Modern Decks : U/W Tron & gifts help

[Paul Hodgson]

From LSV's article on CF today:

4 Celestial Colonnade 1 Eye of Ugin 2 Hallowed Fountain 1 Island 1 Plains 3 Seachrome Coast 1 Ghost Quarter 4 Urza's Mine 4 Urza's Power Plant 4 Urza's Tower 1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite 1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn 1 Iona, Shield of Emeria 1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre 4 Azorius Signet 1 Day of Judgment 3 Expedition Map 4 Gifts Ungiven 1 Oblivion Ring 4 Path to Exile 4 Remand 2 Repeal 1 Talisman of Progress 4 Thirst for Knowledge 1 Timely Reinforcements 1 Unburial Rites 1 Wrath of God Sideboard 2 Celestial Purge 2 Grafdigger's Cage 2 Kataki, War's Wage 1 Tectonic Edge 1 Crucible of Worlds 1 Wurmcoil Engine 1 Disenchant 1 Dispel 1 Rule of Law 1 Ethersworn Canonist 1 Timely Reinforcements 1 Ghostly Prison

Played a previous version of Tron at the PTQ and was pretty impressed, even though I didn't post a stellar result. I'm fairly certain that not playing a B source is wrong, as you sometimes draw the Unburial rites and that's just horrible. I'll likely be playing this list at the PTQ - hard casting Emrakul is sweet after all.

The hard part is working out your gifts packages. Generally, getting Rites + Iona/Elesh Norn is correct vs creature decks. It gets a lot more tricky when you're trying to craft a package for a particular scenario or game state, a third sweeper (Explosives maybe) is definitely a consideration against the tokens decks so you can definitely grab one with gifts for example. If you're missing a tron piece you need to go for map, the piece, tolaria west & something (another gifts) - you'll usually get the west & map. It gets a bit more tricky if you have rites stuck in hand, you've got to let them give you a thirst and end up with your monster in the bin. There's always the option to hard cast Elesh Norn which can be overlooked if you're focussed on the rites plan.

If anyone has some tips for figuring out gifts it'd be good to have a discussion, as thinking about what you're gifting for takes up a lot of time on the spot and there's a huge risk of punting too.

[Dan Barrett]

If I don't get to play it no one should.

[Philip Dickinson]

wait what

[Dan Barrett]

Just being selfish and jealous and awful, nothin' to see here. :P

[Paul Hodgson]

Think Karn's a reasonably good sideboard option for tron, just not sure what he's good against - maybe the mirror as a quicker threat than eldrazi and use him to take out their tron pieces?

[Peter Dun]

for 7 mana? you'd be better off siding in vendillion cliques/negates/mindbreak trap