This past weekend, I had the pleasure of playing in the Meandeck Open Legacy tournament in Columbus, Ohio. As I had mentioned last month, I was interested in playing Gifts Rock in at least one more event to see how it performed. My list this time around includes significant tweaks from last time, drawing on Extended Gifts Rock decks from earlier this season.
The tournament had 18 people playing for the prize. I was disappointed that the turnout was so low, seeing as they usually get at least 40 players. Apparently, the Columbus PTQ was moved from Saturday to Sunday late last week and as a result, pulled away dozens of competitors. The event was still five rounds with a top 8, so there’s plenty to write about and I hope you get a sense of what went into my deckbuilding choices as well as play decisions. Here’s what I sleeved up:
Creatures (8)
Lands (25)
Spells (27)
That is, without a doubt, the longest decklist I have ever written up. If nothing else, it’s a blast to play.
After the GP, I did significant testing against the Counterbalance decks in the Top 8 of the Chicago event and realized that my deck was very vulnerable to creature-stealing effects. I revisited The Abyss around the same time and decided to design a deck that was heavy on sacrificial creatures that could dodge The Abyss. Subsequently, none of the creatures in the deck can be stolen or Sworded or worse.
Spell Snare is the biggest innovation I came across. It’s leagues better than Thoughtseize and is possibly the “it card” in Legacy right now, replacing my longtime choice of Daze for that spot. The greatest threats in Legacy cost two mana generally, so having an answer to them on the draw was excellent. They’re also not dead later in the game, and they free up my first-turn drop for Sensei’s Divining Top on the play.
I wanted Three Visits or Nature’s Lore over the Sakura-Tribe Elders, primarily because the land-searchers put the dual land into play untapped, ready to Spell Snare or spin Top immediately. Cutting Elders would necessitate cutting Loxodon Warhammer due to lack of creatures and weakening myself to nonbasic land hate. Finally, they were much better off the top than one of the sorceries would have been. The point about Loxodon Warhammer warrants further inspection because so many of the cards in the deck depend on other cards to make the cut. The Warhammer gives critical Lifelink and Trample. It always gives them and delivers immediately, which gave it the nod over Sword of Light and Shadow. Umezawa’s Jitte is nice as well, but it’s hard to activate Engineered Explosives or Pernicious Deed around it and the card doesn’t have as much of an immediate effect on the board.
It may seem that the singletons are dug up with Gifts Ungiven, but the primary engine for card selection is the Top. There are enough shuffle effects to see a singleton relatively quickly in the game. Further, Gifts can make a fine tutoring engine, getting Regrowth and Reclaim. The latter got the nod over Eternal Witness because the two extra mana and sorcery speed were far too slow for an already-slow deck. Typical Gifts packages included Gigapede, able to punch through most defenses, along with Academy Ruins, Etched Oracle and Regrowth. It’s hard for most decks to overcome that level of recursion.
The maindeck is rounded out by some heavy-hitters, Future Sight the most significant. With a Top out, the enchantment reads 1: Draw a card. It’s positively sick to get running and means that you will have to actively work to lose the game after drawing a full grip. Without Top, Future Sight is still impressive, “drawing” at least two extra cards per turn. Bitterblossom was a last-minute change-in for a third Engineered Explosives, and I’m very happy that I had it. Although I sided it out several times, it provided a clock in many games and I would definitely run the card again. It served as another creature that could carry the Warhammer without totally losing to Sower of Temptation.
The manabase is also the end result of an organic deckbuilding process. I elected to run a single Mishra’s Factory to up my threat count, and omitted anymore because the deck cannot stand to draw two colorless lands early. The Volcanic Island only powers up Sunburst, but it does a fine job and facilitates a truly rainbow sideboard. Dust Bowl wasn’t in to manascrew an opponent, only to chew through other Mishra’s Factories and stop Academy Ruins from preventing me from playing my own. I needed a repeatable effect, so Wasteland wouldn’t cut it. Colorwise, the manabase is geared towards early blue and green mana with stability throughout the game.
