Hi, I decided to come back to modern and I was wondering if esper-gifts is the right way to go? or is it draw-go better suited for nowadays meta?
My meta is like 60% aggro/10% combo/30% control. I used to play grixis tapped-out control but I was losing ALOT (to aggro and control as well) and then I decided to give it a break.
I know that there is a forum section dedicated to orientate people like me, but I wanted to ask the experts first
I recently build my own Ghave deck and I'm having a blast. It does all I ever wanted to do in a game of EDH.
Our lists are very much alike, with a few exceptions.
Why not go full stax//hatebears with some anti-swippers in the mix?
Stoney Silence, Ruric Thar, Aven Mindcensor, Thalias, Vryn Wingmare, Lodestone Golem, Bane of Progress, Price of Glory, Aura of Silence are some of the cards I run in my build.
Sure, it is slower on killing people off but you make combo and control decks have a hard time.
I always considered Maralen of the Mornsong a bad card, you have to wait for the full table to tutor and only IF she didn't die, you get to tutor 1 card. And giving free tutors for combo decks is a no-no to me.
Curse of Predation screams token generation decks, Yidris? not so much...
And my problem with Primeval Bounty is simple, a big enchantment that does nothing the moment it hits the board, and to get enough value out of it you need to cast more than a few spells/lands.
Creatures usually don't last for long period of times, thats why ETB creatures are way better in commander (such as Acidic Slime, Vorinclex, Terastodon, Necrataal). Bane of bala ged should attack at least twice to get some decent value of it, but you can't guaranteed that; but with stuff like Bane of Progress you can have inmediate value regardless it eats removal or not.
If bottle cloister gets removed you won't get back your hand, hence a bad card. Phyrexian Arena shines above everything else. Fact or Fiction is a skill intesive-fun card, Deep Analysis is good because you can cascade for 4 even if you cast it from it's flashback cost, "evoke" creatures are amazing since you cascade with their total mana cost but you get to pay a fraction of it (Mulldrifter, Shriekmaw).
Tempt with Discovery is decent in a high mana curve deck, you can fetch Temple of the False God or Ancient Tomb with it, if someone is tempted to fetch a land then you can get an amazing combo: Urborg + Cabal Coffers.
One card I love to use is Reap and Sow, it fetches my temple of false god and destroys that annoying Maze of Ith
_Bane of Bala Ged (you are not playing maelstrom wanderer as your commander, you can't give him haste and it won't grant you any value if it gets removed inmediately).
_Giant Adephage, big dumb creatures are bad.
_It that betrays, you have enough big stuff.
_Kozilek's Channeler, terrible card imo.
_Lorescale Coatl, your commander cascades, it doesn't draw you cards like Prime Speaker Zegana does...
_Pathrazer of Ulamog, same category "big dumb creature"
_Predator Ooze, GGG hurts your mana base so much, and for little value
_Seedguide Ash
_Xathrid Gorgon, you better run a creature that removes blockers instead of making them block your Yidris...
_Covenant of Minds, there is plenty of better card draw.
_Otherworld Atlas, there are better options
_Fated Return, BBB and high mana cost for a single reanimation effect is generally bad.
_Bow of Nylea, fits more in tokken/winnie strategies and not in a deck with a ton of big creatures...
_Bottled Cloister, a friend used to run this and I always smiled when someone destroyed it.
_Dissipation Field, you are not running a prison deck
_Dictate of Erebos, there is no synergy with any of the other cards, its better in other decks like Meren of Clan Nel Toth
There are plenty of lands you could add, painlands, tri-lands, checklands, filter lands and I wouldn't run less than 40 with your high mana curve.
I know we can't cascade into it like Blatant Thievery but it isn't one of those spells that once you resolve it you win the game on the spot? or is it just another flashy spell?
Isn't that list a little light on ramp and lands ? You would be struggling to cast maelstrom even with the old mulligan using that low amount of mana acceleration.
I warn you, this deck is the most uninteractive deck ever, it will seam fun for a month or 2 but then you will want to build another one.
There are some decks wich doesn't need dual lands (dredge ahem) or you can totally run budget lands (like fastlands)
Now that eternal masters is coming, I would suggest you to wait and see ~
When Spy enters the battlefield and gets bolted does the mill effect still trigger? Same with Informer, can you activate the milling if it gets killed?
They can simply bolt laboratory maniac and win instead, if you are holding priority you can sac Undercity Informer and not give him/her the chance of bolting it. Yes, the trigger will happen either way.
