^^ Then I think they should have made the mana cost for its normal cast 1BB or 2B instead of 3B for that effect; I don't feel the card is very strong unless it's main purpose is to awaken and the "sleeping" form is just there as a "if I have to" effect. I'm saying this because many of the other awaken cards are good even without using the mechanic, but I don't sense that this one comes close to being worth it, without paying the higher CMC.

you say this and yet I've had pretty great success with boiling earth in my jeskai build.

just wait for the aggro meta when this deckneeds 8 sweepers then you'll be thankful wotc added it

Boiling earth is fine. 2 CMC for 1 AOE is ok, but 4 for -2?
I guess it's just a difference in opinion.

Unrelated, I've built 4 different life gain decks in both Selesnia and Orzhov, and I keep feeling that there should be some way to combine the two into something great, but I don't like it when my deck pulls in too many directions. Maybe G/W very light splash B?

i agree i would definilty run 3 SUMMONS in this deck. i will post my decklist later. but i wonder how u got the turn 5 ulamogs. since u dont have stuff that puts em in ur graveyard, u must have gotten VERY lucky to bring opponents ulamogs from their GY into play i suppose? correct me if im wrong..

Hello everyone, heres my newest "HOLY MUD!" version. That u know where this comes from: it was originally designed to kill Thopter Aggro Decks in the Origins Format. It used 3-4 Solemn Offering to kill their Chief of the Foundry and other stuff and to stabilize. I then developed it further and still kind of like it very much. Its pure control with a lot of meat and possibility to bring deadly threads in the midgame with Priest of the Bloodrite or Necromantic Summons. it uses the recursion pack gravedigger/cruel revival to create card advantage

After the BFZ Release it gets more strong Fuel with Shambling Vents and the 2 new Planeswalkers. Also the Miasma seems to fit in perfectly.

In my newest version i did some changes, which i still have to playtest:

-2 Reave Soul
+2 Rising Miasma

-1 Reprisal
+1 Celstial Flare

but somehow i like Reprisal more, so i might switch back to 2 Reprisal..

here u go:


HOLY MUD! v. 29/11/2015
2222222222222222222222222222222222222
1x Felidar Cub
1x Shadows of the past
1x Reprisal
1x Celestial Flare
3333333333333333333333333333333333333
1x Liliana
3x Flashbag Marauder
2x Solemn Offering
3x Read the Bones
4444444444444444444444444444444444444
1x Archangel of Tithes
2x Gravedigger
2x Supression Bonds (very underestimated card, since it works with Planeswalkers AND enchantments too!!)
2x Languish
2x Rising Miasma
1x Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
5555555555555555555555555555555555555
2x Priest of the Bloodrite
1x Gilt Leaf Winnower
2x Cruel Revival
2x Planar Outburst
3x Necromantic Summons
1x Ob Nixilis Reignited
6666666666666666666666+++++++++++
1x Kothoped
1x Emeria Sheperd

24 LANDS
8 Plains
9 Swamps
2 Shambling Vent
2 Isolated Chapel
3 Rogues Passage


THANKS FOR YOUR TIME!

I'm still not sold on running 13 creatures for a reliable Shadows of the Past, but w/e.
How is Gilt Leaf Winnower these days? Hitting enough targets?

Early Ulamog draw, some read the bones to get you to discard a card, then necromantic summons. Lucky, i agree, but i got that combo twice the night i tested it

Well Shadows of the past triggers for ALL creatures, which makes ist pretty solid, regarding all the removal we have.
But yeah, maybe 1 is enough though. (im still kind of drawn to the idea of building a life loss deck with it arround Defiant Bloodlord but i guess that more a fun deck, since Bloodlord is just too expensive..)

Gilt-Leaf Winnower is still a very solid card. i really like running one, theres normally enough targets for it. (new targets are oblivion sower , Breaker of Armys, Blight Herder, to name a few

if u like the "discrd my own ulamog and cast it turn 5" idea, check out the recursion deck with Brilliant Spectrum. its pretty cool and u find it here in the forums.

thx for the list i like it pretty much - these allys really CAN do a lot of nasty stuff. i did build a version and threw some red in, to have the menace and haste allys in ther - seems pretty nasty if u get a nice draw.

