I've been playing this at my LGS every Monday for the past few weeks, so far I've placed 4th out of about 20 people each week. It's still in development, so please forgive me if some potentially painfully obvious cards that should be included are not; I've been trying to make a more cohesive list but currently it still functions very well. The LGS I play at plays slightly differently -- Infinite combos are limited to 2 cycles, and we play 1 game with a 10 card sideboard. Sideboards are (as you might expect) done before the only game. The infinite combo rule does not effect the deck terribly much, without the rule it just makes us use about 3-4 slots for Kiki-Jiki and his combo pieces. This deck still works very well in a 1v1 environment where infinite combos are allowed; there are many more powerful things that can be done without going infinite.
Commander - Marath, Will of the Wild
Marath is, by herself, extremely strong in her own right, mostly due to her flexibility and the fact that she gets bigger with each recast from the command zone.
I will break down the three parts of her ability and how they can be useful.
X, remove X +1/+1 counters from Marath:
The removing is part of the cost. As a rule, I always explicitly declare to my opponents that I activate Marath a separately, so X is never more than 1. This keeps you from getting blown out by silly things like Stifle or Voidslime and things of that nature. Note that this does not require her to tap, so it can be used immediately after summoning her and after she has attacked.
Put X +1/+1 counters on target creature
This is, in my opinion, the weakest part of her ability. It does, however, allow for some cute combat tricks and can make blocking a headache for your opponent, but outside of this it is a very limited ability because I am not aiming to do any +1/+1 counter shenanigans. Additionally it's not generally great to deal less damage with Marath because of the possibility of winning with general damage. It is notable that if Marath is killed you can 'transfer' her power to another creature, so it can be useful in some situations.
Marath deals X damage to target creature or player
This is Marath's bread and butter. Extremely good for controlling the board, and it just gets silly when you give her deathtouch. She is extremely good at controlling the board and almost all decks have at least one creature they want to play at some point, so this ability is nearly always relevant. You can also use it to finish off the last bit of your opponent's life if you're in a pinch.
put an X/X green elemental creature token onto the battlefield
I don't use this ability very much, but it is nice because it interacts well with cards that are already extremely good, like Aura Shards and Skullclamp or can be used to create another attacking body to carry a sword if need be. It is also extremely useful when you want to win by an Overrun from Garruk, Wildspeaker.
Ramp Mana Crypt - I do not believe this card needs terribly much explanation. It can ramp you extremely quickly into rather big things, and can allow you to do some silly things like Turn 3 Yosei. It doesn't help in casting Marath the first time, but 2 colorless for 0 mana is far too good for any deck to pass up.
Joraga Treespeaker - This might be a more interesting inclusion on my part, and is still currently in testing. It allows us to untap on turn 3 with 5 mana if it comes down turn 1, and still allows us our allotted 2 mana on turn 2 to play other spells with. The biggest downside is that she only produces green mana, and this can be frustrating as a ramp spell in the earlier turns but has distinct advantages over Llanowar Elves.
Avacyn's Pilgrim - Just another 1 mana dork. Only reason I play this over Llanowar elves is that I can play turn 2 Marath off a basic forest if need be.
Nature's Lore - I really wish that Wood Elves was 2 mana, but it is not to be. However, this is one of the best ramp spells ever printed for multicolor decks as it grabs duals, so I don't feel bad running it.
Sakura-Tribe Elder - Honestly, this is the weakest 2CMC ramp creature in the deck, mostly because he doesn't stick around. Considering cutting for something like Utopia Tree.
Sylvan Caryatid - Dodges Pyroclasm, untargetable, taps for any color, what more could you want? It's a shame it has defender, but what can you do?
Bloom Tender Quite simply the best 2CMC ramp creature, as it almost always makes RGW. Not much more to say. Note that a good opponent will prioritize getting rid of this over almost anything else early in the game due to the advantage it can give you, so it's not always the best move to run this out as quickly as possible.
Solemn Simulacrum - He might look somewhat odd in this sort of deck, but he is rather helpful to have around. He pitches great to Birthing Pod and drawing a card off him is quite relevant. He's always getting looked at as a potential cut for a better card, but as of yet he hasn't let me down. He's one of the best ramp spells with a Mana Crypt + Sol Ring start
Xenagos, God of Revels - He has the potential to really accelerate our mana quite quickly, but he has not recieved terribly much testing as of late. He might be a little win-more, honestly.
Garruk Wildspeaker - Arguably the best green Planeswalker ever printed. Effectively costs 2 mana when he comes down if you use his +1 right away, and he can overrun the turn immediately after if you dont mind losing him. Extremely versatile, honestly should be in almost every EDH deck that has green.
