Hidden Power - Crop Rotation
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on Dec. 18, 2022, 10:12 p.m. by Tur
Hello everyone! This will be a trial forum post for a "Commander - Hidden Power" series. My goal is to show relatively inexpensive cards which are often overlooked by commander players in semi-competitive and casual play. (This post is not designed for competitive play.) If you enjoy the topic, please provide positive feedback and I will consider creating similar posts.
The powerful card I plan on discussing here is Crop Rotation.
This card under five dollars and is one of the most powerful mono-green tutors. Period. Yes, I'm counting all mono-green tutors. This includes: Worldly Tutor, Finale of Devastation, Green Sun's Zenith, Survival of the Fittest, Chord of Calling, Natural Order, Tooth and Nail, Sylvan Tutor, Time of Need, Scapeshift, Hour of Promise, Tempt with Discovery, Reshape the Earth, Boundless Realms, Traverse the Outlands, Rampant Growth, Harrow, Cultivate, Harvest Season, Explosive Vegetation, etc.
It's one color, one mana, instant, searches for any land, you can sacrifice a tapped land, and puts the land onto the battlefield untapped (unless otherwise specified).
Although, Crop Rotation is often overlooked by players because of the very expensive cards it can search and not being "flashy" enough. Yes, Crop Rotation is ideal with any of the following cards: Gaea's Cradle, Mishra's Workshop, The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, Serra's Sanctum, Bazaar of Baghdad, and Diamond Valley. However, suppose we don't have a one thousand dollar mana base and cannot play the land cards above. Is Crop Rotation worthless? No. It is still one of the best mono-green tutors. There are so many utility and theme lands which are excellent targets. Ramp lands and color-fixing are also viable options. Here are a few categorized ideas:
Utility Lands:
- Command Beacon / Sanctum of Eternity
- Reliquary Tower
- Scavenger Grounds / Bojuka Bog (B)
- Field of the Dead
- Rogue's Passage / Access Tunnel / Shizo, Death's Storehouse (B)
- War Room / Bonders' Enclave / Castle Locthwain (B)
- Emeria, The Sky Ruin (W) / Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle (R)
- Mystic Sanctuary (U) / Witch's Cottage (B)
- Hall of the Bandit Lord / Flamekin Village (R) / Hanweir Battlements Meld (R) / Slayers' Stronghold (WR)
- Hall of Heliod's Generosity (W) / Academy Ruins (U) / Volrath's Stronghold (B)
- Strip Mine / Wasteland / Dust Bowl / Ghost Quarter
- Maze of Ith / Mystifying Maze / Labyrinth of Skophos / Kor Haven (W) / Glacial Chasm
- High Market / Miren, the Moaning Well / Phyrexian Tower (B)
- Witch's Clinic / Vault of the Archangel (WB)
- Homeward Path
- Cavern of Souls / Boseiju, Who Shelters All
- Thespian's Stage / Vesuva
- Winding Canyons / Emergence Zone / Alchemist's Refuge (UG)
- Mikokoro, Center of the Sea / Geier Reach Sanitarium
- Castle Ardenvale (W) / Kher Keep (R)
- Castle Vantress (U) / Memorial to Genius (U) / Cephalid Coliseum (U)
- Inventors' Fair
Theme Lands:
- Karn's Bastion
- Dark Depths
- Urza's Power Plant / Urza's Mine / Urza's Tower
- Sunscorched Desert
- Windbrisk Heights (W)
- Idyllic Grange (W)
- Ghost Town / Oboro, Palace in the Clouds (U)
- Riptide Laboratory (U)
- Minamo, School at Water's Edge (U)
- Tomb Fortress (B)
- Den of the Bugbear (R)
- Goblin Burrows (R)
- Castle Embereth (R)
- Wirewood Lodge (G)
- Castle Garenbrig (G)
- Oran-Rief, the Vastwood (G) / Gavony Township (WG)
- Mosswort Bridge (G)
- Kessig Wolf Run (RG)
- Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion (WR)
- Grim Backwoods (BG)
Ramp Lands:
- Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
- Urza's Saga
- Cabal Coffers (B) / Cabal Stronghold (B) / Crypt of Agadeem (B) / Lake of the Dead (B)
- Temple of the False God / Ancient Tomb
- Myriad Landscape
- Blighted Woodland (G) / Krosan Verge (WG)
- Treasure Vault
Color-Fixing Lands:
- Command Tower / Path of Ancestry / Reflecting Pool
- City of Brass / Mana Confluence / Forbidden Orchard
- The World Tree (WUBRG)
- Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth
- Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
There are many more unlisted cards in each category which could fit your specific deck.
Some of the cards listed above have some pretty cool synergies with Crop Rotation here are a few:Urza's Saga, you can let the saga get to chapter III, then with the ability on the stack sacrifice it to Crop Rotation to get both the artifact and land. Field of the Dead is ideal in every two or three color commander deck with a sufficient mana base (in fact some of my win conditions are given by Field of the Dead). You can also use Field of the Dead as a combat trick. Scavenger Grounds and Bojuka Bog are fantastic for graveyard combo disruption. Maze of Ith and Glacial Chasm will hurt your lands, but sometimes it is needed to stay alive.
