Creature (26)
- 4x Coiling Oracle
- 1x Craterhoof Behemoth
- 4x Elvish Archdruid
- 4x Elvish Mystic
- 4x Elvish Visionary
- 2x Ezuri, Renegade Leader
- 3x Heritage Druid
- 3x Khalni Hydra
- 1x Llanowar Elves
Land (19)
Sideboard
Enchantment (10)
Planeswalker (1)
Creature (4)
Maybeboard
Instant (8)
Creature (7)
Land (1)
This is the first devotion deck I've built with Genesis Wave in it:). It is A Green Devotion deck with Elf Tribal Focus. The point is to:
Pour out an army of elves and kill on the same turn.
WIN CONDITIONS
Garruk Wildspeaker. Overrun a large army of elves/druids with either Garruk Wildspeaker.
Craterhoof Behemoth - This is a standard Elf Deck Win-con. It's simply great in any deck with a board full of little guys. With haste and pumping everyone by +5/+5 or more; if this resolves it wins the game nearly every time it's cast.
Ezuri, Renegade Leader. This deck creates an extremely large amount of mana; and even with only 1 non-summoning sick elves and one with a Lightning Greaves attached; with Ezuri on board you often can pump your elves +12/+12 or more. More importantly, he can do so at instant speed! He also adds 2-devotion and can help against board-wipes (by regenerating your elves). He's not part of the "engine" of the deck; so there are only two; but he is the main win-con.
Khalni Hydra - I feel like this is the type of deck Khalni Hydra was meant for. In this deck, it can be cast by Turn 3 for only 3-4 total mana while adding 8-devotion...it's a win-win-win :). If the opponent doesn't deal with it quickly, it is quite a clock...and you don't feel nearly as bad when it is hit with a Path to Exile as for you it was only a 4-drop :)
Umbral Mantle - When this is paired with Elvish Archdruid and 3 other elves; you have one infinitely large elf and infinite mana! You can then either play out your hand, cast a Craterhoof, cast your entire deck (if you have a Genesis Wave in hand), cast an Ezuri, Renegade Leader pumping any un-summoning-sick elves infinitely. While most times you will not put this infinite combo together until after a wave; it's always nice to have an infinite combo in a deck and Swiftfoot Boots can push it over the top.
Instant Speed
It is important in Modern for cards to have somewhat of an immediate effect. It is also important to the deck that you can win at instant speed (especially after a Genesis Wave). Several cards are built to be effective at instant speed. These include:
- Heritage Druid allows you to tap for more mana at instant speed.
- Ezuri, Renegade Leader can pump everyone at instant speed. He is the most important win-con in this deck.
- Craterhoof Behemoth - Given his haste, often times he wins the game the turn he is cast.
- Swiftfoot Boots - This allows for an instant speed infinite combo (as discussed above) as well as an instant speed Khalni Hydra. It also allows us to attack with any elf after a Genesis Wave.
All of the above items are important, however; as you can win one turn earlier; and it gives your opponent far less options to respond and/or board wipe. With Anger of the Gods and other board wipes having popularity in the current meta...this is almost a necessity.
RAMP / DRAW CORE
Outside your win-cons) ALL of the cards are meant to add devotion while either ramping or drawing cards...if it doesn't do two of these three things; it can't be used. Of course, Garruk Wildspeaker also ramps; but this is why he is a green-devotion all star :)
Ramp Core
- Elvish Mystic
- Llanowar Elves
- Elvish Archdruid
- Heritage Druid
- Coiling Oracle (if it reveals land)
- Garruk Wildspeaker's +1 ability
The elves allow you to quickly ramp; and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx as well as Garruk Wildspeaker can make for huge sums of mana in later turns.
Draw Core
- Elvish Visionary
- Coiling Oracle (if it reveals non-land)
- Abundant Growth
- Horizon Canopy (when cycled)
- Genesis Wave
19 of the cards in this deck draw cards. This deck requires card draw for a few important reasons:
(a) It helps you ensure a land-drop each turn. Because the card draw for the most part comes off of very low drops (1-2); you can ensure you have enough land in hand to build a solid board/line. 3-4 lands is all you need.
