Yeva Draw-Grow

Commander / EDH* Competitive Elves Flash Infinite Combo Mill Mono-Green Primer Storm Tap/Untap

Inkmoth

Creature (41)

• 1x Allosaurus Shepherd
• 1x Arbor Elf
• 1x Argothian Elder
• 1x Ashaya, Soul of the Wild
• 1x Beast Whisperer
• 1x Birds of Paradise
• 1x Boreal Druid
• 1x Circle of Dreams Druid
• 1x Collector Ouphe
• 1x Destiny Spinner
• 1x Duskwatch Recruiter  ^Flip
• 1x Elvish Mystic
• 1x Elvish Reclaimer
• 1x Elvish Spirit Guide
• 1x Endurance
• 1x Eternal Witness
• 1x Fauna Shaman
• 1x Fierce Empath
• 1x Fyndhorn Elves
• 1x Glademuse
• 1x Heartwood Storyteller
• 1x Hyrax Tower Scout
• 1x Joraga Treespeaker
• 1x Karametra's Acolyte
• 1x Kogla, the Titan Ape
• 1x Ley Weaver
• 1x Llanowar Elves
• 1x Lotus Cobra
• 1x Manglehorn
• 1x Priest of Titania
• 1x Quirion Ranger
• 1x Reclamation Sage
• 1x Regal Force
• 1x Scryb Ranger
• 1x Seedborn Muse
• 1x Temur Sabertooth
• 1x Ulvenwald Tracker
• 1x Wirewood Symbiote
• 1x Woodcaller Automaton
• 1x Woodland Bellower
• 1x Yisan, the Wanderer Bard

Land (29)

• 1x Ancient Tomb
• 1x Boseiju, Who Endures
• 1x Cavern of Souls
• 1x Deserted Temple
• 1x Dryad Arbor
• 1x Emergence Zone
• 1x Gaea's Cradle
• 1x Geier Reach Sanitarium
• 1x Gemstone Caverns
• 1x Maze of Ith
• 1x Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
• 1x Misty Rainforest
• 1x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
• 10x Snow-Covered Forest
• 1x Turntimber, Serpentine Wood  ^Flip
• 1x Verdant Catacombs
• 1x Windswept Heath
• 1x Wirewood Lodge
• 1x Wooded Foothills
• 1x Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth

Artifact (7)

• 1x Chrome Mox
• 1x Lotus Petal
• 1x Mana Crypt
• 1x Mox Diamond
• 1x Null Rod
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Thorn of Amethyst

Sorcery (5)

• 1x Eldritch Evolution
• 1x Finale of Devastation
• 1x Green Sun's Zenith
• 1x Natural Order
• 1x Sylvan Scrying

Commander (1)

Instant (11)

• 1x Autumn's Veil
• 1x Beast Within
• 1x Chord of Calling
• 1x Crop Rotation
• 1x Force of Vigor
• 1x Noxious Revival
• 1x Shared Summons
• 1x Summoner's Pact
• 1x Tail Swipe
• 1x Veil of Summer
• 1x Worldly Tutor

Enchantment (6)

• 1x Earthcraft
• 1x Root Maze
• 1x Survival of the Fittest
• 1x Sylvan Library
• 1x Utopia Sprawl
• 1x Wild Growth

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Run the most competitive list for Yeva, Nature's Herald. Control the game, win on the stack, and do it all in Mono-Green.

Gameplay

Yeva Top 6 the cEDH Timetwisted Tournament 4, below is Day 1 Round 3 (bottom left; Yeva is cut off).

Break down of the win, which starts at 4:54:35:

• Double Veiled Reanimate is on the stack.
• Tap Priest of Titania for 5 casting Ashaya, Soul of the Wild (gets cut off in the shot)
• With Ashaya on the stack, Korvold is scrambling to find interaction; pass prio
• 4:58:37 Ashaya resolves allowing me to Bounce Quirion Ranger for its own effect effectively getting infinite mana and untaps.
• Yisan, the Wanderer Bard gets Duskwatch Recruiter  , which in turn gets us every creature.
• Temur Sabertooth + Kogla, the Titan Ape fight the field until all opponents' creatures are dead.
• Destiny Spinner to give Shaman of Forgotten Ways haste since it is a land thanks to Ashaya, and we Biorhythm the table. (Ram Through loops are how we end now)

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This is the most complex mono-green deck in the format and very few players can properly pilot this deck to its true value, if you master it, you will steal many unsuspecting games.

Discord Link here! A resource for you to find out what changes are coming or being considered, how to pilot the deck, mulligans, budget/meta-swaps, or when I will be playing it.

For about $300, the budget variant is only a turn or two slower: Yeva Draw-Grow (Budget).

Introduction

Quick Intro

Yeva, Nature's Herald is a deck built with a Blue Draw-Go strategy in mind, but it also focuses on ramping up as quickly as possible, hence the "Grow" aspect of the deck. The early turns are spent ramping into powerful Stax pieces that slow the game down, as well as creatures that provide card advantage and leave behind relevant bodies for later use with cards like Gaea's Cradle or Earthcraft.

Once the deck reaches a mana production threshold of 5-6, it can start looking for ways to thwart an opponent's win or find the perfect moment to sneak in Yeva, Nature's Herald along with an infinite mana dork, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, or Gaea's Cradle with Crop Rotation. The deck is misleading as it never reveals its true strategy until it can safely execute it.

In the early turns, the deck can put pressure on the table by ramping into an infinite mana dork, forcing opponents to use their early turns dealing with it. The deck often wins if a single infinite mana dork makes it through Summoning Sickness, and it always has a backup plan. Once an infinite mana dork is established, the deck looks for ways to set up infinite mana by abusing untap effects. Infinite mana allows for loops that can ultimately kill the whole table while making it almost impossible to stop the deck as it can react at instant speed to thwart any opponent's attempts.

