norn, then reanimated it and wiped my board.
G2 - I started a Primal Command loop, then broke it to find a Titan, fetching Nykthos+Kessig. Next turn I Craterhoof for the win
G3 - I keep an opener with the following - Forest, Nykthos, Arbor Elf, Strangleroot, Plow Under, Primeval Titan, and Garruk. He Thoughtseizes me and takes the Plow Under. I thought that this was a mistake; if I was in his shoes, I take the Arbor Elf knowing that I have a near unplayable hand otherwise. I proceed to topdeck land, and run over him with a Kessig.
1-0
R2 - RG Tron
G1 - I kept a 1 lander that needed another Forest to take off. I was on the play and decided to keep. By the time the land came, he had Karn on the table
G2 - Turn 3 Tron, then Wurmcoil, Wurmcoil, Wurmcoil
1-1
R3 - Ad Nauseum combo
G1 - I start to Primal Command him, stopping the loop to gain 7 life and keep myself out of combo range. He can't combo off, so I Hoof him to death
G2 - He combos off on turn 3, so just a little too fast for me
G3 - He combos off on turn 4. I couldn't draw into Primal Command or Plow Under to keep him in check
1-2
R4 - RUG
G1 - My big devotion enablers get countered, and I get the rough end of a Clique beatdown
G2 - See game 1, add Goyf and Batterskull
1-3
Played some games inbetween rounds. Beat up on Pod and Merfolk, split matches against Twin variants (UR Twin and RUG TarmoTwin)
I'll run this again next week. My foils should be in by Thursday so my deck will have lots of pimp to it. I grabbed a bunch of foil Forests tonight so I'm happy with that.
Foiling status (including Sideboard cards and some cards that I've used in the past)
Currently foiled: 3x Arbor Elf, 4x Strangleroot Geist, 4x Burning-Tree Emissary, 2x Garruk Wildspeaker, 4x Primeval Titan, 2x Genesis Wave, 3x Damping Matrix, 1x Tooth and Nail, 1x Summoner's Pact
Incoming: 1x Kessig Wolf Run, 2x Stomping Ground, 2x Craterhoof Behemoth, 4x Eternal Witness, 1x Boseiju, Who Shelters All, 2x Garruk Wildspeaker, 1x Arbor Elf, 2x Utopia Sprawl
Yet to be foiled: 4x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, 4x Wistful Selkie, 1x Genesis Wave, 4x Primal Command, 2 Courser of Kruphix, 2 Birds of Paradise
A big thanks to [url=http://zeerbe.blogspot.com]The Proxy Guy[/url] (@theproxyguy) for doing this banner
1) Introduction
In October 2013, Theros was unleashed unto the Magic world. One of the new keywords introduced was Devotion. In Standard, devotion had an immediate impact, with both Mono Black and Mono Blue devotion making waves and becoming the decks to beat over the next several months. The impact on Modern, however, took some time.
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, was the first real devotion card that saw play. It first started creeping up online with decks like this
4 Arbor Elf
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Elvish Visionary
4 Eternal Witness
4 Primeval Titan
1 Karn Liberated
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
4 Genesis Wave
3 Fertile Ground
3 Utopia Sprawl
3 Cloudstone Curio
16 Forest
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
4 Blood Moon
3 Firespout
4 Fracturing Gust
However, what really brought the deck to the forefront was an article by Gavin Verhey (based on a deck from yours truly
What should I play either one of these decks?
Because you love fun. Seriously, what's more fun than generating a ton of mana and trampling in for hundreds of points of damage...ON TURN 3? Alternatively, what's more fun than Time Walking your opponent over, and over, and over, before crushing them underfoot and putting them at the bottom of a future lake?
Where's the old primer?
[url=http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/modern-archives/modern-archives-established/511926-mono-green-devotion-nykthos-green-10-2013-7-2014]Right here[/url]
2) Core cards
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
The centerpiece of the deck, Nykthos acts as a pseudo Gaea’s Cradle, allowing you to do some borderline degenerate things with all the mana it generates. Used in conjunction with effects that allow you to untap it, and the latest version of the legend rule, it’s not uncommon to be producing 30+ mana in a turn.
4 Arbor Elf
4 Utopia Sprawl
These two, in conjunction, are the beginnings of the engine of the deck. This little combo will allow you to do things like power out a turn two Garruk Wildspeaker, or turn three Primeval Titan.
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
The original Garruk plays a dual role here. For starters, his +1 ability allows you to untap two lands. Any two lands. With lands like Nykthos or enchanted Forests, the ability to use them twice in one turn opens up many possibilities for abuse. Further, his -4 is not only achievable but can act as a win condition on its own if you have a large board presence.
