Arlinn is a fantastic addition to this deck by the way and are in my AER version of the deck, archive link. I wouldn't be opposed to stapling Arlinn to the maybeboard, actually

It's Friday fellow Gruul-Enthusiasts. I've got FNM Standard and 2 Game Day tournaments lined up. We'll see what FNM brings but currently I don't think there's much to change. Go forth, bring some glory to the battlefield and bring home some Glorybringers!

At FMN tonight I went 3-0 yet again.Game 1: 2-0 vs U/W tokens/enbalmGame 2: 2-0 vs Mono-Black ZombiesGame 3: 2-1 vs Mardu Vehicles (He won game one)No good pulls from my prize packs, but I had fun smashing some face.

Well, I also went undefeated at FNM tonight! I had some interesting matchups where they got the control/removal they needed and put me on edge a few times. I had 1 mulligan the whole night, so I'm pretty happy vs last week where I had quite a few which didn't help. Anyway, breakdown of the night:

• Round 1: 2-1 Win - RU Control with Torrential Gearhulk
• Round 2: 2-1 Win - 4c Energy with Bristling Hydra. It was really odd playing against Hydras and Longtusk Cub but dude ran four color with Spell Queller outta nowhere. Was... Odd...
• Round 3: 2-1 Win - BU Metalwork Colossus and Tezzeret the Schemer artifact deck. Had a poor sequence of plays and removal from my opponent that left Rhonas a statue during one match
• Round 4: 2-0 Win - WB Zombie, had to Fling a Hydra for lethal in game 1 or I was dead, amazing stuff

Oh and my 8 pack winnings had a Liliana, Death's Majesty and Gideon of the Trials... Muwuahahahaha

Congrats! And thank you for answering my questions. Im really looking fordward to build a deck like yours :P I know I would not be getting such amazing results as yours because Im a new player so I lack your experience but it looks really fun to play with.

Would you explain to me how do you use Harsh Mentor please? I just got 2 copies of him and reading the ruling it says that if the ability is being activated from the graveyard even if the card is going to be placed in the battlefield it doesnt trigger the Harsh Mentors ability so I am a little bit confused. Also I tried to use him today vs an eatherworks and fail miserably haha

zekhet: Okay so Harsh Mentor is a card I'm... Really not too sure of myself. He's extremely situational and to be honest I think as far as Aetherworks Marvel decks go, Manglehorn is just the better card even though it's higher CMC. And, yes, the activations need to be from an artifact, creature or land on the battlefield. So things like Scrapheap Scrounger or zombies/embalming are happening from the graveyard and dodge the Mentor's hate. However things on the battlefield will be triggering Mentor, here are a few examples:

• Vehicles like Heart of Kiran, any time you crew, take Mentor damage
• Pretty much any Tap abilities that don't produce mana, this includes Aetherworks Marvel's tap ability to do it's free spell.
• Honestly everything with a colon like Cost:Effect

There's a crap load of those types of effects. And since I'm on the subject, here's a quick look at the Top 8 Decklist and what cards Harsh Mentor will trigger on.... For both our benefit xD

• Zombies
• Cryptbreaker - Both abilities
• Shambling Vent - Don't forget these lands that can turn into creatures, that's a trigger for Mentor as well as Evolving Wilds
• Lord of the Accursed
• Westvale Abbey  ^Flip - not super effective against but hey every bit counts
• Marvel
• Shielded Aether Thief - tap ability
• Whirler Virtuoso - SUPER important here! They'll think twice before losing 2 life to make a 1/1 thopter.
• Woodweaver's Puzzleknot - now only gains them 1 life when they crack it from the battlefield
• Aetherworks Marvel - now costs 2 more life to spin! Wish it triggered that first ability though :(
• Lumbering Falls - Sneaky lands
• GB Energy
• Walking Ballista - here's where Harsh Mentor is probably best, aside from his ETB ability, the other two here are triggers for Mentor
• Longtusk Cub as well as our very own Bristling Hydra and Electrostatic Pummelers are actually triggers for Mentor. In a mirror matchup, you will want to bring Mentor in to punish those activations.
• Hissing Quagmire - Sneaky lands again
• I mentioned it already but, again, Heart of Kiran and crewing any vehicles is a trigger.

