I've been contemplating taking apart my Kaalia deck to get black parts for a Damia deck that I've really been wanting to build. If I do that, I'd be left with a nice core for a Gisela, Blade of Goldnight deck, so I thought I'd do a little brainstorming along to see what I could cook up here. I think the basic idea that I'd like to pursue is that of a deck that plays something of a controlling role with sweepers, spot removal, and taxes, until it can ramp sufficiently with artifacts and tutor up the appropriate equipments to get in there for a beating with Gisela.
For those who, like me, are interested in these things, here's the deck's stats. I wanted to keep the deck's average cmc low, since white and red are arguably the worst colors at producing copious amounts of mana, and I'm pretty dependent on artifact ramp, which is relatively fragile, to get me there. Right now, the average cmc is sitting at 3.15, which I'm pretty happy with.
Bumping this up alongside my Damia thread, as I'm returning with renewed fervor to the idea of dismantling Kaalia and Azusa to build Damia and Gisela. I'm looking for some suggestions on how to shape this deck up before I go out and purchase cards to make the list happen. Thanks!
For those who, like me, are interested in these things, here's the deck's stats. I wanted to keep the deck's average cmc low, since white and red are arguably the worst colors at producing copious amounts of mana, and I'm pretty dependent on artifact ramp, which is relatively fragile, to get me there. Right now, the average cmc is sitting at 3.15, which I'm pretty happy with.
1 Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
//Creatures (13)
1 Mother of Runes
1 Weathered Wayfarer
1 Grand Abolisher
1 Knight of the White Orchid
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Kor Cartographer
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Windborn Muse
1 Karmic Guide
1 Stonehewer Giant
1 Godo, Bandit Warlord
1 Sun Titan
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
//Instants (9)
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Path to Exile
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Tithe
1 Comet Storm (*)
1 Chaos Warp
1 Idyllic Tutor
1 Oblation
1 Return to Dust
//Sorceries (10)
1 Earthquake
1 Gift of Estates
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Cataclysm
1 Wrath of God
1 Hallowed Burial
1 Reforge the Soul
1 Austere Command
1 Catastrophe
1 Terminus
1 Expedition Map
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Sol Ring
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
1 Boros Signet
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Fire Diamond
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Marble Diamond
1 Scroll Rack
1 Swiftfoot Boots
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Loxodon Warhammer
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Mind's Eye
//Enchantments (9)
1 Tithe
1 Aggravated Assault
1 Aura of Silence
1 Ghostly Prison
1 Fervor
1 Manabarbs
1 Stranglehold
1 War's Toll
1 Gratuitous Violence
1 Arid Mesa
1 Battlefield Forge
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Command Tower
1 Emeria, the Sky Ruin
1 Flagstones of Trokair
1 Hall of the Bandit Lord
1 High Market
10 Mountain
19 Plains
1 Rugged Prairie
1 Slayers' Stronghold
1 Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion
R.I.P. Sundering Titan (6/20/12) and Braids, Cabal Minion (9/12/14)
In all seriousness, you could take the punisher cards from Kaalia and put them to good use here.
A short list of cards that I think really need to go:
Zo-Zu the Punisher
Acidic Soil
Ankh of Mishra
Spellshock
There are some others that probably should be on the way out the door, too, but these stuck out as really crummy inclusions that should go ASAP.
R.I.P. Sundering Titan (6/20/12) and Braids, Cabal Minion (9/12/14)