Emil, Vastlands RoamerEmil, Vastlands Roamer | by Kai Carpenter

Have you ever seen someone get hosed by Blood MoonBlood Moon and wanted to know that exact type of pain? Do you want to play a true Singleton deck in Commander?

Then why not give Emil, Vastlands RoamerEmil, Vastlands Roamer a try! At first glance, Emil seems like a mediocre +1/+1 counter support piece with an underwhelming ability. But, if you dig just a little deeper, you'll see the real power of this innocuous uncommon.

What Does Emil, Vastlands Roamer Do?

Emil's first ability is easy enough to build around in Commander. He gives creatures you control with +1/+1 counters on them trample.

Which is great with this second ability, for the low price of five mana, you make a 0/0 FractalFractal creature token and put +1/+1 counters on it equal to the number of differently named lands you control.

Unlike other green landfall decks, we're only on two basics, a ForestForest and a Snow-Covered ForestSnow-Covered Forest. This means no Rampant GrowthRampant Growth, CultivateCultivate, or Kodama's ReachKodama's Reach required.

This is a ramp deck through and through. But unlike other ramp decks, our commander is our payoff.

We want to ramp into as many weird lands as possible. Sometimes... stealing our opponents' lands. And, of course, pretending we're a DJ by tapping and untapping Emil over and over until we overwhelm our foes with an army of Fractals.

I did include some common landfall combos, but they're intended to be a backup win condition. Most of the time, it's making a big thing, then turning said big thing sideways for damage.

Key Cards for Emil, Vastlands Roamer

The Nonbasic Land Ramp

Unsurprisingly, there isn't a ton of efficient nonbasic land ramp. A majority of it starts at four mana and often comes with conditions.

However, they also act as a strong political tool. Tempt with DiscoveryTempt with Discovery gives you at least one untapped land and is a strong political tool if someone is behind on lands. Titania's CommandTitania's Command supports both the ramp and +1/+1 counter synergies in the deck. Elemental TeachingsElemental Teachings is a Gifts UngivenGifts Ungiven for lands.

But my favorite weird ramp spell is Realmbreaker, the Invasion TreeRealmbreaker, the Invasion Tree. It allows you to steal utility lands from other players that you might not have access to.

Additional Land Drops

With 43 lands in the deck, including MDFCs, you'll usually have a few extra lands sitting in hand. But fear not, we can play those additional lands. For budget reasons, I didn't include ExplorationExploration.

Instead, I included some great budget options. Summer BloomSummer Bloom costs two mana and lets you play up to three additional lands. The once expensive, and now affordable Oracle of Mul DayaOracle of Mul Daya lets you play lands off the top of your library. Nylea's InterventionNylea's Intervention ensures you're not stuck with these spells without lands in hand.

Untappers

Finally, I wanted to include a few ways to untap Emil, so we can make multiple Fractals a turn. Those being Quirion RangerQuirion Ranger, Wirewood SymbioteWirewood Symbiote, and Wirewood LodgeWirewood Lodge. You might be thinking it's odd to have Quirion Ranger with only two basics, but it says forest specifically.

This is why I included Yavimaya, Cradle of GrowthYavimaya, Cradle of Growth and Prismatic OmenPrismatic Omen as ways to turn all our lands into forests. You can also run Urborg, Tomb of YawgmothUrborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, but I don't think the price tag is worth.

Wirewood Symbiote has us returning an elf, like Quirion Ranger, to our hand to untap our commander. With these two creatures in play, you can activate Emil up to three additional times. And Wirewood LodgeWirewood Lodge is a land that allows us to untap an Elf.

How Does Emil, Vastlands Roamer Win?

As I said at the start, the primary win condition is big creature beatdown. Emil is also great against board wipes, since you can hold cards in hand and rebuild with expendable tokens.

But Fractals aren't the only way to beat some face. Baloth PrimeBaloth Prime and Titania, Protector of ArgothTitania, Protector of Argoth in conjunction with Zuran OrbZuran Orb can quickly overwhelm opponents with large board states.

Scute SwarmScute Swarm, while tiny, can grow into a massive problem with just a few well-timed land drops. Then all you need is Germination PracticumGermination Practicum to give all these tokens trample.

As for the combo finishes: We have the usual Kodama of the East TreeKodama of the East Tree loops with bounce lands like Arid ArchwayArid Archway and Guildless CommonsGuildless Commons. If you don't know the combo, EDHREC has you covered. I also included an Elemental TeachingsElemental Teachings pile for your pleasure.

The four lands you want to find are Dark DepthsDark Depths, Echoing DeepsEchoing Deeps, Thespian's StageThespian's Stage, and Shifting WoodlandShifting Woodland. No matter which lands your opponents pick, you'll be able to cheat Marit LageMarit Lage into play.

Upgrading to Bracket 3

I had the goal to keep this deck as Bracket 2, since that is what I generally enjoy the most, and it's easier on the wallet. But we have some great upgrade options that really power up the deck. First is replacing Expedition MapExpedition Map with Crop RotationCrop Rotation.

Map does a great Crop Rotation impression, but nothing is as good as the original. It's instant speed, and puts the land into play untapped. Next, replace Azusa's Many JourneysAzusa's Many Journeys with Seedborn MuseSeedborn Muse. Azusa's is the weakest additional land spell in the deck, but it's a great budget option.

However, Seedborn Muse drastically increases the deck's power level by letting you ramp out several Fractals a turn cycle. The final game changer is up to you. I'd probably add Natural OrderNatural Order or Worldly TutorWorldly Tutor to find Seedborn Muse as quickly as possible.

Conclusion

If you're looking for a unique take on a lands deck, Emil fits the bill. It's easy to pick up and offers tons of decisions with all the utility lands.

It's also a great deck that can easily be upgraded over time. Creatures like Ashaya, Soul of the WildAshaya, Soul of the Wild, Azusa, Lost but SeekingAzusa, Lost but Seeking, and OuroboroidOuroboroid are great, albeit expensive upgrade options.

Also, if you want to see even more Magic content from me, you can find plenty of that on my YouTube channel, BathroomBrewsMTG. Alrighty nerds, I'll see you in the next one!