Suppose you say "I reanimate Iona using Unburial rites". When thats on the stack, your opponent has a chance to respond by pathing one of your creatures etc
After unburial rites resolves, Iona is going to come into play. Naming a color is part of a resolution, its not a trigger on the stack. Once you name a color, the ability applies (therefore the opponent cannot path Iona)
Now that's a spicy list for sure, however, let me make some remarks: First and foremost 23 lands sounds like 1 or 2 too little, depending on the exact version. Usually, 4 lands is the minimum for this deck, so you consistently want to hit your land drops for the first 4 turns, which is not an easy task without cantrips. Another thing I have enjoyed playing was manlands (2 seems like the sweet spot), specifically Celestial Colonnade and Creeping Tar Pit, alternatively Shambling Vent if you are bound to a budget, although the Tar Pit is rather cheap at the moment. Then, what about utility lands such as Field of Ruin/Ghost Quarter? I can't comment on specific choices, but do you really want 2 JVPs in your deck? The same comes to mind for the Clique. Have you considered Terminate, Dreadbore or even Bedevil for dealing with planeswalkers? This (thoroughly needed) role is normally covered by Abrupt Decay, Assassin's Trophy ad Maelstrom Pulse in the green sector of the deck. You could e.g. replace a Brutality with one of these or even cut a Path for good measure.
- I find having 4 Jace Vryn's Prodigy allows you to cheat slightly on your mana and allows you to 'get away' with playing not only 23 lands but a 4 color mana base.
- I played 3 cliques for a long time. The case is Clique has outperformed in killing planeswalkers, ambushing attackers, cliquing yourself to push Iona back into your deck, helping you hit your 4th land drop, disrupting the opponent, etc that I went all the way up to 4. Its just been way too good. Clique is not to do X but it just does so much that I went up to 4
- 4 Brutalities was really that it is the "best" hand disruption in the deck. I used to play a split of inquistion and brutalities, but brutality has just done alot of work.
- Red is more of a "free" splash color for K command and Nahiri which are just excellent at answering disruption in the form of Relic, cage, Rest in Peace etc. I really don't want to go into red if I could avoid it. I played esper for a while and I found with Jace VP, and this much loot effects, this red splash is essentially "free"
- I could see myself cutting a path for a dreadbore. In fact, I could see myself going something like 4 pushes, 2 dreadbores and moving my 75 with white being more or less a splash color. In the sense, I could turn 1-2 need UB, Turn 3, need Red, Turn 4 needs White to combo off.
1) the dredge/ Mardu pyromancer matchups to put out tokens/ buy then. Combo out Elesh Norn, get 3 3/3 and try to kill 1-2 turns. I find this is a much more effective stragety to beating these decks than packing grave hate
I been playing with this alot and I really like it. This is Dark Jeskai Gifts.
1) I'm pushing my discard/ filter to the very maximum with 3 Liliana of the Veil, 4 Jace VP, 4 Vendilion Cliques, 4 Collective Bruality and 2 Nahiri.
I find clique being able to target yourself to push Iona back into your deck + draw a card is just amazing. I went to the full 4 (I been on 3 for a long time) to fight UW a bit better, and since the rest of the deck is all discard anyways, I can loot away extra cliques with my other effects
2) I found the hidden benefit of playing with this much looting effect is you can play a higher curve -> as noted 2 Notion Thieves, 2 Nahiri, 2 Draglord Silumgar. Silumgar was original a re-animator target against Tron/ Jund. I liked it alot that I pushed a second in the main.
I think of Notion Thief and Nahiri as gifts 5-6 depending on the matchup; they're both pretty backbreaking if resolves. Notion thief's second purpose is to "support" liliana. Liliana isn't very good if your opponent has very good card advantage (i.e. UW control). Thief can help to ensure liliana is always good. Nahiri can remove problematic enchantments like blood moon, leylines and rest in peace in longer games
3) Wurm harvest is for the play of gifts for 3 lands + wurms against decks like Abzan (if it still exists) or UW control or an emergency second bullet if your reanimator plan A fails. I really like it
Farscape (Rare or Uncommon)
Land 3: Put this card from your hand onto the battlefield. t: Add C.
I would put this as uncommon, I generally expect a more unique or existing ability from a rare. This really isn't that exciting . Feels too much like another colorless land with a small upside to a basic land. (But I really like the effect)
I like your second reworking, but I think keeping it slightly repetitive is good or else the thinking on your opponent is just too much (Goblin Game is a terrible card, don;t play it, but this article shows the amount of depth involved in playing a simple card well - https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/876643/the-goblin-game)
2-3 madcap Experiment
1-2 Platinum Emperion
Helps to "transform" against decks trying to grave hate you out, cannot be hit by moon, Fights through sanctity.
