The problem with Pack Rat is , as with Liliana of the Veil, You do not really want to discard cards if you are playing Mentors... The only cards you could discard are lands if you really are flooded or a discard when the opponent has no card, but this looks really situational.
On my side, I was wondering if somebody tried Bob? card advantage is cool for delve and Mentors, and the we could consider playing cards like LotV and Rats
leap give you 100% a crea. You do not care of having sorcery in your grave... And infestation is bad in a bad deck, here it gives you CA by discarding creatures/lands. you can play lothlet troll if you prefere, but you can only discard creatures.
Try it.
And it's fun to play You can do everything of the "combo" at your oponen's end of turn. (create a token, sac with leap, take a creature, discard it + some lands sou got with LftL, repeat until you have what you want, attack during your turn) You can even add a Unburial Rite package with Elesh Norn / Craterhoof / Archetype of Imagination or Flammekin Zealot.
If you do not like Loam, you can use any better dredger with Squee or what you prefer^^
Do not forget that basically Haakon + 1 Gravecrawler in your grave is enough to trigger Vengevine and you do not always need 25+ creature in a deck like that
I mainly love the first because of the idea, but i think that the second is better for several reasons:
1. Goblin Rabblemaster + Pack Rat + Mutavault !!
2. the curve is more "Bob friendly"
3. Kolaghan's Command is just to good... allowing some really good things if you have cards like Fulminator Mage in your SB ^^
4. IMO a deck like that would prefer to play a single good creature (Goblin Rabblemaster) as treat, than a Gatekeeper of Malakir
I don't know how Blood Mooon would be in the second deck... maybe as SB card, but I think that it's a choice between the synergie Goblin Rabblemaster + Pack Rat + Mutavault and Blood Mooon, or maybe Moon is just so strong that you just don't care^^
In both deck the problem is LIFE ! Bob, Thoughtseize, Fetch, Bitterblossom... We have pharika's cure, Vampire Nighthawk and dragon's claw, but i don't now if this will be enough. May be adding one or two white sources for SB plans...
I think i have found a tactic that works really well, it's similar to Midrange and Tempo.
This sinergy has been fantastic: Goblin Rabblemaster + Pack Rat + Mutavault
Does anyone already tried Medling Mage? While playing Inquisition/thoughtseize and sometimes probe, He could be a good "permission". you make them discard a card and blocking them to play the others.
I was writing a cool analyse of my list arguing on the cards choice, when i clicked on the "previous" button to close the preview of the post....
So basically i droped the Loam Crime package (in SB) an adapted the list by playing only things i can cast (grave titan is my top-curve). I moved the fatties in my sb and bring them in in very specific match-ups where i'm sure my elesh will not be istant path/cut/etc and same with Iona.
I like to see The Gifts deck as a UBG control deck that abuse of Gifts to have value and sometimes inevitability. I just splash white for path, rite and rhino and i could imagine droping the rhino for some Goyfs if theire price drops.
Also, i do not play Souls, i play Golgari charm and Maelstrom pulse to deal with the opponent's Souls.
On my side, I was wondering if somebody tried Bob? card advantage is cool for delve and Mentors, and the we could consider playing cards like LotV and Rats
Try it.
4 Gravecrawler
4 Vengevine
4 Evolutionary Leap
4 Zombie Infestation
4 Life from the Loam
2 Raven's Crime
2 Damnation
4 Serum Visions
2 Thought Scour
4 Twilight Mire
4 Verdant catacomb
2 Overgrown tomb
2 Watery grave
3 Polluted delta
1 Island
4 Forest
3 Swamp
And it's fun to play You can do everything of the "combo" at your oponen's end of turn. (create a token, sac with leap, take a creature, discard it + some lands sou got with LftL, repeat until you have what you want, attack during your turn) You can even add a Unburial Rite package with Elesh Norn / Craterhoof / Archetype of Imagination or Flammekin Zealot.
If you do not like Loam, you can use any better dredger with Squee or what you prefer^^
Do not forget that basically Haakon + 1 Gravecrawler in your grave is enough to trigger Vengevine and you do not always need 25+ creature in a deck like that
4 Dark Confidant
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Magus of the Moon
4 Pack Rat
Enchantments
4 Blood Moon
4 Geth's Verdict
4 Lightning Bolt
1 Shard Volley
2 Terminate
Planeswalker
1 Chandra, Pyromaster
Sorceries
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Molten Rain
1 Mizzium Mortars
4 Blood Crypt
4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Snow-Covered Mountain
9 Snow-Covered Swamp
4 Verdant Catacombs
and really like the idea! But i would prefer something like ( ~ FVN, BW midrange thread) :
4 Dark Confidant
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
3 Pack Rat
1 Olivia Voldaren
Spells
3 Bitterblossom
3 Kolaghan's Command
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Terminate
1 Dismember
1 Murderous Cut
2 Geth's Verdict
2 Thoughtseize
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Liliana of the Veil
3 Blood Crypt
1 Mountain
4 Swamp
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Mutavault
1 Marsh Flats
I mainly love the first because of the idea, but i think that the second is better for several reasons:
1. Goblin Rabblemaster + Pack Rat + Mutavault !!
2. the curve is more "Bob friendly"
3. Kolaghan's Command is just to good... allowing some really good things if you have cards like Fulminator Mage in your SB ^^
4. IMO a deck like that would prefer to play a single good creature (Goblin Rabblemaster) as treat, than a Gatekeeper of Malakir
I don't know how Blood Mooon would be in the second deck... maybe as SB card, but I think that it's a choice between the synergie Goblin Rabblemaster + Pack Rat + Mutavault and Blood Mooon, or maybe Moon is just so strong that you just don't care^^
In both deck the problem is LIFE ! Bob, Thoughtseize, Fetch, Bitterblossom... We have pharika's cure, Vampire Nighthawk and dragon's claw, but i don't now if this will be enough. May be adding one or two white sources for SB plans...
Any thought?
I really like your idea ! let me know how it goes !
Do you really need white in that list? Maybe BR is more consistent with Bitterblossom instead of Lingering Souls and Terminate / murderous Cut / Dismember instead of Path to Exil
So basically i droped the Loam Crime package (in SB) an adapted the list by playing only things i can cast (grave titan is my top-curve). I moved the fatties in my sb and bring them in in very specific match-ups where i'm sure my elesh will not be istant path/cut/etc and same with Iona.
I like to see The Gifts deck as a UBG control deck that abuse of Gifts to have value and sometimes inevitability. I just splash white for path, rite and rhino and i could imagine droping the rhino for some Goyfs if theire price drops.
Also, i do not play Souls, i play Golgari charm and Maelstrom pulse to deal with the opponent's Souls.
A brief summary ^^