Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath

The Titans have escaped from Theros’ Underworld, so of course that means I’m making deck techs for them. Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath has an enter the battlefield effect that gains life, draws a card, and puts a land into play which is quite similar to the spell Growth Spiral. Like the Titan cycle that precedes them, not only does the effect trigger when it enters the battlefield but also when it attacks, making this 6/6 an excessive value engine. The decklist below may look a bit incomplete to those keen eyed readers but that’s because I’ve only included a land base and some staples I’d like to go over and then go through what options we have to complete the deck. So without further rambling, let’s begin!

Land Base

The land base is pretty straightforward with dual land for colours, utility land for function, and some basics for our ramp spells. Some notable selections are the Minamo, School at Water’s Edge and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx which go well together for exponential devotion ramp. Minamo also offers a pseudo vigilance for Uro and Nykthos is just flavourful for this creature from Theros. There is also Field of the Dead, a land with incredible strength and value turning land drops into bodies. It is also the reasoning behind the inclusion of the Snow-Covered basic lands.

Ramp

Besides Uro itself we have a number of ramp spell options. For those who don’t play green as often the Cultivate and Kodama’s Reach pair, though common rarity spells are great. These spells are a two for one as they fix your colours and give you a land drop when you need. We’re going for some synergy with the Uro’s Escape ability so filling the graveyard with land is an option, therefore Harrow makes a good ramp spell here. There is Springbloom Druid but when deciding one over the other Harrow brings the lands into play untapped and is an instant.

That leads me into our creature ramp choices along with other ramp options. While I left staples like Lotus Cobra and Exploration in the list due to their synergy and efficiency, we have some other commonly used pieces acceleration options and even a new one with Theros: Beyond Death. Adding Dryad of Ilysian Grove to the list of accelerants we have Oracle of Mul Daya, Wayward Swordtooth, Azusa, Lost but Seeking, Wood Elves, Solemn Simulacrum, Sakura-Tribe Elder, Birds of Paradise, Arbor Elf, Nature’s Lore, Three Visits, Search for Tomorrow, Utopia Sprawl, Wild Growth, Burgeoning, Garruk Wildspeaker and so on. Of course we can’t fit everything in so we’ll just pick a few to add. Multipurpose pieces that give advantage are the best choices and a few things to drop turn two Uro is helpful as well.

Planeswalkers

There are numerous Planeswalkers in Simic colours that would fit in these deck. Jace, the Mind Sculptor is a straightforward value pick but what about Nissa, Vital Force? If and when you get that emblem all your lands turn into extra card draw. Then there are the transforming creature versions of them: Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy and Nissa, Vastwood Seer both fit quite well with this Escape and Land strategy. While Jace can loot, fill the grave, and flackback ramp spells, Nissa will search for a basic forest and transform into a ramp/card advantage engine. I mentioned Garruk Wildspeaker, but with Uro on board Garruk, Primal Hunter may be preferable to draw a nice chunk of cards. If you wanted you can slot in Oko, Thief of Crowns as well, just for the value and as an answer to several creatures and artifacts that may be in your way. Let’s just go through a few more options just ’cause I could go on for awhile if I keep talking about each.

Jace, Wielder of Mysteries: Thought Scour yourself to fill your Graveyard for Escape and draw cards. If somehow you ended up drawing all of your deck it’s also an alternative win condition.

Nissa, Steward of Elements: Good early and late game being able to sink your mana to turn your lands into potential evasive threats. The scry and cheat in abilities are notably effective as well.

Narset, Parter of Veils: Prevent opponents from drawing, dig for ramp spells, possibly use things like Jace’s Archivist to Windfall your opponents while filling your graveyard.

Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner: It’s a small untap ramp engine with a static draw ability that works with Uro and any other 4 or more powered creatures you may want to play.

Land Matters

Making land matter has been a popular strategy in recent years and this deck is no exception. In the core list I left Titania, Protector of Argoth and Tireless Tracker for their recursion/threat creation and card draw power respectively. We have Crop Rotation and it’s newer physical form Elvish Reclaimer to search out those utility land and fill our Graveyard some more. There is the option to use the Splendid Reclamation and Worldshaper recursion strategy but that may require a Scapeshift style. Ramunap Excavator and Crucible of Worlds seem like enough in conjunction with our extra land drop cards, though I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of the repeated Strip Mine. I’d like to use Life from the Loam for its Dredge ability but then it makes me want to run Ash Barrens, Tranquil Thicket, and Lonely Sandbar. All viable but once again only so much space in the 99.

