What is life gain? Well, in Magic: The Gathering, life gain is a way to increase your current life total by an arbitrary number.
When should I use life gain? Life is a resource and should be used as such. If you are gain 50 life a turn, but have nothing to do with it, are you using that life effectively? No. You could have replace those 'lifer' card with dangerous killer cards and have killed a player or seven rather than gain 137 life that you have no use for.
There are several reasons for using life gain, below I have listed a number of them.
1. Defense: Perhaps you are using a control deck and need a little extra time. Playing a small amount of life gain can really up your chances of winning and getting to your key cards.
2. Combo: Perhaps life gain is important to your dekc's function, it is acceptable to use life gain as a means to wreck havoc across the board (see Searing Meditation).
3. Side Effect: Sometimes you can't help but gain a little life, its a side effect of your deck. Its acceptable to Consume Spirit your enemy for 92 points of damage and gain that much life, in fact its kind of funny.
Can you win with life gain? Sure, there is a white enchantment that does just that, but killing your opponent when you have 77 life is no different than killing your opponent when you have 1 life. Winning more is the same as winning. But gaining all that life then losing, well, thats a scary state to be in.
Lol Wellwisher? Don't make me pimp slap you, noob.
In conclusion, you should now understand a little more about the idea of life gain. Having 100 life and no reason to use it is like having 100 mana and no spells to play with it. Take some time to rethink your deck and replace some of those dead 'lifer' cards with some dangerous 'I kill U' cards. Go get 'em, n00bs!
An example that can be built with your current deck is a mono-green deck that uses Wellwishers and a bunch of elves to prduce both a lotof life and a lot of mana and then Hurricane for the win. You sirvive the Hurricane because if your elevated life total.
See also: Test of Endurance, Biorhythm
I'd like to add that these 'elf' decks only started using hurricane after they saw a single copy appear in my green beats deck.
Abe's multiplayer deck needs to be resurected. That would solve all problems currently in the meta. I think there was a deck list in an article of his. Perhaps Abe will be so kind to post a link if I can't find it.
I remember that deck and for that matter that article. That deck was amusing to say the least, and in some ways its even more powerful in the current metagame we have.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Doesnt Biorhythm deafeat the purpose of life gain. Its the Life-gain hate card. I would assume you will always have less creatures than your life total.Originally posted by TheAbe:
See also: ...Biorhythm
Regarding Hurricane, yeah, thats a simple combo with life gain. I much prefer snazzier uses though. Iff Biff Efreet: Now there's a finisher. (Extra points if you splash W for Green Ward & Spirit Link! Ahh, the memories...)
And dont forget Tornado. Theres a cute life gain card combo.
<font color="#C0C0C0" size="1">[ February 20, 2007 09:22 AM: Message edited by: GrimJack ]</font>
Lightning edit:
Actually this is the original: http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/article/5804.html
This is the followup: http://www.starcitygames.com/php/new...cle/11357.html
That took forever to find.
<font color="#C0C0C0" size="1">[ February 20, 2007 09:26 AM: Message edited by: kerbythepurplecow ]</font>
Win with life gain? Uhm ... Ageless entity or false cure anyone?
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Doesnt Biorhythm deafeat the purpose of life gain. Its the Life-gain hate card. I would assume you will always have less creatures than your life total.Originally posted by GrimJack:
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by TheAbe:
See also: ...Biorhythm
Regarding Hurricane, yeah, thats a simple combo with life gain. I much prefer snazzier uses though. Iff Biff Efreet: Now there's a finisher. (Extra points if you splash W for Green Ward & Spirit Link! Ahh, the memories...)
And dont forget Tornado. Theres a cute life gain card combo.
<font color="#C0C0C0"><font size="1">[ February 20, 2007 09:22 AM: Message edited by: GrimJack ]</font></font></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">In a deck that make sa ton of mana, use something like Supply in order to make a bunch of tokens, and then Biorhythem becomes life gain. For you at lest.
Ok, so I was talking to Ben last night and he said "I need to take out two of my Essence Wardens [from his beacon deck that I posted]."
So I respond with "Why don't you take them all out?"
He responded with a "I need them for life gain."
I quickly retored, "Why? What do you need life gain for?"
He had no answer... I think I need to point him to this thread.
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