I personally run 2 jace jr and 2 ashiok and both are amazing when they go unchecked. Ashiok is super great against any deck in modern as 90% of the creatures are 3 cmc or less or exiling them stops a combo. Jace helps fill in my slots for snapcaster (I only have 1) and can be useful for ditching our fatties to the grave if we're unlucky.
I wouldn't suggest pack rat in place of grave titan as the grave titan is meant to out value creature heavy decks- you unburial and get 10 power on the board across 3 bodies even if the immediately answer the titan you still got 2 2/2's with the pack rat if it's immediately answered you get nothing and it doesn't help you get back in the game. Sun titan isn't bad if you have a bunch of cards to work with for recursion.
I'm running a mono white sisters with 3 sup fields as a loaner deck- I love watching/hearing people reactions when it gets played. I've been called an evil *sshole a few times.
I have been considering changing out the windbrisks since sup fields hit you to. The ghost quarters are helpful with leonin since this deck operates quite well at low cmc but can grind forever.
anyone have a gameplan on how to combat all the new eldrazzi decks that don't run tron lands? are we still just going to gq the temples and kill/counter the ramp?
Suppression Field, Leonin Arbiter, Stony silence all seem to be worth considering. this lets us tax them and force them to assemble tron fairly as opposed to tutoring.
I was wondering what the more experienced gifts players think about main boarding 1 sun titan, 1 noxious revival and moving the 2 spellskites to side. Also any suggestions for the sideboard would be appreciated.
UPDATE: I took this version to a local 6 man tournament and managed 2-0-1: Beat Red abzan 2-0, Temur HomeBrew 2-0, Merfolk 1-1-1 (time) Game 2 I think I messed up countering a kill target jace instead of gifting value for wraths package. Can't Wait for my Sun Titan, and noxious revivals to come in the mail. Will be moving the skites to side for revival as having that as the 4th option is better for value gifts.
I'm getting ready to start testing my deck and have one area I'm not sure of: With Iona what color do you name for things like abzan junk, grixis twin, jund and naya coco? (I'm assuming that Iona is next to useless for any of the tron based decks since the majority of their win cons are colorless.) - My biggest problem is twin as it seems there is no "good" color to name. White: Path Red: burn/twin Blue: cryptic/snap pest & exarch.
Thanks for the suggestions; I'm staying ESPER with possibly adding noxious for phrexian. So abrupt decay/ooze aren't options. But I might change remands if after testing they don't do good.
The sideboard is where I'm stuck at currently. I have basically a T1 meta- r/g and blue tron, merfolk, twin, grixis, abzan and dredge to worry about along with naya and grisel combos
I was hoping to get some experienced gift pilots to look over my rough draft deck-list and give me some pointers. Its worth noting that this is ESPER and will stay that way b/c I have the lands from a different deck.
Yes the crabs need plenty of fetch lands (budget can sort of work with bounce lands) to be effective. If you can swing the slot in your mana base Oboro, Palace in the Clouds is a really good crab combo. Also don't forget to keep some basics in there as you can ghost quarter your own lands for extra triggers and to survive a random blood moon.
surgical is usually better in my expierence. The only exception is if you expect them to be able to protect the target (counter or in response tactics) In those cases I like extirpate ( Not exp in the archtype but do run mill with 3 surgical main and 3 extirpate sb so have casted both alot)
Was hoping to get some feedback on my rough draft I tried to stay true to the skeleton mentioned in pg#1. Its main win con is via tutelage triggers (mill) but plays out as a draw-go control-
Notable changes-
shambling vents in for colonnades as budget man land slot
manabase choices heavily influenced by what I have from my esper mill deck
jace in place of snaps b/c its what I have on hand.
3x Ajani's Pridemate
2x Archangel of Thune
3x Auriok Champion
2x Leonin Arbiter
2x Mirran Crusader
3x Soul Warden
3x Soul's Attendant
Enchantment (9)
3x Honor of the Pure
3x Oblivion Ring
3x Suppression Field
1x Emeria, The Sky Ruin
4x Ghost Quarter
2x Mistveil Plains
12x Plains
3x Windbrisk Heights
Instant (9)
3x Brave the Elements
2x Mana Tithe
2x Path to Exile
2x Secure the Wastes
Sorcery (2)
2x Spectral Procession
1x Ghostly Prison
2x Immortal Servitude
2x Kor Firewalker
1x Mark of Asylum
2x Pithing Needle
2x Rest in Peace
1x Stony Silence
3x Sundering Growth
1x Worship
I have been considering changing out the windbrisks since sup fields hit you to. The ghost quarters are helpful with leonin since this deck operates quite well at low cmc but can grind forever.
