Weekly Recs - 09/02/24
Ramp, ramp and more ramp!
Weekly Recs
Highlighting five cards that could be worth picking up. (Note: These are sent to subscribers first and then posted a week later)
Dryad of the Ilysian Grove
1 year ago - $8.17
Today: $6.86
This sensual looking Nymph Dryad can serve as a way to ramp out spells in either landfall decks or enchantress builds. The fact that Dryad of the Ilysian Grove can trigger enchantress draw engines like Sythis, Harvest's Hand makes him an autoinclude. And do not overlook his second ability to allow your lands to tap for any color. I personally believe cards like Chromatic Lantern are underplayed, especially in 3 three color decks, because even though there are tons of cheap dual lands out there, the triomes and cards that tap for any color like Mana Confluence are pretty expensive. Slamming this down on turn three is a great way to fix your colors early in the game.
Types of decks to put it in
- Landfall
- Enchantress
Mana Reflection
1 year ago - $12.73
Today: $5.88
Mana Reflection has been eclipsed by Nyxbloom Ancient, but that does not mean it is not powerful in its own right. Doubling your mana every turn is insane and can basically mean game over for your opponents. Be wary though, as this is ripe for removal. There is a decent chance it does not stick around until your next turn, so you better have plans to capitalize on it the turn you play it, making it fit the best in big mana decks. Multiple reprints have brought the price down, so now is a great time to pick one up!
Types of decks to put it in
- Big mana
Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath
1 year ago - $8.36
Today: $4.13
This card does everything Simic wants to do; draw cards and play extra lands. The lifegain is just the cherry on top. Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath has an insane amount of value stapled to it, and best of all if it gets killed, you can just recur it from the graveyard. When Uro first came out, it wrecked Standard, and was pushing $60 at times. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
Types of decks to put it in
- Landfall
Traverse the Outlands
1 year ago - $1.69
Today: $1.55
Green decks tend to have the creatures with the largest power, making Traverse the Outlands really only suited to those decks. The other downside is that it only fetches basics, meaning in any decks with more than two colors where you are more likely to have fewer basics and more dual lands, this does not have a great payoff. But if you can pop it off in a mono green deck with something like Ghalta, Primal Hunger at the helm, tutoring 12 lands into play for 5 mana will pretty much set you up to win the following turn.
Types of decks to put it in
- Big mana creatures
Heaped Harvest
1 year ago - N/A
Today: $0.07
When I played Bloomburrow limited, I had to do a double take on this card. Heaped Harvest triggers both when it enters AND when you sacrifice it. Slot this into Gyome, Master Chef or another deck where you sacrifice artifacts, and this can be 3 mana, put two basics onto the battlefield, a better rate than Cultivate! And at common, I think this card is very underrated.
Types of decks to put it in
- Food
End step
He/she who has the most mana often wins the game. Green gets hated for being able to do everything, but there is a reason why everyone plays it for the ramp. It accelerates your game, hopefully faster than that of your opponents'. Plus, it addresses any feels-bad moments where maybe you are missing a certain color. Whether it is tutoring for the land you need or allowing you to play extra lands, all of these cards help you ensure that you can always cast your spells!