It's Not Easy Being Green

Commander / EDH RamaLama

SCORE: 149 | 287 COMMENTS | 34016 VIEWS | IN 62 FOLDERS


Athraithe says... #1

personally i would drop either Hua Tuo, Honored Physician or Fierce Empath for a Hydra Broodmaster, just in case you need to shove that mana somewhere when omnath dies. Its also an absolute terror if you flash it out, it resolves, then you pump the monstrosity before omnath dying resolves. I do it all the time with my Kru-si-phix deck

August 2, 2016 2:08 p.m.

Emzed says... #2

Mouth of Ronom is a card i have good experience with in monogreen decks. It's a passable removal when needed and can be found by some tutor effects.

August 2, 2016 9:02 p.m.

RamaLama says... #3

Thanks a lot for the suggestions, guys.

Athraithe, the Hydra Broodmaster idea is a good one, and I do thank you for offering which cards you would take out for it, that's always the tough part. I would really hate to lose either Fierce Empath or Hua Tuo, Honored Physician though, they have both served me well in the past.

I don't currently have a Broodmaster, but will include it in my next TCG order. Maybe by the time it gets here, I'll find a slot for it, possibly in the Hua Tuo slot, I don't know.


Emzed, I think Mouth of Ronom in a good include. I also don't have one of those right now, but will replace a basic with it when it gets here, so that's an easy one. It also works well with Scrying Sheets, so thanks for that.

August 3, 2016 8:29 a.m.

Emzed says... #4

Just noticed you don't have Garruk, Primal Hunter in your list. He seems like an insane draw spell with Omnath, while also being a perfectly fine card on his own if for some reason your general is absent. Abundance, Lurking Predators and Wild Pair are all great, but i think Garruk beats all three of them, so maybe one of them could make room for him.

August 3, 2016 9:10 a.m.

RamaLama says... #5

Yeah Emzed, I actually had Garruk, Primal Hunter in the deck at one point, but it ended up being a casualty when I added Mind's Eye.

While it has a good draw effect, I don't necessarily agree that it is better than the three cards you mentioned. You wouldn't want to use the draw effect on Garruk right away or it ends up just being a Sorcery, so you have to plus-1 it the first time around, then use it during the second turn after it comes into play if it's still around by then.

Abundance is great because, early in the game it will get you lands when you don't need big hairy creatures as much as mana, and later in the game it will get those big hairy creatures instead of useless lands.

Lurking Predators is great because it will slap those same big hairy, high cost creatures straight onto the battlefield without having to pay for them. I'm really fond of both of these cards.

Wild Pair is complicated though. While it's a great tutor card, which would allow me, for instance, to play a Fierce Empath, then tutor for an Elvish Piper to put straight into play, it can also lead (even more than other tutors) to slowing down the game. First you need to commit to memory any cards you have with unique power/toughness totals. This would stop you from wasting time looking for a card that isn't there. In addition, you can end up searching for a card with a power/toughness total that you know you have more than one of, but yet the other one(s) could be on the battlefield or in your graveyard, which again would lead to a failure to find and slowing down the game.

So, of the ones you mentioned, Wild Pair would be the one to take out, not because it bad, it's not, but because of the complications and slow play it could lead to.

Anyway, something to consider. Thanks.

August 3, 2016 10:57 a.m.

ENZU says... #6

I mean that sorcery is still very good. It's Soul's Majesty with upside.

August 3, 2016 11:44 a.m.

Emzed says... #7

I agree, more often than not it's the right choice to draw 5-10 cards for 5 mana by using Garruk as a sorcery. You don't have to do that, and the card has use when there is no fatty to draw cards with, but i consider this "sorcery-mode" of Garruk one of his strongest applications.
As i said before, all those other cards are certainly very good, and i know about their strengths, having played with most of them myself. But none of them can just draw 5-10 cards the turn you cast them, they need some time to actually produce value. They are solid if they land early, but less powerful if you draw them later when already low on gas.

August 3, 2016 12:02 p.m.

RamaLama says... #8

Alright Emzed, and NewHorizons, you've talked me into it. Wild Pair is out and Garruk, Primal Hunter is back in. I have to admit that getting rid of Wild Pair is not going to make me lose any sleep, for the reasons stated above.

Thanks again for the help.

August 3, 2016 4:18 p.m.

