So I know there are a few threads on this topic already, but they all seem a little outdated. I'd like to readdress the idea of a competitive meathooks deck. I've seen about twenty or so lists now, all ranging from straight aggro to tribal themed to toolbox-esque, and I'd like to look over a few things with some well informed individuals much like yourselves. The basic structure of the deck really has no room to flex:
The core of this deck really is what drives it's competitiveness, and I think this basic frame cannot be adjusted unless a very specific metagame calls for it. This leaves a lot of flex room and allows for the creative differences to really come out (which is probably why there are so many lists out there). However, this variability makes the final product wildly inconsistent, so there is not "set" standard for what the deck SHOULD be (unlike merfolk, which has a base shell of ~54 mandatory slots). Keeping this in mind, I have created a decklist that hybridizes the aggro frame and toolbox style of play.
Starting with the manabase, I cut one of each of the three non fetchable lands for more shocks and fetches. This ensures that I'm not stuck with a colorless land when I need to hard cast specific color spells (see collected company) but also allows the deck to be a little more consistent on curve (more fetches, deck thinking, ect) another important thing this address is blood moon lockouts. Just having one of the basics keeps the deck alive, and fetching for it in a pinch is a lot better than being stuck with mountains. Another important function of this is sedge sliver's regeneration ability, which cannot be activated from any of the non fetchable lands. This hss been very relevant in specific games I have played.
As far as creatures go, the basic shell is the same, but the key cards that really keep this deck alive are keyword slivers. Not only the abilities, but the quantity as well. This is one of the most important part of this particular deck, double galerider sliver or striking sliver is very relevant in one for one trades, so having extra copies on the field is better than having three copies of blur sliver at once. This is where the real all star of the deck comes in. Homing sliver is basically the extra copies of every other sliver, but more importantly, it is access to whatever the situation calls for.
I think the biggest change is in the utility slots. A lot of lists play sideboarded harmonic sliver, which I feel is a little off, considering the amount of artifacts and enchantments in the popular meta. It allows for a better game 1 against decks like Tron, robots, free win red, and lantern control, another big change is the number of manawefts and gemhides. Most lists play a full playset of one, or an even split. This makes the deck significantly more explosive, but in terms of effectiveness, it's better to draw another keyword sliver or even another land over one of these late game. Two big one-ofs that I should point out are quilled sliver and two headed sliver. These are excellent combat trick cards that I think have better utility than some of the other options like sidewinder sliver or frenzy sliver, which specifically require your opponent to block. Quilled sliver is excellent against death and taxes, since most of the creatures have 2 or less toughness, so it allows for more consistent spot removal.
Obviously the big finishers in sliver legion and sliver hivelord make for very large, hard to deal with threats, and have some excellent utility of their own.
So the big parts I have covered, but I need some outside perspectives to tweak it into the competitive, relevant deck I know it can be.
Edit* I just added the card links because I'm new to posting and did this at work from my phone. Sorry for any inconveniences.
So I know there are a few threads on this topic already, but they all seem a little outdated. I'd like to readdress the idea of a competitive meathooks deck. I've seen about twenty or so lists now, all ranging from straight aggro to tribal themed to toolbox-esque, and I'd like to look over a few things with some well informed individuals much like yourselves. The basic structure of the deck really has no room to flex:
4x galerider sliver
4x predatory sliver
4x sinew sliver
3x sedge sliver
3x striking sliver
4x collected company
4x aether vial
The core of this deck really is what drives it's competitiveness, and I think this basic frame cannot be adjusted unless a very specific metagame calls for it. This leaves a lot of flex room and allows for the creative differences to really come out (which is probably why there are so many lists out there). However, this variability makes the final product wildly inconsistent, so there is not "set" standard for what the deck SHOULD be (unlike merfolk, which has a base shell of ~54 mandatory slots). Keeping this in mind, I have created a decklist that hybridizes the aggro frame and toolbox style of play.
Slivers
Main:
4 Aether Vial
1 Blood Crypt
1 Blur Sliver
3 Cavern of Souls
4 Collected Company
3 Diffusion Sliver
1 Forest
4 Galerider Sliver
1 Gemhide Sliver
1 Godless Shrine
1 Harmonic Sliver
2 Homing Sliver
2 Manaweft Sliver
3 Mutavault
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Polluted Delta
4 Predatory Sliver
1 Quilled Sliver
3 Sedge Sliver
4 Sinew Sliver
3 Sliver Hive
1 Sliver Legion
3 Striking Sliver
1 Swamp
1 Syphon Sliver
1 Two-Headed Sliver
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Watery Grave
Sideboard:
1 Cautery Sliver
1 Damping Sphere
2 Darkheart Sliver
2 Dismember
2 Harmonic Sliver
1 Opaline Sliver
2 Relic of Progenitus
1 Sentinel Sliver
1 Sliver Hivelord
1 Syphon Sliver
1 Venom Sliver
Starting with the manabase, I cut one of each of the three non fetchable lands for more shocks and fetches. This ensures that I'm not stuck with a colorless land when I need to hard cast specific color spells (see collected company) but also allows the deck to be a little more consistent on curve (more fetches, deck thinking, ect) another important thing this address is blood moon lockouts. Just having one of the basics keeps the deck alive, and fetching for it in a pinch is a lot better than being stuck with mountains. Another important function of this is sedge sliver's regeneration ability, which cannot be activated from any of the non fetchable lands. This hss been very relevant in specific games I have played.
As far as creatures go, the basic shell is the same, but the key cards that really keep this deck alive are keyword slivers. Not only the abilities, but the quantity as well. This is one of the most important part of this particular deck, double galerider sliver or striking sliver is very relevant in one for one trades, so having extra copies on the field is better than having three copies of blur sliver at once. This is where the real all star of the deck comes in. Homing sliver is basically the extra copies of every other sliver, but more importantly, it is access to whatever the situation calls for.
I think the biggest change is in the utility slots. A lot of lists play sideboarded harmonic sliver, which I feel is a little off, considering the amount of artifacts and enchantments in the popular meta. It allows for a better game 1 against decks like Tron, robots, free win red, and lantern control, another big change is the number of manawefts and gemhides. Most lists play a full playset of one, or an even split. This makes the deck significantly more explosive, but in terms of effectiveness, it's better to draw another keyword sliver or even another land over one of these late game. Two big one-ofs that I should point out are quilled sliver and two headed sliver. These are excellent combat trick cards that I think have better utility than some of the other options like sidewinder sliver or frenzy sliver, which specifically require your opponent to block. Quilled sliver is excellent against death and taxes, since most of the creatures have 2 or less toughness, so it allows for more consistent spot removal.
Obviously the big finishers in sliver legion and sliver hivelord make for very large, hard to deal with threats, and have some excellent utility of their own.
So the big parts I have covered, but I need some outside perspectives to tweak it into the competitive, relevant deck I know it can be.
Edit* I just added the card links because I'm new to posting and did this at work from my phone. Sorry for any inconveniences.