The Future of the Deck: I don't know what kind of future Gruul has after rotation, so I'm not exactly sure how I'd like to plan for that. Suggestions are totally welcome. I've been a bit out of the loop when it comes to MTG since pretty much right before BTG. I've thought about maybe making this three color now and going with Naya, obviously utilizing Mana Confluence. Thoughts?
Burning-Tree Emissary
is always suggested, but will not be added because I don't need more ramp with Elvish Mystic, Sylvan Caryatid and Xenagos, the Reveler in the deck. The Nykthos combo is cool and all, but it works better in a mono-green deck and requires a perfect hand and top-decking for it to work, and if it comes up later in the game I'm usually fine with my mana anyway.
Deck Overview:
Creatures
Arbor Colossus - a 6/6 for 5 CMC who becomes a 9/9 next turn for 6 CMC and I get to destroy my opponents annoying flyer (a la Desecration Demon or Abhorrent Overlord), I'll take it.
Elvish Mystic - It's not a proper green ramp deck without these.
Kalonian Hydra - I wish I had one or two more of it, but it's a little out of my price range, so I'll take what I can get. It gets big FAST and could get him out by turn 3 if things go right. It also makes Mistcutter Hydra even bigger.
Mistcutter Hydra - Need an early threat? Drop him as a 3/3 turn 2 and let Kalonian Hydra make him bigger later. Have a ton of mana to dump into something? Make X=15 and you've got yourself a massive threat on your hands.
Nylea, God of the Hunt - 6/6 for 4 CMC that can't be destroyed, AND gives everything else trample?! Fantastic.
Reverent Hunter
- Can enter the battlefield as a HUGE creature for very little mana as long as you play it right, and get's bigger with Kalonian Hydra
Sylvan Caryatid - Fantastic ramp with color fixing capability, almost impossible to remove and a fantastic early blocker.
Sylvan Primordial - I'm not abject to getting a free Forest or Stomping Ground and setting them back a turn on mana, or destroying a Planeswalker.
Worldspine Wurm - Simply amazing. Helped me out a couple times at FNM on Jan. 3rd. and it's abilities are insane.
Planeswalkers
Domri Rade - He let's me see an extra card every turn. He let's me force the death of one of my opponents creatures. And then to finish it off, I get to have my creatures do twice the damage that they normally would, but they get to do it on the turn they come out and they don't have to fear being blocked or getting removed. Sweet. I'd love to have one more of him though.
Garruk, Caller of Beasts
- Why yes, I would love to drop a Sylvan Primordial on you on turn 4. Definitely looking to bump him up to a 2-of.
Xenagos, the Reveler - I can mana dump with him. I can churn out tokens with him. I get free creatures AND land with him? I'll take 3, 4 is just a bit too many.
All in all, these guys are just insane.
Sorceries
Mizzium Mortars - I don't like Anger of the Gods just because it hits my own creatures, and I usually don't have an issue with having enough mana to overload Mortars, so it gets slotted in as a two-of.
Enchantments
Into the Wilds
- It lets me see another card every turn, and that coupled with Domri Rade has me seeing quite a few cards every turn if things go well. Even if Wilds turns up a creature, I know I can pick it up with Domri, and if it turns up a land, that's one less land that I'll top deck, and all the more chance Domri will turn up a creature. Not good enough to warrant 2x in the mainboard, but it's good to help if I stall out on mana mid-game.
Artifacts
Bow of Nylea - Has a lot of utility to it. It makes my tramplers (which should be all of my creatures because of Hyleas, God of the Hunt) hit my opponents a lot harder. I can slap a +1/+1 counter on one of my creatures before I attack, and make it that much stronger if it's attacking alongside Kalonian Hydra. It can take down a smaller flyer. It can give me a little bit of lifegain if I need it. And, even though it only puts the cards onto the bottom of my library, it lets me get up to four cards back, which can be shifted around with a shuffle effect from a different card.
Elixir of Immortality - If I run into a deck running Jace I can get my library refilled and get a little life out of it.
Sideboard
Bramblecrush - Helps to deal with Planeswalkers, etc.
Elixir of Immortality - no explanation needed.
Fade into Antiquity
- Deals with the Gods, and Pithing Needle.
Into the Wilds
- no explanation needed.
Pithing Needle - Kinda there because it's in most sideboards as a precaution.
Plummet
- Drops Desecration Demon, etc. It will probably get replaced by
Skyreaping
but I'm not quite sure yet.
Witchstalker
- I play aginst a lot of decks with black and blue in them (who doesn't?) so these serve as a small stop-gap for them, and it helps devotion for Nylea and
Reverent Hunter
.