Looking for improvements and critiques! The playgroup ranges from 1v1 to 5 player multiplayer. The group uses a variety of decks. Control is very prominent in the group and something that is to be considered, hence the stranglehold in maindeck. The deck is competitive at 85% for under 1k budget. I am a computer science student so I don't have money for dual lands and the such. I just happen to have some old cards from playing for a long time and mtg financing. So please don't suggest power9 and dual land upgrades. Anything else though, please!
Deck strategies are posted below the deck list.
Some cards I'm considering putting in but am having trouble with are: (I would love to get some life gain into the deck, it uses life pretty heavily as a resource)
Here I'll give some of the central strategies of the deck for people get an idea of what it is trying to do. Please help me improve and refine! Lines of Play:
Faerie Aggro Flying
-Bitterblossom/Oona, Queen of the Fae + Glen Elendra Liege + Sprite Noble + Scion of Oona + Door of Destinies Nothing fancy here. Just zerg out faerie tokens, buff them with lords and fly in to win. It usually gets a half dozen 5/5+ flyers out pretty quickly.
Faerie Midrange
-Earthquake/Ryusei, the Falling Star + Mudslide + Propaganda + Soul Foundry These are your tools to incorporate midrange. Blow up everything on the ground, lock it down, and take over the skies until you can get an aggro live or another line of play online.
Faerie Land Control
-Mistbind Clique + Mimic Vat/Helm of the Host/Soul Foundry/Riptide Laboratory Abuse Mistbind Clique to lock your opponents out of their lands by creating copies of her or continuously bouncing and replaying her from your hand.
ComboJack/Blightsteel Colossus
-Extract + Acquire + Praetor's Grasp + Spelljack + Knowledge Exploitation This is the really fun and flavorful mechanics of the deck! I'm sure your opponents dream of getting their combos out. Well we all know how the Fae feel about some good quality dreams. Let's take them.
Scout your opponents deck with Extract, then Acquire their Blightsteel Colossus to take their dreams and leave them nothing but a nightmare. Also, we can Acquire their Ashnod's Altar then Praetor's Grasp a Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and abuse Glen Elendra Archmage. The list of combos we can steal goes on and on.
Win-GetTaxias, Core Augur
-Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur + Mystical Teachings/Gamble/Demonic Consultation Mystical Teachings conveniently grabs Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur whom speaks for himself. This guy closes up shop 90 percent of the time. While we are here, it can also grab Notion Thief. Do with this info as you will. All the Flash interaction makes me consider Dictate of Kruphix
Tunnel Vision Combo
-Tunnel Vision + Vendilion Clique/Hinder/Jace, the Mind Sculptor Using Vendilion Clique/Hinder/Jace, the Mind Sculptor to control the bottom card of our opponents library, we can use Tunnel Vision to mill our opponents out. A very flashing and fun combo here that can only hit one player and usually allows mercy for the opponent to have one more turn to answer. I don't find this combo to be game breaking for those reasons. Later we can use Kess, dissident mage or Snapcaster Mage to attempt the combo again. Spell Crumple also lets us control their bottomdeck, but we have enough of these abilities, want to remain flexible, and not crutch on this combo. It is mostly a contingency plan.
Deck strategies are posted below the deck list.