2-4 Primeval Titan
Ah, the big daddy, Prime Time. If you played Standard anytime between 2010 and 2012, you know just how good Primeval Titan is. Not only is he a 6/6 trampler for 6 mana (which is very easy to hit in this deck), but he tutors up two lands when he comes into play or attacks. Given how key Nykthos is to the deck, his tutor ability is vital.
3-4 Eternal Witness
Eternal Witness is a great utility card, regardless of which version you run. She’ll help you bring back cards like Genesis Wave, help put your opponent into a Primal Command lock, bring back fetchlands in a pinch, and even help through disruption by bringing back cards that have been Thoughtseized/ Duressed/ Inquisitioned away.
3) Genesis Wave version
• Kessig Wolf Run + Nykthos
• Loop Eternal Witness and Primal Command until you can play Craterhoof Behemoth
• Garruk’s ultimate and a lot of little creatures
• Genesis Wave FTW
a. Core cards
In addition to the shared core cards, there are cards that are core to the Genesis Wave version of the deck:
4 Genesis Wave
How could this be a Genesis Wave deck without the namesake card? Resolving one of these typically ends the game as it gives you such an overwhelming board presence. With the latest version of the Legend rule, Genesis Wave becomes so much better, allowing you to replace used Planeswalkers and Legendary Lands.
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
An obvious combo with Nykthos and a body that can kill fast with Garruk Wildspeaker's ultimate. Special note is that Burning-Tree Emissary produces mana when put into play from Genesis Wave, allowing us to coincidentally use whatever Nykthos we find to do other things
4 Wistful Selkie
Wistful Selkie serves two purposes. For starters, he replaces himself, allowing you to dig one card deeper into your deck. Secondly, at GGG, he’s your biggest devotion enabler and effectively a Dark Ritual every time you use Nykthos.
1-2 Craterhoof Behemoth
Here’s your boom stick! One is all you really need, although some versions run two for redundancy. From the pure combo point of view, this is your end goal, casting Genesis Wave for more than 8 and hitting him for the win
1 Kessig Wolf Run
2 Stomping Ground
4 Verdant Catacomb
Your non-basic land package. Kessig Wolf Run and Stomping Grounds provide you with some reach and a great win condition. If you're on a budget, Verdant Catacomb can be excluded from your list. That being said, if you have access to them then play them. Not only do you get a shuffle, thin your deck, and make cards like Courser of Kruphix that much more powerful, but it does give you a great interaction with Eternal Witness, allowing you to hit your land drops.
b. Flex cards
i. Mana Accelerators
Birds of Paradise – A classic, provides you with red mana for Kessig Wolf Run, or to cast potential sideboard cards. Another Bolt target and doesn’t provide you with the same value as an Arbor Elf can
Llanowar Elves/Elvish Mystic – Classics, but still no Arbor Elf
Noble Hierarch – The Exalted is good, but this deck rarely attacks with just one creature. Most splashes are into red, which she doesn’t do.
Abundant Growth – Replaces itself, can target non-Forests, but doesn’t generate extra mana
Fertile Ground – Generates extra mana, and mana of any colour. Costs a little more than Utopia Sprawl, so potentially too slow. On turn 2, you would rather be casting Garruk than another enchantment
Overgrowth – Again, to slow for what you get out of it
ii. Creatures
Voyaging Satyr – Allows you to untap your Nykthos, but tends to be a turn too slow.
Kitchen Finks – Adds two devotion, gains you life, hard to get rid of. Not the worst choice at the three drop slot, but competes with Wistful Selkie. Would definitely have to be a metagame call.
Elvish Visionary – Two drop that draws you a card but does little to add to your devotion count
Lotus Cobra – When Genesis Wave was in Standard this was a great card. Running 20 land with only four fetches, its value diminishes greatly. It does work really well if you hit a ton of lands off of a Genesis Wave and can utilize it.
Courser of Kruphix – A newer addition to the deck, this gives the deck a little more staying power. With 4 toughness, it survives a bunch of removal in the format. With only 20 lands, gaining life from him might not be a good plan, but he will help smooth out your draws. Becomes much better in builds that include fetches.
Scavenging Ooze – Depending on the metagame, this is either a main deck inclusion or a sideboard card. It excels in environments where Pod and Snapcaster decks are strong. However, given its low devotion count it doesn’t stack up well versus other two drops
Polukranos - A good 5/5 body that can utilize the devotion mechanic and shoot down a ton of little guys on the other side of the board.
iii. Alternate Win Conditions
Primal Command – While the Genesis Wave version is primarily a combo deck, Primal Command gives the deck a different dimension. While not necessary for the deck, it tutors, gains you life, recycles graveyards, and bounces your opponent’s permanents! When combined with Eternal Witness it allows you to play a little more of a midrange game and disrupt your opponent enough for you to develop your board and drop a Craterhoof for the win. Of all cards, this is as close to a core card are you can get.
