CREATURES:
Scythe Leopard- While this deck can grind into the mid-game, getting off to an aggressive start is generally the best way for this deck to win. While our one-drop isn't the most exciting card on the surface, it does have a pretty high ceiling once the deck gets rolling, and on the attack is generally a 3/3 or a 4/4, which is a Wild Nacatl level stat line.
Akoum Hellhound- This card was a BIG addition from Zendikar Rising. A color-shifted Steppe Lynx makes the deck far more explosive on turns 2-4 and has a much higher ceiling than Kird Ape, the card it replaced. Yes, we run the risk of it being a very unexciting 0/1 without a land drop, but the payoff for running it is worth it.
Vinelasher Kudzu- As far as I have found this may be the original landfall card, if you know of one that's older let me know. Because it gets permanent counter buffs instead of single-turn landfall effects, this card can be a continuous threat for the opponent even late into the game if they can't find a way to deal with it, particularly against decks like mono-red where the Kudzu quickly gets out of burn spell range
Brushfire Elemental- Our second new addition from Zendikar Rising, Brushfire Elemental replaces Plated Geopede as more or less a like-for-like swap. The haste and loose form of evasion makes for an overall more explosive card in my opinion, and it is also reasonable to make this your turn 3 play before playing a land to immediately buff it which can make for slightly smoother aggro draws. If you want a more aggro deck, you could swap out Vinelasher Kudzu for Plated Geopede to emphasize early damage, but I have found that one of the +2/+2 creatures is enough in a more midrange build like this one.
Tireless Tracker- An all-star against midrange strategies like Jund, Tracker ensures that we can keep up with the absurd amount of card advantage and value floating around the format at the moment. While it is pretty fragile against removal, a couple of clues is generally enough gas to push the last little bit of damage over the line. Having clues is also a great mana sink, as our tricks to get extra land drops to trigger landfall mean we accelerate our mana pretty nicely and we can crack two or even three clues a turn to keep churning through the deck.
Mina and Denn, Wildborn- Our other value engine and mana sink, the elf siblings can give our creatures that are going tall anyways trample to get over chump blockers in the late-game. Their ability also ensures consistent land drops in the mid-to-late game to keep pressure on our opponent. The ability to pick up lands also provides a sneaky way we can use the spell side of any Zendikar Rising flip lands and channel Boseiju, Who Endures that we played as lands earlier in the game, which is a really cool trick that not every opponent notices.
NON-CREATURES
Lightning Bolt- The most efficient removal in our colors, pretty simple.
Searing Blaze- Really solid value card in a deck that is focused on hitting land drops consistently
Atarka's Command- Kind of a swiss-army knife effect in the deck that can provide reach by hitting our opponent for 3 as well as pumping the team if we can't find a land for turn to get that last bit of damage over the line. A nice instant-speed way of putting lands into play as well which is not a very common effect. While it is a good card, I have been thinking of replacing it with something else, as it's not always the strongest play. Suggestions for this slot would be greatly appreciated!
Harrow- A super explosive way to pile on the damage early, it also supports the graveyard subtheme the deck has going with Wrenn and Six. The fact that is instant-speed also helps us play around counter magic.
Dire-Strain Rampage- The newest card to test out, I have tentatively taken out Cultivate, but it might come back in if I'm unimpressed. The flashback and flexibility to blow up an artifact or enchantment is nice, but Cultivate gets lands in hand to continue making land drops in future turns. However, sacrificing/destroying our own lands synergizes with the Wrenn and Six plan nicely.
Shatterskull Smashing
/Kazandu Mammoth
- The new MDFCs (Modal Double-Faced Cards) from Zendikar Rising solved a big problem in the deck. I found that while the deck could have explosive starts, even with the mana sinks like Tireless Tracker and Mina and Denn, Wildborn, the deck was ramping into nothing. You would end up with a board state of sad landfall creatures with no lands to trigger them and 10 mana on the battlefield. The MDFCs allow us to drop the effective land count while increasing the big, powerful effects we have access to in the late game.
Wrenn and Six- While I mentioned it above, there is a land sacrifice subtheme to this deck that makes Wrenn's +1 a very effective tool to grind against midrange and control decks if the game goes long. Between fetchlands, Field of Ruin, channeling Boseiju, Who Endures, and the Harrow/Dire-Strain Rampage plan, there should always be lands in the graveyard that Wrenn can get back.
