Went to a little 5-rounder last night just to try out a few exotic choices. Beat Storm, Elves, UW control (?!), lost to Burn and Tron, so no surprises there. Observations:
- My goodness, is Eldrazi Displacer bad. Basically was wishing it was anything else every time I drew it.
- What to play in the Displacer slot? In my version of the deck that eschews all the top end, I think Liliana of the Veil may be a consideration again, since once you get to 5, you're actually pretty OK throwing away lands. Activating Eye is just not that important here. I think I was wrong about this a few pages go. 1 would be a nice high-impact singleton, probably can't run more than 2 at most, and even that's probably also a bad idea just because BB is so hard.
- Still not feeling like I want more than 2 Reality Smasher, except maybe against Tron, but even then it could be a trap because Herder closes out nearly as fast (5+5+5 is very close to 7+7).
Wer you happy with 1 Disenchant and 2 rachet bombs?
I still think I might go to a 2 Disenchant, 1 Ratchet Bomb ratio but I will say that Ratchet Bomb has been good for me. I love dropping it and not having to worry about keeping mana open to activate it. My only issue is against affinity it's a little wombo with Stoney Silence.
Went to a little 5-rounder last night just to try out a few exotic choices. Beat Storm, Elves, UW control (?!), lost to Burn and Tron, so no surprises there. Observations:
- My goodness, is Eldrazi Displacer bad. Basically was wishing it was anything else every time I drew it.
- What to play in the Displacer slot? In my version of the deck that eschews all the top end, I think Liliana of the Veil may be a consideration again, since once you get to 5, you're actually pretty OK throwing away lands. Activating Eye is just not that important here. I think I was wrong about this a few pages go. 1 would be a nice high-impact singleton, probably can't run more than 2 at most, and even that's probably also a bad idea just because BB is so hard.
- Still not feeling like I want more than 2 Reality Smasher, except maybe against Tron, but even then it could be a trap because Herder closes out nearly as fast (5+5+5 is very close to 7+7).
I have to disagree with you on your last point here. I am running a 4x Herder, 3x Reality Smasher, 1x Oblivion Sower and 1x Ulamog. I respectfully disagree that we don't need the top end. There will be long grindy games where you simply win because you are either topdecking gas or you get enough lands to turn on Eye of Ugin and they just can't answer Ulamog. Even in games where they CAN answer him, he 2 for 1's and you can still keep searching up threats every turn. This is also where I've needed multiple Reality Smashers. I ran into quite a few games where they'd kill the first 2 and I wanted 1 more. The haste and trample is extremely relevant at times where 4/5 with 3 1/1 upside just isn't. Bear in mind that on an empty board, Reality Smasher does 10 damage by the time Blight Herder does 7.
this is the one game where running only 8 white sources hurt me but the deck has ran really smoothly most of the time so whatever.
You could cut one of your 2x basic Swamps for a 4th Godless Shrine.
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My 360 Peasant+ Cube!. Modern borders where possible, usually with the newest (or "best") art, and always the most readable card text. I also run all 10 painlands. My playgroup is super casual, as we have a fair number of newer or less experienced players. Typically we draft with 4 to 6 people, using 5 packs of 9.
this is the one game where running only 8 white sources hurt me but the deck has ran really smoothly most of the time so whatever.
You could cut one of your 2x basic Swamps for a 4th Godless Shrine.
The reason why I don't want to do this is because I want to have access to Flaying Tendrils if needed. After an early path and GQ I'd like to still have BB as the only WW source in my SB now is Leyline which is either free or a late game draw. I don't think I need another white source (I'm actually up to 9... forgot I cut an Urborg for a Godless Shrine). I just gotta take the downside every so often. Typically I get a Cave of Koilos and I am set for the entire game on every mana type.
I have to disagree with you on your last point here. I am running a 4x Herder, 3x Reality Smasher, 1x Oblivion Sower and 1x Ulamog. I respectfully disagree that we don't need the top end. There will be long grindy games where you simply win because you are either topdecking gas or you get enough lands to turn on Eye of Ugin and they just can't answer Ulamog. Even in games where they CAN answer him, he 2 for 1's and you can still keep searching up threats every turn. This is also where I've needed multiple Reality Smashers. I ran into quite a few games where they'd kill the first 2 and I wanted 1 more. The haste and trample is extremely relevant at times where 4/5 with 3 1/1 upside just isn't. Bear in mind that on an empty board, Reality Smasher does 10 damage by the time Blight Herder does 7.