More to come...
Combos
As my main deck does not use infinite combos due to the rules at my LGS, I will list a few suggested cuts here to add in the Kiki-Jiki combo: Possible cuts: Batterskull - Helps fuel the aggro plan, but is rather expensive to hardcast and equip. Lifelink is nice, but the I feel with the inevitability that comes from a combo finish it is unnecessary. Boros Charm - Not terribly useful in this deck, at the moment it's more of a tryout. I've liked it so far, but from my current list I wouldn't have qualms cutting it for the combo. Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite - Really the only reason I'd consider cutting her is because it really blows to have Bribery cast on you with her in the deck. Purphoros, God of the Forge - He always felt a little win-more with Kiki-Jiki combo in the deck.
Note: In my main post I mentioned that Xenagos, the Reveler feels slightly weak in the deck. With Kiki-Jiki however, I feel he gets much stronger. Being able to produce a surge of red mana turn 3/4 can be extremely useful for a quick combo with Kiki.
Possible Additions: Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker - The namesake of Kiki-Jiki combo! Don't leave home without him! Splinter Twin - Good for redundancy, but not great in the deck because it really sucks as a topdeck and is nearly impossible to tutor up if you need it. If you play this consider playing Academy Rector, and I would only recommend it if your metagame contains a lot of Extirpate effects. Village Bell-Ringer - The cheapest Kiki-Jiki combo piece in our colors. It's really nice to have and allows for some combat tricks against other decks. Notably doesn't die to Bolt despite costing 3 mana. Restoration Angel - Good value card all by iteslf, and allows us to reuse our ETB abilities and let our critters dodge spot removal. Zealous Conscripts - A little on the expensive end, but you can steal anything. Hilarious if you can snatch your opponent's planeswalker the turn before they could ult it. He is the only piece who dies to Bolt, so watch out.
There is some graveyard interactions you should note when you try to combo off with Kiki, it's extremely useful to know when you are playing with Survival: Kiki and combo dude in yard, Karmic Guide in hand:
Play guide, target Kiki. Copy guide with Kiki, grab combo dude, untap Kiki, then proceed to combo off.
You can win the game with any creature in hand and Survival on board with 3GGGWW, and takes one less survival activation if you have the combo piece or Kiki in hand. Watch out for graveyard hate here so you dont get blown out!
Any suggestions would be highly appreciated. I'm currently working on more detailed card analysis. If more elaboration is required, please let me know!
6/2/2016: Out -> In Wood Elves -> Avacyn's Pilgrim
Reason: Wood Elves was simply not useful enough at 3 mana. It is great with Birthing pod, and wonderful to cast turn 1 off Mana Crypt, but what isnt? It wasn't doing enough, and I feel that another 1CMC ramp creature will be far more useful since the early game is so important for this deck. Ajani Vengeant -> Karmic Guide
Reason: Ajani Vengeant simply felt too weak. His +1 doesn't cause something to tap, so it's really only been useful to me when he comes down after the opponent has tapped/attacked with the desired permanent, and it just feels too easy for the opponent to play around otherwise. His ult also takes far too long to charge up, so it almost might as well not be there. Additionally, he cannot use his -2 two turns in a row because he only starts at 3 loyalty.
Karmic Guide is simply good value in the mid to late game and can retrieve a useful creature that was countered or had died. It's also a great Birthing Pod target; I really needed another 5 drop for the Pod chain.
I've recently finished my Marath deck, it's a little more combo oriented. I want to try a more hate bear approach. Here's my list,
<snip>
EDIT: The list wouldn't show up under deck so I had to do a long list, sorry.
So after quite some time, I'll comment on this
There's a few cards I would personally cut from your list right off the bat (in order): Illusionist's Bracers: Not great at all on Marath even, her effects are too minor alone to bother copying. This card is really just to durdly in my opinion. Duergar Hedge Mage: Play Wear // Tear or Reclamation Sage before this. It's way too conditional, especially in traditional 1v1 where sometimes you need Artifact removal up extremely early. Ashnod's Altar: I don't see why this would ever be necessary. If you're mana screwed enough to need this I feel like it would be already over. Decimate: too expensive and too easy for the opponent to counter by invalidating one of your targets. Return to Dust: See problem as Duergar Hedge Mage. This is a potential 2-for-1 so I can still argue it has uses but at four mana I would still cut it. Bane of Progress: Maybe if he had some sort of natural evasion but he doesn't do very much. I would consider him in a meta where artifact decks run rampant, but the problem is against those kind of decks you have a very difficult time getting to 6 mana before they kill you. If you have issues with artifact decks, play Vandalblast, since this gets around Gaddock Teeg. Goblin Sharpshooter I always found this to be very win-more. However I can still see a reason for its inclusion if your meta has a lot of general-hating effects. However, the problem I have is those decks tend to be control decks, where I find I really don't need to cast Marath except to be a finisher.
