Artifact Deck Tech: Mono Green Ramp Decklist

Introduction

Ever since Artifact’s initial release, two-colored decks have ruled the roost. Being able to play a strong color and then shore up any weaknesses that color might have with another is incredibly strong. Even so, that does not mean mono-color decks have not had success. While not as well-rounded at two colored builds, mono-color lists have an advantage in that they are much more consistent. It is that consistency we see with today’s list.

This build, which comes from Swellzong, is an interesting take on green. For the past few months, green has served a pure support color. You play a lot of powerful cards from another color, and then shore them up with green’s ramp. This week’s list goes around that plan by giving you green, green, and more green.

The Heroes

As you can imagine, there is not much hero variation in mono-colored decks. Here, you get Lycan, Enchantress, Treant Protector, Drow Ranger, and Omniknight. Those five should come as no surprise because you are unlikely to get anything better in the color.

Lycan is a great card for this paticular build because, not only does he provide you with a bit of early pressure, but he also provides a fantastic signature card in Savage Wolf. There is a strong creep theme here (which we’ll cover in more detail below) and the wolf plays right into that. Though Lycan’s body is not the best, his static ability is invaluable for a deck that wants to take the early board.

Enchantress and Treant Protector come into the second and third spots. Both of their abilities mirror each other (further solidifying the creep theme) and they each bring something unique to the table. Treant Protector gives you Roseleaf Druid to help push the ramp, while Enchantress is a solid early body you can use to cement a lane. Though giving your army extra attack is nice, keeping them alive is often more important.

Drow Ranger slots into fourth here because she hits the board hard. Going wide is the main win condition of this deck, and you can take advantage of that in many ways. Drow’s static ability instantly turns any creeps into tower-beating machines. Though Gust is not as strong as it once was, the signature still comes in handy in a pinch. Being able to shut down an opposing hero is incredibly useful. Play to it when you can.

Finally, there’s Omniknight. Though he’s not going to bring the house down, he is yet another way to ensure your opponent can’t interfere with your plans. Though you are a ramp deck, you want to come out of the gates swinging. The easiest way to do that is by forcing your opponent back on turn one.

Ramp

Well, it wouldn’t be a mono green deck without ramp. Treant Protector gives us Roseleaf Druid, which then rounds out the duo of Selemene’s Favor and Stars Align. These three cards are in just about every green deck, and for good reason. The ability to get ahead of your opponent is one of the strongest things you can do in Artifact.

As always, the one thing you want to keep an eye on when putting ramp into your deck is the lane you drop it in. It can be tempting to go all-in at once, but that is often the wrong route. Unless you’re specifically playing to a big finisher, it is always better to spread the wealth around.

Forcing your opponent to deal with an extra two mana in one lane is often not as strong as making your opponent handle two lanes that are both up one. A wider net is not just better at putting on pressure, but it also gives you more of a safety net and allows for more mistakes.

In addition, make sure you use Stars Align to its full extent. Though you do not always need to utilize the extra mana, whatever you play off of it needs to push you ahead in some way. A one-time push is not something you want to sleep on if you can avoid it.

Creeps on Creeps

There are a lot of things going on in this deck, but all of them revolve around creeps. Your many buffs (both health and attack) are a big part of that, but they are not the only way to push the board. You also have a few strong bodies.

Single threat cards are vital for builds like this, which is why Savage Wolf is so essential. The creep is one of the strongest bodies in the game. Though it starts out a bit weak, it can easily take down a tower on its own if left unanswered. Take advantage of that by either dropping it into an abandoned lane, or placing it somewhere you want your opponent to go.

Though not an attack card, Roseleaf Druid is also important to this deck. Though we touched on the four drop above, it is still worth discussing for two reasons. First, always remember that the ramp comes on a body. As such, it is much more fragile than your other options. This is a card you don’t need to live forever, but you do want to put it into a place where it will give you value for a few turns.

