So!
Up until recently this was a Yisan, the Wanderer Bard deck. However, it was just so overwhelmingly powerful (75% win percentage) that it was no fun to play, and I found myself playing it less and less.
What I am in the process of doing is trying to convert it to a Yeva, Nature's Herald build instead. Still packs that mono green punch, just without the tutor-on-legs that Yisan provides.
For the first pass, I pulled out ~15 cards that were specific to Yisan's strategy and replaced them. Let's see how it goes!
May 2021
This mono green deck is my least played and least fun. Turning it from Yisan to Yeva made it less powerful, but not really more interesting. I wonder if flipping it to a Gruul Nikya + Ruric Thar, and ONLY including creatures and lands as a restriction, would solve that.
Yeva’s 100% Natural Good Time Family Band Solution becomes: Nikya + Ruric's All Creature Jamboree
September 2021 Deck Changes
Cuts
card:1Taunting Elf (ONS) - I think just one version of this effect is enough for the deck
Champion of Lambholt - for some reason this card brings me no joy, though in theory it is good in this deck
Llanowar Visionary - trying to cut mana dorks for more impactful cards. given i run out of gas too fast and if I develop my board too fast I become public enemy number one
Beastcaller Savant- see above
Boreal Druid- see above
Goblin Anarchomancer- see above
Adds
Dawnglade Regent - protection and card advantage
Guardian Augmenter - nikya protection. flash speed in an all creature deck is a valuable surprise
Kamahl, Heart of Krosa - stompy green fun
Ghalta, Primal Hunger - see above. the epitome
Crawling Barrens - mana sync when i have too much
Decimator of the Provinces - another, weaker, copy of craterhoof and forerunners
Nullstone Gargoyle - really mean... but too synergistic and inexpensive, dollar-wise, to cut
October 2021 Deck Changes
And quickly we have a few more swaps.
In
Ashaya, Soul of the Wild - - Not only is ashaya cyclonic rift protection... it also acts as a cryptolith right... which also is doubled, because of nikya. so pretty great
Augur of Autumn - Radha combined with vizier of the menagerie
Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma - ramps and pumps the team. 25+ creatures with power 4 or greater
War Room - deck needs all the draw it can get - can run out of gas quick with the big mana
Tuktuk Rubblefort - does a great fervor impression. didn't realize this card existed
Kazandu Mammoth
- think it is worth the slot for flexibility if i need a creature
Circle of Dreams Druid - slam dunk for a deck with 60+ creatures. Gaea's Cradle on legs
Tireless Tracker - card advantage is key in this deck when I can run out of gas so quickly
Rockfall Vale - love these new duals. some of the best/most affordable in the format
Saryth, the Viper's Fang - Protection is at a premium when I don't have access to cards like heroic intervention AND when so much of the deck's plan relies on building up a board state. I believe this is the cheapest CMC way to give hexproof to all my creatures, on a creature. Not to mention - his untap ability has some scary synergy with Cradle, Nykthos, Dreams Druid, Priest of Titana, and Magus of the Candelabra.
Out
Crashing Drawbridge - tuktuk is an upgrade
Magus of the Wheel - has to wait a turn to have an impact
Sandstone Oracle - expensive and conditional
Elvish Archdruid - been on the bubble awhile, final victim of the mana dork purge
Crawling Barrens - on second thought, think this just isn't worth the deck slot - would rather have color appropriate lands
Decimator of the Provinces - Does what I want to do to win the game... but 10 cmc is just so much mana
Greenwarden of Murasa - the ETB for 5 cmc is over-costed and I can't control when/if it dies or not
Shinen of Life's Roar - I like the card but pretty situational.
November 2021 Deck Changes
In
Myojin of Life's Web - play pattern here is: play Nikya on turn 4. Turn 5 - cast this and dump my whole hand if it isnt countered.
