Gifts'erman

[houseplant]

The idea for the deck came from while chatting with a friend I came up with a weird Gifts pile,
What if someone Gifts for Tinker, Yawg Will, Lotus, and Salvagers. What would you give them?

I really liked how ridiculous that sounded, but I don't own any Drains, so I assumed nothing would ever come of it.

Then one day I was really bored and decided to try and throw it together anyway.

I really liked it, it was weird, and flakey, but I liked it. 

And then one of my friends said I could borrow his one Drain, which was enough for me to take it to the 10 proxy tournament that weekend.

So I tried to tweak it. Some things I know are missing. Main one is Recoup, after the tournament just about every single game I wished I had Recoup in the deck. Another thing I noticed after playing it at the Tourny was I have no idea how to make Gifts piles. I would always pick 4 good cards, where most worked really well together, but there were always 2 cards in the pile that if they gave me those two, I didn't really get anywhere. And of course those were always the 2 cards I'd get.

I think I'm starting to get a little better at the piles, but still need a lot of practice with it.

after all of this I ended up dropping after going 2-3.  Which was mainly due to play mistakes, and not having recoup?

Here is the Decklist I took to the tournament on Saturday

Mana: 23
4 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
3 Underground Sea
2 Tundra
3 Island
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Mox Ruby *
1 Mox Pearl *
1 Mox Jet *
1 Mox Sapphire *
1 Lotus Petal
1 Black Lotus *
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Sol ring

Bomberman part: 5
2 Trinket mage
2 Auriok Salvagers
1 Aether Spell bomb

Gifts part: 6
2 Gifts
1 Yawgmoths Will
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Tinker
1 Colossus
1 Time Walk *

Draw/Fix: 8
3 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Ancestral Recall *
4 Brainstorm

Tutor: 3
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor

Disruption/Protection: 14
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain ***
3 Duress
1 Tormods Crypt
1 Echoing Truth
1 Hurkyl's Recall

* Proxy.

SB: was janky
3 chalice of the void
3 swords to plowshares
3 massacre (I hate fish)
1 Eng Explosives
1 Pithing Needle
2 Chain of Vapor
1 hurkyl's recall
1 Rebuild


Turns out most of the people at the tournament were playing gifts, so maybe it wasn't the greatest time to try this out. Through probably better then all long since I can't see my game being that good against them, after board, having duress, force drain and chalice might help.

I didn’t write any notes or anything because I wasn’t planning on writing anything about this so I don’t remember anyone’s names. Sorry.

1st round: Gifts, I think Meandeck.

Game one, got really excited about my hand because it was the first time playing a Drain deck and I one the die roll and had first turn drain up. He tried to merchant school so I drained it. My turn I think I TFK’d then his turn he tried to merchant scroll again and I forced it. I got a salvager down, with lotus in the yard, but nothing to do with it. But next turn I drew tendrils. Infinite tendrils always sounds good to me.

Game two was really really weird. I don’t even know what turn it got to but it was definitely in the double digits.

Both of us kept Gifts’ing and countering each others stuff. There was one point he played recoup targeting merchant scroll, he had one card in his hand so I tried to recall myself in response to which he tapped 5 mana to hardcast misdirection, bastard, but then he didn’t have mana for merchant scroll but still he took the 3 cards, which to me was worth it. He got chalice for 0 down, then later chalice for 1. Before that I got my spellbomb down as my protection against colossus. But neither of us drew anything. He was down to 9, I think from Vault, fetching and must have been some beatings.  I was at 14 mainly from fetches and forces. I did an awful Gifts, I forgot chalice for 1 was down, and ended up getting a duress and VT. I had those in my hand plus 2 moxes, plus some land. I tried to duress, which was just counted by chalice because I’m an idiot. He draws and says go. I draw and see tendrils. I realize I could tendrils for 8 life right now. But he is at nine. And if I do that then I’ll really have nothing to finish him off with, so I decide to try and hold out and see if I can draw another card I could play. His turn he draws a merchant scroll and plays it, then while searching he was like, well I’ll fetch too while I’m searching. Putting him down to 7 from the 2 fetches, then I don’t remember what card he got, but then he said go. I drew I think another land, and then played the 2 moxes and VT into chalice then tendrils for 8 life, for the win. 

So now I’m 1 – 0

Round two against Ichorid,

I think he had a layline in play for all 3 games,

1st game just got overwhelmed with ichy’s and his putrid him. I ended up being able to get a tinker off but it was too late for colossus because he had too much to swing, so I went for crypt and got rid of all of his ichorids. But then I didn’t draw into anything so I still lost.

2nd game my opening hand looked really really good from the first 4 cards, lotus, tinker, land, pithing needle.  But of course the last card in my hand was colossus. I also had a TFK so I kept the hand. He started again with layline in play. So then I had to call a judge over to make sure if I TFK my colossus gets shuffled back in. which was the case so everything was good. So I lotus’d into to TFK, discarding colossus, then dropped pithing needle for bazaar.  Then he mulled to 4. and didn’t do too much. I third turn tinkered in colossus. Which he couldn’t answer in time.

