I wouldn’t worry too much about playing against Modern players. If you really need to, technically a Standard deck is ALSO a Modern deck, albeit a lousier one. Nevertheless, if you do decide to play modern, you should build a dedicated modern deck instead of trying to convert your current standard deck.
With regards to older sets: Shadows Over Innistrad, Eldritch Moon, Battle for Zendikar, Oath of the Gatewatch rotates in September 2017, so do consider this if you’re planning to get cards from these sets.
I mentioned the other sets and rares because a deck comprising only C/U cards from one block can only get you so far in magic. You can win some games with sensible deck building, but you won't be placing well in an FNM or Gamesday. Eventually you’d want to slowly expand your card pool and options to fully enjoy the game.
The ones you mentioned aren’t too efficient in terms of mana costs, even with the delirium discount. In fact most of the other delirium C/U cards aren’t too good, other than the ones I mentioned.
Sideboards are largely based on the decks you expect the other players in your area to be playing. As a general guide, you could go for some artifact removal for artifact heavy decks, more hand disruption for control decks, some sweepers for servo decks and more instant speed removal for the Saheeli combo. Maybe 2 or 3 for each category.
Lastly, once you get a feel of the deck and game, you may wish to start sourcing for some rares or cards from other sets to improve this deck further.
Welcome to magic! The world could always use more planeswalkers
Looks like you already have a good sense of the land / creature / spell ratio and mana curve. So I guess any suggestions you need will be more about card optimization.
INB4 obligatory NETDECK METADECKS TO GIT GUD.
I see that you have a mini Delirium theme going on, so let’s try to build towards it. To build around a delirium theme, you’d want to have more than half your deck either helping to achieve the theme or being able to benefit from it. In budget terms, you could consider the following:
Delirium Enabler Warped landscape (or Evolving wilds if you can find them) – This adds lands into your graveyard without relying only on Grapple with the past
Mind rot isn’t a fantastic card, for hand discard effects you’d usually want to go for cards that allow you to select the card to be discarded (harsh scrutiny, transgress the mind etc). Since you choosing a key card > your opponent discarding 2 cards that they don't need anyway (you need to be careful of madness too). Luckily, we do have one in SOI/EMN: Pick the Brain (which incidentally benefits from delirium too) and Whispers of Emrakul (since random card is good too. Sometimes.)
Alms of the vein is not really a good card. Even in a madness theme deck, its purpose is debatable. This is because you want any spell you cast to have some effect on the board. A card that only deals damage to players would be useful only as a finisher and is a terrible card to play early game as your opponent would just continue attacking you to close the gap.
I think the reason you haven't had much feedback is because your deck looks pretty much like any cookie cutter RW vehicles deck. You can check out the thread in the competitive forum for ideas on this deck.
Nevertheless, the first thing you'd want to do is to raise your land count to 24. Creatures these days hit so hard compared to the past that missing a land drop is devastating. Additionally, Lightning Axe is not suitable for this deck as you'd end up 2 for 1-ing yourself most of the time.
For a beginner in deck building, you will want to use the following formula as
You need lands to cast your awesome stuff and you need creatures to beat face with. Don't sting on those.
24 Lands (with 2 ultility lands)
24 Creatures
8 Removals
4 Any other spell
Looking at your list, you would need to up your land count. You should add 2 ultilty lands like ghost quarter, rogue's passage or haunted fengraf. Moorland haunt is recommended, but basically just use whatever is accessible to you.
Out of your 19 spells, you would then need to cut 7 spells to add to your creature count.
Spells that gain life or prevent damage are generally useless other than in a dedicated deck. This would be the first things I'd cut. Auras are a potential 2 for 1, so we'd cut that too. You don't really have stuff to ramp into, so I'd remove that lantern too.
