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Te Mana o te Whenua [The Power of the Land]

Commander / EDH Aggro Mono-Green Ramp

Yumaddah


Deck Overview

The idea behind this deck is to channel 's philosophy to its fullest and do what it does better than any other color: ramp and turn sideways. This won't ever be a cEDH deck due to the Commander piloting it, but I've made it as tight and efficient as I could for EDH.

The main focus is to ramp as hard as possible and plant Mr. Multani in the table asap. Next, 2 options: either use his big muscles to draw plenty of cards and spend the bountiful mana to play as many of those cards as possible or throw a devastating trampling attack. Multani, Maro-Sorcerer shines in multiplayer for obvious reasons, but he's still a force to be reckoned in 1v1.

I've always enjoyed Aggro/Stompy decks, and EDH did not deter me to create a powerful deck like the old days. Although many believe this type of strategy is not ideal for the format, this deck has a very successful record. I might knock down one opponent at a time (though not always), but Mr. Multani very often gets the full job done. Even if I don't end up victorious, I put enough pressure to not let any games go for too long.

N.B.: the title of the deck is in Māori (I live in Aotearoa / New Zealand).

The first turns are all about dropping as many lands and mana-producing stuff as possible. The best strategy is to release Multani, Maro-Sorcerer as early as I can (earliest possible on T1, every now and then on T2, often on T3, most likely by T4, and most certainly by T5) to put the pressure on; other times I need to change the strategy to a more defensive stance, tutoring utility creatures to deal with the board and setting myself up with tools and plenty of mana. With 20 forests and 5 fetchlands, my Vernal Bloom will always play to my advantage even if someone is playing mono-green.

Sorceries: Green Sun's Zenith will most often tutor Dryad Arbor - especially on early turns, but can also fetch any other ramp creature. Sylvan Scrying can search for ANY land and get me out of trouble if I missed a land drop; Skyshroud Claim, Nature's Lore, and Three Visits can fetch us a Dryad Arbor as well as a forest; Cultivate, Kodama's Reach, and Nissa's Pilgrimage put lands into play while weeding the deck of excess leaves.

Artefacts: Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Chrome Mox, Jeweled Lotus, The Great Henge, Thought Vessel. If you wonder why I don't have Mox Diamond: I have tested it but preferred Chrome Mox's consistency (especially since I only care about ). With no other ways of returning a land from the graveyard (other than Regrowth or Eternal Witness), discarding a land ends up hurting me more than exiling a green card. Exploration and Wild Growthl are more consistent.

Enchantments: Wild Growth, Utopia Sprawl, Mana Reflection, Vernal Bloom, Carpet of Flowers.

Creatures: Fyndhorn Elves, Arbor Elf (the better elf, as it can untap a land enchanted with Wild Growth/Utopia Sprawl/when I have a mana doubler in play), Llanowar Elves, Elvish Mystic, Boreal Druid, Birds of Paradise, Nissa, Vastwood Seer  /Nissa, Sage Animist, Priest of Titania, Selvala, Heart of the Wilds, Karametra's Acolyte, Wood Elves, Quirion Ranger. Lotus Cobra makes Three Visits, Nature's Lore, and Skyshroud Claim free + makes Sylvan Scrying, Nissa's Pilgrimage, Cultivate, and Kodoma's Reach free if I didn't play land for turn; makes fetchlands produce 3 mana; has a nice little synergy with Quirion Ranger if I didn't play land for turn; and loves Exploration, Crop Rotation, and Sakura-Tribe Elder.

Planeswalkers: Garruk Wildspeaker’s +1 untaps 2 lands which can be very helpful to cast another thing on the same turn I play him - especially if it untaps Gaea's Cradle/Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx/Deserted Temple/Ancient Tomb or a land enchanted with Wild Growth/Utopia Sprawl - and even better if Mana Reflection or Vernal Bloom are in play.

Instants: Worldly Tutor, Chord of Calling, and Summoner's Pact can always search for ramp creatures rather than threats. Crop Rotation for Ancient Tomb is a great T1 acceleration; Gaea's Cradle//Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx are other obvious targets if my board is loaded.