Oh I like it alot as well.
Suppose you say "I reanimate Iona using Unburial rites". When thats on the stack, your opponent has a chance to respond by pathing one of your creatures etc
After unburial rites resolves, Iona is going to come into play. Naming a color is part of a resolution, its not a trigger on the stack. Once you name a color, the ability applies (therefore the opponent cannot path Iona)
- I find having 4 Jace Vryn's Prodigy allows you to cheat slightly on your mana and allows you to 'get away' with playing not only 23 lands but a 4 color mana base.
- I played 3 cliques for a long time. The case is Clique has outperformed in killing planeswalkers, ambushing attackers, cliquing yourself to push Iona back into your deck, helping you hit your 4th land drop, disrupting the opponent, etc that I went all the way up to 4. Its just been way too good. Clique is not to do X but it just does so much that I went up to 4
- 4 Brutalities was really that it is the "best" hand disruption in the deck. I used to play a split of inquistion and brutalities, but brutality has just done alot of work.
- Red is more of a "free" splash color for K command and Nahiri which are just excellent at answering disruption in the form of Relic, cage, Rest in Peace etc. I really don't want to go into red if I could avoid it. I played esper for a while and I found with Jace VP, and this much loot effects, this red splash is essentially "free"
- I could see myself cutting a path for a dreadbore. In fact, I could see myself going something like 4 pushes, 2 dreadbores and moving my 75 with white being more or less a splash color. In the sense, I could turn 1-2 need UB, Turn 3, need Red, Turn 4 needs White to combo off.
(Extra Note)
- I'm going 3 timely reinforcements for:
1) the dredge/ Mardu pyromancer matchups to put out tokens/ buy then. Combo out Elesh Norn, get 3 3/3 and try to kill 1-2 turns. I find this is a much more effective stragety to beating these decks than packing grave hate
2) The Jund matchup to combat Liliana.
3) Burn and aggressive strategies etc.
23 Lands
========
3 => Polluted Delta
4 => Flooded Strand
3 => Marsh Flats
1 => Hallowed Fountain
1 => Godless Shrine
1 => Watery Grave
1 => Blood Crypt
1 => Steam Vents
1 => Sacred Foundry
1 => Island
1 => Swamp
1 => Planes
4 => Darkslick Shores
14 Creatures
===========
1 => Iona, Shield of Emeria
2 => Dragonlord Silumgar
1 => Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
4 => Vendilion Clique
4 => Jace, Vyrn's Prodigy
2 => Notion Thief
5 Planeswalkers
===============
3 => Liliana of the Veil
2 => Nahiri, the Harbringer
20 Instant/ Sorcery
===================
3 => Fatal Push
3 => Path to Exile
4 => Collective Brutality
2 => Kolaghan's Command
4 => Gifts Ungiven
1 => Worm Harvest
1 => Unburial Rites
15 Sideboard
============
2 => Kolaghan's Command
2 => Wear // Tear
3 => Timely Reinforcements
2 => Damnation
2 => Thoughtseize
3 => Fulminator Mage
1 => Sun Titan
------------------
I been playing with this alot and I really like it. This is Dark Jeskai Gifts.
1) I'm pushing my discard/ filter to the very maximum with 3 Liliana of the Veil, 4 Jace VP, 4 Vendilion Cliques, 4 Collective Bruality and 2 Nahiri.
I find clique being able to target yourself to push Iona back into your deck + draw a card is just amazing. I went to the full 4 (I been on 3 for a long time) to fight UW a bit better, and since the rest of the deck is all discard anyways, I can loot away extra cliques with my other effects
2) I found the hidden benefit of playing with this much looting effect is you can play a higher curve -> as noted 2 Notion Thieves, 2 Nahiri, 2 Draglord Silumgar. Silumgar was original a re-animator target against Tron/ Jund. I liked it alot that I pushed a second in the main.
I think of Notion Thief and Nahiri as gifts 5-6 depending on the matchup; they're both pretty backbreaking if resolves. Notion thief's second purpose is to "support" liliana. Liliana isn't very good if your opponent has very good card advantage (i.e. UW control). Thief can help to ensure liliana is always good. Nahiri can remove problematic enchantments like blood moon, leylines and rest in peace in longer games
3) Wurm harvest is for the play of gifts for 3 lands + wurms against decks like Abzan (if it still exists) or UW control or an emergency second bullet if your reanimator plan A fails. I really like it
---
6 is really a bit too "low" of a mana cost for a ramp/reanimator strategy and too high for a midrange.
I would put this as uncommon, I generally expect a more unique or existing ability from a rare. This really isn't that exciting . Feels too much like another colorless land with a small upside to a basic land. (But I really like the effect)
That makes sense.