This deck is suitable for you if:

• You enjoy a playstyle that involves playing a land and ending your turn.
• You are a fan of infinite combos and prolonged turns or stacks.
• You prefer toolbox decks that can deal with a variety of threats.
• You relish the idea of winning on any turn or phase, even in response to an opponent's win.
• You don't mind waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
• You find combat damage to be uninteresting in Green.
• You don't mind frequently saying "in response" and "end of turn"
• You are comfortable with memorizing the entire deck.
• You want to experience the thrill of playing Prophet of Kruphix in EDH!

This deck may not be suitable for you if:

• You prefer playing spells on your own turn.
• You enjoy quick and fast-paced turns.
• You are not a fan of shuffling or tutoring.
• You prefer playing proactively over reactively.
• You enjoy playing multiple or different colors.
• You don't mind being in a disadvantaged position.

Why Yeva, Nature's Herald?

We choose to play Yeva, Nature's Herald as our commander over other options because it allows us to play in pockets and phases of the game where our opponents have the least ability to interact with us, while still reserving resources for when we truly need to resolve something on our turn.

This playstyle promotes a win-win mentality, where we can set up a less optimal line of play (Plan B) on our opponent's end step, forcing them to interact with us then, rather than on our turn. If Plan B resolves unhindered, we can then play off of it until it is thwarted, before ultimately pivoting to our true strategy, Plan A. This is the most engaging aspect of the deck, its ability to pivot from what appears to be a viable strategy in the eyes of our opponents to an entirely different one.

The cost of playing Yeva, Nature's Herald, is that she can play on anyone's turn and reactively. Instead of playing all of our cards at Sorcery speed and hoping they survive a round at the table, we can keep our cards safely in hand, to ensure they resolve at the end of the turn before ours. This allows us to avoid having critical combo pieces on the board for a turn, waiting out summoning sickness. We can flash in our powerful combo dorks like Priest of Titania and Circle of Dreams Druid without our opponents being able to tutor answers or wipe our critical mass.

The deck is also very deceptive, as its board state always appears to be less developed than it actually is. We can respond to someone trying to stop us by legitimately winning. The ability to win at instant speed, on top of interaction, while our opponents are tapped out, is a strong tool to outplay them.

Yeva also allows us to play creatures as instant-speed answers. Cards like Reclamation Sage can blow up a combo piece when it otherwise couldn't. Manglehorn and Collector Ouphe can be flashed in to nullify fast rocks or a Dockside Extortionist on the stack. Allosaurus Shepherd or Destiny Spinner can eat entire stacks of counterspells, while creating a safe zone to resolve our combos. Temur Sabertooth and/or Wirewood Symbiote can jump in to protect vital pieces by returning them to hand in response to interaction.

Combined with creature-based tutors like Fierce Empath/Woodland Bellower or instant-speed tutors like Summoner's Pact, Worldly Tutor (with a cantrip), or Chord of Calling, we have a great toolbox potential to control the game while working towards our endgame.

In summary, unlike traditional green decks, we can go infinite whenever we want, and when we do, there is nothing on the stack that can stop us from inevitably winning. We can choose when to win, and we can do it when no one can stop us.

Meta Weaknesses

Yeva, Nature's Herald has a strong overall matchup against many decks, as it is well-designed and built to handle a variety of strategies. However, the worst matchup for this deck is against tables where the majority of players are playing fast, non-blue, and uninteractive decks (such as Godo, Bandit Warlord). While we can often handle blue farm and artifact decks effectively, it becomes increasingly difficult to win the game with Yeva when there are no blue decks at the table and non-blue turbo decks, as this deck is slower in nature.

Cards to be wary of:

• Linvala, Keeper of Silence
• Humility
• Cursed Totem
• Drannith Magistrate
• Jeska, Thrice Reborn
• Tocatli Honor Guard/Hushwing Gryff/Hushbringer/Torpor Orb
• Opposition Agent
• Mayhem Devil

Although the deck may struggle against tables with a majority of fast, non-blue, and uninteractive decks, it does have the tools to handle these matchups if necessary. However, it is important to keep in mind that these matchups can significantly slow down the deck until a solution is found or drawn. If facing these types of decks frequently, it may be helpful to refer to the Meta Swaps section of the Primer for additional strategies and options.

Card Selection

Ramp

These can be played at sorcery speed since they can fly under the radar until they become problematic. They also push us into our mid/late game as fast as possible.  

• Llanowar Elves/Fyndhorn Elves/Elvish Mystic/Boreal Druid/Arbor Elf/Birds of Paradise: Standard Elf package to fuel the Elf Sub-theme. Arbor Elf hits any Forest with Utopia Sprawl/Wild Growth attached to it, or any land with Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth.

• Joraga Treespeaker: Doesn't start ramping until turn three, so your only incentive to keep it on turn one is if you have a viable 2 mana spell to cast with it, so you don't lose tempo (Example: Priest of Titania, Collector Ouphe, Null Rod, Thorn of Amethyst, Earthcraft, Destiny Spinner, or Sylvan Library; Only reason to keep to play on Turn 1, otherwise look for a stronger start). It's also a one drop elf that can go infinite with Ashaya, Soul of the Wild and Quirion Ranger.

• Lotus Cobra: Explosive ramp early game, especially with fetchlands. Helps us break parity with Root Maze. Combos out with Ashaya, Soul of the Wild and Quirion Ranger.

• Utopia Sprawl/Wild Growth: Basically Elves with haste. We have the most cost efficient cards in green that can untap our enchanted forests for extra value. Earthcraft makes it so every creature gives you 2 mana, which can usually set off a storm that ends up in us winning.

• Mana Crypt/Sol Ring: Strongest rocks with little to no downsides. They pop off with Seedborn Muse, and keep the acceleration consistent for early storm offs. 

• Chrome Mox/Mox Diamond/Lotus Petal: These help guarantee Turn One 2 drops or Turn Two 3-drops. Mox Diamond is also a contingency plan in a corner case where you need to get certain lands from your hand into the graveyard, so could then Endurance/Noxious Revival the Land to then be able to search for it with Crop Rotation/Elvish Reclaimer.

• Elvish Spirit Guide: It's not really ramp, though it can help us power something out early on. Late game one mana that can't be telegraphed for Nature's Claim, Autumn's Veil, Veil of Summer, Allosaurus Shepherd, Quirion Ranger, or Crop Rotation keeps us looking more docile than we let on.
  

