I am as excited as everyone about the new tools green acquires in the M15 core set! Before we get ahead of ourselves, let's take a moment to realize that standard is rampant with aggro strategies on the one hand, and mono-black and u/w control on the other hand, which require quickness to beat. If mono-green is going to become a viable Tier 1 strategy, mono-green will benefit from ramp that develops a quick board state. It stops aggro decks in their tracks, outraces burn decks, and has some nice answers for the big three decks you'll face: Control, Mono-Black Devotion, and Mono-Blue Devotion.
Polukranos, World Eater and
Nissa, Worldwaker
are your win-conditions. If they get removed, you have Genesis Hydra to go search for another win condition, which can retrieve any non-land permanent and is uncounterable. Mistcutter Hydra takes a prominent role in this deck because it can be played at any stage of the game, can't be countered, is protected from blue, and has haste--making this an unusually fast mono-green deck. There is one copy of Hornet Nest in the mainboard to stall your opponent's ground strategy, but three in the sideboard for when you face aggro decks and the mirror match.
Cards that don't work in this deck - Hornet Queen, Hydra Broodmaster,
Terra Stomper
, Soul of Zendikar, Soul of New Phyrexia, and Chord of Calling. I love these cards, but they don't work as well as I would like them to. The main issue is not that they are bad cards, it's that by the time you are able to cast them, you've probably already won. They're "win more" cards that end up losing you the game when the opponent uses
Searing Blood
on your Elvish Mystic or Bile Blight on the hornets you just spent 7-10 mana casting. For this deck to work,
Nissa, Worldwaker
, Polukranos, World Eater, and Genesis Hydra need to be the very top of the curve.
Sideboard Guide Please note that this sideboard strategy is for the common deck builds, but you'll have to make your own judgments from match to match.
Control: -1 Hornet Nest, -1
Reverent Hunter
, -1
Arbor Colossus
, -1 Nylea's Disciple, +1
Back to Nature
, +1 Reclamation Sage, +2
Unravel the Aether
Mono-Black Devotion: -1
Reverent Hunter
, -1 Mistcutter Hydra, -2 Polukranos, World Eater, +4 Scuttling Doom Engine
Mono-Blue Devotion: -1 Nylea's Disciple, -1
Reverent Hunter
, +2
Unravel the Aether
Boros Burn: -1 Hornet Nest, -1
Reverent Hunter
, -1
Boon Satyr
, +1 Bow of Nylea, +2
Unravel the Aether
Aggro: -1
Arbor Colossus
, -1
Reverent Hunter
, -1 Nylea, God of the Hunt, -1 Genesis Hydra, +1 Setessan Tactics, +3 Hornet Nest
Naya Hexproof & Constellation: -1
Arbor Colossus
, -1
Reverent Hunter
, -1 Nylea's Disciple, -1 Nylea, God of the Hunt, -1
Nissa, Worldwaker
, -1 Mistcutter Hydra-2
Boon Satyr
, +1
Back to Nature
, +1 Reclamation Sage, +3
Unravel the Aether
, +3 Hornet Nest
Mono-Green Devotion, Jund, Junk, & G/R Monsters: -1 Nylea's Disciple, -1
Reverent Hunter
, -2
Boon Satyr
, +1 Setessan Tactics, +3 Hornet Nest
