Hearthhull, the WorldseedHearthhull, the Worldseed | Art by Daniel Ljunggren

Welcome to Too-Specific Top 10, where if there isn’t a category to rank our pet card at the top of, we’ll just make one up! (Did you know that Redrock SentinelRedrock Sentinel is the only creature that lets you sacrifice lands to both draw cards and create Treasure tokens?)

I don't normally build face commanders of the precons if I can get away with it. That's well-trod space, and I'm going to let others trod it. But Hearthhull, the WorldseedHearthhull, the Worldseed is doing something near and dear to my heart: sacrificing lands.

My first love in Magic: The Gathering was Pegasus StampedePegasus Stampede. I'm not going to go into that too much here, as I've written multiple articles about it, but suffice it to say that me cracking Stampede in one of my first Exodus packs led to a lifelong love of sacrificing lands.

So when I see a lands commander that essentially says "Sacrifice lands to win the game," let's understate things a bit and say that I might be interested.

There's a bit of an interaction here that makes things more interesting than just "put all the ramp and all of the land sac effects into a deck," however. To have Hearthhull actually be able to win the game when you throw 20 lands in the graveyard, it has to be fully stationed. Which means that if that is your game plan, you're going to need creatures that can both contribute to that game plan and can turn on your commander.

In other words, the first card that probably came to most people's mind in Zuran OrbZuran Orb? It might not be the right choice.

So instead of going too deep, let's get a bit more specific, and just find the creatures that can both help us turn on our commander and sacrifice the lands we'll need to get the W.

Top 10 Jund Creatures That Can (Repeatedly) Sacrifice Lands

Criteria: Creatures within the Jund () color identity that can sacrifice at least one land or permanent with an ability that is repeatable and does not target a player to cause the sacrifice (get out of here, TergridTergridTergrid, God of Fright[/el]!).

Additionally, the ability must not bring back said creature from the graveyard, as this is debatably repeatable (get out of here, Earthquake DragonEarthquake Dragon and World BreakerWorld Breaker!).

As is tradition, all results are ordered by EDHREC score.

10. Sprouting GoblinSprouting Goblin

(9,374 Inclusions, 0.67% of 1,401,341 Decks)

Well, if we're not starting off with a bang, we're at least starting off with something workable. We'd rather Sprouting GoblinSprouting Goblin didn't have to tap to use its ability (a sentiment we're going to be tired of visiting by the end of this list), but we're pretty darn happy that it can search for a land in the mid-game.

Combine that with this being cheap card draw that will gradually drain down tables once our commander is turned on, and I'd call this a solid addition.

9. Uurg, Spawn of TurgUurg, Spawn of Turg

(Helms 632 Decks, Rank #1,557; 8,818 Inclusions, 0.65% of 1,357,669 Decks)

When you're aware of the full cycles that sacrifice lands for free from Mercadian Masques block, you look at stuff like Uurg, Spawn of TurgUurg, Spawn of Turg that makes you pay for the privilege a bit derisively. Unfortunately, most of that stuff that really fits the bill is white, so we just might have to put up with the likes of Uurg.

Combine that with the fact that he will likely station HearthhullHearthhull in one go, and I would initially call this Frog Beast just on the edge of the 99.

Let's look at the other options and we'll see if that means that it's scraping its way in, or if it'll be on the outside looking in.

8. Baba Lysaga, Night WitchBaba Lysaga, Night Witch

(Helms 5,192 Decks, Rank #369; 6,321 Inclusions, 0.47% of 1,357,669 Decks)

As a final blow type-deal, Baba LysagaBaba Lysaga isn't going to be what you're looking for, only sacrificing three lands for six life or three permanents for five. Combine that with her ability requiring her to tap, when we want creatures to be doing that already to station Hearthhull, and we've got some issues to overcome.

Now, does that mean that Baba Lysaga is bad? Absolutely not. Draining for three while drawing three cards is absolutely huge, and we know that we're already going to have creatures and lands to spare. That means that if we can scrape together any kind of artifact tokens, we're in business, and that's a pretty low bar to clear these days.

