Well this is what I'm playing. I always wanted to do something with Courser of Kruphix and Vizier of the Menagerie but they weren't in Standard together. Been having nice results so far and the gameplay is fun, plays just like a Simic deck should, with lots of tricks!
You beat the crap out of them, they got nothing to do against Mass Manipulation.
In the early game you need to keep them in check with timely Gates Ablaze in the key turns and then try to ramp as much as you can while drawing cards. Rams and Colossus can put a lot of pressure on them if they dont have OKO. When they do have OKO, you'll do what I said before... keep the board in check and finish them with Mass Manipulation. They basically scoop on the spot!
PS: They got no answers for Guild Summit so cast it as soon as you can.
3-1 today, only lost to G/B adventures. Didn't draw very well against him so not much I could do (drew over 12 lands in the first game). I keep feeling like I can beat any deck with this outside of bad luck.
I kept a 1 lander against someone and won even though I drew my second land on turn 4... cat + oven is that good lol.
EDIT: Oh and Embercleave is the *****... win games out of nowhere!
Witch's Oven is more important than the Cat, because multiple copies are good, while multiple copies of the Cat aren't (you can sac and return the same Cat repeatedly if you have more Ovens).
Tin Street and the Cookie guys are there to better enable Theater of Horrors and they also benefit from Judith. They don't seem like they do much but there's many games that you win just because of the chip-unblockable damage. I could see cutting Tin Street as it is the weaker of them both tho.
Got 2nd on FNM last week playing Rakdos Aristocrats, would've won even but I made some sequencing mistakes on round 1 which caused me to get a tie instead of another win. Won all the other matches.
I played Tibalt instead of Chandras in the main, this is the current list (which I'm still working on):
I want to include 4 Bonecrusher Giants since I want more interaction and bigger body. I'm also missing another sac outlet (probably Mask of Immolation) and once I have that, I'll play the second Claim the Firstborn.
Now I know this card doesn't "combo" but Fervent Champion is quite good at wearing equipment and the haste means it can work as a win-condition that gets around Leyline of Sanctity if thats an issue...
Now that I've looked at Stormfist Crusader more carefuly, its the best Spectacle enabler we can play and is especially good in an aggro deck, where your opponent usually doesn't have a lot of time to take advantage of the extra cards.
Combined with Theater of Horrors you're drawing 3 cards every turn and probably even casting all those cards since they're low costed.
2 Gadwick, the Wizened
1 Roalesk, Apex Hybrid
1 Cavalier of Gales
4 Llanowar Elves
2 Vizier of the Menagerie
1 Oviya Pashiri, Sage Lifecrafter
1 Tireless Tracker
2 Harbinger of the Tides
2 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
1 Clever Impersonator
4 Elvish Mystic
1 Hydra Broodmaster
4 Courser of Kruphix
3 Prognostic Sphinx
1 Thassa, God of the Sea
3 Prophet of Kruphix
2 Chord of Calling
1 Cyclonic Rift
Lands 24
1 Field of Ruin
4 Botanical Sanctum
4 Temple of Mystery
4 Breeding Pool
5 Island
6 Forest
2 Frilled Mystic
1 Tendershoot Dryad
1 Harbinger of the Tides
4 Reclamation Sage
1 Arbor Colossus
2 Bow of Nylea
1 Polukranos, World Eater
2 Scavenging Ooze
1 Aetherling
In the early game you need to keep them in check with timely Gates Ablaze in the key turns and then try to ramp as much as you can while drawing cards. Rams and Colossus can put a lot of pressure on them if they dont have OKO. When they do have OKO, you'll do what I said before... keep the board in check and finish them with Mass Manipulation. They basically scoop on the spot!
PS: They got no answers for Guild Summit so cast it as soon as you can.
