I really like flashy aggro decks with a lot of play to them / decisions, mainly focused around tricky instants and small but efficient and aggressive creatures. I've been toying around with this list for a little bit, and finally feel comfortable with where it's at.
Is it meta? No way. Is it great? Probably not.
But, it's fun to pilot because it has a lot of play to it. I played a less streamlined version (more on this below) at two events and went 4-1 and 2-2, respectively. The changes were made in light of the three games I lost and the six games I won, taking into account what was good and what was bad.
Previous Version
The build that I took to those two events was a little bit different. Instead of:
x4 Pacifistx1 Arlinnx2 Sin Prodderx1 Stratus Dancer
It ran these choices instead:
x4 Thing in the Icex1 Ire Shamanx1 Den Protectorx2 Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh
The previous version had a spicy 1-1-1 split of the megamorph cards in the relevant colors, making it nearly impossible to play around Dancer. I found this to be mainly just goofy and not actually good, and whenever I saw Ire Shaman or Den Protector I wished that it was Stratus Dancer. For that reason, I decided to bump one of the megamorph cards into something else (Arlinn) and just run 2 Stratus Dancers instead
Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh was surprisingly easy to flip in the previous version. I think, in the 9 rounds of magic I played with the previous version, I was able to flip it four or five times, which is impressive considering how hard it is to get it to flip. That being said, forcing a three mana 2/2 into the deck just because I can flip it theoretically isn't great, and I found myself sideboarding it out a lot. For that reason, I changed them into Sin Prodder. Sin Prodder is just as weak to removal, but has Menace, and has the potential to either get us more cards or do damage, both of which we're very interested in.
I originally ran Lambholt Pacifist in the sideboard as a sub-out for Thing in the Ice against Aggro, and even in non-aggro match ups I sideboarded in all four almost every game. I was never able to flip Thing in the Ice, whereas the restriction on the front side of Lambholt Pacifist was basically never an issue. Lambholt is a better blocker, with the 3/3 body (because she can actually kill things), and easily becomes a 4/4 (or bigger) either by flipping or pumping. For that reason, the Things got taken out for the not-so-peaceful Pacifists.
Last but not least I threw an Arlinn in there. I originally had two in the sideboard, and it was good when I saw it, but it never seemed like a "sideboard" card. I like all the modes of Arlinn in this deck: pumping one guy with evasion, making a token, giving my guys +1/+1 and trample (which is great against Tokens), lightning bolt, and the ultimate which I'll probably never use. Because she's four mana and all the other spells on our curve are pretty much locked in, I think one is a good number. This flex spot could really be anything else, but I feel like x1 of a good planeswalker in our colors that can generate advantage while maintaining aggression is good.
Match Ups
This deck, in the 9 rounds I played with the less optimal version, was really good against certain kinds of decks. If your opponent is playing something like GWx midrange, or UWx midrange, or really any midrange / aggro deck that plays one thing at a time, you're most likely going to win. You have a lot of ways to deal with one thing at a time while gaining tempo: tap it down with Bounding Krasis EOT, hit it was a cheap burn spell and get a prowess trigger, etc.
This deck sideboards very aggressively against control with x4 Negate, x2 Obligator, x2 Tracker, and x2 Chandra being options. The mainboard match up isn't amazing, but if you can land some clutch Titan's Strengths after they've tapped out for a Gideon or something, you'll probably be fine. Adding an extra Stratus Dancer really helps in testing (always play it face-down with two mana up). Since your creatures are tempo-heavy and efficient, make sure you never have more than one on board to minimize the damage of boardwipes. Also, remember that Titan's Strength saves a Stormchaser Mage from Languish!
Against GWx Tokens decks and/or Bant Company, you wanna try and do some early damage, and then use your x8 burn spell package to finish them off. Save your Atarka's Commands to react to any sort of lifegain, or to get in for a huge swing uninterrupted, or else you're likely going to lose. Try your best to counter a Collected Company or a Secure the Wastes (depending on the deck) with Stratus Dancer. Secure is awkward, but you've got Dancers / Chasers to fly over the tokens, and Arlinn's flip-sided anthem effect gives all your dudes trample. Against these decks, bring in Kozilek's Return and some negates. You have plenty of ways to deal with creatures, via burn and Bounding, so bring in those negates to deal with their "business spells:" walkers and Secure.
In Conclusion
If you're like me and you enjoy playing aggressive, proactive decks with a lot of play to them, you'll probably like playing this deck. No match up just feels terrible and unwinnable, and the deck has the potential to do tons of damage out of nowhere. It's an aggressive deck with strong synergies and reach. If that's what you're into, give it a shot and tell me what you think in the comments.
If I get enough comments / feedback, I'll update this with a sideboard guide. I'm also taking it to another Friday Night Magic today, so the score of how I've done with the deck will be updated (reflecting the positive changes I've made to the deck since the last tournament).
