Deck Name: 2nd Mono Green. Color: Green. Format: Pauper. Version 3.0 – Mana Ramp w/ Defender

This is an update of the following blog: http://craig-mtg-magic-the-gathering.blogspot.com/2013/07/2nd-mono-green-pauper-deck-20-mana-ramp.html

Creatures w/Defender: 16

2 Wall of Roots

4 Axebane Guardian (no change)

4 Overgrown Battlement (no change)

3 Wall of Vines

3 Wall of Tanglecord

Thuggish Creatures: 14

4 Thundering Tanadon   I don’t know what I was thinking when I selected this card.  It’s no good.

3 Rootbreaker Wurm  not necessary

2 Oakgnarl Warrior not necessary

2 Timbermaw Larvae

4 Timbermaw Larvae because this is such an awesome common.

3 Stampeding Rhino

4 Yavimaya Wurm

2 Giant Warthog

1 Ulamog’s Crusher

Other Stuff: 7

2 Naturalize

Untamed Might

2 Strider Harness

2 Kodama’s Reach

Having tried this deck, what I discovered was that my opponent quickly caught up on my mana ramp scheme.  Thus, to combat that by getting Axebane Guardian and Overgrown Battlement out of the graveyard:

3 Reclaim

3 Salvage

1 Kodama’s Reach

**** Primal Bellow - I love laying down this card along with a Big Gun of a Trampler

Primal Bellow is almost pointless without a big gun trampler, that is at least power 6 before Primal Bellow.  What you need to play this card is a deck that is full of forests, and it need not be forests themselves, but it can be cards that make you search for forests, such as Sylvan Ranger, Kodama's Reach, and/or Cultivate.

**** Elvish Herder - Got Trample?

Green creatures often have trample, but if you are playing a deck where you could use a well's worth of low cost trample, then look no further.  Elvish Herder is the card to look for.  Cards that Elvish Herder work especially well with are Omnath, Dungrove Elder, and Timbermaw Larva.  Also, this card plays the innocuous role.  Boost it with  Gigantiform, Gigantomancer, trample, and all that good stuff.  Coming from nowhere you can slam your opponent from the top rope!
Also, it is an Elf, so don't forget that you can include this one in oodles of Elf combos.

MTG Commander Deck: Silvos, Rogue Elemental Version 6.0

Green Commander Deck Version 6.0

Creatures:

Vigor

Master of the Wild Hunt

Champion of Lambholt

Bellowing Tanglewurm

*Green Weaver Druid

Eternal Witness

*Gaea’s Herald

Mitotic Slime

Kodama of the North Tree

Pelakka Wurm

*Priest of Titania

Gaea’s Revenge

Ambush Viper

Cudgel Troll

*Wren’s Run Packmaster

Thrun, the Last Troll

*Arbor Elf

Acidic Slime

Palladium Myr

Daggerback Basilisk

Primordial Hydra

*Fyndhorn Elder

*Llanowar Elves

Timbermaw Larvae

Deadbridge Goliath

Garruk’s Packleader

Terra Stomper

*Sylvan Ranger

Brawn

*Ezuri’s Archers

Leatherback Baloth

*Ezuri, Renegade Leader

Rampaging Baloth’s

*Fyndhorn Elves

Omnath, Locus of Mana

*Elvish Arch Druid

*Joraga Treespeaker

*Copperhorn Scout

*Boreal Druid

Mwonvuli Beast Tracker

*Deranged Hermit

Khalni Hydra

Wall of Tanglecord

*Mul Daya Channelers

Dungrove Elder

Wickerbough Elder

Wolfbriar Elemental

* Elvish Visionary

Instants and Sorceries:

Fog

Primal Bellow

Vines of Vastwood

Cultivate

Kodama’s Reach

Naturalize

Beast Within

Not of this World

Increasing Savagery

Artifacts:

Semblance Anvil

Whispersilk Cloak

Grappling Hook

Trailblazer’s Boots

Basilisk Collar

Enchantments:

Eldrazi Conscription

Gigantiform

Awakening Zone

Asceticism

Forests:  33

Note: Elves are noted by an asterisk (*)

Discussion:

When I first started this deck, I am not sure if it was because the competition was not as good, but however, this deck in comparison to its earlier incarnations relies a lot on cards that have fairly low casting costs for a green Commander Deck.  The most expensive creature car cast cost is Eldrazi Conscription, clocking in at 8 mana.  I have gotten rid of several cards that require 8 mana or more, such as Gigantomancer, and Kozilek, Butcher of Truth, and Terastodon.  Depending on how play goes I may bring one or 2 back, but however there once was a time where I was hoping to play cards like It That Betray's and that like most of the others are not coming back at least for no other reason than that it was stolen out of my house.  Likewise, I have also gotten rid of the Elvish Piper because I have no use for it now that I have trimmed my deck down to size, meaning that it no longer has creatures so huge and fat.  Go figure, because when my weight went up, the size of my creatures came down.