NOTE: Genesis is REALLY interesting, and I hadn't considered that in a long time because it's super durdly. This deck, however, can be kind of prone to getting blown out by wraths (very difficult to accrue card advantage), and this could help a lot against blue decks to wear down their countermagic by having small hatebears to cast over and over that mess up opposing countermagic/removal spells.
l used to play a lot of Marath in French before it became bad in our meta (and when Natural Order wasn't banned). Nerfing infinite combos is very bad for Marath but there are ways to one-punch people out of the game with him specially using the multiplayer banlist.
You list seems to be a mashup between a Marath and a Karador. Not my favorite way of building her but it's a way to do it nonetheless.
You could use an easy win route with Natural Order for Craterhoof Behemoth after turning Marath into several 1/1s EOT. lt's also easy to access the Behemoth by activating Survival of the Fittest twice - first tutoring for Craterhoof and then tossing him for Karmic Guide.
Here is my list, grouped by function.
3 Marath, Will of the Wild
Ramp (12)
0 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Joraga Treespeaker
1 Avacyn's Pilgrim
2 Nature's Lore
2 Sakura-Tribe Elder
2 Sylvan Caryatid
2 Bloom Tender
4 Solemn Simulacrum
4 Xenagos, the Reveler
4 Garruk Wildspeaker
Spot Removal (9)
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Path to Exile
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Nature's Claim
2 Lightning Helix
3 Wear // Tear
3 Reclamation Sage
3 Council's Judgment
3 Aura Shards
Mass Removal (4)
4 Wrath of God
4 Armageddon
6 Terminus
6 Austere Command
Hatebears (8)
1 Mother of Runes
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Kataki, War's Wage
2 Vexing Shusher
2 Phyrexian Revoker
3 Aven Mindcensor
3 Vryn Wingmare
4 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
Tutors (8)
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Worldly Tutor
2 Stoneforge Mystic
2 Survival of the Fittest
2 Fauna Shaman
3 Chord of Calling
4 Birthing Pod
Fixing (4)
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Mirri's Guile
2 Sylvan Library
3 Domri Rade
Recursion (5)
3 Crucible of Worlds
3 Loyal Retainers
3 Eternal Witness
5 Reveillark
5 Karmic Guide
1 Basilisk Collar
2 Nightshade Peddler
Goodstuff (11)
1 Skullclamp
2 Boros Charm
3 Sword of Feast and Famine
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
4 Purphoros, God of the Forge
4 Bloodbraid Elf
5 Batterskull
6 Wurmcoil Engine
6 Yosei, the Morning Star
7 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
7 Dragonlord Atarka
Lands (36)
0 Cavern of Souls
0 City of Brass
0 Command Tower
0 Mana Confluence
0 Savannah
0 Temple Garden
0 Sunpetal Grove
0 Wooded Bastion
0 Brushland
0 Stirring Wildwoods
0 Temple of Plenty
0 Taiga
0 Stomping Ground
0 Rootbound Crag
0 Fire-Lit Thicket
0 Karplusan Forest
0 Raging Ravine
0 Temple of Abandon
0 Plateau
0 Sacred Foundry
0 Clifftop Refuge
0 Rugged Prairie
0 Battlefield Forge
0 Dryad Arbor
0 Kessig Wolf Run
0 Strip Mine
0 Yavimaya Hollow
0 Windswept Heath
0 Verdant Catacombs
0 Marsh Flats
0 Wooded Foothills
0 Bloodstained Mire
2 Forest
1 Plains
1 Mountain
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Pithing Needle
1 Vandalblast
2 Torpor Orb
2 Pyroclasm
2 Rest in Peace
2 Gaddock Teeg
3 Song of the Dryads
4 Leyline of Sanctity
5 Sigarda, Host of Herons
Card Analysis
Commander - Marath, Will of the Wild
Marath is, by herself, extremely strong in her own right, mostly due to her flexibility and the fact that she gets bigger with each recast from the command zone.
I will break down the three parts of her ability and how they can be useful.
X, remove X +1/+1 counters from Marath:
The removing is part of the cost. As a rule, I always explicitly declare to my opponents that I activate Marath a separately, so X is never more than 1. This keeps you from getting blown out by silly things like Stifle or Voidslime and things of that nature. Note that this does not require her to tap, so it can be used immediately after summoning her and after she has attacked.
