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Standard has been stale for a little while, but I was determined to not let that stop me when AFR dropped. With a combination of some known staples, some new cards, and some very underrated cards, I was able to create a new, extremely fun Ramp deck that easily propelled me into mid Mythic numbers.
Do you like completely overwhelming the opponent? How about casting 7 drops on turn 3? If you do, here’s the deck for you.
[sd_deck deck=”SG0kllRx2″]
One of the great things about new sets entering Standard is that old, powerful cards that just couldn’t find a home can emerge from the back spot in your trade binder and make a splash. One such card is Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy.
We’ve seen Kinnan’s power in Historic with the Paradox Engine decks utilizing the card to generate infinite mana and infinite draw loops, but the card never really showed up in Standard.
Since the release of Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, both of Kinnan’s abilities have gotten a lot better. The first ability gets better because Prosperous Innkeeper gives us a critical mass of mana producers, and the second ability gets better because our top end can be more diversified and more explosive.
WHY SHOULD YOU PLAY THIS DECK?
If you are looking for a break from the same standard decks that have been dominating and want to produce as much mana as quickly as possible, I suggest picking this list up.
First off, it’s really fun to make 7 mana on turn 3 (why are Tron players the way they are? That’s why).
Secondly, the deck can actually compete with a good amount of the top decks on sheer power alone.
THE MANA
The first step to winning games with this deck is getting as much mana as possible. It should come as no surprise that casting spells before the turn you are “supposed” to cast them is extremely powerful. A Genesis Ultimatum on turn 3 is obviously much more potent than a Genesis Ultimatum on turn 7 (yes you can cast Genesis Ultimatum on turn 3, yes it is fun, yes your opponent will probably scoop).
Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy is simultaneously the scariest and least scary card in the deck . If Kinnan’s supporting cast of dorks and treasures is present, Kinnan is at the bare minimum a free card and at the maximum a ritual effect and a payoff all in one. If Kinnan is on its own however, then it’s just a Grizzly Bear in a Stomp format, which is not where you want to be. When playing against lists that you suspect may be able to easily remove your stuff.
Jaspera Sentinel, Gilded Goose, and Prosperous Innkeeper come together as “part 1” of making so much mana you’ll start thinking about getting a Swiss bank account. The newest card, Prosperous Innkeeper, might not seem like much, but a green Wily Goblin that also gains like is exactly what this deck wants to exploit Kinnan. Prosperous Innkeeper lives up to its name as an extra body for Jaspera Sentinel while also leaving behind its own treasure.
Furthermore, Magda, Brazen Outlaw works really well with Jaspera Sentinel, effectively making Magda a hasty mana dork with the added bonus of being able to fetch any dragon out of your deck.
This deck can generate an absurd amount of mana really quickly. Your nut draw is:
Turn 1: Green source, Jaspera Sentinel
Turn 2: Blue source, Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy, Magda, Brazen Outlaw
Turn 3: Green source, tap Magda, Brazen Outlaw and Jaspera Sentinel for mana, the Sentinel and the token each produce 2 mana, cast Genesis Ultimatum
NOTABLE EXCLUSIONS
Bonecrusher GIant: This card is without a doubt one of the most impactful cards in standard and you need a really good reason to not run the card if you are playing red. I did start with BCG in the list, however I moved away from it and towards Prismari Command because Command answered what needed answering, whereas BCG didn’t.
The Stomp half of BCG is just rarely what you want to be doing on turn 2 in game 1, and on turn 3 you are trying to cast a more relevant threat than a 4/3 with no evasion. Another upside of Prismari Command is that at the absolute worst, the card filters and makes mana. Yes, its card disadvantage, but you don’t care about card quantity in this deck, you care about card quality, and 1 Ultimatum is worth more than an extra Magda and a Prosperous Innkeeper.
Llanowar Visionary: This card could definitely end up making the cut, however I found it to be too slow of a ramp option, and combined with the fact that this will only ever produce green mana, it just doesn’t fit.
Inferno of the Star Mounts: This card is really good with a lot of mana and will kill people, but it’s just win more in game 1 and dies to removal far too easily.
Mythic Spell Lands: The damage to put these lands in untapped really matters. Coupled with the already low basic count and the need for Fabled Passage to make our strict mana requirements work, there just isn’t space for them here despite how powerful they can be.
MATCHUPS AND SIDEBOARDING
SULTAI ULTIMATUM
| IN | OUT |
|---|---|
| +3 Miscast | -2 Alrund’s Epiphany |
| +2 Negate | -2 Prismari Command |
| +1 Disdainful Stroke | -1 Old Gnawbone |
| -1 Genesis Ultimatum |
Game 1 is difficult to play, because sometimes you need to race, and other times you need to hold back in order to not get blown out by Extinction Event.
