Greater Gifts

kev41 · Joined: 11 Nov 2009 Posts: 50

This is the build I'm currently working on, and I was wondering if there are other combos, etc. that can be played in the deck as well, or are better than the Yosei/Greater Good combo.

This deck works as a Gifts deck with the Yosei/Greater combo, and the Hana Kami combo in the sideboard.

Please take a look and feel free to do whatever you want with my list as long as you tell me why your doing the fixes, etc.

Based on the deck that was played at worlds 2005 achieving 2nd place by Frank Karsten.

Another thing, I'm aiming for a Casual Legacy format deck, so no hyper ancient cards please

here's the list:

// Lands 23
1 Miren, the Moaning Well
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
1 Godless Shrine
1 Watery Grave
1 Temple Garden
3 Stirring Wildwood
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
4 Forest
1 Island
2 Swamp
2 Plains
2 Marsh Flats
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Overgrown Tomb

// Creatures 12
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Kagemaro, First to Suffer
4 Yosei, the Morning Star
2 Kokusho, the Evening Star
1 Eternal Witness

// Spells 15
3 Greater Good
3 Goryo's Vengeance
1 Reclaim
2 Farseek
4 Kodama's Reach
4 Wrath of God
3 Gifts Ungiven
3 Sensei's Divining Top
2 Maelstrom Pulse

// Sideboard 15
SB: 1 Cranial Extraction
SB: 1 Death Denied
SB: 1 Hana Kami
SB: 1 Hideous Laughter
SB: 1 Rending Vines
SB: 1 Soulless Revival
SB: 1 Keiga, the Tide Star
SB: 4 Defense Grid
SB: 1 Meloku the Clouded Mirror
SB: 1 Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni
SB: 1 Dosan the Falling Leaf
SB: 1 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir

Please be polite and thanks in advance.

GreenBear · Joined: 27 Jul 2010 Posts: 901

Vivid Lands are better than tendo's ice bridge and most likely more usefull than city of brass also, though i wouldnt run more than 8.

Mykrob56 · Level 1 Judge Joined: 07 Nov 2009 Posts: 37

And don't forget reflecting pool.

kev41 · Joined: 11 Nov 2009 Posts: 50

I want to have a budget mana base, Reflecting pool is like 10$ and that is too much for a single card i believe, since this deck is not for competitive play. That is the reason I choose City of Brass, however, I see Gemstone Mine could be good, and also the Pain Lands, but I don't know. Fetch Lands are like 10$ or more too so none of them. Rav Duals are about 5 more and less, but I would prefer to stick to painlands and maybe city of brass, tendo ice bridge, terramorphic exapnse/evolving winds, gemstone mine/ carverns, and I don't know. Some thing like that. Stirring wildwood if fien btw. and I would like to fit some Tectonic edge too

For example, for a BG deck I have I use Llanowar Wastes and Tainted Wood, along with Sakura-Tribe Elders, I almost never have mana problems with it (but its 2 colors anyways). But what I mean, is that it is a good or, well, a fair mana base and it wasn't expensive at all (llanowar 2$, tainted wood .50$).

So that is basically what I want with this deck, if not, well I think the best options are Farseek with some rav dual lands. What do you think?

I've seen that most of Greater Gifts builds had 10 land searchers: 4 sakura, and the other 6 distributed between kodamas reach and farseek. does these last 6 cards are needed? I mean, what happens if I just use kodamas reach, and increase the land count to 24-25 ? instead of 23

another issue i have is about removal. The deck has 4 wraths, and have space more and less for 2-3 more cards, out of my mind, those can be Putrefy, Mortify, Smother, Maelstrom Pulse, Oblivion Ring, etc. But I don't really know which is better, maybe pulse, but it is kinda expensive, so Oblivion Ring is hitting the same targets and has the same speed. On the other side, Putrefy and mortify are instants, but they can't hit planeswalkers, so I think I'm sticking with the RIngs, unless I change my mind and spend on 2-3 Pulses (but they need 2 mana colors, which is not goot for what I want with my mana base though)

Update:

I have thought about this mana base:

24 Lands

4 Stirring Wildwood
1 Miren, the Moaning Well
4 Forest
3 Plains
3 Swamp
1 Island
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
1 Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
2 Tendo Ice Bridge
1 Watery Grave
1 Godless Shrine
1 Overgrown Tomb

with these land searchers:

4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
4 Kodama's Reach
2 Farseek (3 Dual Lands)

However, I wish I could drop 1 land to be at 23 (I use Minamo because it can combo with Arcanis, who is in the side). Also, I would like to fit in some Tectonic Edge. Thoughts? ( I don't would prefer not to use the dual lands since it is like 20$ on just the 3, Vivid lands seems a good choice, but they cannot be searched but seems better than tendo. If I remove the dual lands, farseek goes out too. What should I use to replace it?)

or something like this ( without farseek, just 4 sakura, 4 reach)

25 lands:
4 Stirring Wildwood
1 Miren, the Moaning Well
4 Forest
3 Plains
3 Swamp
1 Island
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
1 Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
4 City of Brass
1 Vivid Marsh
1 Vivid Meadow

Tao · Joined: 22 Dec 2007 Posts: 864

The original lists prob ran 10 accelerants for consistency of drawing them at the right time (opening hand-turn 3). 8 is still prob fine, but not as consistent, for whatever that's worth.

kev41 · Joined: 11 Nov 2009 Posts: 50

I suppose that by playing lands on those spots (25 in total now), and the availability of multicolored lands, such as city of brass, this should be fine. Thoughts?

Tao · Joined: 22 Dec 2007 Posts: 864

I'd go something like this, if you're willing to spend 3-4 bucks on some lands
2 vivid grove
2 vivid creek
2 vivid marsh
2 vivid meadow
3 ravnica duals
4 city of brass
2 saltcrusted steppe
1 dreadship reef
1 miren, the moaner
2 forest
2 plains
1 swamp
1 island

kev41 · Joined: 11 Nov 2009 Posts: 50

Updated the deck, and changed the mana base, finally using duals. Thoughts?

any other card choices among the ones I'm currently using on this build?

high market instead of miren?