2 Kenrith, the Returned King
3 Arboreal Grazer
4 Gatebreaker Ram
2 Gate Colossus
1 Chamber Sentry
Other 21
2 Opt
1 Mass Manipulation
4 Gates Ablaze
4 Growth Spiral
1 Depose // Deploy
4 Guild Summit
4 Circuitous Route
1 Expansion // Explosion
4 Azorius Guildgate
2 Breeding Pool
4 Gruul Guildgate
4 Simic Guildgate
1 Boros Guildgate
2 Gateway Plaza
4 Izzet Guildgate
4 Plaza of Harmony
2 Forest
1 Realm-Cloaked Giant
3 Veil of Summer
1 Jace, Wielder of Mysteries
1 Mesmerizing Benthid
2 Ravager Wurm
1 Deafening Clarion
2 Knight of Autumn
1 Niv-Mizzet, Parun
3 Negate
I kept a 1 lander against someone and won even though I drew my second land on turn 4... cat + oven is that good lol.
EDIT: Oh and Embercleave is the *****... win games out of nowhere!
Here's the list I'll be playing on FNM:
4 Cauldron Familiar
4 Bonecrusher Giant
4 Stormfist Crusader
4 Mayhem Devil
2 Skarrgan Hellkite
2 Fireblade Artist
2 Judith, the Scourge Diva
1 Legion Warboss
Other 14
1 Embercleave
1 Redcap Melee
1 Slaying Fire
4 Witch's Oven
1 Tibalt, Rakish Instigator
4 Theater of Horrors
Lands 23
1 Castle Embereth
1 Fabled Passage
4 Bloodfell Caves
4 Blood Crypt
5 Swamp
8 Mountain
2 Embereth Shieldbreaker
1 Flame Sweep
1 Tibalt, Rakish Instigator
2 Act of Treason
1 Bedevil
1 Scrabbling Claws
4 Lava Coil
3 Duress
Since I'll be trying a more midrangey version Light Up the Stage doesn't fit in anymore.
If I can get another Giant / Stormfist Crusader I'll put them in. Same with Mask of Immolation
Tin Street and the Cookie guys are there to better enable Theater of Horrors and they also benefit from Judith. They don't seem like they do much but there's many games that you win just because of the chip-unblockable damage. I could see cutting Tin Street as it is the weaker of them both tho.
Monoblue is the hardest matchup so far lol...
Got 2nd on FNM last week playing Rakdos Aristocrats, would've won even but I made some sequencing mistakes on round 1 which caused me to get a tie instead of another win. Won all the other matches.
I played Tibalt instead of Chandras in the main, this is the current list (which I'm still working on):
4 Cauldron Familiar
2 Bonecrusher Giant
3 Stormfist Crusader
4 Gingerbrute
4 Mayhem Devil
1 Tin Street Dodger
4 Footlight Fiend
2 Judith, the Scourge Diva
Other 16
1 Claim the Firstborn
4 Witch's Oven
1 Tibalt, Rakish Instigator
4 Light Up the Stage
4 Theater of Horrors
Lands 20
1 Castle Embereth
1 Fabled Passage
4 Bloodfell Caves
4 Blood Crypt
4 Swamp
6 Mountain
1 Claim the Firstborn
2 Embereth Shieldbreaker
1 Fry
1 Tibalt, Rakish Instigator
1 Act of Treason
1 Bedevil
4 Lava Coil
1 Legion Warboss
3 Duress
I want to include 4 Bonecrusher Giants since I want more interaction and bigger body. I'm also missing another sac outlet (probably Mask of Immolation) and once I have that, I'll play the second Claim the Firstborn.
Between the cat's own Ping + Judith and/or Mayhem Devil seems like it could do stuff...
What's your current list Xaltair?
http://www.starcitygames.com/articles/39126_My-Top-5-Sleepers-In-Throne-Of-Eldraine-Standard.html
Combined with Theater of Horrors you're drawing 3 cards every turn and probably even casting all those cards since they're low costed.
I'm currently playing a more midrange version and I think Rankle, Master of Pranks could be very good for it
I think its gonna be a good idea to play 4 Lava Coils maindeck too, at least in midrange, the card is gonna be great in this format