So now that Gifts in unrestricted, I've been trying to find a deck that it fits in, and I think I've found a good option. I've been doing some testing and it shows a lot of promise, but I don't have the time and resources to really develop it properly.
You may recognize the base of the deck, the Belcher-Academy list that's been kicking around for a while and has had a few strong showings. I think Gifts helps add some serious power as another 4 mana card that effectively ends the game when cast. An example pile would be Vault/Key/Tinker/Belcher.
Keep in mind that this build isn't even optimized for using Gifts. I modified a stock list I found. I squeezed in 2 more Preordains at the expense of Mind's Desire and a Grim Monolith. I also swapped Memory Jar for Blightsteel Colossus, since I feel Tinker->Blightsteel is better, particularly in light of Gifts in the deck.
Gifts goes into the list in the slot that usually is taken by Time Spiral or Tezzeret, The Seeker. I believe it has advantages over both. We can compare them.
Time Spiral vs. Gifts:
- Gifts costs less, and though Time Spiral finds you more cards, Gifts finds you the ones you need. It's also instant speed, although this isn't a huge bonus in this deck. Time Spiral's main advantage, that it untaps a land, is useless if you don't have Academy. And since Gifts is often cast EOT anyway, you untap before casting the cards you got from it. Time Spiral also gives your opponent new cards. I think Gifts is clearly better than Time Spiral.
Tezzeret vs Gifts:
- This is a little less clear. Gifts costs less mana, which is the primary advantage. Tezzeret also finds your wincon, or acts as one if left unmolested a couple turns. Likewise, Gifts is effectively a wincon. Tezzeret also plays nice with the Time Vault/Voltaic Key combo. Gifts is more powerful as a tutor. Well built gifts piles can give you multiple outs to anything the opponent may still have up their sleeve.
I think that this sort of list may be right to leverage the inherent broken-ness of Gifts Ungiven. Fast, protects itself reasonably well, can generate a crapload of mana fairly quickly and reliably (in testing I hardcast Blightsteel more frequently than you might guess). Also, another advantage over other Gifts builds I've seen is that the Gifts piles can be unaffected by grave hate. I have no particular thoughts on the sideboard. It probably wouldn't vary that much from the sideboard typically run by lists like this, perhaps with a few more one of's as Gifts targets.
Correct me if I am wrong, but you appear very cold to a resolved Stony Silence, and weak to Null Rod and turn 1 Chalice at 0. Those are fairly common cards to see play.
This is definitely a deck Timetwister can shine in. Diminishing Returns may be worth considering as an inferior extra Timetwister.
I see no reason to run 4 Charbelcher but am no expert in the deck.
yeah the deck is pretty weak to resolved Stony Silence or null rod. I think those problems could be mitigated out of the sideboard. I don't think I'd be comfortable playing fewer than 3 Belchers, but I could see cutting one for some more protection. The belchers are pretty integral to the deck as the primary way to win, and even though Gifts adds tutor power you still want to draw them naturally as often as possible. As for Timetwister, I think one spell in that vein is enough. The deck doesn't benefit enough from drawing 7 mystery cards while giving your opponent 7 new cards. If I had played out my hand, and my opponent's resources were depleted trying to stop me, we're both topdecking, I'd rather just topdeck a belcher rather than twister and restart that whole fight with no guarantee I'll get the cards to win it.
Thinking about the sideboard. Here's a sample board I copped from online somewhere and adjusted:
This is pretty standard. Things to protect the combo from other decks. There is another possibility that I think is worth considering, and that is going with a man plan, with powerful artifact creatures like Wurmcoil Engine. Not sure which would be better, although I'd lean towards staying on the combo.
Another thing to think about is playing 1-2 Cunning Wish main. It could be very helpful building Gifts piles, as well as giving you some access to the board g1. If I were to do that, I may try to squeeze Merchant Scroll into the main as well.