Earthshaker Giant - leans into my 'buff the whole team' stompy theme at a comparatively low cmc. baby craterhoof
Slippery Bogbonder - more valuable flash speed creature protection
Beastcaller Savant - did some mana curve analysis and realized i was really low on 1 and 2 drops. had previously cut this and the two below, but happy to add them back
Boreal Druid - see above
Goblin Anarchomancer - see above. in theory if this sits on the board for a few turns - it will make me more mana than a dork
Out
Kamahl, Heart of Krosa - i wish this was a proper ETB - makes it worse than the other craterhoof impersonators
Malignus - TBH this is really a mono green deck in disguise, happy to cut nonessential red cards. Malignus is a cool card - but i always end up cutting it - no evasion, gets worse each time it hits, etc.
Thunderfoot Baloth - i imagine the play pattern here is someone just doom blades my commander, two for one-ing me
Combat Celebrant - see malignus above
Heartwood Storyteller - better not to give my opponents cards
Voice of Many - conditional
December 2021 Deck Changes
In
Fabled Passage - quality land! plus i have some landfall triggers. cut a mountain for it
Quirion Elves - still trying to fix the curve issue called out above
Acidic Slime - realize this card has fallen out of favor in EDH. But realizing i'm desperate for removal/interaction in this deck
Out
Dawnglade Regent - realizing the play pattern here is - table teams up to take monarch, and then here comes the spot removal. deck is weak vs. flyers so imagine someone can poke through a damage.
Myojin of Life's Web - swear i thought this was 8 mana. regardless, playing it the turn after i play nikya and dumping my hand is super powerful. But! overcommits me, puts me in top deck mode. And! the card at any other point isn't good.
Next Batch of Deck Changes
In
Terror of the Peaks - with 64 creatures in the deck, and the ability to dump a bunch at a time, terror can serve as removal or a win con.
Purphoros, God of the Forge - see above. if i have one of my card draw engines out and can manage to drop 5 creatures in a turn - that's a lot of damage. indestructible is nice too
Druid of Purification - i want more removal - upgrade over acidic slime
Out
Acidic Slime - see above
Duskwatch Recruiter
- have added better options
Quirion Elves - drawing the line at this kind of vanilla 2 cmc dork
Pendelhaven - tiny upside is not worth the forest synergy i lose
January 2022 Deck Changes
In
Caller of the Claw - wow i'm in love. i had no idea this card existed. i really struggle playing all creatures/mostly sorcery speed as i love having answers. this is flash board wipe protection. i have 7 creatures out? suddenly thats 14 bear power next turn to retaliate.
City of Brass - my last multicolor deck to get the city. big fan of this card, found a deal for $12
Purphoros, Bronze-Blooded - i like this as an upgrade to the ogre. the way this deck plays out is a million creatures enter on a turn sequentially. if i draw into the ogre - he doesnt help me. but purphorous does - doesnt matter that they entered before him. only one more mana. plus now i have both purphorous's which is fun. plus indestructible is relevant.
Out
Ogre Battledriver - see above
Kodama of the East Tree - non essential, really win more even though its fun. doesnt have a ton of impact
Earthshaker Giant - on second thought this version of the effect is underwhelming.
February 2022 Deck Changes
In
Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei - less expensive way to give haste to my team
Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance - free value, 8+ cards in the deck actually care about these creatures, will pull a mountain for it
Out
Purphoros, Bronze-Blooded - replacing with a 2 cmc cheaper version
April 2022 Deck Changes
In
Selvala, Heart of the Wilds - has been on my 'possible adds' list for a while and i cracked it in a pack. serves three functions here. 1 - as a worse beast whisperer type effect, which is probably the best effect in the deck. i.e. cantripping when i cast creatures. 2 - can generate huge mana with the right board state. also wirewood lodge untaps it. 3 - worst case, it ramps me into nikya one turn early
Out
Elvish Piper - had been on the bubble and a natural swap out for Selvala. one cmc more than her. and only serves purpose #2 above, not all 3. this is a pet card of mine from back in the day, but ultimately is cuttable.