Third game I kept an awful hand. I notice I keep bad hands if there is a brainstorm in it. Thinking its ok cause I can get rid of the bad stuff with brainstorm, but it never works. So I had an awful hand that went nowhere and lost to the 3/1s

1 – 1

Third round Oath.

Game one I countered and duressed away a bunch of oaths. Ended up winning with token and trinket mage beats.

Game 2 he won with the flying Angels.

Game 3 we both had a bunch of mana but nothing on the table. He duressed me taking something. I had a salvager in my hand and that was about it, lotus in my graveyard, but nothing to do with it and I didn’t want to play a creature with out being able to win. He got an oath so now I need to find something fast.  I draw into trinket mage, which was probably the best thing to draw into. I play salvagers, he oaths up Razia and swings. Then I play trinket for spell bomb then start to go infinite, I can tell he doesn’t think I can win from this, so I keep drawing off spell bomb till I hit demonic tutor. And then I play demonic tutor. Then he’s like for what? I’m like Tendrils. He’s like, oh….

It was true in regular bomberman, I guess bounce Razia, maybe bounce oath if they had any left, but I could definitely see not winning after that. But having tendrils main deck works So well with salvager.

2 – 1
 

 Round 4.  Stax.

Both games I got colossus out, both games I lost to tangle wire.

Game two I even willed into a tinker and timewalk leaving no artifacts in my graveyard because he had welder in play. But still he get titan in play, which leaves play and comes back, so I have basically no land left, and welds in tangle wire. So I’m tapped down and can’t attack anymore with DSC.

I had rebuild in my hand the whole time, but I couldn’t play it because of colossus. First time I’ve ever wished rebuild was hurkyl’s

2 – 2


I could have dropped now, but meh. Magic is fun.

Round 5: mono black control.

First game, he ripped apart my hand with duresses and fiends and hippy

Game 2, I got a salvager out with a lotus and an eng explosives, but no win yet, I kept blowing up his board hoping for something. Then I drew colossus. So I comboed salvager to get the 11 mana for colossus, he finally got an edict but I just lost the salvager and still won.

Game 3, I managed to get a colossus in but he edict me, and I had nothing.

2 – 3


So now I dropped.


Things I really liked about the deck were there was a number of ways of wining. The regular tinker colossus, the will into tendrils, the salvager into tendrils, or just trinket and salvager beat down.

This I don’t like. It still bends over to null rob. But I’d say pretty much most type 1 decks do, so that’s just how it goes.

Things it needs is recoup. But I can’t think of what to take out for a recoup and at least one volcanic island. I keep looking at duress, but they are part of the reason I’ll play the deck. They are good against just about every type 1 deck. And against fish and stuff they are an easy side out for massacres. So I have no idea what to take out. I tried going to one Salvager, but I found that 1 was too little. Since it can still double as beats, and gives me the tendrils win, if I loose it early its very annoying. 2 I found was perfect. I probably don’t need trinket mages, but they one me at least 2 of the games, can find me lotus in a pinch or anything that might help. And they can beat.

I really like the feel of the deck and I want to try and take it farther but I just need some help on tweaking it. 

Anyone have any ideas of what I could take out for recoup? Any other cards you’d add?

[Moxlotus]

http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/expandnews.php?Article=9181

It's Toad's Gifts Salvagers decklist from about a year ago.  I think it will give you a little information on how you can help improve your build.

[Khahan]

What if someone Gifts for Tinker, Yawg Will, Lotus, and Salvagers. What would you give them?

I would give them tinker and lotus. They lose salvagers and the ability to play it out of the yard.
Then they lose an artifact to tinker for colossus and I bounce it (I assume there is no counter war over tinker since gifts resolved) or weld it out.

That seems like a very weak gifts pile if you ask me. There are other gifts piles that are just stronger.

[houseplant]

What if someone Gifts for Tinker, Yawg Will, Lotus, and Salvagers. What would you give them?

I would give them tinker and lotus. They lose salvagers and the ability to play it out of the yard.
Then they lose an artifact to tinker for colossus and I bounce it (I assume there is no counter war over tinker since gifts resolved) or weld it out.

That seems like a very weak gifts pile if you ask me. There are other gifts piles that are just stronger.

well if you had a active welder on the table I probably wouldn't gifts for these, or make sure I can have no artifacts in my graveyard after tinker.

and you are assuming you will always have a bounce for after I tinker, and that I wont have any protection.

and this is also why I run 2 salvagers, so if I lose the one to a gifts I still have another one in the deck.

[wethepeople]

i am pretty sure that Gifts always has counter backup, and if they didnt, they wouldnt be going ftw.

for some reason i really like Gifts Ungiven combo variants, however i absolutely hate MDG, to me it seems like a bad deck, and dont bother trying to tell me otherwise.

it is hard to decide which cards you would give the player when they drop Gifts because it really depends on your hand. I would probably give you Tinker because it gives me 1-2 turns to find an answer, and Lotus would do almost nothing during that situation (assuming you have already established a strong mana base), so i think those would be the two best choices.