Trophy/Tribute/Trinket Mage

There are a number of 1, 2, and 3 drop artifacts that I am preferable to using, some obvious staples but some may not be choices that would make the cut. So we’ll go through a selection for each mana cost and select a package from there. Here are the choices and the reasoning for why you may want to play them, then a few optional choices just for ideas.

Sol Ring: Self explanatory. The best mana rock out there.

Sensei’s Divining Top: Can be tapped to make sure Trinket always has a target to find which keeps Trinket useful late game.

Skullclamp: Cards, lots and lots of cards. Skullclamp is just too broken an artifact equipment.

Pithing Needle: Shut down pesky activated abilities that may be in your way. Very helpful against Planeswalkers and certain Commanders.

Other options: This could go on for ages but Mana Vault, Mana Crypt, Mox Diamond, Expedition Map, and maybe a Codex Shredder or other graveyard fill effect.

Tribute Mage

Lightning Greaves: Haste and Shroud for Uro or any other creatures. With Equip 0 and protection Lightning Greaves is proven equipment.

Sword of the Animist: Ramp out some more of those basic lands, make use of your creatures with even more ramp.

Arcane Signet/Simic Signet: Simple colour fixing rocks that give you that turn one Sol Ring into Signet option.

Torpor Orb: For those giving up on the enter the battlefield value route to focus on the combat triggers your trade off disables the sacrifice trigger.

Other Options: Scroll Rack, Mind Stone, Winter Orb, Mesmeric Orb, Sundial of the Infinite.

Trophy Mage

Crucible of Worlds: Effective reuse of Fetchland and recursion.

Crystal Shard: Bounce Uro to hand in response to the sacrifice ability, reuse creatures for combos (Eternal Witness + Temporal Manipulation), and use offensively to bounce opponents’ creatures.

Sword of Feast and Famine/Sword of Fire and Ice: Searching for Sword’s of X and Y is pretty strong.

Vedalken Shackles: You don’t need that many Islands to cause some chaos and take control of your opponents creatures.

Cloudstone Curio: If you want to play some crazy land bounce combo it’s possible with this.

Other options: Burnished Hart, Oblivion Stone, Commander Sphere, Basalt Monolith.

Graveyard Fill

If we want to keep Uro on board though we’re going to need to feed the Escape mechanic. Some are simple strong choices such as Search for Azcanta, Mission Briefing, Fact or Fiction and the previously noted Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy. There are some other more entertaining cards for this though, Path of Discovery for example makes use of the Explore mechanic will either get you a land from the top of your library or allow you to pitch the card to the graveyard. I mentioned Life from the Loam earlier but the biggest Dredge card would be Golgari Grave-Troll, in tandem with Survival of the Fittest or a looting effect you’ll Dredge plenty of cards. Windfall or similar cards can be effective or even just Frantic Search spells can help sculpt your hand. If you want to be fun and daring then go with self mill to just Traumatize yourself and hope they don’t exile your graveyard. There are plenty of Draw and Ramp spells you can play like Brainstorm and Growth Spiral that will make their way to your graveyard naturally and you’ll be able to exile them to fuel your Escape.

Disruption/Blue

I mean that titles redundant as there’s pretty synonymous with each other. So getting the staples and counters out of the way for defensive choices I run Cyclonic Rift, Mana Drain, Cryptic Command, and Mystic Confluence. Venser, Shaper Savant is a versatile creature option being able to bounce permanents off the board or spells off the stack and Flood of Tears has been an incredible card being able to recur, disrupt, and drop things in. Some other options I like to keep around when building are creature or spell bounce Unsubstantiate, counterspell for legendary and Stifle effect Tale’s End, and a fun new Twincast/Remand like card Narset’s Reversal.

Now this section wasn’t made just to mention counters and staples, there are lots of fun options as well. I run Sunder when I can, which isn’t technically Land Destruction so they can hold the salt regarding that, but it fits well here. It just so happens this deck drops land faster than others in this deck and become less affected by it in the end. With Uro’s Growth Spiral ability, things like Mana Breach and Overburden are significantly more harmful to your opponents. I would even enjoy being forced to bounce my Mystic Sanctuary back to hand. There are cards like Planar Overlay or confusing cards like Mana Maze you could run just to create more issues for your opponents as well. Lots of options in being disruptive in blue, even just Rhystic Study or Mystic Remora give people a headache.