It's just a play style choice. I'm willing to give up almost all of the late game inevitability just to play more cheap reactive cards so that I don't die early on; Blight Herder and TKS beats are how I get most of my wins, typically. Like I keep saying, I'm playing the deck because I think it's the best midrange deck, and I've found that calibrating the threat density, especially at the top end, to match that of BGx is approximately right, and they typically play 4 Goyfs and a couple flex cards as primary threats, so that's what I'm doing (4 Herders and a couple "flex Smashers"). I don't think it's right or wrong the way you're doing it, just different.
I have to disagree with you on your last point here. I am running a 4x Herder, 3x Reality Smasher, 1x Oblivion Sower and 1x Ulamog. I respectfully disagree that we don't need the top end. There will be long grindy games where you simply win because you are either topdecking gas or you get enough lands to turn on Eye of Ugin and they just can't answer Ulamog. Even in games where they CAN answer him, he 2 for 1's and you can still keep searching up threats every turn. This is also where I've needed multiple Reality Smashers. I ran into quite a few games where they'd kill the first 2 and I wanted 1 more. The haste and trample is extremely relevant at times where 4/5 with 3 1/1 upside just isn't. Bear in mind that on an empty board, Reality Smasher does 10 damage by the time Blight Herder does 7.
It's just a play style choice. I'm willing to give up almost all of the late game inevitability just to play more cheap reactive cards so that I don't die early on; Blight Herder and TKS beats are how I get most of my wins, typically. Like I keep saying, I'm playing the deck because I think it's the best midrange deck, and I've found that calibrating the threat density, especially at the top end, to match that of BGx is approximately right, and they typically play 4 Goyfs and a couple flex cards as primary threats, so that's what I'm doing (4 Herders and a couple "flex Smashers"). I don't think it's right or wrong the way you're doing it, just different.
The difference is that you sacrifice 1 card slot to run late game inevitability in Ulamog. That is TOTALLY worth the slot. GBx would do it if they could as well. Junk is closer to what we resemble and they tend to run 4x Goyf and 3 Siege Rhinos. Blight Herder is our Goyf and Smasher is our Rhino.
Is it me, or are the Eldrazi deck at the Pro Tour really lackluster?
Would've expected something sweeter from "the pros", but the decks on this site seem more powerful and interesting...
Is it me, or are the Eldrazi deck at the Pro Tour really lackluster?
Would've expected something sweeter from "the pros", but the decks on this site seem more powerful and interesting...
It's not just you. The colorless Eldrazi deck is spiffy and good in the PT meta but it would get wrecked by Midrange and Control. The UR list we just saw made me scratch my head because he would be far better off playing a Bx variant based on what I see of his draws and plays.
Is it me, or are the Eldrazi deck at the Pro Tour really lackluster?
Would've expected something sweeter from "the pros", but the decks on this site seem more powerful and interesting...
It's not just you. The colorless Eldrazi deck is spiffy and good in the PT meta but it would get wrecked by Midrange and Control. The UR list we just saw made me scratch my head because he would be far better off playing a Bx variant based on what I see of his draws and plays.
Just come to the realization that these decks have been playtested to death and they are playing the best versions for their suspected metagame reads.
Everyone should just take away a couple of things people are maindecking: Chalice, Endless Ones, Drowner, Vile Aggregate, etc.
Is it me, or are the Eldrazi deck at the Pro Tour really lackluster?
Would've expected something sweeter from "the pros", but the decks on this site seem more powerful and interesting...
It's not just you. The colorless Eldrazi deck is spiffy and good in the PT meta but it would get wrecked by Midrange and Control. The UR list we just saw made me scratch my head because he would be far better off playing a Bx variant based on what I see of his draws and plays.
I think you've gotta give more respect to the pros. There's a reason that they're there and we're here.
That being said, these are indeed decks prepared for a precise metagame, and the element of surprise is important. The colorless Eldrazi deck's sideboard is truly a horror, as LSV and Nakamura's round 5 matches on camera showed. Once people have a plan, they will have to be adjusted.
Went to a little 5-rounder last night just to try out a few exotic choices. Beat Storm, Elves, UW control (?!), lost to Burn and Tron, so no surprises there. Observations:
- My goodness, is Eldrazi Displacer bad. Basically was wishing it was anything else every time I drew it.
