Welcome to part 2 the green cards. Part 1 was red.
A quick recap: this series is for rogue/casual players going to regionals. If you aren't netdecking or spending a ton of money getting new cards, this is a look at useful cards you might already have that aren't getting a lot of notice in Standard at the moment.
Or on the flip side, if you are netdecking, this might be the kind of cards you'll see from a rogue deck.
GREEN
Baru, Fist of Krosa
4/4 Whenever a Forest comes into play, green creatures you control get +1/+1 and gain trample until end of turn.
Grandeur - Discard another card named Baru, Fist of Krosa: Put an X/X green Wurm creature token into play, where X is the number of lands you control.
Baru isn't the greatest trampler in the world. However, trample could turn out to be more important than in most years. Between elf tokens and Bitterblossom, there's likely to be a ton of chump blockers. If you aren't wanting to play board-sweeping cards yourself, trampling over chumpers might be a good plan.
Bosk Banneret
1/3 Treefolk spells and Shaman spells you play cost 1 less to play.
You see these sometimes in Doran and other treefolk decks but its capable of more. There's a lot of great shaman spells in Standard right now plus the cost reduction works on changelings also.
Brooding Saurian
4/4 At the end of each turn, each player gains control of all nontoken permanents he or she owns.
This can be a great card vs faeries since they depend on Sower of Temptation to steal you cards. And a 4 casting cost 4/4 isn't bad stats either.
Call of the Herd
Put a 3/3 green Elephant creature token into play.
Flashback
Another formerly popular card which has been forgotten. Still well worth playing.
Dauntless Dourback
*/* Dauntless Dourbark's power and toughness are each equal to the number of Forests you control plus the number of Treefolk you control.
Dauntless Dourbark has trample as long as you control another Treefolk.
A very efficient creature if you are pulling forests out of your deck and getting them in play: Rampant Growth, Civic Wayfarer, Yavimaya Dryad, Farhaven Elf etc.
Elvish Hexhunter
1/1 g/w, Tap, Sacrifice Elvish Hexhunter: Destroy target enchantment.
Its a fairly new sideboard option that fits well into elf decks.
Essence Warden (elf shaman)
1/1 Whenever another creature comes into play, you gain 1 life.
Nobody plays this in elf swarming decks but gaining life for every elf, elf token and wolf token coming into play can quickly pump up your life. And it gives another "must kill" card for your opponent to deal with.
And your swarm deck vs another swarm deck can get ridiculous whether its tons of elves or tons of Bitterblossom tokens.
Greatbow Doyen
2/4 Other Archer creatures you control get +1/+1.
Whenever an Archer you control deals damage to a creature, that Archer deals that much damage to that creature's controller.
This is a great "lord" ability considering changelings and Mutavault. As for straight up playable archers there's Jagged-Scar Archers, Lys Alana Bowmaster, and the marginal Femeref Archers. In white there's Brigid, Hero of Kinsbaile as an amusing little combo with Doyen.
And note the Doyen ability works on any damage, not just combat damage. I'll post up a block decklist I've been working on at the end of this article which has Doyen and several of the other cards I'm mentioning today.
Heartwood Storyteller
2/3 Whenever a player plays a noncreature spell, each of that player's opponents may draw a card.
There's no reason you have to play anything but lands and creatures if you put your deck together right. In theory.
Hunted Wumpus
6/6 When Hunted Wumpus comes into play, each other player may put a creature card from his or her hand into play.
If your opponent is hellbent or playing small creatures, an undercosted 6/6 might be just the thing you need.
Hurricane
Hurricane deals X damage to each creature with flying and each player.
Deal with fliers, get a little ahead in life then win the game, or kill both of you to tie the game to prevent a loss.
Imperiosaur
5/5 Spend only mana produced by basic lands to play Imperiosaur.
If you are playing mono-green with land-thinning cards, the basic land thing isn't much of a restriction.
Kavu Predator
2/2 Trample
Whenever an opponent gains life, put that many +1/+1 counters on Kavu Predator.
This card isn't exactly flying under the radar but its not as popular as it once was. Whether paired with Fiery Justice, Grove of the Burnwillows, or just your opponent's Kitchen Finks and Corrupts, its a very nice card in the current environment.
Leaf-Crowned Elder (Treefolk Shaman)
3/5
Kinship - At the beginning of your upkeep, you may look at the top card of your library. If it shares a creature type with Leaf-Crowned Elder, you may reveal it. If you do, you may play that card without paying its mana cost.
Shaman, treefolk, changeling...its not tough to fill your deck with creatures which get kinship-cast for free.
Masked Admirers
3/2 When Masked Admirers comes into play, draw a card.
