Which "gain life" (healing) card would you recommend to Ghave guru of spores deck?
I know, I know it's hard to say when you don't know my deck, but it's average Ghave Guru deck with few tutors, undying cards and classical Ghave Guru combos like doing tokens, bouncing from graveyatd back to battlefield etc.
But during last games I noticed when game lasts long and I have very good cards in battlefield. My only weakness is I can't heal myself. Even with tutors in my hand, I simply don't have anything like this my deck.
When I'm looking to other decks or on web I can't see anything with good synergy with Ghave Guru.
Do you have any advice? Green or white color (I prefer green), with something more than only gain life ability. Do you have any idea?
Instead of trying to gain life, I would try and minimize the life you lose. Straight lifegain is bad unless it's an absurd amount of life. Something like Ghostly Prison would suggest opponents attack somewhere else.
Simply having more answers would help as well, that way if you get swung at you can just kill the thing attacking you. Are you running removal like Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile etc? If not, go there instead of trying to gain life. Spike Weaver is repeatable fog in Ghave.
Yeah, I'm using those white exile cards. Spike weaver looks very intersting. I'm already using him in my Roon's blink deck . I'll probably use him in Ghave Guru's deck too.
Trostani, Selesnya's Voice is so good. I was afraid of 2 white manas when I was building this deck. White cards are in minority (lands too) in my deck. But my problem is usually in last phase of the game and in that time I have 2 white lands of course. Good tip DirkGently. Thanks
Blood Artist, Zulaport Cutthroat and Cruel Celebrant are all very low-risk cards that can help you patch up your life total, but more importantly, they also work as a wincon if you can sacrifice enough stuff. They have bigger siblings too in Falkenrath Noble and Vindictive Vampire, but the low mana cost of the previous three is what sets them apart, IMO.
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My Commander decks:
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras.
Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power.
Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza.
Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall.
Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana.
Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die.
Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
Cards which gain you life when creatures die: Blood Artist, Zulaport Cutthroat, Slimefoot, the Stowaway, Falkenrath Noble. You can also use Savra, Queen of the Golgari, but remember, she's not a win condition and therefore less useful than the others. Falkenrath Noble is more expensive, but it does have the benefit of having flying, so it can block in a pinch. (Ghave has difficulty with flying.)
Other: Exsanguinate and Debt to the Deathless are themselves win conditions, though mostly because you have ways to make them so. Also, consider Blind Obedience. There are lots of extort cards you can pick up, but I like this one because it adds another "thing opponents cannot do". (You also have ones like Treasury Thrull which double as recursion. And Crypt Ghast as a mana doubler. Actually, if you have Cryptolith Rite, you can just run Pontiff of Blight. If you have Crypt Ghast, so much the better.)
But most of what you're doing with Ghave is keeping your opponents from doing anything.
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Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
If your deck is heavy on black, Gray Merchant of Asphodel can do some work. Even more work if you have any notable ways to recur or reanimate him. Similarly, if you can loop mid-sized creatures, Siege Rhino is a perfectly fine beatstick that can buffer up your life total. Otherwise, I'm big on all the sacrifice lifegain and the big X spells already mentioned in the thread.
If you dump enough stuff into your GY, Gnaw to the Bone is an option. I run it in my Varolz self-mill deck and have gained 40+ life from just flashing it back.
If you dump enough stuff into your GY, Gnaw to the Bone is an option. I run it in my Varolz self-mill deck and have gained 40+ life from just flashing it back.
Token decks generally don't work that way; creature cards are more used for utility that just coincidentally can attack and block.
GTTB is a possibility for graveyard decks, albeit still suffering from card disadvantage if you don't feature some Necropotence-like card draw engine, but Ghave is not a graveyard deck per se. Ghave does use death triggers, it's embarrassingly easy to get infinite death triggers (and then use Jar of Eyeballs to grab Zulaport Cutthroat or some such to win the game), but what's in your graveyard doesn't matter so much (other than staples, key cards which you can recur easily because green, and some flashback spells that make tokens or +1/+1 counters). If I had a lot of creatures in my Ghave, I'd probably run Kessig Cagebreakers or Spider Spawning first.
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Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
She is a bit on the high side for mana cost, but Resolute Archangel has saved me in a number of games. And being a creature means she is easy to recur. Otherwise, the suggestions above work and I would definitely second Spike Weaver in particular.
If you dump enough stuff into your GY, Gnaw to the Bone is an option. I run it in my Varolz self-mill deck and have gained 40+ life from just flashing it back.