(b) Ensure you get to at least 2 win-con's within the first four turns. This deck has a lot of "gas" and "engine"; and it's important these don't ramp and draw into nothing :)
(c) Allow you to build the "engine". Because the deck's power comes from multiple permanents being on the board (and each card is not the most inherently powerful card at it's CMC); it is important that you play more cards than your opponent.
(b) Typically, once you begin "going off" (i.e. cast your first Genesis Wave; you will continue to do so until you've unloaded nearly your entire deck on to the battlefield. It's not a guarantee; but the amount of card-draw in the deck makes it more likely than not. My last wave was for 12 and I drew 7 cards off of triggers...
The deck started as a "fun" deck because I wanted to build an elf devotion deck...the addition of Genesis Wave made it a viable combo deck, and after game after game of testing, more changes than should be made (and changes back...I'm OCD about showing every thought so it leads to changes that are "undone" the same day :), as well as a HUGE amount of suggestions and support fro the community; I believe it can be considered a "competitive deck".
Please let us know what you think. Community comments have led to the biggest additions to the deck; so who knows what the great minds in this community can come up with! Thanks in advance for any suggestions, criticisms, comments, and +1's.
We've provided the below "gold fish" example; and will provide an additional one or two in the comments to show different scenarios:
Example Gold Fish Game Depicting Turn 3 Win
Turn One (Cards in Hand = 7 / Devotion = 0)
- Play Forest
- Cast Elvish Mystic
Turn Two (Cards in Hand = 6 / Devotion = 1)
- Play Cavern of Souls
- Cast Coiling Oracle revealing Breeding Pool
- Cast Heritage Druid
- Tap your 3 Elves to cast Elvish Archdruid
Turn Three (Cards in Hand = 3 / Devotion = 6)
- Play Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
- Cast Abundant Growth (draw a card)
- Tap one land and 3 Elves to cast Garruk Wildspeaker
- Use remaining two lands to trigger Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx for 8-mana.
- +1 Garruk Wildspeaker to untap 1 land and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
- Use 1 land and 1 floating mana to re-trigger Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx for another 8 mana.
Total mana at this point is 15 mana.
- Tap Elvish Archdruid for 4-mana (19 total)
- Cast Genesis Wave with X = 16
Genesis Wave Reveals
- Cavern of Souls
- Coiling Oracle
- Umbral Mantle
- Genesis Wave
- Garruk Wildspeaker
- Forest
- Elvish Mystic
- Elvish Visionary
- Elvish Archdruid
- Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
- Abundant Growth
- Khalni Hydra
- Horizon Canopy x2
- Ezuri, Renegade Leader
- Swiftfoot Boots
You then draw 5 cards off of the Elvish Visionary, Coiling Oracle, and Abundant Growth , (with the 5th and 6h coming when you cycle the Horizon Canopys).
Because you put a Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx and Garruk Wildspeaker into play; you can re-use them due to the new legend rule (gotta love that change :).
You can use the Forest and Cavern of Souls you've obtained off of the Genesis Wave to trigger the first Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx. As your current devotion is 23 this generates a total of 44-mana (46 less the 2 you require to trigger the Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx the second time) assuming you cast nothing in your hand (in which case it grows even more!)
While you normally could tap your elves for a little more mana with the Swiftfoot Boots and then pump them all 9+ times with Ezuri, Renegade Leader letting you attack for well over 20 damage; because you have the infinite combo of Elvish Archdruid and Umbral Mantle along with Ezuri, Renegade Leader...
You attack for Infinite Trample Damage on Turn 3
We will assume you did not draw into a second Genesis Wave to draw out your entire deck...although in most situations you do (as you can use the mana to continue to cast what is in your hand...and a few of those cards will also have the "draw a card" trigger to draw into another Wave. In this example; however, we will assume you do not (for sake of not taking up too much space :)
This is one of the decks that I am pretty proud of; as it has numerous lines to win and can hold up against a majority of the meta...that and I just love elves :)
It takes some time to get proficient with the deck; but once you are there are great lines against most decks. I can't thank the community enough for the help provided. You guys pushed for certain cards and reminded me of others that after testing made this deck far better than I had it before! As always, we appreciate your comments, suggestions, and +1's! Let us know what you think!