Wolfbriar Elemental – Speaking of not having much of a board presence, Wolfbriar Elemental helps build that board presence and put that Green mana to good use.
Inkmoth Nexus – Definitely a combo with Kessig Wolf Run. Genesis Wave decks usually run 20 lands, with 7 dedicated to Nykthos, Kessig Wolf Run, and Stomping Ground, with another 4 potentially tied up with fetchlands. That leaves you with between 9 and 13 slots for Forests. Forests are key to the deck, since Utopia Sprawl and Arbor Elf require Forests, so diluting the mana base will hurt the deck’s ability to operate effectively.
c. Sample decks
4 Utopia Sprawl
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 COurser of Kruphix
4 Wistful Selkie
3 Eternal Witness
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
3 Primeval Titan
2 Craterhoof Behemoth
1 Summoner's Pact
3 Genesis Wave
3 Primal Command
1 Tooth and Nail
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
2 Abundant Growth
1 Kessig Wolf Run
3 Genesis Wave
3 Primeval Titan
2 Joraga Treespeaker
4 Arbor Elf
1 Wolfbriar Elemental
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Misty Rainforest
3 Wistful Selkie
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
2 Primal Command
4 Utopia Sprawl
2 Stomping Ground
4 Eternal Witness
8 Forest
2 Birds of Paradise
Sideboard
1 Scavenging Ooze
2 Spellskite
1 Beast Within
1 Dismember
2 Creeping Corrosion
1 Combust
1 Nature's Claim
1 Primal Command
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Ghost Quarter
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All[/card]
4 Arbor Elf
2 Birds of Paradise
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
2 Craterhoof Behemoth
4 Elvish Visionary
3 Eternal Witness
3 Primeval Titan
4 Wistful Selkie
1 Harmonize
2 Primal Command
2 Tooth and Nail
4 Utopia Sprawl
12 Forest
1 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Kessig Wolf Run
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
3 Stomping Ground
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Banefire
2 Choke
1 Creeping Corrosion
2 Ghost Quarter
1 Krosan Grip
1 Nature's Claim
2 Obstinate Baloth
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Scavenging Ooze
ii. Variants
4 Courser of Kruphix
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
4 Voyaging Satyr
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
1 Kessig Wolf Run
3 Genesis Wave
1 Primeval Titan
4 Arbor Elf
2 Misty Rainforest
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
3 Primal Command
4 Utopia Sprawl
2 Stomping Ground
3 Eternal Witness
8 Forest
4 Fertile Ground
2 Scavenging Ooze
1 Beast Within
2 Dismember
1 Creeping Corrosion
2 Combust
3 Obstinate Baloth
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
1 Eye of Ugin
2 Ancient Grudge
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Temple Garden
6 Forest
4 Nykthos, shrine to Nix
4 Arbor Elf
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Utopia Sprawl
4 Burning Tree Shaman
2 Lotus Cobra
4 Knight of the Relinquary
4 Wistful Selkie
3 Craterhoof Behemoth
1 Terastodon
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
4 Summoners Pact
2 Tooth and Nail
d. The Nut Draw
Opening hand - Arbor Elf, Utopia Sprawl, Forest, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Burning-Tree Emissary, Garruk Wildspeaker, and Genesis Wave
T1 - Forest, Arbor Elf, done
T2 - Draw Burning-Tree Emissary. Tap Forest (G), play Utopia Sprawl (Empty). Target Forest, name Green. Tap Arbor Elf, untapping the Forest. Tap the Forest (GG), cast Burning-Tree Emissary (RG). Cast Burning-Tree Emissary (RG). Play Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx. Activate Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx (GGGGGG). Cast Garruk Wildspeaker (GG). Use Garruk Wildspeaker's +1 ability, untap Forest and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx. Tap Forest (GGGG), activate Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx (GGGGGGGGGG), cast Genesis Wave for 7.
Genesis Wave reveals Garruk, Nykthos, Eternal Witness, Wistful Selkie, and two other cards. Craterhoof not revealed.
Replace Garruk with one revealed by Genesis Wave. Do the same with Nykthos. Return Genesis Wave with Eternal Witness. Draw a card from Wistful Selkie.
Tap Nykthos (1), use Garruk's +1 ability to untap Nykthos and Forest. Tap Forest (GG1), activate Nykthos (GGGGGGGGGGGGG1), cast Genesis Wave for 11.
In order to win on this turn, you'd have to hit a Craterhoof and about 15 creatures. Haste creatures will reduce that number, as will your opponent's Fetches and Shocks.
And yes, this is the nut. Turn 3s are possible and don't require BTEs. They typically will require a play on turn 2 with a creature with at least GG in its casting cost.
You could go
T1 - Forest, Arbor Elf
T2 - Forest, Utopia Sprawl on untapped Forest, tap enchanted Forest (GG), untap Forest with Arbor Elf, tap Forest (GGGG), cast Garruk Wildspeaker. Use Garruk's +1 ability, untap both lands. Tap both lands (GGG), cast Wistful Selkie.
