Splash Blue for Thirst for Knowledge and Ideas Unbound
And if your looking for a finisher, why not Inkwell Levithan completely Grudge/any other removal proof Also, Darksteel Relic is unnecessary, as sacing the artifact is a cost, they cant destroy it in response to faithless looting, it would be better as something else. The Sharumm infinite life loss combo is cute however really bad in not EDH.
This is kinda cool, the Trash for Treasure card I didn't know about, it's like a Tinker from your graveyard. I think this deck should have a plan B though.
Wellsprings seem like a good option for artifacts to sacrifice. The deck would need to have more ways to put cards in the graveyard and probably more ways to abuse it than just Trash for Treasure. I like the inclusion of Batterskull if rituals are used. Kind of like a Big Red with the artifact sub-theme. Could run maindeck Blood Moon and Volcanic Fallout, discard them with Lootings if not needed in game one.
I like the idea of blue and maybe more discard outlets if you want to maybe expand on the idea of gaining advantage through trash for treasure, but you are short on pieces for such an engine, so i think taking out the rits and disciple is probably the better idea at this point. I guess you could play trash for treasure as a pseudo-goryo's vengeance and toss out the BIG guys as early as turn 1 or 2... In which case, you might as well run that too or breach or something...
AEther Spellbomb - Hillarious against opposing unburial gifts decks, which I expected to see many of, and did. Gives you a bit more game against twin as well.
Pyrite Spellbomb - Death to the hatebears! And bobs. And whatever else you want dead. In the entirety of my playing, I've killed someone with this a total of twice, thanks to academy ruins.
Engineered Explosives - Because wiping the field seems rather good. Trashing for this at zero against affinity multiple times made me laugh. Great card, very versatile.
Inkwell Leviathan - Shrouded Beatstick that's pretty much unblockable against the field. Oh, and it tramples.
Sphinx of the Steel Wind - The best target in the deck by far. Essentially auto-wins against jund or aggro.
Iona, Shield of Emeria - This was originally a third trash target in the form of Wurmcoil Engine/Sundering Titan but both were proven to be too weak in the matchups I needed them most in. However, stealing tech from other gifts lists, I just shoved Iona into the deck instead, and It's been amazing.
Snapcaster Mage - Gifts piles, reuse of so many things.. More than two is a bad idea.
Trinket Mage - Does so much for the deck. I was running three mainboard for awhile, but have settled on two for now. You want to see a trinket mage, but not every game until sideboard, when it becomes much more important. Fetches Citadels to sacrifice to, EEs to sweep, spellbombs, and postboard pithing needle. Very good card.
Gifts Ungiven - I don't think this deck would work without it. Gifts sets up a next-turn bomb, or gives you protection, or lands, or really whatever you want. Speeds the deck up an enormous amount.
Board:
Nihil Spellbomb for storm, gifts, and co. Pithing Needle for everything. There is nothing it doesnt do. Vedalken Shackles because stealing cards is awesome. Ethersworn Canonist is obvious storm hate. Oh by the way, it's trash for treasurable! Phyrexian Metamorph - See pithing needle. Blood Moon - slow down tron a bit, and generally destroy the manabases of your opponents. This deck doesnt care much about moon. Pyroclasm - Kill ALL the things. Shattering Spree - Hate hate, affinity hate, and because it's so pretty. (look at it!)
What I didn't include: Wurmcoil Engine - Sphinx was always better, and this was a very poor backup target. I never gifted for it, not once. Platinum Emperion - This was even worse. Sundering Titan - Worse than I thought it would be. In the matchups I wanted it, it was usually better to just get inkwell and win the game. Sharuum the Hegemon - I didn't really look at this much, though it could definitely find a home.
I was just about to suggest Gifts/Unburial Rites. It makes too much sense not to add, and Path is obviously nice as well. Although that makes the Blood Moon plan a lot less attractive.
I was running a Trash list for a while, before I realized that a straight reanimator would probably be better. Nonetheless, I experienced a great deal of success off the back of Sundering Titan. It just feels great to trash it in and out (or off a Sharuum) to completely neuter an opponent's (jund) manabase, leaving you open to win.
What about Elesh Norn? I'm pretty sure it's incorrect not to have her when you have the Gifts package
I've never wanted it so far. I could put it in the sideboard for aggro decks, but with effectively 6 sweepers in g2, aggro isn't much of an issue.
