Zendikar Rising preview season has finally come to a close, which also means it’s finally time for me to do my review of the set for Oathbreaker! To be more specific, I’ll be doing a Top 10 article for cards of each color, as well as one for multicolor cards. I’ll also be doing a Top 10 article that will cover the remaining cards of the set along with the new cards from the two new preconstructed EDH decks. My Top 10s are based on 1) how strong I think a card will be in Oathbreaker, and 2) how many different types of Oathbreaker decks I expect the card to see play in. While I do try to be as objective as I can, these are ultimately just my own thoughts/opinions. With all that out of the way, let’s continue with my Top 10 Green cards from Zendikar Rising for Oathbreaker!
#10: Scale the Heights
Scale the Heights has a lot going on for a common, and it kind of reminds me of the phrase “jack of all trades, master of none”. Getting an Explore plus 2 life and a +1/+1 counter seems like a decent deal for three mana, even at sorcery speed. This card could also theoretically be played politically by giving an opponent’s creature the +1/+1 counter, though the power of that will ultimately be determined by what deals you can pull with that opponent. These kinds of effects could fit well enough in a +1/+1 counters deck or a ramp strategy, but it doesn’t seem especially effective in either category. I think the fact that this card’s design is pulled in so many different directions will ultimately keep it from becoming a staple in any particular archetype, but I’m pretty sure it will at least become a fine option for green budget builds in Oathbreaker (most likely in the 58).
#9: Swarm Shambler
This fun guy has a very interesting set of abilities for a one-drop creature. Swarm Shambler is certainly no Hangarback Walker, but I won’t say no to a creature that can grow itself and create extra tokens. This card is clearly very geared towards dedicated +1/+1 counter decks, and I suspect it will end up being limited to that one archetype. Unlike Hangarback Walker‘s death trigger, Swarm Shambler‘s triggered ability is really only useful in a deck centered around +1/+1 counters. I do like how well this creature pairs with cards like Hardened Scales and Branching Evolution, and I’m sure Swarm Shambler will soon be popping up in plenty of +1/+1 counter builds in Oathbreaker.
#8: Gnarlid Colony
Speaking of new toys for +1/+1 counter decks! Despite the disparity in rarity, I’m actually much more excited about Gnarlid Colony for +1/+1 counter strategies than I am about Swarm Shambler. It’s always nice to have plenty of trample enablers to get your buffed-up creatures past any chump blockers, so Gnarlid Colony will fill a niche similar to other cards like Pridemalkin or Tuskguard Captain. Similar to Swarm Shambler, I don’t expect Gnarlid Colony to see very much play outside of +1/+1 counter decks, but it will make another very fine addition to that archetype.
#7: Roiling Regrowth
Harrow is back again–sort of! The downside to Roiling Regrowth, over its predecessor, is that it puts the basic lands into play tapped instead of untapped; however, it’s also templated so that sacrificing a land isn’t actually a part of the cost of the spell. This means that if your Roiling Regrowth gets countered, you won’t be down a land like you would be if Harrow were countered. All that being said, I don’t think either of these factors are going to have too much of an impact on how much this card is played. Harrow is currently in over 300 Oathbreaker lists (according to EDHrec), and I’d expect Roiling Regrowth to see a similar amount of play in the format.
#6: Oran-Rief Ooze
The new +1/+1 counter toys just keep on coming! In a vacuum, Oran-Rief Ooze is essentially a 3/3 that grows itself whenever it attacks. That’s a perfectly fine rate on its own for three mana, and this kind of creature could justifiably be run a typical green stompy deck for that reason; however, this creature gets even nuttier in a dedicated +1/+1 counters strategy. In the right deck, Oran-Rief Ooze could easily buff most of your board whenever it attacks. It is a tad unfortunate that its second triggered ability on affects your attacking creatures with +1/+1 counters, but I’m sure that slight downside won’t be enough to stop plenty of players from brewing with Oran-Rief Ooze in Oathbreaker.
