At a glance
- Format: Standard
- Colors: Red / Green (RG)
- Archetype: Gruul earthbend ramp-aggro
- Power tier: mid
- Standard: ✅ Legal
Strategy
Gruul that ramps into trampling fatties a turn early using earthbend. Turn 1 Fanatical Firebrand applies pressure; turn 2 Badgermole Cub is the engine of the deck — it earthbends a land into a hasty body AND adds an extra {G} whenever you tap a creature for mana, accelerating you straight into four-drops. Ruby fixes and attacks, Nessian Hornbeetle and Boar-q-pine snowball counters. The midrange core — The Earth King (free 4/4 Bear on ETB, then fetches basics when your 4-power threats swing), The Boulder (earthbends extra bodies as you attack), Mossborn Hydra (doubles its counters on every landfall) — turns the extra mana into a wide, evasive board. Earth Rumble doubles as ramp and a fight-based removal spell. The top end (Quaketusk Boar, Rampaging Baloths, Quilled Greatwurm) closes through any stall with trample reach, while Lightning Strike, Abrade, and Firebrand clear blockers so the clock never stops. Goal: ramp out a 4-power threat by turn 3, flood the board with land-creatures, and end it by turn 6.
Upgrade path
All rare/mythic SPELLS are OWNED (no crafts): Mossborn Hydra (own1), The Earth King (own4), Rampaging Baloths (own1), Quilled Greatwurm (own1), plus Badgermole Cub (mythic, own3). Lands: the one approved branch-out is Stomping Ground x2 (the only untapped RG dual in the pool; Mik owns zero copies, runs at the 2 it already had — gate reports exactly 2 rare wildcards, nothing else). Ba Sing Se (rare land, own3) is a strong OWNED earthbend land that taps for {G} and can earthbend 2 itself — reinforces the theme at no craft cost. Remaining fixing is owned taplands (Gongaga, Rugged Highlands) + basics, since no other untapped owned RG duals exist. CHANGES from prior build: cut Hill Gigas, Colossadactyl, Howlsquad Heavy, Earth Rumble Wrestlers, and Burst Lightning; added the earthbend ramp package (Badgermole Cub x3, The Earth King x3, Earth Rumble x2, Ba Sing Se x2) plus Nessian Hornbeetle/Heartfire Immolator for a tighter, faster curve. Deck PASSES the deterministic gate (60 cards, legal, construction OK). If Mik later opens an untapped owned RG dual (e.g. Thornspire Verge) or a real Stomping Ground, swap them in for taplands.
Cards
Decklist
Paste straight into MTG Arena (or Moxfield/Archidekt):
Deck
4 Fanatical Firebrand
3 Badgermole Cub
2 Ruby, Daring Tracker
3 Nessian Hornbeetle
4 Boar-q-pine
1 Mossborn Hydra
3 The Boulder, Ready to Rumble
3 The Earth King
2 Earth Rumble
1 Quaketusk Boar
2 Rampaging Baloths
4 Lightning Strike
3 Abrade
4 Stomping Ground
1 Ba Sing Se
9 Mountain
8 Forest
1 Mightform Harmonizer
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Earthbender Ascension
Card images & data via Scryfall.