Green has been on an upswing in Standard in the wake of Rivals of Ixalan. We're seeing more and more decks featuring the two-three hits of Merfolk Branchwalker and Jadelight Ranger. That said, these cards have been mostly a supporting color, used alongside cards like Rekindling Phoenix and Sram's Expertise. Does Green have what it takes to stand on its own? This deck seems to say that it's possible:

Mono-Green Beatdown - Rivals of Ixalan Standard | Joao_Andrade, 5-0 Standard League

• Creatures (23)
• 1 Rhonas the Indomitable
• 2 Druid of the Cowl
• 2 Wayward Swordtooth
• 3 Narnam Renegade
• 3 Rishkar, Peema Renegade
• 4 Jadelight Ranger
• 4 Merfolk Branchwalker
• 4 Walking Ballista

• Sorceries (6)
• 2 Mouth // Feed
• 4 Hour of Promise

• Artifacts (6)
• 3 Heart of Kiran
• 3 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship

• Lands (25)
• 10 Forest
• 1 Arch of Orazca
• 1 Dunes of the Dead
• 1 Grasping Dunes
• 2 Field of Ruin
• 3 Desert of the Indomitable
• 3 Scavenger Grounds
• 4 Hashep Oasis

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Aethersphere Harvester
• 2 Ambuscade
• 3 Carnage Tyrant
• 1 Narnam Renegade
• 2 Naturalize
• 2 Silent Gravestone
• 3 Wildgrowth Walker

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However, we can do better. A deck that's just packed with huge creatures is bound to struggle against decks that have bigger creatures backed up by removal, right? That's where the top end comes in. This deck has a number of ways to make sure that it stays relevant well into the late game, starting with Skysovereign, Consul Flagship. This card comes in and has a huge impact, then continues to keep the board under control while getting in through the air. You can even cast this card on turn four thanks to Druid of the Cowl and Rishkar. On top of that, you have access to Hour of Promise finding powerful utility lands or just shoring up your board presence, as well as Mouth // Feed giving you the ability to reload in the midgame.

All in all, this deck has a shocking amount of tools, and is only gaining more in the coming weeks. Dominaria has a ton of exciting new options for this deck. It's also relatively budget-friendly as a mono-colored deck. There's a lot to like about this, and I can't wait to see if this is the start of non-Red, mono-colored strategies starting to come back in Standard play.