u/metroids91

As per title, thanks!

A few years ago, the youtube content creators seemed to have gotten together and decided whenever we have an episode about cards to take out of your EDH decks, we HAVE to mention [[cultivate]] and [[kodama's reach]]. Well I'm here to argue in their favor. Let's look at commander's at each mana value (no fast mana included):

• 1 mana commander: Don't always need ramp, if I'm including, I'm probably doing 2 mana ramp as it gives me a turn 2 play and these are typically the most efficient.
• 2 mana commander: Don't always need much ramp, but probably going 1 or 2 mana ramp. 1 mana so I have a turn 1 play, or 2 mana so I have option for ramp on 2, then commander and something else on turn 3.
• 3 mana commander: Again almost certainly going 1 mana ramp or efficient 2 mana ramp.
• 4 mana commander: probably using 2 mana ramp so I can play commander on 3 consistently.
• 5 mana commander: OK here is your time to shine cultivate/kodama's reach. IF you play 2 mana ramp on 2 then you still don't have commander until turn 4, but if you run 1 and 3 mana ramp, then you can have commander on 3. You won't always have both in opening hand but even still, no matter whether you run 1, 2, or 3 mana ramp, your commander is not coming until turn 4. The 1 and 3 combo gives you the possibility on turn 3.
• 6 mana commander: You can go either 2 and 4 mana ramp or 1 and 3 mana ramp. Either way, you still have commander on 4 in best case scenario.
• 7 mana commander: OK we have all heard the best case scenario of something like [[three visits]] on turn 2 and then [[explosive vegetation]] on 3 gives possibility of commnander on turn 4, BUT ONLY if we did not miss any land drops for 4 turns. I have a Klauth deck and I still prefer and 1 and 3 mana ramp combo which means I have both cultivate and kodama's reach (I have 20 pieces or ramp in this deck, 10 1-mana and 10 3-mana).

OK truth be told, I'm probably not running any 3 mana ramp myself without some 1 mana ramp to go along with it. And I'm probably not running cultivate in 4 or 5 color deck because i don't have enough basics. BUT in 1, 2, or 3 color decks with 5+ mana cost commanders, I'm heavily considering it every time. NOT missing that next land drop is so crucial to me. I don't think there's much better 3 mana ramp considerations. Also I looked through a bunch of content creator decklists and many of them still run these 2 cards even when they have argued against them.