my friend top 8ed a 153 player PTQ with his Venser deck. He lost to vampires in the top 8 2-1. Normally thats a good matchup, but he couldn't find a win condition in time in game 3 and bloodghast got him. The list is the last one here,
your curve seems really low at this point, and aether tradewinds is an under rated tempo card. bounce your 4th land and any problem permenant they have. or bounce your own adept for more value. Just something to think about!
I have a birthing pod deck with a similar strategy. You said you won both your Valakut matches, how do those usually play out? I know they are different decks, but the matchup felt really bad when I played it, was wondering how this deck dealt with it.
whipflare seems more like a sideboard card, if anything lightning bolt gives you more reach there.
Also, Vault Skirge seems better than ornithopter. The two life shouldn't matter in this type of deck, and for one mana more you get alot.
Take a look at etched champion and glint hawk idol too, i'm not sure if you have enough room, but champion quite good with metalcraft, and idol protects you from wrath effects
Fauna Shaman helps with consistency, you can pitch a Chancellor of the Tangle to it and get a creature you can cast. this allows you to cut down on the number of myr superion to only 2, maybe 1 since you can tutor for it.
The U/W fairies was not a typo. My friend who top 8ed with RDW played that deck in the swiss. I'm pretty sure it was not Esper Fairies either, although there was some of that deck near the top tables. My friend said it was U/W fairies with MD Day of Judgement and used Vendilion Clique, Mistbind and Spellstutter as the fairy core
Top 8:
1 Red Deck Wins
2 Mythic Conscription
1 Esperlark
1 U/W Fairies
1 R/G Valakut
1 U/W Lark
1 U/W Control
The finals was Mythic vs Esperlark though I believe.
EDIT: The last deck was U/W control with Sun Titan, Hallowed Burial, and 3 Twisted Image! main.
http://www.professional-events.com/Magic/PTQ/2011/Philadelphia/Col070311.php4
One batterskull was suggested instead of 1 Sea Gate Oracle.
Just some cards to consider, black green seems like the best fit, but I'm not positive
2 Duress
2 Vampire Hexmage
2 Vampire Nighthawk
3 Gatekeeper
3 Obliterators
3 Lashwrithe
2 Dismember
3 Black Sun Zenith
3 Grim Discovery
3 Sign in Blood
22 Swamp
3 Tectonic Edge
4 Sadistic Sacrement
2 Mind Sludge
1 Corrupt
4 Doom Blade
3 Malakir Bloodwitch
What does everyone think? Also, what are the best ways to deal with Mirran Crusader with this deck besides discard?
Also, Vault Skirge seems better than ornithopter. The two life shouldn't matter in this type of deck, and for one mana more you get alot.
Take a look at etched champion and glint hawk idol too, i'm not sure if you have enough room, but champion quite good with metalcraft, and idol protects you from wrath effects
How many cards does Lead the Stampede draw you on average?
1 Red Deck Wins
2 Mythic Conscription
1 Esperlark
1 U/W Fairies
1 R/G Valakut
1 U/W Lark
1 U/W Control
The finals was Mythic vs Esperlark though I believe.
EDIT: The last deck was U/W control with Sun Titan, Hallowed Burial, and 3 Twisted Image! main.