Whenever you play a creature spell, you may pay GG. If you do, return Masked Admirers from your graveyard to your hand.
Another good card that's fallen into disfavor for no particular reason. Getting multiple cards/creatures out of one card is a great thing.
Mire Boa
2/1 Swampwalk
G: Regenerate Mire Boa.
Mire Boa doesn't fit into any particular theme of deck at the moment. But being a casting cost regenerating swampwalker makes it worthwhile. Especially with U/B faeries and G/B elves being popular decks.
Mirri, Cat Warrior
2/3 First strike, forestwalk, vigilance
Just a nice solid creature for three casting cost.
Nacatl War-Pride
3/3 Nacatl War-Pride must be blocked by exactly one creature if able.
Whenever Nacatl War-Pride attacks, put X tokens into play tapped and attacking that are copies of Nacatl War-Pride, where X is the number of creatures defending player controls. Remove the tokens from the game at end of turn.
This is a very misunderstood card. This is a variation on Lure. But instead of all your opponent's untapped creature being forced to block one creature, this card creates multiple creatures all of which have to be blocked.
This means all of your other attacking creatures get through for damage plus each of your opponent's blocking creatures take three damage and there's no gang-blocking. In a world of 1/1 tokens, that's a very powerful (and maybe repeatable) effect.
At 6 casting cost its expensive but its one of the few cards in green which can deal with a non-flying creature swarm.
Overrun
Creatures you control get +3/+3 and gain trample until end of turn.
An oldie but still very good in the current Standard.
Pendelhaven Elder
1/1 Tap: Each 1/1 creature you control gets +1/+2 until end of turn.
If you are building a deck full of 1/1's, it'll pump them all at once.
Phantom Wurm
2/0 Phantom Wurm comes into play with four +1/+1 counters on it.
If damage would be dealt to Phantom Wurm, prevent that damage. Remove a +1/+1 counter from Phantom Wurm.
What's better than persist? Not going to the graveyard in the first place. A very tough creature to deal with through damage. Keep in mind that +1/+1 counters from any source (such as reinforce) work. Also that equipment (Obsidian Battle-Axe) or enchantments (Blanchwood Armor) or creatures (Boartusk Liege) which give a toughness bonus will keep it alive even when all the counters are gone. The damage is prevented whether there are counters still there to remove or not.
Primal Forcemage
2/2 Whenever another creature comes into play under your control, that creature gets +3/+3 until end of turn.
This is a card you have to build around but can be worth it. Cards like haste creatures, Pandemonium, and Murderous Redcap can benefit. (Pandemonium, Elvish Promenade, Primal Forcemage is an amusing way to finish a game but whether its good enough to win Regionals is something else.)
Rushwood Dryad
2/1 Forestwalk
A forestwalker with Blanchwood Armor used to be pretty good against a deck with forests. It still is. Rushwood isn't the best forestwalker out there right now but it can still get the job done.
Seedborn Muse
2/4 Untap all permanents you control during each other player’s untap step.
You get de facto vigilance, extra mana, and get to use tap effects on both your and your opponent's turns. That's not bad when filling out the last few slots of a deck. Imagine it in play in an elf deck.
Spawnwrithe
2/2 Trample
Whenever Spawnwrithe deals combat damage to a player, put a token into play that's a copy of Spawnwrithe.
Spawnwrithe hasn't gotten much love but it can get out of hand with a couple of Giant Growths and some creatures that give +1/+1 bonuses.
Spectral Force
8/8 Trample
Whenever Spectral Force attacks, if defending player controls no black permanents, it doesn't untap during your next untap step.
Another good card that's fallen out of favor for no particular reason.
Sprout Swarm
Convoke Buyback 3
Put a 1/1 green Saproling creature token into play.
Still great in any swarm deck but isn't played much at the moment.
Thornscape Battlemage
2/2
When Thornscape Battlemage comes into play, if the R kicker cost was paid, it deals 2 damage to target creature or player.
When Thornscape Battlemage comes into play, if the W kicker cost was paid, destroy target artifact.
Dang good card with the kickers.
Troll Ascetic
3/2 Troll Ascetic can’t be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.1G: Regenerate Troll Ascetic.
Why aren't more decks playing this? Throw in some equipment like Loxodon Warhammer.
Vigor
6/6 Trample
If damage would be dealt to a creature you control other than Vigor, prevent that damage. Put a +1/+1 counter on that creature for each 1 damage prevented this way.
When Vigor is put into a graveyard from anywhere, shuffle it into its owner's library.
Expensive card but a powerful effect.
Viridian Shaman
2/2 When Viridian Shaman comes into play, destroy target artifact.