Infinite Mana

These guys should only be played at Instant speed and at the end of the turn of the opponent to your right. The biggest weakness this deck has is summoning sickness, so it's safe to power these out early if you have one in hand as back-up, OR know with certainty that they'll survive until Summoning Sickness wears off (usually T2 drop ain't bad, since the deck will most likely give you another one), these guys should always stay in your hand until you see a clear opportunity to play them unhindered. The exception to the aformentioned is Earthcraft You'd like to try and develop a moderately sized field before attempting to storm off with Earthcraft

• Priest of Titania:  She depends on a mass field, so remember that all the elves you play becomes fuel for her. NOTE: Priest counts your opponents' Elves.

• Circle of Dreams Druid: Cradle on an elf body? Need I say more?

• Karametra's Acolyte: Nykthos on a body? Need I say more? But honestly, yeah this and Circle of Dreams Druid are the best dorks in the list, as both can easily be used in Ashaya lines, Temur lines, and Kogla lines.

• Argothian Elder: This guy and Ashaya, Soul of the Wild alone are infinite mana once the Elder doesn't have Summoning Sickness. It can also go off using Temur Sabertooth and Kogla, the Titan Ape lines using Wirewood Symbiote or Hyrax Tower Scout with a Cradle land out. Last but not least, it can also go infinite with Wirewood Lodge and any land producing 2 green plus.

• Earthcraft: Arguably the best of the bunch as it turns all your dudes into hasty dorks, get enough of them out and one untap effect sets you up for a win. Earthcraft is ridiculously powerful, so make sure no one can stop you when you plop it, cause once it's on the field you'll see how broken it is to play a creature, tap it for mana to play another to tap it for mana to play another to tap- You get the point. Let's also not forget about how we can give ourselves double mana by enchanting basic lands with Utopia Sprawl/Wild Growth

• Destiny Spinner: 2 mana for blanket protections against counters for your creatures and enchantments, while also being able to animate and give Haste to Gaea's Cradle and/or Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, effectively making them a dork that can be untapped with creature untappers. With Ashaya, Soul of the Wild out we can also give any creature Haste.

• Woodcaller Automaton: 4 mana to untap a Cradle AND give it haste. We can look for it with Fierce Empath, so transitively with Woodland Bellower. With Ashaya out, it can give any creature haste as well. On top of it all, it can go infinite with Gaea's Cradle/Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx and Temur Sabertooth.

Tutors

I tried to fit in every viable tutor in the deck. From extensive testing, I have found that Ashaya, Soul of the Wild or Temur Sabertooth are the most sought-after cards to tutor for when closing, so always be aware of that when using a tutor that COULD tutor for either of them for something else, since every other creature card in the deck is objectively easier to tutor for, or it has an equivalent. Also, with the exception of Worldly Tutor, Green Sun's Zenith, and card:Elritch Evolution every tutor can be abused in some way to start a storm chain. With enough mana, you can start a tutor chain by looking for Eternal Witness using her to get the tutor and then looking for the Temur Sabertooth to start looping tutors at instant speed.

• Worldly Tutor: One-drop, instant speed, and its downside is easily mitigated by waiting before your turn, or respond to one of our many draw triggers (Beast Whisperer/Glademuse)

• Yisan, the Wanderer Bard: While he has his own deck that thrusts him into a cEDH arena, being run here as a one-of since he has too strong of an effect to ignore. Yisan will always put a target on your back, but can win on his own and adding flash to the equation with Yeva makes him even more bonkers. To learn how to fully abuse him, here's his deck Wanderer's Song, which this deck has almost all the pieces to emulate. However, in this deck he functions as not only a strong tutor, but an alternate to Yeva. If Yisan is on the field, make sure to keep your hand stocked and only play off his tutors, cause Yeva can take a backseat until he gets hit by a spot removal.

  Double Versing Show

  if you activate Yisan, hold priority, untap Yisan and activate again, you get two tutors for creatures of the latest verse. For example, your Yisan is at 2 counters. You activate Yisan, hold priority, untap Yisan with a Quirion Ranger, then activate Yisan again. Yisan is now at 4 verse counters (since they are put on as an activation cost) and you can search for two 4-cmc creatures. This is important because sometimes you want multiple creatures at the same CMC, such as Beast Whisperer + Temur Sabertooth at 4 cmc, or don’t really need anything from a certain CMC and can afford to “skip” it for a higher cmc option. With enough mana, and multiple untappers, you can triple verse, but this is often not particularly relevant. - (excerpt from ShaperSavant's primer)

• Chord of Calling: Instant speed, uses the bodies we play out as mana dorks and what we tutor makes it straight to the field. Arguably the best tutor in the whole deck.

• Survival of the Fittest: Try to drop this when you know you're going to pop off, since with enough mana and discard fodder, you will mostly sweep the table. 

• Woodland Bellower: Can theoretically tutor for any piece you need to win (Wirewood Symbiote, Quirion Ranger, Priest of Titania, Fierce Empath etc.) with the exception of Temur Sabertooth, Beast Whisperer, Seedborn Muse, and most importantly: Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Please note you can't tutor Legendary cards. 

• Fauna Shaman: We bypass its biggest downside by casting it at the end of the turn before us. With it we get a tutor on a 2 drop elf that can get anything. With 11 mana and three discards you can get Quirion Ranger, into Wirewood Symbiote, into Ashaya, Soul of the Wild + Quirion Ranger going infinite, then using the last untap to discard Quirion Ranger for Duskwatch Recruiter  . You need a mana dork that produces 2+ mana or Beast Whisperer/Glademuse to go off.

• Eldritch Evolution/Natural Order: 3/4 mana and some fodder for any creature you need straight to the field. Typically gets our bombs or Seedborn Muse if we have a card advantage engine. Can sacrifice Heartwood Storyteller without triggering it.

• Green Sun's Zenith: the most you'll spend on this is 8 mana, but it brings anything out and to the field. 