The other reason the Druid is so strong is because of its health. Six health is a good amount against other creeps, and it plays perfectly with a slew of different buffs. Getting your druid into a lane with a static effect can turn it from harmless ramp to savage beater in no time at all.

The other unique creeps worth discussing here are Rampaging Hellbear and Roseleaf Rejuvenator. Like Savage Wolf, Hellbear is a powerhouse card that gets stronger and stronger each round. Think of them as wolves number four and five.

In contrast, Rejuvenator is a purely defensive card. One of the ramp’s biggest weaknesses is that it often stutters against faster decks. You play your extra mana cards and your opponent puts out threats that kill your towers before you get to have fun. Rejuvenator offsets some of that balance by providing a wall that also comes with health. It may not seem like much, but the breathing room is invaluable against red or black builds.

Always Be Improving

Another important part of this list is the improvements. Green is known for the way it can make its towers better, and this list is no exception. The three key cards here are Mist of Avernus, Path of the Dreamer, and Unearthed Secrets.

Secrets is still one of the best green cards in the game. The color is not known for its card draw, and being able to generate value turn after turn is fantastic. The three mana improvement is best in a lane you plan to abandon. However, you can easily drop it anywhere your opponent will hit for damage. Though it has a high ceiling, it is not a card you need to get a ton of value from. Just one draw is more than fine.

Mist of Avernus is another great card that perfectly plays into the creep theme. Being able to get the extra damage is wonderful, especially when that stacks as the game goes on. This is yet another card that allows you to go wide, and it helps you right on turn one. Much of this list is tuned to playing later on, and being able to set up early is a great way to structure a solid curve.

Finally, Path of the Dreamer is perhaps the most unorthodox card in this list. The improvement fills a similar role as Roseleaf Rejuvenator in that it buys you extra time against pressure or quick decks. However, the way it does that is vastly different than the 7/7.

You’re only going to get full value from Path if you can play other cards in that lane. Remember that, and don’t drop this somewhere where it is easy for your opponent to take out your hero. You need to plan ahead to ensure it always triggers against a big rush or lethal damage.

The Top End

Though Roseleaf Rejuvenator is a strong card to push into when fighting against aggressive decks, it is not going to win you the game. To do that, you have Emissary of the Quorum and Thunderhide Alpha.

Emissary is yet another win condition that rewards you for going wide. In fact, it is the best reason to go wide in Artifact. The body is not the best, but the ability will kill any tower in no time at all. This is the card you always want to play to, and it is the best reason to push a lot of ramp into a single lane. A lot of decks will be ready for the eight drop at the top of their curve, but if you hit them early it’s often game over.

Thunderhide is the biggest creep in the game. You only have one, but it simply reinforces your consistency and gives extra assurance you’ll be able to use your mana. Remember, ramp is only as good as the cards you’re ramping into. If you ever have a ton of mana and nothing to do with it, you’ve probably lost. The alpha helps ensure that doesn’t happen.

The Items

While it would be nice to see some innovation when it comes to items, that might just be too much to ask. There are a few clear winners when it comes to the “best item” contest, and all of them are packed into this deck.

Jasper Daggers’ new form is simply too good to ignore, while Phase Boots help you pick and choose how your heroes fight. As mentioned, one of the strongest things you can do in Artifact is keep your board alive. Much of this deck is built around protecting creeps, but the boots, along with Stonehall Cloak, help the heroes out nicely.

The final item besides the above three is Blink Dagger. The seven-cost item continues to break the rules of the game, and as long as it does it is simply too good not to run. You do not generate a ton of gold with this list, but three fives and a seven is more than affordable over the course of a game.

Conclusion

Last week we covered ramp as an archetype, and this week we got to see that archetype in action. While this is not strictly ramp in that it attacks from many different angles, there is quite of bit of extra mana if you know where to look. Mono-color decks may not be the rage in the current Artifact meta, but they can be great if you're looking for something a little different.