Simply having the ability to greatly effect the board state using a one-mana instant speed spell is impressive: life gain, damage prevention, removing steal effects, getting around blockers, denying counterspells, combo stoppers, unlimited hand size, sacrifice engines, haste, recursion, ramp, creating token blockers. The list goes on-and-on-and-on. If fact, if you're playing 3-4 of the lands listed above you should really consider Crop Rotation in the ninety-nine.
All in all, I'm always surprised the number of deck lists which do not play Crop Rotation. This is a fantastic card and one of the best mono-green tutors. It has so much hidden power. Ask yourself if there is a nonbasic land which you are playing (or would play) that would do well with Crop Rotation.
Thank you for noticing my intention, that is the key point of this argument!! Newer and casual players tend to disregard or ignore Crop Rotation, because they only see it for very expensive cards such as: Gaea's Cradle, Mishra's Workshop, The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, Serra's Sanctum, Bazaar of Baghdad, and Diamond Valley. (I.e. sacrifice a Forest and get Gaea's Cradle.)
In fact, I own all of these cards and in only one single case is Gaea's Cradle the first priority for Crop Rotation. Here are a few examples using commander decks: (These do not include utility lands, such as Bojuka Bog, Cavern of Souls, nor Homeward Path.)
Commander: Lord Windgrace
- First Priority: Lotus Field / Lotus Vale / Scorched Ruins
- Second Priority: Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth / Cabal Coffers
- Third Priority: Field of the Dead
- Fourth Priority: Thespian's Stage / Vesuva
- Fifth Priority: Bazaar of Baghdad
- Sixth Priority: Glacial Chasm
Lotus Field is great for ramping with Lord Windgrace minus three ability. Cabal Coffers is fantastic for ramp. Field of the Dead provides a win condition and blockers.
Commander: Mina and Denn, Wildborn
- First Priority: Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
- Second Priority: Thespian's Stage / Vesuva
- Third Priority: Field of the Dead
- Fourth Priority: Gaea's Cradle
Because of Fiery Emancipation, Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle became ridiculously overpowered. Nine damage every time a mountain enters the battlefield. Furthermore, the Scapeshift combo causes you to win the game.
Commander: The Gitrog Monster
- First Priority: Dakmor Salvage
- Second Priority: Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth / Cabal Coffers
- Third Priority: Field of the Dead
Dakmor Salvage is the combo engine for The Gitrog Monster. Therefore searching for it, the sacrificing it to The Gitrog Monster is crucial for the deck.
Commander: Gargos, Vicious Watcher
- First Priority: Hall of the Bandit Lord
- Second Priority: Reliquary Tower
- Third Priority: Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
- Fourth Priority: Temple of the False God / Ancient Tomb
- Fifth Priority: Diamond Valley
Hall of the Bandit Lord provides haste to the hydra tribal. Reliquary Tower is necessary for cards such as Soul's Majesty and Greater Good. Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx is pretty nice with the triple green devotion from Gargos, Vicious Watcher.
Commander: Carth the Lion
- First Priority: Field of the Dead
- Second Priority: Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth / Cabal Coffers
- Third Priority: Volrath's Stronghold
- Fourth Priority: Karn's Bastion
Field of the Dead is way too good in Carth the Lion, because Garruk, Cursed Huntsman emblems immediately with Carth the Lion. Making at least one 5/5 zombie with trample every turn is very strong.
Commander: Maelstrom Wanderer
- First Priority: Sanctum of Eternity
- Second Priority: High Market
- Third Priority: Command Beacon
Sanctum of Eternity allows you to put Maelstrom Wanderer back into your hand, allowing for the on-cast trigger to happen again. High Market not only taps for mana, but allows you to send Maelstrom Wanderer back to the command zone.
Commander: Sythis, Harvest's Hand
- First Priority: Serra's Sanctum
- Second Priority: Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
- Third Priority: Field of the Dead
- Fourth Priority: Hall of Heliod's Generosity / Gaea's Cradle
Unfortunately, for this deck Serra's Sanctum is the best target for Crop Rotation, however Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx is a close second best target. With Sythis, Harvest's Hand you have to commit heavily to the board, so your devotion is going to be high. Field of the Dead gives blockers before you can stabilize with Sphere of Safety, Solitary Confinement, and Ghostly Prison.
Commander: Marwyn, the Nurturer
- First Priority: Gaea's Cradle
- Second Priority: Wirewood Lodge
- Third Priority: Deserted Temple
- Fourth Priority: Yavimaya Hollow
- Fifth Priority: Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
- Sixth Priority: Ancient Tomb
Unfortunately, for this deck Gaea's Cradle is the best target for Crop Rotation, however Wirewood Lodge is a close second best target for untapping Marwyn, the Nurturer. In fact, I found myself frequently choosing Wirewood Lodge over Gaea's Cradle because it does not draw as much threat for Strip Mine effects. Wizards of the Coast is frightfully aware of this fact and has made many cards to compensate by using creatures and enchantments: Priest of Titania, Itlimoc, Cradle of the Sun, Elvish Archdruid, and Circle of Dreams Druid.
Hope this helps clarify my stance!
December 19, 2022 10:20 a.m.
I mean, it's a card that will only get better in time, so it's definitely a great one : )
December 20, 2022 9:11 a.m.
I have a deck I crop rotation into Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
TypicalTimmy says... #2
Because generally speaking, Crop Rotating a basic Forest into a Gaea's Cradle isn't going to end so well for you ;p
That's a spicy card.
December 18, 2022 10:50 p.m.