Which ramp is better? Help
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on Nov. 18, 2019, 6:36 p.m. by c0rocotta
I'm new to the format, but I'm comparing two ramp cards and wanted to ask ... What advantage does Farhaven Elf vs Growth Spasm have? Just comparing numbers, Farhaven Elf , has a higher price and is present in many many more decks.
And only reading the text of the card, I understand that if your goal is ramping Growth Spasm (having the same effect as Farhaven Elf ) leaves you a creature that can give you another extra mana in the next turn. While Farhaven Elf leaves you with a 1/1 that the best that can do is chump block something ...
Can anyone give me some clue on this topic?
GhostChieftain says... #3
Btw neither card is optimal at what they do. If you can use 0,1, or 2 cmc ramp that is much stronger as you get into more competitive games if you so choose to try your hand at that.
November 18, 2019 7:02 p.m.
There are also a lot of creature flicker effects (e.g. Conjurer's Closet ) which allow you to abuse the ability repeatedly.
November 18, 2019 7:16 p.m.
ZendikariWol says... #5
Basically, being a creature is relevant to Farhaven Elf for the following reasons:
1) there a multitude of ways to recur etb effects (dozens of ways to blink or reanimate).
2) some effects just like it when you cast creature spells. Animar, Soul of Elements , Beast Whisperer , or Elvish Archdruid .
November 18, 2019 7:32 p.m.
multimedia says... #6
As others have said already, Farhaven is a creature which is good with blink ( Cloudshift ), bounce ( Temur Sabertooth ) and draw that's specific to creatures ( Guardian Project ). There's more tutors that can tutor for a creature than for an instant and creatures are easier to recur or reanimate than other spells.
If comparing the ramp value between Farhaven and Spasm than Spasm gives you more because you get double the ramp for three mana. Both give you a basic land on the battlefield and a 1/1 creature afterwards, but the 1/1 creature from Spasm can be saced to make mana which for ramp is better than Farhaven.
If we are comparing three mana ramp creatures to other three mana spells than Wood Elves is better than both, especially if playing multicolored deck, but also if playing mono green. Wood Elves can get a Forest or a Forest dual land ( Overgrown Tomb ) and put in onto the battlefield untapped. This means the Forest or dual land can be used for mana the turn you get it which is very good. Being able to ramp with a Forest dual land ( Cinder Glade ) is much better than ramping with a basic land.
An example of why getting a Forest or Forest dual land as ramp and having it put onto the battlefield untapped is good is being able to have that one mana available for a removal spell on an opponent's turn such as Nature's Claim or be able to tutor before your next turn such as Worldly Tutor . Another example is being able to play a one drop mana dork ( Birds of Paradise ) on your turn which is more ramp. These are plays you could make with three mana Wood Elves that you couldn't do if you played either Spasm of Farhaven.
Wood Elves , Nature's Lore and Farseek are three ramp spells that can get a dual land. They can ramp and are better color fixing (two colors from the land you get). Depending on lands in your manabase these spells should replace some land ramp spells that only get basic lands.
November 19, 2019 3:58 a.m. Edited.
Thank you very much for all the answers :) Your comments were fast and very well explained. Thank you community!
November 19, 2019 7:35 a.m.
Last_Laugh says... #8
The land entering untapped is a big thing also. Nature's Lore , Skyshroud Claim , Wood Elves , and the ever expensive Three Visits are a few that come to mind.
GhostChieftain says... #2
There are a few things that make farhaven situationally better and many green decks have at least something in them that makes farhaven being a creature spell or an elf relevant. The most blatant of them is that elf tribal is a thing and those decks don't want an eldrazi spawn when they can have another beefy elf with Elvish Archdruid or Ezuri, Renegade Leader on board. There are also cards in green that allow you to cast your creature spells as though they have flash such as Yeva, Nature's Herald and Vivien, Champion of the Wilds and holding up the mana is usually the right play if you have the option. Some cards let you benefit from casting spells such as Beast Whisperer and Zendikar Resurgent . Some commanders benefit from playing creatures like Animar, Soul of Elements and some from having creatures in the graveyard like Meren of Clan Nel Toth .
Non-creature spell based decks on the other hand don't generally play spasm because there are more mana efficient spells that they could be playing, and mana efficiency is pretty important when you don't have big ol beaters on board.
I am not by any means saying that spasm is bad or that one should always play farhaven instead, just that more decks get more benefit from farhaven than spasm.
November 18, 2019 6:58 p.m.