Standard: Mono Green Tifa Stompy - Deck Tech & Sideboard Guide

Mono Green Tifa is a traditional Stompy deck: cheap creatures that increase their own power and pump spells to amplify the damage they cause, combined with cheap protections against removal.

What sets it apart, however, is its combo-kill potential: Tifa Lockhart has one of the most powerful Landfall abilities ever released in Magic: the ability to double one's own power. With enough pumps and Standard's fetch lands, Tifa can easily reach 20 power, and with native Trample, it's easy to get past blockers with her to deal lethal damage to the opponent.

This list is based on the version created by content creator SaffronOlive, where he achieved a 4-1 result. While Seth mentions some cards that could be upgraded or dropped, the changes I made to my version are largely based on my experience piloting the deck—especially the need for more protection lines and proactivity with slots.

A notable omission is Sazh’s Chocobo. It’s supposed to be a good fit for Landfall and grow relatively quickly, but its lack of evasion proved to be a problem, since the other creatures have native Trample, so it wouldn’t be worth running Aloe Alchemist or Audacity just for it.

In its place, Pawpatch Recruit is included. Yes, Bristly Bill, Spine Sower interacts better with Landfall, but Mono Green Stompy's big problem isn't in having threats, it's in punishing the opponent for removals and/or forcing a two-for-one against them, and Recruit offers exactly that: with Llanowar Elves, it puts two bodies on the board on the second turn, and if we follow up with Tifa or Mossborn Hydra, any removal on any creature turns into an increase in power for ours — and it also has a native Trample, which matters with our pumps to pass some combat damage.

Ironically, this is a deck that I can see myself taking to a RCQ. It's partially vulnerable, not as consistent as we'd like, but the hit-kill potential on the third turn and the surprise factor of no one expecting it at the moment put it in a relatively good position for events of this size, even if it's in the "one-hit wonder" style.

Maindeck

The combo.

Tifa Lockhart doubles her power every time we play a land. With Titanic Growth, her power becomes 5, and if we play a “fetch land” like Escape Tunnel or Fabled Passage, we trigger her Landfall twice, totaling 20 power with Trample.

Our list is mostly based on this interaction and the possibility of raising Tifa's power to 5, allowing a “Fetch” to end the game.

To this end, we have a mix of cheap pumps like Giant Growth, combined with protections that grant permanent power, like Snakeskin Veil and Royal Treatment.

Overprotect provides both functions, but with a higher cost that makes it a two-of since having the protection for Tifa on the turn she enters for only is a bit more important in most matchups, but it is possible to do a 3-3 split between it and Royal Treatment.

Llanowar Elves has an important function: guaranteeing Tifa Lockhart on the second turn with a protection spell for backup. On the following turn, he guarantees the combination of Titanic Growth with Fetch Land, having the same one-mana protection spell to respond to removals.

As if that weren't enough, the elf also casts Pawpatch Recruit with Offspring consistently on the second turn, guaranteeing two bodies with Trample for our interactions that punish the opponent's removals with counters on other creatures.

These counters are even more important with Mossborn Hydra, which, despite its high mana value, can grow as much as Tifa as the game goes on. Being a 2/2 due to Recruit or Snakeskin Veil, a Fetch automatically turns it into an 8/8 with Trample.

Archdruid’s Charm ensures consistency in finding Tifa while also functioning as removal against Cori-Steel Cutter and Temporary Lockdown and interaction against opponent’s creatures while putting +1/+1 counters on our threats.

Bushwhack also functions as removal, but guaranteeing the land drop for one mana means, at the same time, fewer Mulligans or the possibility of saving a Fetch Land for the combo turn.

Sideboard

Ghost Vacuum is the cheapest and most efficient answer we have to deal with Omniscience or Abhorrent Oculus in a graveyard today. Removing a card per turn can be a bit slow in some cases, but overall, it provides the “extra turns” we need to set up our “combo”.

Scavenging Ooze and Tranquil Frillback can be found with Archdruid’s Charm, and Frillback also has good interactions against Bounce and Cori-Steel Cutter, although I don’t like this card in the prowess game because I consider it slow for this matchup.

Haywire Mite is also found with Archdruid’s Charm and provides a cheap answer against Temporary Lockdown (as long as you don’t play it first without having the mana to sacrifice it), Cori-Steel Cutter, Stormchaser’s Talent and Astrologian’s Planisphere. The extra life gain matters against Prowess.

Pawpatch Formation is mainly run against Domain Overlords and Golgari Midrange, or archetypes that usually have large creatures with flying and Unholy Annex. It can also be used against Bounce, but we can’t put too many side-ins since that reduces our consistency in executing the game plan.

Hard-Hitting Question is a cheap removal against troublesome creatures and/or Planeswalkers like Kaito, Bane of Nightmares and Elspeth, Storm Slayer. You can use Primal Might in this slot, or even Chocobo Kick to replay a land and trigger Landfall, but dealing with Planeswalkers makes a difference in some matchups.

Izzet Prowess

IN

OUT

Azorius Omniscience

IN

OUT

Mono Red Aggro

IN

OUT

Orzhov Bounce

IN

OUT

Domain Overlords

IN

OUT

That's all for today!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!

Thanks for reading!