I have 6 sources of heavy drawing: Return of the Wildspeaker, Rishkar's Expertise, Garruk, Primal Hunter, Momentous Fall, Life's Legacy, and Greater Good. Statistically, I am bound to come across either of these cards every 16.5 cards. As long as I cast one with Mr. Multani in play (or another beast), using one of these drawing engines will get me at least one of the other ones, creating an exponential situation (even if I don't fish for any of the above-mentioned cards on my 1st draw, I am also quite likely to come across Regrowth or Eternal Witness to re-cast the spell). This is how this deck takes off - and the more opponents, the bigger and crazier the draws, to the point that I have to be careful of not milling myself. For this reason, I want to have as much mana as possible to fill my board with stuff every turn, drawing often to maintain a high tempo.

I have 3 permanent tools to ensure I get the best draws: Sensei's Divining Top, Sylvan Library, and Mirri's Guile. These will not only be on the lookout for land and mana but also raise the chances of fishing up a trampling or a drawing source. To further help get out of a "topdeck lock" I have 22 sources of library shuffle in the list.

Sorceries: Rishkar's Expertise - delicious on Multani, Maro-Sorcerer. Life's Legacy: less ideal but a no-brainer, as drawing multiple cards for 2 mana is most often better than having Multani in play.

Artefacts: Sensei's Divining Top is here mainly for 2 reasons: to ensure I drop lands every turn, and to filter through the deck in search of any of my 6 drawing spells (there are 21 shuffling sources to make the most out of it). The top can also provide a crucial extra draw. Staff of Domination is like a swiss-army knife that adapts to many situations (though its presence is mainly to enable a game-finisher infinite mana/draw/gain life combo). If I have a lot of spare mana and no way to go infinite, I will use the staff to draw at the very least. The Great Henge compensates from the pain of Sylvan Library, the Fetchlands, and Ancient Tomb, while allowing me to cantrip every time I drop a creature (even if I don't cast it from my hand, which is extra sweet with Chord of Calling, Natural Order, Crop Rotation (for Dryad Arbor), Green Sun's Zenith, Finale of Devastation, and Genesis Wave. Finally, Thought Vessel will give me ramp while allowing me to keep all those cards I'll be drawing with the big drawing spells. Skullclamp helps when I'm ramped up but out of gas. There're a ton of dorks to sacrifice for the greater cause. Also, it helps opponents think twice before blowing up creatures such as Selvala, Heart of the Wilds or Kamahl, Fist of Krosa, etc., or to get 2 cards after someone wipes the board for a quicker recovery.

Enchantments: Sylvan Library will help tremendously to fix/extra draw. Survival of the Fittest will convert any creature in my hand for a better option. Greater Good = instant sac outlet for drawing "in response to" or during Combat Phase. I always save Concordant Crossroads to surprise opponents with a monstrous hasty Multani to go for the kill, for putting down a Selvala, Heart of the Wilds, Karametra's Acolyte, or Priest of Titania that suddenly tap for absurd mana (or to go infinite if I have Staff of Domination). I play Garruk's Uprising the turn after I cast Multani (just as I do with The Great Henge). With Hexproof, the main reason why he'll end up in the Commander Zone is after I sacrifice him. So this last enchantment is almost always a cantrip, allowing Multani to gain a surprise trample and take 1 opponent right away (this enchantment also triggers with Kogla, the Titan Ape, Craterhoof Behemoth, Kamahl, Fist of Krosa, and Nylea, God of the Hunt - as long as I have enough devotion). Mirri's Guile helps out if I run out of gas and I'm relying on topdecking. She provides consistency, allows me to keep risky hands, balances the trade-off when I mull a few times, irons out the draws when the deck is not delivering, etc.

Creatures: Craterhoof Behemoth gives creatures Trample - Kamahl, Fist of Krosa does so too while being able to react against Wrath-like effects or creating multiple Overrun effects (I lost count of how many games I won with him!); Eternal Witness for strategic recoveries (usually to re-cast a drawing spell or recover a destroyed trampling source); Nissa, Vastwood Seer   (when flipped) gives me 1 card "draw" per turn or beasts; Scavenging Ooze is amazing against graveyard shenanigans (plus gaining life is always welcomed); Selvala, Heart of the Wilds's triggered ability will always trigger when I cast Multani so I get an extra draw; Quirion Ranger can do sick things by untapping Selvala, Heart of the Wilds or Priest of Titania and will also compensate if I miss a land drop early on the game.

