The Underdogs of Green Devotion
Standard forum
Posted on Oct. 30, 2014, 7:42 a.m. by OP_Magikarp
So devotion to green has been a strong and uprising option in standard and is starting to make a presence in larger tournaments. Usually running 12 mana dorks + 4 Courser of Kruphix , this leaves about 15-16 spots open for other hard hitting creatures. Here are a few of the underdogs in my opinion. Do you all think they have a chance in big time decks used at large events? Or will they be limited to just casual competitive.
Pros:
Low mana cost, easy to cast with Genesis Hydra
Very high potential to come in massive. Running a few mana dorks and this guy can come in with at least 5 counters.
Cons:
Only offers 1 devotion
Prone to removal
Rather vanilla once he's played and doesn't offer much help after board wipes.
Pros:
Forces opponent to think about how/when to attack more carefully or if to waste a removal spell.
Pumps out deathtouch minions. Pair this with Crater's Claws and you can create an army on your side.
Cons:
Again, 1 devotion
Not a very aggro approach, and with the right removal, can be totally useless.
Disciple of Nylea
Pros:
Offers 2 devotion
With a few creatures already in play, this can be a huge mana swing.
With Genesis Hydra , you can clog the board AND gain quite a bit of life. Very annoying to deal with this.
Cons:
4 drop for 3/3 is mediocre
Other than life gain, this card does not have many uses.
So these are just a few of the underdogs that I have experienced. Choosing these over big hitters like Polukranos, World Eater or Hornet Queen would definitely be a hard decision. Give me your thoughts on if they have a place competitively!
Ohthenoises says... #3
The real underdog I see is Heroes' Bane
. Yes dies to removal yada yada but he is a 4/4 for 
that doubles for every 
you pump into it. With Devo that can go from a 4/4 to a 32/32 for 
at instant speed. "Oh? No blocks? Here take lethal!" Or with Nylea, God of the Hunt
it's even easier.
October 30, 2014 8:24 a.m.
I play vs greed dev a lot and there's 2 cards I've started hating: Genesis Hydra and Hornet Queen . They're annoying as hell because of the value they generate. The queen is also 3 dev. If you're doing a list like this, Bow of Nylea deserves mention as a hard to remove tool with a lot of utility.
October 30, 2014 8:51 a.m.
Rasta_Viking29 says... #5
I understand nobody is playing Hydra Broodmaster because it opens itself up to removal before getting the tokens but the card is nuts in a Nykthos deck. It's a little slower than Hornet Queen but also can be way better.
October 30, 2014 9:06 a.m.
I second Hero's bane. I once had an EDH game vs a deck that lacked removal and I was able to get his P/t up to something like 1600, then attached a basilisk collar to it and finished the game with 1600 life lol. He is THE BIGGEST non evasive choad.
October 30, 2014 10:19 a.m.
OP_Magikarp says... #9
Rasta_Viking29 I agree!!! I currently run a full set of Broodmaster (Although I might cut 1 or 2 to add Polukranos). And even though there is a ton of removal, mid game you can float a ton of mana then play Broodmaster and make it monstrous all in one turn. Not a lot your opponent can do. Pair that with Xenagos, the Reveler and you have mana for days.
October 30, 2014 10:54 a.m.
Dalektable says... #10
On a related note, can we take a second and discuss Heroes' Bane from a flavor persective. Or, any huge creature at that. How does the gigantic monster, at a gigantic 1600 power, not have trample? I realize from a gameplay perspective that could make the card a little busted, but it has always bothered me from a flavor perspective. You have to think, If I block this monstrosity with a 1/1 bird token how does some of that damage not just trick through? Anyways though, I digress. That was somewhat on topic...right?
October 30, 2014 7:06 p.m.
Yo Dalektable. Green pre-release powered up, eh? Gameplay 1st and foremost. But yeah, I agree. I dislike hydras without trample. It's like spiders and reach. It seems so right.
October 30, 2014 7:51 p.m.
IonImplant says... #12
The problem with Kalonian Twingrove is most of your mana comes from ramp so you are not going to have that many forests. Especially if you splash red or black.
Heroes' Bane to me has always been a bit of a win more card. He's just big. No evasion no perks. Reverent Hunter is kind of the same. If he is big he either gets removed or you won anyway. If he comes in small he is useless.
I mainboarded Hornet Nest until I decided to splash red now I side him in against anything creature heavy. His only issue is that he doesn't have flying on his own so you slow down ground attacks but get beat up in the air. (Where green is weak). NOw that I splash red I actually like him with Lightning Strike in my deck.
October 31, 2014 9:02 a.m.
OP_Magikarp says... #13
IonImplant If I have a Crater's Claws and start to get overwhelmed, or know that I can't kill my opponent in one hit, I like to use the claw on the Hornet Nest . Instantly pump out 10+ hornets that can deal with an army your opponent brings at you. Or just send a massive amount of fliers over to deal some damage.
October 31, 2014 10:29 a.m.
IonImplant says... #14
Crater's Claws can bring crazy numbers but usually if you can hit for big numbers I find that one is worth saving for the win con. You can fire it early in a pinch though.
Dalektable says... #2
All the cards you listed besides Reverent Hunter are great sideboard cards for the deck. Hornet Nest is a supurb blocker for the more aggressive match ups, same with Nylea's Disciple (not disciple of nylea :p).
October 30, 2014 8:04 a.m.