Freezing Point: 6/32 - Green
Hello everyone, and welcome to the sixth installment of Freezing Point! In this series I'm going to brew a 75% EDH deck of each color combination from the ground up. The intended meta for these will be a casual meta, though while not built competitively they will be spiked as hard as possible. You may be confused seeing some pricier cards in here like Imperial Seal and Mishra's Workshop but if those help the particular deck they're in then so be it. Really expensive cards supporting really bad strategies. It's like doing the +$1,000 code in the SIMS, spending hours or days building the perfect house and making the perfect family, and then restarting the game after a horrible fire "accident."
The title of the series is good and all, but what does it mean or stand for? Well, if you look at the number of possible color identities for decks in Magic then you will notice that there are 32 (one colorless, five single-color, ten two-color, ten three-color, five four-color, and one five-color). I wanted a title that could represent that idea. I wanted to go with calling the series 25 but some websites wouldn't display the superscript properly. Instead of that, I chose Freezing Point as the name as water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. It seems to fit well.
While I haven't really ever wanted to be one of those people that had one of each color combination of EDH decks I did get inspired to brew them. I've looked at a lot of lists in my time and I usually enjoy seeing other people's established works and then working off that, either by improving it or making it suit my own style. I've learned a lot about EDH in recent history and decided that I would at least like to make each color combination of deck so that I have one that I can say is my deck and is not just 'the one that I play.'
With that being said, let's get into the deck. (complete list at end of the article)
As I mention in the overview, I've added other creatures that can tap in in the event that Thrun is somehow lost to us. Even though there's not many other uncounterable, untargetable, nearly-indestructible creatures in Magic, let alone only in green, there's some that do decent impressions. Of the possible choices I've opted for the ones that are most likely able to dodge or survive removal, or ones that most closely emulate Thrun's survivability.
The title of the series is good and all, but what does it mean or stand for? Well, if you look at the number of possible color identities for decks in Magic then you will notice that there are 32 (one colorless, five single-color, ten two-color, ten three-color, five four-color, and one five-color). I wanted a title that could represent that idea. I wanted to go with calling the series 25 but some websites wouldn't display the superscript properly. Instead of that, I chose Freezing Point as the name as water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. It seems to fit well.
While I haven't really ever wanted to be one of those people that had one of each color combination of EDH decks I did get inspired to brew them. I've looked at a lot of lists in my time and I usually enjoy seeing other people's established works and then working off that, either by improving it or making it suit my own style. I've learned a lot about EDH in recent history and decided that I would at least like to make each color combination of deck so that I have one that I can say is my deck and is not just 'the one that I play.'
With that being said, let's get into the deck. (complete list at end of the article)
Overview
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| Voltron time! |
The choices for green commander are numerous and greatly varied. There's a few good for different speeds of stax decks like Dosan and Vorinclex. Other mean, albeit janky, things can be done with commanders like Kamahl and Jolrael. Some lend themselves well to an elf-ball strategy like Ezuri and Eladamri, and in a similar vein some druid-ball strategies with Freyalise and Seton. Finally, of course there's some established strategies out there already under Yisan, Selvala, and Omnath.
While I'm fairly sure this idea isn't original (since the community always ends up surprising me) I decided to go with Thrun in a Voltron shell. What I feel makes my build a bit different and more unique than others is the inclusion of multiple creatures that are just as hard to kill without being voltron'd up, more staples and hate to help fight through opposition, and some ways to pick itself back up.
This deck is divided up by sections by what the cards do for the overall strategy of the deck. We'll go through section by section and discuss what these do for us.
Voltron
As I mention in the overview, I've added other creatures that can tap in in the event that Thrun is somehow lost to us. Even though there's not many other uncounterable, untargetable, nearly-indestructible creatures in Magic, let alone only in green, there's some that do decent impressions. Of the possible choices I've opted for the ones that are most likely able to dodge or survive removal, or ones that most closely emulate Thrun's survivability.
Indestructible creatures are clearly near the top of the list. Predator Ooze is indestructible and gets bigger whenever it attacks, which we want to be doing anyway. Darksteel Sentinel is a creature out of left field that doubles as a great blocker once Voltron'd up. Stonehoof Chieftain is a house himself and also helps anyone else who attacks, even our little caterpillars. Finally, Blightsteel Colossus almost doesn't need to be suited up at all in order to kill someone in one shot, though it's still fun to do so!
For untargetable creatures, I've included Troll Ascetic. He is the closest creature to Thrun that is available to us, though he still does a very good impression. Dungrove Elder is untouchable and has a fantastic built-in voltron ability for this deck. Plated Crusher also has some keywords that we don't need to bother giving him. Silhana Ledgewalker may seem unassuming but the pseudo-flying can help in tight spots. Last but not least, Siege Behemoth gives all of our creatures a Thorn Elemental ability.
We have a creature that is getting thirsty for some equipment and opponent's blood. How can we help? There's various effects we can apply, in various forms; there's reusable, one-off, and persistent effects. Strata Scythe nearly lets you equip a Dungrove Elder onto a creature, plus the Scythe sees opposing lands. This is why I play regular forests in this deck and not snow-covered ones. Rancor is incredibly persistent with only a few ways to really get it into the graveyard for good. Various swords, some granting protection from two different colors, are included for their varies keywords that they apply. Grafted Exoskeleton is also a way for creatures to channel their inner Blightsteel and sneak in a kill out of nowhere.