May 2022 Deck Changes
In
Dryad Arbor - much like the reasoning for Sokenzan, there are 8+ cards in the deck that care about random creatures entering/existing. (purphorous terror ashaya gaeas cradle circle of dreams druid craterhoof forerunners shaman of foregotten ways)
Topiary Stomper - Nikya wants as many of these effects as possible
Witty Roastmaster - mini me version of purphorous. which is my fave wincon in the deck
Out
Genesis Hydra - not bad, but not essntial
Soul of New Phyrexia - i love the protection, but so mana intensive
June 2022 Deck Changes
In
Foundation Breaker - flexibly costed spot removal on a body
Out
Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei - i actually don't know how badly i need haste in this deck, and tuk tuk is better
July 2022 Deck Changes
In
Akoum Warrior
- this is a bad mdfc. But the deck loves creatures. I can’t resist. Pull a mountain for it.
September 2022 Deck Changes
In
Silverback Elder - card is absolutely disgusting in this deck. in a deck with nothing but creatures and lands, everything i play with this down blows something up, ramps me even more, or gets my life total back in the game
Mossfire Valley - more fixing can't hurt i assume
Elvish Visionary - this card existed in earlier versions of this deck. what i'm thinking though is, in a deck with so much creature synergy, a 2 cmc cantrip creature must be better than whatever on the bubble stuff i have.
Spire Garden - bit of a sale on this card, upgrade the landbase
Yavimaya Granger - this is a maybe. distinctly worse than the other 3cmc versions of the card in the deck. but still ramps out nikya out of that slot. and triggers all of my creature cast/etb stuff. so think its good enough?
Wall of Blossoms - same as elvish visionary above
Out
End-Raze Forerunners - likely not good enough to win me the game and i have craterhoof here
Caller of the Claw - situational, fun card, but doesn't help with anything but a board wipe
Temur Sabertooth - i am not really looking to re-use stuff here? i just want to cast and draw a million creatures
Whisperwood Elemental - 5 cmc is a lot for this, no?
October 2022 Deck Changes
In
Sporocyst - Nikya loves these effects. And this one scales!
Out
Nullstone Gargoyle - Love the effect but its not that fun and its so much mana
November 2022 Deck Changes
Akoum Warrior
- sick of my lands coming in tapped, swapped these for basics
Game Trail - ""
Kazandu Mammoth
- ""
November 2022 Deck Changes Part II
In
Gwenna, Eyes of Gaea - i dont have a ton of 5 power dudes - 11-ish. Which is actually more than i thought. But the real key is - my commander is one of them. so play pattern is play this out. cast nikya. untap - cast something else.
Plus a basic forest - adding a land to all of my decks this month to increase land count
Out
Duplicant - too much mana for this effect, even if i dont have much creature removal
Goblin Anarchomancer - my two cmc dorks are cuttable - and i dont love the castability of this card
May 2023 Deck Changes
In
Kogla and Yidaro - 3 useful options. smack someone for 7, fight a creature, or cantrip targeted disenchant. last one especially in an all creature deck. and i dont have a ton of creature removal in here so nice to get more
Portent Tracker - another copy of voyaging satyr which is a banger here
Devilish Valet - a wincon on a 3cmc creature. 6 creatures = 64 power. can definitely do that in this deck
Out
Beastcaller Savant - now my 2 cmc dorks deal with lands, so have 2 cmc upside
Solemn Simulacrum - 4 cmc is the most expensive version of the effect in the deck
Gwenna, Eyes of Gaea - realize this only impacting 13 cards in my deck. yes one is my commander, but think compared to the other 3 cmc dorks - shaman of forgotten ways, circle of dreams druid, etc. are much stronger
September 2023 Deck Changes
In
Hajar, Loyal Bodyguard - very unique effect in Gruul. another way to protect nikya without spells
Out
Yavimaya Granger - worst version of this effect in the deck