for ur orzhov build i would play Vampiric Rites over read the bones since the life gain is more elegant in this deck with serene award in it and the draw is kind of deeper on the long run.
also hero of goma fada and kor entangler seem options, since i would generally recommend to even play MORE allys. in these tribal decks its always good NOT to run out of ETB triggers

im also not sure about the ondu and would totally agree to at least consider playing maybe 2 planar outburst - its just too good not to play it. also a 3rd retreat to hagra might be ok

that said, i think the deck is pretty solid and fun 2play, keep on

PS i so much wanted to do a Defiant Bloodlord deck, but this guy is just too expensive. by the time u bring him out u will loose anyway, as far i can predict it. hes just slow and wont see the next turn when u cast him. well, im pretty sure this aint happening, but if anyone knows a good decklist arround him and life loss/gain, please tell me =)

yup, that's the biggest issue, his cost
It pains me to say it, but I should have built a sanguine bond deck back in 2015 when ppl still played it

I like RtB over Vamp Rites (any sword girls players here to understand that reference? o.O) because to sac a creature is pretty hefty a cost, here, as opposed to green builds where you have floaters for days. Unless we suddenly get Felidar, I'd stick with Bones.

Agreed. Read the bones is fine here.

I played the deck quite a few times and I think it could have some potential going more aggro (they seem to have several mid-late game cards but the deck didn't have the output to play there). Serene Steward is a hinge pin in the current build and if folks keep you off that card, the deck becomes substantially weaker. The life drain is only plink therefore the deck would gain benefit from alternative fast damage (Elite Vanguard/Kytheon, Hero of Akros idea) and you need more cards that trigger off of the hp gain like Malakir Familiar (that card did work - 1 to 3 hp triggers a turn. You can end up with a 5/4 flying deathtouch without too much trouble. If you completely ignore everything else I'm saying - don't ignore this. This card is a MUST in this deck). Cliffside Lookout has seemed slow so I was messing around with Consul's Lieutenant. It does lower the Ally count but there are only a few Rally triggers worth having (I'd get rid of Lantern Scout since the hp gain is after damage and a lot of the time you want it pre-combat - same goes for Ondu Rising) and I'd mess with Bloodbond Vampire creature count (or even remove it). Bloodbond seemed slow and easily chumped/removed. I wanted to flood the boards fast and hope to spread around a couple counters if I could. That or get to some anthem effects to keep swinging with many undersized weenies. To try and add to the anthem effect in the Lieutenant suggestion, you could consider 1 copy of Retreat to Emeria. If you can get a board started, then the anthem effect would be worth it (also a potential ally trigger if need be).

I was surprised how good Tandem Tactics was in this deck. The +1/+2 is fine but it's more about the instant life gain.

So this is where I've currently taken the deck and have just started testing again.


3 x Elite Vanguard
1 x Kytheon, Hero of Akros

3 x Serene Steward
2 x Kor Bladewhirl
4 x Kalastria Healer
3 x Consul's Lieutenant
2 x Reprisal
3 x Tandem Tactics
2 x Reave Soul

3 x Drana's Emissary
3 x Malakir Familiar
1 x Solemn Offering
3 x Read the Bones
2 x Retreat to Hagra

1 x Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1 x Retreat to Emeria

9 x Plain
6 x Swamp
4 x Evolving Wilds
2 x Shambling Vent
2 x Isolated Chapel


Just remember that both Gideon and Kytheon can't be walkers at the same time. It doesn't happen often where you have to choose (and Kytheon is really the 4th Vanguard), but if it does, pick the best for the situation. It's definitely worth running both.

elk

I tried your version of this deck out and it works really well and fun i feel it not focus'es only on Serene Steward she is very useful gives tons of +1/+1 counters but and some games end when you have whole board 4/4 buffed up to 8/8 on attack, but only some games (for me anyways). Most my games i win with early domage like 10 + and then just wating with Kalastria Healer, Drana's Emissary andRetreat to Hagra so i made few changes:

-1 Solemn Offering / +2 Felidar Cub
-2 Kor Bladewhirl / +2 Stone Haven Medic
-2 Evolving Wilds / +1 Mortuary Mire
-1 Read the Bones / +1 Patron of the Valiant <- hard choice here cuz drawing ability is weak in this deck, but patron works well for me (all creatures get a counter yey!)

And im thinking of replaceing Reprisal and Reave Soul for 3 Bone Splinters and 1 Read the Bones since we have tokens to sacrifice.

Felidar Cub isn't a bad idea since it's still a 2/2 until needed and Solemn Offering's life gain is situational. I like that idea and will have to figure out how to cram it in the deck.

Stone Haven is an enabler and meant to help other cards. Although there is a life gain (and Ally) theme in the deck, it's still an aggro(ish) shell. That would make Haven a poor choice since you won't likely be attacking with it and you want to be swinging with your whole board frequently (and we also want aggressive bodies whereas 1/3 is more for chumping vs. attacking).