Its an elf. Its a shaman. There's going to be artifacts. Any questions?
Yavimaya Dryad
2/1 Forestwalk
When Yavimaya Dryad comes into play, you may search your library for a Forest card and put it into play tapped under target player's control. If you do, shuffle your library.
A forestwalker with Blanchwood Armor used to be pretty good against a deck with forests. It still is.
GREEN GOLD/HYBRID
Boartusk Liege
3/4 Trample
Other red creatures you control get +1/+1.
Other green creatures you control get +1/+1.
This is little-played mostly because its so new. Don't forget it double-pumps creatures which are both red and green,
Boggart Ram-Gang
3/3 Haste Wither
Very good creature for the casting cost.
Glittering Wish
You may choose a multicolored card you own from outside the game, reveal that card, and put it into your hand. Remove Glittering Wish from the game.
There's a ton of multicolored cards out there right now. I don't know that there's enough to make a worthwhile toolbox but if you want to try....
Harmonic Sliver
1/1 All Slivers have "When this permanent comes into play, destroy target artifact or enchantment."
Regionals always draw in people who are playing way too many artifacts and enchantments. A Harmonic Sliver and a few changelings can put a crimp in their style.
Mystic Snake
2/2 Flash. When Mystic Snake comes into play, counter target spell.
As mentioned in the last article, Reflecting Pool and Vivid lands can result in some funky mana capabilities. You could even play blue spells with no islands in a deck if you wanted.
Rosheen Meanderer
4/4 Tap: Add 4 to your mana pool. Spend this mana only on costs that contain X.
Four casting cost 4/4 is pretty good. If you are playing X spells, so much the better.
That's the look at green. Comments are very welcome as is you coming back to read the next installment. I'm hoping to post up more than one per day since I got such a late start.
I mentioned earlier that I'd write up a block deck I'm working on featuring some of the cards I've mentioned:
Shazam with Shamans! 4 Bosk Banneret
4 Woodland Changeling
4 Wolf-Skull Shaman
4 Leaf-Crowned Elder
4 Masked Admirers
4 Game-Trail Changeling
4 Chameleon Colossus
1 Orchard Warden
1 Unstoppable Ash
2 Timber Protector
1 Greatbow Doyen
2 Obsidian Battle-Axe
2 Garruk Wildspeaker
4 Mutavault
19 Forest
SB
4 Elvish Hexhunter
3 Thornbite Staff
4 Cloudthresher
4 Vexing Shusher
I wanted to show this deck to illustrate using changelings to glue things together and get multiple synergies going. Especially since I keep referring to how well certain cards work with changeling.
The Bosk Banneret reduces the cost of all the cards except 1 Greatbow Doyen, 2 Obsidian Battle-Axe, and 2 Garruk Wildspeaker (I'm pretty happy casting Masked Admirers for 2 or 3 mana).
And Leaf-Crowned Elder can kinship into play all the cards but those same five and the land.
The Wolf-Skull Shaman kinship triggers on all but those same five, the land, Timber Protector, and Unstoppable Ash.
There's 15 warriors to get equipped for free with the Obsidian Battle-Axe.
Greatbow Doyen works with the 16 other archers in the deck (Mutavaults count for this) to push through damage even if creatures are blocked. (And forms a marginally useful combo with Thornbite Staff.)
The Timber Protector and Unstoppable Ash protects the creatures. It would be more Timber Protector but it doesn't compare to the Ash in protecting Wolf tokens and the elves. (Never cast Unstoppable Ash vs faeries but most of the other creatures don't kill you if they're stolen.)
Jagged-Scar Archers might take the Staff slots in the sideboard. Not sure how many ground-pounders I realistically need to ping (and there's 21 elves maindeck).
Of course, like I said, this is a block deck and not Standard. And I'm not sure how good it'll even be in block since I don't have a good handle on the rest of the field. So this is just a starting point and not a finished product.
Not that I'm suggesting playing this in Standard, but if I were considering changing it over it would involve:
1) adding 4 Treetop Villages and remove 4 Forests
2) deciding which shaman to take out to fit in Troll Ascetic shaman
3) how many Squall Line in the sideboard
4) whether Obsidian Battle-Axe brings more to the deck than Loxodon Warhammer would.
5) deciding if Heartwood Storyteller is good enough for a spot
As I mentioned in the first article in the series, I'm also doing deck clinics. So if you want me to write and take a look at your non-netdeck for regionals, pm me. If your deck isn't for regionals, note that along with anything special like whether its for a duel or multiplayer, whether you are on a budget, any cards you already own that you think maybe should be in the deck, etc.
Tags: Magic Standard Regionals Review Casual Clinic Tournament
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Magic: the Gathering