• Finale of Devastation: the most you'll spend on this is 9 mana, but it brings anything out and to the field. The difference between this and Green Sun's Zenith is that it can search the graveyard and once we're infinite, we can cast this at instant speed with Emergence Zone, so we now have a back up for the haste requirement to close out. If Opposition Agent is on the field or on the stack, remember you can search your graveyard without proccing it

• Crop Rotation: Sneaks in Gaea's Cradle/Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx and turns any of the land untappers into Infinite Mana Dorks. It can also get us Ancient Tomb for that turn 2 Yisan, the Wanderer Bard, Mikokoro, Center of the Sea to kill a Thassa's Oracle player after their Demonic Consultation/Tainted Pact (they need to go to 0 cards in library for this one) resolves. Last, but not least it can be looped to mill everyone with Mikokoro, Center of the Sea, this one is thoroughly explained in the Kill Loops (Win-Cons) sub-section.

• Elvish Reclaimer: Albeit, a crappy Crop Rotation, but see Crop Rotation for its reasoning. Though it being a creature and a one-drop elf is also super big.

• Shared Summons: 5 mana to get us any two pieces we need.

• Fierce Empath: More often than not he's here for Kogla, the Titan Ape or Regal Force, however, it also gets Woodland Bellower, which could then get us Quirion Ranger/Wirewood Symbiote/Eternal Witness/Priest of Titania 

• Summoner's Pact: 0 Cost, Instant Speed. Can get so many things like Allosaurus Shepherd or Elvish Spirit Guide to cast it. It could get any of the untappers or draw engines, or Collector Ouphe/Manglehorn to respond to fast mana.

Card Advantage

Every card here has only one purpose: Dig. The more of the deck you see the closer you are to a win condition.

• Duskwatch Recruiter  : With infinite mana, it wins the game, otherwise it sits there either strategically lowering the cmc of our cards, or helping us refill our hands with options.

• Heartwood Storyteller: Mystic Remora on a stick for the table. This card is insane. This decision was actually quite tough for me, but upon winning against an Urza who used Timetwister, I realized he spent three mana to get blown out. If cEDH has room for symmetrical effects that could possibly lose them the game, I thought to myself; Why not this? We always have an advantage as we can spring a boardstate at any moment. Now, using this card is a little difficult and its success usually stems from waiting until you've successfully set up an infinite mana dork or a big enough boardstate that Crop Rotation can give us a good Gaea's Cradle. Heartwood becomes a ridiculous Mystical Remora that helps your opponents find answers to what you can't deal with.

• Glademuse: The symmetrical aspect of this card falls in line with Heartwood Storyteller's logic, though this is somehow better as we can keep the more threatening player from drawing by waiting for their turn to pop off only leaving two other players to reap the rewards. Like Heartwood Storyteller, timing is everything, but a cantrip for everything we play outside of our turn is insane. Don't try to storm off on your turn if you have this out, correct play is to play anything sorc speed, land, and pass.

• Beast Whisperer: It's a Glimpse of Nature on an elf stick. Outlet to win, and it turns everything we play into cantrips.

• Regal Force: Usually what we go for once we have an engine but no steam or to look for the engine itself.

• Sylvan Library: Obvious, we need the card advantage. Top of the deck manipulation is also not bad.

Interaction

This is your hefty arsenal of hate pieces meant to slow the game down, secure your combos, or thwart opponents from winning. The only other cards missing in this section that belongs here are Kogla, the Titan Ape, Noxious Revival/Endurance (in a pinch they becomes gravehate), Destiny Spinner which is basically a 2 mana counter spell to us, and finally Boseiju, Who Endures.

• Reclamation Sage: I also use it to slow down the faster combo decks on the table. Once you use him, enjoy him as a dork/elf/sac.

• Manglehorn: More control for a deck that plays reactively is wise and the ability to top fast mana is quite key in stopping some steamrolls. Stops Dockside Extortionist or a Basalt Monolith on the stack.

• Collector Ouphe: He shuts down many decks, and he only shuts out 5% of the deck. In exchange for this downside we can shut down Dockside Extortionist, Lion's Eye Diamond, or Basalt Monolith at instant speed, or throttling Ad Nauseam on the stack by eliminating their fast mana payoffs.

• Null Rod: Because we really hate artifacts and we're in a fast mana and Dockside Extortionist meta.

• Thorn of Amethyst: Anti-Noncreature storm and it makes it way harder for our opponents to interact with us.

• Allosaurus Shepherd: The King of Veils, so to speak. At least in this list. It can be used proactively or reactively. 1-drop Elf with an effect that can win staxxed out games through beats or even save our board from deluge or burn spells.

• Veil of Summer/Autumn's Veil: the current meta has adapted and has resorted to things like Fire Covenant, Chain of Vapor, Snuff Out, and/or Deadly Rollick which this protects us from. Most importantly, it secures our combos by making them uncounterable.

• Force of Vigor: 4 mana for 2 at worst or Exile a green card for 2 at best for 0 mana.

• Beast Within: 3 drop removal being able to kill anything. Also loopable for infinite beast tokens and full field destruction.

• Root Maze: This has proven to be super useful against the amount of fast mana there is in cEDH. This card basically puts us on equal footing with just about every deck in the format. Shuts down Dockside Extortionist, Basalt Monolith, and a lot of Underworld Breach lines, and all the fast mana/ fetches early game.

• Tail Swipe: This is as good as creature removal is ever going to get for us.

• Ulvenwald Tracker: 1-drop control piece with a 4/4 in the command zone and the prevalence of hatebears; makes it really hard to keep this guy out of the deck.

• Endurance: More grave-hate in a pinch or reset the deck... for free. Like Noxious Revival it's also involved in many land loops since Crop Rotation only pulls from the deck.

Recursion

How to get your important pieces back. Please note that Finale of Devastation/Endurance are your third/fourth recursion spells. These are not to be used lightly. Once they're gone, you have no way of resetting the grave and/or winning if an integral piece is gone for good.

• Noxious Revival: Target grave-hate in a pinch or get me something back... for free. It's also involved in many land loops since Crop Rotation only pulls from the deck.

