The problem with the charms is that they cost 2 of 2 different colours. It's not nearly as easy to cast as a single Duress/Thoughtseize/Inquisition. They also don't deal with Split Second. You're right in saying that the charms are versatile, but so is Thoughtseize. It beats any card at the cost of 2 life. It's the best card in Modern IMO and I bet most experienced Modern players would agree it's certainly ONE of the best cards in the format.

The charms are good in standard. Modern is a whole different story. The difference between 1 CMC is enormous.

I wonder why you're running 3 woodland cemeteries when you only have 7 forests. Why aren't you running shocklands? Fetches?

Also I don't understand your sideboard. Why Sudden Spoiling? Why... all of that?

I also don't think you need so many cards with Transmute. It's a fun ability and cool for EDH but it's far too slow for Modern. Plus you reveal the Transmuted card. That's bad.

I'd include some kind of card advantage instead of slow tutoring with transmute.

Playtesting, I've noticed some issues:

1. Soul Sisters kills you too fast. I suggest Rain of Gore .

2. Merfolk also beats you too fast (but Merfolk is broken as hell so there's nothing we can do about that.)

3. Splinter Twin/Kiki-Jiki swings for infinite damage faster than you can ramp. Leyline of Singularity will fix that.

Tata No argument on Thoughtseize or the sideboard. The sideboard hasn't been updated in quite some time and is in need of updating. Would likely run Thoughtseize there rather than mainboarding as I personally prefer the charms,Thoughtseize should definitely have a place in the deck.

I'm curious as to what you would suggest as a tutor instead of Perplex ? Circling back to the notion of versatility, Perplex gives me a tutor for any of my necessary combo cards, a counter spell, and a Thoughtseize on steroids if the counter is waived. What would you run instead?

Drift of Phantasms provides me with a defender for the ramp if necessary or as another tutor. It also provides a tutor that can be gotten by Congregation at Dawn

As for Woodland Cemetery since this is a five color deck, here too I am erring on the side of versatility. 7 Forests to 3 Woodland Cemetery means that I am over twice as likely to see a Forest before I see a Woodland Cemetery . Most of the time I draw it I will have played or have had the opportunity to play a forest first, and have it come into play untapped. City of Brass is shockland enough for me. From there I have 1 land giving me two colors for free. I'm not unhappy with the mana base at all, and it all seems to flow pretty well.

iamacasual Both Rain of Gore and Leyline of Singularity (though less crazy about this one) could be in the sideboard. I will be updating it soon.

patchemon1984 Looks like a great start! I like it. I'll take a closer look and see what advice if any I can offer. I'm less familiar with the world of Vintage but I'll def give it a shot!

The transmute cost of mana of these cards will take your entire turn. Assuming they can't kill your overgrown battlement/you don't have one. So it slows you down immensely. Since you're running all colours I'd suggest Faithless Looting , Izzet Charm , Electrolyze , Telling Time , etc. Otherwise you're wasting a turn and they know what just went into your hand with transmute.

Modern is too fast for transmute.

Perplex is a hard counter in most cases. Opponents will probably never discard their hands unless they're playing Vengevine or something. It's a versatile card I guess, but wouldn't you rather run Mana Leak to counter and other cards to draw through your deck?

You get versatility at the cost of efficiency with the charms/transmute cards. Modern is too fast to sacrifice as much efficiency as many of your cards do.

Tata I see what you're saying, but mana generally isn't a problem for me by T4 and its exactly why I like having the charms to be able to protect my permanents at instant speed.

The deck is pretty much built around the Transmute mechanic, and it seems to be working pretty well. I'm able to grab the specific card I want, and worry about protecting it once I play it, rather than exchange for quicker and less mana intensive card draw which has no guarantee of getting me the card I need.

The Transmute effect in this deck essentially acts as Diabolic Tutor for 1 CMC cheaper. (As all of the key cards I need to win are 3 CMC) I know that I am sacrificing efficiency but I also don't have to worry about efficiency as much due to the heavy amount of mana I am able to generate from the ramp. The key to victory is protecting my combo for the turn it is on the field.