Remove these
1 Chromatic Lantern
3 Safe Passage
1 Divine Favor
1 Search Warrant
1 Tricks of the Trade
Choose 4 from here
1 Stolen Goods
1 Cancel
1 Vanishment
1 Defy Death
2 Essence Scatter
Keep these
1 Azorious Charm
4 Oblivion Ring
(Add another 3 removals)
Filed as creatures
1 Talrand's Invocation
I removed Precinct Captain and New Phrav Guildmage as these cards need a dedicated deck to be useful.
I assume because you're new, you would not have access to many rares and mythic, so my suggested add ons are commons and uncommons. Although this deck will not be winning you any FNMs, at least you'll have a better chance than before. As you play on, you'll want to add on more powerful cards to build your repertoire.
1
The large amount of mana that mono black can generate with cards like Nirkana Revenant, Crypt Ghast, Cabal Coffers, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Cabal Stronghold works very well with her ability.
At the same time, being in this color idenity lets you cast fun surprise cards like mental mistep, phyrexian metamorph and memory plunder even though you don't have islands.
1
The flavor text goes something like, "With the right mindset, anywhere can be as calm as the eye of the storm"
Edit: I probably did a bad job at translating the flavor text, hopefully someone else can do a better job
1
1
1
With regards to older sets: Shadows Over Innistrad, Eldritch Moon, Battle for Zendikar, Oath of the Gatewatch rotates in September 2017, so do consider this if you’re planning to get cards from these sets.
I mentioned the other sets and rares because a deck comprising only C/U cards from one block can only get you so far in magic. You can win some games with sensible deck building, but you won't be placing well in an FNM or Gamesday. Eventually you’d want to slowly expand your card pool and options to fully enjoy the game.
In terms of rares, it’d be really tempting at first to blow hundreds of dollars into Metadeck cards such as Ishkanah, Grafwidow or Grim Flayer. However, simple $1 rares such as Traverse the Ulvenwald, Deathcap Cultivator and To the Slaughter can already improve the deck significantly.
1
You could consider the following if needed:
Sideboards are largely based on the decks you expect the other players in your area to be playing. As a general guide, you could go for some artifact removal for artifact heavy decks, more hand disruption for control decks, some sweepers for servo decks and more instant speed removal for the Saheeli combo. Maybe 2 or 3 for each category.
Lastly, once you get a feel of the deck and game, you may wish to start sourcing for some rares or cards from other sets to improve this deck further.
1
Welcome to magic! The world could always use more planeswalkers
Looks like you already have a good sense of the land / creature / spell ratio and mana curve. So I guess any suggestions you need will be more about card optimization.
INB4 obligatory NETDECK METADECKS TO GIT GUD.
I see that you have a mini Delirium theme going on, so let’s try to build towards it. To build around a delirium theme, you’d want to have more than half your deck either helping to achieve the theme or being able to benefit from it. In budget terms, you could consider the following:
Delirium Enabler
Warped landscape (or Evolving wilds if you can find them) – This adds lands into your graveyard without relying only on Grapple with the past
Benefits from Delirium
Obsessive skinner
Kindly stranger
Mind rot isn’t a fantastic card, for hand discard effects you’d usually want to go for cards that allow you to select the card to be discarded (harsh scrutiny, transgress the mind etc). Since you choosing a key card > your opponent discarding 2 cards that they don't need anyway (you need to be careful of madness too). Luckily, we do have one in SOI/EMN: Pick the Brain (which incidentally benefits from delirium too) and Whispers of Emrakul (since random card is good too. Sometimes.)
Alms of the vein is not really a good card. Even in a madness theme deck, its purpose is debatable. This is because you want any spell you cast to have some effect on the board. A card that only deals damage to players would be useful only as a finisher and is a terrible card to play early game as your opponent would just continue attacking you to close the gap.
With the Gitrog Monster being your only sacrifice outlet, I would suggest removing Bloodbriar.
