Tarkir: Dragonstorm is undoubtedly a very strong set, and it’s having a major impact on Constructed. Even in a format like Modern which is dominated by Modern Horizons cards, the set is still making its presence felt. From Cori-Steel Cutter to Ugin, Eye of the Storms, there are plenty of Modern powerhouses here.
Interestingly, though, Cori-Steel Cutter isn’t the only Tarkir: Dragonstorm card to help revitalize an old Modern archetype. Over the past few days, multiple players have boasted decent results with Devoted Druid combo. Devoted Druid combo had laid dormant for quite a while, but a sweet a new tutor addition from Tarkir: Dragonstorm gives the deck a much-needed boost.
The Combo
Before we get into Tarkir: Dragonstorm’s role in improving the archetype, we first need to go over how the combo works. The main way this deck is looking to win the game is by making infinite mana with Devoted Druid. Devoted Druid is a weird mana dork that you can put -1/-1 counters on to untap it and get an ever bigger burst of mana.
By itself, Devoted Druid is only capable of producing two mana in a turn. Once you put a second -1/-1 counter on Devoted Druid, it just dies. However, if you have a way to prevent the -1/-1 counters from being put on Devoted Druid in the first place, you can get around this problem.
This is where Vizier of Remedies works itself into the equation. With Vizier in play, you can untap Devoted Druid at will and no -1/-1 counters will be placed on the creature. As such, generating infinite mana is trivial.
After that, there are a handful of different ways you can win the game. Leyline of Abundance, beyond synergizing with Devoted Druid, Delighted Halfling, and Birds of Paradise to net you extra mana, serves as an infinite mana sink. After netting infinite mana, you can simply untap Devoted Druid once more and make it infinitely large with Leyline.
This deck also utilizes a one-of Rhonas the Indomitable to go tutor up. While some Devoted Druid combo decklists use Walking Ballista as a kill condition, being able to Green Sun’s Zenith for Rhonas is a big deal.
New Tutor Addition
In order to make assembling the Devoted Druid combo a consistent gameplan, this deck makes use of multiple ways to find Devoted Druid and Vizier of Remedies. We mentioned Green Sun’s Zenith as an efficient way to grab Devoted Druid or Rhonas, but there’s an argument Green Sun’s Zenith isn’t even the best tutor in the deck. Instead, that honor may go to Nature’s Rhythm.
At first glance, Nature’s Rhythm looks like a very inefficient option. After all, the first time you cast it, it simply functions as a worse Finale of Devastation. Fortunately, the Harmonize ability does a great job making up for this.
Unlike Green Sun’s Zenith, Nature’s Rhythm can search for either Devoted Druid or Vizier of Remedies. If you have Devoted Druid lined up, you can tutor up Vizier of Remedies, then use your infinite mana to cast Nature’s Rhythm again with Harmonize and grab Rhonas to end the game.
Additionally, if you have to use Nature’s Rhythm to set up Devoted Druid, you can then Harmonize it on the following turn to get Vizier. Nature’s Rhythm can get you both pieces of the combo by itself, which is extremely impactful.
This isn’t the most efficient process. That being said, with Leyline of Abundance out, Harmonizing Nature’s Rhythm isn’t too difficult. Assuming Devoted Druid survives, you can tap it twice for two green mana both times to help pay the cost. You usually won’t be able to reduce the card’s cost much by tapping a creature since your creatures are primarily very small, but that’s not a huge deal.
Resiliency
The biggest drawback associated with Devoted Druid combo has always been how poorly the creatures line up versus a flurry of removal spells. In most cases, you need Devoted Druid to survive a turn cycle, which isn’t always easy. Vizier essentially does nothing on its own and even dies to Orcish Bowmasters. There’s a reason why this deck has been suppressed in recent years.
Nature’s Rhythm makes it easier for you to rebuild thanks to Harmonize, but you still need more ways to make your combo as resilient as possible. Luckily, this deck has a few tricks up its sleeve.
Tyvar in particular excels in its role. Right away, you can use its -2 ability to resurrect Vizier or Devoted Druid as necessary. On top of that, you’re able to activate Devoted Druid right away thanks to its static ability.
This enables you to potentially win the game in one turn if the opponent ever tapped out. With enough mana at your disposal, you start by casting Tyvar and bringing back Devoted Druid. From there, you cast or tutor for Vizier and you can win the game all in one go.
Another protective element that acts as an excellent turn one play is Giver of Runes. Giver essentially forces your opponent to kill it before they can interact favorably with your Devoted Druids.
Even Malevolent Rumble helps in this department by digging for extra copies of your combo pieces. The Eldrazi Spawn comes in handy in letting you cast Nature’s Rhythm ahead of schedule, too.
This archetype definitely can struggle against highly interactive strategies regardless. Dimir Murktide, for instance, comes equipped with discard spells, removal, Force of Negation for your tutors, and threats like Psychic Frog that generate a big advantage. Spell Snare is especially brutal, since it can counter both your main combo pieces.
Devoted Druid combo can’t really afford to dilute its gameplan with removal, so the plan of applying pressure and backing it up with lots of interaction will often do the trick against this archetype. This deck is capable of reassembling the combo just fine if you don’t present a super fast clock, though.
Plus, this deck can kill very quickly, especially with Leyline of Abundance in the mix. It may not be top tier, but Devoted Druid combo is at least back on the menu as a lower tier option in the Modern metagame.
