This is my initial big green stompy Commander deck. It’s a simple game plan, swing in with big stompy green beasts. As I’ve pointed out in previous posts there seems to be a theme/game plan I like. Unlike a couple of my decks I like playing this is not a Tribal deck.

A disclaimer I don’t usually make but it holds true for all my decks, these Commander decks are not meant to be competitive, but fun casual decks. The inspiration for this deck was to play big stompy green creatures. So that was the criteria for selecting most of the creatures in the deck. Big stompy creatures aren’t cheap to cast so I’ve tried to make use of greens natural ability to ramp.

Commander: either Yeva, Nature’s Herald or Melira, Sylvok Outcast.

Most of the time the commander is going to be Yeva, giving flash to my green creatures. However if you know you are up against an infect/whither deck then Melira becomes the commander.

The big elephant in the room as the stats for the deck below will show is that this deck is about 5 – 9 lands short from the number people would normally be comfortable with. So why am I not worried, and settling for 25 lands in total?

Well for starters I have Leaf Gilder, Llanowar Elves, Elvish Mystic and Boreal Druid that tap for mana. Rishkar, Peema Renegade gives each creature with a counter on it the ability to tap for mana. Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger adds an extra mana per land I tap (plus slows down opponents). I have 7 sorceries that allow me to go fetch at least one land if not more. 3 mana rocks in the form of artifacts. 3 artifacts that give me a discount on spells. 6 enchantments and an artifact that boost mana production.

So even with a lowish number of lands I should be generating an awful lot of mana. Mana that will be sunk into the mana sinks I have in the deck. Which is basically the hydra. The more I can throw into these beasts when I cast them the better. Even funnier is if I have Doubling Season and/or Primal Vigor out at the time. Then these become scary big.

This vanity casual deck isn’t cheap to build. According to the decked app and its link to CardKingdom its more expensive than I was expecting. I am taken aback little by the costing. Doubling Season alone shows why I proxy in the card, and produce it when it is needed. I think it’s in 3 decks at the moment.

Ok here is the initial deck list.

Creatures:34

1 Boreal Druid
1 Elvish Mystic
1 Feral Hydra
1 Hungering Hydra
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Mistcutter Hydra
1 Hooded Hydra
1 Leaf Gilder
1 Melira, Sylvok Outcast
1 Primordial Hydra
1 Deathgorge Scavenger
1 Eternal Witness
1 Lifeblood Hydra
1 Managorger Hydra
1 Rhonas the Indomitable
1 Rishkar, Peema Renegade
1 Steel Leaf Champion
1 Thrashing Brontodon
1 Elvish Piper
1 Ivy Lane Denizen
1 Yeva, Nature’s Herald
1 Gigantosaurus
1 Verdurous Gearhulk
1 Aggressive Mammoth
1 Carnage Tyrant
1 Hydra Broodmaster
1 Hydra Omnivore
1 Oran-Rief Hydra
1 Rampaging Baloths
1 Greater Sandwurm
1 Tornado Elemental
1 Khalni Hydra
1 Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger
1 Ghalta, Primal Hunger

Spells:41

1 Adventurous Impulse
1 Attune with Aether
1 Forced Adaptation
1 Lay of the Land
1 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Silent Gravestone
1 Sol Ring
1 Unbridled Growth
1 Aim High
1 Blackblade Reforged
1 Bonds of Mortality
1 Emerald Medallion
1 Gaea’s Blessing
1 Karametra’s Favor
1 Land Grant
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Moss Diamond
1 Song of Freyalise
1 Thought Vessel
1 Beastmaster Ascension
1 Crushing Canopy
1 Cultivate
1 Gift of Paradise
1 Growing Rites of Itlimoc
1 Nissa’s Pilgrimage
1 Retreat to Kazandu
1 Rhonas’s Monument
1 Helm of the Host
1 Pir’s Whim
1 Return to the Earth
1 Whirlwind
1 Doubling Season
1 Overwhelming Stampede
1 Primal Vigor
1 The Mending of Dominaria
1 Caged Sun
1 The Immortal Sun
1 Wave of Vitriol
1 Zendikar Resurgent
1 Praetor’s Counsel
1 The Great Aurora

Lands:25

1 Arcane Lighthouse
1 Detection Tower
20 Forest
1 Scavenger Grounds
1 Temple of the False God
1 Tranquil Thicket

Naturally this isn’t the final deck list. Decks are living breathing things. New cards come out, you find an existing card that would work better. Who knows I may have to adjust the mana base up. I’ve only played this deck once. It seemed to work, and got to do its thing. But it needs more play.