Planeswalkers: Garruk Wildspeaker will give Trample to all my creatures if not dealt with within a turn, while also being able to generate beasts or untap lands for ramp. Garruk, Primal Hunter will generally do its -3 as soon as it hits the field if Multani, Maro-Sorcerer is in play with a hefty power/toughness, and can also generate beasts to block/attack with and potentially draw us 3 cards next turn if I'm desperate.

Instants: Return of the Wildspeaker is a great dual-purpose card that can target Multani, Maro-Sorcerer for draws or pump my creatures for a killer attack.

Lands: Reliquary Tower is great for keeping all the cards I’ll be drawing. Dryad Arbor is tremendously practical in a myriad of ways; the best thing is that it is easily fetchable being a Forest. Strip Mine deals with key utility lands, or for a strategic crippling of mana (especially against multicolour decks), and can be fetched with 2 different cards. Deserted Temple is here to untap Gaea's Cradle or Nyxthos, Shrine to Nyx, Ancient Tomb (if I really need that extra mana!), or even a forest if I have any of the doublers out. I've limited my non-basic forests in order to maximise Vernal Bloom's effect and minimize effects from cards such as Back to Basics, Blood Moon, etc.

Life gain: The Great Henge, Scavenging Ooze, and Momentous Fall are the only ways for me to gain life. These are added bonuses which help compensate for aggressive Sylvan Library Turns, a hot Mana Crypt, an early Mana Vault or Ancient Tomb.

Singleton format makes tutors much better, adding substantial flexibility to deal with many situations.

Sorceries: Green Sun's Zenith & Natural Order [both green creatures only], and Finale of Devastation. Sylvan Scrying, Nature's Lore, Three Visits, Cultivate, Skyshroud Claim, Kodama's Reach, Nissa's Pilgrimage for lands.

Enchantments: Survival of the Fittest.

Instants: Chord of Calling, Worldly Tutor, Summoner's Pact [green creatures only].

For Lands: 5x Fetchlands, Sylvan Scrying, Crop Rotation; Wood Elves, Nissa, Vastwood Seer  .

I opted for an all-inn strategy and keep removal to a minimum. The idea is to BE the biggest threat, have a ton of mana to quickly recover from sweepers, and overwhelm opponents before they get set up. Therefore, my exclusive focus is on ramping and killing. Still, these few spot removal pieces help me in situations where I am simply stuck and need to clear an obstacle.

Enchantments: Song of the Dryads - especially juicy on opponents’ Commanders. Greater Good for my own creatures.

Creatures: Caustic Caterpillar. Scavenging Ooze for gy hate. Kogla, the Titan Ape for artefacts and enchantments.

Instants: Beast Within.

Lands: Strip Mine.

Trample is what makes Multani, Maro-Sorcerer & Co. so dangerous. There are 6 sources for it: Craterhoof Behemoth & Overwhelming Stampede (one-off), Garruk Wildspeaker, Kamahl, Fist of Krosa, Garruk's Uprising, and Nylea, God of the Hunt (this last one is Indistructible, making the threat even saltier. Most importantly, being also a creature means I can easily tutor it). Although 6 in 100 doesn't sound like too much it is more than enough. By the time I am ready to attack for the kill I would have drawn most of my deck and found/tutor one of these sources. Also, there are 7 tutors that can fish me up any of these in a blink, so the chances of having trample are really 1 every 7.6 cards. Nylea, God of the Hunt, being the cheapest, quickest, and more durable, is generally my go-to trample-enabler.

Sorceries: Overwhelming Stampede and Genesis Wave are more often than not game-finishers when cast. An early (T2, T3, or even T4/5) Natural Order can throw things out of whack (especially in 1v1). Finale of Devastation is another meanie.

Artefacts: all the rocks are great, but Jeweled Lotus with Mana Crypt or Mana Vault on the opening hand for a T1 Multani, Maro-Sorcerer will simply knock out an opponent on T2 if they don't have a chump-blocker.

Enchantments: Concordant Crossroads is an enchantment that can speed Multani, Maro-Sorcerer for the kill out of nowhere while becoming extremely dangerous if fished out into play with a big Genesis Wave. Sylvan Library’s power can’t be underestimated throughout a game. Survival of the Fittest for key tutoring.