T3 - Nykthos, tap Forest and enchanted Forest (GGG), activate Nykthos (GGGGGGG). Untap Nykthos and enchanted Forest. Tap enchanted Forest (GGGGGGGGG), activate Nykthos (GGGGGGGGGGGGGG), cast Genesis Wave for 11.
e. Build and Play guide (mulligans, sequencing, matchups)
i. Don’t fall into the trap of “cute cards”
"But an Entwined Tooth and Nail is SO much better than a Genesis Wave for six!"
Is it?
Let’s take a look at a typical turn three. In play is a Forest, a Forest enchanted with Utopia Sprawl, Arbor Elf, Wistful Selkie, and a Garruk Wildspeaker on 4 counters. In your hand is a Genesis Wave, a Tooth and Nail, a Forest, and some other irrelevant cards.
So you enter your main phase, play your Forest and have access to 9 mana. Do you Tooth and Nail for Craterhoof/Primeval Titan or Craterhoof/Craterhoof, or Craterhoof/whatever, or do you Genesis Wave?
If you Tooth and Nail, you are able to attack for between 15 and 25. Definitely not guaranteed to win. A Path to Exile really pooches you in this scenario, and you’ve lost one of your win conditions.
If you Genesis Wave, you will get all of your permanents except for Craterhoof, which you can afford to lose given you run Eternal Witness. It is a distinct possibility that you hit something that will allow you to continue to play that turn, like Garruk/Eternal Witness/Nykthos. At a minimum, you build your board presence, allowing for a bigger Tooth and Nail turn next turn.
Further to this, Genesis Wave has the flexibility of being castable for less than 9 mana. Yes, you can play Tooth and Nail at 7 mana, but the likelihood of that happening is low. However, a Genesis Wave for 4-5 can generate value for you.
Long and short of it, Genesis Wave > Tooth and Nail
iii. Mulligans
Regardless of the path you take, an ideal hand has Forest, Forest, Utopia Sprawl, and Arbor Elf. With this, you can hit four mana on turn 2, enabling almost anything in your deck. You could substitute a Forest for either a Stomping Ground or Nykthos, but not Kessig Wolf Run. You could also keep a hand that doesn’t have Arbor Elf OR Utopia Sprawl, but hands without either one should be pitched.
You really don’t want to see multiple Genesis Waves, Nykthos, or any number of Craterhoofs in your opener. Unless you have the stone cold nuts, then those hands should go back.
Hands with Primeval Titans are debateable, depending on what accompanies it. Remember that Modern is a turn 4 format, so if you can’t cast him by turn 4, you should think about keeping the hand.
Wistful Selkie hands are surprisingly keepable, granted you can cast them. The ability to draw into something of value, plus the devotion bump, tends to work out in your favour most of the time. You do, however, need a Utopia Sprawl or Arbor Elf in hand as well.
iv. Sequencing (what to play when, trigger stacking, Primal Command loop)
Utopia Sprawl and Arbor Elf
Eternal Witness
The Primal Command Loop
When to Genesis Wave
That being said, what should you Genesis Wave for?
Obviously, you want to Genesis Wave for more than 8 (11 mana total). This means that any permanent that you hit is going to come into play, including the big daddy Craterhoof Behemoth. But should you Genesis Wave for less than 8?
ABSOLUTELY!
A Genesis Wave for 6 (9 mana) is completely acceptable. You will hit everything EXCEPT for Craterhoof, but that’s 1-2 permanents out of your deck. You will be able to land a Primeval Titan, which is probably the best card in your deck. You can hit Garruk, the next most expensive, and he’s critical to being able to continue your turn.
A Genesis Wave for 4 or 5 (7 or 8 mana) is a little trickier but not unheard of. This is basically a “called shot” Genesis Wave, where you need specific cards to keep you going, like a Garruk or Eternal Witness. While not preferred, sometimes you have to go for it for less than six, especially if you know you’re not going to survive the next turn.
A Genesis Wave for less than 4. Do you play the lottery and win a lot? Then go for it. Otherwise, don’t do it
When you Genesis Wave
1. The Legend Rule – remember to destroy the Nykthos and Garruk that you have already used this turn and replace it with the new one you have Waved for
2. Eternal Witness should typically be used to buy back a Genesis Wave. Your first Wave tends to be small (5-8 mana), so you want to buy it back in order to recast it for a larger amount
3. Utopia Sprawls MUST be put on lands that are already in play, not ones that came into play via the Genesis Wave. Unless you’re worried about Ghost Quarter, pile them on the land that you have put your other Utopia Sprawl on. Also think about which colour you want to name; Green is obvious, but you might want Red for Kessig Wolf Run
4. Draw effects – Remember that some of the cards you hit will have mandatory draw effects when they enter the battlefield. Therefore, you want to make sure that you have enough cards left in your library in order to draw and not lose. While this sounds silly, it has happened before so don’t let it happen to you! Also keep this in mind with Primeval Titan triggers; in some cases it is better to miss the Titan triggers than to risk losing the game
I can never find a Genesis Wave!
