Newbie to EDH! (Selvala HotW Eldrazi/Ramp help?)
Commander Deck Help forum
Posted on Aug. 13, 2017, 12:22 a.m. by QuantumMechanic
So, I'm new to the EDH format! Long story short, in asking for suggestions for a deck with some cards I had, a kind person suggested an idea for a Commander deck. After some research into the format, I'd like to try it out. I know the basics of EDH now, but I've never built a deck before, which is why I find myself here.
The idea suggested to me was, in brief, a Green (and Colorless?) Ramp Deck with Selvala, Heart of the Wilds as its commander and many big Eldrazi cards as (some of) the creatures.
But.. that's all I know. So, I come here to ask for the wisdom and knowledge of TappedOut's EDH community to ask: Is that viable? And if so, any tips to keep in mind? Any cards to recommend? Any ratios as far as Lands, Accelerators, Creatures, etc. go? Any and all help (preferrably constructive and with reasoning to back things), would be greatly appreciated!
QuantumMechanic says... #3
SteelSentry Wow, thank you! I certainly feel welcomed, haha; and that kind of information is just the stuff I'm looking for! Thanks again, it means a lot to a newbie such as myself!
August 13, 2017 1:25 a.m.
I run a Vorinclex deck that does a lot of what you are looking for ie ramp early then drop big guys late game. Here is a link to the Deck It doesnt run Eldrazi just big green guys but that can be switched about. Basically your going to want to run mana dorks and early mana ramp spells then some mid sizes creatures with utilities spells ie draw power and destroy effects. Then hit um with your fatties.
Green is bad vs flying (and i cant think of many eldrazi that have flying) so ill suggest Silklash Spider, Gravity Well, Cloudthresher, or Sandwurm Convergence. They will help shut down people flying over you to kill. Green also lack many kill cards but they have two of my personal favorites Beast Within turn a fattie into a 3/3 or remove an artifact or enchantment that will win your opponent the game a must include. And last but never least Song of the Dryads my favorite thing is the look on someones face who drops a win con or a high cost commander only to have it turned into a tree.
Like what was already said use edh rec and find out about local meta then you can post a decklist and get some help refining.
August 13, 2017 2:34 a.m.
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/alex-superramphow-tomono-g-wo-eldrazi/
here's a list of my selvala deck, you basically use almost every available onedrop that produces mana to get selvala out asap, then play stuff like Phyrexian Soulgorger or (sadly not included) Phyrexian Dreadnought to draw a card and make a lot of mana with selvala, playing bigger stuff etc. I included a lot of carddraw and untap engines, and with Staff of Domination and Umbral Mantle it's possible to go infinite.
August 13, 2017 6:04 a.m.
QuantumMechanic says... #6
Alright, thanks for the suggestions, everyone! I'll definitely look around at those decks and similar ones to see what's out there and what's similar. (Likely, the card-buying process won't be all at once, my wallet is a bit on the lower side, haha.)
August 13, 2017 10:08 a.m.
She doesn't have to be a combo deck but I have 2 good examples of them here.
I have personally built a pretty fun "elfball" version:
Selvala's Army of Infinite Mana Generating Elves
Commander / EDH*
SCORE: 10 | 17 COMMENTS | 2448 VIEWS | IN 3 FOLDERS
But I think this "brostorm" version I found here on Tappedout is cooler:
[Budget] Selvala Brostorm
Commander / EDH
SCORE: 18 | 6240 VIEWS | IN 12 FOLDERS
Good luck :)
August 13, 2017 11:49 a.m.
QuantumMechanic says... #8
Thanks, haha, I'll need it; I'll be sure to check them out!
August 13, 2017 11:55 a.m.
Multani, Maro-Sorcerer - CMC isn't too prohibitive, he is difficult to remove (shroud)... With Selvala as commander he probably will fetch you 20 mana, any color as soon as he hits the field
Otherwise, green has a good amount of cards/creatures like Elemental Bond, Drumhunter, Garruk's Packleader, Primordial Sage where you draw for each power-creature cast, I've effectively stormed some people pretty good with that strategy.
Surrak, the Hunt Caller, Hall of the Bandit Lord & Concordant Crossroads -- because this strategy has a heavy need of haste
Frontier Siege can turn all your beefcakes into removal spells.
August 13, 2017 11:58 a.m.
Selvala's Stampede & Hypergenesis -- because those spells are completely bonkers
& I forgot Paradox Engine because untap effects are very strong with selvala
August 13, 2017 12:01 p.m.
Oops... you can nyx Frontier Siege forgot that you aren't likely going to field much flyers
August 13, 2017 12:02 p.m.
Now that I think about it I recommend looking at my Eldrazi titan ramp deck too. Especially if you just want to play super big dudes and attack, instead of combo out with some infinite loop... Ironically it's also a Selvala deck but it's the green white version Selvala, Explorer Returned. I like her better as a multiplayer commander anyways. Consistent card draw, plus ramp, plus extra life is super great. And people let her live a lot so they can draw cards too, its awesome.
Selesnya Selvala is my favorite mana dork ever.
Commander / EDH
SCORE: 8 | 7 COMMENTS | 1601 VIEWS | IN 2 FOLDERS
August 13, 2017 12:18 p.m.
I also love Selvala with the new rules errata, so she actually CAN make mana of any color instead of commander color or colorless. I mention this because it is really fun to include Living Wish & use Selvala's ability to cast cards that normally are so CMC prohibitive, search away for: Maelstrom Wanderer, Progenitus, etc... So many possibilities
August 13, 2017 12:45 p.m.
QuantumMechanic says... #14
Gleeock Woah, thanks for all of those suggestions! I'll certainly put some of those cards in the deck.
Rzepkanut I'll have to check that out, then.
August 13, 2017 1:17 p.m.
QuantumMechanic says... #15
So, I've been working on the deck! Another thread was made recently for it, and the deck itself now has a page. So.. yeah.
Selvala's Eldrazi RAMPage!
Commander / EDH*
SCORE: 2 | 22 VIEWS
SteelSentry says... #2
Yeah, slamming big creatures and making a bunch of mana is a solid core for the deck. I would start out by looking at other people's Selvala decks on the site, since the ratios of cards will vary by commander/strategy. Typically, it's 36-40 lands, a creature deck will probably play at least 25 creatures if not more.
Selvala does make mana, but you will still need a lot of ramp to get your big creatures down fast. I would probably run at least 10 pieces (probably more), and since you're in green it can be land-based ramp which is typically safer than artifact or enchantment based ramp that frequently gets destroyed. An important factor in an EDH deck is drawing cards, so you don't burn out when the game goes long. Selvala does draw cards, but it is conditional, so add in consistent card draw like Soul of the Harvest as well as burst draw like Harmonize. This is a deck that does really well when the commander is out, so put in ways to protect her from removal, like Lightning Greaves or Swiftfoot Boots. Green also gives you access to pulling things out of graveyard to hand, example, Praetor's Counsel is a great late game play if your graveyard has a lot of dead creatures in it.
If you are looking for what cards to play, I would check https://edhrec.com, it does a lot of data crunching and shows you a selection of great cards to put in. However, don't just instantly slam all the top and signature cards in without thinking.
Lastly, welcome to EDH! It is a really fun format, and also my favorite format to brew for, since nearly every card is available.
August 13, 2017 12:48 a.m.