Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
Harnessing Cliffrunner Behemoth in Aggro Green Decks
There’s something irresistibly primal about Cliffrunner Behemoth’s green glare in the early Conflux days. A 5/3 creature for 4 mana is no joke, but it’s the tiny, taunting condition that sets it apart: haste if you control a red permanent, and lifelink if you control a white permanent. It’s a design that says: “If you can wrangle a little color, this beast becomes a tempo engine and a life-swinging threat all at once.” 🧙🔥💎⚔️ This isn’t a one-trick pony; it’s a flexible beatstick that rewards clever deck-building and careful battlefield planning, especially in aggressive shells that flirt with red and white as needed to unlock speed and survivability.
In practice, you’ll pair Cliffrunner Behemoth with a lean green curve and purpose-built support to maximize its efficiencies. The card’s sweet spot is a rapid, pressure-filled plan: drop the Behemoth on-curve, then keep the pedal to the metal while its conditional abilities flex with the board state. When you’ve got a red permanent on the table, that 5-power strength becomes a blitzing force with haste; when white permanents are on the scene, lifelink keeps you in the race through every clash. The flavor text of Conflux nods to the mountain’s roar—this beast is revered for its power, celebrated for its grace, and feared for the avalanches triggered by its thunderous feet. That’s not just flavor—that’s a play pattern you can feel when your opening turns collapse into a crushing strike. 🎨🎲
Card snapshot: what makes Cliffrunner Behemoth tick
- Mana cost: 3G (total 4 mana)
- Type: Creature — Rhino Beast
- P/T: 5/3
- Set/Rarity: Conflux, rare
- Oracle text: This creature has haste as long as you control a red permanent. This creature has lifelink as long as you control a white permanent.
- Colors: Green (color identity: G)
- Legalities: Modern legal; commander legal
Flavor-forward readers will appreciate the imagery: a behemoth whose thunderous feet can trigger avalanches, a creature whose ferocity is amplified by allied colors. It’s a call to attack with tempo and to live to swing again.
Aggro pathways: where Cliffrunner shines
Gruul-leaning beatdown
In a Gruul shell (R/G), Cliffrunner Behemoth becomes a turn-4 or turn-5 finisher with frightening immediacy. The moment you have a red permanent on board—perhaps a mana acceleration spell or a red-tinted ramp permanent—the Behemoth erupts into a fast, aggressive clock. Its 5 power slams through early blockers, and that lifelink facet can buy you crucial turns if your opponent stabilizes. The synergy isn’t about being multi-colored for the sake of it; it’s about intentionally weaving red-enhanced tempo into green’s big-beast plan. The Behemoth is the tireless, thunderous footman you want when your deck wants to punch first and ask questions later. 🧙🔥⚔️
G/W tempo with lifelink leverage
On the other flank, a green-white wedge can facilement unlock the lifelink angle. If you already run white permanents (plains, anti-removal support, or lifelink-granting effects) Cliffrunner Behemoth becomes a resilient swing that bleeds your opponent while healing you up. Imagine a board where lifelink keeps your life total meaningful while you push for the win—every hit becomes a lifeforce drip that helps you race to the finish line. Pair that with a couple of white and green creatures and you’ve got a resilient, aggressive shell that can weather removal spells while still dishing out damage. The artful balance of bite and grace aligns nicely with Conflux’s multi-colored flavor. 🎨🧙🔥
Deckbuilding tips: getting the most from this two-tone monster
- Speed bumps and accelerants: Include a few red permanents that you can reliably develop early, such as mana dorks or early creature-based threats, to unlock haste quickly. The sooner Cliffrunner Behemoth has haste, the more damage you push on turn four or five.
- White permanents for lifelink: Incorporate plains or white-anchored permanents to ensure lifelink can land when you need it. It isn’t about building a lifegain engine; it’s about ensuring your Behemoth can survive combat long enough to apply pressure.
- Buffs and protection: Since the Behemoth’s value hinges on your board state, include a few cheap protective spells or creatures that clear a path for it—think tap-downs or evasive options that keep your Behemoth attacking.
- Beatdown timing: Look to leverage your first two rounds to establish a threat density: drop your early plays, then curve into the Behemoth when you can push through a key line. If you can grant haste even for a turn, you can threaten lethal damage before your opponent stabilizes. 🧙🔥
- Mana considerations: In multi-color builds, ensure you’re not diluting your mana base. A lean G base with a couple of red or white off-color sources keeps you aggressive without stalling on mana.
Lore, art, and the collector’s pull
The Behemoth’s narrative frame—revered for power, celebrated for grace, feared for avalanches triggered by its thundering feet—fits the golden era of Conflux’s cross-pollinated universes. Wayne Reynolds delivered a striking illustration that captures the beast’s raw, primal energy, a perfect match for fans who love green’s force of nature and the chaos a Gruul or W/G tempo plan can unleash. With a price tag that sits comfortably in the “goofy-strong-but-not-astronomical” tier, it remains a popular pick for EDH players and cube enthusiasts who crave an iconic Behemoth that can swing games in a single red-hot combat step. Its EDHREC rank sits in the mid-to-lower range, which just means you’ll find it as a delightful surprise in casual group games or as a color-pigned pick in multi-player formats. The art and flavor make it a conversation piece at your next table—especially when you bludgeon through for a dramatic victory. ⚔️💎
“Its thunderous feet don’t just shake the ground; they shake the game.”
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Bottom line: Cliffrunner Behemoth remains a classic tempo-late-crasher in green-based aggro lists, especially when you thoughtfully weave red or white elements into your color identity. Its conditional powers reward you for careful planning and battlefield awareness, turning a strong body into a soaring tool of conquest. And in the spirit of Conflux’s multi-color magic, sometimes a little color balance is all you need to turn a midrange moment into a game-ending assault. 🧙🔥🎲
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