Okay, think that should cover most of the big meta things. It was actually really helpful for myself to type that list up because I totally DIDN'T sideboard Harsh Mentor the 4c energy deck I played against tonight who had 4x Longtusk Cubs and that would've been the perfect answer.. All well. Now we're both prepared xD

Hope everyone had a great Game Day. I managed to top 8 in the 2 events I attended, so got myself some sweet Glory. Match breakdowns below:

• Game Day 1
• Round 1: 1-2 Loss - Sultai Delirium
• Round 2: 2-0 Win - UB Zombie
• Round 3: 2-1 Win - Mono Red Aggro (holy cow, a fast deck to play against! I need more of these matchups)
• Round 4: 1-2 Loss - Eldrazi? There was a lot of misfiring on my deck today :(
• Game Day 2
• Round 1: 1-2 Loss - UW Control, this was all my fault, I didn't sideboard after game 1 because I smoked the doors off him. Lesson learned, always be sideboarding
• Round 2: 2-1 Win - WB Zombie
• Round 3: 2-0 Win - UB Zombie

Honestly as far as the zombie matchups go, I'm not terribly concerned, we can still get beaten up on that matchup but it's honestly not as bad as having to worry about control...

Okay, I do have one thought from today. I am having a problem with Built to Smash, the problem is it only works during attack phase and not prior to it, which would be useful in enabling Rhonas the Indomitable, too many games I lost because I couldn't do much with Pummeler and Rhonas on the table because I couldn't get Pummeler to lethal without the Built To Smash in hand or something. Looking at possibly going to a full playset of Invigorated Rampage or just swapping in some other cheap pump spell over BtS

So I found a 3rd Game Day to attend and was 1 of 3 participants, so the guy running it joined and we played 2 rounds.

• Round 1: 0-2 Loss - Mardu vehicles out-started me :-/
• Round 2: 2-0 Win - UW Control again showing that Prowling Serpopard is game ending in these matchups

Before the matchup I managed to trade for another Game Trail and swapped a Forest out for it. Last night I swapped the two Built to Smash out for two Larger Than Life, but looking back I think I'm going to ditch those as well for maybe another creature or two. I think the best option is either 1x Voltaic Brawler and 1x Invigorated Rampage or 2x Arlinn Kord  ^Flip or 2x Longtusk Cub

Yesterday I attended a game day went 2-2 and got 8th. (yay for full art GloryDragoon)

• Round 1: 1-0-1 U/W/R Control
• Round 2: 2-1 U/W Control
• Round 3: 1-2 U/G Ramp
• Round 4: 2-0 B/R Reanimate Ulamog

I'm thinking that along with dropping Built to Smash maybe we should try Longtusk Cub instead of Brawler. It might make Rhonas more consistent because it could eventually become a permanent 4/4.

I feel like this deck is moving more towards R/G stompy with some energy rather than R/G Pummeler/Fling. The problem with this is that pummeler wins me so many game ones.

shenobe: this deck has kinda always been R/G stompy with a side of pummeler, at least in how I've piloted it. But I have absolutely sideboarded out Pummeler after game 1 to purposefully throw off my opponent. The other strategy is to make Pummelers your distraction pieces for counter-spells, removal and other. After the first match, everyone tends to focus kill the Pummeler which lets you get some more Hydras on the board or so.

Larger Than Life left a bad taste in my mouth, the reason Built to Smash was so fantastic was that it was 1 mana, but if we're going to swap it out for a 2 drop, it should probably be a creature and I'm in reluctant agreement that Longtusk Cub is fit for the job. I really don't like the cub because 1, no ETB energy ability and 2, you have to actually hit your opponent to reap it. But I think in every case that I lost this weekend, I would've preferred having more creature options than pump options. So, going to toss the Cubs back in.

I've got 2 Standard Showdowns scheduled for this next weekend, I'll probably play this deck at those but debating on trying my latest deck creation at FNM this week: Bontucrats

Happy Friday all! I'm preparing a different deck for FNM tonight but there are two Standard Showdown tournaments going on this weekend that I plan to Gruul-Smash and report back on. In other news, I got to do a secret playtest study at Wizards yesterday and... Well.. I can't comment on what I saw at all, I signed an NDA, but I can comment on cards that I think won't be making the cut after July for this deck and to be perfectly honest, I think Electrostatic Pummeler might be on his way out. I may start shopping around different builds before HoD, but I will probably do like I did after Amonkhet release and make an archive of this build while I continue making modifications and changes here.