Iona gets the nod over Norn for giving me better game against twin and storm, not to mention any mostly mono colored decks that might exist. It's just more relevant to me than a constant -2/-2 is.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Tantarus: It didn't make the gaka greifer level, so it should be fine
4x Mishra's Bauble
4x Darksteel Relic
4x Pyrite Spellbomb
4x Faithless Looting
4x Trash for Treasure
4x Desperate Ritual
4x Disciple of the Vault
4x Sphinx of the Steel Wind
4x Sharuum the Hegemon
4x Wurmcoil Engine
4x Darksteel Citadel
4x Sulfurous Springs
4x Blackcleave Cliffs
4x Dragonskull Summit
4x Blood Crypt
Suggestions/Advice/Constructive Criticism welcome.
BRYAUGH plays punk and metal covers of songs from LOTR movies! Check out BRYAUGH on bandcamp and facebook!
And if your looking for a finisher, why not Inkwell Levithan completely Grudge/any other removal proof Also, Darksteel Relic is unnecessary, as sacing the artifact is a cost, they cant destroy it in response to faithless looting, it would be better as something else. The Sharumm infinite life loss combo is cute however really bad in not EDH.
I agree with removing the disciple. Its useless outside of the combo.
I'd also cut the Desperate Ritual. It's really only good turn 2, and only in a dream scenario.
Add four Inkmoth Nexus to sacrifice to Trash for Treasure. 1-2 Academy Ruins is also good to recur your fatties lategame.
Other artifacts to consider:
Tormod's Crypt
Pentad Prism
Spellskite
Wall of Tanglecord
Phyrexian Metamorph
I would definitely splash blue for Thirst for Knowledge and counterspells.
Sundering Titan really wrecks some decks, and should be considered in the sideboard.
4th place at CCC&G Pro Tour
Chances of bad hands (<2 or >4 land):
21: 28.9%
22: 27.5%
23: 26.3%
24: 25.5%
25: 25.1%
26: 25.3%
ha! get it?
nyuk nyuk nyuk.
I like the idea of blue and maybe more discard outlets if you want to maybe expand on the idea of gaining advantage through trash for treasure, but you are short on pieces for such an engine, so i think taking out the rits and disciple is probably the better idea at this point. I guess you could play trash for treasure as a pseudo-goryo's vengeance and toss out the BIG guys as early as turn 1 or 2... In which case, you might as well run that too or breach or something...
http://officeofstrategicinfluence.com/spam/ <---- kills spam, fyi.
4x Chromatic Star
4x Faithless Looting
4x Desperate Ritual
3x Goryo's Vengance
4x Trash for Treasure
4x Thirst for Knowledge
3x Through the Breach
4x Wurmcoil Engine
4x Inkwell Leviathan
4x Sharuum, the Hegemon
4x Inkmoth Nexus
2x Darksteel Citadel
2x Crumbling Necropolis
2x Creeping Tar Pit
4x Vivid Crag
2x Mountain
2x Island
2x Swamp
2x Teramorphic Expanse
BRYAUGH plays punk and metal covers of songs from LOTR movies! Check out BRYAUGH on bandcamp and facebook!
I'd suggest more control elements instead.
1 AEther Spellbomb
3 Engineered Explosives
1 Pyrite Spellbomb
Creatures - 7
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
2 Snapcaster Mage
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
2 Trinket Mage
Instants - 13
4 Gifts Ungiven
3 Mana Leak
1 Negate
1 Spell Pierce
4 Thirst for Knowledge
Sorceries - 8
4 Faithless Looting
3 Trash for Treasure
1 Unburial Rites
1 Academy Ruins
1 Cascade Bluffs
4 Darksteel Citadel
2 Hallowed Fountain
2 Island
2 Misty Rainforest
1 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Snow-Covered Island
1 Snow-Covered Mountain
2 Steam Vents
4 Sulfur Falls
1 Watery Grave
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Pithing Needle
2 Vedalken Shackles
2 Ethersworn Canonist
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Trinket Mage
3 Blood Moon
3 Pyroclasm
1 Shattering Spree
And there you have it.
I'll explain some card choices:
AEther Spellbomb - Hillarious against opposing unburial gifts decks, which I expected to see many of, and did. Gives you a bit more game against twin as well.
