D4 (a.k.a. Digital Devil's Deadly Deck - not to be confused with D5)

[Digital Devil]

Hi to everyone!!! I've always been tinkering about an efficient and effective recursion deck. I used to play a strange version of ITF, then I switched to a Survivalish build, then... then I built this abomination!!! I always wanted to build a deck based on Gifts Ungiven, and when I read somewhere about Gifts Rock, I fell in love with Veteran Explorer. Not in reality, just in a platonic way =)
Then I picked up 61 (yes, 61) random cards and in a random way I came to this random list:


// Deck file for Magic Workstation (http://www.magicworkstation.com)

// Lands
4 [ALA] Forest (3)
3 [MI] Swamp (3)
3 [ALA] Island (1)
3 [ON] Windswept Heath
2 [ON] Polluted Delta
1 [TSP] Academy Ruins
1 [R] Bayou
1 [R] Tropical Island
1 [B] Underground Sea
1 [OD] Cephalid Coliseum
1 [AQ] Mishra's Factory (1)
1 [TE] Wasteland

// Creatures
4 [WL] Veteran Explorer
3 [FD] Eternal Witness
1 [ON] Gigapede
1 [JU] Genesis
1 [ARB] Lord of Extinction
1 [SHM] Faerie Macabre
1 [LRW] Shriekmaw

// Spells
4 [NE] Accumulated Knowledge
3 [CHK] Gifts Ungiven
3 [JU] Cabal Therapy
2 [CHK] Sensei's Divining Top
2 [OD] Innocent Blood
2 [AP] Pernicious Deed
2 [TE] Intuition
1 [FD] Engineered Explosives
1 [TSP] Krosan Grip
1 [10E] Crucible of Worlds
1 [RAV] Darkblast
1 [ARB] Maelstrom Pulse
1 [RAV] Life from the Loam
1 [TO] Nostalgic Dreams
1 [B] Regrowth
1 [EVE] Raven's Crime

// Sideboard
SB: 1 [TSP] Krosan Grip
SB: 1 [SOK] Pithing Needle
SB: 1 [5E] Hydroblast
SB: 1 [PLC] Extirpate
SB: 1 [R] Blue Elemental Blast
SB: 1 [US] Back to Basics
SB: 1 [MR] Chalice of the Void
SB: 1 [NE] Reverent Silence
SB: 1 [NE] Submerge
SB: 1 [UL] Defense Grid
SB: 1 [TE] Propaganda
SB: 1 [SH] Spike Feeder
SB: 1 [TSB] Tormod's Crypt
SB: 1 [UD] Powder Keg
SB: 1 [UL] Engineered Plague


Resilient to mana denial, since it's a mana-hungry deck, this pile of junk has all-sort-of shenanigans you can ever think of. Lots of basics to abuse Veteran Explorer and to avoid being shut down by a single Blood Moon. Some nonbasics just to complete the toolbox.
The deck revolves around Gifts and Intuition: with those you can search for virtually anything and still get the cards you want. Accumulated Knowledge is the draw engine, the other cards are just utilities and ways to recur them. The synergies are intricated and subtle, and are a lot, also. Gigapede and Lord of Extinction are the main winconditions. With an Intuition pile of Gigapede/Genesis/Lord you are pretty much guaranteed to have a huge beatstick capable of winning the game with ease. As for the quantities, the only thing I should think about is the 4th Cabal Therapy. I play 3 because if I strictly need them I can play Intuition or Gifts and get one of them by sure, and to have some *5%* chance against combo. Loam is a last-minute inclusion, since I found that it comboes well with the dump-into-the-grave-then-recur mechanic, and helps mantaining Gigapede, as well as casting uber Nostalgic Dreams, and with Crime (I swapped a Therapy to fit a singleton of this) it -can- help destroying your opponent's hand to make sure your bombs connect. I'll stop boring you with useless things, they are still a pile of 61-janky cards, so, discuss and suggest!!!

[Jak]

Does it be anything outside of control?

[Digital Devil]

Does it be anything outside of control?
My apologies, I don't get the meaning of your reply^^
Has anyone tested this deck? Can someone suggest some interesting cards/recursion mechanic?

[beastman]

Can you beat aggro decks? This build looks retardedly slow.

[Digital Devil]

Can you beat aggro decks? This build looks retardedly slow.
The only problems I have are related to an early Counter/Top and to the combo mathcup. Aggro and aggro control are fairly easy matchups, with that amount of removal. I spare Deed for the *reset button* situations. The problem is when Zoo kicks you down to 5 life. They just need 2 burn spells to end the game. The original build was :g::u::w: with a :b: splash for Therapies and Lord. Of course, without :w: in the equation, the build is slower, but once it gets 3 mana it can do nearly everything. I used to run Tarmogoyfs, but now I refuse to put 'em in the build. It's satisfying to win in other ways which aren't dropping that creature. BTW, this is a deck I've been working on for the *for fun* aspect of the game. I'm never taking this deck in a tournament: it's pretty fun to run it against some friends or on the MWS - I just wanted to know how it could be improved. I like to play janky decks, and this is no exception. That's why it is in N&D. In a tournament environment, I'm taking Dragon Stompy^^

[Media314r8]

BTW, this is a deck I've been working on for the *for fun* aspect of the game. I'm never taking this deck in a tournament. That's why it is in N&D. In a tournament environment, I'm taking Dragon Stompy^^


BTW, this is a deck I've been working on for the *for fun* aspect of the game.


I'm never taking this deck in a tournament. That's why it should be in Cavius' Casual.

[Jak]

My apologies, I don't get the meaning of your reply^^
Has anyone tested this deck? Can someone suggest some interesting cards/recursion mechanic?

Like, you lose hard to aggro and combo and more tempo oriented decks like Merfolk, Canadian Thresh or even CB Thresh. The only thing I see you beating is control with the amount of recursion you have.

I can't imagine this beating aggro. I mean you run 2 Innocent Blood, 1 Darkblast, 1 Maelstrom Pulse, 1 EE, and 2 Deed...There is no way in hell you are beating Zoo or Goblins with this. Even something like Thresh can just resolve one threat and counter your weak attempts at removing it.

[Finn]

Digital Devil, you are very unlikely to get people to try out your deck and give you feedback of the sort you are looking for. And while the feedback you are going to get will be frustrating, it is generally a good idea to give it some weight. These guys have been pretty pleasant, constructive, and most of all correct. There is a good reason why none of the Gifts decks are knocking down doors in Legacy. They are slooooooooooow. Your design displays all the hallmarks of one of these. There's nothing quite as useless as holding...

Gifts Ungiven
Gigapede
Pernicious Deed
Krosan Grip
etc.
etc.
etc.

...while the opponent is hitting you hard each turn because his deck is super streamlined. You need a significant understanding of the metagame before you can expect to build something that can compete. Don't fall in love with your designs. Don't get discouraged by others who tell you they stink either. And don't put your faith in stuff everyone knows about already. It takes a lot of bad decks before you can make any good original ones.

GL