MTG Salvation

Quote from Drayton120 »

@SurfNSlam88
Living End/Dredge are still a force to be reckoned with and if we don't pack enough grave hate in our sideboard, we may be in for a quick loss. Nihil spellbombs and surgicals are your best SB options. Timely disruption through discard may buy you enough time to stabilize. Always remember to check dredge's graveyard for conflagrates that can bring your life total to 0 and reanimating Elesh Norn is your best bet at winning this blazingly fast matchup. When Living End plays their namesake card, you may gifts for Elesh Norn and Iona to reanimate both, and call black on Iona so that they cannot wipe the board anymore. Both matchup depends on whether or not your SB is prepared for them.

One thing you can do against living end game 1 is you can cast gifts in response to living end, dump Iona and Elesh Norn into the graveyard and piggy back off their living end to reanimate them

There is a PPTQ this weekend and I am thinking of bringing 4C Gifts to the tournament.

I removed lost legacy and replaced it with flaying tendrils to anticipation of more creature decks like counters company and less combo decks. Lost legacy is stellar against tron but the matchup is still difficult and I decided to accept that loss if it does happen.

3/3 split of IoK/TS changed from 4/2 split to combat EldraziTron, Death Shadow, and Valakut as well as advantage of being able to take CoCo.

I accept that there will be graveyard hate present in the meta and will have to play around it accordingly but it is not a death sentence. Any advice in SB is much appreciated!

Current sideboard

Has anyone tried Worm Harvest in the deck before? Gifts for 3 lands and Worm Harvest and every turn, flood the game with wurms against Eldrazi/ Abzan/ Grixis Control

Best case scenario, you have 4 fetches from the first 4 turns, have 2 more lands put into the graveyard by gifts, and you get to cast worm harvest for 6 worms (7 if they gave you a fetch) on turn 5. Worst case scenario, you have 0 fetches from the first 4 turns, have 2 lands put into the graveyard by gifts, and you get to cast worm harvest for 2 worms (3 if they gave you a fetch) on turn 5.

In grindy matchups, I think it may be a cool sideboard tech you can use but otherwise, I think we are be better off getting 3 cards + lingering souls.

Been a while since I've posted here!
Dusting off my modern decks after almost a year's hiatus and decided to work on my gifts deck for my first event.
Pretty unfamiliar with the new meta still, and haven't tested a lot of the new choice cards like flayer and brutality yet.
Opinions and criticisms on my prototype list would be greatly appreciated, seems like some pretty solid discussion has been going on here. I'm especially unsure on the sideboard and landbase.

Was very tempted to try the new esper Goryo list, seems really strong. I'm a sucker for loam though...

Here's what I'm considering submitting for a coming local league:

I still firmly believe that Iona should be maindeck because against certain decks, it ends the game right there. I would highly suggest running Iona, perhaps replacing Grave Titan which has fallen out of favor in recent times. Loam + Raven's crime combo is an autowin against control and the choice to mainboard it depends on the meta. My meta is too fast for it but it has a permanent space in my sideboard.

I prefer running Stirring Wildwoods or Shambling Vents as my manland because of our fragile mana base. You don't need blue except for gifts and to activate Creeping Tar Pit, you need an additional blue source which we would rarely fetch out if we already have a UB land out.

Sideboard-wise, I don't know how much merit Batterskull has along with Academy Ruins. Looping it with Academy Ruins is living the dream but with all the Tasigurs, Gurmags, Death Shadows, and Eldrazis running around, it rarely trades favorably. Against grindy decks, we have better cards in the form of lingering souls and life from the loam in grindy matchups. I do not see where Batterskull would shine and I would rather focus on cards for tougher matchups. I would recommend Collective Brutality #2 and #3 in the sideboard because it is such an amazing card against a variety of decks we struggle against.

Day of judgment should be a Damnation, considering the double black we already need for liliana. Another black boardwipe to consider is Flaying Tendrils (and possibly Bontu's Last Reckoning).

Thanks for the comprehensive reply.
I have been seeing Iona maindeck a lot in more recent lists, Grave Titan is a lot more castable than either of the white fatties so I feel a bit better with one rotting in my hand is all, is there a particular reason people have shifted away from bombs like the gravy train and have started maindecking Iona? If she's that good in the meta I'll add her, just that I can see having two fatties that rely on reanimation that heavily could make for some awkward draws (though I guess grave titan is pretty awkward too).

You're right on tar pit which is saddening, the second blue hasn't been reliable.

I don't really know what I'm doing with my sideboard, I added batterskull because I already wanted to try running ruins+EE in the side so I figured I may as well run it as well. The landbase causes so much lifeloss that a grindy lifelinker seemed like a good idea but I see what you mean, unless equipped to something else, a 4/4 isn't impressive vs much of the field.
As long as I've played the deck there was usually a big grindy dude in the side like a thragtusk or batterkull, is this less necessary now too?

I only had to cast collective brutality a few times to realise 1 copy wasn't enough, I was planning to replace the timely's with them.