#5: Iridescent Hornbeetle
The +1/+1 counters train never ends in Zendikar Rising. Iridescent Hornbeetle will obviously find a home in one particular Oathbreaker archetype, but I could actually see this creature popping up elsewhere as well. Oathbreakers like Ajani, the Greathearted and Vivien, Arkbow Ranger could easily take advantage of this kind of effect, even outside of dedicated +1/+1 counter lists. Token strategies in particular are one type of deck I could see this little fella showing up in, especially since those decks often look to buff their board up anyways. I also really like how Iridescent Hornbeetle triggers on your end step, which means your opponents will be forced to interact at instant-speed in order to prevent you from getting any immediate value. I don’t think I’ve seen many creatures quite like Iridescent Hornbeetle before, and I’m excited to see how this interesting little uncommon will impact Oathbreaker.
#4: Kazandu Mammoth / Kazandu Valley
Kazandu Mammoth certainly isn’t the flashiest modal-double-faced card in Zendikar Rising, but I really enjoy the elegance in its simplicity. The only real downside on this card’s creature-half is the lack of evasion, but green has no shortage of trample enablers; pair any one of those enablers with a fetchland and you’ve got yourself one big mammoth trampling towards an opponent! Green stompy lists can obviously utilize this kind of threat, as could any landfall-centric strategies. Being able to double as a tapped land when needed certainly doesn’t hurt either. I didn’t see this wooly friend get much love during preview season, but I’m looking forward to trying it out in some of my more aggressive Oathbreaker builds.
#3: Ancient Greenwarden
Landfall decks rejoice! Ancient Greenwarden, perhaps better known as landfall-Panharmonicon, is a card with a very high ceiling when played in the right strategy. I was initially a bit skeptical on how many common ways there may be to capitalize on this card in Oathbreaker, but the more I think about it, the more sweet possibilities pop up; Tireless Tracker, Field of the Dead, and Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle are just a handful of synergistic cards I can think of off the top of my head. Crucible of Worlds and Ramunap Excavator are also each played in well over 400 decks in Oathbreaker (according to EDHrec), and this big bad elemental doubles as a very effective attacker/blocker. Also, it has reach, so have fun watching your opponents accidentally run into that little fact over and over again. I suspect this card won’t end up being any more powerful than Primeval Titan in Oathbreaker, but that is not an insult.
#2: Ashaya, Soul of the World
Even after all this time to think about it, I’m still having trouble conceptualizing just how strong this card can be. It’s like Cryptolith Rite and Beanstalk Giant had a baby. For only five mana, Ashaya, Soul of the Wild is giving you one huge creature plus a fair bit of mana ramp (depending on how your board looks). At worst, Ashaya is essentially the world’s biggest Elvish Mystic. Since that second ability only affects nontoken creatures you control, this card won’t necessarily ramp you quite as much as Cryptolith Rite, but that’s probably for the best. Dedicated ramp decks are the most obvious home for Ashaya, but I’m sure she could fit her way into a number of other strategies; elemental tribal, landfall lists, and stompy decks all immediately come to mind, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this card’s potential in Oathbreaker doesn’t end there.
#1: Inscription of Abundance
This card is definitely not as blatantly powerful as something like Ancient Greenwarden or Ashaya, Soul of the Wild, but I’ve always been a fan of cards that are subtly strong. Inscription of Abundance reminds me a little of Dromoka’s Command, though its mono-green flexibility will make it accessible to a higher number of decks. This spell is also fairly efficient whether it’s being kicked or not, especially since it’s an instant (unlike the other two members of this incomplete cycle). On the surface, the middle mode definitely seems to be the weakest, but even conditional lifegain should never be underestimated in Oathbreaker. The first two modes are also worded in a way that enables potential political shenanigans, which I always enjoy to see. The only real downside to Inscription of Abundance is that it’s really only useful in creature-based strategies, but that still opens up a lot of possible homes for this card. I suspect Inscription of Abundance will end up being better off in the 58 than as a Signature Spell, but it’s a very fine addition to Oathbreaker nonetheless.
What are your favorite green cards from Zendikar Rising? Are there any green cards you’re particularly excited to try out in Oathbreaker? Make sure to tell me in the comments or on Twitter! I’ll be back in a couple of days with my Top 10 multicolor cards from Zendikar Rising for Oathbreaker.
About the author: My name is Alex Enders. I am a college student that’s been playing MTG for almost eight years, though I only recently began experimenting with writing content. My personal formats of choice are Oathbreaker, EDH, and draft. My other interests include music, education, and most things nerdy. You can find me on Twitter (@AAAEnders) or email me at aenders2112@gmail.com