The sideboard was, honestly, a reaction to Nassif’s winning list from GP: Chicago. It looked very fun to play and offered me many great options that threw my opponents for a loop. The pair of tutors were handy to bring in generally when I had maindeck cards to cut without having specific cards to bring in. The Aether Spellbomb is a concession that I am weak against Tombstalker and was the best solution I could come up with; that it comes back with Academy Ruins is very helpful. I included the Phyrexian Processor and Decree of Justice to be curveballs for other control decks to deal with and helpful threats to add in when, again, I needed to take out cards that were weak in the main without having specific replacements. The rest of the sideboard choices are self-explanatory. I did not expect much combo, while I had seen several burn decks in the past at the event. Clearwater Goblet was a stellar choice, as you’ll soon see! Next, let’s look at how well the deck performed.
Round 1: RG with Elf Survival
This match is over quickly; though an early Spell Snare stops Survival of the Fittest from hitting, RG wins the first game with a Natural Order for Progenitus on the sixth turn or so. Without access to ten mana and a Pernicious Deed, I quickly scooped.
I sided in artifact/enchantment hate and removed Bitterblossom, a Gifts Ungiven and Loxodon Warhammer.
Game 2, RG cranks me quickly with a variety of elves, helped with Imperious Perfect. Engineered Explosives with Academy Ruins significantly slowed his offense, but I needed to see a Ravenous Baloth or Pernicious Deed and did not.
Two losses, an inauspicious start!
Round 2: Matt with Survival Of The Fittest/Volrath’s Shapeshifter Combo
Matt mulligans down to five and plays early land. I deploy a Sensei’s Divining Top and begin working it. When Matt Stifles Phyrexian Dreadnought’s ability, I have the Swords in hand. When he plays Genesis, I have another, and a third for his Volrath’s Shapeshifter. I Regrowth a Swords for his hardcast Squee, Goblin Nabob and end up killing him with Factory and Elder beats, which was impressive because he gained about twenty life from my Swords over the course of the first game.
I sided in Aether Spellbomb, Annul, Enlightened Tutor and Krosan Grip for Gigapede (bad choice in retrospect), Bitterblossom, Gifts Ungiven and The Abyss. The game would go long, so Bitterblossom had to go, and I wish I had Gigapede for making sure my Gifts were lethal. I also should have brought in Tormod’s Crypt.
Matt ended up missing his second land drop, and my Dust Bowl combined with a land advantage to blow up at least three lands on his side. Normally, I’d rather use my lands for my own mana development, but I could significantly limit his ability to explode with a Survival off the top. Our game ends up going quite long, but I assemble Future Sight with Top and draw several cards at once. This was important because the deck seeks to 2-for-1 players for card advantage, its only real draw ability. Thus, it’s hard to really pull ahead in the game outside of the Future Sight combo. I end up making several misplays and going down to one life, but a Sakura Tribe Elder picked up a Loxodon Warhammer and brought me out of the danger zone, trampling over to finally kill. If I had kept Gigapede in, the game would have been much different.
Round 3: Ben with Mono-White Control
Ben started with Plains, Enlightened Tutor for Sensei’s Divining Top. I landed a Bitterblossom on the second turn, quickly applying pressure. Ben had to burn Orim’s Chants to stay alive and I had to Spell Snare an Isochron Scepter that would have all but locked me out. Ben resolved Sacred Mesa to compete with my Bitterblossom, but he missed an upkeep sacrifice for it and lost the enchantment. I made a misplay by not Reclaiming a Spell Snare at an end of a turn, and Matt ended up getting another Scepter down the next turn. I had a Warhammer in play and upwards of seven faeries. I then needed to find my single maindecked Krosan Grip to solve the issue. I cast Gifts Ungiven for four land and activated two fetchlands, putting me down to 19 life with 20 cards left in my library. Sure enough, five turns later I draw the Grip and can attack Ben down bit by bit, losing my army to Wrath of God several times. Ben, critically, also shows me that he’s running the Grindstone/Painter’s Servant combo, which I have to stop with Swords to Plowshares.
