Celestial Collonade is an amazing magic card and it is another win condition in our deck. Though I see the merit in what you are saying, I really encourage it as an include. If you want to make sure you have 3 mana on turn 3, I would consider adding 1 or 2 more lands to your deck. This deck usually runs 24-25 lands and you running less than this (23 lands) may be hurting your chances of hitting your land drops when you need it. The below article does a good job in explaining hitting land drops and lands required in a 60-card deck. Hope it helps!
Nice report, Sun95. You may not even need another reanimation target for burn or aggro. Iona and Elesh Norn cover those matchups, but I'd say if those archetypes are a big part of your meta, up your timely reinforcements count.
My meta consists largely of Jund, Abzan, UW Control, Humans, Infect, Bogles, Burn, and the odd GR Tron player. Notes about the deck:
1) I've been disappointed with Remand lately and have complete removed it, replacing the two I usually run with another condescend and thought-knot seer. So far, I've enjoyed the change.
2) I found the meta to be quite fast lately, even Jund does not let you do your thing like it used to, due to Bloodbraid Elf.I'm not sure Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is the best finisher for faster decks. I was never a fan of Mindslaver due to its prone-ness to getting hit by hate and how many cards you need for the combo. Has anyone been experimenting with Ulamog, the infinite gyre? To retain the shuffle effect with a more castable finisher? I recognize Ula is a downgrade from a finisher than Emmy, but I'm still winning most of my games via gifting for Iona, so it's more about the shuffle effect to me with more potential for casting later. Would love opinions on this or another finisher.
3) Damping Sphere is not actually printed yet, I have Damping Matrix in there right now. I intend to swap them as soon as I acquire the new card to see how it fairs against Gx Tron.
Happy to answer any questions and would like to know if others' current lists are similar, and if not how do they differ? This deck is the good deck that no one knows about.
Anyone have any updates on whether Jace, the mind sculptor fits well in our deck? This deck community seems like it needs a little revitalization. I'm still kicking butt with this deck and think it still has legs. I'll post my current decklist in a couple days once I'm done tinkering. Anyone care to post what they are running right now? I'm finding a turn 3 Thought-Knot Seer to be especially powerful (in my mid-rangey meta).
Thanks for that answer. I've always been in the Emrakul camp, but I could see how Mindslaver works for you with academy ruin, EE, and oblivion stone. For me, I'd rather fill the other slot with a large must answer creature in the 10 mana range, that bridges the gap between Ugin and Emrakul and could take the game if I never get to 15 mana. Alongside Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, Im experimenting with running Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger and also experimenting with Emrakul, the Promised End. So far, seems like how good the second Emrakul is can vary greatly, while Ulamog is consistent.
Recently I've seen a lot of lists posted that run both Emrakul and Mindslaver. In the past, I've felt that having both makes the deck clunky. Wondering if someone who runs both could comment on their experience and what running both adds to the deck?
Against grindier matchups like junk or jund emrakul can win often. With faster decks, its way more rare to be able to cast her. The real power of having emrakul is a graveyard-into-deck shuffler and, as darksteel has explained many times in this thread, emrakul is part of the chaining gifts sequence, where you gifts for gifts, emrakul, sphinxs' rev, and X (this is stronger once you have tron because then casting emrakul is a threat).
As promised (though a bit late, sorry!), here is my current UW Tron Gift deck. The big stand out in the main is Gideon, which serves as a good beater-finisher, and token maker. My meta is very jund-heavy, and so he comes in handy against Liliana. He also makes for interesting gifts piles because most people (at least at FNM's I attend) tend to freak out when they see Gideon and won't let you have him, allowing you to get the other cards you really want. You might also notice I like playing with Haven and Ugin. This is just a personal preference, I'm sure other iterations are just as good. I just enjoy gifting for Ugin when I have Haven in hand.
Sideboard explanations: Timely is for burn and aggro. Blessed alliance is also for burn and aggro. But can be handy against infect or boggles. Purge is my favourite sideboard card. Kills Lili's, blood moons, hunt master's, and anything else red/black, which is a huge chunk of modern. Ghostly Prison is a card I'm just trying out, I'll have other cards like ceremonious rejection, Terastodon, Bribery, or a Thought-Knot Seer in there from time to time to. Other SB cards seem self-explanatory.
Very open to answering questions or discussing the deck. I've been playing Gifts Tron almost exclusively since 2014.
@kodieyost: all is dust is not worth playing in this deck. We have at least 3 wrath effects and spot removal and don't need. I'd test the cheaper and recent settle the wreckage if you're looking for a fourth wrath. Ugin and cyclonic rift also could work.
Typically this deck does not run chalice and plays 4 paths. A recent deck list was posted with chalices, but that was the poster's own brew. Perhaps it is a concession to the death shadow meta. I welcome him or her to elaborate! I'll post my own deck list in a couple days after I'm done tinkering.
Interesting list. How have the 2 Gideons worked for you with the rest of the deck? I see how they could stall out the game until you can play big things.
