Question on Gifts Piles for TPS

[btex]

I am a new tps pilot.  I was playing some test games at my local store vs tez.  I was on the draw and my opponent lead with sea, ruby -> scroll for drain.  My hand of 8 was : force, inkwell, dark ritual, gifts, grim tutor, pearl, jet and delta.  I drew the inkwell. 

I fetched a sea, dropped the moxen and tutored for duress.  My plan was to duress and follow it up with ritual + gifts. I drew a swamp and made it through his protection needing both the duress and force.  My duress was drained, so I never saw his hand.  My pile was demonic, vampiric, mystical and seal.  I was hoping to resolve necropotence.  I had 1 black available that turn post gifts. 

Was my line of thinking to greedy?  Since I had four mana available, should I have waited a turn to play gifts as to not consume the ritual?  Was there a more efficient gifts pile? 

I was playing this list (-colossus, +inkwell) : http://www.deckcheck.net/deck.php?id=20536

Thanks!

[median]

I would have made the pile, lotus, ritual, crypt, ancestral. This would set up a grim for Y will next turn and win that turn.
Thats if you didn't Grim for the duress. It might have made more sense to go for Ancestral, demonic, Brainstorm, Tinker with what you had.

[FlyFlySideOfFry]

I probably would have done Ritual->Gifts on turn 1 with floating fetching Duress+Ancestral Recall+Demonic Tutor+Black Lotus. Possible outcomes:

Duress+Ancestral: Duress him this turn and cast Ancestral Recall on your turn. Considering you can still have Grim Tutor and 3 mana with 4 additional cards on your next turn you're in good shape considering he pissed away a FoW and you Duressed the Drain he was desperate for.
Duress+Demonic Tutor: Duress him and then next turn cast Demonic Tutor for either another Duress or Yawgmoth's Will if you have an opening. If you draw anything that adds 2+ mana you win that turn.
Duress+Black Lotus: Cast Duress. Next turn Grim Tutor for Will and win.

Ancestral Recall+Demonic Tutor: You're in really good shape when you untap considering you have Ancestral+Demonic+Grim Tutor+1 mystery card to your opponent's Mana Drain+2 mystery cards since who Scrolls for Drain unless they have the second land. Based on what you draw there are a lot of lines of play but you really have the advantage.

Ancestral Recall+Black Lotus: Cast Lotus for BBB and Grim Tutor for Duress. Next turn you cast Ancestral Recall and you have 4 new cards to work with to your opponent's 2 worst cards.

Demonic Tutor+Black Lotus: Win next turn.

Ah the fun of a good Gifts pile.

*Keep in mind that you'll have Threshold for Cabal Ritual or at least be 1 card away.

Err what I meant for Demonic+Lotus is that you threaten to win next turn. I'd probably untap and see what I drew for the turn before committing to any lines of play.

[saspook]

I am a new tps pilot.  I was playing some test games at my local store vs tez.  I was on the draw and my opponent lead with sea, ruby -> scroll for drain.  My hand of 8 was : force, inkwell, dark ritual, gifts, grim tutor, pearl, jet and delta.  I drew the inkwell. 

I fetched a sea, dropped the moxen and tutored for duress.  My plan was to duress and follow it up with ritual + gifts. I drew a swamp and made it through his protection needing both the duress and force.  My duress was drained, so I never saw his hand.  My pile was demonic, vampiric, mystical and seal.  I was hoping to resolve necropotence.  I had 1 black available that turn post gifts. 

So you hand was
force, inkwell, dark ritual, gifts, grim tutor,

and he had Drain +4

you both drew a card, and then you had
mystical and seal  + swamp  (or mystical, swamp and a necro on top of your library with -5 life)

he had 2 unknowns + card drawn and 1 mana.

This sequence of plays did not get you card advantage, real or perceived quality.