With about ten minutes left in the match, I sideboard in Phyrexian Processor, Krosan Grip and Annul for two Pernicious Deed and an Engineered Explosives, as Ben didn’t play many permanents that I could actually wipe out.
My opening hand in the second game facilitated a Top on the first turn and a Phyrexian Processor on the fourth. I made two 6/6 tokens before Ben used an Oblivion Ring on the infernal device, but it was too late and he died to the Minions beating in short order.
Round 4: Nate (?) with Enchantress
I knew that this match revolved entirely around one card: Karmic Justice. Without it, I can wipe the board with Pernicious Deed, and with it, I lose all of my permanents, and most likely, the game. Sterling Grove can complicate matters immensely, making pinpoint removal impossible.
Nate starts off with a Utopia Sprawl on a Forest. I have a Spell Snare, waiting for his Argothian Enchantress, but he plays Enchantress’s Presence instead. He then plays several more enchantments, culminating with Moat and Sacred Mesa. My Bitterblossom had him within an inch of his life before he stabilized. He landed a Karmic Justice, making the Pernicious Deed I cast to save my life a near-Obliterate. Alas, he had a Replenish on his next turn to buy back his board, and I scooped the game. I was very unhappy to have to play against Enchantress, as it really does come down to who gets their cards working first.
I side out all Swords to Plowshares , a copy of Gifts and The Abyss for the Tutors, Krosan Grip, Extirpate, Decree of Justice and Annul.
In the second game, I’m able to use Engineered Explosives for one to knock out his Utopia Sprawl, then kill two Argothian Enchantresses with a Pernicious Deed. I seal things up with a quick Gigapede and four soldiers from Decree of Justice and it’s off to game three. Nate sideboards in Aura of Silence after seeing the sweepers.
The deciding game was one for the ages. I end up getting two lands locked down under Choke, and the two Aura of Silence on the board slow down my Pernicious Deed. Worst of all, he had Karmic Justice out with eleven Enchantments. I played Gigapede and made sure I hit as many land drops as I could, thanks to Sensei’s Divining Top and Sakura Tribe Elder. Hey, the Kamigawa duo still has punch! I made seven mana to cast the first Deed in my hand and pass the turn. Nate blasts it with an Aura of Silence, which made things a lot easier for me later. I was unable to Krosan Grip his Karmic Justice profitably, so I had to play and activate Deed to wipe out basically both boards. I still had Gigapede, though, and was able to play a land, swing with my big bug and replay Top. I won the third game with a Krosan Grip in my hand, making my opponent’s singular out a Replenish that did not show up.
Round 5: Vince with White Weenie
I was paired down this round, making drawing into the top impossible. In the first game, Vince was able to stick several early attackers, supported by Mother of Runes and killed me before I could find any sweepers.
I sided out Bitterblossom, two copies of Gifts Ungiven and Reclaim for the two Tutors, Clearwater Goblet and Aether Spellbomb. If I got to use my sweepers, I would dominate the game.
Vince’s early rush is stopped by a topdecked Pernicious Deed. I play an Abyss to keep his Mother of Runes busy targeting herself, but Vince removes the Enchantment with Oblivion Ring and soon, casts Armageddon. I was able to take care of his attackers, but was at a serious loss for land. I was able to ramp up to five mana, at which point I cast a Clearwater Goblet for three counters. This made a critical difference, quickly putting me out of Vince’s reach. He cast a second Armageddon, taking me down to only five lands left in my deck. I pulled them out with Sakura Tribe Elders and Regrowthed a Bayou for the second green source that enabled a Gigapede. The Goblet showed its power in this game, gaining me in upwards of fifty life and making Vince’s job mcuh, much harder. The Armageddons punished me for overextending my lands, though, and this was close for sure.