I can't find Nykthos
v. Matchups
Since the metagame constantly changes, I’ll focus on some of the top decks of the format at the moment
BGx (Jund/Junk)
The good thing about Jund-esque decks is that they’re midrange decks, and Genesis Wave punishes midrange by overwhelming them with card advantage in Genesis Wave.
They will have ways to disrupt you. Thoughtseize/Inquisition/Duress will disrupt your early game. Your turn 1 Arbor Elf will likely eat a Bolt. A Utopia Sprawl will meet an Abrupt Decay. Maelstrom Pulse and Anger of the Gods can destroy a well laid out plan.
Twin
That’s not to say that the matchup is impossible. The best route to victory is actually the Primal Command route, if you run it in your main deck. Tucking their lands over and over sometimes buys you just enough time to sneak in a victory.
Pod
Affinity
UR Delver
Burn
RG Tron
Scapeshift
e. Sideboarding
BGx Decks (Jund, Rock, Junk)
Bad Cards – Joraga Treespeaker, Scavenging Ooze, Birds of Paradise, Burning-Tree Emissary
They’ll likely bring in – Fulminator Mage, Slaughter Games, Graffdigger’s Cage, Rakdos Charm, Engineered Explosives, Olivia Voldaren, Sowing Salt, Drown in Sorrow, Disfigure
BGx decks are all about attrition, so having anti-attrition cards will help you out here. Finks and Geist will help buy time for a Genesis Wave. Garruk and Harmonize, along with Eternal Witness, will help you overcome Liliana and other discard effects
I don’t like additional mana dorks as they tend to bite the dust fairly quickly. The exception is Arbor Elf because of the potential you get with Utopia Sprawl
Burning-Tree Emissary is good if you want to go the combo route as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, these decks tend not to want you to go the quick route, in which case BTE is expendable
Twin
Bad cards – Genesis Wave, Burning-Tree Emissary
They’ll likely bring in – Anger of the Gods, Engineered Explosives, Negate, Counterflux
Yeah, this sounds super obvious, but the best route here is to disrupt their ability to go off on turn 4. Cards like Plow Under and Primal Command allow you to do this by putting lands back on top of their library, buying you time. Cards like Spellskite, Dismember and Combust are reactive cards that allow you to disrupt them as they are going off. Boseiju gives you the ability to protect these spells and give you a fighting chance.
Against any deck that you’re going to see counter magic in, bring out the Genesis Waves and go the grindier, disruption route. A timely Pestermite/Exarch on a Nykthos hurts far less if you go the disruption route than if you go the Genesis Wave route. If you do the latter, then they’ve pooched you for a turn. The former and you can still disrupt them that turn.
Pod
Bad cards – Primal Command
They’ll likely bring in – Path to Exile, Orzhov Pontiff, Slaughter Pact, Thoughtseize
Damping Matrix just hoses Pod. Seriously, it’s almost an auto concede. Cards like Harmonic Sliver tend to get sided out, so their ability to deal with it is lessened greatly. Ooze is another great addition as it allows you to stop their recursion.
Affinity
Bad cards – Primal Command
They’ll likely bring in – Thoughtseize, Grafdigger’s Cage, Etched Champion, Torpor Orb
The typical Affinity hate cards come in here, with Creeping Corrosion, Spellskite (for Ravager counters) and Damping Matrix being three of the big ones. Nature’s Claim and Beast Within may also be an option for pinpoint removal for cards like Grafdigger’s Cage and Torpor Orb
With threats like Thoughtseize, Grafdigger’s Cage, Etched Champion, and Torpor Orb, Affinity slows down by a turn or two, which means you can still go the combo route. Primal Command loses a lot of value here; you can bounce things like man lands and Cranial Plating, but it doesn’t have the same impact as it does in other matchups
UR Delver
Bad cards – Genesis Wave, Burning-Tree Emissary, Birds of Paradise, Joraga Treespeaker
They’ll likely bring in – Dispel, Counterflux, Izzet Staticcaster, Engineered Explosives, Molten Rain, Negate, Vendillion Clique, Spell Pierce
This is similar to the Twin matchup without the combo. Again, the Primal Command route is probably your best bet.
Burn
Bad cards – ???
They’ll likely bring in – Anger of the Gods
I really like this matchup, so long as I can get to five mana. The modes for Primal Command will change here, so instead of bouncing a land, you want to gain seven life. The burn decks usually don’t have the reach to allow them to overcome an initial gain of seven life, never mind looping it with Primal Command.
