Danitha - Sac Enchantress

[ISBPathfinder]

So, I really wanted to go deep on an idea of Gift of Immortality on Danitha with some cheap ETB draw based auras and this list kind of came together based on that thought. I ended up being a little more enchantress based because of the focus I had on Gift as well as pairing it with some of the creatures like Auratouched Mage / Boonweaver Giant. I put Flickerform in here more as a nod towards the auratouched / boonweaver but I suppose in a pinch putting them on Danitha might work especially as a later play.

Bazaar of Baghdad is unfortunately something I suspect most players won't have access to but digging some things to the bin to then rez with my commander seemed like a powerful bit of utility so we will see how that plays out. It is possible that I should run something like Land Tax to make it better but we will see how the deck plays first before I worry about making Bazaar better.

I could probably get away with running Aetherflux Reservoir but its a card that I refuse to play. I don't know how deep my lifegain really will go I started out my package a bit light really just going for the cards with the best immediate return but I could delve deeper if I see good results from the few I included. I just wasn't as excited when it came to some of the other token gens on lifegain as I was the 4/4 angels.

Decklist

DecklistCMCManaPricesChartsDraw 7

COMMANDER (1)

1 Danitha, Benalia's Hope

CREATURES (16)

1 Caregiver

1 Martyred Rusalka

1 Weathered Wayfarer

1 Deep Gnome Terramancer

1 Stoneforge Mystic

1 Ranger-Captain of Eos

1 Recruiter of the Guard

1 Academy Rector

1 Armored Skyhunter

1 Ranger of Eos

1 Stonehewer Giant

1 Archon of Coronation

1 Auratouched Mage

1 Protector of the Crown

1 Boonweaver Giant

1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite

ARTIFACT (15)

1 Everflowing Chalice

1 Mana Crypt

1 Expedition Map

1 Sol Ring

1 Altar of Dementia

1 Arcane Signet

1 Swiftfoot Boots

1 Thaumatic Compass

1 Umezawa's Jitte

1 Palantir of Orthanc

1 Sword of Fire and Ice

1 Sword of Forge and Frontier

1 Helm of the Host

1 The One Ring

1 Argentum Armor

ENCHANTMENT (23)

1 Angelic Gift

1 Chosen by Heliod

1 Flickerform

1 Heliod's Punishment

1 Reprobation

1 Rune of Sustenance

1 Soul Tithe

1 Aura of Silence

1 Court of Ardenvale

1 Ghostly Prison

1 Gift of Immortality

1 Pariah

1 Pentarch Ward

1 Smuggler's Share

1 Unquestioned Authority

1 Armored Ascension

1 Faith Unbroken

1 Sage's Reverie

1 Songbirds' Blessing

1 Mantle of the Ancients

1 Skybind

1 Spectra Ward

1 Sphere of Safety

INSTANT (2)

1 Enlightened Tutor

1 Swords to Plowshares

SORCERY (4)

1 Steelshaper's Gift

1 Open the Armory

1 Search for Glory

1 Winds of Rath

PLANESWALKER (1)

1 The Eternal Wanderer

LAND (38)

1 Ancient Tomb

1 Bazaar of Baghdad

1 Cavern of Souls

1 Emeria, the Sky Ruin

1 Hall of Heliod's Generosity

1 Hall of the Bandit Lord

1 High Market

1 Kor Haven

1 Myriad Landscape

1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx

24 Plains

1 Serra's Sanctum

1 Strip Mine

1 Tectonic Edge

1 Wasteland

Approximate Total Cost:

[ISBPathfinder]

Ok, I had three games with this deck this weekend and it went overall really well. I did have one game where I had issues but it was off the back of having drawn too much of my expensive control and then I didn't hit enough mana while also being disrupted heavily and an opponent did a T3 The One Ring going first as a tempo control deck which just didn't go well for any of us. In my other two games I had some good showing out of my Boonweaver Giant and Auratouched Mage pals giving me secondary stat sticks that also built up well as alt threats. If I noticed issues in the first set of games it was that I needed a little more card advantage and maybe a little more control in my reusable effects. It was really funny going against a token based Purphoros, God of the Forge / Impact Tremors deck as it just put the absolute screws to my other opponent as I gained life.

I did notice in my testing that I probably need more draw and I can be somewhat slow to set up but I don't mind too much as I generally don't want to cast my commander without something to suit up on her anyways which even though I can get stuff from hand it still felt a little awkward casting her with a number of my little cantrips. For now I am adding a few solid equipment to fill in my numbers and serve as some card advantage even though I wanted to go more enchantress with this I just didn't see a way to go harder on my enchantments for card advantage right now without more consistency towards a few key ones.