Best of luck this weekend and may your pulls be masterpieces :D

Well, FNM came and went and I did my Bontucrats deck instead which was a lot of fun but wasn't exactly super competitive. Had a showdown today, placed 2nd, so was great :D

• Round 1: 2-1 Win - BW Zombies, honestly my loss was because I was missing 5 cards :-/ woops
• Round 2: 2-0 Win - Interested RB Dynavolt Tower deck that was "built to counter Marvel".... Didn't fair too well against me
• Round 3: 1-2 Loss - UW Control played against an excellent pilot who managed to keep the board clean and the last play was just ridiculous, ain't even mad

Another day, another showdown, today another mirror matchup!

• Round 1: 2-0 Win - Dimir Zombies - two really early pummeler wins
• Round 2: 2-1 Win - Black Control - Interesting deck with Cruel Reality, could see that being a terror at your local FNM
• Round 3: 1-2 Loss - Mirror - Not quite the same build but I definitely got mana screwed game 3 putting me too far behind.

A potential change I'm considering to deal with the Mono Red threat is to remove the Voltaic Brawlers, add 1 Longtusk Cub and 2 Lathnu Hellion. Though I'm not sure, it kind of seems like in the Mono Red matchup we need more removal, in which case just side-boarding brawlers for removal is still the best option. The Hellions are fantastic for pressure and turn Rhonas on, but the drain on energy makes it less than ideal to run alongside Pummeler. They'd probably be better as sideboard options, but I can't think of anything to cut in the sideboard for hellions other than Kari Zev's Expertise which... Might be the answer :-/

Ding Dong, the witch is dead, Aetherworks Marvel got the banhammer, which is going to affect this deck in a very mild sense. I'm just spitballing my ideas and thoughts here in the comments and would love any insights on what I'm considering to cut and replace:

• Possibly Cut
• Harsh Mentor - Honestly this guy does more than hate on Marvel and even when he was hating on Marvel it wasn't that great, he's really better in the BG matchup as a deterrent for Walking Ballista use. It also has a benefit of being a 2/2 for 2 which is ideal to help out with Rhonas
• Manglehorn - This guy literally had one job, kill and delay marvel. As of now, he's pretty freaking useless except for the BG matchup with Gearhulks and Ballistas, which haven't been too big of an issue thanks to trample and Fling. But honestly, I think I'd rather have more Harsh Mentors rather than keep Manglehorns in the sideboard as I don't think the extra mana to drop a 2/2 artifact hate creature is worth it when we want to stack combat tricks and use Rhonas to activate Rhonas with other 2/2s
• Kari Zev's Expertise - This card is one that I'm not sure I want to give up. Even if you're not stealing an Ulamog you're at least stealing a potential blocker and getting a free cast, so the card still has great value, especially when Thing in the Ice  ^Flip is still, well, a thing. The only time this card isn't great is when you're already ahead or staring at a creatureless board from your opponent. If you're behind, it can help even things up a bit, if you're in a dead heat it will tip the balance in your favor heavily.
• Glorybringer - Honestly a fantastic card, but being my only 5 CMC card paints a target for being cut for something more efficient or enabling.

Looks like a good deck, Aetherworks Marvel is banned now, so no more Manglehorn? Also, NO MORE BUDGET NOOOOOO

ACDAMAN - it's been weird honestly. Manglehorn has seen some play from me still, the biggest threats that validate Manglehorn are Gearhulks and Vehicles like Heart of Kiran. Additionally, it was essential for a matchup against a B/W Aristocrat deck using Hidden Stockpile as all those servos lose a bit of their value coming in tapped. And to a much lesser extent, it may force your opponents hand with Walking Ballistas in that they'll have to prefire their counters before WB gets destroyed, or you'll at least force it to come in tapped.

Either way, I think the Gearhulks and Vehicles are still enough of a threat to justify Manglehorn and the main reason to keep Manglehorn over Dissenter's Deliverance is to keep a 2/2 creature on the board that can be pumped by and in return activate our Rhonas the Indomitable in a pinch.

BonVoyYawg Great reasons! Hope to see this sort of deck played a lot!

