M10 Review - Green

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This is MTG Realm's review of Magic 2010. As I really hope to employ brevity in this exercise, please do not expect lengthy and scholarly evaluations but rather rapid points as to the card's merit for deck inclusion in the standard environment.

For our review of White cards, click HERE.
For our review of Blue cards, click HERE.
For our review of Black cards, click HERE.
For our review of Red cards, click HERE.
For our review of Green cards, click HERE.
For our review of Colourless / Lands cards, click HERE.

~ REVIEW OF GREEN ~

Acidic Slime - Fairly good green removal. You destroy an artifact, enchantment, or land with the CIP ability AND then you get a 2/2 deathtouch. This is priced reasonably.

Ant Queen - A 5/5 for five is good but having the ability to dump extra mana into token generation (without the creature having to tap is great). Make sure your deck has mana generators to maximize the ants here.

Awakener Druid - Having the ability to turn a forest into a 4/5 treefolk with haste for three is decent and a 1/1 to boot adds up to 5 power for three - what are you waiting for.

Birds of Paradise - If you haven't heard, bird is the word. This really is the best mana producer like evar. You need this for mana acceleration to pump out your fatties sooner in the race with your opponent.

Borderland Ranger - This could have been a good card were it an elf.

Bountiful Harvest - There are much better cards out there if you need to include a life card card. This card is really quite terrible.

Bramble Creeper - Deals no damage when blocking and is killed fairly easily with its anemic toughness. Not good at all.

Centaur Courser - This is not too bad. The recent power creep may have marginalised this creature.

Craw Wurm - Green fatties in this set are very few. Some players may consider this but for the most part, Craw Wurm is not what it used to be - thanks again power creep.

Cudgel Troll - A green regenerative critter like this is likely to see some play because it is decent - just wished it had a bit more cowbell.

Deadly Recluse - This is a solid choice for inclusion for green if you are up against any flyers. Deathtouch here is the cowbell and we like it.

Elvish Archdruid - While Lorwyn and Shadowmoor is still standard legal, this card will rock your casual game - especially now that manaburn is gone. This card is awesome and yes, I am thinking about an Elf build thanks to the Archdruid.

Elvish Piper - Dust off your big stupid-fat multicolour beaters like Progenitus and use this card to cheat them onto the battlefield. This card can be very good.

Elvish Visionary - Elf type is good and card advantage is good. You should give this card some serious thoughts for inclusion.

Emerald Oryx - meh. Put this in your sideboard against other green builds.

Enormous Baloth - With mana acceleration, this is the green fatty that will see popular play. Hilarility soaks it's flavour text and I would play it just because of that.

Entangling Vines - Green is limited in this core for neutralising threats so this may find it's way on the board. Still honks though.

Fog - Casual players may consider this but many advanced players have no use for it. Perhaps a sideboard card for me.

Garruk Wildspeaker - This Planewalker is the most suitable for green and Garruk was built for green decks like the one you are thinking about. Mana, token beaters, and trample for your swarm are solid qualities.

Giant Growth - Using this strategically will heap the pain on your opponent. Until I play a lot more games, not sure how dampened this is by new combat rules.

Giant Spider - If there are flyers across the table, you are going to need this. I have preference to its little evil brother Deadly Recluse.

Great Sable Stag - Very good card. Excellent against blue / black of course. I wish this either had flying or a drop in rarity. There are less than a handfull of counterspells in this set so the additional ability (can't be countered), may be as useless as chocolate fireman.

Howl of the Night Pack - If one ever wanted an excuse to play mono green, here it is. A potential for 14 power for just seven is nuts. If your opponent has a Pyroclasm waiting in the wings, this play will be the most epic fail you ever felt. Use with caution against red burn.

Kalonian Behemoth - Great card. [edit] - I wish that I could couple this with trample (like Behemoth Sledge) to make this card totally epic but shroud here makes it impossible. Thanks for the correction guys - I should really do a better job at reading the card fully.

Llanowar Elves - Decent. This is budget Birds or Noble Hierarch and will see inclusion for green's requirement for mana acceleration. Consider this is Elf builds while LOR / SHA is still standard legal.

Lurking Predators - Could be good in mostly creature decks with mana acceleration.

Master of the Wild Hunt - This card is just as awesome as the Three Wolf Moon T-shirt. Make sure you wear the 'T when playing this. Best token generator and critter removal in green.

Might of Oaks - This is potentially 7 pain for just four which is good. Really need to fit this onto a dude with trample to make your opponent cry.

Mist Leopard - meh. The toughness on this is skinny and will not really see any real play.

Mold Adder - Very solid card to sideboard against blue / black. Not sure it will win any games but perhaps your opponent will be distracted enough by this threat it could be beneficial.

Naturalize - Yet another card for side board consideration. Nothing special here.

Nature's Spiral - I love this as it can get spells and Planeswalkers back. Great recursion for green which really needs something like this.

Oakenform - I wish Wizards would have tossed this card and choose Blanchwood Armor instead. Oakenform is really not that good.

Overrun - Good finisher for green. If you can afford it, just use Garruk instead.

Prized Unicorn - Possibly a good combat trick or great if you can get extra power and deathtouch on it, otherwise just don't use it.

Protean Hydra - A really good card. Dump as much mana into this as possible to avoid premature removal. This is the chia-pet version of Feral Hydra and you may even want to ping it yourself to watch it grow. Terrible art.

Rampant Growth - Good in a mana bind or to get out a colour minor but this does not promise to see much play in standard.

Regenerate - Not very good and will not see popular play.

Runeclaw Bears - The new Grizzly Bears. Total green vanilla and good for insomniacs.

Stampeding Rhino - Not great. Just good. Very good if you can get that Might of Oaks on this.

Windstorm - A great sideboard card which could save your game.