MTG Salvation

I don't know what to think about Glory-Bound Innitiate.

4 of him made it into the topp 8 in Espen controll by Akio Chiba. Alongside 3 Shambling Vents and 1 Batterskull. Devour Flesh can also gain you some life. But most often it will probably mass kill death's shadow.

The question remains, is Glory-Boun Innitiate good? He is a human. He is good with cards for life. I am conflicted.

He is here, the 3rd deck piloted by Akio Chiba
http://magic.wizards.com/en/events/coverage/gpkob17/top-8-decklists-2017-05-28

(It's Glory-Bound Initiate. Carry on.)

The deck runs 4 painful truths so they are maximizing on lifegain bursts to get those painful truths going. Oddly enough, there are no copies of blessed alliance in this deck. The Glory-Bound Initiate seemed like a ghetto Geist of Saint Traft since it hits hard on offense but is bad on defense.

I do not thik comparing it to saint is an apt comparison. They are costet differently, geist can not ber targetet, and while geist tryes to end the game quick and dies to blockers, Glory-Bound Initiate is a 4/4 who gains you 2 life a turn.

Does not pass the bolt test, but it is less relevant with the rice of push.

I've no idea why this card was chosen for a midrange/control list, it is not resilient (Tasigur, Angler, Geist) and doesn't generate card advantage
(Bob, Jace VP,) or disrupt (Tidehollow.S, S.Queller, V.Clique, Reflector.M).

Kitchen Finks is much better (and well worth the extra 1 mana) and I'd rather play Kambal, Consul of Allocation
(or even Aven Riftwatcher/Lone Missionary) for the lifegain.

Yes. This is why I am intriged.

Maybe he just cracked some from packs and he wanted to play them. Maybe he just liked the art.

Might have been a last minute addition. I've been playing the list he won with and the Initiate has just been super mediocre particularly in g1. It dies to a stiff breeze and only gets to lifelink attack every other turn. I've never top 8'd a gp so maybe it's something I can't see, but I'd rather have Lone Missionary if I was going for that effect.

It's a Japanese player. They always use weird card choices in their decks. This has been happening since the beginning of this game

I don't see a problem with it. Looks posed to do good things. He's playing esper so he can easily remove any blockers. If it eats removal then it's fine also. Presents a decent clock when you can remove threats and/or tap out their team.

But is the deck a controll deck? It looks more like a midrange jund style deck, or grixis midrange.

Snapcaster, Tasigur, Batterskul and Lingering Souls are all good value.

5 discard spells.

6 spot removal, 3 of the discard spells can flex into this.

4 cantrips and 4 card draw spells.

4 counterspells.

8 sources of lifelink.

1 Celestial Colonade for reach.

This list does not seem like a controll list.

Is Glory-Bound Initiate a white goyf? Standing shoulder to shoulder with Stoneforge Mystic in legacy.

I'd argue that Gifted Aetherborn would do the same job better, it can also gain life and the deathtouch is an upside.
Seeker of the Way would also be better.

By the time the deck topp 8 a gp it is doing something right. I have no idea why.

Has anybody tryed the deck or the card?

Here he played a match with the deck - http://www.starcitygames.com/article/35225_Video-Daily-Digest-Moderns-Painful-Truths.html
The deck seemed really slow and durdly.

Btw, an "Esper Delve" deck 5-0'ed a league with 4x Seeker of the Way (in the Delver slot) so I guess that flukes happen (next should be Bone Picker).
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/665524

Don't disrespect seeker. Him into a thought sieze is rather ok. The bolt test os less relevant these days as the push test is harder.

Also, it you are up against burn, is not lifelink great?

I'd rather have Lone Missionary, Kitchen Finks, Kambal, Consul of Allocation or Aven Riftwatcher
(as they are guaranteed to gain life barring Skullcrack effects).

Gifted Aetherborn is probably the most playable lifelink creature in these colors though.

Many of the cards you mention are not very good or cost to much mana.

If you are running the original list with land-hawk as lifelink you would cut the white. We would be loosing 2 path, 2 lingering souls, 4 man land. Removal can be found else where. We would stil have 5 lifelink sources. Read the bones is very near painfull truth (scry 2 draw 2 vs draw 3?)

Don't know.

3-mana isn't too much, it is not an aggro deck.
What is a "land-hawk" ? Do you mean Gifted Aetherborn ?

I guess you can go U/B with this deck though losing the White cards would weaken the deck
(Go for the Throat/Victim of Night over PtE, Creeping Tar Pit over Shambling Vent and more Tasigur or Gurmag Angler over Lingering Souls).
Read the Bones is a bit slow, I'm not sure if it is better than Sign in Blood (Night's Whisper).

The more I think about this deck the more I'm surprised that Esper Charm wasn't chosen over Painful Truths.
The flexibility, instant speed and not having to pay 3-life make it a much better card imho.


Btw, here are some more videos with the Esper list:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKh_IuWKMEFyEwQ9Wqzw6NNpiwzSSTN5M

IMO, the whole "use BW lifegain cards to gain life, which offsets the life lost from painful truths" idea is pretty good, but it makes no sense in esper.
Esper charm is a very playable card already, and you don't need to jump through hoops.
If anything, mardu is where a deck like this should be. Lightning helix is a reasonable addition, and dark confidant becomes painful truths 5-8. (Or potentially, 4 bobs and 2-3 truths). You still have discard + liliana as a base.
Mardu has lacked a good game ending threat (ideally a t2 play) like tarmogoyf. In theory, this 4/4 lifelinker could be that threat.
While I doubt the card is genuinely powerful enough, it might be good enough for a fringe deck.