We begin the third game with about six minutes left. I Spell Snare an early creature from him, Swords to Plowshares another and then Sunburst out my Clearwater Goblet for the full five counters. There is no way I am losing at this point and the game ends up as a draw, with me making the top 8 on a final record of 3-1-1.
Top 8: Aaron with WB Disruption
I had to toss back the first two hands because they had no business, all while Aaron was drawing from his Dark Confidant. He hit me with a Hymn to Tourach soon, and while my Deed wiped the board, a Tombstalker from him was unanswerable and I ended up losing.
I brought in Clearwater Goblet and Aether Spellbomb for a Gifts Ungiven and a Krosan Grip.
Aaron lands a first-turn Hypnotic Specter to match my Sensei’s Divining Top. I work Engineered Explosives with Academy Ruins to reasonably wipe the board, but I mistapped my mana and could not activate it at a critical point and ended up losing to Nantuko Shade and his best friends.
All in all, I would be very happy to play this deck again. The Spell Snares are absolutely what the deck needed to compete in the early game and gain some speed by nullifying an opponent’s second turn. Throughout the day, my opponents had little idea what my deck did and I received many compliments about how clever it was. As I wanted to play the deck primarily to have fun, I completely succeeded. The singleton sideboard was very good to me and I want to explore it with other decks. The tutors are really what set it over the top. There are still many avenues for development in this shell. I wanted Gifts to be lethal on every casting, and a Worm Harvest somewhere would have probably helped. A Crucible of Worlds coupled with another manland and/or Overgrown Estate would have been good for long-term consistency and survival. At one point, I had Jester’s Cap in the sideboard, and it might even be maindeckable. The reason is that the deck is susceptible to topdecked threats like Armageddon or Survival of the Fittest, which amount to tremendous card advantage and undo what we set up. Recurring the Cap with Academy Ruins is entirely possible as well, providing a route to victory that doesn’t look at life totals. Gifts could also easily set up Painter’s Servant with Grindstone, although I am loathe to run cards that are useless on their own.
Another tack would be to take a page from the Glittering Wish control decks in the Extended fringe and run a heavier Red component for Lightning Helices and Ancient Grudge. Black can be de-emphasized, only run for casting Pernicious Deed and sideboard bullets. Alternately, the deck could run several Path to Exile, just to up the critical mass of pinpoint removal. Often during the event, I wished that I had access to at least two copies of the neo-STP or an equivalent. I also toyed around with Corpse Dance, but there were too few creatures to really make it shine. With either black or red, the deck also has access to Fulminator Mage, a card I wouldn’t mind Corpse Dancing every turn for profit. Triskelion also does a fine dance, and I included it with Academy Ruins for awhile, but it ended up costing Too Much Mana to be any good. A more concerted move towards Black or White also gives access to Wrath of God or Damnation, and the deck could conceivably set up a Spore Frog lock with Buried Alive and Genesis. It feels very much like Keeper in the sense that at least a few slots are customizable for the player. With Scepter of Fugue, it would feel even more like the original control deck!
If you’re interested in playing this or at least trying it out, get in a lot of practice with it. Goldfishing the deck is nearly useless, since so much depends on what the opponent is doing. Play only enough pre-board games that you get the sense of how to sideboard. If you’re two-fisted testing, make sure you’re sideboarding in a realistic way. That is to say, cards like Vedalken Shackles and Swords to Plowshares are mostly dead against the deck, but most players don’t know that and kept them in anyway. It’s hard to strike a good balance when you’re solo testing. Once you have a sense for what comes out in a match, play only sideboarded games so that you can test how strong your sideboard cards are and whether you boarded correctly. Since the first game will often go a very long time, being technically perfect with the deck pays off a lot because you don’t have a lot of time in later games to win if you botch the first. I may revisit the deck in future articles down the road, but expect some altogether different content next week!
Until next week…