***** Rancor - This Card Is Good Enough Even For Legacy Format

= Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars

This review is from: Magic: the Gathering - Rancor (185) - Magic 2013

I just bought 4 of these for my pauper deck. This card is so good that I hope it doesn't get banned in Pauper format. I also use this card in my Legacy Infect deck, where I run 4 of them. That this card comes back to your hand makes it indisposable. Trample is better than making a creature have flying. Trample enchantments are usually awesome, and that is especially the case with Rancor.

Review of Baloth Woodcrusher : *** Not a Card Worth Building a Deck Around, But Still Good

This card work s really well in several situations.  Because its ability only goes off when there is a land fall, if you have this card in your deck you will probably want to have 45-50 mana cards in your deck.   That is, by the sixth turn, you will probably not have any man in your hand  if you play a mana every turn.  By having 50 mana in your deck, there is a 50% chance of making Baloth Woodcrusher’s landfall ability go off.   If you only have like 33 lands, the chances that you will draw a land card is only one in three, such that it probably wouldn’t be useful to have this card if its ability goes off once every third turn.  This makes playing this card difficult.  However, when it’s ability does goes off, an 8/8 with trample is nothing to sneeze at.

Another  way that this card works well is if you have cards that make you put land into play.  For example, cards Primeval Titan, and/or Khalni Heart Expedition would help you play an additional 2 lands on your turn.  Just think, if you played three lands on a turn Baloth Woodcrusher becomes a 16/16 with trample.

Baloth Woodcrusher  especially works well if you have a lot of landfall cards in your deck.  For example, if you have Rampaging  Baloths in play, the land fall would cause Rampaging Baloths to make a 4/4 token, and Baloth Woodcrusher gains +4/+4  and trample.  Thus, one smart way to approach building a deck is to make it so that it has a scenario where playing a basic land causes several abilities to go off. 

Review of Iwamori of the Open Fist ** Why did I buy this card?

Is made a reading mistake when I bought this card. I thought it read “put a legendary creature into play,” as in I get to put a legendary creature card into play. However, it is actually “Each opponent may put a legendary creature card in into play.” I, myself, would not get to put an extra legendary creature into play unless some ability said otherwise. Though most players probably wouldn’t have a legendary creature to put into the game, why risk it? Iwamori is not a good enough card to take that kind of risk with. Though it is a 5/5 with trample that only costs 4 mana, which is actually kind of swell, this card is not that great because of its other ability. Also, it doesn’t make a good Commander card because it is easily removed to the graveyard, and needs beefing to do any real damage.

Review of Baloth Woodcrusher : *** Not a Card Worth Building a Deck Around, But Still Good

This card work s really well in several situations. Because its ability only goes off when there is a land fall, if you have this card in your deck you will probably want to have 45-50 mana cards in your deck. That is, by the sixth turn, you will probably not have any man in your hand if you play a mana every turn. By having 50 mana in your deck, there is a 50% chance of making Baloth Woodcrusher’s landfall ability go off. If you only have like 33 lands, the chances that you will draw a land card is only one in three, such that it probably wouldn’t be useful to have this card if its ability goes off once every third turn. This makes playing this card difficult. However, when it’s ability does goes off, an 8/8 with trample is nothing to sneeze at.
Another way that this card works well is if you have cards that make you put land into play. For example, cards Primeval Titan, and/or Khalni Heart Expedition would help you play an additional 2 lands on your turn. Just think, if you played three lands on a turn Baloth Woodcrusher becomes a 16/16 with trample.
Baloth Woodcrusher especially works well if you have a lot of landfall cards in your deck. For example, if you have Rampaging Baloths in play, the land fall would cause Rampaging Baloths to make a 4/4 token, and Baloth Woodcrusher gains +4/+4 and trample. Thus, one smart way to approach building a deck is to make it so that it has a scenario where playing a basic land causes several abilities to go off.