• Eternal Witness: Bring something back, do it infinitely with Temur Sabertooth/Kogla, the Titan Ape when you hit infinite mana. This is low-key a linchpin in the deck, since you need it for so many loops to work.

Combo Pieces

These are the pieces that help you pop off. These guys enable your ability to win, if Ashaya, Soul of the Wild, Temur Sabertooth, and Kogla, the Titan Ape are exiled, you only have combat. Otherwise, once you hit infinite with an outlet, there's nothing you can't play out of the deck or graveyard at instant speed. If exile effects are a common occurrence, consider running Riftsweeper, but as it stands we have enough redundancy to avoid that.

• Ashaya, Soul of the Wild: Saves us from nonland hate at instant speed, gives us more mana with a built in Cryptolith Rite. Utility aside, by turning our Rangers (Quirion Ranger/Scryb Ranger) into Forests, they can bounce themselves for the untap cost going infinite with any mana dork that produces 2/3 mana. Now, my favorite part: Destiny Spinner effectively gives haste to any creature with Ashaya, Soul of the Wild out.This is Plan A

• Quirion Ranger: Untap that infinite mana dork to have more mana or untap that Yisan, the Wanderer Bard to get a double verse. It's also an elf and it costs 1 mana. Or go infinite with Ashaya, Soul of the Wild

• Scryb Ranger: 2 mana faerie version of the above, with flash and flying.

• Wirewood Symbiote: untaps like the Ranger, however, you can strategically save key elves from spot removal. You can also go infinite with Temur Sabertooth if you have enough mana to bounce Symbiote to reset his "once a turn" clause. 

• Hyrax Tower Scout: ETB untap that can go infinite with Temur Sabertooth or Kogla, the Titan Ape.

• Temur Sabertooth: Used to be a linchpin, now you can be way more careless with it and use it to save your creatures or get value. Helps us get infinite mana with Wirewood Symbiote or Hyrax Tower Scout by bouncing them. Once we have infinite mana we infinitely bounce our ETBs as outlets. This is Plan B

• Kogla, the Titan Ape: Removal piece that also functions as another Temur Sabertooth with the exception that it can only loop reasonably Hyrax Tower Scout or Eternal Witness, however, unlike the cat Fierce Empath can tutor it. This is Plan C

• Seedborn Muse: The very reason I made this deck. My love for Prophet of Kruphix spawned this bastard of a deck. When the deck first started out Seedborn was a linchpin of sorts, but the deck sort of outgrew its dependency on Seedborn, but it's too strong of an effect to remove, so in it stays. Oh and rest assured, if Seedborn doesn't eat a spot removal after being summoned, you will most likely close the game out before the last guy can ever get to do something. Also perfect for baiting out counters or spot removal. It's not a combo perse, but 5 mana for infinite turns is something of a combo itself.

Lands

Only weird thing that might stand out is the amount of utility lands. Due to being a monogreen list, we need to eke out utility out of every single slot in the list.

• 10 Snow-Covered Forest: These could be snow or regular, doesn't matter.

• Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth: Let's us play under Opposition Agent with our fetches. Makes our colorless mana producing lands tap for green. Allows us to bounce our Cradle lands with Quirion Ranger/Scryb Ranger to make more mana.

• Turntimber, Serpentine Wood  /Turntimber Symbiosis  : It's a land that bolts us to come in untapped. However, since it's primarily a green sorcery it can be pitched to Chrome Mox or Force of Vigor. Worst case scenario, it's a hail mary that can also be looped with Eternal Witness as an outlet.

• Wirewood Lodge: Infinite mana line with Argothian Elder and any land producing 2+ Green. We also have Priest of Titania, Circle of Dreams Druid and Fauna Shaman to hit.

• Gemstone Caverns - Early acceleration helps.

• Boseiju, Who Endures - Comes in untapped, removal that dodges Counterspell or Rule of Law.

• Misty Rainforest/Verdant Catacombs/ Wooded Foothills/Windswept Heath: Rare occasion you need Dryad Arbor, but otherwise here to make Lotus Cobra better.

• Ancient Tomb: 2 mana on a land, the 2 life is negligible.

• Mikokoro, Center of the Sea/Geier Reach Sanitarium: Sometimes we need gas in a pinch or to give a player a card if we're about to lose. They can stop Thassa's Oracle + Demonic Consultation. Most importantly, they allow the list to be slot efficient by being win-conditions. Thanks to either Noxious Revival or Endurance we can keep ourselves from decking out while we make our opponents draw their entire libraries at instant speed. This is further fleshed out in the "Win-Cons" section under Piloting the Deck.

• Emergence Zone: Gives you access to the rest of the deck at instant speed, which unlocks whole new lines of play. It's also part of the mill line package, as it can let us cast Mox Diamond to get Mikokoro, Center of the Sea/Geier Reach Sanitarium out of our hand.

• Cavern of Souls: We typically call Elves on it, sometimes Human. It still nets us colorless.

• Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx/Gaea's Cradle: A lot of mana in a land. Argothian Elder or Destiny Spinner makes these lands broken.

• Deserted Temple: Untaps one of the cradle lands.

• Dryad Arbor: Early ramp with Green Sun's Zenith or be abused by everything that takes advantage of a green/tapping dork. Also a land that can be discarded to Force of Vigor.

Meta-Swaps/Maybeboard

This primer is an attempt at the "BEST" version of Yeva, however it only aims to attack a blind meta. Ultimately, once you find yourself comfortable or with a specific meta, you can start making swaps that better help you in that environment.

• Outland Liberator  : Main list is actively looking to slot this, as it gets rid of so many things but this card caters to a more grindy games.

• Vitalize: 1 mana to untap all creatures is game-breaking to us, and the day we switch off of Heartwood, this might just come in,

• Benefactor's Draught: Strong as hell. 2 drop instant ritual with enough creatures tapping for mana this card can win games and it's a cantrip. Another Eternal Witness reliant closer. We wanted to move away from it as it was fragile.

• Emerald Charm: If someone could give me a good slot for this, I'd love them forever. This can be looped to untap Gaea's Cradle, kill enchantments (not auras), and it's just a one drop. This is one of my pet cards and unfortunately it has to stay that way until further notice.