Would combat celebrant be a viable option in this, I love the looks of this deck but I like to out my own touch in decks to try

tonyret121 - The problem with Combat Celebrant is it lacks haste and when you're playing with Pummeler, you're trying to win during one combat phase by pumping it up to ungodly levels and trampling over anything small. It might be a good sideboard option as a replacement to the Pummelers entirely during sideboarding. But if double combat steps is what you're looking for, I'd almost take Lightning Runner over Celebrant solely for the Haste aspect, but again only as a sideboard replacement for Pummeler (or mainboard replacement for pummeler). If you're interest is in a beatdown or exert/beatdown, this shell minus pummelers, fling, and a few others isn't a bad one to build off of, but there are plenty more templates that might fare better as I'm very focused on Electrostatic Pummeler and double combat steps isn't what he's hoping to accomplish.

As for "netdecking" and personal touch, I think the latter comes naturally :) This deck is tweaked and tuned for the meta I play against (very spikey Seattle scene), your mileage may vary and you might see more Zombie players and need more Sweltering Suns or mainboarding Magma Spray over Harnessed Lightning. As you consider taking this deck to your local FNM, consider the meta you've seen and what might work better or worse. Is there a lot of Fatal Push removal? Maybe run more Voltaic Brawlers or drop them completely and run fewer Longtusk Cubs as they won't be fetching you as much energy without losing a Blossoming Defense. That's why I've kept my Maybeboard as up-to-date with what I think are fantastic additions.

I don't think people should be ashamed to netdeck and I freely put this up here for others to copy and even study (I've played one or two players who've read this whole article studying up on how to beat me ;-) ). This deck started as a netdeck and evolved over time as I learned my local meta and dreamed up new combinations and cards. Plus, Hours of Devastation is just around the corner

So I'm perusing the Hours of Devastation spoilers and picking out some cards to keep an eye on:

Good

• Neheb, the Eternal - Honestly a decent replacement for Glorybringer, Afflict and free mana for postcombat is really good, plus it blocks 5 powered creatures without (too much) fear
• Wildfire Eternal - This is another good replacement for GB and bringing this guy in also lets us bring sorcery pumps like Larger Than Life, maybe even a Pummeler Package Replacement
• Crash Through - Card Draw and Trample for 1, it's so simple, yet awesome
• Abrade - Damage or Artifact removal for 2, perfect

Meh

• Rhonas's Last Stand - Honestly still a good consideration
• Hour of Devastation - Might be a better Sweltering Suns, but also pretty pricey
• Resilient Khenra - It's a pump on a stick and eternalizing later is some value
• Uncage the Menagerie - I only really see this being played for 4 CMC to get a Servant and Brawler/Cub, maybe for a Serpopard and Pummeler

Bad

• Samut, the Tested - 4 mana double-strike when it comes down to it, you're not going to ultimate her unless you're already well ahead.

I think the only card that I'm looking forward to for RG Pummeler is Abrade for the sideboard, I might make a few changes and monitor the Neheb situation as it develops

Hey, so this is a pretty nice decklist. I've been looking for one of these that won't rotate out ever sicne I stumbled across the MTG Goldfish post on the Poisonless Infect. I'm getting into standard, and don't want to drop $300 on the red deck that just took pro tour, or even more on the constrictor, and this looks fun enough to make losing OK while legitimate enough to, well, not lose.

My biggest question is what you anticipate replacing the rotating cards with. I really like the look of the PW you dismissed above, but I haven't played the deck enough to see why you would deem it bad; it seems like doublestrike would be a decent way to no-energy double the pummeler again.

I look forward to your inputs... I do believe this deck, minus the rotating lands and PW, will be in the mail shortly.

Also, I did read your maybeboard considerations. Just curious what you are leaning most towards, is all.

Monitor: Thankfully this decklist only has the two dual lands rotating out after Ixalan drops in September. While Ixalan is bringing back check lands, it sounds like it will be allied colors and Gruul will get to miss out and be a bit at a disadvantage. Going forward, I would pick up a playset of Sheltered Thicket and swap that in at rotation because that's about our only dual land outside Aether Hub. Sucks, but we have enough mana fixing that it will only be a minor slow-down overall and the cycling will be handing in more than a few situations. If you have Thickets, might as well toss them in now, though like I said they do slow things down a turn if you're unlucky.