I'm going to call it right now and say that sinker will be all hybrid cards.
The last time wizards did a multicolor block the third set was all hybrid and it was a popular gimmick. Now that we are back at Ravnica where hybrid all started it seems like the time to do something like this again.
Also, the original Ravnica separated all 10 guilds over 3 sets with a 4-3-3 alignment. RtR is going 5-5-all 10 guilds so cramming all 10 guilds into a small set could prove troubling/make the set awkward trying to give each guild single color cards in both colors, multicolor cards, and hybrid cards.
As a valakut player I can tell you that a good amount of us run several eldrazi in the sideboard that can be brought in against body and mind and making sure we don't lose valakuts and mountains, as well as return any fatties you already killed. So I wouldn't focus on the mill part of the sword, the 2/2 body is nice but the discard and untap of feast and famine.
Pretty standard list. Now for my results and thoughts.
Round 1 - U/W control 0-2 Gideon Jura is really hard to get past. Game 1 I was screwed off of red and had no way to get past the Gideon. Game 2 I got him to 1 on turn four when he wiped the field and kept me off my creatures for the rest of the game. Never saw manabarbs.
Round 2 - G/U aggro? 2-0
Newer guy using nothing but cards from Rise that he got. Felt bad for the kid.
Round 3 - Jund 2-1
Game 1 I come out too fast. Game 2 I get screwed out of red with 3 battlesingers and 2 naya charms in hand. Game 3 he mulligans to 5 and keeps a 1 and hand. I get him down to 4 before he draws his 2nd (forest same as his 1st land)
Round 4 -Vampires 2-1
All I see out of him game 1 was a highborn and a gatekeeper. Game 2 screwed out of red and he curves perfectly with nocturnus and bloodwitch. Game 3 was intense. He dropped a lacerator (really?) turn 1 and I drop Ondu Cleric turn 2. I never drop below 10 and his lacerator almost kills him itself. Though I do credit the win for topdecking talus paladin.
I finished 4th overall thanks to tiebreakers. The deck needs more red. All but 1 of my game losses came because I had no red on the field. Also I was not impressed with the druid. It was my first time trying it and I found myself boarding it out for Ondu Cleric almost every game. My sideboard needs some tweaking because it was geared for the meta where I go to school and the place back home it quite different.
Talus Paladin is a house. I need to up the number of him. I never lost when I drew him and obviously was never sad to see him.
I opened my sealed pool and got no eldrazi. Not. a. one. none of the the colorless ones and none of the cool colored drone ones. The only removal I got was one of spawning breath and (using the term removal losely) a guard duty. Somehow still managed to go 3-2-1 despite thanks to levelers and 2 mortician beetle
5. nest Invader see #4 with a tweak in the numbers
Favorite 2 plays on the day:
1. I play a Mortician Beetle on turns 1 and 2 on the draw. He plays a [Phantasmal Abomination[/card] on turn 3. My turn 3 I enchant it with a guard duty forcing him to sac it, which pumps up both my beetles and I swing in. I enjoyed trying to give defender to a defender.
2. This happened in 3 different rounds. Turn 1 I get my beetle. Turn 2 I play a nest invader. My next turn I attack and they go to Spawning Breath my beetle. I sac the token to make it a 2/2 and save it from death. I know this is an opponents play mistake but it happened 3 times and was pretty fun to do.
For you I would cut the 2 angels and add your Elspeths from the side. That way you have a source of flying from the planeswalker or can add the 1/1 to help on the defensive side. Taking out the ultimatums and Elspeth from the side then gives you room for 4 guttural response in you r sideboard. Although I really do think you need to find a way to fit quasali pridemage and then either birds or noble hierarch as the other 1 drop.
I run a deck very similar to this, only long ago I stopped focusing on the elf type and went with good creatures. I run finks and quasili ambusher as the only non-elf creatures and it absolutely hoses aggro. Also I would suggest running wren's run vanquisher. its just to good not to.