DECK CHANGES:

• Giver of Runes → Soul Tithe I still think I want one of the mom type effects but I felt like having two was more than I needed. I also constantly felt like I wanted to pro white but couldn't due to my auras. Bringing in some more answers and I like how versatile Tithe is.
• Eldrazi Displacer → Stoneforge Mystic Displacer is a little too expensive to play with and I wanted to shift away from some of the flicker stuff. Adding some more equipment and with that I wanted another cheap tutor.
• Resplendent Angel → Palantir of Orthanc I could circle back to looking at the lifegain payoff stuff but I wanted to trim down for now and deal with my card advantage first.
• Arena Rector → Armored Skyhunter cutting rector I think it can get me The Eternal Wanderer I just wasn't crazy about secondary walker choices so dropping down my walker supports for now. I wanted a little more card advantage and like that skyhunter can put them directly into play.
• Fanatical Devotion → Umezawa's Jitte I feel like the sac looping part of my deck while it did work alright it was a lot more on my one drop creatures given my options to tutor them. Jitte is a good power boost finisher or removal option. Jitte normally has issues being answered but with my commander being recursion maybe its less of an issue.
• Martyr's Cause → Sword of Forge and Frontier moving another sac outlet into card advantage.
• Angelic Accord → Sword of Fire and Ice more card advantage.
• Ephemerate → Thaumatic Compass it seems a bit odd but due to some tempo control stuff suddenly not having blocks or them becoming unblockable my current meta seems big on invalidating defenses and then swinging past. With my lifegain it means that I probably need a touch more emphasis on maze defenses against commander damage as they dodge a lot of the Cyclonic Rift effects as well as Rogue's Passage kind of evasion.
• Path to Exile → Faith Unbroken I just thought the option for a boonweaver to tutor up an answer could be useful. I could see a situation with a Gift of Immortality + this card being really funny with boonweaver or my commander.
• Elspeth Resplendent → Smuggler's Share just trying to get some more standard ramp / draw.
• Homeward Path → Hall of Heliod's Generosity as soon as someone comes along with theft I will regret this change but until then I think I need a small bump in utility to run the aura answers and I think adding the Hall into the deck might be it.

Watch List:

• Lotus Field / Flagstones of Trokair / Thespian's Stage - So, its a three card ramp package that really revolves around opening hand Weathered Wayfarer. I just don't know if it ramps me hard enough given that I run Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx and Serra's Sanctum in list.
• Bazaar of Baghdad - I like the utility of Bazaar its just the issue of how I want to set up with it and filter my hand before I cast my commander but it is also a land that doesn't tap for mana. I am watching it for now.
• Serra's Sanctum - I had a game where it didn't provide mana but it was more of a game of bad card advantage where I was just getting beaten into the ground. It is on my watch list but I think with more draw it should be fine.

[ISBPathfinder]

Ok, I haven't gotten to play this deck again since its first outing but I had a few more thoughts and ideas I wanted to shift in here.

DECK CHANGE:

• Champions of Minas Tirith → Protector of the Crown I think both effects can be sort of similar but with how my commander functions I can utilize my commander as a strong defense so my concern is more towards an overwhelming attack coming back at me which I think I prefer the Protector's ability to absorb the blow over the mana tax considering it isn't a per attacker tax but a single tax to attack me. I have considered a few times the possibility of running Pyre of Heroes as I could pod off my commander into Auratouched Mage and if I decide to try that I will probably go back to the Champion to have a second six mana human but until then I think I want the giant instead.
• Mind Stone → Everflowing Chalice just moving stones around a little but I am not always trying to ramp into 4 or 5 mana and due to that I think its fine to run Everflowing which can be more powerful later or if I don't plan on curving my commander on curve.
• Cloudshift → Court of Ardenvale I wanted a little more monarch access and most of my equipment and auras can be picked back up by this enchantment so it seems ok for being a little value and monarch number three.
• Tragic Arrogance → Stonehewer Giant I think I banked enough control into the equipment and auras package that I would rather push a little harder on that element and see if I can't get more diverse threats.
• Mother of Runes → Swiftfoot Boots I kept thinking about protection and how much of an issue it is in that I see so much white spot removal but pro white drops my auras. I decided that my toolbox for equipment is actually better than my toolbox for 1 cmc creatures and I think in cases where I need the protection the boots do better for me as a whole in that my commander can pick them back up if someone answers them. I also considered this spot being a Champion's Helm and it might still go that direction but I wanted at least one hexproof equipment in my toolbox for those spot removal heavy decks.
• Flagstones of Trokair → Plains I decided to ditch the Lotus Field plan given it was three lands and I don't think this deck cares as much about ramping especially given the setup requirement and time to do it. I opted to throw an Ancient Tomb in given that my lifegain is good enough it shouldn't be a problem so I figure that offsets some while boosting my basic count some too.
• Lotus Field → Plains same as above.
• Thespian's Stage → Ancient Tomb same as above.

I also had a few other thoughts that I might circle back and examine later that I am detailing below. I am also a little so so on my one drops / tutors for one drops right now. I really had planned on this deck being a bit more about Gift of Immortality than it has ended up being and with that I feel like I have pivoted away from that original idea a little and its making me question if I want and need them still. For now I am going to hang strong and keep testing it out but its something I am thinking about as time goes on.

• Mithril Coat - It could pair with Protector of the Crown or Pariah for an annoying defensive setup. This deck just has a fairly strong setup already against proactive decks and tends to have more weaknesses against tempo, control, or combo decks.
• Avacyn, Angel of Hope - I like her global defense effect and she makes for a strong target outside of my commander. Having just added a source of hexproof as well I am always interested in the idea of strapping a pair of boots to her. The big concern about adding her tends to be just her total cost and I have a lot of top end already.
• Everybody Lives!, Teferi's Protection, and Angel's Grace - Just thinking about some options of protection and anti combo.

This deck is already really fairly strong against proactive decks due to the lifegain and vigilance nature of my commander. Several of the long term goal setups also involve setting up very hard to attack boardstates so my concern is more geared towards my opponents comboing or playing heavy interaction. I might think about the idea of running Everybody Lives!, Teferi's Protection, or maybe even Angel's Grace possibly. Just some food for thought for the future and additional testing.