By T4 I can have as access to much as much as 9 mana, With that much mana, I would rather be able to pull the cards to win the game and protect the combo then gamble on card draw.

You also need a way to protect Axebane. In some games it would either get bounced or Abrupt Decay ed. In my version of the deck, I put a singleton Privileged Position in the sideboard against decks that run heavy removal. Have yet to test with it.

Why Privileged and not Asceticism? Because:

1. We have the mana to run it already so why not get the better one and;

2. If we can stall long enough, it prevents Merfolk from Spreading Seas on our lands.

I like Privileged Position and have run it in previous builds of this deck. I can be down with including in sideboard.

iamacasual Though this is why Simic Charm is there. To protect Axebane against Path to Exile and Abrupt Decay

Hmm...I took it out, maybe it belongs in. Will try it out.

What decks have you played against? I don't see how your cards are efficient enough to face the big interactive decks right now (Jund and America). I understand you get lots of mana, but that depends on keeping you axebane and overgrown battlements alive long enough to use them. Overgrown battlement is much more resilient than axebane (which dies to bolt), but they're both vulnerable to early-game paths, dismembers, and abrupt decays. The problem with relying on creatures to fuel the rest of your deck is that creatures are the most vulnerable card type. I can see why the charms protect against things post-3rd turn, but that would depend on your opponent not having spell pierce, mana leak, etc etc. Wouldn't Mizzium Skin be more effective? It can cost one mana to protect one dude and it can also protect everything for two mana (like the charms). I doubt you use the other charms' modes except for maybe bouncing something (but what? a bob?)

Mizzium Skin isn't as effective as Simic Charm for protection because it doesn't protect Freed from the Real . Also I have played this against Jund, Tron, Mill, (actually I dont think I have encountered America yet) and various other builds. As with any combo deck, its most challenging matchups are against Control types but even there it still holds its own generally due to the fact of the versatility of the cards at my disposal. I can protect the combo, and when I can't, another tutor to reset it isn't far behind. The fact that I essentially have 6 tutors and 5 of them can serve other functions vital to the deck's function are part of why its so effective. If my opponent wishes to waste their removal on my Overgrown Battlements that's fine. Primeval Titan is out there waiting for them.

Ha! You were the first person I thought of when Phenax (the new Blue Black Minor God) was spoiled. It turns all Freed from the Real infinite mana combos into instant "mill your opponent's entire deck"! What perfect timing. It works well with Defenders too. Just a thought. It is a little expensive for Modern at 5 CMC; but I couldn't help writing you when I saw that card after discussing this deck (my version including Bloom Tender etc.)....what a fun world MTG can be. Always new ideas being added. I'd +1 you again if I could. The deck looks great.

CurdBrosBrewingCo that is a handy Mill card. Christ! Generally the same could be accomplished with Blue Sun's Zenith with the infinite mana combo a bit more efficiently and not reliant on creatures in play. That said...that is going to be quite the mill staple.

Thanks again for all of the kind words and support!

Phenax is terrible.

What do your protect freed from the real from?

Naturalize or any other enchantment removal. The combo is vulnerable if Axebane or Freed are able to be removed.

For example the same Abrupt Decay could be used against the Axebane or the Freed...Mizzium Skin would only protect Axebane. The combo could still be broken up with the same card.

Often one or two of the spells gets countered. I'd look into either Grand Abolisher or Dosan the Falling Leaf against control decks.

Currently I have Abolisher because he costs less.

Plus Abolisher lets you counter their spells as well since it doesn't affect you.

Thanks UrbanAnathema! I appreciate it. I've told all my friends about this deck as it happens (I'd love to be able to take the credit for the ramp idea but somehow I doubt they'd believe me!).I plan to play it in a 9 or 10 handed vintage game. Vintage is great. It allows me to still use all the cards I had from back when I was a kid. Some of them go back to '93.

P.S I love popping back to this page every now and then to check it's progress!

patchemon1984 If you're running it in Vintage you can run Pemmin's Aura .