Master Transmuter/Gifts Ungiven combo...?
Modern Deck Help forum
Posted on Sept. 11, 2016, 10:56 a.m. by 2gherkins
A Gift No One Has Given Before...
Modern
SCORE: 6 | 6 COMMENTS | 613 VIEWS | IN 2 FOLDERS
This is a home-brew I've been working on for a while. The deck, which runs a heavy control package, aims to control the game until it draws into/can play Gifts Ungiven. Then it uses a series of cards (Sharuum the Hegemon, Unburial Rites and Master Transmuter and one of your choice of seven artifacts) to cheat any of the seven toolbox artifacts, no matter what the opponent does. Below, I have posted the sequence you would undergo depending on what cards your opponent put into your hand:
Unburial Rites/Master Transmuter: Unburial Rites reanimates Sharuum the Hegemon which in turn reanimates your toolbox artifact. Cast Master Transmuter if you so desire.
Unburial Rites/Sharuum the Hegemon: Unburial Rites reanimates Master Transmuter which in turn cheats in Sharuum the Hegemon which brings back the toolbox artifact.
Unburial Rites/toolbox artifact: Unburial Rites reanimates Sharuum the Hegemon which in turn reanimates Master Transmuter which cheats the toolbox artifact into play.
Master Transmuter/Sharuum the Hegemon: Play Master Transmuter which cheats in Sharuum the Hegemon which, reanimates the toolbox artifact. You save the Unburial Rites for another time.
Master Transmuter/toolbox artifact: Play Master Transmuter which cheats in the toolbox artifact. You could reanimate the Sharuum the Hegemon, but it is more useful to wait until one of your artifacts die.
Sharuum the Hegemon/toolbox artifact: reanimate Master Transmuter with Unburial Rites, cheat the toolbox artifact into play using Master Transmuter. Save Sharuum the Hegemon for another time, though you could cheat her in with Master Transmuter since she's in your hand.
So, this will always get an artifact onto the battlefield for five or less mana. The deck will then continue to cheat artifacts onto the battlefield by looping ETB artifacts. For example, using master transmuter to bounce Spine of Ish Sah or Duplicant and cheat in Sphinx Summoner. Then bounce Sphinx Summoner to cheat in Spine of Ish Sah or Duplicant. This should destroy your opponents board state while gathering fatties like Platinum Angel and Batterskull to play.
While the deck plays well, it needs some help. First, there is two slots where I am conflict as to what to play: currently, I run Expedition Map to find Academy Ruins so I can Mindslaver/Scourglass and lock everything down. However, I have considered using MindStone, Master of Etherium, and more Darksteel Citadel Running artifacts in this slot is essential, because I can bounce cheap artifacts to my hand instead of bouncing the Master Transmuter itself while combing off. Also, my toolbox is seven cards. This seems right to me, but it might be a little high for some.
Please leave some suggestions, I really want to make this deck-semi competitive, and think it can get there with a little aid...
ToolmasterOfBrainerd says... #3
Esper Gifts is pretty under the radar in modern, but there are some existing builds. For starters, drawing any of your toolbox cards is usually pretty bad. For that reason, most esper gifts decks opt for only 2 creatures and Unburial Rites. The most popular choices are Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite and Iona, Shield of Emeria. Elesh Norn allows you to simply win against most any creature deck like Affinity, most Zoo, Infect, and Dredge. Iona stops most any combo deck and Burn in game 1. Any other deck, Gifts Ungiven gets other things. Against Company, for example, you grab Supreme Verdict, Wrath of God, Damnation, and Snapcaster Mage. Against Jund, you grab Lingering Souls, Gifts Ungiven, Snapcaster Mage, and something like Geist of Saint Traft or just Path to Exile, depending on the build.
The biggest liability when playing gifts is that your fatties are usually awful when you draw them. Because of that, most gifts variants run Jace, Vryn's Prodigy Flip and Liliana of the Veil to be able to discard them, usually with profit. Also, mainboard boardwipes are a must to handle go-wide decks like Company, Eldrazi, Merfolk, and Affinity.
2gherkins says... #2
Also, Mana Leak or Rune Snag
September 11, 2016 10:57 a.m.