2x Drowned Catacomb
4x Flooded Strand
3x Ghost Quarter
1x Godless Shrine
2x Hallowed Fountain
1x Island
1x Plains
4x Polluted Delta
2x Shambling Vent
1x Swamp
3x Watery Grave
Creature (7)
1x Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1x Grave Titan
1x Iona, Shield of Emeria
2x Jace, Vryn's Prodigy Flip
2x Spellskite
4x Gifts Ungiven
1x Hero's Downfall
1x Logic Knot
1x Makeshift Mannequin
2x Mana Leak
4x Path to Exile
2x Remand
1x Spell Pierce
Sorcery (11)
1x Day of Judgment
1x Duress
3x Lingering Souls
1x Supreme Verdict
2x Thoughtseize
2x Unburial Rites
1x Wrath of God
Planeswalker (2)
2x Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
1x Detention Sphere
1x Extirpate
1x Ghostly Prison
2x Hurkyl's Recall
1x Nevermore
2x Nihil Spellbomb
2x Pithing Needle
1x Stony Silence
1x Sun Titan
2x Suppression Field
1x Surgical Extraction
I was wondering what the more experienced gifts players think about main boarding 1 sun titan, 1 noxious revival and moving the 2 spellskites to side. Also any suggestions for the sideboard would be appreciated.
UPDATE: I took this version to a local 6 man tournament and managed 2-0-1: Beat Red abzan 2-0, Temur HomeBrew 2-0, Merfolk 1-1-1 (time) Game 2 I think I messed up countering a kill target jace instead of gifting value for wraths package. Can't Wait for my Sun Titan, and noxious revivals to come in the mail. Will be moving the skites to side for revival as having that as the 4th option is better for value gifts.
2x Drowned Catacomb
4x Flooded Strand
3x Ghost Quarter
1x Godless Shrine
1x Hallowed Fountain
1x Island
1x Plains
4x Polluted Delta
1x Prairie Stream
2x Shambling Vent
1x Swamp
3x Watery Grave
Planeswalker (2)
2x Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
Instant (17)
4x Gifts Ungiven
1x Hero's Downfall
1x Logic Knot
1x Makeshift Mannequin
2x Mana Leak
1x Murderous Cut
4x Path to Exile
2x Remand
1x Spell Pierce
1x Grave Titan
1x Iona, Shield of Emeria
2x Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
2x Spellskite
1x Sphinx of the Steel Wind
Sorcery (10)
1x Day of Judgment
3x Lingering Souls
1x Supreme Verdict
2x Thoughtseize
2x Unburial Rites
1x Wrath of God
2x Crypt Incursion
2x Darkness
1x Detention Sphere
2x Hurkyl's Recall
1x Merciless Eviction
2x Nihil Spellbomb
3x Pithing Needle
2x Suppression Field
The sideboard is where I'm stuck at currently. I have basically a T1 meta- r/g and blue tron, merfolk, twin, grixis, abzan and dredge to worry about along with naya and grisel combos
2x Drowned Catacomb
4x Flooded Strand
3x Ghost Quarter
1x Godless Shrine
1x Hallowed Fountain
1x Island
1x Plains
4x Polluted Delta
1x Prairie Stream
2x Shambling Vent
1x Swamp
3x Watery Grave
Creature (7)
1x Grave Titan
1x Iona, Shield of Emeria
2x Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
2x Spellskite
1x Sphinx of the Steel Wind
1x Doom Blade
2x Esper Charm
4x Gifts Ungiven
1x Go for the Throat
1x Logic Knot
1x Makeshift Mannequin
2x Mana Leak
4x Path to Exile
2x Remand
1x Spell Pierce
Sorcery (8)
1x Day of Judgment
3x Lingering Souls
1x Supreme Verdict
2x Unburial Rites
1x Wrath of God
Planeswalker (2)
2x Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
2x Crypt Incursion
2x Darkness
2x Hurkyl's Recall
2x Nihil Spellbomb
3x Pithing Needle
2x Stony Silence
2x Timely Reinforcements
2x Drowned Catacomb
4x Flooded Strand
3x Ghost Quarter
1x Godless Shrine
1x Hallowed Fountain
1x Island
1x Plains
4x Polluted Delta
3x Shambling Vent
1x Swamp
3x Watery Grave
4x Esper Charm
2x Logic Knot
2x Mana Leak
4x Path to Exile
3x Remand
2x Sphinx's Revelation
Enchantment (8)
2x Detention Sphere
2x Ghostly Prison
4x Sphinx's Tutelage
4x Serum Visions
3x Supreme Verdict
Creature (4)
2x Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
2x Spellskite
Notable changes-
shambling vents in for colonnades as budget man land slot
manabase choices heavily influenced by what I have from my esper mill deck
jace in place of snaps b/c its what I have on hand.
I have not created a SB yet.