Just to clarify the reason I considered this a draw-7 friendly deck was all the 0 mana artifacts. Many decks play seven of them (5 Moxen, Crypt, Lotus). You run 17 (16 if you don't count LED as it is somewhat of a special case, only useful to pay for Belcher activations). As such it's much more likely you can cast one draw 7, then a bunch of mana artifacts for an immediate win.
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mana Vault
1 Lotus Petal
4 Chrome Mox
4 Mox Opal
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
3 Grim Monolith
1 Lion's Eye Diamond
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Goblin Charbelcher
1 Time Vault
2 Voltaic Key
1 Tinker
1 Blightsteel Colossus
4 Gifts Ungiven
Tutors and Draw
4 Expedition Map
1 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Windfall
1 Timetwister
4 Gitaxian Probe
1 Ponder
4 Preordain
4 Force of Will
1 Pact of Negation
1 Hurkyl's Recall
You may recognize the base of the deck, the Belcher-Academy list that's been kicking around for a while and has had a few strong showings. I think Gifts helps add some serious power as another 4 mana card that effectively ends the game when cast. An example pile would be Vault/Key/Tinker/Belcher.
Keep in mind that this build isn't even optimized for using Gifts. I modified a stock list I found. I squeezed in 2 more Preordains at the expense of Mind's Desire and a Grim Monolith. I also swapped Memory Jar for Blightsteel Colossus, since I feel Tinker->Blightsteel is better, particularly in light of Gifts in the deck.
Gifts goes into the list in the slot that usually is taken by Time Spiral or Tezzeret, The Seeker. I believe it has advantages over both. We can compare them.
Time Spiral vs. Gifts:
- Gifts costs less, and though Time Spiral finds you more cards, Gifts finds you the ones you need. It's also instant speed, although this isn't a huge bonus in this deck. Time Spiral's main advantage, that it untaps a land, is useless if you don't have Academy. And since Gifts is often cast EOT anyway, you untap before casting the cards you got from it. Time Spiral also gives your opponent new cards. I think Gifts is clearly better than Time Spiral.
Tezzeret vs Gifts:
- This is a little less clear. Gifts costs less mana, which is the primary advantage. Tezzeret also finds your wincon, or acts as one if left unmolested a couple turns. Likewise, Gifts is effectively a wincon. Tezzeret also plays nice with the Time Vault/Voltaic Key combo. Gifts is more powerful as a tutor. Well built gifts piles can give you multiple outs to anything the opponent may still have up their sleeve.
I think that this sort of list may be right to leverage the inherent broken-ness of Gifts Ungiven. Fast, protects itself reasonably well, can generate a crapload of mana fairly quickly and reliably (in testing I hardcast Blightsteel more frequently than you might guess). Also, another advantage over other Gifts builds I've seen is that the Gifts piles can be unaffected by grave hate. I have no particular thoughts on the sideboard. It probably wouldn't vary that much from the sideboard typically run by lists like this, perhaps with a few more one of's as Gifts targets.
Anyway, what are your thoughts?
Correct me if I am wrong, but you appear very cold to a resolved Stony Silence, and weak to Null Rod and turn 1 Chalice at 0. Those are fairly common cards to see play.
This is definitely a deck Timetwister can shine in. Diminishing Returns may be worth considering as an inferior extra Timetwister.
I see no reason to run 4 Charbelcher but am no expert in the deck.
Thinking about the sideboard. Here's a sample board I copped from online somewhere and adjusted:
1 Brain Freeze
1 Frantic Search
3 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Mindbreak Trap
3 Misdirection
2 Pact of Negation
1 Stroke of Genius
1 Teferi's Response
1 Thirst for Knowledge
This is pretty standard. Things to protect the combo from other decks. There is another possibility that I think is worth considering, and that is going with a man plan, with powerful artifact creatures like Wurmcoil Engine. Not sure which would be better, although I'd lean towards staying on the combo.
Another thing to think about is playing 1-2 Cunning Wish main. It could be very helpful building Gifts piles, as well as giving you some access to the board g1. If I were to do that, I may try to squeeze Merchant Scroll into the main as well.