With the release of Dominaria, I've finally decided to try my hand at building for Standard. Going in, I had two key objectives:
1. Make a deck that wouldn't be affected by the coming rotation.
2. Ramp as much as I can into big stompies.
Gameplan:
The ideal game plan for this deck is to quickly ramp into either kicked Untamed Kavu or Ghalta, Primal Hunger. If the game goes into more turns, I have mana sinks like Arch of Orazca and Josu Vess, Lich Knight to hopefully run things around. The removal splits between Cast Down for most creatures and Vona's Hunger for hexproof/token swarms. Finally, Sylvan Awakening provides a useful source of creatures in a pinch.
Suggestions:
While I'm open to suggesstions, please try to limit and changes to the Ixalan and Dominaria blocks. I'd rather not grow accustomed to a deck I'll have to change in a few months.
I see a quick beatdown plan with Llanowar Elves into Steel Leaf Champion, then Untamed Kavu and/or Ghalta. Sylvan Awakening and Josu seem like different plans, though. I think I would want to have more cards that fit with plan A. Confessor seems unimpressive to me on rate, I think I would look to upgrade Confessor, Sapherd and Plunder. I am not sure about Knight, either. I would want the fourth Champion.
The Confessors and Sapherds are in to help pad out the mana curve, as I couldn't find too much else to pick. The Sylvan Awakening and Josu Vess are in for reasons of time. If the game goes into more turns, Sylvan Awakening can quickly give me a horde of 2/2's to hopefully end the game that turn. Josu Vess is in because a 4/5 Menace for BB2 isn't too bad, but also provides a mana sink for the late game. 20/21 for BBB7 is nothing to scoff at. Trading the sapherds for the brontodons seems like a decent idea though.
The Confessors and Sapherds are in to help pad out the mana curve, as I couldn't find too much else to pick. The Sylvan Awakening and Josu Vess are in for reasons of time. If the game goes into more turns, Sylvan Awakening can quickly give me a horde of 2/2's to hopefully end the game that turn. Josu Vess is in because a 4/5 Menace for BB2 isn't too bad, but also provides a mana sink for the late game. 20/21 for BBB7 is nothing to scoff at. Trading the sapherds for the brontodons seems like a decent idea though.
First off, I haven't played your deck, so this is theorycrafting. Still, when I imagine how your deck will play out, I see a few things. According to Karsten's tables, with 13 B sources, you won't have a 90% chance of casting Josu without kicker until after turn 7. My concern is that you will have plays until about turn 5 and mount pressure, but peter out with some cards rotting in your hand where more consistent pressure might get you there.
An important question is whether you want to have B as a splash or a main color. I don't think Josu consistently works with your current manabase. You could leave the manabase as-is and maybe run Hour of Glory, but that card is rotating in the fall.
I see a gap in your threats between turn 5 and turn 9 that seems significant. There are threats that fit in that gap that might help, like Vraska, Relic Seeker; Ripjaw Raptor or (if you want to support BB) Tetzimoc, Primal Death.
So to summarize your points:
-The deck has a strong core, but the core is only just strong enough to function.
-Sylvan Awakening does things, just not anything helpful. (I blame this choice on a commander mentality)
-Josu Vess is a toss up. Keeping it in would require some mana base tweaks.
-Adding in some later game threats would be ideal.
I'll take these points and change the deck around.
Edit: I chose to add black because I felt there wasn't enough removal in green. Due to the mass of creatures, do you think going mono-green and adding in fight cards would work better than trying to shoehorn black in?
So to summarize your points:
-The deck has a strong core, but the core is only just strong enough to function.
-Sylvan Awakening does things, just not anything helpful. (I blame this choice on a commander mentality)
-Josu Vess is a toss up. Keeping it in would require some mana base tweaks.
-Adding in some later game threats would be ideal.
I'll take these points and change the deck around.
Edit: I chose to add black because I felt there wasn't enough removal in green. Due to the mass of creatures, do you think going mono-green and adding in fight cards would work better than trying to shoehorn black in?
I would say that you are close to my points. I apologize for not being clear.
Your deck is fine, depending on your competitive expectations
There are common threats in standard that seem difficult for your deck to handle. Exiling removal that is in your colors such as Vraska's Contempt, Hour of Glory or Final Reward could help, but presents challenges. Your current manabase isn't well suited to playing Vraska's Contempt on time, Hour of Glory doesn't fit your rotational constraint and Final Reward isn't efficient.
I see a gap in your range of threats. Josu is Difficult to cast on-time without the kicker. Josu kicked and Sylvan Awakening seem much later game than most of your other threats based on your current amount of ramp. I wonder whether you would be better off with more midgame threats to be able to finish people off before the game goes too long.
