Took this deck to a Standard tournament at a local store last week, and did surprisingly well. 22 competitors at Draxtar Games, and the deck went 4-1 for a #2 finish. Here's how it went:
Round One: Vs. Orzhov
Pretty straightforward match. In both games, my opponent ended up with only a few land on the field, unable to play anything after the first couple of turns. I was pretty much able to build up my board with a Voice and Varolz, taking the victory with little hindrance. 2-0
Round Two: Vs. Gruul
My second match was against someone I knew back in high school, who was running a Gruul deck of sorts featuring Gruul Ragebeast and Borborygmos Enraged. He actually got both of those out in the first game, putting me in dire straits, but they blocked when I had Vault of the Archangel mana open and gave me no further problems.
I sided in some Tragic Slips and Selesnya Charms for the second game, with the purpose of getting rid of his big creatures. A couple of early Fiend Hunter draws, alongside some well-placed Slips, kept him from ever building up his board and I was able to keep swinging. 2-0
Round Three: Vs. Selesnya Tokens
This match went a little less smoothly. I accidentally kept a bad hand in the first game - an Arbor Elf and two lands that I couldn't untap with it - that kept me from doing anything as he threw tokens at me unhindered. The second game had my opponent in a similar situation, flooding on Plains when he needed Forests and leaving him unable to play anything. For the third game, his mana stabilized, but I managed to rez a wurm from my graveyard using Unburial Rites while Fiend Huntering his tokens, letting me take his life down in a couple of turns. 2-1
Round Four: Vs. Orzhov
I know it's a coincidence, but my opponent in this game had the same difficulties as my first opponent, despite being an entirely different person. During both games we played, his mana didn't come together, and he seemed to forget that Orzhov Keyrune produces mana as well. I took two wins with little problem, though I would like it to go on the record that anyone who puts One Thousand Lashes on Varolz, the Scar-Striped is a jerk. 2-0
Round Five: Vs. Junk Midrange
I was pretty surprised that my final match for the evening was a mirror. Unfortunately, both games went poorly for me, the same way both times. My draws were acceptable, but my opponent got an Acidic Slime out to destroy my land and ruin my mana pacing. When I tried to kill his creatures, he Restoration Angeled them back, which meant resetting his Slimes to destroy even more land. This same thing happened in both games, and a Sin Collector taking my Rites in the second game followed by a poor Grisly Salvage meant I wouldn't be able to come back. 0-2
My biggest problem against the mirror was raw deck power. His creatures consisted of Restoration Angels and Thragtusks, which I don't have and am kind of reluctant to spend the money on now. My opponent suggested that I add in Sin Collectors for a bit of a controlling angle, and we discussed the fact that my Guildgates were clearly covering for holes in shock land coverage. Friendly guy, though, and I was laughing my whole way through that last match because of how badly I was getting wrecked. A fun evening.