Kitchen Finks isn’t something that pops up in Genesis Wave lists much anymore, but if there’s going to be a burn/BGx filled meta then they may find a spot in your 75
In this matchup you can probably shave Burning-Tree Emissaries, Wistful Selkies, and maybe a Primeval Titan.
Tron
Bad Cards - Genesis Wave
They'll likely bring in - Torpor Orb, Pyroclasm, Slaughter Games
The key is to slow them down from getting Tron assembled. That means you want as much land disruption as possible, so Ghost Quarters, Primal Command loops, Plow Under, and Beast Within are the tools of choice. If they assemble Tron and land a Karn, you might as well scoop.
Torpor Orb is a complete hoser for us. Since all of our cards, save Arbor Elf, have ETB effects, our creatures become infinitely worse. Be mindful that they will pack it, and blow it up at the appropriate time (see one of the videos at Section 7)
As you would in game 1, be cognizant of Pyroclasm. That can be fatal for you, so watch out for Grove of the Burnwillows
Scapeshift
Bad Cards
They'll likely bring in - Swan Song, Anger of the Gods, Inferno Titan, Counterflux, Gigadrowse, Engineered Explosives
4) Primal Command version
Core cards
4 Arbor Elf
4 Utopia Sprawl
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
Good accelerators that combos well together. Arbor elf and Garruk untaps utopia sprawled forest to produce twice a mana. Garruk also have synergy with small creatures for his overrun ultimatum.
3 Wistful Selkie
4 Eternal Witness
Card advantage and devotion enablers. Some lists use only 2 Selkies, however I found them quite good especially with restoration angels.
4 Primal Command
Our "combo" with eternal witness. From my testing I found that I dont really like genesis wave or Tooth and Nail as they cost too much mana and arent relevant in mid game. They only works when your opponent isnt interracting with you, however even combo decks such as Twin or Storm have ways to interact (Lightning Bolt, remand, etc) so you are stuck with them and watching them winning. Primal Command however can lock your opponent out of the game by bouncing land every turn while slowly getting mana to cast craterhoof or ulti garruk. Another thing is the fact that Primal Command + Witness can be broken to 2 turns and used separately.
3 Primeval Titan
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Craterhoof Behemoth
Our creature lategame. Craterhoof wins most games on the spot, Elesh Norn wipes opponents team. Primeval titan fetches relevant lands (Nykthos, Kessig Wolf Run) that lets you win on next turn most of the time.
Cards from above (28 of them) are a core of this deck that mostly are same in every read I linked. Elesh Norn is sometimes 2nd Craterhoof, Xenagod, or other big monster, and number of Selkies floats from 2 to 4.
Flex Cards
3 (0-4) Birds of Paradise
1 (4) Burning-Tree Emissary
1 (0) Lotus Cobra
1 (0) Knight of the Reliquary
Only deck that used Lotus Cobra and Knight of the Reliquary was Petr Brozek's from GP Vienna. Michael Jacob (DarkestMage on twitch) is another person who was trying out Knight of the Reliquary as an 1 off as an additional tutor target for Primal Command (usuful when you are constricted on mana and cant cast Primeval Titan).
As for Lotus Cobra I am currently testing if I want more of them. They give massive burst of mana (such as potential 8 mana on turn 3).
Birds of Paradise is a last 1 mana accelerator worth bringing into this deck, however a lot of decks mentioned earlier dont bring them. In my testing and experience starting with turn 1 accelerator is crucial, and because of that I settled on 3 Birds of Paradise.
Burning Tree Emissary is a stock 4 off in most decks mentioned earlier. I also started with 4 of them, however they combo of only with Nykthos. Without nykthos they are outclassed by virtually anything. 1 is crucial to fetch with Primal Command when you have nykthos but lacks colored symbols. Having 1 also allows you for turbo starts such as turn 2 Primeval Titan or Turn 3 Elesh Norn.
Lifegain, relevant blockers, card advantage, durable devotion
1 (0) Courser of Cruphix
2 (0) Kitchen Finks
Midrange aproach:
3 (0) Restoration Angel
Blinks card advantage bodies (Eternal Witness, Wistful Selkie), resets Kitchen FInks, protects cards from removal. Good bodies and good blockers that can close a game on their own (with a little bit of help from Kessig Wolf Run). Another thing I notices is the fact, that this deck was previously stone cold to flyers. With restoration angel it isnt the case anymore.
There are of course other midrange cards menioned earlier: Kitchen Finks, Knight of the Reliquary, Courser of Krupnix - cards that are good on their own and works well together.
Mana base
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Stomping Ground
2 Temple Garden
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Forest
Notice red splash here. Only red card I use in main deck is Kessig Wolf Run. From amount of mana this deck can produce, in my oppinion this is better option than Gavony Township, however much less consistent. Sometimes this 1 stomping grounds allows use of relevant sb cards (currenly not there anymore).