7. Greater GargadonGreater Gargadon

(9,765 Inclusions, 0.31% of 3,186,775 Decks)

My only issue with Greater GargadonGreater Gargadon in Hearthhull is that it does things in the opposite order you want. Rather than putting down a 9/7, crewing Hearthhull in one go, and then sacrificing 10 lands to hit the table for 20, it's instead doing all of the saccing before you necessarily have Hearthhull turned on.

With that said, Gargadon is the cheapest, most flexible, and least interactable sacrifice outlet in the game, and we'd be foolish not to be playing it, even if it's going to feel a bit clunky at times.

6. Tavern ScoundrelTavern Scoundrel

(25,353 Inclusions, 0.80% of 3,186,775 Decks)

Oh hey, a way to make artifact tokens for Baba LysagaBaba Lysaga! It's just too bad that it's coming stapled to a 1/3 that wants to tap itself already, otherwise we'd have some real synergy going on here.

5. Korvold, Fae-Cursed KingKorvold, Fae-Cursed King

(Helms 16,571, Rank #44; 21,634 Inclusions, 3.59% of 602,503 Decks)

If we're being honest, this entire deck could probably be made with KorvoldKorvold at the helm instead of Hearthhull. Of course, that could be said for pretty much any Jund deck, which is why I'm generally for leaving this Dragon Noble on the shelf.

However, it's hard not to see how specifically synergistic Korvold is with Hearthhull, immediately entering and getting half of the charge counters you need to turn it on, and then providing a steady sacrifice that will have you drawing four cards a turn in conjunction with your commander.

4. Elvish ReclaimerElvish Reclaimer

(50,772 Inclusions, 1.69% of 3,011,873 Decks)

Yet another creature we wish didn't have to tap to do its thing, Elvish ReclaimerElvish Reclaimer is still one of the first cards folks probably thought of when it came to upgrading the Hearthhull precon.

Sacrificing a land to immediately go get any land for two mana is already a great deal, and tacking on hitting all our opponents for two along the way is just the best kind of gravy. Throw in the fact that on pretty much any turn but one, we'll be playing this thing down as a 3/4 for a single mana to start stationing, and we're just happy with Reclaimer, period.

3. The Gitrog MonsterThe Gitrog Monster

(Helms 7,259 Decks, Rank #219; 80,186 Inclusions, 5.91% of 1,357,669 Decks)

If you've played the precon, you're more than aware already that The Gitrog MonsterThe Gitrog Monster is the best card in the deck. Which, to be fair, is not a new thing when it comes to Gitrog and lands decks. Suffice it to say, if you bought the precon and you were looking to make cuts, this isn't one of them.

2. Sylvan SafekeeperSylvan Safekeeper

(97,307 Inclusions, 3.23% of 3,011,873 Decks)

When you see which cards were included in the precon list, however, it makes the ones that weren't feel all the more egregious. Sylvan SafekeeperSylvan Safekeeper is, simply put, the best creature sac outlet you're going to find to finish off a table with Hearthhull. If your commander is turned on, and you have 20 lands, it can simply win the game on the spot, protecting your commander and itself along the way.

If you aren't ready to sacrifice every land you have? Well then it can simply protect your commander piecemeal as Hearthhull continues to swing in for six each turn while you draw cards and play even more lands.

And if you haven't managed to turn your commander on? Well then it's still a means of protecting your board and getting lands into your graveyard for Splendid ReclamationSplendid Reclamation effects, all while it stations for one every turn.

1. Braids, Arisen NightmareBraids, Arisen Nightmare

(Helms 7,558 Decks, Rank #198; 227,680 Inclusions, 6.93% of 3,283,717 Decks)

Sylvan SafekeeperSylvan Safekeeper might be the sac outlet in your deck, but when you take into account both value for you and also acknowledging that the rest of the board exists, it's not hard to see why it's behind Braids, Arisen NightmareBraids, Arisen Nightmare in the play numbers. Indeed, Braids is a decent reminder that there's an entire other build that's possible with Hearthhull where you lean heavily into Stax and mass land destruction.

Now, I don't endorse that build, despite being a Stax aficionado. No, I don't endorse that build because I don't think it can actually keep up with Bracket 4 tables.