- What to play in the Displacer slot? In my version of the deck that eschews all the top end, I think Liliana of the Veil may be a consideration again, since once you get to 5, you're actually pretty OK throwing away lands. Activating Eye is just not that important here. I think I was wrong about this a few pages go. 1 would be a nice high-impact singleton, probably can't run more than 2 at most, and even that's probably also a bad idea just because BB is so hard.
- Still not feeling like I want more than 2 Reality Smasher, except maybe against Tron, but even then it could be a trap because Herder closes out nearly as fast (5+5+5 is very close to 7+7).
Displacer didn't work for me, either. However, I disagree about Smasher over Herder, because as good as Herder is, Smasher doesn't need any set-up, and it is always a nasty same-turn surprise.
So no one on the pt seems to be playing the processing version of this. I stated on a twitch stream that herder/prossesing would no longer be a party of a good eldrazi drck and the "creator" of the primer on here told me I was absolutely wrong and it was the best build. So I ask are people on here rethinking the build or is the consensus that this is still the best build?
I think any calls on the best build of eldrazi here are premature. Keep in mind that the meta of the PT is INCREDIBLY WARPED atm by the twin banning releasing the flood gates to these low drop aggro decks, infect, affinity, burn, and suicide zoo. A deck with turn 1 chalice on 1 potential is inherently going to be strong in that field. With that said, The blue red list is doing the best and is literally draft chaft so maybe our shell is so powerful that you can pretty much assemble anything resembling competitive around it and do well. That said, I'm sad that our build isn't putting on a great showing.
I think any calls on the best build of eldrazi here are premature. Keep in mind that the meta of the PT is INCREDIBLY WARPED atm by the twin banning releasing the flood gates to these low drop aggro decks, infect, affinity, burn, and suicide zoo. A deck with turn 1 chalice on 1 potential is inherently going to be strong in that field. With that said, The blue red list is doing the best and is literally draft chaft so maybe our shell is so powerful that you can pretty much assemble anything resembling competitive around it and do well. That said, I'm sad that our build isn't putting on a great showing.
This might be just wishful thinking, but IMO the lack of BW Eldrazi on the PT doesn't mean it's not a competitive deck. The meta was obviously going to be full of fast linear decks, which the BW deck doesn't do well against, so the Chalice Eldrazi aggro deck was developed to crush those as a meta call. The problem is, the colorless deck lacks the resilience the BW deck has against control and midrange, both of which will emerge naturally to fight the aggro decks (including the colorless Eldrazi), and so the meta will (hopefully) balance itself out giving more space to BW once again.
I mean, RG Tron sucks against fast & linear decks as well, and it shows on how badly it's represented on the PT. Does this mean the deck is bad? Absolutely not.
I think the BW processor version is still absolutely viable. We just saw how good Blight Herder is at allowing you to stabilize in the feature match, and it is certainly the case that the pt meta is very skewed. In a broader tournament I think bw would have a much better showing than any of the versions being played at the protour. This is not to say that it is definitively better, but I do feet BW eldrazi is one of the most resilient versions of the archetype that exists currently, and it has the most solid match ups against the widest range of decks.
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My Decks:
UG Merfolk RG 8-Whack BWG Abzan midrange GRB Living End UWB Spirit Control
GU Kruphix's "Hug Assassin" RW Kalemne's "Play Fatties and Hope for the Best!" BUGW Atraxa's "All counters, all the time"
Round 1 vs. UW Control (2-0): Easy win against a sub-optimized deck. In game 1, I shredded his hand with disruption and bashed with 2 TKS. I also O-Ringed his own O-Ring to get a TKS back in this game. In game 2, Sorin put the game out of reach with Lingering Souls in the air, despite him Miracling Entreat the Angels twice. SIDE IN: Disenchant x2 OUT: Map and Extraction.
Round 2 vs. Affinity (2-0): Lingering Souls did its thing again, this time with Vault on T5 to put the game out of reach. Souls took game 2 as well, with a T2 Stony Silence that I kept in a one-land hand after mulling to six. SIDE IN: Disenchant x2, Stony x2, Engineered Explosives x2 OUT: TKS x2, Ulamog, Extraction, Claws, Map. EE is a nonbo with Stony (as are my Relics, Claws, and Map) but both Stony and EE are so good vs. Affinity that I bring them in anyway. I keep Relic in here as well, to help me set up Strangler and dig for answers if I don't draw Stony. I find Affinity very positive for this deck post-board.
