How to create a Domain Ramp Standard deck in MTG

Despite the loss of the important tri-lands from Streets of New Capenna with Magic: The Gathering In the last Standard rotation, Domain Ramp has managed to maintain its status as a top-tier metagame deck by exclusively using dual lands and being supported by Bloomburrow’s Fabled Passage.

Domain Ramp is a five-color deck that uses ramp spells to cast Atraxa, Grand Unifier early and plunge the opponent into card advantage with their enter-the-battlefield trigger. It works thanks to a combination of board wipes and lifegain spells that allow the deck to survive long enough to cast Atraxa and win the game from then on. As long as control decks stay off the field, Domain Ramp will continue to be a strong contender.

Example decklist

Here is a sample decklist for a Domain Ramp Standard deck.

What are the key cards?

The most important parts of this deck all revolve around keep you alive long enough to cast Atraxa, the Great Unifier. This creature is so powerful that This means you often win the game all by yourself assuming you can cast it. In fact, it’s the casting of Atraxa that makes it such a difficult card to play, due to its high mana cost and mana requirements for white, black, blue, and green.

Temporary Lockdown / Sunset

Mainboard sweepers aren’t that common in most decks, but they’re absolutely necessary for Domain Ramp. Without these cards, Domain Ramp would collapse like a deck chair in any aggressive deck.

It also helps immensely that banish both sweepers opposing creatures instead of simply destroying them. The exile clause bypasses recursive cards like Mosswood Dreadknight and effects that give creatures indestructible.

Remember that Temporary Lockdown hits all nonland permanents, so you can respond to cheap opposing enchantments, artifacts, and planeswalkers, as well as creatures. Unfortunately, Temporary Lockdown also removes your own Up The Beanstalk enchantments, so be careful with its symmetrical effect.

Ley line binding

Speaking of meeting non-land permanent cards: the removal spell that created Domain Ramp a viable deck at all. If there’s anything this deck has proven, it’s that a removal spell that serves as a blanket answer to every card your opponent might threaten you with is well worth the cost it might impose on deckbuilding.

Unfortunately, the days of being able to cast this enchantment on turn two or later are over. The loss of New Capenna’s Three Lands prevents you from having access to the mana requirements needed to cast Leyline Binding until turn three. Despite this, this is still one of the most important cards in the deck.

The true mana cost of Leyline Binding makes it work with the draw trigger of Up The Beanstalk.

Archangel of Wrath

Board wipes are all well and good, but the most aggressive decks with clever pilots behind them can often beat Sorcery Speed ​​​​Sweeper anyway. Archangel of Wrath prevents all of this aggressive nonsense thanks to Lifelink and her kicker trigger.

Since the Archangel is the source of her kicker damage and she has lifelink, The damage her kicker deals also heals you. Combined with a single Archangel attack or block, this is usually enough life gain to stem the tide of any aggressive deck.

Archangel of Wrath’s kicker can also always target the opponent’s health points, which is a clever way to score those last precious points of damage.

Atraxa, Great Uniter / Herd Migration

These are your late-game rewards for gaining access to extra mana early on. Notably, both spells can also give you life to recover from the damage you took in the early stages of the game. Using Atraxa is pretty self-explanatory, however, it is important to Remember that Atraxa is vulnerable to counterspells.

On the other hand, Herd Walk is usually only good for extra life and land loss in the early to mid game. From time to time, Herd Walk will be difficult to cast, but never rely on it. It is almost always the right answer to use extra mana in the early game to discard this card, Gain some extra life, reduce your land deck, and keep ramming.

How to play Domain Ramp

As we mentioned in the introduction, this deck is all about staying alive long enough to get Atraxa, Grand Unifier onto the battlefield. Cast all the spells you can in the early game, making sure you Arrange your countries correctly to prepare your moves in the middle game.

Getting the land order right is an important part of playing Domain Ramp, as making sure you have the exact colors you need on the turn you need them is paramount to success. One particularly easy mistake to make is forgetting to get the right colors for Archangel of Wrath’s kicker triggers.

As you enter the midgame, you must decide whether to focus on Ramp or use your board wipes to respond to opposing threats. While your life total is one of your least important resources in most decks, this is not the case with Domain Ramp. Always tend to perform your board wipe when you can prevent a particularly damaging attack. Finally, an opponent who gets your life low enough can always win with a direct damage spell like Lightning Bolt or other unforeseen non-combat damage shenanigans.

Archangel of Wrath is a particularly important card for stabilizing your life total. If you can afford to wait a turn or two for it to come into play with kicker triggers, it’s worth the wait. You can’t count on Archangel actually achieving lifelink in combat, since it’s one of the only targets for the removal spells your opponent has had in hand all game.

In the late game, the only thing that matters is the resolution of Atraxa, Grand Unifier. Look for the earliest and safest opportunity to play it and take your chance. Once Atraxa is resolved, many opponents will immediately give up. As for those who don’t, Make sure you make the most of the cards Atraxa finds. If you do this, it is extremely unlikely that your opponent’s deck will be able to keep up.

Don’t forget to have two copies of Cavern of Souls on the mainboard if you’re playing against an opponent who plays blue and may have counterspells. Only play Atraxa into a possible counterspell as a last resort.

How to build a Domain Ramp Sideboard

Unlike most sideboards, the sideboard from Domain Ramp more focused on answering specific cards as opposed to answering different deck archetypes. Domain Ramp can afford to build his sideboard this way thanks to the deck’s inherent immense value and the mainboard’s focus on defeating aggressive decks through board wipes and life gain.

However, some slots are used to answer deck archetypes. Nissa, ascended animist will compete against any opposing control deck as it continues to create late-game threats that must be answered. Likewise, your last copy of Temporary closure will be used against any very aggressive opponent.

Cave of Souls And Negate are here if you are facing a blue opponent who uses counterspells. Stubborn Baloth is your answer to any black deck that plays Liliana of the Veil in the mainboard or sideboard, as her discard trigger lets you bring the Baloth directly to the battlefield for free to answer her.

If you are playing against a deck where graveyard recursion or artifacts and enchantments play a key role in the deck’s strategy, Quiet ruffled back lets you fight back with his kicker ability. Finally Tishana’s Tidebinder is your answer for the mirror as well as for decks that play a powerful planeswalker. Since Tidebinder doesn’t really counter Atraxa, it’s the only card that answers its enters the battlefield trigger while also bypassing Cavern of Souls.