The new Sproutback Trudge is an intriguing example of an all-in-one fattie who can be played very cheaply if built around. A 9/7 Trampler should swing games if he shows up quickly, and cards that gain life simply for the sake of gaining life have long been maligned, meaning it's easy to gain 8 or even 10 life for a couple mana in green.
We've been hurrying out fatties with Dark Ritual or Entomb/Exhume for a long time now, so spending multiple cards to get one big creature is nothing new. What sets the Trudge a little apart, though, is that it can be played even from the graveyard, meaning you aren't necessarily getting card disadvantage by jumping through hoops to play it cheaply.
So the real nut play is revealing Chancellor of the Tangle on turn one, then pitching him to Nourishing Shoal to gain 7 life and dropping Sproutback Trudge for . Boom, we're off to the races. Even if you don't quite have the perfect draw, you can pitch Wild Cantor on turn two to play Life Goes On followed by the two-mana Trudge. Getting him on turn two should be pretty disruptive as well.
Of course, a single big creature sometimes isn't enough to decide a game! Your opponent might be packing some pesky removal, and you don't want your whole plan to collapse just because he's holding a copy of Dark Banishing. Thankfully, Life Chisel and Miren, the Moaning Well both conveniently give you a way to gain 7 life and dispose of your own Trudge, meaning you can replay him off his own life gain every turn. Channel provides an easy way to turn your lifegain into mana for any other fat creatures, and the application of Basilisk Collar can let any of them very quickly make up for any life you may have lost in playing them.
