Hello everyone, my name is Gary, and I'd like to share a project I've been working on for a while!

My first EDH deck ever was a gruul one, and since then, and since then the color pair has held a special place in my heart, becoming one of my favorites to build for and to draft. That's why I've decided to share a gruul deck every other weekday of November, as a way to share my appreciation for the color combo. My goal is to show off the intracies of what makes gruul good (or bad), as well as show off some unusual cards and commanders that take advantage of them :)

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Gruul-vember Day One

[[Ruric Thar, the Unbowed]]

I mean, who else would it be for the first day? Ruric Thar is as gruul as it gets. We're here to play creatures and punish opponents who don't with big damage that we can use to close out the game quickly. This specific Ruric Thar deck includes 47 creatures, 36 lands, and only 16 of the most useful noncreature nonlands we can afford.

The Creatures

`This deck includes 8 total mana dorks, with the usual one mana suspects such as [[birds of paradise]] and [[Elvish Mystic]], but it also features some 3 mana dorks like [[Somberwald Sage]] and [[Gwenna, Eyes of Gaea]] as ways to help us curve into our commander even more efficiently. Gwenna even can act as a pseudo-discount on our big creatures, untapping multiple times a turn once we've ramped enough.

No commander deck is complete without plenty of card draw and card advantage, thankfully green has plenty of creature-based effects that give us exactly what we're looking for. [[Augur of Autumn and [[Vizier of the Menagerie]] are card advantage, helping us churn through our deck in case we become low on cards in hand, as well as ensuring we hit land drops more regularly. The classic [[Beast Whisperer]], as well as the more expensive [[Primordial Sage]] and [[soul of the Harvest]] are stars of the show, being creatures that draw creatures. Both [[Ohran Frostfang]] and [[Toski, Bearer of Secrets]] help us gain even more card draw by swinging in for face, which becomes especially easy with the frostfang granting deathtouch. [[Dragonborn Champion]] is a more unique card that puts in a lot of work for this deck, allowing us to draw a card whenever any of our opponents cast a noncreature spell as long as our commander is on the board!

This deck isn't lacking on interaction just because it's not running [[beast within]] and [[nature's claim]], we've got many creature based removal effects that mimic popular instants and sorceries. The package of [[terastadon]] and [[Sawtusk Demolisher]] allow us to emulate beast within, but bigger and better! By using [[Ulvenwald Tracker]], [[Thorn Mammoth]], and [[Apex Altisaur]], we also ensure that our creatures can push out any annoying hatebears that would otherwise stop our gameplan. For artifact and enchantment removal, we run [[Reclamation Sage]], [[Foundation Breaker]], [[Kogla and Yidaro]], and [[Tranquil Frillback]], which in addition to [[Scavenging Ooze]] help us pack in some graveyard hate for pesky reanimator decks.

Protection

Our commander can be kill on sight for certain commanders, so I've included a protection package of the usual [[Lightning Greaves]], [[Swiftfoot Boots]], [[Hajar, Loyal Bodyguard]], and [[Saryth, the Viper's Fang]]. Even though both pairs of shoes are noncreatures, their efficiency can't be understated, and will usually be on the board before Ruric Thar is out regardless. We also run three cards that make it harder for opposing blue players to interact with us further, those cards being [[Rhythym of the Wild]], [[Prowling Serpopard]], and [[Vexing Shusher]].

Board Wipes

I've decided to only include two boardwipes in the deck, as we will often be the player who commits the most creatures to the board, barring token decks. The previously mentioned [[Apex Altisaur]] isn't a true board wipe, but will function close enough to one in this deck for me to count it as one. [[Blasphemous Act]] has an unbeatable rate as the best red boardwipe, so it makes the cut despite being a sorcery.

Equipment

[[Basilisk Collar]] and [[Shadowspear]] both make our commander more difficult to block, and give him lifelink, which actually synergizes with his triggered ability, further swinging our life total away from our opponents'!

Ending the Game

With all our ramp and mana, this deck is able to include many ways to close out the game in classic gruul fashion. [[Zopandrel, Hunger Dominus]], [[Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma]], and [[Xenagos, God of Revels]] help us pump our board and swing in on our opponent's last remaining hit points. The new LOTR card [[Last March of the Ents]] will often cheat us out 10+ mana of creatures at its floor, with only room for upside depending what was already on board. Finally, in the right matchup, [[Shaman of Forgotten Ways]] has an activated ability that's a callback to [[Biorhythm]], and instantly decimates or outright finishes any opponent who hasn't commited creatures to their board.

Stats

Ramp - 24

Card draw/Card advantage - 12 + 4

Board Wipes - 2

Creatures - 47

Protection - 4

Removal - 12

Closing Thoughts

I found this deck incredibly fun to play while testing it with friends, and if you're looking for a jumping off point into gruul or even commander as a whole, Ruric Thar provides an excellent diving board. This is also the type of deck that wizards will definitely be giving more toys as magic continues to print more and more insane creatures, so it's a deck that won't stay stagnant!

Decklist Here: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/hQLdy_dNK0mMWRUew2MQOg

I'll be posting another deck summary on the third, and while I have a few commanders already picked out for the next few days, feel free to suggest ones you think would be fun to build in the comments!

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