• Scavenging Ooze: This used to be a main part of the deck for a VERY long time. Swap this in if recursion decks are rampant in your meta, but with Endurance and Noxious Revival we have more cost effective forms of GY interaction. Only run if it's needed as more of a grind card.

• Natural State/Nature's Claim: Another cost-efficient piece of removal that hits almost everything relevant in a competitive meta.

• Tireless Provisioner: It getting hit by Root Maze, Null Rod, Collector Ouphe, and the fact this was 3 mana kept us off this slot. Lotus Cobra has been more than enough, but this is still a worthy include.

• Carpet of Flowers: Ton of ramp for one mana in most cases. To remain mana efficient, you want to use Sorc speed cards with this mana, since it isn't accessible on other peoples' turn. Run this if there's mainly blue in your meta.

• Sakura-Tribe Scout: Our low land count kept this out of the list, but it still powers out 3 drops on turn 2 with the right hand and adds security to all the mill lane. It also has an infinite mana land with Quirion Ranger/Scryb Ranger, Temur Sabertooth, Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth , and Gaea's Cradle/Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx.

• Skullwinder: Another Eternal Witness, but it has the niche effect of giving out opponent's relevant interaction to deal with something we can't on the stack in a pinch.

• Shaman of Forgotten Ways: Very clean way to end the game. If you are in tournament settings regularly and it's a meta that runs Angel's Grace very regularly, this card ensures you can always win at instant speed, even if it's during turns and they're attempting to force a draw. Angel's Grace's effect ends at clean-up, so SBA will kill anyone before the turn is over if their life is at 0.

• Vines of Vastwood: Stops most targeted removal and can keep a creature alive through a deluge. It can also be looped for Ram Through lines.

• Ram Through: 2 mana bite, and a wincon with any trample creature with infinite power. Useful if you're a very creature-based meta.

• Ancient Animus: Another piece of removal for that creature-heavy meta.

• Viridian Revel: Stupid good if you're in a heavy treasure meta.

• Chalice of the Void: If you're in super fast turbo meta, this could really help. 0 or 2 are typically the magic number. Look for Allosaurus Shepherd/Destiny Spinner to break parity with it.

• Concordant Crossroads: The second Earthcraft, or BETTER. We already use Yeva to bypass summoning sickness as much as we possibly can, but this allows us to combo off upon resolving those dorks. This card allows the list to storm off terrifyingly quick and enables a whole new array of lines. Basically a second Earthcraft.

Piloting the Deck

Early Game

During the first three turns, prioritize ramping and playing cards that provide card advantage or lock up the board, such as Null Rod and Heartwood Storyteller. Only play one of your infinite mana dorks if you have a backup in your hand. Otherwise, wait until the end of the turn of the player to your right to sneak one of them in with Yeva, Nature's Herald. If the infinite mana dork remains on the board and no longer has summoning sickness, it means you have effectively left the early game and entered the mid/late game. Use your removal spells strategically to stop faster combo decks, always aiming to maintain an advantage over your opponents.

*Note: if the playgroup heavily utilizes stax strategies, it may be beneficial to play your infinite mana dork earlier to establish a foothold against these types of decks.

It is important to keep your hand well-stocked and always try to be one step ahead of your opponents. The goal is to quickly transition out of the early game, but otherwise, play reactively and wait for the right opportunity to strike. The ideal mana range for this deck is around 7 or 8 mana. Do not waste your removal spells on anything that does not pose a significant threat, except for when it is necessary to slow down a faster combo player.

Hold onto your mana rocks until you are ready to push out of the early game. Only play them in the early turns if you have something to accelerate to or if you anticipate an opposing Root Maze.

Late Game

The late game begins once we have a creature(s) that produces 6-8 or more mana, not counting any untap shenanigans that may be in your hand. At this stage, your field should appear relatively non-threatening, with the exception of the creature that is generating the most mana, which in most cases, appears to be nothing, as your field usually looks like an assortment of non-threatening creatures that have already fulfilled their purpose (such as Reclamation Sage or Fierce Empath) waiting to be repurposed by cards like Earthcraft or Gaea's Cradle.

Once you have established this setup, you should look to respond to any threats to your board or potential disruptions to your plan. Never aim for a win until it is absolutely necessary, and always leave enough mana for interaction. Try to win on end steps or at the moment when an opponent targets a key piece of your engine. Once you reach a certain mana threshold, the game will feel as though you have entered "god-mode".

It is important to note that as you play against the same opponents over multiple games, they will become more familiar with the deck and its strategies. Hence, it is crucial to wait until the absolute last second to strike when it is opportune. If you have a win in your hand, wait until you are certain that you will have the upper hand and use any other cards in your hand as "cannon fodder" to bait out counters. Remember, infinite mana or a means to safely generate infinite mana is all that is necessary to win, any other interactions or strategies are just for fun and should not detract from the overall strategy.

Infinite Combos

Ashaya, Soul of the Wild + Argothian Elder/Ley Weaver + Any Land (creature without summoning sickness):

1. Tap Argothian Elder targetting itself and another land
2. Tap said Land for mana.
3. Repeat from Step 1

This nets us 1 mana every time for infinite.

Ashaya, Soul of the Wild + Quirion Ranger/Scryb Ranger + Mana dork tapping for 2/3 mana:

1. Tap creature for 2/3 mana
2. Play Quirion Ranger/Scryb Ranger for 1/2
3. Bounce Quirion Ranger/Scryb Ranger to pay for itself to untap mana dork
4. Repeat from Step 1

This nets us 1 mana every time for infinite. Ashaya making the Ranger a Forest allows you to bounce itself to reset the "Activate this ability only once each turn".

Ashaya, Soul of the Wild + Quirion Ranger + Lotus Cobra + Any creature without summoning sickness:

1. Tap creature for 1 mana
2. Play Quirion Ranger for 1; Landfall gives us one more
3. Bounce Quirion Ranger to pay for itself to untap mana dork
4. Repeat from Step 1

This nets us 1 mana every time for infinite.

