4 color gifts reanimator. This deck has evolved from a BUG control, with
Simic Sky Swallower
as a wincon, to the decklist you see here. Of course, the main goal is to reanimate Iona, Shield of Emeria on turn 5, but can be sped up a turn(or even two) with Birds of Paradise or Deathrite Shaman. Many high level decks use Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite as a reanimation target. I do not use this card for two main reasons:
1). The +2/+2 bonus on Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite will not be very useful on my creatures, as a have very few. Yes, it is a great buff, and will make my birds 2/3 fliers, and my deathrites 3/4 beaters, and any 1/1 spirit tokens turn into 3/3 spirits, but in general, I do not feel my deck has the creature base to really utalize this to the fullest extent. Granted, the -2/-2 debuff is very powerful as well, and can be a game winner on its own, but there is still another reason I don't want to run Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite.
2). It can be killed VERY EASILY. Anyone who runs black knows the power of kill spells. Anyone who doesn't run black knows to fear kill spells when they have a creature based deck. Doom Blade, Go for the Throat, Hero's Downfall, Terminate, the list goes on and on. There are very popular 2 mana spells that can entirely wreak my wincon, and I am not prepared for that risk. So I use Iona, Shield of Emeria.
A brief description (Except for Iona...)
Iona, Shield of Emeria: I simply name BLACK, and now Iona is practically unkillable. if my opponent is not running black, I name their most used, or most formidable color. BLUE for urzaTron, BLACK for Jund, RED for Twin Exarch, and RED for RDW/Affinity, even though the color doesn't make a huge difference when dealing with affinity. A 7/7 flier hurts. A lot. The other cards in my deck are based around control/staying alive, and this is the only card whose purpose is entirely to do damage, and do it fast.
Birds of Paradise: Mana ramp, that is the main reason for birds. The mana fixing is great too, but lets be honest, turn 4 Iona, Shield of Emeria>turn 5 Iona, Shield of Emeria
Deathrite Shaman: Mana ramp, mana fixing, and life gain are the the most useful tools to me. Also a chump blocker if I'm that desperate
Snapcaster Mage: Recursion. Card advantage and more effective usage of mana leak, doom blade, dismember, etc, etc.
Mana Leak: Good counterspell. Best early game, and I plan on finishing the game before the 3 mana becomes obsolite.
Dismember: Killing creatures for cheaper.
Abrupt Decay: Killing creatures, Liliana of the Veil, and Swords. Also blood moon.
Go for the Throat: Killing most creatures.
Hero's Downfall: Killing walkers and creatures.
Path to Exile: Cheap creature exiling. If they have another land, big deal, I have a 7/7 flier
Mystical Teachings
: I plan on using this as another way for me to get Gifts. If I already have Gifts Ungiven in hand, then this is a useful tutor to get the exact answer I need, at a specific time. Also: Flashback.
Gifts Ungiven: No explanation needed.
Unburial Rites: Also does not need an explanation.
Maelstrom Pulse: Planeswalker and mass token killer. Also Blood Moon
Inquisition of Kozilek: Eliminating dangerous early game cards from my opponent's hand. Always good.
Supreme Verdict: Killing all creatures, I don't like aggro and this is one way to deal with it.
Lingering Souls
: Cheap creatures, flashback-able, chump blockers for the big guys.
Liliana of the Veil: If I have my good friend Iona, Shield of Emeria in hand, I discard her. If my opponnent has a scary creature aka Tarmagoyf, I make them sac it. Either way, Liliana presses my advantage, does major hand disruption, and doesn't hurt my overall theme or reanimation. Killer against decks that need lots of cards. Killer against decks that only have 1 creature on the field. Also protects me for a turn while they attempt to deal with the walker, if they can.
Celestial Colonnade: Just in case my reanimation doesn't work, I can beat the top decks with this 4/4 flier. He is very good.
Creeping Tar Pit: Similar to Colonnade, beats top decks if the game goes on that long, and is an unblockable 3 damage. Also, if I am desperate, I can block with him. But that really isn't the plan here.
All other lands are there because it was the right choice when it comes to mana fixation. I don't think I need to tell anyone lands are good in this game.
Sideboard:
Fracturing Gust: Winfinity is very good, and on turn 4/5 I can shut it down. If I can get the right mana and survive that long, that is. Also, the life gain helps negate the damage the Ornithopter or whatever that has been beating my face for the past few turns.
Leyline of Sanctity: Makes me immune to Liliana, RDW, and discard, while making other decks slightly weaker. Obviously best if in opening hand.
Go for the Throat: Killing most creatures.
Hero's Downfall: Killing walkers and creatures.
Shadow of Doubt: With fetches so popular, Shadow of Doubt abuses this to the fullest extent. Also hurts tron a great deal.
Smother: Another way to deal with aggro, also usefull for killing manlands/flip cards (Huntsmaster of the Fells, I'm looking at you).
Negate: A good situation-based counterspell. Sided in against Tron, RDW, Twin, and American Control.
Spreading Seas: Wreaks Tron/Jund/3+colored decks, and I get a card.
Surgical Extraction: there are many cards to be scared of, and Surgical Extraction helps me eliminate some of those. At instant speed, it is very nice. The only requirement is the card has to be in the grave first for me to target it. Great if I can counter a Splitter Twin, Karn Liberated or Wurmcoil Engine to name a few ideal targets.
Nature's Claim: I think my weakest matchup would be against affinity. Regardless, this card helps negate Expedition Map, Swords, and other things that are also artifacts. On top of that, Leyline of the Void and Blood Moon are very strong enchantments, which is well worth G+4 life.
