IntroductionModern has been kind to many new strategies lately, which just shows how healthy it is. Like so, entirely new lists have been popping up, and already consolidated lists have been changing, adopting cards that play really interesting roles and make the game a bit more refreshing.In today's article, we'll explore Eldrazi Trudge, one of the new Eldrazi Ramp versions. This list uses a creature from Secrets of Strixhaven to enable different engines but also still plays much of the green Eldrazi structure we already know, including special lands, ramp, and some of the heaviest creatures available in Modern.Slumbering Trudge, the Main PieceSlumbering Trudge is a 6/6 that costs and enters play with stun counters equal to 3 minus X. When X is 2 or less, it also comes into play tapped, so, with this list, you can usually pay just 1 mana for a giant creature that won't get into combat in the first few turns.On paper, Trudge is just a pretty cheap creature for its size but too slow to really do something with it. This list, however, can avoid this drawback in particular because it isn't really interested in attacking with it straight away. Six power in play is already enough to enable some of the most important cards in this strategy.We'll see how you can use this guy better really soon. In summary, it will be a great enabler for your main effects and allow you to ramp a lot, create a giant card draw advantage, and play a huge Eldrazi Titan quite early on.Eldrazi Trudge in ModernThis list showed up in the hands of Ken Yukuhiro at the Pro Tour Magic The Gathering Marvel Super Heroes, hosted in Amsterdam. Yukuhiro made it all the way to the top 8 with it. According to Wizards of the Coast themselves, Yukuhiro is one of 9 players who brought versions that play Slumbering Trudge, Fight Rigging, and Fanatic of Rhonas. They were all mostly connected to Team Moriyama Japan. Considering these 9 players, Eldrazi Trudge had a really great ROI (around 65%) and the best performance among the archetypes that were played by more than one person at this event.Here is our version for today:Fight RiggingFight Rigging is probably the card that sets this version apart from traditional Eldrazi Ramp. You'll still be able to get enough mana to play its big creatures, but now you can simply ignore what they cost almost entirely.The most straightforward scenario is Slumbering Trudge on turn 1 and Fight Rigging next. Hideaway will let you look at 5 cards and keep one of them hidden as well as set Trudge's power to 7. If you find Emrakul, the Promised End, Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger, or Ugin, Eye of the Storms, you'll have access to a threat that would usually take a lot longer to enter play. It's a neat little combo.This is the best scenario possible, but it's not the only one. Fight Rigging into cards that sit at the middle of your curve will also create a lot of value, particularly because this enchantment will keep putting counters in play in the following combat steps.Exploring Your TrudgeFanatic of Rhonas is the second card that takes advantage of Slumbering Trudge's power directly. This creature enables Fanatic's Ferocious and, in turn, allows you to get more mana. Like so, a 1-mana creature will be able to ramp for you, and you won't have to rely exclusively on Eldrazi Temple or Ugin's Labyrinth. An opening with Trudge on turn 1 and Fanatic on turn 2 will give you 7 mana as early as turn 3, which is similar to the old Big Mana approaches. The difference is that it doesn't force you to set up Tron.Disciple of Freyalise takes advantage of Trudge in another way. You'll sacrifice it to get life and cards according to its power, so instead of a sleeping threat, Trudge will be a source of resources that allows you to find any card you want.Green Sun's Zenith is pretty straightforward. It makes this strategy more consistent. You can use it to get Dryad Arbor when you only need mana, get Slumbering Trudge early on, or get Fanatic of Rhonas when your Trudge is already in play. Zenith acts as extra copies of most of your creatures because it can get most of them for you.Eldrazi RampDespite all the new interactions, this is still an Eldrazi Ramp list. Ugin's Labyrinth is one of the best cards in it. You'll use your several expensive colorless spells and this card to get 2 mana early. Emrakul, the Promised End, Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger, Ugin, Eye of the Storms, and Drowner of Truth all enable Labyrinth. Eldrazi Temple creates extra mana for Eldrazi creatures, so sometimes you won't even have to find Fight Rigging to kick-start the Eldrazi game plan.Sowing Mycospawn plays a pretty critical part in this strategy because it combines ramp and land destruction. Like so, it will create a gap between you and your opponent. As for Malevolent Rumble, it lets you pick permanents from the top of your deck, feeds your graveyard, and also leaves behind an Eldrazi Spawn, which you can turn into mana. This matters a lot to Emrakul, the Promised End because it gets cheaper as different types of cards enter the graveyard. As a result, you might be able to cast it the regular way eventually.The Big ThreatsFour copies of Emrakul, the Promised End seem a bit heavy when you consider its mana cost, but they make sense. Particularly when you remember everything this deck does when you have a creature like this in your hand or it is the top card in your deck. It enables Ugin's Labyrinth, can show up in Fight Rigging's Hideaway, and you can also cast it as the game goes on and it gets cheaper.Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger is similar. This list only plays 2 copies of it because you won't play it as often when you follow the regular game plan, but it is one of the best cards to put in play early on with Fight Rigging. Still, when you get to 10 mana, this Titan is still a pretty dangerous win condition.Ugin, Eye of the Storms is another expensive colorless threat in this list. It also helps you control problematic boards. This is great because Big Mana decks don't win by simply putting the biggest creature possible in play. You'll have to stabilize the board first before you play your Eldrazis.SideboardThis sideboard changes how you want to interact with the opponent. Thought-Knot Seer is one of the best beater/disruption cards in one, particularly when trying to win without looking at the opponent's hand is risky.Chalice of the Void and Trinisphere are great against strategies centered around small spells. This deck can work with relatively expensive costs and lands that create extra mana, so these cards are often more annoying to the other side of the board.Endurance punishes graveyards. You can also find it through Green Sun's Zenith, which is important because, like so, it will keep your main structure going even after you sideboard. You won't have to draw every answer naturally this way.Force of Vigor beats artifacts and enchantments and can interact even when you use your mana to develop your own game plan. Dismember will remove creatures that need to be answered immediately directly.Elder Gargaroth seems weird next to Emrakul and Ulamog, but it plays a different role in every match. It gives you life, blocks cards, and creates value in different matchups. It also makes your mid-game pretty stable, and you can find it with Green Sun's Zenith.How To Play Eldrazi TrudgeYou need to approach your opening hands with this Eldrazi Trudge according to what you want to set up early on. Slumbering Trudge with Fight Rigging is the most striking opening, but Trudge with Fanatic of Rhonas is also a pretty strong curve. Meanwhile, Ugin's Labyrinth, an expensive colorless card, and Sowing Mycospawn can kick-start the regular Eldrazi Ramp plan.You must also not treat Fight Rigging as essential. The best thing about this list is that it includes 2 game plans that interact with each other. When this enchantment shows up, you'll be able to put your biggest cards in play earlier than usual. When it doesn't, Temple, Labyrinth, Fanatic, Rumble, and Mycospawn will keep giving you mana until you can cast those very same cards.Green Sun's Zenith deserves some special attention because it can represent different things depending on your turn. Getting Dryad Arbor early on might be better than getting Trudge if you already have enough threats in hand. Meanwhile, finding Fanatic after a Trudge will allow you to move to the late game quite fast.Final WordsIn the last banlist update, Wizards of the Coast themselves said they were keeping an eye on this deck because it performed incredibly well at the Pro Tour: Amsterdam. Whether it caught many players off guard but it's easy to play around or whether it's completely oppressive, we'll only find out in the next tournaments, but still, it's pretty fun and stands out quite a lot.What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.Thank you for reading, and see you next time!
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