Token decks generally don't work that way; creature cards are more used for utility that just coincidentally can attack and block.
GTTB is a possibility for graveyard decks, albeit still suffering from card disadvantage if you don't feature some Necropotence-like card draw engine, but Ghave is not a graveyard deck per se. Ghave does use death triggers, it's embarrassingly easy to get infinite death triggers (and then use Jar of Eyeballs to grab Zulaport Cutthroat or some such to win the game), but what's in your graveyard doesn't matter so much (other than staples, key cards which you can recur easily because green, and some flashback spells that make tokens or +1/+1 counters). If I had a lot of creatures in my Ghave, I'd probably run Kessig Cagebreakers or Spider Spawning first.
And generally, I cast GTTB from my graveyard with flashback. So no worries on card disadvantage. Also, maybe worth noting that this deck is intentionally powered down for my meta. Always good to have the option of a less powerful deck.
Actually, Deathgreeter could be an interesting cheap (in terms of both money and mana) non-combo version. It's basically Soul Net on a 1/1 body, but you don't have to pay mana for the activation because some time back they realized paying mana was stupid. In that same vein, there's Moonlit Wake.
Noble Purpose and True Conviction are interesting, since the former gives your creatures the Spirit Link ability conditionally, and the latter gives lifelink and double strike. The former is separate from the latter, and does stack, since unlike the latter, it's a triggered ability. (This also makes for an interesting corner case as well.) True Conviction also grants double strike. Combat is not Ghave's usual win condition, but if an opponent is open, why not swing?
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Card advantage is not the same thing as card draw. Something for 2B cannot be strictly worse than something for BBB or 3BB. If you're taking out Swords to Plowshares for Plummet, you're a fool. Stop doing these things!
I know, I know it's hard to say when you don't know my deck, but it's average Ghave Guru deck with few tutors, undying cards and classical Ghave Guru combos like doing tokens, bouncing from graveyatd back to battlefield etc.
But during last games I noticed when game lasts long and I have very good cards in battlefield. My only weakness is I can't heal myself. Even with tutors in my hand, I simply don't have anything like this my deck.
When I'm looking to other decks or on web I can't see anything with good synergy with Ghave Guru.
Do you have any advice? Green or white color (I prefer green), with something more than only gain life ability. Do you have any idea?
Simply having more answers would help as well, that way if you get swung at you can just kill the thing attacking you. Are you running removal like Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile etc? If not, go there instead of trying to gain life.
Spike Weaver is repeatable fog in Ghave.
EDH Primers
Phelddagrif - Zirilan
EDH
Thrasios+Bruse - Pang - Sasaya - Wydwen - Feather - Rona - Toshiro - Sylvia+Khorvath - Geth - QMarchesa - Firesong - Athreos - Arixmethes - Isperia - Etali - Silas+Sidar - Saskia - Virtus+Gorm - Kynaios - Naban - Aryel - Mizzix - Kazuul - Tymna+Kraum - Sidar+Tymna - Ayli - Gwendlyn - Phelddagrif 4 - Liliana - Kaervek - Phelddagrif 3 - Mairsil - Scarab - Child - Phenax - Shirei - Thada - Depala - Circu - Kytheon - GrenzoHR - Phelddagrif - Reyhan+Kraum - Toshiro - Varolz - Nin - Ojutai - Tasigur - Zedruu - Uril - Edric - Wort - Zurgo - Nahiri - Grenzo - Kozilek - Yisan - Ink-Treader - Yisan - Brago - Sidisi - Toshiro - Alexi - Sygg - Brimaz - Sek'Kuar - Marchesa - Vish Kal - Iroas - Phelddagrif - Ephara - Derevi - Glissa - Wanderer - Saffi - Melek - Xiahou Dun - Lazav - Lin Sivvi - Zirilan - Glissa
PDH - Drake - Graverobber - Izzet GM - Tallowisp - Symbiote Brawl - Feather - Ugin - Jace - Scarab - Angrath - Vraska - Kumena Oathbreaker - Wrenn&6
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - Oops! All Chandras.
Prime Speaker Zegana - Draw for Power.
Pir & Toothy - Counterpalooza.
Arcades, the Strategist - Another Brick in the Wall.
Zacama, Primal Calamity - Calamity of Double Mana.
Edgar Markov - Vampires Don't Die.
Child of Alara - Dreamcrusher.