Sideboard
After testing and testing; the deck appears to be at its current best "stable" point. Given this, we've cleaned up all of the 100+ comments.
I've cleaned up the sideboard as well based on the tough match-ups and the current popular decks in the meta (namely Twin, Pod, UWR Control,Storm, and Zoo)
The sideboard additions include:
Elvish Champion - This one of is a simple one of that can generate huge advantage against any deck with Forest's in it and/or control builds. In such builds you either use their forest, or play Nylea's Presence...this combo is similar to Merfolk's use of Spreading Seas and creatures granting Islandwalk. While there are more options in Merfolk, this deck draws far many more cards. Despite this, Nylea's Presence at minimum draws a card and adds 1-devotion, whereElvish Champion at minimum gives all elves a pump and is great against decks with green in them already (Tarmo Twin, Pod, GR Tron, Zoo, etc.)
Leyline of Sanctity - Obvious uses are Red Deck Wins, Storm, Pod's Infinite Damage Combo with Murderous Redcap , Zoo and Control's Lightning Helix and Lightning Bolt ...etc. There are, however, tons of other great uses including Thoughtseize , discard spells, and Valakut, the Molten PinnacleMTG Card: Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle ! This is an UNREAL sideboard card that I probably need 4-of.
Ghostly Prison - This is a great sideboard card in the current meta as Twin and Zoo decks are popular. If Twin (or Kiki-Pod) obtains their "infinite combo") they still can only attack with the amount of creatures they can pay for...also, Zoo tends to run low amounts of mana; and thus would have to decide whether they wanted to pay for more creatures or pay to attack. Same goes for Storm decks using Empty the Warrens and any random tribal decks (elves, etc.)
Rest in Peace - Graveyard hate. Living End is rising in popularity and Snapcaster Mage is everywhere. This also hurts Tarmagoyf. Good card; and we may add one more as graveyard-based decks rise in popularity within the meta.
Nissa Revane - Life gain to deal with RDW, Zoo, Valakut, and any "fair" decks that can't do infinite damage. She is only a one of as these are specific decks; but if you get it against such decks the game is basically over. Spellskite goes a long way to slowing such decks down; and Nissa Revane kinda "finishes" them.
Spellskite - This card is the king of Modern sideboards. It's great against Lightning Bolt , Lightning Helix , Path to Exile , and most importantly it shuts of the Splintertwin combo. It has a thousand uses and given blue is a color we can generate; this is a great sideboard card!
Wrap in Vigor - This is in the sideboard for a VERY popular card running around right now...Anger of the Gods...this is just a good card against removal and board wipes in general (including Supreme Verdict).
There are other great cards that may move in and out of the board as the meta shifts (i.e. Elixir of Immortality if the mill decks become more popular, Choke for Blue Moon, Merfolk, etc.). It all depends on what is popular at the time. I have added these cards to the "Maybeboard" so anyone can add them if they fit better within their local meta. Great options include things like Stony Silence and Runed Halo, Pithing Needle and Relic of Progenitus as well...sideboards are definitely a fluid thing!
As always, we appreciate any comments, suggestions, and +1's! Thanks for everyone for the help you've provided!
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| Top Ranked |
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| Date added | 10 years |
| Last updated | 9 years |
| Legality | This deck is Modern legal. |
| Rarity (main - side) | 13 - 3 Mythic Rares 23 - 10 Rares 4 - 2 Uncommons 17 - 0 Commons |
| Cards | 60 |
| Avg. CMC | 2.73 |
| Tokens | Beast 3/3 G |
| Folders | Green, Interesting Ideas, Modern, cool decks, Awesome Decks To See, cool stuff, green, cool ideas, coolstuff, other peoples |
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