With that said, leaning into resource denial a bit isn't a terrible idea, and at the top of that list is Braids, Arisen NightmareBraids, Arisen Nightmare. That natural step from one Braids to another, however, is why I was surprised they included Braids, Arisen NightmareBraids, Arisen Nightmare in the precon, as it's fairly easy to incentivize people into playing a Bracket 4 deck at a Bracket 3 table, or vice-versa.

Honorable Mentions

We hit a lot of stuff today, but we missed on a couple of things in our criteria, and I want to hit them.

First off, there are some land sac effects that care about specific basics. These are the only two good ones in Jund, and of the two, I think the main one worth considering is Orcish LumberjackOrcish Lumberjack.

Two Mountains could be hard to come by repeatedly, even when you're constantly bringing lands back from the graveyard and/or pulling them out of your deck. A Forest a turn, however, feels very achievable, and the ramp you're going to get out of it will have you plopping down huge threats from turn two onwards.

Second off, just because we want to lean into creatures hard doesn't mean that there aren't other good options elsewhere.

Top 10 Jund, Non-Creature, Repeatable Sac Outlets That Can Sacrifice Lands

1. Zuran OrbZuran Orb
2. Constant MistsConstant Mists
3. Vraska, Golgari QueenVraska, Golgari Queen
4. Hammer of PurphorosHammer of Purphoros
5. Lake of the DeadLake of the Dead
6. Dust BowlDust Bowl
7. Claws of GixClaws of Gix
8. Squandered ResourcesSquandered Resources
9. Aggressive MiningAggressive Mining
10. Need for SpeedNeed for Speed

Again, we don't want to go too deep on this list, as we need a critical mass of creatures for our commander to work. That said, Zuran OrbZuran Orb is a classic for a reason, and absolutely deserves consideration. Constant MistsConstant Mists I would counsel against, as it's going to create animosity at your table, but there's no question that it is a powerful Magic card.

Vraska, Golgari QueenVraska, Golgari Queen grows quickly if you have a deck that can utilize her +2 like we do, and can routinely blow up cards that would otherwise win players the game. Dust BowlDust Bowl feels like yet another huge omission from the precon, and the critical mass of game-breaking nonbasics is well in swing, meaning there are more than enough targets.

The cream of the crop, and the card you should be playing from this list no matter what, however? That's Squandered ResourcesSquandered Resources. It may seem like a huge risk at first, but in a deck that's able to bring Splendid ReclamationSplendid Reclamation effects to the table, it often just says "Double your mana every turn." Combine that with it also saying "Oh yeah, and drain the table for 20 every turn," when your commander is in play, and it's just too good a card not to include.

Include in what, you ask? I'm glad you did.

Hearthhull, the Worldseed Commander Deck List

This deck is a blast, but can definitely be guilty of long turns if you don't get to the point. I would heartily suggest asking the table if it's okay not to shuffle until you need to draw, as you're going to be constantly looking through your library for basics. With all that said, HearthhullHearthhull is a heck of a finisher, whether you do it all at once or a land at a time.

But be careful sacrificing all your lands at once, as it's easy for an opponent to remove your commander in response. Especially if you have a sac outlet, it's okay to do it one at a time and then tell people you're going to repeat the process X amount of times unless someone has any interaction.

Nuts and Bolts

There always seems to be a bit of interest in how these lists are made (this seems like a good time to stress once again that they are based on EDHREC score, not my personal opinion…), and people are often surprised that I’m not using any special data or .json from EDHREC, but rather just muddling my way through with some Scryfall knowledge!

For your enjoyment/research, here is this week’s Scryfall search.

What Do You Think?

As much as I'd hoped that we'd all moved on from thinking that Mass Land Destruction solves ramp, I saw this ugly talking point rear its head again last week. Hopefully, the presence of Planetary AnnihilationPlanetary Annihilation in Hearthhull's precon helps people realize that the decks that want MLD most are the lands decks, but just in case...

And finally, what is your favorite land-sac outlet? Is it a creature? Can you play it with Hearthhull, the WorldseedHearthhull, the Worldseed, and if so, are you?

Let us know in the comments, and we'll see you at the table that keeps on chopping its own legs off, an inch at a time. Odd, that.

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