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Video Daily Digest: White Ramunap

Ramunap Red is one of the few credible challengers to Energy, but let’s face it: the one-drop selection is terrible. Ross Merriam showcases a list that adds a white splash to fortify the low part of the curve!

Ramunap Red, or perhaps more accurately Hazoret the Fervent, has been the only deck/card that has consistently stood up to the power of Attune with Aether and the various Temur Energy decks that have come to dominate Standard. It’s an incredible threat that is difficult to answer directly and difficult to race because it can play offense, defense, and provides reach.

The one downside is the need to consistently empty your hand in order to bypass its downside. Ramunap Red was at its best over the summer when it had a better selection of one-drops to choose from, but now it’s forced to play Bomat Courier and Soul-Scar Mage, both somewhat underpowered, and there are only two options in the two-drop slot: Kari Zev, Skyship Raider and Earthshaker Khenra.

Today’s list reworks the Ramunap Red deck by splashing white in order to have a significantly lower, more explosive curve. Legion’s Landing takes over as the second one-drop, and it’s not only a more powerful card; the ability to transform it into a land gets you to double-spell turns, and thus turning on Hazoret, faster.

While there aren’t any additional one-drops in this list, there are plenty more twos. Adanto Vanguard is a proven excellent attacker and fits nicely here, but Servo Exhibition requires some explanation. The tokens help to transform Legion’s Landing and play very nicely with the various Anthem effects that white enables.

Trial of Solidarity and Shefet Dunes give this deck more explosive potential on Turns 4 and 5 than Ramunap Red, especially if your opponent tries to hold their removal back to answer Hazoret the Fervent. The addition of Trial also makes Cartouche of Solidarity a fine addition to lower the deck’s curve, even if it’s not a one-drop that’s actually relevant on Turn 1.

The downside here is certainly in the manabase, with only Inspiring Vantage to act as a fixer, but the ability to end games quickly while Energy decks are playing mediocre blockers like Servant of the Conduit and Rogue Refiner is a significant gain. I don’t really have any interest in trying to play a long game against the Energy decks, so coming out of the gates swinging and topping everything off with Hazoret the Fervent is the recipe I’m looking for.