MTG Salvation

After some of the cool vampires spoiled I'm looking to transform my jund beaters deck into RWBG lifegain running a pair of partners I've been excited about for a long time - Bruse Tarl, Boorish Herder and Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper for double lifelink shenanigans.

The aim of the deck is to be fatties based, using beaters to smash face and also gain a ton of life at the same time. So I'm looking for suggestions on what fatties are useful in other ways - ie Bloodgift Demon gives card advantage and is evasive to get through for the life gaining hits. Theres currently a few creatures with non-keyword lifelink that are good and as leftovers from the Xira deck, creatures that can tap to destroy other creatures.

I'm also keen on suggestions on what to do with the life. I've been through gatherer for clauses such as "pay life" and "whenever gain life" so I think I have most of it but there might be some obscure things that haven't been thought of.

So far the best one IMO is Aetherflux Reservoir. Don't care how effective that is or not but getting to 51 life and saying "attack me if you dare" would just be so sweet

Archangel of Thune gets pretty crazy with a lot of lifegain. It also combos with Spike Weaver, if you're into that sort of thing.

Double strike creatures would be great along with your lifelinking. True Conviction would be pretty neat.

What to do with all that life? You already mentioned the best one (Aetherflux Reservoir), but there are also cards that will cheese out a win if your group is cool with it: Test of Endurance and Felidar Sovereign.

Without seeing your entire list, it will be hard to give you more suggestions.

Edit: I forgot about Storm Herd

The best cards to "pay life" into are things like Necropotence and Ad Nauseam.

Phyrexian Processor

With those colors you could also add Trostani, Selesnya's Voice and Licia, Sanguine Tribune and borrow from "their" respective decks. You could also add Tamanoa to gain life from noncreature sources as well. Unspeakable Symbol and Hatred would also definitly deserve a spot in there as would Kambal, Consul of Allocation.

Children of Korlis, best way to gain back life used as a resource.

Brion Stoutarm + Hatred on a creature is pretty powerful to use life to deal damage.

Minion of the Wastes big tramply beater, likes high life totals.
Pestilence Demon clears out the little ones.

I don't really think that life gain is all that great in EDH. It's basically negated through infinite combos, cards like Sorin, commander damage, etc.

Quote from GiggleMon »

I don't really think that life gain is all that great in EDH. It's basically negated through infinite combos, cards like Sorin, commander damage, etc.

Lifegain for the sake of lifegain is indeed kinda pointless. Lifegain because you intend to use that life as a resource? That's another matter. Ten life gained means ten more cards from Necropotence.

Kuro, Pitlord for board control.

I suppose but if you're using Necropotence it's usually a one use thing and then you win. At least with Zur anyway.

Quote from PhroX »

Quote from GiggleMon »

I don't really think that life gain is all that great in EDH. It's basically negated through infinite combos, cards like Sorin, commander damage, etc.

Lifegain for the sake of lifegain is indeed kinda pointless. Lifegain because you intend to use that life as a resource? That's another matter. Ten life gained means ten more cards from Necropotence.

I suppose but if you're using Necropotence it's usually a one use thing and then you win. At least with Zur anyway

The whole point is to try and turn a low value resource into a deck theme.

I don't play combos and usually play against them - I also feel that "combo makes it irrelevant" can honestly be applied to pretty much anything that isn't combo in this format.

Quote from PhroX »

The best cards to "pay life" into are things like Necropotence and Ad Nauseam.

Speaking of Ad Nauseam, one of these days I'm going to make a Bant lifegain deck that uses Drogskol Reaver and Horizon Chimera for Laboratory Maniac. I've been meaning to since I first saw the Chimera.

More generally, Searing Meditation is triggered every time you gain life. Since OP's running "not blue", it has a synergy with Tamanoa, not "infinite" per se, but still a fun little mana sink.

And of course, there's always Sanguine Bond/Exquisite Blood.

(And since OP is in GW, it would be a crime to not include Archangel of Thune and Peaches. You can also use Peaches with Unspeakable Symbol and either Doubling Season, Corpsejack Menace, Primal Vigor, Hardened Scales, Boon Reflection, Alhammarret's Archive, or Rhox Faithmender.)

My general rules are:

Can I use it as a resource?
Can I exploit triggers? (e.g., my Oloro loves lucky charms because it's a funny little way to Recycle without the downside.)
Is it incidental? (e.g., lifelink creatures: Baneslayer Angel is good because she's a 5/5 with flying and first strike for five mana, and the lifelink and protection are just gravy, plus it's always satisfying to say "No, you can't Crib Swap her.")
Can it be a wincon?

When lifegain fits one of those, it's playable. Though I'm still not touching Angel's Mercy with a ten-foot pole.

There are tons of things to do with lifegain, even when you exclude blue (which means no Drogskol Reaver or Oloro, Ageless Ascetic). Just looking at cards that have triggers when you gain life and/or scale with your life total, you have the following options:

Zur's Weirding can be absolutely backbreaking, especially if you have some means of playing cards or getting cards into your hand without 'drawing' them. I knew a guy who ran Angus Mackenzie pillowfort, and he would tutor up Future Sight + Zur's Weirding + Words of Worship, then prevent anyone from drawing any answers to his board state ever.

For wacky battlecruiser Magic options, Approach of the Second Sun + Well of Lost Dreams + 14 mana gets you Approach back in hand immediately. 21 mana gets you the win on the spot.