Post-board, you can deploy your threats much easier on the back of Miscast and Negate. Elspeth's Nightmare is very good against you, it’s worth it to leave up Negate early to counter it.
Note that you can hold up countermagic while developing your mana, especially with Kinnan.
IZZET DRAGONS
| IN | OUT |
|---|---|
| +3 Miscast | -2 Magda, Brazen Outlaw |
| +2 Negate | -4 Genesis Ultimatum |
| +1 Disdainful Stroke | -2 Alrund’s Epiphany |
| +2 Klothys, God of Destiny |
These games tend to go long. Using Prismari Command to kill Mazemind Tome is really good but don’t feel pressured to hold onto Command for just that.
You win this matchup by resolving threats that are hard for them to deal with, like Iymrith, Desert Doom. Use Miscast to force them through.
Burning Hands is really good vs Koma, Cosmos Serpent, but its their only answer so you want to leave them in. Old Gnawbone is notable as a threat that doesn’t die to Burning Hands and blocks really well, but it still gets bodied by countermagic, like the rest of your deck.
NAYA ADVENTURES
| IN | OUT |
|---|---|
| +3 Scorching Dragonfire | -4 Magda, Brazen Outlaw |
| +2 The Akroan War | -1 Old Gnawbones |
This matchup is decently favorable despite what it may seem on paper. They are able to run you over with some draws, but in total you are still favored. If you get to untap with Koma you’re 99% to win. Deal with their threats, deploy yours.
MONOGREEN AGGRO
| IN | OUT |
|---|---|
| +3 Scorching Dragonfire | -4 Magda, Brazen Outlaw |
| +2 The Akroan War | -1 Old Gnawbones |
This matchup is very good as Mono Green really struggles to deal with a Koma. Be aware that some of their cards have reach. What? No, I never attacked into a Gemrazer with a Goldspan Dragon, why would you ask that?
GRUUL ADVENTURES
| IN | OUT |
|---|---|
| +3 Scorching Dragonfire | -4 Magda, Brazen Outlaw |
| +2 The Akroan War | -1 Old Gnawbones |
See Naya but they are more susceptible to Prismari Command. Hold Command for Embercleave and The Great Henge so you don’t die or fall behind.
JESKAI MUTATE
| IN | OUT |
|---|---|
| +2 Mystic Subdual | -4 Magda, Brazen Outlaw |
| +3 Miscast | -1 Old Gnawbone |
| +2 Klothys, God of Destiny | -2 Alrund’s Epiphany |
This matchup is very difficult as they interact with you extremely well while also providing pressure that is very hard to race. Your goal is to land a Klothys and apply pressure.
Mystic Subdual removing abilities turns off their way to combo kill you, but they can still bounce the creature to their hand with Unsubstantiate and recast all the mutate creatures again.
MONORED AGGRO
| IN | OUT |
|---|---|
| +3 Scorching Dragonfire | -4 Magda, Brazen Outlaw |
| +2 Mystic Subdual | -1 Old Gnawbones |
| +2 The Akroan War | -2 Alrund’s Epiphany |
TIPS AND TRICKS
With Genesis Ultimatum, you can choose to put a Pathway in your hand if you need the other side’s mana color. In the same vein, you can choose to put a Ketria Triome in hand to cycle it away.
When you have Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy and Goldspan Dragon in play, each Treasure is a Black Lotus.
Sequencing your land drops is really important in this deck and will be the difference between winning and losing a game, so pay attention to not only what you need to play this turn, but what you want to play in future turns. Sometimes it will be correct to make a “poor” land drop on one turn if it means you can cast your big spell the following turn.
Because Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy doesn’t let you split colors from mana producers, it may be correct to have 2 green sources and a blue source in play rather than green source, blue source, red source.
When casting Genesis Ultimatum, if you have a Jaspera Sentinel in play and don’t need to use it to cast the Ultimatum, you can keep it untapped in case you hit a Magda, Brazen Outlaw. Don’t spend a treasure for this.
Post-board, you can use Jaspera Sentinel to tap down the creature you stole with The Akroan War to either kill it or let you attack, and because Akroan War triggers in your main phase you have access to the mana as well.
You aren’t looking for hands that look like this because they are slow and clunky, despite having a good combination of lands and spells.
Instead, look for a hand like this.
CONCLUSION
I don’t believe this deck is going to break the standard meta, nor do I think its an optimal tournament list, but it’s definitely some of the most fun I’ve had playing Standard and has a strong enough game plan to beat some of the top decks consistently. If you want something extremely fresh that can still compete, I can’t recommend this more.
