Ramp is in an interesting place in this Standard format. There are some number of decks trying to play a midrange game that you can go much bigger than, but there are also many decks that are trying to get low to the ground to race. While the typical ramp decks are based in , there are other options that can help to fight against the aggressive decks of the format. One such option is the deck put together by Rafael Chafez for Grand Prix Denver:

Green-White Ramp - Hour of Devastation Standard | Rafael Chafez, Grand Prix Denver

• Creatures (12)
• 1 World Breaker
• 3 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
• 4 Thraben Inspector
• 4 Walking Ballista

• Planeswalkers (2)
• 2 Ajani Unyielding

• Instants (1)
• 1 Dissenter's Deliverance

• Sorceries (13)
• 2 Descend upon the Sinful
• 3 Spring // Mind
• 4 Fumigate
• 4 Hour of Promise

• Enchantments (7)
• 2 Cast Out
• 2 Weirding Wood
• 3 Gift of Paradise

• Lands (25)
• 4 Forest
• 2 Plains
• 1 Sanctum of Ugin
• 1 Scavenger Grounds
• 1 Sea Gate Wreckage
• 3 Fortified Village
• 3 Hashep Oasis
• 3 Shefet Dunes
• 3 Shrine of the Forsaken Gods
• 4 Scattered Groves

• Sideboard (15)
• 3 Authority of the Consuls
• 2 Blessed Alliance
• 1 Kozilek, the Great Distortion
• 2 Permeating Mass
• 1 Quarantine Field
• 3 Thought-Knot Seer
• 3 Tireless Tracker

Buy This Deck

It starts with the ramp spells. This deck uses Spring // Mind and Gift of Paradise as the primary ramp spells at 3 mana. Gift buys you a little more breathing room against aggressive decks, while Spring is a much better means of reloading late in the game than Weirding Wood. The next big change is the use of sweepers like Fumigate and Descend upon the Sinful over Red sweepers. In the current format, indestructibility doesn’t matter nearly as much as gaining a couple of life or exiling creatures permanently.

In addition to all of this, you gain access to Ajani Unyielding at the top of your curve. This Planeswalker does everything you could possibly want. It eats a creature and gives you more wiggle room against aggressive decks. It nets you cards against control decks. It’s easy to protect given the density of Thraben Inspectors, Walking Ballistas, and Fumigates in your deck.

If you’re looking to play ramp in this format without conceding to decks like Zombies and Ramunap Red, this seems like a good place to start. You don’t lose much at the top end, but you gain access to substantial lifegain and an exiling sweeper, both of which are key in those matchups.