#windgrace

When the 2018 commander decks released, Lord Windgrace’s was highly anticipated. Though it disappointed players with its broad scope upon release, a few tweaks turned him into a powerful lands general, absorbing both Angry Omnath and Gitrog’s decks. Though these two are too expensive for our list, as is the might of Titania, we can still create an efficient engine that cycles lands into and out of our graveyard with ease.

First up is our RAMP package. For the most part, we’ll be running the standard green staples: Sakura-Tribe Elder, Rampant Growth, and Cultivate, with a few exceptions. You may choose to include the Guild Signets, though that falls more to preference. As for must-haves, Harrow and its creature counterpart Springbloom Druid succeed in both adding lands to your graveyard and putting more into play. If you want to play off of a creatures subtheme rather than using instant and sorceries, Farhaven Elf and Fertilid are both effective.

For your CARD ADVANTAGE, Windgrace himself will do most of the work, but he’ll still need a little help if your opponents lock him out of play. Seer’s Sundial may not be efficient, but it allows each of your landfalls to offer a draw. Arcane Spyglass can turn each of your lands into draw on the opposite end, and Deathreap Ritual can dig each turn in which any creature dies. If you choose to go the way of creatures as a secondary strategy, Moldervine Reclamation is a powerful draw card on its own.

Your REMOVAL is fairly simple for your colors. Terminate is both efficient and hits most creatures you’d want to remove, while Devour in Flames deals limited damage but bounces a land to your hand. Additionally, less efficient removal such as Meteor Golem and Acidic Slime are easy with the strength at which you can ramp.

The meat of your deck is your LANDFALL effects. Retreat to Hagra and Tunneling Geopede can deal incidental damage to your opponents when you play lands, while Rampaging Baloths and Zendikar’s Roil churn out creatures at an extremely efficient rate. Lifegift, Retreat to Kazandu, and Grazing Gladehart all also turn your landfall into lifegain, and Evolution Sage can mitigate damage to Windgrace. If you’re creature-light, Embodiment of Insight and Embodiment of Fury can animate your lands.

Finally, while Windgrace himself can grab lands from your graveyard, you’ll want additional recursion, as well as a good helping of defensive tools and additional VALUE. Ramunap Excavator is the same as a Crucible of Worlds at a tiny fraction of the price; Turntimber Sower and Dragonmaster Outcast enable your lands to aid in churning out additional bodies, either for blocking or attacking. Soul Stair Expedition enables cheap creature recursion, while Crawling Sensation creates small creatures each turn and Thaumatic Compass keeps large threats pointed elsewhere.