Only running day of judgement as the 3rd distinct unconditional boardwipe so I can gifts up damnation+day+wrath and be guaranteed to get one. Replacing with another damnation wouldn't allow that, and if I was going to do that I may as well just replace the wrath of god too.
Bontu's is interesting though, have you had any luck with it?

I know I have moved away the midrange threats such as thragtusk, siege rhino, and grave titan because the meta has sped up and I would never gifts for any other unburial combo other than Elesh or Iona. Lots of decks kill by turn 4-5 and cheating out a 4-5 mana threat from the deck isn't enough to stabilize. I replaced the creature suite to those I can cast turn 1-3 that has utility into the lategame hence goyf, flayer, and ooze. If the meta becomes slower again, I would see us going back to the bigger threats.

I have not tried out Bontu's myself and I can see how the tempo loss can be very crippling. On the other hand, against blistering fast starts against affinity and go wide decks, I could see its merit. If you do end up trying it, I would love to hear your feedback on the card.

What is your meta like at the store you play? Without such information, I will try to give a generalized answer below for sideboard advice:

Darkblast -> Liliana of the Last Hope for similar utility but broader application
Timely Reinforcement -> Collective Brutality. There is a reason all Jund/Abzan/any deck that runs black have multiples in their sideboard
Damnation/Wrath of God/Day of Judgement -> I would consider switching Day of Judgement to Flaying Tendrils to shore up Dredge, Affinity, Company decks with one mana less and exiling creatures. If big creatures are your problem, keep all three for utility.
Batterskull-> If you want life gaining beater, Kitchen Finks is your best bet. Blocks twice, gains 4 life. Useful in grindy matchups, control, and burn.
Negate-> I personally don't feel the need for negate in the sideboard in any matchup other than Tron to counter Karn or Ugin. Discard is far greater than counter especially in proactive decks like ours. However, if combo and tron are running rampant, it is a valid sideboard choice and you will have to fetch accordingly when you side it in (additional lifeloss to get blue mana sooner)

Terastodon is your only out to resolved Karn, Ugin, and active Urzalands and I would consider him in the SB if Tron is present. I have a permanent spot for the big green elephant and I carry along 3 elephant tokens just for those Tron players.

Land destruction may be a necessary evil in your meta and fulminator mages may be necessary. In the same boat, 1-2 graveyard hate cards are required and would recommend surgical extraction+extirpate (for gift purposes) or nihil spellbomb (doesn't touch your graveyard). Surgical is better against combo decks (and extracting tronlands or valakuts), spellbombs against delve and dredge.

Thanks, you've given me a lot to chew on.
Really unsure on the meta still, so generalised info is really helpful. Have just finished assembling a list on MODO too, so I should be able to start jamming games more frequently, and I imagine it's a bit more tricky to refine for a meta as open as the one online.
I'll keep playing around with it and post my results.

Do you recommend extra sideboard GY hate despite MB scooze?
Speaking of, am I too soft to GY hate relying on unburial rites, scooze and flayer? Though I suppose goyf is just as soft.
In the few games I've played so far I have liked flayer when I can connect with him, but have often struggled to do so.

This primer is for ever variant of Gifts! People switch between the esper and 4c and I would love to hear input on both. Esper is better against creature decks and 4C better against combo/control due to early pressure and loam.

I haven't thought of Champion of Wits as an addition but they seem very solid in an esper build! The body plus filtering effect is very nice and would be worth looking into.

I can't see Sunscourge Champion being that good when it has to compete with Kitchen Finks as 3 drop that comes back on its own when removed. If you are gifting for the champion to gain life against burn, it would be better to gifts for Iona to shut down red or value gifts for Collective Brutality, Kitchen Finks, Blessed Alliance, etc.

@Scarmask

I would recommend sideboard GY hate because you cannot stop graveyard based decks with oozes alone and it will be a quick loss, especially against Dredge. I don't see much dredge in my meta so I run surgical + extirpate to also help otu against combo decks where I can discard into extraction.

Grim flayer sometimes struggles to connect and that is why Abzan decks run nobles with him. Try running loam+crime combo in the sideboard and run 3-4 nobles in the mainboard to help flayer connect and accelerate gifts. Another non-budget option is to run goyfs if you want to commit heavily into midrange style.

Hi everyone!
Newish to the deck and new to this thread. I finished building my 4C Gift deck a few weeks ago, and brought it to my Modern FNM. Went 2-2. Even if I didn't do the best score, I absolutely enjoyed playing the deck! The Unburial Rites and Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite combo was game everytime it hit the table. However lost my two matches against decks that were way too fast for me: Affinity and UR Gift Storm. Won once against affinity thanks to my two Stony Silence in my sideboard, but got wrecked when I didn't have them on the battlefield. But against UR Storm, I really had no idea what to side in, nor what strategy to adopt? What do you usually play against that deck?

So after that FNM I slightly changed my deck and came with the following. Would really appreciate your input about it. Note that I am planning to get more Fatal Push, Collective Brutality, Verdant Catacombs, Liliana of the Veil, Surgical Extraction and Creeping Tar Pit, but for now I used what I had.



And my sideboard looks like this:


Thank you in advance for your feedback. Hope I can improve my deck very soon

The new cards you will be getting will definitely help improve your deck and I hope that you can get them soon!