What green deck would be complete without some ramp? It's a pretty standard ramp package. We have all the one-mana dorks that we can play (sorry, Noble Hierarch) along with Dryad Arbor. Like with the other mono-colored decks I've brewed, I've also included the on-color (emerald) medallion. I've also included most of the usual mana rocks, saving my life from Mana Crypt (no pun intended). Selvala is also decent in this deck as we'll typically have creatures nearly as sizable as she has when she's a commander. The usual case is we'll have Thrun out, and at worst she makes two green mana which is still positive. I considered putting in Wood Elves to assist with the various Blanchwood/Dungrove effects, along with ramping, but I decided to cut it as I wanted cheaper ramp. Feel free to include it though when you decide to tailor the deck to your liking.
The protection spells I chose try to go as wide as possible since the more damage-dealing creatures have some form of protection already. Wrap in Vigor and Heroic Intervention both give (nearly) absolute protection from a board wipe. Asceticism was chosen over Archetype of Endurance because Asceticism has the ability to protect my creatures from board wipes while Archetype doesn't, though we can't tutor for Asceticism. We are reluctantly weak to Toxic Deluge, so if you suspect someone has it then try to knock that player out first.
Interaction is a major factor in victory. Don't expect to play no interaction and do well with your deck, because others will be trying to stop you. Even the fastest combo decks have some form of hate to stop their opponents. The hate I've chosen for this deck plays around our own deck while attempting to hinder as many things as possible. I recommend looking into options for your decks.
Hall of Gemstone is amazing here since we're only playing one color and can routinely hose most decks. Silent Arbiter is sort of a triple threat, since we only want to attack with one creature and have one blocker, and it helps to slow down opposing retaliatory attacks. Winter Orb is great because of our inclusion of mana dorks and rocks. Thorn of Amethyst was picked over Sphere of Resistance because of our creature density, though Sphere is probably the right choice to slow down everyone equally.
All cards owned and all rights reserved by Wizards of the Coast. I'm just some nerd who spent too much time staring at them.
For untargetable creatures, I've included Troll Ascetic. He is the closest creature to Thrun that is available to us, though he still does a very good impression. Dungrove Elder is untouchable and has a fantastic built-in voltron ability for this deck. Plated Crusher also has some keywords that we don't need to bother giving him. Silhana Ledgewalker may seem unassuming but the pseudo-flying can help in tight spots. Last but not least, Siege Behemoth gives all of our creatures a Thorn Elemental ability.
Suit Up
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| This makes green auras fall off, so be careful! |
I've cut a few one-off effects on the grounds of where I expect to be in any given game. Blanchwood Armor is basically another Dungrove Elder which is great in this build. Keen Sense and Sixth Sense help me draw cards, and are very fun to put on smaller, otherwise unassuming creatures. Primal Bellow and Berserk can also steal a game out of nowhere. You may be asking why I classify the enchantment as one-offs despite them not ending at the end of the turn. If the creature they're on leaves the battlefield then the aura is lost, minus recursion.
Last at the truly (read as 'more so') persistent effects. Nylea gives all our creatures trample at all times and can buff them if need be. Brawn is greatly used as a punching bag to give the team trample (or best when pitched to Survival!) Last, Bellowing Tanglewurm gives the team 'green fear' or artifact fear for our robots, which should get through most people's boards without an issue.
Ramp
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| Mo' voltron, mo' mana |
Staples
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| One-mana kill dumb stuff |
Like any bad strategy, one should probably include enough good cards to back up the jank. While there's no particular lines, Yisan is still good here if for nothing else but to pull out a mana dork or do some thinning. There's the good tutors with Survival of the Fittest, Worldly Tutor, Green Sun's Zenith, and Chord of Calling. Sylvan Library is also very good in any green deck but more so when we have shuffle effects or don't care so much about our life total for the sake of card draw. We also have a bit of recursion with Eternal Witness (eWitness), Noxious Revival, and Regrowth. Only the best for my stupid decks!
Draw, Protection, and Removal
I mentioned some awesome draw spells at the beginning of the article. We're playing all the cards that draw cards equal to a creature's power except for Garruk, Primal Hunter. While Hunter's Insight and Hunter's Prowess rely on a creature dealing combat damage to a player, Rishkar's Expertise and Soul's Majesty both draw you cards immediately.
The protection spells I chose try to go as wide as possible since the more damage-dealing creatures have some form of protection already. Wrap in Vigor and Heroic Intervention both give (nearly) absolute protection from a board wipe. Asceticism was chosen over Archetype of Endurance because Asceticism has the ability to protect my creatures from board wipes while Archetype doesn't, though we can't tutor for Asceticism. We are reluctantly weak to Toxic Deluge, so if you suspect someone has it then try to knock that player out first.
Song of the Dryads is a catch-all for any resolved permanent that we can't otherwise deal with, and can even turn off some decks by putting it on their commander! Caustic Caterpillar was chosen over Reclamation Sage just because it costs less, though feel free to make the exchange if it suits you. Finally, Ulvenwald Tracker helps to get rid of opposing creatures and can help Predator Ooze. It also allows you to get around some things with Blightsteel.
Hate
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| No ETB creatures? No problem! |
Hall of Gemstone is amazing here since we're only playing one color and can routinely hose most decks. Silent Arbiter is sort of a triple threat, since we only want to attack with one creature and have one blocker, and it helps to slow down opposing retaliatory attacks. Winter Orb is great because of our inclusion of mana dorks and rocks. Thorn of Amethyst was picked over Sphere of Resistance because of our creature density, though Sphere is probably the right choice to slow down everyone equally.
Land
There's nothing too significant here. Gaea's Cradle and Nykthos are the big mana producers. Yavimaya Hollow acts as a backup for any creature we may want to protect. Ancient Tomb and Strip Mine are good at almost any point in the game. We probably don't need fetch lands but with Library it helps a lot. It also helps to thin the deck which is usually always good.
Conclusion
All cards owned and all rights reserved by Wizards of the Coast. I'm just some nerd who spent too much time staring at them.
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