Put X +1/+1 counters on target creature
This is, in my opinion, the weakest part of her ability. It does, however, allow for some cute combat tricks and can make blocking a headache for your opponent, but outside of this it is a very limited ability because I am not aiming to do any +1/+1 counter shenanigans. Additionally it's not generally great to deal less damage with Marath because of the possibility of winning with general damage. It is notable that if Marath is killed you can 'transfer' her power to another creature, so it can be useful in some situations.
Marath deals X damage to target creature or player
This is Marath's bread and butter. Extremely good for controlling the board, and it just gets silly when you give her deathtouch. She is extremely good at controlling the board and almost all decks have at least one creature they want to play at some point, so this ability is nearly always relevant. You can also use it to finish off the last bit of your opponent's life if you're in a pinch.
put an X/X green elemental creature token onto the battlefield
I don't use this ability very much, but it is nice because it interacts well with cards that are already extremely good, like Aura Shards and Skullclamp or can be used to create another attacking body to carry a sword if need be. It is also extremely useful when you want to win by an Overrun from Garruk, Wildspeaker.
Ramp
Mana Crypt - I do not believe this card needs terribly much explanation. It can ramp you extremely quickly into rather big things, and can allow you to do some silly things like Turn 3 Yosei. It doesn't help in casting Marath the first time, but 2 colorless for 0 mana is far too good for any deck to pass up.
Sol Ring - See above.
Birds of Paradise - Best 1 mana ramp creature out there. Helps us cast Marath turn 2. Flying can be extremely relevant even lategame carrying something like Batterskull or Sword of Feast and Famine.
Joraga Treespeaker - This might be a more interesting inclusion on my part, and is still currently in testing. It allows us to untap on turn 3 with 5 mana if it comes down turn 1, and still allows us our allotted 2 mana on turn 2 to play other spells with. The biggest downside is that she only produces green mana, and this can be frustrating as a ramp spell in the earlier turns but has distinct advantages over Llanowar Elves.
Avacyn's Pilgrim - Just another 1 mana dork. Only reason I play this over Llanowar elves is that I can play turn 2 Marath off a basic forest if need be.
Nature's Lore - I really wish that Wood Elves was 2 mana, but it is not to be. However, this is one of the best ramp spells ever printed for multicolor decks as it grabs duals, so I don't feel bad running it.
Sakura-Tribe Elder - Honestly, this is the weakest 2CMC ramp creature in the deck, mostly because he doesn't stick around. Considering cutting for something like Utopia Tree.
Sylvan Caryatid - Dodges Pyroclasm, untargetable, taps for any color, what more could you want? It's a shame it has defender, but what can you do?
Bloom Tender Quite simply the best 2CMC ramp creature, as it almost always makes RGW. Not much more to say. Note that a good opponent will prioritize getting rid of this over almost anything else early in the game due to the advantage it can give you, so it's not always the best move to run this out as quickly as possible.
Solemn Simulacrum - He might look somewhat odd in this sort of deck, but he is rather helpful to have around. He pitches great to Birthing Pod and drawing a card off him is quite relevant. He's always getting looked at as a potential cut for a better card, but as of yet he hasn't let me down. He's one of the best ramp spells with a Mana Crypt + Sol Ring start
Xenagos, God of Revels - He has the potential to really accelerate our mana quite quickly, but he has not recieved terribly much testing as of late. He might be a little win-more, honestly.
Garruk Wildspeaker - Arguably the best green Planeswalker ever printed. Effectively costs 2 mana when he comes down if you use his +1 right away, and he can overrun the turn immediately after if you dont mind losing him. Extremely versatile, honestly should be in almost every EDH deck that has green.
More to come...
Combos
As my main deck does not use infinite combos due to the rules at my LGS, I will list a few suggested cuts here to add in the Kiki-Jiki combo:
Possible cuts:
Batterskull - Helps fuel the aggro plan, but is rather expensive to hardcast and equip. Lifelink is nice, but the I feel with the inevitability that comes from a combo finish it is unnecessary.
Boros Charm - Not terribly useful in this deck, at the moment it's more of a tryout. I've liked it so far, but from my current list I wouldn't have qualms cutting it for the combo.
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite - Really the only reason I'd consider cutting her is because it really blows to have Bribery cast on you with her in the deck.
Purphoros, God of the Forge - He always felt a little win-more with Kiki-Jiki combo in the deck.
Note: In my main post I mentioned that Xenagos, the Reveler feels slightly weak in the deck. With Kiki-Jiki however, I feel he gets much stronger. Being able to produce a surge of red mana turn 3/4 can be extremely useful for a quick combo with Kiki.
