Library of Alexandria in Gifts?

[magus888]

Does LoA belong in Gifts anymore? Some builds have opted to drop it from the list. I don't run it because it seems to destabilize the manabase. What are your opinions on this subject?

[frolll]

Having a basic Island instead is better.


Guess why this thread is just next a thread on Stax?

Stax is great.
Islands are great against Stax.


However, against slower and less mana disruptive deck, it is still strong.
I think the same question is valable for CS, too.

[dicemanx]

Until I find that LoA stops winning me Drain mirrors (or help me steal a few cards against just about any deck), then I'll consider dropping it. But then again, I run a more unique approach to Gifts with MD Duresses, which not only allow me to exploit Recoup better but also give me turn 2 disruption plays after a 1st turn LoA in lieu of Drain. If having Drain mana is so critical turn 2, you don't actually have to play LoA over an Island or fetch turn 1 anyways, nor do you have to consider a LoA as taking place of an Island (I look at it as playing 24-25 mana sources with a draw spell that sometimes doubles as a mana source).

You can't even say that LoA is weaker than Island/fetch versus Stax, especially if you're running the Gifts versions with 3 Pithing Needles. And contrary to popular belief, Stax doesn't always begin with a Wasteland in their opening hand. I believe that the apparent absolute necessity in running a ton of fetches and basics was borne out of paranoia and irrational fear rather than something that is actually that critical against prison decks.

[frolll]

Gifts with MD Duresses

How many Duresses MD?
I actually run 3 of them MD, without using LoA, instead packing an extra fetch.

They're strong, sure; mana drain on turn 2 becomes less critical, just as you've said.

[Kowal]

It's impossible to write a reply to this thread without further beating that unfortunately deceased equine, so I'm going to keep this short:

For every game Library of Alexandria loses me by not being a colored source or a basic, I win three games on the back of Library being stupidly broken.

[Machinus]

If having Drain mana is so critical turn 2, you don't actually have to play LoA over an Island or fetch turn 1 anyways, nor do you have to consider a LoA as taking place of an Island (I look at it as playing 24-25 mana sources with a draw spell that sometimes doubles as a mana source).

Also, what Kowal said about it being broken.

[Pitlord]

Generally, I think LoA tends to be great most of the time you draw it. It steals cards randomly, and can even be used late game because of the ability of gifts decks to draw insane cards fast. Producing colorless and being wasteable are rarely vaild points, beacuse you have usually at least 2-4 basic lands anyways, which are fine for the mana base.

The times I won't play library though are in meta's full of decks like fish and oath, with quick clocks aand some disruption, where you can't just sit back and reap awesome card advantage. If you play against any amount of drains though, library is almost always worth playing.

[pyr0ma5ta]

Library is dumb.  You will win almost control mirror where you go Library, go on turn 1.  Unless your opponent does stupid stuff or casts Duress or something that has to be countered like Tinker, you will immediately win the game.  The best view is definitely to count Library as a spell, rather than a land drop.  I will agree with the previous poster that Library is pretty bad in stax/fish/oath metas, and is probably a little too slow for combo metas, but for metas with lots of drain, Library is wayyyyyyyy too retarded to cut.  It's restricted for a reason.

[zeus-online]

I play it as my 25th mana source, leaving me with plenty of lands that produce U...rarely have i been mana screwed because of library.

[Special K]

in games 2/3 against stax/fish/Oath you can side library out for more appropiate cards I just view it as a metagame slot in my deck like Fire/ice/Gorilla Shaman/Rack and Ruin/Duress. I don't feel any deck should be built to incorporate library in its core strategy as it is really fragile and conditional even in control match ups it can be nothing more the a colorless mana to me but that is possibly because I play agressive in the mirror. Still I would never cut it from my maindeck just for the reason that Early game it can steal the game and late game it can be Thirst/brainstormed away.

[warble]

stupidly broken.

Library of Alexandria was the first second expensive card I dished out my cash for.  It is stupid broken, and I consider my deck 10 times better because of it.  It's called drawing 2 cards a turn...that's not 1 like the rest of the world when they play magic.  It's strength in a control mirror is equivalent to ancestral recall, but early it's actually more powerful because it's not conditional...it's absolute domination.

Edit:  Oops I bought an unlimited Black Lotus before that.  But it was the second one, definitely!

[orgcandman]

EVERY deck that I use drains in, Library also goes in. Why? As Kowal so eloquently put it:

It's impossible to write a reply to this thread without further beating that unfortunately deceased equine, so I'm going to keep this short:

For every game Library of Alexandria loses me by not being a colored source or a basic, I win three games on the back of Library being stupidly broken.

At Myriad this weekend, I saw Library in my opening hand, or after the draw, about half of the games I played. Guess how many of those I won? I kept a 1-lander on the draw. That land was library. It was an absolute crushfest. I don't believe cutting library is correct in ANY deck that runs drains and tons of spells that leave you with more cards in hand after resolution. Be it gifts, slaver, 3c, tog, or any others. The downside of library not being colored is like the same downside of getting mana burned off mana drain. Sure, it'll be an issue once every blue moon. Maybe. If someone waves a dead chicken around.

[Rapalaman1]

I like it because it makes being on the draw GOOD