From another good read (http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/frank-analysis-how-many-colored-mana-sources-do-you-need-to-consistently-cast-your-spells/) I should have 19 green sources for turn 3 double green card and 22 for tripple green card. With turn 1 Manadork I always have double green on turn 2 and need 19 green sources for trupple green card. I might be scientific person, however I would rather make a simulator than make calculations, so I would love help of others how to build this manabase. Sometimes I feel like having 1 more land(forest) wouldnt be bad choice, however I currently dont know what to cut (probably some cards from flex slots that arent birds of paradise).
Sideboard
1 Arena
1 Beast Within
1 Courser of Kruphix
2 Damping Matrix
2 Ghost Quarter
3 Path to Exile
1 Polukranos, World Eater
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Spellskite
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Wolfbriar Elemental
From the top:
Arena is a fightland that is much better now when we have access for bigger bodies. It works around hexproof (as your opponent is choosing target), can prevent attacking with tapping the target. Works good when creatures are involved. This doesnt produce mana, so never cut lands for it!
Beast Within is catch all removal spell with multiple purposes. Blowing up lands is one thing, however killing your own creature in response to removal, reseting kitchen finks, blowing your own land, etc gives you plenty of options.
Courser of Kruphix is good vs agressive decks where big butt is relevant, and vs lightning bolt decks where keeping devotion high is crucial. Also awsome as a card advantage machine, especially in matchups where keeping mana dork alive is almost impossible.
Damping Matrix is a card I am currently testing as a catch all card vs Twin, Pod and affinity. It might be that it would be better to personalize those matchups to have more slots dedicated to those matchups (such as stony silence vs affinity, etc).
Ghost quarter is additional land that is brought vs decks where keeping manadork alive is really hard. In addition to that, it have some lategame potential of blowing celestial colonades vs UW or keeping scapeshift of mountains. Works wonder vs Tron with combination of Eternal Witness.
Path to Exile is catch all removal spell. With much harder white splash than before, I merged Dismembers and Combusts to this.
Polukranos, World Eater & Wolfbriar Elemental - in testing I figured out that in some matchups having access for big spell is relevant. I wanted to have Tooth & Nail or Genesis Wave in the sb, however I just thought that maybe big mana sink creature would be better. Here comes those 4 mana monsters. Polukranos is awsome vs small dorky decks, affinity and Jund, where often it is biggest thing on a board, Wolfbriar Elemental is good vs decks that plans 1 for 1 you all the time, such as UWR and Jund.
Scavenging Ooze - good graveyard hate card.
Spellskite - good vs bolt decks, jund, scapeshift, twin.
Thrun, the Last Troll - in testing right now, should be relevant vs blue decks.
Other cards not in the deck
Summoner's Pact - fetching creature that is needed at this specific turn. It however is card disadvantage and blocks your next turn often.
Time of Need - fetches legendary permanents such as Nykthos, Elesh Norn, sb specific legendary hatecards such as Kataki, Linvala, Polukranos.
Both of those cards are much better when placed in sb when we have more relevant hate bears such as Kataki, Linvala, Polukranos, etc.
Stony Silence - good sb card vs affinity, potentially better than Damping Matrix
Kataki, War's Wage - another good sb card vs affinity. Creature, legendary, good synergy with summoner's pact, time of need, primal command.
Linvala, Keeper of Silence - good sb card vs pod and twin, relevant flying body. Creature, legendary, good synergy with summoner's pact, time of need, primal command.
Summoning Trap - in previous version of the deck, spells were mostly important, so the were often countered. In this version however, mayority of things we do is connected with creatures. It has cascade effect with eternal witness and restoration angel blinking witness, where you can rebuy Trap and cast it again till you find your haymaker (Hoof, Titan or Elesh).
Cavern of Souls - another way of interacting vs counterspells, similar to trap.
Boseiju, Who Shelters All - much better in heavier spell version of the deck.
Wurmcoil Engine - possible another 6 drop good in midrange fights. Might find place in md / sb.
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben - good sb card vs storm, Creature, legendary, good synergy with summoner's pact, time of need, primal command.
Thorn of Ametyst - similar to Thala, but permanent
Rest in Peace - anti graveyard card, however no synergy with eternal witness
Wheel of Sun and Moon - anti graveyard card, have synergy with a deck with eternal witness and nykthos, however not a good topdeck similar to rest in peace.