[Englishman_in_NH]

I used to run a gift's style salvager's deck, the gifts pile was often demonic, mystical/vamp, lotus and salvagers. If they don't give you salvagers, you tutor for reanimate and voila, instant salvagers in play. It is an interesting approach, but one I felt was slightly weaker than just playing a more usual gift's variant.

Still, it is good to see some tinkering with alternate gift win conditions.

Good luck,
English

[Khahan]

well if you had a active welder on the table I probably wouldn't gifts for these, or make sure I can have no artifacts in my graveyard after tinker.

and you are assuming you will always have a bounce for after I tinker, and that I wont have any protection.

and this is also why I run 2 salvagers, so if I lose the one to a gifts I still have another one in the deck.

I'm assuming that the counter war occurred over the gifts ungiven.  Not that you are casting gifts w/out protection.

Either way, my second statement still is the main reason why that gifts pile isn't worth playing the deck over: There are stronger piles to go for.

[LordHomerCat]

for some reason i really like Gifts Ungiven combo variants, however i absolutely hate MDG, to me it seems like a bad deck, and dont bother trying to tell me otherwise.

Winning Gencon doesn't convince you?  Maybe you should not suggest Gifts Piles if you can't comprehend how it is good.  I know this seems like some kind of flame, but seriously, if you just arbitrarily decide that some decks are bad despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, I don't think you should be commenting on a similar deck since your reasoning is just based on unfounded opinions instead of actual play.

[Yames]

Hi there I was the 3rd round oath player.

I saw what you were doing and know how bomber man works but I saw some cards in your list that weren't in the original list and wasn't sure if you were innovating or just making a good deck list worse. So I wanted to see what you did with all that mana and such.

I also though earlier in the match you made some sub optimal gift piles but now that I know you were setting up lethal tendrils they make more sense. Before that I was hoping you would make a mistake. So that’s why I didn’t scoop to trinket make for spellbomb.

I had at the end of the game Vamp and Mystical in hand so I figured if you made a mistake I could maybe get Akroma and 2 time walks out of it. Which would have been enough since you had fetched a bunch and taken 6 from Razia.

Just my 2 cents. Congrats on the new idea.

[houseplant]

I saw what you were doing and know how bomber man works but I saw some cards in your list that weren't in the original list and wasn't sure if you were innovating or just making a good deck list worse. So I wanted to see what you did with all that mana and such.

I also though earlier in the match you made some sub optimal gift piles but now that I know you were setting up lethal tendrils they make more sense. Before that I was hoping you would make a mistake. So that’s why I didn’t scoop to trinket make for spellbomb.

I in no way thought you didn't know what you were doing. and trust me I know I definitely could have messed things up. which I know I did a lot that day. Thats why I never liked bomberman with its win just being drawing then playing out its deck. If i'm goign to manage to combo off, I want to win right there, not give someone some operortunity to take that away.

and yeah, I definitely would have died if the Angels swung anymore.

I was looking at some of the older build with cunning wish for brain freeze or stroke. I mean yeah they work,  and work well, but thats still 100% reliant on the salvager combo. I personaly like the tendrils win, because I can pull that off with out salvager, I pretty much have to play will, but still it gives me a route without relying on salvager, its just a bonus that salvager also does that fairly well. plus tinker, which I personally think is a cop out win, and is far to swingy, but I mean, both cards do fit in the deck anyway, tinker can find lotus or spellbomb if I need them, and I can hard cast colossus after getting mana with salvager if I have nothing else going for me. Plus if i have tinker in a deck, i might as well throw some big fatty in to go with it. It is also an amazing win condition if you can't have a graveyard or null rod is down.

and there were a lot more null rods there then I expected, if I knew there were going to be so many I might have picked a different weekend to try it out on. I don't think I lost to null rod that much though, mainly being out played, and making horrible gift choices, hah. And hand choices, I will one day have to learn when to mull.

now I probably have just taken two fairly good decks and made one crappy one from them, but so far it has been a blast to play, and I'd much rather play a crappy deck I like to play then a good deck I hate to play. I just need to learn how to play it. hah.

I might try the deck without the trinket mages, turn them into a Volcanic and a recoup, but I do like their random saving of games, and the fact they are a 3 mana tutor for lotus that beats.

[merfolkOTPT]

One thing i would consider in a gifts pile with salvagers is the use of a reanimation spell.  I mean why not gifts for lotus salvagers reanimate and yawgwill.  They will probably give you reanimate regardless and then probably slavagers because you can get it anyway but then you can win so ? Just a thought i had.

[Harlequin]

I think in most cases (unless you have tons of mana on the board) in a pile of:

Lotus, Will, Salvager, X.  your getting Salvager and X.  So putting a reaimate in as X is not that great.  I think Tinker is basically the best bet, because it means you basically win.

Lotus, Will, Salvager, M.  where M is some other mana card will likely get you Lotus and M.  so that kinda takes LED out of the running too.