IntroductionIn today's article, we'll explore Eldrazi Ramp in Modern. This list by NicDamien won 5 rounds in a row at an MTGO league. It is a pretty interesting Eldrazi build that plays some new green tools, so it gets to big spells quite fast but is still quite consistent. If you really like big creatures, it's a very cool option.Gruul Eldrazi in ModernGruul Eldrazi Ramp is not just a bunch of expensive creatures trying to get the most out of Eldrazi Temple and Ugin's Labyrinth. This build plays several cards that filter the top of your deck as well as ramp. It can also feed the graveyard really well.Here it is:The most interesting thing about it is that it doesn't try to work like Tron, though it is somewhat similar to Big Mana lists. Instead, you'll use Utopia Sprawl and others to accelerate, while Malevolent Rumble, Ancient Stirrings, Formidable Speaker, and Sowing Mycospawn will give you the right cards for each situation.RampUtopia Sprawl is a great example of why green lists see play. It allows you to open with acceleration and already set up turns to put your 4- and 5-cost spells in play a lot earlier. As the main core includes Forests, fetch lands, and Stomping Ground, Sprawl usually works well enough to justify 4 copies. Talisman of Impulse is similar, as it ramps and fixes colors. It also works even if a Forest isn't in play. Furthermore, because it creates colorless mana, it naturally interacts with the Eldrazi part of the list.Eldrazi Temple is still one of the best reasons to play this archetype in Modern. This land doesn't accelerate everything, but it does accelerate what we need. Sowing Mycospawn, Devourer of Destiny, World Breaker, and Emrakul, the Promised End will all enter play earlier because of Temple.Ugin's Labyrinth is the most modern piece in this kit. Considering this list plays so many expensive colorless cards, like Sire of Seven Deaths, Emrakul, the Promised End, Ugin, Eye of the Storms, and Devourer of Destiny, Labyrinth is often a way to get 2 mana early on. This will make your opening hands a lot better and allow you to get quite ahead even if you don't get perfect turns.Card Selection and ConsistencyAncient Stirrings is a classic option for colorless Modern strategies. It gets you lands like Eldrazi Temple, Ugin's Labyrinth, and Sanctum of Ugin, as well as threats and relevant pieces. Though this list only plays two copies of it, it is still one of the best ways to turn green mana into consistency.Malevolent Rumble is also pretty critical. It lets you look at the top cards in your deck, put some of them in the graveyard, and find other permanents. The most relevant detail, however, is that it also leaves a body in play. Considering this deck wants to buy time until it can get to its threats, this little Eldrazi Spawn is not just a bonus. It can block and attack from time to time, and you can also turn it into mana.Formidable Speaker lets you discard a card to tutor a creature from your deck, which is particularly great considering this list plays different creatures for different occasions. You can get Sowing Mycospawn when you need mana, World Breaker when you need to interact with problematic permanents, or Emrakul, the Promised End when it's almost late-game.Devourer of Destiny also stands out because it's a threat, a consistency card, and a piece for Ugin's Labyrinth all at the same time. It's also a colorless version of the Chancelleos cycle from New Phyrexia, and its ability can fix your opening hands. You can use it to put unwanted cards at the bottom of your deck and try to find more acceleration or interaction. Afterward, when you cast it, it is also a relevant body and will help you deal with creatures or planeswalkers.Sowing Mycospawn is one of the most important cards in this list, as it is both ramp and interaction. When it enters play, it lets you look for a land and put it in play. Like so, you'll get exactly what you need, like a Forest, Eldrazi Temple, Sanctum of Ugin, Bojuka Bog, or Ghost Quarter, depending on the game state. It turns this deck into an essential land toolbox.Bojuka Bog will often solve complicated situations, particularly against graveyards. Ghost Quarter, in turn, is an answer against problematic lands. In long matches, Sanctum of Ugin will help you find another big threat when a relevant colorless spell enters play.Big ThreatsWorld Breaker fits this strategy pretty well. It deals with artifacts, enchantments, and lands, has reach, and can also come back from the graveyard in long matches. Considering all sorts of relevant permanents are seeing play in Modern, a threat that can answer them as soon as it enters play is really critical. Particularly considering this deck doesn't have a lot of space for removals that don't do anything else.Emrakul, the Promised End might just seem expensive in this list at first, but you can make it cheaper quite easily with its first ability. When it resolves, it usually changes the game not just because of its body but because it allows you to control the opponent's turn. It can destroy a board, force them to spend their resources suboptimally, and open the way for your next attack.Sire of Seven Deaths is a simple threat that is actually quite difficult to deal with. This card has several relevant combat abilities and also Ward 7, which makes many removals a lot worse. It doesn't need a specific build to be great, and not many opponents are ready to deal with a threat like this.Ugin, Eye of the Storms is the last piece in the kit, as well as a finisher. It also works as interaction. It doesn't need any specific type of mana, not even colorless, so it can go into play quite easily. Meanwhile, it can also exile colored permanents, so it's great against boards with different pieces. Ugin is perfect to finish matches that were already going well and to unlock complicated games. It makes matches more dynamic all by itself.InteractionKozilek's Command gives you more options out of any card in this list. It can create Eldrazi Spawn tokens, draw and discard cards (so, loot), exile cards in the graveyard, and deal with small creatures. It's a very flexible tool. If you have a lot of mana, it scales really well and allows you to do things that aren't just cast a threat and pass.Kozilek's Return is your main way to clear small boards. This really matters considering aggressive decks see a reasonable amount of play in Modern and many strategies try to put pressure on the board before Big Mana decks can stabilize. It is also an instant, so you can use it to punish clumsy attacks and preserve your turn so that you can develop mana. Boseiju, Who Endures and Bojuka Bog are answers as well as part of your mana base.SideboardFade from History is a board wipe for artifacts and enchantments. It might seem too heavy, but this deck can get to 4 mana quite often, and its effect is critical against strategies that play lots of permanents that are difficult to deal with individually (like Affinity, nowadays).Soulless Jailer will deal with decks that rely on the graveyard or that cast spells from alternative places, like the ones that take advantage of Goryo's Vengeance. It's simple but efficient, particularly because you can play it early on and force the opponent to find an answer before they progress their main game plan.Disruptor Flute is a pretty interesting tool for Modern nowadays. It delays specific cards, and you can use it reactively. Against combos, planeswalkers, or other critical pieces in certain archetypes, it buys you the time you need to get to the end game.Trinisphere, one of my favorite MTG cards, also buys you some time, but it also punishes decks that try to play many cheap spells in a row. Eldrazi Ramp plays just a few spells that are more impactful, so this effect tends to disrupt the opponent more than you.Vexing Bauble is an answer to free spells, which see play in Modern in many shapes. It is cheap, fits most turns well (particularly when you want to play something else besides this card), and you can also sacrifice it to draw a card when it is no longer relevant.Unholy Heat is the removal of choice for this sideboard. This is not a traditional Delirium red list, but it does put different types of cards in the graveyard quite easily. This card will help you deal with creatures or planeswalkers that could go under your defenses.Final WordsI don't really use Big Mana, not in Modern, not in other formats. That being said, this Eldrazi Ramp is pretty interesting because it shows how this archetype can adapt well to Modern instead of turning into old versions of itself. This build is flexible and uses pieces that we don't really see that often in Eldrazi lists.What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.Thank you for reading, and see you next time!
Reactions
0
0 Comments
Be the first to comment