When Oath of the Gatewatch was fully revealed, we knew Eldrazi were going to be a big deal in Standard. Between the powerful colorless spells, Thought-Knot Seer, and Kozilek, the Great Distortion, there are many reasons to be excited about our new colorless overlords. Chris Brickey found a winning combination and took it to a second place finish during the first week of new Standard:

Mono-Green Eldrazi ? Oath of the Gatewatch Standard | Chris Brickey, 2nd StarCityGames Open

• Creatures (17)
• 1 Conduit of Ruin
• 1 Kozilek, the Great Distortion
• 3 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
• 4 Leaf Gilder
• 4 Rattleclaw Mystic
• 4 Thought-Knot Seer

• Planeswalkers (2)
• 2 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon

• Spells (16)
• 2 Spatial Contortion
• 2 Titan's Presence
• 2 Nissa's Renewal
• 3 Explosive Vegetation
• 3 Nissa's Pilgrimage
• 4 Hedron Archive

• Lands (25)
• 1 Wastes
• 14 Forest
• 1 Crumbling Vestige
• 1 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
• 4 Sanctum of Ugin
• 4 Shrine of the Forsaken Gods

• Sideboard (15)
• 4 Bane of Bala Ged
• 1 Desolation Twin
• 4 Jaddi Offshoot
• 1 Void Winnower
• 1 World Breaker
• 1 Spatial Contortion
• 2 Winds of Qal Sisma
• 1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon

Buy This Deck

This deck is similar, but fundamentally different than previous iterations of the Eldrazi ramp deck. The first difference is the emphasis on 2-drop accelerants, with the full eight copies of Rattleclaw Mystic and Leaf Gilder. This deck wants to curve a 2-drop into either Explosive Vegetation or Hedron Archive into Nissa's Revelation, which lets you start casting 10-drops as early as turn five. However, the addition of Thought-Knot Seer as a large, disruptive body capable of holding the ground makes the 2-drop accelerants even more appealing.

Additionally, we see the threat-base changing. Rather than only playing seven or eight copies of Ugin, the Spirit Dragon and Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger, this deck can start making room for Kozilek, the Great Distortion. Given the deck plays a full four copies of Sanctum of Ugin, you don’t need to play very many copies of Kozilek. Just the one means your first giant colorless spell will let you tutor up Kozilek and gas back up, since Kozilek will generally represent upward of four or five cards when the trigger resolves.

Additionally, this deck doesn’t have to splash Red for removal spells. The additional colorless creatures turn Titan's Presence into a powerful, all-purpose removal spell capable of hitting any creature in the format. Additionally, Spatial Contortion gives the deck the ability to cast a removal spell on-curve with your ramp spells. It’s easy to imagine playing a Leaf Gilder on turn two and follow up with a second 2-drop accelerant plus a Spatial Contortion to keep up with the aggressive decks while still threatening to start casting giant monsters.

The added power of Kozilek against control decks, combined with the utility of removal spells and Thought-Knot Seer against midrange and aggressive decks have given this already awesome deck a whole new angle of attack. If this wasn’t on your radar before Oath of the Gatewatch, Eldrazi Ramp is certainly one of the early powerhouses of this new Standard format.