Being the kind of player that likes to play big, strong creatures, I'm naturally attracted to Green. When Theros was out, I was a huge fan of the Devotion mechanic because of how it supported mono-color decks in a Magic world where duel-color or tri-color decks feel like they're the supreme. I had some success with mono-green in Standard for a short time, and I'd like to bring mono-green devotion into modern now that it's rotated out of Standard. I think it still has some strong potential as a cheaper alternative of a Tron deck.
The goal when creating this deck was to make an aggro deck that was simple to use (as I'm not a fan combo decks. Just don't have the cunning and mindset to use them) and affordable. All the cards on the list are available for under $20, with Khalni Hydra being the most expensive at around $15.
The Cards
Arbor Elf - Helps with ramp. That's about it.
Courser of Kruphix - A good defensive body that helps with ramp, gets a little life gain, and contributes two mana symbols to devotion. Worth the downside of having the top card of the deck revealed.However, Courser doesn't really fit too well with the aggro side of the deck. Might remove later if something better for the deck can take it's place.
Experiment One - Almost every creature card played after this will trigger Evolve. Getting this out turn one can put the hurt on an opponent if you're triggering Evolve every turn. Added hurt if you enchant it with Rancor.
Genesis Hydra - Another card I'm a bit iffy about. If devotion is going strong, two creatures for the price of one is never bad. But to get full value out of Genesis Hydra, you need it to come down as at least a 5/5 or 6/6. May remove this later for something more efficient.
Khalni Hydra - This hydra is a huge part of the deck. Plenty of mono-green creatures to contribute to reducing the cost. If Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx is out as well, there is a strong possibility of playing this massive 8/8 creature on turn three of four, if not earlier.
Polukranos, World Eater- Still one of the most efficient green creatures for it's cost. Two green symbols to add for devotion, and has a board wipe ability should it be needed.
Strangleroot Geist - Originally Kalonian Tusker took this spot. A little less survivability than the Tusker, but haste and the ability to come back from the dead more than make up for it. A good early attacker if the opponent can't deal with it, or won't want to deal with it since it will just come back stronger.
Surrak, the Hunt Caller - Similar to Polukranos in function. A very solid green creature with two green mana symbols for devotion. Almost every time he hits the field his Formidable trigger will go off to give himself or something else haste.
Aspect of Hydra - This will kill someone quick if they aren't ready for it. Not much else to say about it.
Rancor - The lack of trample on most of the creatures is a bit of a downside. Thankfully this enchantment solves that problem every time.
Garruk, Caller of Beasts - A bit expensive in mana cost for modern outside of Tron and Ramp decks, but the devotion should make up for it. This Garruk is a seriously underrated planeswalker. His +1 ability will easily get you three to five cards back in your hand, quickly recovering you from kill spells and board wipes should it come to that.
What Needs Work
I'm still figuring out what cards should go in the sideboard. What's in the list currently is my best guess for trying to have answers for decks I'd be going up against. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I'll admit I'm slightly new-ish to Modern at the time of this post, but I do understand the importance of deck speed. Green isn't exactly the "fastest" color. The deck can be strong on turns 1-3, and really hits off turns 5 or 6. But sometimes it isn't consistent enough. Any suggestions for creatures and/or spells that would help power the Devotion mechanic while speeding up win times would be greatly appreciated.