Your sideboard could use some common answers (listed earlier), particularly against control.
As for the B splash for removal, Cast Down is good, better than the fight cards against Deathtouch, opposing removal and really big creatures. Deathtouch isn't very prevalent at the moment. I think you also want exiling removal if you can get it, otherwise the splash isn't worthwhile in the current meta.
Changing the manabase to support BB spells or changing the threats to use only B should, in theory, give you a more consistent deck.
So, after some deliberation, I went back and changed a bit in the deck. I threw in 4 Hour of Glory for the exile, as well as 4 Deathgorge Scavenger to replace the sapherds and provide some graveyard hate. 2 Tetzimoc are in to pad out the later game, as well as 4 Ripjaw Raptor. (Decklist changed above)
1. Make a deck that wouldn't be affected by the coming rotation.
2. Ramp as much as I can into big stompies.
4x Llanowar Elves
4x Untamed Kavu
4x Knight of Malice
4x Deathgorge Scavenger
4x Steel Leaf Champion
2x Ripjaw Raptor
2x Tetzimoc, Primal Death
2x Ghalta, Primal Hunger
2x Duress
4x Cast Down
4x Hour of Glory
Land:
9x Swamp
9x Forest
4x Woodland Cemetery
2x Evolving Wilds
2 Silent Gravestone
2 Divest
4 Thrashing Brontodon
1 Vraska, Relic Seeker
2 Grunn, the Lonely King
4 Plummet
Gameplan:
The ideal game plan for this deck is to quickly ramp into either kicked Untamed Kavu or Ghalta, Primal Hunger. If the game goes into more turns, I have mana sinks like Arch of Orazca and Josu Vess, Lich Knight to hopefully run things around. The removal splits between Cast Down for most creatures and Vona's Hunger for hexproof/token swarms. Finally, Sylvan Awakening provides a useful source of creatures in a pinch.
Suggestions:
While I'm open to suggesstions, please try to limit and changes to the Ixalan and Dominaria blocks. I'd rather not grow accustomed to a deck I'll have to change in a few months.
Thanks!
I see a quick beatdown plan with Llanowar Elves into Steel Leaf Champion, then Untamed Kavu and/or Ghalta. Sylvan Awakening and Josu seem like different plans, though. I think I would want to have more cards that fit with plan A. Confessor seems unimpressive to me on rate, I think I would look to upgrade Confessor, Sapherd and Plunder. I am not sure about Knight, either. I would want the fourth Champion.
Sideboard might want some Prowling Serpopard and/or Carnage Tyrant, Duress and Thrashing Brontodon.
RNA Standard: Grixis Midrange, Jund Deathwhirler, Sultai Vannifar
GRN Standard: Red Midrange, Mono-Blue Tempo, Wr Aggro, Gruul Experimental Dinosaurs, Sultai Midrange, Jeskai Midrange
Modern: Bant Spirits
Forcing a single archetype in all formats: too many colors, bad mana.
An important question is whether you want to have B as a splash or a main color. I don't think Josu consistently works with your current manabase. You could leave the manabase as-is and maybe run Hour of Glory, but that card is rotating in the fall.
I see a gap in your threats between turn 5 and turn 9 that seems significant. There are threats that fit in that gap that might help, like Vraska, Relic Seeker; Ripjaw Raptor or (if you want to support BB) Tetzimoc, Primal Death.
RNA Standard: Grixis Midrange, Jund Deathwhirler, Sultai Vannifar
GRN Standard: Red Midrange, Mono-Blue Tempo, Wr Aggro, Gruul Experimental Dinosaurs, Sultai Midrange, Jeskai Midrange
Modern: Bant Spirits
Forcing a single archetype in all formats: too many colors, bad mana.
-The deck has a strong core, but the core is only just strong enough to function.
-Sylvan Awakening does things, just not anything helpful. (I blame this choice on a commander mentality)
-Josu Vess is a toss up. Keeping it in would require some mana base tweaks.
-Adding in some later game threats would be ideal.
I'll take these points and change the deck around.
Edit: I chose to add black because I felt there wasn't enough removal in green. Due to the mass of creatures, do you think going mono-green and adding in fight cards would work better than trying to shoehorn black in?
Changing the manabase to support BB spells or changing the threats to use only B should, in theory, give you a more consistent deck.
I hope this helps!
RNA Standard: Grixis Midrange, Jund Deathwhirler, Sultai Vannifar
GRN Standard: Red Midrange, Mono-Blue Tempo, Wr Aggro, Gruul Experimental Dinosaurs, Sultai Midrange, Jeskai Midrange
Modern: Bant Spirits
Forcing a single archetype in all formats: too many colors, bad mana.