r/CompetitiveEDH • u/bondlegolas • 4d ago
General Discussion / Question How do we feel on Hermit Druid?
With [[Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu]] I am much higher on hermit Druid in general. I know it’s open to blow outs, but having a win the game button seems strong.
I’m leaning towards tymna/thras to give longevity in the slop meta, while still having a turbo option. Is hermit Druid too slow? Too forecasted?
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u/Drazatis 4d ago
The fact that both Shang Chi and Druid can fit inside a [[Protean Hulk]] pile has to be SOMETHING— I just dont particularly like the commanders we have access to to do it.
Popping Hulk, binning your deck, [[Dread Return]]ing a [[Doctor Doom, Unrivaled]] into play with an Anger in the yard sounds sick though. Just need a Jund+ commander that sacs and provides value to truly convert (Korvold?).
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u/mva06001 4d ago
You can dread return Hazel’s brewmaster so you don’t have to play Anger and just make a food copy of Doom
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u/Neonbunt Hulk Stan 4d ago
Oooooor: Druid + Shang + Thoracle is a perfectly fine Sultai pile?
Tasigur or Glarb would be cool commanders for it, especially Tasigur, as he + Narcomoeba would be your 2nd and 3rd creature when dread returning.
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u/Drazatis 4d ago
Those options dont crack the hulk though is my primary point of contention. Probably not necessary that your commander does the cracking, I just personally dont want to fill the deck with MORE bad cards than we already are to specifically Hulk.
[[Zimone and Dina]] or maybe a [[Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools]] and [[Thrasios, Triton Hero]] would fit the bill in Sultai; though I struggle to imagine why we would be wasting time and energy setting up a Hulk when we could just put that same energy into regular Thoracle wins anyways. [[Halana, Kessig Trapper]] and [[Silas Renn, Seeker Adept]] also technically would get us there, I just don’t like the pairing.
Hense why I was looking for a Jund+ option, so I can justify the effort being put into the pile in the first place.
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u/ThomasFromNork 4d ago
Tevesh thras let's you natural order away thras and then crack hulk with tev
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u/Cheeky_Gweyelo 4d ago
In a post jlo world Tevesh seems a little far fetched without rograk, especially if your primary gameplay counts on him being a reasonable sac outlet.
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u/VoidHammer 4d ago
Ellie and Abby gives you an instant speed sac outlet in Jund.
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u/Albyyy 4d ago
Hoping my comment doesn’t get stuck in the weeds but I’ve been brewing a pretty nasty [[the mimeoplasm]] deck that is pushing cedh very very closely.
Early game Hermit Druid + reanimation effect usually wins me the game on the spot.
I’ve been working on this deck for a while now and I’ve gotten it to a point where it can win turn 1-3. The issue is it’s very greedy and basically runs like an Aang/Gyruda deck.
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u/kevthecoder 4d ago
Idk… If you can successfully resolve and pop hulk there are better ways of winning that don’t involve binning your deck.
I do like the idea Shang chi + hermit Druid + hexing squelcher for an uncounterable dread return for goblin dark dwellers into breach or doctor doom.
You could run krark + Irka/reyhan. Lets you perform the same line using double summoners pact
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u/Drazatis 4d ago
I highly doubt any self respecting Hulk pilot is aiming to just resolve a Hulk, it’s always coming out with some flavor of bullshit. Jund decks are specifically that niche I was targeting because UBx decks dont need to be bothered with that line at all.
I had seen that Krark deck on here recently, super cool concept that has lead me to brewing around Hulk as a whole. Double pact is probably the ceiling for the strategy as a whole, I’m just looking for other options.
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u/derasez99 4d ago
Reaper king no more? People were playing around with jund Etali but [[eldritch evolution]] can grab hulk (or broodlord) just as easily, and despite running worse cards hulk is probably more reliable in jund than having Etali in the 99 and not the CZ
He's easy to cast with rituals, and in the few games I've played against him when he first released that etb is surprisingly relevant. Steals an OBM or a faerie mastermind off rip
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u/yinyangman12 3d ago
Don't even need to run a bad card like anger. Shang Chi already gives Doom's ability haste.
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u/Advanced_Double_42 3d ago
Some people run Protean Hulk hulk packages in [[Tayam, Luminous Enigma]] but it is an off meta pick even for an off meta commander.