6) Interesting stuff to read/view
[url=http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/rc/276]The Most Fun I've Had in Modern[/url]
[url=https://www.starcitygames.com/article/27950_Mono-Green-Devotion-In-Modern.html]Mono-Green Devotion in Modern[/url]
[url=http://www.cmus.cz/dnn/%C4%8Cl%C3%A1nky/V%C5%A1echny%C4%8Dl%C3%A1nky/tabid/265/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/4388/New-Modern-Deck--Mono-Green-Nykthos.aspx]New Modern Deck - Modern Green Nykthos[/url]
[url=http://www.gatheringmagic.com/jarvisyu-decks-12052013-mono-green-devotion-in-modern/]Mono-Green Devotion in Modern[/url (different article)
[url=http://www.starcitygames.com/article/28669_Quick-Hits-Mono-Green-Devotion-in-Modern.html]Quick Hits - Mono-Green Devotion in Modern[/url]
[url=http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/woo-brews-mono-green-aura-ramp/]Woo Brews - Mono-Green Aura Ramp[/url] (Ignore the comment section)
Videos
[url=http://www.channelfireball.com/videos/channel-twoo-modern-mono-green-aura-ramp/]Channel TWoo - Mono-Green Aura Ramp[/url] (again, ignore the comments)
[url=http://www.channelfireball.com/videos/channel-_shipitholla-modern-mono-green-devotion/]Channel _Shipitholla Modern Mono-Green Devotion[/url]
[url=http://www.twitch.tv/darkest_mage/c/3605807]Mulligan to 3 with mono green devotion![/url]
[url=http://www.twitch.tv/darkest_mage/c/3604991]A typical draw with mono green devotion[/url]
[url=http://www.twitch.tv/darkest_mage/c/3508198]Mulligan to 5, Mono G vs Tron[/url]
This primer wouldn’t have been possible without the help of a number of people. BaddBusiness, Walk, and Lucidcheeta all helped in the development of the previous primer. It was a great source of information and they deserve some credit for that. Thanks to pedros who has been an advocate for the Primal Command version of the deck, and his writings over at DiesToRemoval have helped form the primer for that version.
8) Change log
July 17 - Primer posted to new thread
July 28 - Added link to archived primer
Not necessarily true. Yes, in a perfect world we always Wave for 6 or more, but a Wave for 4 or 5 is acceptable depending on circumstances. The least I would Wave for would be 4, and if I was in a real bind and needed to Wave to stay alive.
Putting a card like Dauntless Escort in your main really defeats the purpose of the initial 60. In your initial 60, versus an unknown metagame (or even a known metagame), you want to be able to get your devotion count as high as possible as quickly as possible. Dauntless Escort, or other solutions as such, really takes away from that. I mean, Dauntless Escort costs 3, adds 1 to your devotion count, can't naturally be cast, and has to be sacrificed to be used. Something like Soul of New Phyrexia is colourless, so again it does nothing.
Honestly, having your board wiped out because of a OStone on the table is a play error. Versus decks that run Verdict or Wrath, the bigger issue IMHO is not the board wipe but being able to resolve Primal Commands and Genesis Waves. If you resolve a Genesis Wave (or multiples in one turn), you're winning the game and there's nothing that a wrath effect can do.
Honestly, I look at a 6/6 trampler for 6 and I want Primeval Titan each and every time. It fetches me a win condition (Kessig Wolf Run + Stomping Ground) or a Nykthos. He has an ETB effect, so even if he gets Pathed I still get value out of him. Cards like Wistful Selkie (which you have two of) are much better value for your mana when it comes to drawing cards.
"Pretty" integral is an understatement. Primeval Titan is a key card to the deck. If you go back to the Primer (on page 62...I have to finish it up and then get it promoted), the Wave versions have 4 win conditions; Genesis Wave, Primeval Titan + Kessig Wolf Run, Craterhoof, and Garruk's ultimate. No Primeval Titan means you have a hard time pulling off three of those win conditions. Nykthos is all but required to pull off the first three, and Wolf Run + Stomping Ground is required for the second one. Deck thinning is not an argument for Titan. You're not looking to pull up forests with him, you're looking for ways to win.
I won't go into the fiscal argument, that's between you and your wallet. That said, he's not as cost prohibitive as he once was; SCG has him at $16 or $25 for foil versions of him (including the ever so sexy GP promo). Hell, MP ones are $14.
And Thrun vs Primeval Titan, there is no contest. Primetime stomps all over the last troll every day of the week
I really don't think you can get away with less than 4 Garruks main. He's a win condition on his own, not to mention the power of his +1.
Dauntless Escort seems like an awkward card in this deck. With no way to naturally cast him (No Birds, Heirarch, Temple Garden), it looks like you're dependent on a Genesis Wave to get him into play. You really don't want to use a Utopia Sprawl on anything other than Green, and 2 Fertile Grounds probably won't cut it.
Soul of the Harvest is interesting. Talk to us about it; why did you include it and how has it been working out for you?
No Primeval Titans is ballsy.
I kinda went the other way, but I can try to flip it. Not tonight, probably tomorrow or Thursday