Which ramp

jimmysnuka

Outside of green, which is generally considered to be better? 3 mana a turn style (Drownyard Temple) or change to gems colours style (Corrupted Grafstone).

Thanks

span_argoman

Outside of Green and Koth, definitely 3 mana a turn (Shrine of the Forsaken Gods, Drownyard Temple) ramp supports.

Think of it this way, those give you a flat 3 mana a turn. Gem converters will give you up to 6 to 7 bonus mana if they convert a free match of your colour for you and you maintain the same gem match options as before. However if you got a free match but your match option dropped from primary colour to contrasting colour you only gained 3 mana.

If the gem converters merely upgraded your match option from complementary card to primary colour, say Blue to White for Origins Gideon, you only got a net gain of 2 mana cause you gain 6 from White instead of 4 from Blue.

And that's not counting the turns where the gem converters do nothing. So you're trading consistency for potentially greater but more erratic gain.

When it comes to gem conversion, there needs to be a critical mass to make it really good. If you match your primary colour every turn you are taking away 3 gems from the board net any replacements falling from the sky above. So if you aren't generating 3 primary gems each turn the board progressively gets worse for you if replacements do not come. Green is great with gem conversion cause it can easily exceed that number. Koth benefits well from gem conversion because the contrast in mana gain between his primary colour and everything else is so huge.

Another benefit of gem converters over 3 mana a turn supports is the loyalty gain you get from free matches. It can be significant for planeswalkers who depend more on their abilities.

jimmysnuka

Fantastic breakdown! Thank you kindly.

Rogan_Josh

span_argoman wrote:

Outside of Green and Koth, definitely 3 mana a turn ...

excellent write up.

I just want to add that gem swap supports should be run in pairs for the PW's complementary colours. For Jace, UB and UW are a given but running U+ and B+ as well escalates in good returns.

on the whole If you can't run 2+ swap supports don't bother running them at all. Run a single 3 mana one instead. The 10 card deck limit is your biggest enemy here as using a slot for a support that only vaguely increases your match options is a difficult decision for some.