Round 3 vs. BW Midrange Homebrew (0-2): Kind of a neat backstory here: This kid is 15 and has been playing at this game shop over the past year, gradually building up his deck through slow investment and trial and error. He plays Resto, Finks, and Wall of Omens, with Lingering Souls, and 2 Sorin SVs and 2 Lilis. He ended up going 4-1 and taking first place tonight. I had very, very bad luck in this match, mulling to 5 in G1 and then flooding, while in G2 an early Sorin kept the pressure on all game and repeated Resto/Finks put him up to 39 life before I convinced myself I wouldn't be able to Ulamog my way out of this one. He was lucky enough to draw both Sorin and Lili in each game. I forget how I sided in this match but I know in G2 my opening EE was dead in hand all game because he never cast a Souls.
Round 4 vs. Big Zoo: (2-1): He easily took G1 with a fast swarm while I dug for answers that never showed. In G2 I hit his Hierarch T2 with EE at one, only to watch him throw a 3/3 Nacatl in his second turn. Probably a misplay on my part there, but I ended up winning with a T3 Timely Reinforcements and then lots of Relic exile powering up Blight Herder. In G3 I stalled with Souls before wiping a lot of his dudes with Damnation, then following up with TKS into Smasher for devastating fast beats. Oblivion Ring killed an opposing Stony Silence in this match while I had 3 Relics on the field, only for him to drop his second Stony next turn. SIDE IN: Timely x2, Damnation x2, EE x2 OUT: Ulamog, Map, Extraction, Claws, 2x Thoughtseize.
Round 5 vs. UR Delver (2-0): Easy and fast games for me. G1 went to TKS and Relic powering Blight Herders, and in G2 I went T2 TKS (on the T1-play-Temple-and-hope-to-draw-Eye-T2-yay-it-worked! plan) into T3 Smasher, which he could not keep up with. This guy was not really salty, but he was resentful about TKS, and I think he may be right that this card really is broken and might be going bye-bye in the not too distant future. SIDE IN: EE x2, Map (for Blood Moon/land destruction of all kinds) OUT: Ulamog, Extraction, 1x Herder.
All-Stars: Wow, TKS into Smasher is unreal, we can swing for 9 on T3 with this package. Both of those cards are amazing. Lingering Souls continues to be worth its weight in iridium, and Sorin is a definite keeper. The one-of Oblivion Ring (took out a Dismember for it) is most definitely the right call. Herder is very, very good, but the need to set it up, vs. Smasher's haste, trample, and pseudo-hexproof, means I am still waffling back and forth as to which is my premier 5-drop. Timely was very good against the Zoo match I boarded it in for, just as I hoped; I think running a 2/2 split with Rest for the Weary is correct to hit both aggro and Burn.
Overall I am delighted with this deck. Really, really pleased. Other than match 3, where we had diametrically opposite luck (me bad him good), I never felt like my deck was lacking at all. At this point the only cards I am considering replacing are Ulamog (play him so very, very rarely, side him out very often, and really hate seeing him in my opener or early draws) and Fetid Heath for a singleton Wastes. I like the idea of a C basic but Heath has fixed mana for me many times, and I love Damnation so much that it is a hard call.
Many thanks once again to the board for the shared advice and experiences. No way I could have had these successes without you guys.
I think we stay with instant speed to preserve our options. I don't feel like I need to bolster my exiling out of the side. But it might be worth a try, who knows?
- My goodness, is Eldrazi Displacer bad. Basically was wishing it was anything else every time I drew it.
- What to play in the Displacer slot? In my version of the deck that eschews all the top end, I think Liliana of the Veil may be a consideration again, since once you get to 5, you're actually pretty OK throwing away lands. Activating Eye is just not that important here. I think I was wrong about this a few pages go. 1 would be a nice high-impact singleton, probably can't run more than 2 at most, and even that's probably also a bad idea just because BB is so hard.
- Still not feeling like I want more than 2 Reality Smasher, except maybe against Tron, but even then it could be a trap because Herder closes out nearly as fast (5+5+5 is very close to 7+7).