Threats, Big Spells, and Value

Lastly we have to do something with all this mana so let’s pull out the dangerous creatures, some big bombs, and some mana sinks.

Tooth and Nail: Big spell to get threats, a good old Avenger of Zendikar + Craterhoof Behemoth tends to do some damage.
Deadeye Navigator: Besides my usual infinite mana combo with Palinchron you can Soulbond to Uro to flicker a few extra Growth Spirals, draw your deck with infinite mana, or combo with Lotus Cobra and Cloudstone Curio.

God-Eternal Kefnet: Spell copying, could be ramp, removal, or an extra turn. Repeat infinitely with Jace, the Mind Sculptor or Scroll Rack.
God-Eternal Rhonas Double power and Vigilance to your board. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?

Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger: There’s no such thing as too much mana, right? There’s such a thing as not enough though which your opponents may have an issue with if Vorinclex stays around.

Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur: For when you like having cards more than having friends.

Praetor’s Counsel: When you want all your cards back and to be able to hold all your cards. The strongest mass Regrowth spell out there and for good reason.

Season’s Past: This can be more or less deadly than Praetor’s Counsel. Casting a Time Walk spell and getting it back with Season’s Past along with something to tutor for Season’s Past like Mystical Tutor. Infinite turns enough for you?

World Breaker: Fair Eldrazi exile removal for artifacts, enchantments, and lands on a cast trigger. The sacrifice a land to recur it to hand it great as a late game answer as well.

Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger: Perhaps a less fair option and more terrifying Eldrazi exile removal on a cast trigger for anythings in the way.

Nezahal, Primal Tide: For when you don’t want to care if they paid 1 for Rhystic Study or 4 for Mystic Remora because you’re going to draw anyway. The pitch cards to blink until end of turn on Nezhal also aids in fueling Uro’s Escape and shares the Elder creature type with Uro which is helpful for Path of Ancestry.

Frost Titan: The other Titan we can use, because Primeval is just a bit too broken apparently and I can’t disagree there. A built in counter tax shield, a freeze effect, and it shares the Giant creature type with Uro.

Multani, Yavimaya’s Avatar: A big legendary in this deck with P/T equal to your land count. He’s a recurring threat by bouncing lands back to your have and with all the land tricks you have you can make good use of it. Ulvenwald Hydra is great for ramp but as a threat Multani seems more dangerous with the Trample on top of the P/T.

Prime Speaker Zegana: This is a great draw power creature which goes well with Uro, or Multani, or Ulvenwald Hydra, or any of your big creature really.

Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma: I always consider Goreclaw for the discount which is helpful for Commander tax and the combat trigger. Also helps Uro trample through.

Consecrated Sphinx: You draw a card? I draw two. There’s a reason to kill this on sight and two of them with greedy players can destroy a game.

Woodland Bellower: One of my favorite green cards for its ability to tutor for small green non-legendary creatures straight to the battlefield which usually means utility or ramp.

Torrential Gearhulk: It’s great to have a bigger, stronger Snapcaster Mage option. Unlike Snapcaster Mage though it can only target instants but you won’t need to pay for the spell then. It has a solid body which makes it a strong combat after you’ve used it’s ability.

Greenwarden of Murasa: While it’s more expensive to function the same as Eternal Witness, it has a bigger body and an extra function that comes in handy because sometimes you need a card back more than you need it to stay in your graveyard.

Temporal Manipulation: Because you can recur it and take all the turns. I could list all the Time Walk effects but this is one of the effective options that can’t be Misdirectioned to your opponent.

Alhammarret’s Archive: Double the lifegain and the draw both of which is something that our Commander Uro gives.

Primeval Bounty: A huge value enchantment that gives you something anytime you do pretty much anything.

The Great Henge: Can come down for much cheaper with all the big creatures around. Extra life, draw, and power to your creatures? Sign me up.

Thrasios, Triton Hero: This is probably the best Simic mana sink out there. Fits very well in the strategy as well with ramp and draw.

Summary

Of course there wasn’t enough room for everything. Unfortunately a lesson many of us learn when deckbuilding. In the end, the version I have currently built is a Simic midrange style with ramp into value and just a few combos to win and finish a long game.

Remember there is pretty much no wrong way to build a deck. Have fun building and stay tuned for more because Uro didn’t Escape alone. Take a look through the deck list above and let me know what you think or how you’d play Uro in the comments.