ArmoredTitan says... #9

With as many permanents to non-permanents, you might want to play Primal Surge

August 21, 2016 9:18 a.m.

Emzed says... #10

I think Primal Surge works best if you have a maximum of 3-4 other instants and sorceries, otherwise the risk is just too high on a 10 mana spell.
I recently started playing Frontier Siege in one of my EDH decks, and noticed which insane amounts of mana it produces (GG in each mainphase, and if you cast it in your 1st main, your already get mana in the 2nd main of the same turn). I image it's even better here, since every single point of mana counts.

August 21, 2016 9:33 a.m.

Emzed says... #11

Oh and Frontier Siege even has an alternative mode ("dragons"), which is mostly irrelevant here, but every now and then you can use it with Hornet Queen to wipe out 5 creatures.

August 21, 2016 9:37 a.m.

Athraithe says... #12

I have also found Mistcutter Hydra to be extremely effective, if you want to test it then be my guest!

August 21, 2016 11:16 a.m.

RamaLama says... #13

Thanks for the comments and suggestions, guys.

ArmoredTitan, I think Emzed nailed the way I feel about having Primal Surge in this deck. The way it's currently constructed it would be a real gamble with seven non-permanents in the deck.

You're right, Emzed, about Frontier Siege. That card is crazy in this deck.

Mistcutter Hydra is an idea, although Flash instead of Haste would make it an auto-include. I always need ways to dump mana in case Omnath gets the boot. As is, it would have to combo with Winding Canyons to serve that purpose if it's not my turn.

August 21, 2016 9:48 p.m.

xeotech says... #14

Why are you not using Bear Umbra

August 25, 2016 1:20 p.m.

Daedalus19876 says... #15

Sword of Feast and Famine is another good way to get extra mana per turn :) plus, good protection and discard.

August 25, 2016 1:45 p.m.

RamaLama says... #16

Thanks for the suggestions, xeotech and Daedalus19876.

I can't find anything wrong with adding either of those two cards. The only problem I have is what to take out. That's always the bugaboo.

While there's a good case to be made for both of these cards, I can also make a good case for every card currently in the deck.

August 25, 2016 10:05 p.m.

TannerP1997 says... #17

You're lack of Selvala, Heart of the Wilds disturbs me

September 2, 2016 3:09 a.m.

RamaLama says... #18

Thanks for the...er...uh...suggestion(?), TannerP1997.

I have looked at Selvala, Heart of the Wilds since it was first spoiled, and while her first ability makes me a little uncomfortable, her second ability could be a game changer with my commander.

Truth is, it's a new card and I haven't ordered one yet, plus I don't know what I would take out for her anyway, but I agree she's probably needed.

Thanks again for the suggestion. I'm going order one up now, while I'm thinking about it.

September 2, 2016 8:41 a.m.

PunkApostle says... #19

September 8, 2016 1:31 p.m.

RamaLama says... #20

Thanks for the suggestion, PunkApostle.

Birthing Pod is a good card and if I had an unlimited deck size, it would certainly be included. The problem is always, what to take out for it? I actually like Wild Pair a bit better, but can't even make room for that, so there you go.

September 8, 2016 1:55 p.m. Edited.
September 10, 2016 5:03 p.m.

Never mind the Nissa, just noticed that you had it.

How about Desolation Twin?

September 10, 2016 5:04 p.m.

RamaLama says... #23

Thanks for the suggestions, demonicgrizzly.

While a case can be made for any of the creature cards you mentioned (as you noticed, Nissa, Worldwaker is already included), I can also make a very good case for all of the cards already included.

A good example of the dilemma I face is your Eldritch Evolution suggestion. No doubt a very good card, but so is Birthing Pod and Wild Pair and I can't make room for either one of those either. If the deck weren't so Voltron, I would probably have more leeway to add cards like those.

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions. I will keep them in mind in case I find any of the current cards are under-performing.

September 10, 2016 7:07 p.m.

_SeriosSkies_ says... #24

September 10, 2016 10:35 p.m. Edited.

RamaLama says... #25

Yeah _SeriosSkies_, I did get one and was hesitating putting it in. I guess it should have been a no-brainer. I've been discussing it with my son who is, to his credit, an advocate for the cards inclusion in this deck.

So yeah, it's in now.

September 11, 2016 12:26 a.m.

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