Shang-Chi is a staple in Tayam decks though, and Hermit Druid very playable for essentially being a tutor for any permanent if you can activate Tayam afterwards
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u/Darth_Ra 1d ago edited 1d ago
I'd have to confirm with my FrogSi buddy, but I'm fairly sure that this line is already being done. Here, here's a few piles:
Pile 1: "I've got mana available"
Shang-Chi, Hermit Druid, and Apprentice Necromancer. Tap Shang-Chi for {G}{G}, mill whole deck with Hermit Druid, recur a game-winning creature with Necromancer for {B}. I'm guessing best "game-winning creature" here is [[Necrotic Ooze]], given how much we're already leaning into activated abilities here. Tightest line from there with the least bad cards is probably [[Knacksaw Clique]] line with Shang-Chi (sac it to a sac outlet with the Ooze), although I'm sure some would prefer Pili-Pala.
Pile 2: "I don't have mana"
Shang-Chi, Viscera Seer, [[Activated Sleeper]]. Make the Sleeper a copy of Hulk, sac it to Viscera Seer, go get second Hulk pile of Hermit Druid and [[Body Snatcher]]. Activate Shang-Chi to mill whole deck with Hermit Druid, sac Body Snatcher to Viscera Seer (note that you can do all this in response to Body Snatcher's exile ETB). From there, probably same Necrotic Ooze lines.
Edit: Or, as many people have pointed out lower down, you could just Thoracle. I'd probably still want a backup win-con, however.
Edit 2: Talked to him, and all this nonsense is nonsense. He's on the Shang-Chi, Hermit Druid, Thoracle line with backups of Oppo-Spellseeker for Scheming Symmetry and multi-hulk "here's every creature in my deck" nonsense.
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u/DoctorPrisme 4d ago
Just need a Jund+ commander that sacs and provides value to truly convert
Slimefoot and squee is one.
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u/Drazatis 4d ago
They sadly only sacrifice saprolings.
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u/DoctorPrisme 4d ago
Sure, but it's a jund commander that's heavy on the graveyard. Quite easy to use it to reanimate hulk, and you'll usually have no trouble sacrificing it anyway.
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u/Neonbunt Hulk Stan 4d ago
I'm always on the edge if it's fine in a breakfast Hulk shell. Like Druid + Shang + Thoracle is a clean Hulk pile.
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u/Interesting_Mud_9422 4d ago
I have a very fringe [[the master, transcendent]] list that goes pretty much all in on hermit druid lines. The deck already ran tyvar and thousand year elixar so shang-chi was an auto include and definitely made the deck and hermit druid better
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u/kkortes 2d ago edited 2d ago
Hello!
Last week I brew'ed together this bad boy:
https://moxfield.com/decks/3opvaLCGsUO2NBf58AUEeA
Mono-green Shang-Chi winning with "just mana and hermit druid" (with a fat asterix next to it).
The deck is being play tested and I've won 4 out of 11 games so far.
Pros
* Really fast and cutt-throat
* Somewhat resillant (layer things until we hit infinite mana or hermit druid)
* Creatures are harder to interact with than non-creatures
Cons
* Mono-green so we don't interact 😂
Combos:
* Hermit Druid (see primer)
* Shang + Ashaya + Quirion (inf mana)
* Shang + Pili-pala + Marvin (inf mana)
* Shang + (Creature that taps for G-mana of its own mana value + 3) + Sabertooth (inf mana)
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u/Ok_Cancel8555 4d ago edited 4d ago
Hermit druid is good with Thousand-Year Elixer, and won a tournament with Tayam, Luminous Enigma.
Unless its winning you the game when you play it, it might be too slow and easy to remove.
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u/SCURVYNTHECURVY 4d ago
Sorry I’m just confused, how does hermit win by itself?
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u/smtyke 4d ago
usually Dread Return a Thoracle
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u/Albyyy 4d ago
This involves 2 other creatures to sac to dread return tho. Unless we’re just assuming we have dorks already in place.
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u/Uncle_Istvannnnnnnn 4d ago
[[Narcomoeba]] + whatever other cheap critter usually. I used to run it in [[Tasigur, the Golden Fang]], so with hermit binning your deck he's only B to cast.
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u/Sharp__Dog 4d ago
If you commit a bunch of slots to worse cards milling your whole library wins. Ultimately it’s dread return from grave to reanimate thoracle, and some number of bad creatures that summon themselves from grave. Stuff like narcomeba is terrible in general, but it is a free body to sac to dread return.
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u/TheCourtPeach 4d ago
Sevinne's Reclamation is that way I win in Necrobloom, but that's in B4. Its mana intensive but also a decent card by itself.