Manabase-wise, 8-9 fetches are ideal with a heavy emphasis on fetching black sources because of our lilianas. I would highly advise you running a plains as well to have the full set of basics to search for if needed (life total is precious and you gotta cast your white spells!). Looking at your spells, you are focused more heavily on the sultai colors early game so I would recommend an emphasis on verdants and deltas. Concealed Courtyard can become another Blooming Marsh or a Darkslick Shores. Urborg is a necessity if you are running the ravaen's crime life from the loam combo. Check out the last few pages on my reasoning behind what manlands should be run. I also like seeing one ghost quarter in order to snipe out any pesky tronland, inkmoth nexus, and other utility lands, especially when you can ghost quarter lock them after boarding in life from the loam. I would shave shocks to one copies each to make room for other lands because you will never fetch for two at a time.

I am not a big fan of him in the mainboard in a faster meta where it fails to stabilize the board. Other possible value creature options include Siege Rhino and Thragtusk. However, in a control-heavy or grindy Abzan/Jund heavy meta, Sun Titan is amazing (it has been a pet card of mine since it came out) and I fully support the inclusion.

The sideboard is an important part of magic where 2/3 of the games played will include cards from it. It must be tailored to the meta you are playing as well as decks you think you have a bad matchups against. As a gifts deck, we excel at grinding opponents down and we need no help against control matches other than raven's crime and life from the loam combo. Hence, Narset Transcendent and Elspeth, Sun's Champion seem extraneous and replaced with cards that will help us out against fast decks. Damnation and Flaying Tendrils are a good inclusion and easy to cast because we want double black anyways for Lilianas. It can replace supreme verdicts unless you are expecting tons of grixis death shadow with stubborn denials. Scavening Ooze is an excellent MB card because it is very well rounded but very mediocre in the sideboard because doesn't hose any particular matchup like spellbombs surgicals. Move ooze to MB or replace the slot with another card. Collective brutality deserves at least 1 more spot in the SB because it is an amazing card. For the sake of gifts, it may be worth looking into the Negate/Countersquall split (also lessens burden on colors) and Nihil Spellbomb/Surgical/Extirpate split for graveyard combo hate.

Affinity is a matchup where the starting hand determines your fate. Mulligan all hands without interaction or you will lose. Even with all your removal, you may end up dead before you can gifts and unburial elesh norn. Sweepers such as Damnation and Flaying Tendrils (turn 3 vs turn 4 can mean difference between win and a loss) are excellent as well as spot removal like collective brutality. Stony Silence can also run away with games. Rule of thumb is kill everything that hits the field and focus fire all their 2 drops (plating, overseer, ravager). Your current MB and SB looks solid and probably it is simply variance that cost you the game.

UR Storm should be a fairly simple matchup that is heavily favored towards us on the other hand. We have all the tools that make their life miserable. Kill their electromancer and baral on site, disrupt them with discard, gifts for iona on red or beat them down to 0 life with creatures while they try to piece their combo together. SB in grave hate and counters to cripple them, remove spells from MB that are non-interactive.

Hope this helps!

Thanks a lot Drayton for your feedback. This actually helps a lot. I really appreciate it.
I'll take a closer look to your comment over the weekend, as you seem to be very familiar with the deck. But at first sight I understand your point. The manabase will be the most difficult to fix. As you stated it is mostly Sultai colors early game, except these 3 path to exile, which I hope to split into 1 path and 3 Fatal Push in the near futur to avoid White mana constraint in early game.

One question though regarding your comment on the Life from the Loam and Raven's Crime combo. You stated that Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth is a necessity. How does it affect the combo? I cannot find how it works. Sorry if it seems obvious.

I'll work on my deck and will post an updated list this weekend hopefully, so that I can bring it to the next Modern tournament the following week

Cheers

Urborg turns all of your lands into swamps so that you can chain Raven's Crime to discard your opponent's entire hand in one turn (or two).

Thanks! That makes sense now, haven't really thought about it

I know a lot of people have moved away from the control variation of this deck in favor of the Goyf builds - but I still like rocking the control list a lot. Not really much for needing feedback on it, as I am pretty happy with where it is at. I did want to post if so that if anyone is looking for a Control list, they could look at what I am running.

Meta is mainly Burn, Affinity, Tron, and Storm with some UR tempo decks here and there.

You always want Snare or Push/IOK/Visions available on T1, on the draw or play respectively. Not a big fan at all of three Tar Pits in that respect and given that you always wanna Gifts on T4 as you can't do it sooner without dorks... I'd definitely run Shores instead of at least 1 of them.

Hasn't been an issue for you?

I went 5-0 at a local 18 man event with this list recently, I found the K-command grind out plan is quite worth the red splash, and Nahiri as a removal tool and back up Norn source is useful. My matches were - R1 Jund 2-0 R2 Zombies 2-0 R3 Affinity 2-1 R4 Abzan 2-1 R5 Counters Company 2-0.
I noticed sometimes I wished for Sacred Foundry in the deck, and I'm considering Electrolyze and Izzet Charm

Can you post your list please?