Pyrite Spellbomb - Death to the hatebears! And bobs. And whatever else you want dead. In the entirety of my playing, I've killed someone with this a total of twice, thanks to academy ruins.
Engineered Explosives - Because wiping the field seems rather good. Trashing for this at zero against affinity multiple times made me laugh. Great card, very versatile.
Inkwell Leviathan - Shrouded Beatstick that's pretty much unblockable against the field. Oh, and it tramples.
Sphinx of the Steel Wind - The best target in the deck by far. Essentially auto-wins against jund or aggro.
Iona, Shield of Emeria - This was originally a third trash target in the form of Wurmcoil Engine/Sundering Titan but both were proven to be too weak in the matchups I needed them most in. However, stealing tech from other gifts lists, I just shoved Iona into the deck instead, and It's been amazing.
Snapcaster Mage - Gifts piles, reuse of so many things.. More than two is a bad idea.
Trinket Mage - Does so much for the deck. I was running three mainboard for awhile, but have settled on two for now. You want to see a trinket mage, but not every game until sideboard, when it becomes much more important. Fetches Citadels to sacrifice to, EEs to sweep, spellbombs, and postboard pithing needle. Very good card.
Gifts Ungiven - I don't think this deck would work without it. Gifts sets up a next-turn bomb, or gives you protection, or lands, or really whatever you want. Speeds the deck up an enormous amount.
Board:
Nihil Spellbomb for storm, gifts, and co.
Pithing Needle for everything. There is nothing it doesnt do.
Vedalken Shackles because stealing cards is awesome.
Ethersworn Canonist is obvious storm hate. Oh by the way, it's trash for treasurable!
Phyrexian Metamorph - See pithing needle.
Blood Moon - slow down tron a bit, and generally destroy the manabases of your opponents. This deck doesnt care much about moon.
Pyroclasm - Kill ALL the things.
Shattering Spree - Hate hate, affinity hate, and because it's so pretty. (look at it!)
What I didn't include:
Wurmcoil Engine - Sphinx was always better, and this was a very poor backup target. I never gifted for it, not once.
Platinum Emperion - This was even worse.
Sundering Titan - Worse than I thought it would be. In the matchups I wanted it, it was usually better to just get inkwell and win the game.
Sharuum the Hegemon - I didn't really look at this much, though it could definitely find a home.
EDH:
RNorin the WaryR <-Link! (Primer - Mono Red Control)
GUEdric, Spymaster of TrestUG <- Link! (Mini-Primer - Dredge)
Duel Commander:
WUGeist of Saint TraftUW <- Link! (Aggro-Control)
BGSkullbriar, the Walking GraveGB <- Link! (Aggro)
BUGDamia, Sage of StoneGUB <- Link! (Extinction Control)
Church of the Wary
4th place at CCC&G Pro Tour
Chances of bad hands (<2 or >4 land):
21: 28.9%
22: 27.5%
23: 26.3%
24: 25.5%
25: 25.1%
26: 25.3%
Also Elesh Norn is integral to any reanimator strategy
That's what I was running originally, but I found I wanted a soft counter over a tempo counter. I tried mana leak out, and never looked back.
EDH:
RNorin the WaryR <-Link! (Primer - Mono Red Control)
GUEdric, Spymaster of TrestUG <- Link! (Mini-Primer - Dredge)
Duel Commander:
WUGeist of Saint TraftUW <- Link! (Aggro-Control)
BGSkullbriar, the Walking GraveGB <- Link! (Aggro)
BUGDamia, Sage of StoneGUB <- Link! (Extinction Control)
Church of the Wary
I've never wanted it so far. I could put it in the sideboard for aggro decks, but with effectively 6 sweepers in g2, aggro isn't much of an issue.
Iona gets the nod over Norn for giving me better game against twin and storm, not to mention any mostly mono colored decks that might exist. It's just more relevant to me than a constant -2/-2 is.
EDH:
RNorin the WaryR <-Link! (Primer - Mono Red Control)
GUEdric, Spymaster of TrestUG <- Link! (Mini-Primer - Dredge)
Duel Commander:
WUGeist of Saint TraftUW <- Link! (Aggro-Control)
BGSkullbriar, the Walking GraveGB <- Link! (Aggro)
BUGDamia, Sage of StoneGUB <- Link! (Extinction Control)
Church of the Wary