Following the major ban announcement that took place on Monday, many players have unsurprisingly flocked to Dimir midrange as their archetype of choice. Dimir midrange used to be dominant and given that it made it through the announcement unhindered, it’s a natural place for players to turn.
For those that want to look elsewhere, you need to have a good gameplan to win attrition battles. Decks like Naya Yuna and Azorius control are reasonable metacalls as a result.
If you’re looking for something even spicier, though, perhaps this unique Selesnya ramp shell with a toughness-matters theme could be up your alley. Thanks to a plethora of value-generating threats, you’re well prepared to take over long games. Plus, who doesn’t love Turtles! Let’s dive in and see what this deck brings to the table.
Crafting Around Fecund Greenshell
At its core, this deck is built to maximize the power of Fecund Greenshell. Fecund Greenshell is a burly five-mana play whose main appeal comes from its triggered ability. For casting Fecund Greenshell, you get to look at the top card of your library, put it into play if it’s a land, and put it into your hand instead if it’s a nonland card.
This alone wouldn’t be enough to put Fecund Greenshell over the edge. Here’s the kicker, though. This ability triggers every time you follow up with a creature that has toughness greater than its power. This means that if you put in enough effort to build around it, it has the potential to run away with games.
This is exactly what you’re trying to do. Many of the deck’s early plays are mana-producing creatures that help accelerate out Fecund Greenshell. Insidious Fungus and Clifftop Lookout fit the bill nicely. However, if you draw a copy later in the game after you’ve already jammed Fecund Greenshell, you’ll get additional value from these 1/2 bodies.
Similarly, Beza, the Bounding Spring does a good job buying you time to relish all of your card advantage, and any copies you play after Fecund Greenshell will pull you further ahead.
Brightglass Gearhulk as a Support Piece
To supplement the gameplan of grinding your opponents into dust, a playset of Brightglass Gearhulk makes an appearance. Brightglass Gearhulk may not trigger Fecund Greenshell, but it makes up for this by being a value engine in its own right.
Searching for two copies of Insidious Fungus is a decent way to pull ahead both on cards and mana. Plus, Insidious Fungus can be used to blow up problematic artifacts and enchantments, such as Agatha’s Soul Cauldron or Unholy Annex.
Otherwise, grabbing Phoenix Down can help you settle for the long game. Brightglass Gearhulk and Beza are big enough threats that your opponent may be forced to use removal spells on them. If they do, though, you’ll get to return them to play with Phoenix Down and generate even more value.
If you just want to hit your land drops, searching for Valgavoth’s Lair is a totally fine play to make. In games two and three, grabbing Ghost Vacuum or Dragon Sniper can be quite strong depending on the matchup. Brightglass Gearhulk is a very flexible card. The fact that it dodges some commonly played removal spells like Go for the Throat is the icing on the cake.
An Intriguing Metacall
Before the ban announcement, playing a slower deck almost entirely comprised of creatures was a bad idea. Red decks were everywhere, and Monstrous Rage could eat through even the beefiest of blockers. Now, ramping and taking over games with incremental advantages is a much more reasonable strategy. With a Standard Challenge top 8 finish under its belt, Selesnya ramp is undoubtedly an intriguing choice.
As good as Dimir midrange is, it doesn’t do the best job applying tons of early pressure. Kaito, Bane of Nightmares is a nuisance if it hits the board early, though having access to a playset of Get Lost makes it easier to contain the powerful Planeswalker.
Even against more assertive decks like Gruul aggro, using Llanowar Elves to play Brightglass Gearhulk or Beza ahead of schedule can be enough to stabilize the board. Fecund Greenshell has enough toughness to hold most threats in check. Just be aware of other Trample enablers such as Overprotect so you don’t get blown out.
There are certainly fast draws from Boros Convoke that will be nearly impossible for you to contend with, which is a bit concerning. Boros Convoke just won a Standard Challenge, and it could easily grow in popularity to punish unprepared players.
It’s possible Selesnya ramp can adapt by running extra sweepers in the sideboard, but for the most part, this deck feels mostly like a metabreaker. If you’re tired of getting grinded out by black midrange decks and want something unique to try, Selesnya ramp is definitely a fun choice.
Stick with us here at mtgrocks.com: the best site for Magic: The Gathering coverage!