Looks like you're 2nd version is similar to what I'm testing Haven.

It's fairly on the nose for a ramp deck idea and doesn't have a lot of interaction (removal/ life gain/fogs or any other stall) which hurts but it's definitely the direction I'm headed with my submission. Right now the biggest concern is curve/speed. If you don't hit a two drop (and there's basically no 3 drops), you can get into some trouble when the deck is on the draw. I'm going to have to spend some time looking at that and decide if there's anything I intend to do about it (like swapping Spring // Mind for Pull From Tomorrow). That or I run out of time and this just gets submitted - haha.

2 x Walking Ballista
2 x Sylvan Advocate
2 x Deathcap Cultivator
4 x Druid of the Cowl
1 x Nissa, Vastwood Seer
1 x Reclamation Sage
2 x Tireless Tracker
1 x Nissa, Steward of Elements
1 x Kiora, Master of the Depths
2 x Bounty of the Luxa
4 x Explosive Vegetation
2 x Altered Ego
1 x Nissa, Vital Force
1 x Woodland Bellower
1 x Ulvenwald Hydra
1 x Greenwarden of Murasa
1 x Aetherwind Basker
2 x Sandwurm Convergence
1 x Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
2 x Pull From Tomorrow
2 x Lumbering Falls
2 x Hinterland Harbor
4 x Woodland Stream
3 x Island
14 x Forest
1 x Rogue's Passage



elk

Vs Izzet Control (win)
This was the sweetest victory of all. Loved it!
Game was me playing lands and him playing lands and both just discarding our dead cards. I played my ramp cards and he countered them. I kept playing walkers and minor threats for him to keep blowing his counters. His wincons are on the bottom of his library, so are my gaea's (18 cards left and I didn't see one). I held ulamog for his wincons all game long (he basically has torrential and disciple), so I drop land, ramp to get my land out and wait.
Then he starts getting low on cards and plays commit on his own hulk... I see an opportunity. I look at 2 never // return in my hand and discard them at my next opportunity. When he finally plays disciple, I ulamog it and the fumarole. Ulamog gets countered, but his got 1 less wincon. Then he tries to play torrential again and drops big chandra. I take a beating, but I top-deck greenwarden and he's out of counters and really low on cards I get ulamog back. I then return his commit // memory and he sees his screwed. He tries to disperse his own gearhulk, but he doesn't have enough mana to instant-speed memory... so... He's got 1 card left, I've a greenwarden and a zombie token and ulamog in hand... So, he scoots... Sweet! AI doesn't have any idea what to do, so it +1s chandra and passes. Next turn I ulamog chandra and another fumarole and sit back and watch the AI deck itself...
I really enjoyed that, shame gaea's didn't show up (Haven't seen one in all 3 games), because I designed this deck to heavily hate on control and I am really pleased that this first test run went so well.

- Flip Nissa is not ramp, she only fetches a forest. You cannot consider her flipped side, because you need 7 lands to flip her so you can ramp with her only if you already did it, but she can't do it by herself. Her +1 is also conditional, and i consider it only as card advantage.

5. Nissa, Vastwood Seer
Nissa is the premier ramp creature in the format...

I get what you are saying, for this contest she isn't going to count. Funny though I was reading an article kind of exploring other formats and I read this...

Ramp it is... ok like other deck builders I´m not much of a ramp player but here is a first aproach. I try simic at first but I was sitting ducks most of the time so I went Gruul and it has been doing alright on the ladder, I think it does need some optimization so any input is welcomed.

Ramp 1.1
Creature(19)
2 x Walking Ballista
4 x Ember-Eye Wolf
2 x Sylvan Advocate
4 x Druid of the Cowl
2 x Tireless Tracker
1 x Rhonas the Indomitable
1 x Verdurous Gearhulk
1 x Samut, Voice of Dissent
1 x Ulvenwald Hydra
1 x Omnath, Locus of Rage

Instant(6)
2 x Fall of the Titans
4 x Fiery Impulse

Sorcery(6)
2 x Collective Defiance
4 x Explosive Vegetation

Planeswalker(4)
1 x Chandra, Torch of Defiance
1 x Arlinn Kord
1 x Nissa, Vital Force
1 x Chandra, Flamecaller

Land(25)
2 x Cinder Glade
5 x Mountain
7 x Forest
2 x Rootbound Crag
4 x Timber Gorge
3 x Aether Hub
2 x Rogue's Passage


Ps: I´m glad to find this thread with 3 pages of unread messages

So both Ulvenwald Hydra and Oblivion Sower will satisfy the ramp and 6+CMC requirement?

Can Eldritch Evolution be considered a ramp card?