Having said all that, my suggestions to the deck are
-4 Bloodbriar
+4 Obsessive skinner
-2 swift spinner
+2 kindly stranger
-2 alms of the vein
-2 mind rot
+2 Pick the brain
+2 Whispers of Emrakul
-1 swamp
-1 forest
+2 warped landscape
Lastly, you may wish to replace the Gitrog Monster for some other large creature to top your curve, since you’re lacking a way to fully utilize him.
1
I think the reason you haven't had much feedback is because your deck looks pretty much like any cookie cutter RW vehicles deck. You can check out the thread in the competitive forum for ideas on this deck.
Nevertheless, the first thing you'd want to do is to raise your land count to 24. Creatures these days hit so hard compared to the past that missing a land drop is devastating. Additionally, Lightning Axe is not suitable for this deck as you'd end up 2 for 1-ing yourself most of the time.
1
1
3 Hallowed Fountain
10 Island
9 Plains
Creatures (18)
2 Judge's Familiar
4 Fog Bank
1 Precinct Captain
1 New Phrav Guildmage
2 Seraph of Dawn
1 Dungeon Geists
1 Talrand, Sky Summoner
1 Misthollow Griffin
1 Serra Angel
1 Skaab Goliath
1 Sphinx of the Chimes
1 Stormtide Leviathan
1 Archangel
1 Stolen Goods
1 Cancel
1 Chromatic Lantern
1 Vanishment
1 Search Warrant
1 Talrand's Invocation
2 Essence Scatter
1 Defy Death
4 Oblivion Ring
1 Azorious Charm
1 Tricks of the Trade
1 Divine Favor
3 Safe Passage
For a beginner in deck building, you will want to use the following formula as
You need lands to cast your awesome stuff and you need creatures to beat face with. Don't sting on those.
24 Lands (with 2 ultility lands)
24 Creatures
8 Removals
4 Any other spell
Looking at your list, you would need to up your land count. You should add 2 ultilty lands like ghost quarter, rogue's passage or haunted fengraf. Moorland haunt is recommended, but basically just use whatever is accessible to you.
Out of your 19 spells, you would then need to cut 7 spells to add to your creature count.
Spells that gain life or prevent damage are generally useless other than in a dedicated deck. This would be the first things I'd cut. Auras are a potential 2 for 1, so we'd cut that too. You don't really have stuff to ramp into, so I'd remove that lantern too.
Remove these
1 Chromatic Lantern
3 Safe Passage
1 Divine Favor
1 Search Warrant
1 Tricks of the Trade
Choose 4 from here
1 Stolen Goods
1 Cancel
1 Vanishment
1 Defy Death
2 Essence Scatter
Keep these
1 Azorious Charm
4 Oblivion Ring
(Add another 3 removals)
Filed as creatures
1 Talrand's Invocation
I removed Precinct Captain and New Phrav Guildmage as these cards need a dedicated deck to be useful.
Here's the final list.
3 Hallowed Fountain
10 Island
9 Plains
2 Haunted Fengraf
Creatures (24)
2 Judge's Familiar
4 Fog Bank
4 Midnight haunting
2 Seraph of Dawn
1 Dungeon Geists
1 Talrand, Sky Summoner
4 Talrand's Invocation
1 Misthollow Griffin
1 Serra Angel
1 Skaab Goliath
1 Sphinx of the Chimes
1 Stormtide Leviathan
1 Archangel
1 Vanishment
4 Oblivion Ring
1 Azorious Charm
2 Rebuke
Spells - Fun (4)
1 Stolen Goods
1 Cancel
1 Essence Scatter
1 Defy Death
I assume because you're new, you would not have access to many rares and mythic, so my suggested add ons are commons and uncommons. Although this deck will not be winning you any FNMs, at least you'll have a better chance than before. As you play on, you'll want to add on more powerful cards to build your repertoire.
Creatures
Judge's Familiar, Dungeon Geists, Talrand, Lyev Skyknight
Removals
Divine Deflection, detention sphere, supreme verdict
And lastly, welcome to Magic