I still think I might go to a 2 Disenchant, 1 Ratchet Bomb ratio but I will say that Ratchet Bomb has been good for me. I love dropping it and not having to worry about keeping mana open to activate it. My only issue is against affinity it's a little wombo with Stoney Silence.
I have to disagree with you on your last point here. I am running a 4x Herder, 3x Reality Smasher, 1x Oblivion Sower and 1x Ulamog. I respectfully disagree that we don't need the top end. There will be long grindy games where you simply win because you are either topdecking gas or you get enough lands to turn on Eye of Ugin and they just can't answer Ulamog. Even in games where they CAN answer him, he 2 for 1's and you can still keep searching up threats every turn. This is also where I've needed multiple Reality Smashers. I ran into quite a few games where they'd kill the first 2 and I wanted 1 more. The haste and trample is extremely relevant at times where 4/5 with 3 1/1 upside just isn't. Bear in mind that on an empty board, Reality Smasher does 10 damage by the time Blight Herder does 7.
The reason why I don't want to do this is because I want to have access to Flaying Tendrils if needed. After an early path and GQ I'd like to still have BB as the only WW source in my SB now is Leyline which is either free or a late game draw. I don't think I need another white source (I'm actually up to 9... forgot I cut an Urborg for a Godless Shrine). I just gotta take the downside every so often. Typically I get a Cave of Koilos and I am set for the entire game on every mana type.
The difference is that you sacrifice 1 card slot to run late game inevitability in Ulamog. That is TOTALLY worth the slot. GBx would do it if they could as well. Junk is closer to what we resemble and they tend to run 4x Goyf and 3 Siege Rhinos. Blight Herder is our Goyf and Smasher is our Rhino.
Would've expected something sweeter from "the pros", but the decks on this site seem more powerful and interesting...
Twitch: gamerchamp
Modern: UGrand Architect, UBTezzeret Control, UBWRG Bridge From Below (Dredge)
Legacy: UWGTrue-Name Bant
It's not just you. The colorless Eldrazi deck is spiffy and good in the PT meta but it would get wrecked by Midrange and Control. The UR list we just saw made me scratch my head because he would be far better off playing a Bx variant based on what I see of his draws and plays.
Just come to the realization that these decks have been playtested to death and they are playing the best versions for their suspected metagame reads.
Everyone should just take away a couple of things people are maindecking: Chalice, Endless Ones, Drowner, Vile Aggregate, etc.
GXTronGX
RWxBurnRWx
That being said, these are indeed decks prepared for a precise metagame, and the element of surprise is important. The colorless Eldrazi deck's sideboard is truly a horror, as LSV and Nakamura's round 5 matches on camera showed. Once people have a plan, they will have to be adjusted.
~Modern~
BGURWhiteless Death's ShadowRUGB
GWRUSaheeli BlinkURWG
RGBUGood Ole' DredgeUBGR
~Commander~
URWNarset, Enlightened Time-TravelerWRU
UBRWBreya, Etherium ArchitectWRBU
A Prolific Loser To Blood Moon
This might be just wishful thinking, but IMO the lack of BW Eldrazi on the PT doesn't mean it's not a competitive deck. The meta was obviously going to be full of fast linear decks, which the BW deck doesn't do well against, so the Chalice Eldrazi aggro deck was developed to crush those as a meta call. The problem is, the colorless deck lacks the resilience the BW deck has against control and midrange, both of which will emerge naturally to fight the aggro decks (including the colorless Eldrazi), and so the meta will (hopefully) balance itself out giving more space to BW once again.
I mean, RG Tron sucks against fast & linear decks as well, and it shows on how badly it's represented on the PT. Does this mean the deck is bad? Absolutely not.
RG 8-Whack
BWG Abzan midrange
GRB Living End
UWB Spirit Control
GU Kruphix's "Hug Assassin"
RW Kalemne's "Play Fatties and Hope for the Best!"