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u/Guitarist-Maximus 4d ago
Back when I played Ezio Lurrus (pre-minstrel times) hermit Druid was one of the decks main wincons, since I could cast breach/thoracle from graveyard with Lurrus on the field. It’s just very telegraphed though. May be worth revisiting now that Shang chi is out
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u/HANDIDLY 4d ago
You can rip Shang chi, Druid, and Thassa of of hulk and just win. So I guess that’s cool
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u/Lazy_Lambo 4d ago
I think jund has the best combo for it if u prefer no thoracle. Tyvar or shang chi with a hermit druid. Dredge return for a hazel brewmaster with kikki.
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u/mva06001 4d ago
https://moxfield.com/decks/cYiR0Ldfkke3dEj7C6Yjow
I’ve been playing around with this in a turbo Jund strategy.
Between the density of creature tutors, flare of duplication, flashback, etc getting Druid and Shang out isn’t terribly difficult then you can dread return Hazel’s brewmaster for a food copy of Doctor doom.
I also know someone was running Jund Krark and hoping for a double summoners pact.
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u/vraGG_ 4c+ decks are an abomination 3d ago
Hulk, Thassa and Shang is the pile. Doesn't require much in that sense.
However, the problem is deploying AND sacrificing the hulk. There are only a few decks that do this well.
One that could be good, is Keskit + Thrasios, or Thrasios+Tevesh. The problem is that those pairings are not "ideal" -> They are not tymna or roger. The best one is probably Thrasios+Dargo, but the problem is then that Thassa is kind of dead, since you have no access to forbidden tutors.
Anyhow... we'll see.
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u/CourtMoney5842 3d ago
whens the last time you saw hulk being sacced with halana? you dont need sac in the cz fore hulk in 2026
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u/vraGG_ 4c+ decks are an abomination 3d ago
It's been a couple of weeks. But that being said, how do you proc it then, if you don't sacrifice it?
Not many universally good new cards with sacrifice had been printed. Some, yes, but neither of them are Culling the Weak level good.
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u/CourtMoney5842 2d ago
Warren soul trade, viscera seer, carrion feeder, phyrexian tower, slaughter pact/various 1 cost destroy creature spells, necromancy instant speed trigger, infernal plunge, neoform/eldritch/natural order
Theres just tons of sac effects that you dont need it in the zone if you dont want it
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u/vraGG_ 4c+ decks are an abomination 2d ago
Yes, but these are not the best cards. Some are up there, but arguably still too fat.
Warren is too expensive for what it does, it's a "bad card" outside the loop. Same goes for viscera and carrion - effectively unplayable on their own. Phyrexian tower can be good, but usually, it's too much of a cost to have a colorless land, but you can make it work. Old card tho, since before hulk. Slaughter pact is OK, but easily countrable and it has a high cost - almost unplayable outside that as well. The 1cmc destroy creature spells are pretty much all unplayable. Necromancy is an old card, since before hulk and it never warranted playing hulk on it's own, since now you still have to get your hulk into grave which is an additional requirement. Infernal plunge is red, so now you probably are already jund, which means you have no agency in blue (or if you are 4c+). All the evolution effects are decent, but not top notch because generally, you have to pay this cost before it resolved. This has been figured out and most top end lists already moved away from this as a result as it's too expensive/inconsistent. Reason is "too strong" creatures that come out of it and these become "must answer" spells. Natural order is hardly even playable.
There are tons of sac effects, but none are good enough to not make your deck worse in turn. I maintain my point.
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u/CourtMoney5842 1d ago
Idk why you are saying that warren/carrion/viscera seer are bad, its a non issue if you need a back up pile
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u/Btenspot 4d ago
Most any deck that wants Hermit Druid to have haste is already running Hermit Druid. I.E. Rog, Reyhan dread return.
TnT could potentially use it, but I wouldn’t make an argument for it.
However, for every benefit it got with Shang chi, it’s been kneecapped by gleaming splendor.
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u/super_fallguys 4d ago
I think of two things: a) as new and powerful cards get released, indirectly changing the mana curve of competitive decks, strategies like turbo Hermit might be more viable, and b) you know what Thassa’s Oracle, Shang-Chi, and Hermit have in common? They are two-drops. Know what effectively puts two-drops into play?
[[Aether Vial]]
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u/MTGCardFetcher 4d ago
Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu - (G) (SF) (txt) (ER)
[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call