The deck had a Mortuary Mire before and the card is fine. It's just that my variation added the 'Retreats' which work off landfall triggers. Evolving wilds can slow down an aggro deck in some cases, but it's usually worth it for the additional triggers you get with the retreats.

I actually liked the OP's use of removal here. Reave Soul takes care of everything up to 3 and Reprisal is 4 and up so it gives good cheap coverage as you curve. Their deck also had Celestial Flare which rounded out the package but there had to be cuts. Flare typically is a later game card attempting to remove difficult targets so my thinking is that if the game is getting into those stages, then the deck needs tweaking to speed up.
You also refer to tokens but those start to come on line mid/late game and are used for wide swings or triggers to close out matches. If you're building up enough of a board with tokens, than you're moving a bit too slow. Bone Splinters; in this type of build, will cost you in the long run. All we're hoping for is some 'get out of the way' removal while we swing and life plink.

As for Read the Bones, it's been fine for helping keep your hand full of gas and that's always useful in aggro if it doesn't cost tempo (basically used to find game finishers). Having said that, I had been thinking about Bitter Revelation in it's place since it'll dig deeper. I'm just not sure about the 4CMC cost and at 23 lands, we don't want many cards at those slots. That or we look to add additional land to the deck to compensate. I may give it a try just to see how it plays out though. That or go the Vampiric Rites route and just use it to blank removal.


elk

I've been trying to get an orzhov lifegain aggro thing going too. Here's what I've got so far:

1x Kytheon, Hero of Akros
3x Elite Vanguard
4x Thornbow Archer
4x Bone Splinters
3x Serene Steward
3x Kor Bladewhirl
4x Felidar Cub
4x Kalastria Healer
3x Malakir Familiar
3x Drana's Emissary
3x Bloodbond Vampire
1x Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
24x Lands

Plenty of fat and control in black white. Look to the cookie Elaine.

This deck just kind of slammed together after a few too many beers but it seems to be working, People are bailing the game before I know what's happening. Will re asses when sober, but here it is anyway: Straight forward black white anger. Initial issues are, it loses too much life if Nixis and priest are out.

1 Kytheon, Hero of Akros
3 Perilous Myr
2 Despoiler of souls (very unsure)

2 Vryn Wingmare
3 Fleshbag Marauder
1 Liliana, Heretical healer
2 Solemn offering
2 Read the bones

1 Archangel of Tithes
2 Kytheon's Irregulars
1 Erebos's Titan
4 Suppression Bonds
1 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar

2 Priest of the blood rite
2 Gilt-leaf winnower
3 Cruel revival
1 Ob Nixilis Reignited

2 Kothophed, Soul Hoarder
1 Oblivion Sower

8 swamp
8 plains
2 Shambling vent
2 Isolated Chapel
4 Evolving wilds

To hell with it, heres the link

Lol, love it

Thanks for the feed back. Interesting direction to take the deck in your build. Gave it a try and it doesn't fit me quite as well but I was able to make a few improvements to my own with the experience. (Weirdly, I consider Serene Steward to be one of the least essential parts of my version of this deck... but different play styles and all that.) In the end I took out the Ondu Rising, one of the Bloodbond Vampires (she's won me too many games to remove completely), and one of the Celestial Flares. I used that space to put the three Malakir Familiars in. I really should have had them in from the start.

As to your advice on the Retreat to Emeria, I had those as part of my original build but I found they only really ever saw play in games that I already had a run away victory going and otherwise just took up space. So I'm keeping those out.

I also swapped out the Reprisals for Aligned Hedron Networks. I like the threats that they solve but I'm not sure if they come up often enough for the swap to be worth it and I hate that I don't have a solution for 4/4s now. This is probably the part of the deck I go back and forth on the most right now.

After making my tweaks, I went on a rather excellent 13-2 run (all opponents 35 - 40 rank, with one 23 in there). But then dropped 4 in a row, including a run of three loses to similar but different mono-red aggro. Too many twin bolts/fiery impulses, not enough creatures to replace the ones I was losing. Bounced back with three more wins, including one where I crushed a mono-red aggro (that felt good) to win what I feel to be a rather respectable 16 of 22.

Hey guys!

Here is my version of a Life gain control deck.
I'm quite happy with it as it's very robust and can deal with a lot of decks.





Let me know what you guys think and as always any help would be greatly appreciated

Oh yeah and HUGE thanks to anthonli for making the deck planner! Surprised not more people are using it. Posted decks look much more sexy this way

felidar cub is worse then that enchantment removal spell that actually heals you

you don't have enough creatures to consistently flip kytheon and even if you did you are also runing ally gideon so orgin gideon just dies

you should be running retreat to hagra