Each of the creatures featured below are able to impact the game in unique ways, specifically in regard to the way they interact with the land card type.
•
Courser of Kruphix
might see a Turn 1 play with an ideal opening hand, but usually it enters the game on Turn 2 or 3. Prioritize our horsey friend at all costs—his impact on the game is not to be underestimated. With a
Fastbond
in play,
Courser of Kruphix
cancels out the life loss that would otherwise be incurred by playing extra lands, and being able to play your top card if it’s a land is unreal in this deck. Oh, and it’s bolt proof too!
•
Ramunap Excavator
is a living, breathing
Crucible of Worlds
. With one of these guys in play, a number of potential threats are negated. Don’t be afraid to either sacrifice, discard or otherwise let a land be destroyed; it can be replayed later.
•
Gruul Guildmage
comes with two built in abilities. For now we’ll talk about the second. For 4 mana he can buff either himself or another creature. This can come in handy if, say,
Countryside Crusher
or
Ramunap Excavator
is in play but you’re not quite set up for a win just yet. Instead of getting derailed by a
Lightning Bolt
, just give either +2/+2 and they’ll be safe for the time being.
•
Countryside Crusher
, or Red Hulk as I call him, is quite the threat. The more lands that hit your graveyard, the bigger and angrier he gets. I’ve seen some decks that are designed to create a chain reaction wherein the whole deck is peeled off into the graveyard to pump up the Crusher, and while it’s a viable tactic I never cared for the lack of control you have over it. What makes him so interesting to play in this particular deck is that we get to decide how big he becomes. With
Courser of Kruphix
and
Fastbond
in play, the choice is ours to play that land card from the top of our library or to let it remain until the beginning of the next upkeep—at which point it fuels
Countryside Crusher
. Either way, the synergy is quite good.