Congrats on the good finish. Interesting tech in Coax from the Blind Eternities. Would it be possible for you to describe situations when you used it or when you would use it?
https://www.channelfireball.com/articles/how-many-lands-do-you-need-to-consistently-hit-your-land-drops/
4x Celestial Colonnade
2x Flooded Strand
1x Ghost Quarter
2x Hallowed Fountain
1x Haven of the Spirit Dragon
1x Island
1x Plains
1x Snow-Covered Island
1x Snow-Covered Plains
3x Urza's Mine
3x Urza's Power Plant
4x Urza's Tower
Planeswalker (2)
1x Elspeth, Sun's Champion
1x Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
Instant (17)
4x Condescend
4x Gifts Ungiven
4x Path to Exile
1x Sphinx's Revelation
4x Thirst for Knowledge
1x Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1x Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
1x Iona, Shield of Emeria
1x Snapcaster Mage
3x Thought-Knot Seer
Sorcery (4)
1x Day of Judgment
1x Supreme Verdict
1x Unburial Rites
1x Wrath of God
Artifact (5)
3x Azorius Signet
2x Expedition Map
Enchantment (1)
1x Cast Out
2x Blessed Alliance
1x Celestial Purge
1x Damping Sphere
1x Disenchant
1x Dispel
1x Ghostly Prison
2x Negate
2x Pithing Needle
1x Relic of Progenitus
1x Spellskite
2x Timely Reinforcements
My meta consists largely of Jund, Abzan, UW Control, Humans, Infect, Bogles, Burn, and the odd GR Tron player. Notes about the deck:
1) I've been disappointed with Remand lately and have complete removed it, replacing the two I usually run with another condescend and thought-knot seer. So far, I've enjoyed the change.
2) I found the meta to be quite fast lately, even Jund does not let you do your thing like it used to, due to Bloodbraid Elf.I'm not sure Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is the best finisher for faster decks. I was never a fan of Mindslaver due to its prone-ness to getting hit by hate and how many cards you need for the combo. Has anyone been experimenting with Ulamog, the infinite gyre? To retain the shuffle effect with a more castable finisher? I recognize Ula is a downgrade from a finisher than Emmy, but I'm still winning most of my games via gifting for Iona, so it's more about the shuffle effect to me with more potential for casting later. Would love opinions on this or another finisher.
3) Damping Sphere is not actually printed yet, I have Damping Matrix in there right now. I intend to swap them as soon as I acquire the new card to see how it fairs against Gx Tron.
Happy to answer any questions and would like to know if others' current lists are similar, and if not how do they differ? This deck is the good deck that no one knows about.
4x Celestial Colonnade
2x Flooded Strand
1x Ghost Quarter
2x Hallowed Fountain
1x Haven of the Spirit Dragon
1x Island
1x Plains
1x Snow-Covered Island
1x Snow-Covered Plains
3x Urza's Mine
3x Urza's Power Plant
4x Urza's Tower
Artifacts (5)
3x Azorius Signet
2x Expedition Map
Instants (19)
1x Blessed Alliance
3x Condescend
4x Gifts Ungiven
4x Path to Exile
2x Remand
1x Sphinx's Revelation
4x Thirst for Knowledge
1x Day of Judgment
1x Supreme Verdict
1x Unburial Rites
1x Wrath of God
Planeswalkers (3)
1x Elspeth, Sun's Champion
1x Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1x Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
Creatures (4)
1x Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1x Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
1x Iona, Shield of Emeria
1x Snapcaster Mage
Enchantments (1)
1x Cast Out
1x Blessed Alliance
2x Celestial Purge
1x Disenchant
1x Dispel
1x Ghostly Prison
2x Negate
2x Pithing Needle
2x Relic of Progenitus
3x Timely Reinforcements
As promised (though a bit late, sorry!), here is my current UW Tron Gift deck. The big stand out in the main is Gideon, which serves as a good beater-finisher, and token maker. My meta is very jund-heavy, and so he comes in handy against Liliana. He also makes for interesting gifts piles because most people (at least at FNM's I attend) tend to freak out when they see Gideon and won't let you have him, allowing you to get the other cards you really want. You might also notice I like playing with Haven and Ugin. This is just a personal preference, I'm sure other iterations are just as good. I just enjoy gifting for Ugin when I have Haven in hand.
Sideboard explanations: Timely is for burn and aggro. Blessed alliance is also for burn and aggro. But can be handy against infect or boggles. Purge is my favourite sideboard card. Kills Lili's, blood moons, hunt master's, and anything else red/black, which is a huge chunk of modern. Ghostly Prison is a card I'm just trying out, I'll have other cards like ceremonious rejection, Terastodon, Bribery, or a Thought-Knot Seer in there from time to time to. Other SB cards seem self-explanatory.
Very open to answering questions or discussing the deck. I've been playing Gifts Tron almost exclusively since 2014.
@kodieyost: all is dust is not worth playing in this deck. We have at least 3 wrath effects and spot removal and don't need. I'd test the cheaper and recent settle the wreckage if you're looking for a fourth wrath. Ugin and cyclonic rift also could work.
Do we think this card sees play over Rest in Peace or Grafdigger's Cage?