The key word for any deck is consistency. Once you pick a theme(what you want the deck to do) be sure to have multiples of one card instead of a bunch of singletons. here is my list as an example
My deck is a variant of the basic "Rot" deck. My main goal is to rapidly drain the life of both players and basically kill my opponent before I kill myself. Tribal decks are fun but they usually have a niche or core focus(goblins like making tokens and blowing themselves up, clerics support each other, etc)zombies have a few more options but that is where the trap is. picking one or two mechanics that work together and building a focused deck around them rather than having one deck do everything. self mill and reanimation is fun as a deck but if you want to run lords then that is one of the things you may want to go all in on. whatever you decide to do it is your personal preference at the end of the day.
I have a friend who is wanting to get into competitive magic(he is going to go to a grand prix in December) and he wants me to help him practice with a modern format deck. I have a budget version of shamanism but it has a banned card in it(Bloodbraid Elf). I mainly just need some suggestions on what I can replace the elf with and any suggestions on cuts or cards to add would be greatly appreciated too.
turbo fog is always fun. i use Jace's Erasure to get consistent mill then i stall them out with cards likeFog and Elixir of Immortality to prevent myself from decking out. Grindclock is one of my finishers
the main wincon is Ajani's Pridemate and Brave the Elements. just gain life to power up the pridemate and use brave the elements to make it unblockable
I had a neat idea for a RW deck based off of Zada, Hedron Grinder. Use cheap pump and heroic creatures to get multiple triggers out of one card. Throw in Trample, Indestructible and Double Strike and it can get ugly fast.
4 Shepherd of Rot
4 Spiteful Returned
4 Maggot Carrier
4 Gempalm Polluter
4 Viscera Dragger
4 Bump in the Night
4 Sign in Blood
2 Consume Spirit
Instants
4 Geth's Verdict
4 Victim of Night
2 Kaervek's Spite
16 Swamp
4 Barren Moor
My deck is a variant of the basic "Rot" deck. My main goal is to rapidly drain the life of both players and basically kill my opponent before I kill myself. Tribal decks are fun but they usually have a niche or core focus(goblins like making tokens and blowing themselves up, clerics support each other, etc)zombies have a few more options but that is where the trap is. picking one or two mechanics that work together and building a focused deck around them rather than having one deck do everything. self mill and reanimation is fun as a deck but if you want to run lords then that is one of the things you may want to go all in on. whatever you decide to do it is your personal preference at the end of the day.
4 Wolf-Skull Shaman
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
2 Leaf-Crowned Elder
4 Rage Forger
4 Bosk Banneret
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Elvish Visionary
4 Flamekin Harbinger
4 Lightning Bolt
Sorceries
4 Commune with Nature
2 Flame Slash
Land
7 forest
7 mountain
4 Rootbound Crag
2 Kessig Wolf Run
Flame Slash is a guaranteed cut. It would be fine if it was an instant but the sorcery speed doesn't seem to work that well.
2 Ob Nixilis, Unshackled
2 Archfiend of Depravity
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
Sorceries
4 Despise
4 Duress
4 hymn to Tourach
4 Mutilate
3 Sign in Blood
4 Dark Ritual
4 Geth's Verdict
3 Victim of Night
Enchantments
2 Phyrexian Arena
20 Swamp
4 Spark Mage
4 Dwarven Recruiter
4 Dwarven Bloodboiler
4 Dwarven Warriors
4 Dwarven Scorcher
4 Dwarven Berserker
4 Dwarven Vigilantes
2 Dwarven Nomad
2 Meekstone
Encahntments
4 Thunderous Might
Instants
4 Fling
20 Mountain
4 Ajani's Pridemate
4 Ajani's Sunstriker
4 Nyx-Fleece Ram
4 Sungrace Pegasus
4 Suture Priest
4 Divine Favor
4 Blessing
4 Ethereal Armor
4 Oblivion Ring
4 Brave the Elements
Land
20 Plains
the main wincon is Ajani's Pridemate and Brave the Elements. just gain life to power up the pridemate and use brave the elements to make it unblockable
4 Cloistered Youth
4 Childhood Horror
2 Twins of Maurer Estate
3 Kindly Stranger
4 Blessed Spirits
2 Creepy Doll
3 Nevermore
3 Journey to Nowhere
3 Ghostly Possession
Spells
2 Survive the Night
4 Bump in the Night
2 Feeling of Dread
10 Swamp
6 Plains
4 Ghost Quarter
4 Isolated Chapel
4 Young Pyromancer
4 Frostburn Weird
Enchantments
4 Impact Tremors
1 Military Intelligence
Sorcery
4 Preordain
4 Dragon Fodder
3 Dynacharge
4 Accumulated Knowledge
3 Weapon Surge
3 Mana Leak
3 Unsummon
4 Lightning Strike
4 Izzet Guildgate
3 Evolving Wilds
6 Island
6 Mountain
choosing the fifth uncommon was a challenge but i finally decided on Military Intelligence to give me a recurring cantrip.
Frostburn Weird is in for its versatility.
4 Palladium Myr
4 Myr Retriever
4 Myr Galvanizer
4 Coretapper
4 Silver Myr
4 Fabricate
4 Stoic Rebuttal
Artifacts
4 Energy Chamber
4 Door of Destinies
2 Grindclock
2 Darksteel Reactor
2 Jinxed Choker
4 Seat of the Synod
4 Darksteel Citadel
10 Island
4 Golden Hind
4 Dawntreader Elk
2 Burnished Hart
3 Glimmerpoint Stag
3 Heliod's Emissary
2 Stampeding Elk Herd
2 Great Sable Stag
2 Door of Destinies
2 Behemoth Sledge
Enchantments(6)
2 Hidden Stag
4 Rancor
Instants(6)
4 Path to Exile
2 Selesnya Charm
4 Canopy Vista
4 Blossoming Sands
9 Forest
7 Plains
4 Glitterfang
4 Lightning Berserker
4 Mardu Scout
2 Goblin Heelcutter
4 Foundry Street Denizen
4 Ogre Battledriver
4 Kruin Striker
4 Impact Tremors
2 Outpost Siege
Instants
4 Lightning Bolt
Sorcery
4 Chain Lightning
20 Mountain
3 Zada, Hedron Grinder
4 Legion Loyalist
3 Wild Nacatl
3 Kird Ape
4 Hooting Mandrills
3 Wild Defiance
Spells
4 Crimson Wisps
4 Titan's Strength
4 Aggressive Urge
4 Colossal Might
4 Titanic Growth
4 Cinder Glade
2 Evolving Wilds
7 Forest
7 Mountain
3 Zada, Hedron Grinder
3 Anax and Cymede
4 Phalanx Leader
4 Vanguard of Brimaz
4 Akroan Crusader
4 Titan's Strength
4 Brute Force
4 Ajani's Presence
4 Gods willing
4 Boros Charm
2 Boros Garrison
8 Mountain
8 plains
4 Battlefield Forge