Ashaya, Soul of the Wild + Quirion Ranger + /Earthcraft (obviously a basic is needed):

1. Tap Ashaya, Soul of the Wild for Earthcraft to net 1 mana
2. Tap Quirion Ranger for Earthcraft to net another 1 mana
3. Bounce Quirion Ranger to untap Ashaya, Soul of the Wild
4. Replay Quirion Ranger
5. Repeat from Step 1

We're producing 2 mana while it's costing us one per iteration.

Ashaya, Soul of the Wild + Quirion Ranger + Concordant Crossroads:

1. Tap Ashaya, Soul of the Wild for green since it has Haste to net 1 mana
2. Tap Quirion Ranger for green to net another 1 mana
3. Bounce Quirion Ranger to untap Ashaya, Soul of the Wild
4. Replay Quirion Ranger
5. Repeat from Step 1

We're producing 2 mana while it's costing us one per iteration.

Wirewood Lodge + Argothian Elder + Any Land producing 2+ green mana:

1. Tap Argothian Elder targeting Wirewood Lodge and the 2+ green mana producing land.
2. Tap said Land for 2+ green mana.
3. Tap Wirewood Lodge targeting Argothian Elder.
4. Repeat from Step 1

Maze of Ith + Argothian Elder/Ley Weaver + Any other Land (preferable green mana):

1. Attack with Argothian Elder/Ley Weaver.
2. Tap Maze of Ith targetting Argothian Elder/Ley Weaver.
3. Tap Argothian Elder/Ley Weaver targetting Maze of Ith and another land.
4. Repeat from Step 2.

This is our most proactive line, and it's our way to blindside the table. Once we have infinite, we can cast Yeva, which unlocks whatever outlet we have in hand.

Temur Sabertooth/Kogla, the Titan Ape + Hyrax Tower Scout + Mana dork tapping for 6:

1. Tap mana dork for 6 mana
2. Play Hyrax Tower Scout for 3; untap dork
3. Pay 2  to bounce Hyrax Tower Scout with Temur Sabertooth or Kogla, the Titan Ape; 1 mana left in pool
4. Repeat from Step 1

This nets us 1 mana every time for infinite.

Temur Sabertooth + Woodcaller Automaton + Gaea's Cradle/Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx tapping for 7/9:

1. Tap mana dork for 7/9 mana
2. Play Woodcaller Automaton for 4; untap Gaea's Cradle/Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
3. Pay 2 to bounce Woodcaller Automaton with Temur Sabertooth; 1 mana left in pool
4. Repeat from Step 1

This nets us 1 mana every time for infinite.

Temur Sabertooth + Wirewood Symbiote + 1-Drop Elf + one dork tapping for 5 mana:

1. Tap a mana dork for 5 mana
2. Bounce 1-drop Elf with Wirewood Symbiote untapping the mana dork
3. Pay 2 to bounce Wirewood Symbiote with Temur Sabertooth; 3 in pool
4. Use 2 mana play  Wirewood Symbiote and the 1-Drop Elf; 1 in pool
5. Repeat from step one.

This nets us 1 mana every time for infinite mana while circumventing Torpor Orb. Bouncing Wirewood Symbiote resets the "once a turn" clause.  

NOTE: It doesn't have to be a 1-drop elf to go infinite, it could be 2/3/4/5 CMC, but the mana dork would have to tap for 6/7/8/9 mana accordingly.

Ashaya, Soul of the Wild + Quirion Ranger + Mana dork tapping for 1 + Glademuse/Beast Whisperer:

1. Tap creature for 1 mana
2. Play Quirion Ranger for 1; Draw a card.
3. Bounce Quirion Ranger to pay for itself to untap mana dork
4. Repeat from Step 1

The infamous Mana Neutral line. This nets us 1 card every time for infinite draw. If you're doing this with Quirion, you draw until you hit Elvish Spirit Guide + Lotus Cobra. Return Quirion one more time to get one green then exile Elvish Spirit Guide to cast Lotus Cobra, landfall gives you one green, which you use to recast Quirion Ranger. Now you get 2 mana everytime you resolve Quirion, do this until you make just enough mana to find Scryb Ranger /Temur Sabertooth/Wirewood Symbiote (if it's Beast Whisperer) to bounce the draw engine, so you can get infinite mana without decking out. Keep in mind that any loop that require infinite casts of creatures can technically be a Mana Neutral line so long as you have either Beast Whisperer or Glademuse out.

Concordant Crossroads + Temur Sabertooth/Kogla, the Titan Ape + Karametra's Acolyte:

1. Tap Karametra's Acolyte for 7 green
2. Use 2 mana to Bounce Karametra's Acolyte
3. Use 4 mana to recast Karametra's Acolyte
4. Repeat from Step 1

This nets us 1 mana every time for infinite. Note that Temur Sabertooth and Concordant Crossroads can also be used the same way with Circle of Dreams Druid making 6 mana, Arbor Elf making 4 mana (w/Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth and Gaea's Cradle/Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx), Argothian Elder making 7 mana (w/Gaea's Cradle and/or Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx), and Priest of Titania making 5 mana.

*Note: It is worth mentioning that, even though some cards may not currently be included in the main list, detailed instructions for their use have been provided. This is done to assist players who choose to run them, and also because it is possible that these cards may make a return to the list in the future.

Win-Cons

Once you have infinite mana you need to find the Kill Loop using the many outlets in the deck:

Outlets

So, this subsection will include cards mentioned before, however, the purpose of this section is to create a list of cards that can be used to assemble your Kill Loop(win-con) once you've obtained Infinite Mana. It will be divided into two sections, cards that require you to have Temur Sabertooth or Kogla, the Titan Ape for infinite bounces/untaps.

Bounce Outlets

Beast Whisperer/Glademuse: This one requires that you bounce any random creature repeatedly to get draw triggers off of it. These work with Ashaya, Temur, and Kogla lines since most of them all require infinite casts.

Regal Force: The is one draws you the deck with infinite bounces, try to draw until you reach a more efficient outlet to continue without the possibility of decking yourself out. Some cards we can't play at instant speed. However, that can easily be fixed if you draw into Crop Rotation and use it for Emergence Zone, but be mindful of their location as combo lands (Emergence Zone/Mikokoro, Center of the Sea are best in the deck, graveyard, or field when going off).