Creatures: Apart from Multani, Maro-Sorcerer, the Hall of Fame for tapping-to-kill are Craterhoof Behemoth and Kamahl, Fist of Krosa and his multiple overruns.

Planeswalkers: If Garruk Wildspeaker is able to survive 1 turn after being cast, it is usually at least 1 player is going down as long as I have Multani, Maro-Sorcerer online.

Instants: Chord of Calling can tutor one of the beasts for KO - either before my Combat Phase or at the EOT to swing on my turn.

The following are some of the many high-synergy card combinations to keep in mind:

  • Arbor Elf / Garruk Wildspeaker + Utopis Sprawl / Wild Growth / Vernal Bloom / Mana Reflection
  • Eternal Witness + Genesis Wave
  • Quirion Ranger + Selvala, Heart of the Wilds / Karametra's Acolyte / Priest of Titania
  • Quirion Ranger + Kamahl, Fist of Krosa + Gaea's Cradle
  • Quirion Ranger + Dryad Arbor (surprise chump-blocker)
  • Kogla, the Titan Ape + Eternal Witness
  • Rishkar's Expertise's free 5CMC spell cast is juicy to cast a drawn Thought Vessel or Exploration (to enable dropping a Reliquary Tower in case I dropped land for turn) to ensure I don't discard those massive draws.
  • Green Sun's Zenith + Dryad Arbor: one of the best T1 ramp plays.
  • Selvala, Heart of the Wilds + Multani, Maro-Sorcerer: scary mana generation.
  • Garruk, Primal Hunter + Multani, Maro-Sorcerer: -3 for plenty draws.
  • Sylvan Library + Worldly Tutor: In the odd chance I draw a Worldly Tutor as my card for the turn, I can immediately cast the tutor to fetch a creature, put it on top of the library, and then draw that creature with the library.
  • The Great Henge + Genesis Wave: if the Henge comes up with the Wave together with a whole lotta creatures, the Henge will trigger once per creature, drawing me a card each time, while each creature will get its +1/+1 counter.
  • Lotus Cobra + Fetchlands
  • Lotus Cobra + Genesis Wave for extra mana to keep overwhelming the table.
  • Lastly, here are 5 ways of generating / infinite draw / tap creature / gain life:
  • Priest of Titania + Staff of Domination (if he taps for ),
  • Selvala, Heart of the Wilds + Staff of Domination (if she taps for )
  • Karametra's Acolyte + Staff of Domination ((if she taps for ). With this, I am able to draw my entire deck and attack for the win. If that's not good enough, the infinite mana allows me to use Kogla, the Titan Ape's ability to bounce Eternal Witness and cast as many Beast Withins as possible to destroy everyone's boards. In each player's upkeep, I can tap all their 3/3 beasts with Staff of Domination and deny them any moves.
  • I can also get the same result with Gaea's Cradle + Kamahl, Fist of Krosa + Staff of Domination : activate Kamahl's first ability on the Cradle, tap the Cradle (I need at least 3 other creatures apart from Kamahl [as the Cradle would count as one]) for , and go infinite!
  • Concordant Crossroads + Karametra's Acolyte + Kogla, the Titan Ape : with another 2 devotion on the table, this trio creates infinite mana. The same can be achieved with 4 elves in play and Priest of Titania or Selvala, Heart of the Wilds with a creature with power 7 or more.
  • Final Words

    Thanks for reading and I hope I was able to illuminate you in one way or another :) Please feel free to comment / ask questions / whatnot. I want to thank the TapedOut, Reddit, EDHREC, and YouTube MTG communities/subs/users/channels for the immense help and inspiration. I especially want to acknowledge Facebook's "Ask-the-Judge (Magic: the Gathering Rules & Policy Group)" for being an invaluable source of reference for my endless questions, and my local group of MTG peeps with whom I get to test and play this deck.

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    Top Ranked
    Date added 3 years
    Last updated 2 years
    Key combos
    Legality

    This deck is Commander / EDH legal.

    Rarity (main - side)

    13 - 0 Mythic Rares

    36 - 0 Rares

    17 - 0 Uncommons

    16 - 0 Commons

    Cards 100
    Avg. CMC 2.53
    Tokens Ashaya, the Awoken World, Beast 3/3 G, Wurm 6/6 G
    Folders Tapped Out - User Decks
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