Some cards I'm considering putting in but am having trouble with are: (I would love to get some life gain into the deck, it uses life pretty heavily as a resource)
1 Gwendlyn Di Corci
Creature
1 Glen Elendra Pranksters
1 Knacksaw Clique
1 Scion of Oona
1 Thieving Sprite
1 Spellstutter Sprite
1 Faerie Harbinger
1 Glen Elendra Liege
1 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Pestermite
1 Sprite Noble
1 Faerie Macabre
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Sower of Temptation
1 Wydwen, the Biting Gale
1 Kess, Dissident Mage
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Notion Thief
1 Mistbind Clique
1 Oona, Queen of the Fae
1 Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur
1 Ryusei, the Falling Star
Enchantment
1 Mudslide
1 Leyline of Anticipation
1 Bitterblossom
1 Kindred Discovery
1 Propaganda
1 Stranglehold
Land
1 Riptide Laboratory
1 Secluded Glen
1 Moonring Island
1 Glacial Chasm
1 Mana Confluence
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Shivan Reef
1 Steam Vents
1 Sunken Hollow
1 Polluted Delta
1 Watery Grave
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Maze of Ith
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Path of Ancestry
1 Underground River
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Halimar Depths
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Command Tower
1 Faerie Conclave
1 Cascade Bluffs
1 Ash Barrens
1 Luxury Suite
1 Morphic Pool
1 Reliquary Tower
4 Island
2 Mountain
3 Swamp
1 Mimic Vat
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Vault
1 Izzet Signet
1 Dimir Signet
1 Door of Destinies
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Talisman of Dominance
1 Talisman of Indulgence
1 Rakdos Signet
1 Sol Ring
1 Thought Vessel
1 Helm of the Host
Instant
1 Demonic Consultation
1 Spelljack
1 Faerie Trickery
1 Lim-Dul's Vault
1 Kolaghan's Command
1 Hinder
1 Mystical Teachings
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Force of Will
1 Cryptic Command
1 Evacuation
1 Mana Drain
Sorcery
1 Time Spiral
1 Extract
1 Tunnel Vision
1 Knowledge Exploitation
1 Praetor's Grasp
1 Acquire
1 Gamble
1 Thoughtseize
1 Earthquake
Planeswalker
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Hellkite Tyrant
1 Faerie Tauntings
1 Gravitational Shift
1 Possibility Storm
1 Dictate of Kruphix
1 Shared Animosity
1 Jester's Cap
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Misdirection
1 Blue Sun's Zenith
1 Notorious Throng
1 Sadistic Sacrament
1 Vandalblast
1 Windfall
Here I'll give some of the central strategies of the deck for people get an idea of what it is trying to do. Please help me improve and refine!
Lines of Play:
Faerie Aggro Flying
-Bitterblossom/Oona, Queen of the Fae + Glen Elendra Liege + Sprite Noble + Scion of Oona + Door of Destinies
Nothing fancy here. Just zerg out faerie tokens, buff them with lords and fly in to win. It usually gets a half dozen 5/5+ flyers out pretty quickly.
Faerie Midrange
-Earthquake/Ryusei, the Falling Star + Mudslide + Propaganda + Soul Foundry
These are your tools to incorporate midrange. Blow up everything on the ground, lock it down, and take over the skies until you can get an aggro live or another line of play online.
Faerie Land Control
-Mistbind Clique + Mimic Vat/Helm of the Host/Soul Foundry/Riptide Laboratory
Abuse Mistbind Clique to lock your opponents out of their lands by creating copies of her or continuously bouncing and replaying her from your hand.
ComboJack/Blightsteel Colossus
-Extract + Acquire + Praetor's Grasp + Spelljack + Knowledge Exploitation
This is the really fun and flavorful mechanics of the deck! I'm sure your opponents dream of getting their combos out. Well we all know how the Fae feel about some good quality dreams. Let's take them.
Scout your opponents deck with Extract, then Acquire their Blightsteel Colossus to take their dreams and leave them nothing but a nightmare. Also, we can Acquire their Ashnod's Altar then Praetor's Grasp a Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and abuse Glen Elendra Archmage. The list of combos we can steal goes on and on.
Win-GetTaxias, Core Augur
-Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur + Mystical Teachings/Gamble/Demonic Consultation
Mystical Teachings conveniently grabs Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur whom speaks for himself. This guy closes up shop 90 percent of the time. While we are here, it can also grab Notion Thief. Do with this info as you will. All the Flash interaction makes me consider Dictate of Kruphix
Tunnel Vision Combo
-Tunnel Vision + Vendilion Clique/Hinder/Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Using Vendilion Clique/Hinder/Jace, the Mind Sculptor to control the bottom card of our opponents library, we can use Tunnel Vision to mill our opponents out. A very flashing and fun combo here that can only hit one player and usually allows mercy for the opponent to have one more turn to answer. I don't find this combo to be game breaking for those reasons. Later we can use Kess, dissident mage or Snapcaster Mage to attempt the combo again. Spell Crumple also lets us control their bottomdeck, but we have enough of these abilities, want to remain flexible, and not crutch on this combo. It is mostly a contingency plan.
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/gwendlyn-di-corci-hidden-grixis-faeries-wtf/