MTG Salvation

Quote from Eminem

Ummm. Where are the Birds of Paradise. Doesn't seem close to competitive without them.

I was thinking more along the lines of using Rampant Growth instead of Birds. I know that birds costs one less, but I feel that it dies to easily to removal.

Quote from eggrosdemise

so you should add some

Board wipe/birds/brimstone volley.

I haven't really given board wipes much thought; yet the only really 'good' ones we have in standard outside of white are Black Sun's Zenith and Slagstorm. Birds will probably go in. This is really a combo deck, so Brimstone might not be the best idea. It might go into the x7 burn, though.

Quote from SuperDucreux

I don't see why this needs to be green. I'd make it a W/B/R control deck, that way you can also run Falkenrath Noble to get a cheaper Rage Thrower or sorts, and you can use Day of Judgment and Black Sun's Zenith to make creature-based decks lose their fields.

Green helps you get the combo out faster, helps you get the alternate win conditions/stabilizers faster. White doesn't really seem like it would help this deck that much. The only thing it really has to offer is Day, which doesn't help that much in this deck. Fallenkrath Noble is much weaker than Rage Thrower in the combo. The point of the deck is (mainly) to get out a Rage Thrower and a Pentavus. The other cards are in there because there's always going to be the guy who runs Memoricide, or the guy who runs so much control that your combo never really works.

Galvanic Blast and Whipflare are both good enough in Tempered Steel to be worth splashing red for.

Quote from Vampire Nighthawk

Hex Parasite can kill illusions at the cost of two life.
EDIT: Didn't see it mentioned above. Gut shot works fairly well against that deck as it kills everything except a Lord of the Unreal and a flipped Delver of Secrets.

The decks are starting to run a 1-of Stiched Drake in the main and a few more in the side; those are actually stupidly resistant to red removal. The only burn spell I can think of is Brimstone with Morbid.

40% Dueling skill
30% Matchup
25% Deckbuilding (unless you're netdecking)
5% Tournament Knowledge (card interactions, judging, etc.)

Rage Thrower + Pentavus + Doubling Season

Doubling Season is optional, but the point of the combo is to spend two mana to make, then kill a pentavus, then have Rage Thrower deal two damage because a creature died. Doubling Season makes it more efficient. Running green for ramp or blue for counterspells and draw seems like a good idea. You could also make it straight up RUG.

Quote from uppercutcancelintoultra

Ummm, competent players will expect instant speed interactions if you have cards in hand and don't tap out in green. Also, viper doesnt do much against titans because by the time they attacked, they would have triggered twice, which basically means game over. Plus, they can just kill the viper before blocks. I'd rather play real removal spells than this jank.

First of all, if you only have two untapped mana, they will not expect it. Beast within is the only card that is green instant removal that sees heavy play. Secondly, it does a lot against titans. It's true that sometimes it's too little too late, but it's still good. Third is that it has the ability to kill something with hexproof. Doom blade doesn't. Beast within doesn't. Fourth is that it's a creature with flash. Equipment tricks go well here. Fifth is that an Ambush Viper for a Kill Spell seems like a fair trade to me. I'd rather have a Primeval Titan than a 2/1 Deathtouch, thank you.

Quote from LandBoySteve

I tried the demon maker trick. Trust me, it doesn't work. I eventually ended up removing the card from my deck.

The problem is two-fold.

1. You have to have at least 2 other creatures on the field UNTAPPED.

2. This means that you're sitting around doing nothing until you can get the combo going instead of actually doing damage to your opponent.

I've come to realize that gimmick cards like that just don't work well and ultimately I end up tossing them.

In a stalled match, the card is a stall breaker. In anything else, it just slows you down way too much.

Plus...it's a 1/2 body that is easily dealt with.

As others have said, Hero is a much better card all the way around.

When the card was printed, Wizards was basically making a 2 drop that could, with a lot of situational help, make 5/5 flyers. It's good for a 2-drop, yet at the same time costing a small amount doesn't really help all that much.

In order for Witchbane Orb to work, the card must have "Target Player" on it. Otherwise, the card is not targeting, and having hexproof does not affect it.

You'll have to check if there's an intervening if clause. In other words, if the metalcraft ability should read "If you control three or more artifacts..." destroying an artifact will stop it. In those cases, the amount of artifacts is checked upon the spell's resolution. If it's a statement, such as "Stoic Rebuttal costs 1 less to cast if you control three or more artifacts", then it isn't something you can change by removing metalcraft.

Long story short, Dispatch will be stopped by destroying an artifact.

Quote from Mystic-X

1. A Legendary creature which doesn't die when a copy of it comes into play, but does die when a copy of it leaves play (note: this is not a trick question, and doesn't involve Mirror Gallery)

Stangg, from Legends. It's a 3/4 that makes a token, and sacrifices itself when the token leaves play.

Quote from DarkConfidant

Gut shot is at least 200 times better than mental misstep seeing that it hits everything u want it to. Stromkirk noble, birds, delver, etc. Mental misstep is only better against certain artifacts and 1 mana instants/ sorceries that doesn't cause significant impact anyway. Would you ever counter a ponder/ shock? no.

You're still missing several non-creature (or at least non 1-toughness creatures) that cost 1 mana.

-Ponder
-Green Sun's Zenith
-Vapor Snag/Unsummon
-Caravan Vigil
-Crush
-Depsise
-Dispatch
-Nihil Spellbomb (well, each spellbomb, really, but Nihil is really the only one that sees play)
-Galvanic Blast
-Geistflame
-Gitaxian Probe
-Glistener Elf
-Glint Hawk
-Goblin Arsonist (It prevents the arsonist from "exploding", also if they have a chieftan out it becomes a 2/2)
-Goblin Grenade
-Gut Shot
-Hex Parasite (its ability can still go off and kill steal counters before it dies)
-Infernal Plunge (does this see play?)
-Postmortem Lunge
-Red Sun's Zenith
-Shock
-Surgical Extraction
-Twisted Image
-Visions of Beyond

Most of the cards on the previous list laugh at Gut Shot, as well as being vulnerable to Mental Misstep (especially the ones with X in their cost). It's definately viable in standard, even if only in a sideboard. It's also more reliable against RDW then Gut Shot, because Arsonists laugh it off and Chieftans like to deny your 1 damage kill.

Viridian Emissary seems like an amazing addition to this deck; also, I'd recommend Asceticism highly; it's a one-card answer to both removal and boardwipes.

Seems pretty nice. I would recommend silver-inlaid dagger, as it gives +3/+0 for a 1 drop/2 equip.