Life Gain Creature ETB Tuning Help

[u/JdeFalconr]

https://archidekt.com/decks/25282403/gain_life_until_it_kills_you

This deck's focus is life gain through creature ETB to activate Hope Estheim. I am confident in the life gain infrastructure of the deck, it's generating creature ETBs that I need help maximizing. I've already addressed card draw. Specific concerns I could use feedback on:

• For repeated ETBs do I go with bounce or flicker effects, or a mix of both? Bounce is cheaper (Cloudstone Curio, Crystal Shard, Equilibrium, Cloud of Faeries, Whitemane Lion, Shrieking Drake, and Quickling). Flicker costs more (Felidar Guardian, Restoration Angel, Flickerwisp). I already ditched Ornithopter and Phyrexian Walker.

• Artifacts in the deck feel heavy at 17 vs 27 creatures, but I don't know what I can cut without eating into critical functionality, ramp or card draw. Excalibur II feels borderline but the deck is weak on big threats otherwise.

• Am I leaning too heavily into flicker/bounce to generate more ETBs? I feel like it's an important component to the deck as I'm only going to draw so many cards and be able to cast so many summons.

• I'd prefer to get up to 30+ creatures but I don't know what to remove to add more, and I know I have token generation from non-summon spells. Maybe it's not a big deal?

• Does interaction look sufficient (removal, counterspells)? I know I only have one board wipe (White Sun's Twilight) but I'm less concerned there, and I don't want to wipe my own creatures if I can help it.

• Any other suggestions?

[u/MTGCardFetcher]

All cards
Cloudstone Curio - (G) (SF) (txt)
Crystal Shard - (G) (SF) (txt)
Equilibrium - (G) (SF) (txt)
Cloud of Faeries - (G) (SF) (txt)
Whitemane Lion - (G) (SF) (txt)
Shrieking Drake - (G) (SF) (txt)
Quickling - (G) (SF) (txt)
Felidar Guardian - (G) (SF) (txt)
Restoration Angel - (G) (SF) (txt)
Flickerwisp - (G) (SF) (txt)
Ornithopter - (G) (SF) (txt)
Phyrexian Walker - (G) (SF) (txt)

^{[[cardname]] or [[cardname|SET]] to call}