Dream Pillager is INSANE. It's essentially draw 4 every turn. Sandstone Oracle may be better as its actually draw. Both get thwarted if the opponent scoops and both are conditional. I think both can be run justifiably.
But don't you need to pay the mana with Dream Pillager ? it isn't just better to play Arcanis instead ?
My meta is like 60% aggro/10% combo/30% control. I used to play grixis tapped-out control but I was losing ALOT (to aggro and control as well) and then I decided to give it a break.
I know that there is a forum section dedicated to orientate people like me, but I wanted to ask the experts first
Our lists are very much alike, with a few exceptions.
Have you tried these? Sadistic Hypnotist, Hell's Caretaker (this one is a bit slow), Razaketh, the Foulblooded, Krav, the Unredeemed (this one has single handed me a few wins), Tendershoot Dryad (such a powerhouse) and the actual card Attrition?
Stoney Silence, Ruric Thar, Aven Mindcensor, Thalias, Vryn Wingmare, Lodestone Golem, Bane of Progress, Price of Glory, Aura of Silence are some of the cards I run in my build.
Sure, it is slower on killing people off but you make combo and control decks have a hard time.
Curse of Predation screams token generation decks, Yidris? not so much...
And my problem with Primeval Bounty is simple, a big enchantment that does nothing the moment it hits the board, and to get enough value out of it you need to cast more than a few spells/lands.
If bottle cloister gets removed you won't get back your hand, hence a bad card. Phyrexian Arena shines above everything else. Fact or Fiction is a skill intesive-fun card, Deep Analysis is good because you can cascade for 4 even if you cast it from it's flashback cost, "evoke" creatures are amazing since you cascade with their total mana cost but you get to pay a fraction of it (Mulldrifter, Shriekmaw).
Tempt with Discovery is decent in a high mana curve deck, you can fetch Temple of the False God or Ancient Tomb with it, if someone is tempted to fetch a land then you can get an amazing combo: Urborg + Cabal Coffers.
One card I love to use is Reap and Sow, it fetches my temple of false god and destroys that annoying Maze of Ith
I run all the talismans, signets, fellwar stone, sol ring, mana vault, mana crypt with 37 lands (my curve is much much lower).
@XeroxedFool
I think you have to assign enough damage equal to the toughness of the blocking creature and then you trample the rest.
_Bane of Bala Ged (you are not playing maelstrom wanderer as your commander, you can't give him haste and it won't grant you any value if it gets removed inmediately).
_Giant Adephage, big dumb creatures are bad.
_It that betrays, you have enough big stuff.
_Kozilek's Channeler, terrible card imo.
_Lorescale Coatl, your commander cascades, it doesn't draw you cards like Prime Speaker Zegana does...
_Pathrazer of Ulamog, same category "big dumb creature"
_Predator Ooze, GGG hurts your mana base so much, and for little value
_Seedguide Ash
_Xathrid Gorgon, you better run a creature that removes blockers instead of making them block your Yidris...
_Covenant of Minds, there is plenty of better card draw.
_Otherworld Atlas, there are better options
_Fated Return, BBB and high mana cost for a single reanimation effect is generally bad.
_Bow of Nylea, fits more in tokken/winnie strategies and not in a deck with a ton of big creatures...
_Bottled Cloister, a friend used to run this and I always smiled when someone destroyed it.
_Dissipation Field, you are not running a prison deck
_Dictate of Erebos, there is no synergy with any of the other cards, its better in other decks like Meren of Clan Nel Toth
There are plenty of lands you could add, painlands, tri-lands, checklands, filter lands and I wouldn't run less than 40 with your high mana curve.
I know we can't cascade into it like Blatant Thievery but it isn't one of those spells that once you resolve it you win the game on the spot? or is it just another flashy spell?
There are some decks wich doesn't need dual lands (dredge ahem) or you can totally run budget lands (like fastlands)
Now that eternal masters is coming, I would suggest you to wait and see ~
Oh, and welcome to Legacy !
We kinda have to remove some gimmicky/bombs for lands/ramp since the new mulligan blows...
They can simply bolt laboratory maniac and win instead, if you are holding priority you can sac Undercity Informer and not give him/her the chance of bolting it. Yes, the trigger will happen either way.
Hitting for 24 with just 2 creatures sounds decent to me ~
But don't you need to pay the mana with Dream Pillager ? it isn't just better to play Arcanis instead ?