Adding green to Modern Gifts Esper shell
Deck Help forum
Posted on Aug. 21, 2013, 10 p.m. by Jay
So I'm currently running this deck: A Gift Best Served Cold, and I'm tempted to experiment with adding green to the mix, which I've seen is popular.
Is it worth it? It opens up doors like Deathrite Shaman and Kitchen Finks , but I feel like it becomes a totally different deck when you add green.
Any thoughts on the deck in general are appreciated as well guys. Thanks a bunch.
-Jay
I might try putting one together and testing it on here a bit to see if I like it... Getting the mentioned cards would hurt the wallet too >.<
August 21, 2013 10:28 p.m.
If you added green to the mix, It's going to complicate things up and start to become a pod deck to make it consistent (mostly adding Birthing Pod , Chord of Calling to get to the creatures you want, then Eternal Witness for some recursion, slowly.... as you already named finks..., it will change)
I think at the moment the deck is fine as it is, if you want to 'tighten it up', I would start looking at existing gift decks. I think the biggest thing you should do, is cut the diversity and add in more 'staples', like Path to Exile at a 4 of, less board wipes, more counters, Remand , Cryptic Command as a 4 of, (leave damnation, sideboard verdict). More IoK or Thoughtseize . Add more threats to gift for, I don't know but Batterskull would work, maybe Linvala, Keeper of Silence (I'm a big fan of hers), Blood Baron of Vizkopa also. These should go with your other threats. (Kukosho also might be fun to work into).
August 21, 2013 10:35 p.m.
fluffybunnypants says... #5
I would mainly focus on the deathrites, the finks and loam. Goyf is a great a card and it's certainly a hell of a beater, but I've always been undecided of how well it fits considering you're bringing cards out of the graveyard as well as throwing them into it.
August 21, 2013 10:36 p.m.
fluffybunnypants says... #6
I respectfully disagree on it becoming a Birthing Pod deck. Green in Gifts Control is a common thing without it becoming any sort of pod deck.
August 21, 2013 10:41 p.m.
gufymike: Well I'm certainly not going to be playing Pod anytime soon lol.
But the diversity is one of the strengths of the deck: being able to pull up 3 different removal spells if you really need some kills, or 3 wraths if you have to clear board is a very useful tool. It also protects against hate like Surgical Extraction , which is crippling.
I'm not sure about adding more threats. I could see replacing an Iona with something to diversify further, but I think more than 4 would be pushing it.
I love Linvala, Keeper of Silence , but I'm not totally sure if she would work in the deck. Have you experienced her outside of Pod? And is Blood Baron of Vizkopa really any good in Modern? He's a bomb in Standard, but I never even thought of him in Modern.
I'm not sure about Remand in here. I don't question it as an amazing card for gaining Tempo, I just feel like something like Delay is more relevant (if Iona comes out in those turns, it gets stuck in Exile).
I do like the suggestions though, keep 'em coming.
fluffybunnypants: And I would probably want to add Sun Titan and some Tectonic Edge s and such.
August 21, 2013 10:41 p.m.
fluffybunnypants says... #8
Both the titan and the tec edge are solid additions for sure.
August 21, 2013 10:44 p.m.
ChiefWannaHacka says... #9
I run Valu-Mart, a gifts deck that I had to adjust to my meta, but makes more use of green than blue. Besides that onto the question of adding green.
Noxious Revival Makes value gift piles that much harder to deal with, if the game goes on long enough.
Deathrite Shaman Makes use of used fetches, and it's abilities are relevant at all parts of the game. (Disclaimer: This is my favorite card ever printed, Gifts is a close second)
Life from the Loam Opens up a package to destroy people's hands with Raven's Crime , or LD with Ghost Quarter and Tectonic Edge .
Abrupt Decay is such a versatile removal spell.
These next two choices are mine, but I think they hold some merit.
Maelstrom Pulse Is great when playing decks that love 4-ofs, and in general to remove "nonland permanents"
Eternal Witness Really probably doesn't fit what you're going for, but it just adds to the headache I can give my opponent in a gifts pile.
Kitchen Finks I have no experience with, but the anti aggro-ness of the card seems a little overkill with all your wraths/token producers.
August 21, 2013 10:44 p.m.
Something I should mention: My meta is almost entirely control. The 3 decks my friends run are USA Control, UB Control, and Bant Caw.
August 21, 2013 10:46 p.m.
ChiefWannaHacka says... #12
Playing against control decks, I'd put the Life from the Loam & Raven's Crime in for sure, and then think about Deathrite Shaman s and Ghost Quarter and Tectonic Edge to remove other people's pesky Celestial Colonnade s.
August 21, 2013 10:49 p.m.
He's very relevant at a pro W/B with a 4/4 body. That's all you need to know, renders Path to Exile , Doom Blade , Lightning Bolt , Electrolyze , Lightning Helix , Pyroclasm and other removal and creatures abundant in modern useless. the second part of his ability should be written as 'ignore this text unless this scenario appears, I'm a damn good card without it."
August 21, 2013 10:50 p.m.
/me 3 on the Deathrite Shaman as an owner of 11 of them (for all 3 major formats D:)
August 21, 2013 10:52 p.m.
Hey wanna trade me some of those babies...
I have 0 </3 traded them for Fetches so I could start Modern.
August 21, 2013 10:53 p.m.
Nope all are in decks, 3 in pod, 4 in esper deathblade (legacy) and 4 waiting for standard to reshape itself with theros and see if a good junk build can go or I'll build a modern junk goodstuff with them. But Scavenging Ooze should be considered in the mean time for you.
August 21, 2013 10:56 p.m.
Here's a brief sketch of what I've gathered: A Gift Best Served Cold +Green
August 21, 2013 11:05 p.m.
ChiefWannaHacka says... #19
looks great, you could probably drop a Life from the Loam as well.
fluffybunnypants says... #2
The deck itself doesn't change that much, it just gives it better opportunities to utilize your yard aside from just Unburial Rites . It also gives you a fantastic opportunity to shut down Snapcaster Mage and other graveyard shenanigans with Deathrite Shaman or Scavenging Ooze . You also get to use Life from the Loam to get some of those fetches back or maybe a land that get eaten by landhate. You could also just re-purpose them with the Deathrite Shaman . Maybe opens to doors for the damn expensive Tarmogoyf too. Kitchen Finks is just so much value too.
August 21, 2013 10:26 p.m.