Updated 2/7
Alright, after some playtesting, and some lucky FRF pulls, I've settled on what I will call the final list (for now at least).
Creatures
Bloodsoaked Champion: A great 1 drop that allows us to sac to the Butcher later in the game, and just keeps coming back after going to the graveyard.
Seeker of the Way: Our 2 drop slot with wonderful double "prowess" triggers in the +1/+1 and lifelink variety. Really helps with the burn/protection spells we have in the deck.
Flamewake Phoenix: Fate's latest graveyard recursion technique that slots into our curve beautifully and keeps coming back once we have the Butcher online.
Monastery Mentor: Another great 3 drop from Fate that can easily win the game by itself if left unchecked.
Brutal Hordechief: Fate Reforged gave us a great lifegain, burn to the face creature with this guy. He synergizes with all of our other creatures.
Butcher of the Horde: The top of our curve and one of our best win conditions. Plays well with the other creatures so far, as well as the 2 copies of token generators.
Spells
Lightning Strike: One of the best burn spells available in current standard.
Valorous Stance: Very versatile card for either high end removal or creature-saving defense.
Murderous Cut: A potentially very cheap removal spell that shouldn't be difficult to delve for.
Crackling Doom: In my opinion easily one of the best removal spells in the format, forcing the opponent to sac their best creature, without actually targeting the creature ourselves.
Hordeling Outburst: Tons 'o tokens to sac to the Butcher. Plus, these guys are great chumps if needed.
Planewalkers
Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker: A threat that must be dealt with or he will also win the game by himself.
Sorin, Solemn Visitor: More lifegain?? Yes please!
This list, I feel, is going to be a strong threat in the current standard, AND it doesn't break the bank. In my opinion, any standard-competitive deck that is sub-$200 is worth the investment for anyone considering playing in standard-level play.
Update 1/29
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Original Description
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HIDE Hi there. The idea for this deck is to create a midrange Mardu unit that can compete at FNM without breaking the bank, but also can transform into a lower-curve Mardu aggro deck, post-board.
We'll main board some Mardu staples like Seeker of the Way, Butcher of the Horde, Mardu Strike Leader, and Brutal Hordechief. These will be supported by an army of tokens, coming from Hordeling Outburst and Mardu Ascendancy, feeding directly into sac opportunities and/or lifegain from Sorin, Solemn Visitor.
Topping off the curve at 5 cmc we have a pair of Zurgo Helmsmasher and Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker, both of which can win the game outright. Supporting cards for burn/removal include Crackling Doom (really? Hit the opponent for 2 and force them to sac their biggest creature, even if it's Indestructable? Yes please!), Lightning Strike, and Utter End.
The mana base listed is what would be ideal, including scry lands, fetch lands, and pain lands, but for budget reasons these would be the first to cut (you can save about $100 just from the lands).
In the side board, we start with 4 Bloodsoaked Champion, ideally being swapped out for Zurgo and Sarkhan to bring down that mana curve. Add in some cheaper black removal and some Valorous Stance and the deck instantly turns into a fast-paced aggro deck that will stand up to most decks in the format.
Any suggestions/tips are most welcome! Oh, and lastly, I purposefully excluded cards like Goblin Rabblemaster solely because it is going to take me some time to amass these cards listed, and I wanted to give myself as much time as possible to get these cards listed without worrying about losing my Theros/M15 cards post-rotation (yes, even though it's still months away!)