Possible Additions:
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker - The namesake of Kiki-Jiki combo! Don't leave home without him!
Splinter Twin - Good for redundancy, but not great in the deck because it really sucks as a topdeck and is nearly impossible to tutor up if you need it. If you play this consider playing Academy Rector, and I would only recommend it if your metagame contains a lot of Extirpate effects.
Village Bell-Ringer - The cheapest Kiki-Jiki combo piece in our colors. It's really nice to have and allows for some combat tricks against other decks. Notably doesn't die to Bolt despite costing 3 mana.
Restoration Angel - Good value card all by iteslf, and allows us to reuse our ETB abilities and let our critters dodge spot removal.
Zealous Conscripts - A little on the expensive end, but you can steal anything. Hilarious if you can snatch your opponent's planeswalker the turn before they could ult it. He is the only piece who dies to Bolt, so watch out.
There is some graveyard interactions you should note when you try to combo off with Kiki, it's extremely useful to know when you are playing with Survival:
Kiki and combo dude in yard, Karmic Guide in hand:
Play guide, target Kiki. Copy guide with Kiki, grab combo dude, untap Kiki, then proceed to combo off.
You can win the game with any creature in hand and Survival on board with 3GGGWW, and takes one less survival activation if you have the combo piece or Kiki in hand. Watch out for graveyard hate here so you dont get blown out!
6/2/2016:
Out -> In
Wood Elves -> Avacyn's Pilgrim
Reason: Wood Elves was simply not useful enough at 3 mana. It is great with Birthing pod, and wonderful to cast turn 1 off Mana Crypt, but what isnt? It wasn't doing enough, and I feel that another 1CMC ramp creature will be far more useful since the early game is so important for this deck.
Ajani Vengeant -> Karmic Guide
Reason: Ajani Vengeant simply felt too weak. His +1 doesn't cause something to tap, so it's really only been useful to me when he comes down after the opponent has tapped/attacked with the desired permanent, and it just feels too easy for the opponent to play around otherwise. His ult also takes far too long to charge up, so it almost might as well not be there. Additionally, he cannot use his -2 two turns in a row because he only starts at 3 loyalty.
Karmic Guide is simply good value in the mid to late game and can retrieve a useful creature that was countered or had died. It's also a great Birthing Pod target; I really needed another 5 drop for the Pod chain.
EDIT: The list wouldn't show up under deck so I had to do a long list, sorry.
So after quite some time, I'll comment on this
There's a few cards I would personally cut from your list right off the bat (in order):
Illusionist's Bracers: Not great at all on Marath even, her effects are too minor alone to bother copying. This card is really just to durdly in my opinion.
Duergar Hedge Mage: Play Wear // Tear or Reclamation Sage before this. It's way too conditional, especially in traditional 1v1 where sometimes you need Artifact removal up extremely early.
Ashnod's Altar: I don't see why this would ever be necessary. If you're mana screwed enough to need this I feel like it would be already over.
Decimate: too expensive and too easy for the opponent to counter by invalidating one of your targets.
Return to Dust: See problem as Duergar Hedge Mage. This is a potential 2-for-1 so I can still argue it has uses but at four mana I would still cut it.
Bane of Progress: Maybe if he had some sort of natural evasion but he doesn't do very much. I would consider him in a meta where artifact decks run rampant, but the problem is against those kind of decks you have a very difficult time getting to 6 mana before they kill you. If you have issues with artifact decks, play Vandalblast, since this gets around Gaddock Teeg.
Goblin Sharpshooter I always found this to be very win-more. However I can still see a reason for its inclusion if your meta has a lot of general-hating effects. However, the problem I have is those decks tend to be control decks, where I find I really don't need to cast Marath except to be a finisher.
NOTE: Genesis is REALLY interesting, and I hadn't considered that in a long time because it's super durdly. This deck, however, can be kind of prone to getting blown out by wraths (very difficult to accrue card advantage), and this could help a lot against blue decks to wear down their countermagic by having small hatebears to cast over and over that mess up opposing countermagic/removal spells.
You list seems to be a mashup between a Marath and a Karador. Not my favorite way of building her but it's a way to do it nonetheless.
You could use an easy win route with Natural Order for Craterhoof Behemoth after turning Marath into several 1/1s EOT. lt's also easy to access the Behemoth by activating Survival of the Fittest twice - first tutoring for Craterhoof and then tossing him for Karmic Guide.
Eldritch Evolution also goes along well with our commander. You can turn him into Reveillark or Karmic Guide for value 5-drops or even Purphoros, God of the Forge to blow out you opponent when you recast him.