Abzan
-EDH-
Riku of two Reflections| Xenagos, God of Revels| Meren of Clan Nel Toth| Jolrael, Empress of Beasts| Karlov of the Ghoust Council| Prossh, Skyraider of Kher| Memnarch| Rhys the Redeemed The Mimeoplasm| Atraxa, Praetor's Voice
Blood Artist, Zulaport Cutthroat, Slimefoot, the Stowaway, Falkenrath Noble. You can also use Savra, Queen of the Golgari, but remember, she's not a win condition and therefore less useful than the others. Falkenrath Noble is more expensive, but it does have the benefit of having flying, so it can block in a pinch. (Ghave has difficulty with flying.)
Cards which gain you life when creatures enter:
Leyline of Vitality, Soul Warden, Soul's Attendant, Essence Warden, Trostani, Selesnya's Voice, Suture Priest. Most of these are variants of the same concept. Suture Priest is great in mirror matches tho. Trostani is expensive, but scales with anthems (or when you recast Ghave).
Cards which gain you life when they die:
Kokusho, the Evening Star
Creatures with lifelink, cards which grant lifelink, cards which make tokens with lifelink:
I'm generally fond of Vampire Nighthawk, Elenda, the Dusk Rose, and Angel of Invention as more shoring up defenses against flying. Legion's Landing is also pretty useful, since the flip condition is easy enough to hit. You can use Sorin, Lord of Innistrad and Sorin, Solemn Visitor. And of course, March of the Multitudes.
Other:
Exsanguinate and Debt to the Deathless are themselves win conditions, though mostly because you have ways to make them so. Also, consider Blind Obedience. There are lots of extort cards you can pick up, but I like this one because it adds another "thing opponents cannot do". (You also have ones like Treasury Thrull which double as recursion. And Crypt Ghast as a mana doubler. Actually, if you have Cryptolith Rite, you can just run Pontiff of Blight. If you have Crypt Ghast, so much the better.)
Beyond that, Sword of Light and Shadow and Sword of War and Peace are potential lifegain, but your wincon isn't really combat.
But most of what you're doing with Ghave is keeping your opponents from doing anything.
On phasing:
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Modern:
Melira PodRIP 1/19/15GWHatebearsRBGLiving EndRBG
EDH
UFblthpU
BRXantchaRB
BGVarolzGB
URWZedruuWRU
Token decks generally don't work that way; creature cards are more used for utility that just coincidentally can attack and block.
GTTB is a possibility for graveyard decks, albeit still suffering from card disadvantage if you don't feature some Necropotence-like card draw engine, but Ghave is not a graveyard deck per se. Ghave does use death triggers, it's embarrassingly easy to get infinite death triggers (and then use Jar of Eyeballs to grab Zulaport Cutthroat or some such to win the game), but what's in your graveyard doesn't matter so much (other than staples, key cards which you can recur easily because green, and some flashback spells that make tokens or +1/+1 counters). If I had a lot of creatures in my Ghave, I'd probably run Kessig Cagebreakers or Spider Spawning first.
On phasing:
Depends on the build. My Varolz deck is built of 40+ creatures, uses a lot of dredge and sac abilities and also makes a decent number of tokens. I use Crawling Sensation, Ulvenwald Mysteries, Call the Bloodline and various Eldrazi token makers to fuel the draw engines of Fecundity, Dark Prophecy, and Skullclamp. I use Abundance and Underrealm Lich as ways to turbo dump the cards into the yard.
And generally, I cast GTTB from my graveyard with flashback. So no worries on card disadvantage. Also, maybe worth noting that this deck is intentionally powered down for my meta. Always good to have the option of a less powerful deck.
RBGLiving EndRBG
EDH
UFblthpU
BRXantchaRB
BGVarolzGB
URWZedruuWRU
Archangel of Thune also likes peaches for going infinite. Kitchen Finks also likes Cathars' Crusade (which Ghave should have anyway).
Actually, Deathgreeter could be an interesting cheap (in terms of both money and mana) non-combo version. It's basically Soul Net on a 1/1 body, but you don't have to pay mana for the activation because some time back they realized paying mana was stupid. In that same vein, there's Moonlit Wake.
Noble Purpose and True Conviction are interesting, since the former gives your creatures the Spirit Link ability conditionally, and the latter gives lifelink and double strike. The former is separate from the latter, and does stack, since unlike the latter, it's a triggered ability. (This also makes for an interesting corner case as well.) True Conviction also grants double strike. Combat is not Ghave's usual win condition, but if an opponent is open, why not swing?
On phasing: