As more and more cards enter the Magic ecosystem, it’s natural for some cards to get pushed aside by power creep. Even if a once flashy mythic looks powerful, if it’s too mana intensive, it may have trouble competing long-term.
Sometimes, though, all it takes is a fresh new brew to arise for a forgotten bomb to finally earn its place in the spotlight. A sweet Mono-Green Stompy shell, for example, just put up a strong result in a Pioneer Challenge and is perfectly built to abuse the power of Woodland Bellower. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen this card make a splash, and with Heartfire Hero out of the picture, now’s the perfect opportunity to give the chonky threat a shot.
Woodland Bellower MTG
As you might expect from a Mono-Green Stompy shell, this archetype is chock full of three-drops. Thanks to the power of Llanowar Elves and Elvish Mystic, casting one of your potent three-mana creatures like Steel-Leaf Champion or Old-Growth Troll on turn two is easy. These creatures are burly enough to tussle with even the best blockers that Mono-Black Midrange and Rakdos Midrange bring to the table. Champion even attacks past Gifted Aetherborn, which is a big deal.
As strong as these threats are, however, one issue Mono-Green Stompy decks have had historically is keeping the pressure on in the face of removal spells and board wipes. While your three-drops outsize some damage-based removal out of the red decks, they still get tagged by a revolted Fatal Push, and Extinction Event out of the opponent’s sideboard can lead to a blowout. Luckily, this is where Woodland Bellower enters the equation.
Obviously, Woodland Bellower adds a ton of power spread across multiple bodies to the board at once when it enters. On top of that, though, Bellower itself is immune to Fatal Push and has an even mana cost, helping you play around Extinction Event. The card’s only drawback is that it costs a lot of mana, but Castle Garenbrig enables you to cast it a turn ahead of schedule. Of course, Castle also has the upside of letting you cast two three-drops early, making it a premium inclusion.
Notably, while Woodland Bellower is definitely the most exciting source of card advantage in the decklist, it’s far from the only way to generate value. This deck is chock-full of cards that excel in grindy games, which is essential in a midrange-dominated metagame.
Three-Drops Galore
As flashy as Woodland Bellower is, it isn’t actually your strongest option that synergizes with your wealth of three-drops. That honor goes to Collected Company. Beyond being able to put in play the usual targets that Bellower tutors up, Company also works with legendary three-mana creature including Yorvo, Lord of Garenbrig and Rhonas the Indomitable. Add in Kazandu Mammoth which doubles as both a land when necessary and a decent threat to hit, and Company becomes a super consistent and efficient haymaker.
The only noncreature spells in the maindeck besides Company are Esika’s Chariot and Tribute to the World Tree, which also reward you for playing lots of cheap, beefy creatures. The fact that Chariot adds multiple bodies to the board at once makes it a nuisance to clean up, and every single one of your three-drops is capable of Crewing it. Similarly, all of your non-Elf creatures, including Werewolf Pack Leader, trigger Tribute’s card drawing ability. Outside of a couple potential sideboard slots, Mono-Black Midrange and Rakdos Midrange won’t usually be able to get Tribute off the battlefield, making it incredibly problematic for the opponent.
Ultimately, what gives this archetype its biggest edge in the field is that it does a good job both applying early pressure and fighting long, grindy games. This gives the deck a shot at both racing opposing combo archetypes and outvaluing the midrange decks. This level of versatility goes a long way, but unfortunately, there are still some strong archetypes that line up extremely favorably against Mono-Green Stompy.
The Good and the Bad
By far, Mono-Green Stompy’s biggest weakness is that its interaction is extremely limited. By playing so many spells with green-heavy casting costs, you don’t have the luxury to utilize Stubborn Denial or elite off-color removal spells.
Your matchup against Orzhov Greasefang, for instance, is very bad as a result. While racing some combo decks is doable, the presence of Sheltered by Ghosts makes that extremely difficult here. With no ways to kill Greasefang, Okiba Boss and no graveyard hate, a fast attack with Parhelion II will also shut down your chances to win.
Even some draws out of Gruul Prowess will feel unbeatable. Sure, it’s nice to have a bunch of big blockers present, but a couple well-timed copies of Reckless Rage or Monstrous Rage can tempo you out quicker than you might expect. The good news, at least, is that you no longer have to fear getting trounced by the curve of Heartfire Hero into Manifold Mouse from Mono-Red Aggro, which made playing any version of Mono-Green extremely risky.
Overall, these problems make it tough for Mono-Green Stompy to break out into the top tier. Nonetheless, the deck can be a solid metacall depending on the matchups you expect at your next local event. If you’ve been waiting for an excuse to bust out your Bellowers and surprise your friends, you’ve got one.
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