MTG Salvation

Valuable Gifts is a GWU tempo combo control deck that wins games by controlling the board and tutoring very specific answers and win conditions with Gifts Ungiven. The deck's other signature card is Eternal Witness which enables recursion and board presence.

The deck is a blast to play and once you really learn how to make the right decisions, it can be devastating against practically anything. It's surprising how many players aren't great at making decisions against Gifts Ungiven. The sideboard is a work in progress, but I'm currently testing one of everything with Gifts Ungiven. Most of the cards in the sideboard are pretty self explanatory.

It's a deck I used to play a few years ago but am bringing it back now that Eldrazi aren't dominating the meta so much. Here's the deck list I have been using. Below the deck list are some common Gift Ungiven packages I find useful.

I'm particularly interested to hear feedback on other cards worth making room for in the main deck. I am not interested in adding or splashing a 4th color.



Gift Piles

Here are some of the piles I find myself frequently setting up with Gifts Unigven:

Anti-Aggro Package
Day of Judgment
Supreme Verdict
Wrath of God
Eternal Witness

This suite is useful against a deck an aggressive creature oriented deck like tokens or elves. Our opponent either has to give us two board wipes that go straight our hand (one we will cast right away, the other one we will play two to three turns later) which will essentially shut down elves or tokens. If our opponent chooses to give us Day of Judgment and Eternal Witness, we can just cast Day of Judgment, and then the following turn cast Eternal Witness to bring back Wrath of God to our hand. In this instance we wiped our opponent's board, tutored a backup board wipe to our hand, and played a creature that can swing and block.

Spot-Removal Package
Path To Exile
Condemn
Bant Charm
Eternal Witness

This Gifts Ungiven package can be used against midrange and tempo decks like UW Flicker Value or midrange Abzan. I also use this pile against infect decks sometimes. The great thing about this suite is it removes creatures without destroying them. This prevents graveyard shenanigans and allows us to take out indestructible threats.

Win Condition Package
Sun Titan
Reveillark
Phantasmal Image
Eternal Witness

In this case Sun Titan will eventually win us the game and bring back Phantasmal Image to copy it, or Eternal Witness to bring back answers. Sun Titan also can bring back threats like Kitchen Finks. If Sun Titan goes to the graveyard, Revillark can either swing, or bring back multiple Eternal Witness or Phantasmal Image among other things including Detention Sphere. We generally set up this pile late game when we have 7 or more lands on the battlefield to close the game.

Counter Package
Cryptic Command
Mana Leak
Spell Snare
Eternal Witness

This is a very good suite against blue decks that rely on permission or any combo deck. It doesn't matter what our opponent really does here, they are going to be in a situation they don't want to be in.

Generic Package
Bant Charm
Mana Leak
Path To Exile
Eternal Witness

When you don't know what you are up against or you have other types of answers and threats in your hand this is a neat package. You can answer any creature and still be able to protect your threats or answer noncreature threats.

Anti-Burn Package (Life Gain)
Kitchen Finks
Lone Missionary
Wall of Omens
Eternal Witness

This package is a burn player's worse nightmare. Two cards that gain us four life that both trade with Goblin Guide. Wall of Omens blocks anything they would attack us with and can't be taken down with Lightning Bolt. Eternal Witness also trades with Goblin Guide.

There are so many options and opportunities (especially once the sideboard comes into play) which is why this deck is so interesting and I feel has a lot of potential.

Oust, Rewind and Unsubstantiate are spells I want to test.

Oust is very good early game against mana dorks and other utility creatures. It is really good in a format with fetches.

Rewind is cool because it allows us to counter and play Gifts Ungiven in the same turn.

Unsubstantiate seems like an alternate replacement for Vapor Snag.

Additionally, Tamiyo, Field Research seems interesting, although probably too gimmicky. However, she seems like she's always going to be relevant. Is she worth testing?

I'd really appreciate some feedback, really want to know what I'm doing right and wrong with this deck.

Any thoughts on recently spoiled Power of the Moon as a one of (excellent synergy with Sun Titan and decent tempo card).

There's enough stuff in the sideboard to defeat the Affinity matchup, not to mention in the deck using a Anti-Aggro Package with board wipes. The same can be said about Zoo. A lot of tier 1 and Established decks I feel this deck has a shot going against.

Perhaps you have any recommendations to make a Bant gifts deck less clunky?

Thanks for the feedback I think a lot of it very solid. For instance, making room for Snapcaster Mage and Timely Reinforcements are very good ideas. I also might want to test Repeal. On the other hands I think you are missing some ways the deck is supposed to play.

You say I don't have any ramp but you recommend I cut Sakura-Tribe Elder and Coiling Oracle. Sun Titan also ramps late game with fetches FYI.

If my opponent plays Dark Confidant early I would Spell Snare it, or Vapor Snag it at end of turn, or Bant Charm it, or Mana Leak it, or Remand it. Lots of ways I can answer Bob early game. It simply is incorrect to say Path To Exile is the only way I could remove Dark Confidant early game.

If my opponents play double Goyf by turn 3, I'd be able to chump block with my value creatures (that would come back late game with Sun Titan) and on turn 4 Gifts Ungiven into anti-aggro board wipe package.

I agree that hitting land drops is crucial in this deck, but I have 24 lands and 8 cards that ramp or cantrip.

I play against more casual Modern decks but also more traditional decks (Merfolk, Affinity, Zoo, Burn, Abzan, etc.) with much success.
tl;dr Gifts Ungiven is much more than "gaining +1 card advantage on turn four."

As the person who created this deck originally, he's not wrong. One of the main issues this deck runs into is that the curve is a bit high and paths aren't great early on. Here are some of my thoughts and musings.

Original deck thread can be found here (more of a primer). http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/modern-archives/modern-archives-deck-creation/220012-eternal-gifts-8-2012-9-2013

1. If you're playing Coiling Oracle, you need to go all in or not. I love oracle, it's a wall of omens that can ramp and attack in a lot of ways, but you need to support it with Serum Visions. It also plays well with Halimar Depths if you want to. Otherwise, it's a wasted slot for 1 card.

2. The wraths are better off in the sideboard. There just aren't that many decks that you want a wrath against. Most of the time, you can simply win off recurring spot removal. Things also get awkward when you are forced to path a creature, only to then want to play a wrath 2 turns later. Wraths are really only worthwhile when you can force an opponent to overextend, only to wipe their board.

3. I would definitely cut down the number of witnesses. Switch one for a snapcaster, and only play 2. That's all you really need. Playing 4 is a bit overkill.

4. Play repeal. It is significantly better in a control deck, especially when you can value-repeal your own creatures.

5. Cut one Bant charm, replace with path #4. You'll need it without maindeck wraths, and it'll be super useful against a deck like infect.