so i think this is a very under the radar, yet powerful deck right now the first thing that positions it well is the low(ish) manna curve that have spells that can be played on the opponents turn which helps make better decisions, the other is that the whole "team" is focused on keeping each other alive. this deck is actually fairly well positioned against death's shadow (which at the moment is the a "Big Deal" in the format) as well as storm, and valakut decks, the match up doesn't suck against affinity but i think she will just fold to eldarzi i have done no play testing with humans or with counters-company decks, however, this deck is good at buying time, making it easier to get to one of our two main deck sweeper spells.
THE TEAM: The popular new muti-format all-star might be Spell Queller but the real MVP on this Squad is Rattlechains the first ability is great because he can help protect a teammate, however summoning one of these really early (hopefully to an empty board) is usually enough to put you miles ahead, by allowing you to essentially be able to play all your spells in response to whatever your opponent does. Mausoleum Wanderer is really a nice card (just like Judge's Familiar only better due the entire team's excellent synergy. at face value he can fend off spells like thoughtsize or Lightning Bolt while you gather mana or be a beater with Rattlechains he can be a nasty combat trick or an extra counter-spell. Going up on the creature curve (except for Rattlechains) we find Selfless Spirit who is so good at protecting from sweepers that we just run two of them, and (if your keen eye may have noticed) the only member of the team that does not fly: Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit but she does happen to boost up the tiny bodies on our team. one cool interaction we get with her is Selfless Spirit or Mausoleum Wanderer paired with Ojutai's Command or Rattlechains. cheat one of these guys onto the field to get ana's trigger, sacrifice the new guy to pump a guy who has a higher toughness (it's not awesome but is situationally good.and at the top of our creature curve we got 9 three drops Spell Queller who can catch so much in his lantern, including spells cast from Cavern of Souls. Drogskol Captain and Kira, the Great Glass-Spinner could really take any split on their five slots.
The Spellsstarting at the top of the curve are the only three card advantage spells i have main board which coincidentally is the only life-gain too, but Sphinx's Revelation can be set up and is better late-game then Ancestral Visions. Supreme Verdict place in the deck was mentioned earlier, and are the only two cards that must be played on our turn. Ojutai's Command is a bit of a pet card (more like a "poor man's Cryptic Command) it is a little slow, but is easy to make it a two for one, the cmc4 usually means that one or both come out for game two making sideboard Choices a little easier. The last eight cards Mana Leak and Path to Exile are both proven and efficient cards that sit very low on the curve and can be played in the opponents turn.
REAL ESTATE: no matter the combination here I think 23 is the number for this build. There are definitely enough 1 and 2 drops in the deck that getting stuck on lands early doesn't necessarily mean death, with that said it is imperative that those early lands come down able to cast spells, which can sometimes be a headache but I have had this package see me through more then not
EXCLUSIONS: there are some notable snubs for this build, the biggest one that would clearly be in the deck if not for my own personal budgetary restrictions is Snapcaster Mage god i bet it feels nice to cast that spell, the same reason keeps Cryptic Command out of the list. a popular include omitted in this list is Geiat of St. Taft or his usual companion peice Steel of the Godhead, the combo has a lot of upside, but narrows down the piont of attack and makes the deck less interactive.
TO BATTLE!: A game can be lost in the first sequence of turns, each decision made is an important one. It helps first to know your meta, this is true no matter what deck your playing in any format. One disadvantage is that the surface value of most of our spells are strictly 1for1 so it's important to be selective with your targets, and the best way to do that is arm yourself with information. The thing that you really have going for you here is that your creatures really have a tendency to stick to the board.
SIDEBOADING: most decks in modern are pretty clear on what they are trying to by the second or third turn, this helps indicate which way you should go with your decisions going into games 3/4. also it is good to pay attention to your local meta. That being said it's important to keep in mind "what is going the thing that will keep me from closing out the game" (how does the opposition want to disrupt me?) "What is the best way to disrupt the opposition's game plan." thinking about game 1 and which resources the opposition wants to leverage into victory is what decides which changes to make. The deck that your main board are the strongest against are: Storm, death's shadow and (and this was a surprise to me ) burn. But your bad against eldrazi and counters company affinity is about even.For the big bad eldrazi board out two path one ojutai's command, one mausoleum wanderer and two mana leak for: Pithing needle (always name karn) negate two ceremonious rejection and disdainful stroke. (kataki can be good depending on the build you are facing)For death's shadow take out both ojutai's command one mana leak and all three sphinx's revelation for the wheel of sun and moon, relic of progenisis both tormods crypt and dispel.Against burn take out three sphinx's revelation for spell pierce dragon's claw and dispell. You can also trade one path for a negate if you want.Dredge is the same as death's shadow
