In January, I did several posts on building a Commander deck. There, I perused several articles, combined it with my own experience, and produced this baseline:
- 30 synergy (your commander and cards that mesh well with it)
- 37 lands
- 10 ramp (see this post)
- 10 card draw (see this post)
- 10 targeted removal (see this post)
- 3 board wipes (see this post)
Over the years, I've built many Commander decks. You would expect the synergy cards to be different each time, and the lands to match whatever color combination you choose. For the other four categories, I've found myself coming back to a handful of key cards—cards so basic and useful that they could be in nearly any Commander deck. I'll call these 'staples'. And I am drawn to budget staples—those cards that cost (say) $1 or less.
This month, I will look at budget staple cards in each color for the final four categories shown above. Today, green.
Ramp (green)
Ramp is about accelerating land deployment and/or mana access. This is one thing green does well. There are plenty of options here, but I'll share four that stand out.
Cultivate and Rampant Growth are classics, allowing you to search your library for one or two basic land cards, respectively, placing one on the battlefield tapped (and the other in your hand, for Cultivate). Sakura-Tribe Elder is best used as a chump blocker first, then (before damage is assigned) sacrificed for a land. Explore is both a ramp and card draw spell, checking two boxes.
Card draw (green)
Card draw is another green specialty. Beast Whisperer, Colossal Majesty, and Garruk's Uprising tie card draw to creatures (the latter two with power 4 or greater). Since green is creatury-heavy (and full of heavy hitters), these cards can be huge in a creature-focused 'stompy'-type deck. Elvish Visionary 'replaces itself' when it comes into play, meaning you draw a card for playing it, effectively replacing it in your hand and giving you a chump blocker to boot. Harmonize is a solid spell, giving three cards for just four mana. and Llanowar Visionary is both card draw and ramp, as it too replaces itself but also gives you a mana source.
Targeted removal (green)
Green excels at destroying artifacts, enchantments, and creatures with flying. Most of the below cards enable one (or more) of these possibilities. Desert Twister is a great removal spell, and Bushwhack gives you the option of removal or ramp.
Board wipes (green)
Finally, board wipes. Green cannot wipe everything away; as with targeted removal, green board wipes focus on destroying all enchantments, artifacts, or creatures with flying.
I show 24 cards above; they are generic (and useful) enough that they would be good inclusions to any green Commander deck.