BUGW Atraxa's "All counters, all the time"
4 Eldrazi Temple
4 Caves of Koilos
3 Marsh Flats
2 Eye of Ugin
2 Godless Shrine
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
2 Ghost Quarter
2 Plains
1 Swamp
1 Fetid Heath
1 Vault of the Archangel
CREATURE (13)
3 Wasteland Strangler
3 Thought-Knot Seer
3 Blight Herder
3 Reality Smasher
1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
4 Lingering Souls
3 Thoughtseize
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
INSTANT (6)
4 Path to Exile
1 Dismember
1 Surgical Extraction
ARTIFACT (6)
4 Relic of Progenitus
1 Scrabbling Claws
1 Expedition Map
ENCHANTMENT (1)
1 Oblivion Ring
PLANESWALKER (1)
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
2 Timely Reinforcements
2 Rest for the Weary
2 Damnation
2 Engineered Explosives
2 Stony Silence
2 Disenchant
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Expedition Map
Round 2 vs. Affinity (2-0): Lingering Souls did its thing again, this time with Vault on T5 to put the game out of reach. Souls took game 2 as well, with a T2 Stony Silence that I kept in a one-land hand after mulling to six. SIDE IN: Disenchant x2, Stony x2, Engineered Explosives x2 OUT: TKS x2, Ulamog, Extraction, Claws, Map. EE is a nonbo with Stony (as are my Relics, Claws, and Map) but both Stony and EE are so good vs. Affinity that I bring them in anyway. I keep Relic in here as well, to help me set up Strangler and dig for answers if I don't draw Stony. I find Affinity very positive for this deck post-board.
Round 3 vs. BW Midrange Homebrew (0-2): Kind of a neat backstory here: This kid is 15 and has been playing at this game shop over the past year, gradually building up his deck through slow investment and trial and error. He plays Resto, Finks, and Wall of Omens, with Lingering Souls, and 2 Sorin SVs and 2 Lilis. He ended up going 4-1 and taking first place tonight. I had very, very bad luck in this match, mulling to 5 in G1 and then flooding, while in G2 an early Sorin kept the pressure on all game and repeated Resto/Finks put him up to 39 life before I convinced myself I wouldn't be able to Ulamog my way out of this one. He was lucky enough to draw both Sorin and Lili in each game. I forget how I sided in this match but I know in G2 my opening EE was dead in hand all game because he never cast a Souls.
Round 4 vs. Big Zoo: (2-1): He easily took G1 with a fast swarm while I dug for answers that never showed. In G2 I hit his Hierarch T2 with EE at one, only to watch him throw a 3/3 Nacatl in his second turn. Probably a misplay on my part there, but I ended up winning with a T3 Timely Reinforcements and then lots of Relic exile powering up Blight Herder. In G3 I stalled with Souls before wiping a lot of his dudes with Damnation, then following up with TKS into Smasher for devastating fast beats. Oblivion Ring killed an opposing Stony Silence in this match while I had 3 Relics on the field, only for him to drop his second Stony next turn. SIDE IN: Timely x2, Damnation x2, EE x2 OUT: Ulamog, Map, Extraction, Claws, 2x Thoughtseize.
Round 5 vs. UR Delver (2-0): Easy and fast games for me. G1 went to TKS and Relic powering Blight Herders, and in G2 I went T2 TKS (on the T1-play-Temple-and-hope-to-draw-Eye-T2-yay-it-worked! plan) into T3 Smasher, which he could not keep up with. This guy was not really salty, but he was resentful about TKS, and I think he may be right that this card really is broken and might be going bye-bye in the not too distant future. SIDE IN: EE x2, Map (for Blood Moon/land destruction of all kinds) OUT: Ulamog, Extraction, 1x Herder.
All-Stars: Wow, TKS into Smasher is unreal, we can swing for 9 on T3 with this package. Both of those cards are amazing. Lingering Souls continues to be worth its weight in iridium, and Sorin is a definite keeper. The one-of Oblivion Ring (took out a Dismember for it) is most definitely the right call. Herder is very, very good, but the need to set it up, vs. Smasher's haste, trample, and pseudo-hexproof, means I am still waffling back and forth as to which is my premier 5-drop. Timely was very good against the Zoo match I boarded it in for, just as I hoped; I think running a 2/2 split with Rest for the Weary is correct to hit both aggro and Burn.
Overall I am delighted with this deck. Really, really pleased. Other than match 3, where we had diametrically opposite luck (me bad him good), I never felt like my deck was lacking at all. At this point the only cards I am considering replacing are Ulamog (play him so very, very rarely, side him out very often, and really hate seeing him in my opener or early draws) and Fetid Heath for a singleton Wastes. I like the idea of a C basic but Heath has fixed mana for me many times, and I love Damnation so much that it is a hard call.
Many thanks once again to the board for the shared advice and experiences. No way I could have had these successes without you guys.