The last time wizards did a multicolor block the third set was all hybrid and it was a popular gimmick. Now that we are back at Ravnica where hybrid all started it seems like the time to do something like this again.
Also, the original Ravnica separated all 10 guilds over 3 sets with a 4-3-3 alignment. RtR is going 5-5-all 10 guilds so cramming all 10 guilds into a small set could prove troubling/make the set awkward trying to give each guild single color cards in both colors, multicolor cards, and hybrid cards.
What does everyone else think?
6 Plains
5 Mountain
4 Forest
4 Arid Mesa
3 Sunpetal Grove
2 Rootbound Crag
Creatures
4 Hada Freeblade
4 Kazandu Blademaster
4 Oran-Rief Survivalist
3 Harabaz Druid
4 Akoum Battlesinger
4 Kabira Evangel
2 Talus Paladin
4 Bloodbraid Elf
3 Violent Outburst
4 Naya Charm
3 Oblivion Ring
3 Dauntless Escort
2 Tuktuk Scrapper
3 Ondu Cleric
4 Manabarbs
Pretty standard list. Now for my results and thoughts.
Round 1 - U/W control 0-2
Gideon Jura is really hard to get past. Game 1 I was screwed off of red and had no way to get past the Gideon. Game 2 I got him to 1 on turn four when he wiped the field and kept me off my creatures for the rest of the game. Never saw manabarbs.
Round 2 - G/U aggro? 2-0
Newer guy using nothing but cards from Rise that he got. Felt bad for the kid.
Round 3 - Jund 2-1
Game 1 I come out too fast. Game 2 I get screwed out of red with 3 battlesingers and 2 naya charms in hand. Game 3 he mulligans to 5 and keeps a 1 and hand. I get him down to 4 before he draws his 2nd (forest same as his 1st land)
Round 4 -Vampires 2-1
All I see out of him game 1 was a highborn and a gatekeeper. Game 2 screwed out of red and he curves perfectly with nocturnus and bloodwitch. Game 3 was intense. He dropped a lacerator (really?) turn 1 and I drop Ondu Cleric turn 2. I never drop below 10 and his lacerator almost kills him itself. Though I do credit the win for topdecking talus paladin.
I finished 4th overall thanks to tiebreakers. The deck needs more red. All but 1 of my game losses came because I had no red on the field. Also I was not impressed with the druid. It was my first time trying it and I found myself boarding it out for Ondu Cleric almost every game. My sideboard needs some tweaking because it was geared for the meta where I go to school and the place back home it quite different.
Talus Paladin is a house. I need to up the number of him. I never lost when I drew him and obviously was never sad to see him.
1. Hedron-Field Purists Got this leveled up everytime I played him and with my opponents having an army of 2/x creatures on the field meant I win.
2. Mortician Beetle I had 2 and only ran him cause he was a 1 drop. Little did I know how awesome he would be as he often got to 8/8 or bigger.
3. virulent swipe been discussed already, but this was my only source of removal I opened in my colors (I played W/B/g)
4. Kozilek's Predator getting a 3/3 body and 2 0/1 bodies? yes please.
5. nest Invader see #4 with a tweak in the numbers
Favorite 2 plays on the day:
1. I play a Mortician Beetle on turns 1 and 2 on the draw. He plays a [Phantasmal Abomination[/card] on turn 3. My turn 3 I enchant it with a guard duty forcing him to sac it, which pumps up both my beetles and I swing in. I enjoyed trying to give defender to a defender.
2. This happened in 3 different rounds. Turn 1 I get my beetle. Turn 2 I play a nest invader. My next turn I attack and they go to Spawning Breath my beetle. I sac the token to make it a 2/2 and save it from death. I know this is an opponents play mistake but it happened 3 times and was pretty fun to do.
As for unmake, between 4x wooded bastion and 4x gilt leaf palace i have no problem casting it.
"Embyr, use growl while mirroring cubone's movements. Give em' a flank and try to confuse it."
Chris Osgood-burger