• Eternal Witness: Get back something you lost. This card is one of my favorite infinite bouncers as it can give you infinite tutors. The only tutor it can't loop is Green Sun's Zenith or Eldritch Evolution.

• Woodland Bellower: This one can be looped with Temur Sabertooth to get anything OR get Duskwatch Recruiter   and that's all she wrote, or Eternal Witness for Duskwatch Recruiter   if it is dead.

Infinite Mana Outlets

Duskwatch Recruiter  : Dig for and cast every creature in the deck. Best outlet in the deck, and because of this any and every other outlet is trying to get to this outlet to wrap up the game.

Survival of the Fittest: With just one creature, you can start a tutor chain. We go for Duskwatch Recruiter   or a way to get it back if it's in the Graveyard

Mikokoro, Center of the Sea/Geier Reach Sanitarium + Argothian Elder: These require infinite untaps, but that's typically how we got here. We like to stop doing this the second we find a better outlet, as we could get interrupted by interaction. So stop at Duskwatch Recruiter   or a tutor that can get him. This is also the Mill Line in effect, so the correct sequence is to put infinite draws on the stack, then let them resolve one by one.

Ulvenwald Tracker + Infinite untaps + Shaman of Forgotten Ways = Kill the table

1. Use Ulvenwald Tracker's effect to fight every creature. You can use (Yeva, Temur, or Kogla as the fighter)
2. Activate Shaman of Forgotten Ways

Temur Sabertooth + Kogla, the Titan Ape + Shaman of Forgotten Ways = Kill the table

1. Cast Kogla, the Titan Ape to fight a creature
2. Use Temur Sabertooth to bounce Kogla, the Titan Ape
3. Repeat from Step 1, until all of your opponent's creatures are dead
4. Activate Shaman of Forgotten Ways

If either Shaman of Forgotten Ways or Ulvenwald Tracker have Summoning Sickness, we can use Destiny Spinner with Ashaya, Soul of the Wilds out to give it Haste. If we lose access to either Destiny Spinner or Ashaya, Soul of the Wilds, we can use Duskwatch Recruiter   to sort the whole list and then draw into Crop Rotation for Emergence Zone, to then be able to cast Finale of Devastation at instant speed.

If we lose access to Shaman of Forgotten Ways we pivot to our Mill Line, for which we have 3 ways to execute. For the Mill Line you should always be under Allosaurus Shepherd and Veil of Summer/Autumn's Veil before execution

The Mill Line aims to loop Mikokoro, Center of the Sea or Geier Reach Sanitarium's effect. The easiest way to reactivate their effects are with:

• Argothian Elder
• Destiny Spinner (Animating the land allows us to untap it with our creature untappers)
• Arbor Elf (w/ Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth)

To prevent ourselves from self-milling we loop the following cards:

• Noxious Revival + Eternal Witness (Temur Sabertooth/Kogla, the Titan Ape)
• Endurance (Temur Sabertooth)
• Green Sun's Zenith (w/ Emergence Zone for instant speed)

To execute the line you first activate the mill land, but before letting it resolve you reset it with another untap. You do this an infinite number of times, but you keep leaving your game state ready to put a whole new set of infinite draw triggers on the stack. This is done in this sequence in the off chance your opponents draw something that can hurt us, however this extremely unlikely as counters can't hurt us. Graveyard triggers from cards like Kozilek, Butcher of Truth or Gaea's Blessing can be responded to with more draw triggers on the stack, rendering them useless. Below you can learn how to do it without Argothian Elder, Destiny Spinner, and/or Arbor Elf (w/ Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth) by looping Crop Rotation.

Temur Sabertooth/Kogla, the Titan Ape + Eternal Witness + Noxious Revival + Crop Rotation + Mikokoro, Center of the Sea (Field, Graveyard, or Deck) = Mill the table

1. Tap for Mikokoro, Center of the Sea's effect, hold priority
2. Sac it to Crop Rotation for any land
3. Use Noxious Revival to return Mikokoro, Center of the Sea to top
4. Use Temur Sabertooth + Eternal Witness loops to get back Noxious Revival and Crop Rotation
5. Crop Rotation to get Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
6. Repeat from Step 1

If Mikokoro, Center of the Sea is stuck in your hand, you can use Crop Rotation for Emergence Zone to be able to play Mox Diamond and discard it (if Mox Diamond is on the field, destroy it then Eternal Witness/Noxious Revival (with a draw) for it.

We can loop Endurance, Noxious Revival or Green Sun's Zenith infinitely to keep us from milling ourselves out. Also, while we can protect almost every facet of our engine at instant speed, be aware that while we're milling our opponents, they might run into some interaction, so be aware of the ones that might have mana open. Very few things can stop us at this point.

A final win condition for this deck is centered around using Ram Through. This involves giving something trample with Destiny Spinner, then buffing it infinitely with cards like Vines of Vastwood or Finale of Devastation, and then using Ram Through loops to kill the table. However, it is important to note that this strategy is not commonly utilized by experienced players. The main focus of the deck is on the mill line, and as such, we do not want to dedicate specific spell slots for Shaman of Forgotten Ways or Ram Through lines, but it can still be used as a backup option. While Shaman of Forgotten Ways can still be included in the list, it is not necessary, and the decision is ultimately up to the player. Ram Through may be included in the list depending on how creature-heavy the meta becomes, so it is usually about finding that last slot for Vines of Vastwood.

ALL OF THESE LOOPS HAPPEN AT INSTANT SPEED, THANKS TO Yeva, Nature's Herald. For everything else, you have Emergence Zone

Top Ranked	Achieved #1 position overall 5 years ago
Date added	5 years
Last updated	1 year
Legality	This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	11 - 0 Mythic Rares 42 - 0 Rares 26 - 0 Uncommons 11 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.23
Tokens	Beast 3/3 G
Folders	Interesting Deck Concepts, Commander, Yeva, Edh que me gustaria, My Main Decks, Ideas and inspiration, Green, Commander elves, Favorite decks, Saved Decks