Interesting choice to be not using green in a ramp deck, but honestly this works almost as well given how many Scions you can create, and that you have Oblivion Sower. You might want to add Leyline of the Void or Rest in Peace though, they would be useful.

Those are both good ideas, ComboCrazy, and I considered them, but they each turn out to have a fatal flaw (Rest in Peace in particular).

Leyline of the Void is so good. But I'd need at least a three-of, for the following reason: three cards out of sixty will show up at a 50% probability on either an opening hand of seven or the mull to six, when considered together. So three is the low end I think, for such an important part of the deck. But, Leyline will be a bad card pretty much any time after the opening hand, and it is a terrible topdeck, which matters because this deck topdecks well.

Rest in Peace cannot play because it nukes the critical Lingering Souls recursion, which is invaluable and is a huge part of the reason to play white. (RiP would be a much better early draw or topdeck than Leyline, though.) Souls stalls like nobody's business, which is part of the plan, and Spirit tokens simply shut down the board when Vault of the Archangel is present. Souls is far too important to nerf.

The relevant advantage is that the artifacts power a key aspect of the deck--graveyard exile, which we need a lot of--but they also cantrip. The importance of this can't be overstated, and at 6 copies they can provide truly relevant draw opportunities. This is what makes them good topdeck draws, especially when we have so much mana in the late game.

Oh, yeah. Leyline of the Void and Rest in Peace would kind of break your Lingering Souls' flashback... But another thing: Dark Ritual. It would allow you to get a lot of mana with just one black available. With Eye of Ugin and two lands, you could get most of your ramp Eldrazi, like Blight Herder and stuff.

I'd play Dark Ritual in a second--and so would everybody else I'd wager--if it were only Modern legal.

Ha, think about it: T1 Urborg --> Thoughtseize, T2 Eye of Ugin --> Dark Ritual --> Oblivion Sower (netting several enemy lands), T3 Eldrazi Temple --> Ulamog.

That would be a pretty good sequence. Oh well.

There is another version that costs and has a thresh hold ability that puts into your pool. That one's modern legal.

Are you maybe thinking of Cabal Ritual? I'm afraid that isn't Modern legal either, but even if it were it wouldn't be a good fit because our own yards are so often exiled to Relic of Progenitus, so Threshold strategies aren't as likely to pay off.

Thanks for the suggestions, I appreciate the community's help with this new archetype.

Oh yeah, now that I see it I remember that one isn't legal either. Darn. You're welcome for the suggestions though! :)

I love your list. Just wondering how surgical is working out for you in the mb. Also every other BW build I have seen runs 25 lands, what made you decide to drop one?

Good questions, OrosTheAvengerX. The Surgical Extractions are new-ish and I wouldn't say I'm completely convinced, but they seem pretty good.

Not being able to exile cards (if Relic and Claws don't show up early game) is pretty common and it is a bummer. It is also pretty common to cast Strangler T2 without a Processor target, and SE can help with that; doubly so if it happens after an early IoK or Thoughtseize. Costing to cast makes it quite strong in the early game. But I am not so sure about it in the late game. I wish it cantripped. Still testing.

I went to 24 lands because the deck can get more from Sower, and it just felt too land-heavy to me. Also the list already feels extremely tight; making room for one more (cheap) spell felt like the right idea--see the explanation of SE above.

I really want room for a one-of Expedition Map, which would help with fixing. I might end up taking out an SE for it. I also really like the idea of Stonecloaker, but again, what to cut?

How has this deck worked out for you? I'm building virtually the same list, except doing 2 Dismember in the main, where you have Doom Blade, and 2 Expedition Map in place of Scrabbling Claws. Any feedback you can give against some popular decks in the format?

Tron is impossible with this build and that means it needs changing. I am thinking maybe Duress in the sb for Tron, Twin, Burn etc. plus added GQ and Surgical Extraction in the board for Tron/Bloom/Scapeshift.

Midrange decks like BGx get eaten alive. Their critters get outclassed, we have lots of tokens for Lili and card draw in Relic/Claws, we nuke their yard wrecking Goyf and Scooze.

Affinity is pretty good if we get our Souls out on time plus post-board hate makes G2/3 more favorable. Souls is also great against Infect.

Burn is near impossible pre-board but in G2/3 if we get off a Rest for the Weary it makes it much, much harder for them to finish us off.

Twin is surprisingly good, possibly favorable for us I'd say, which is huge. Nuking their yard shuts down their Snap/plan B thing and Remand is a joke against a huge chunk of our deck, often actually helping us when they cast it.

Knightfall, Abzan Company, and other GY-reliant builds are nerfed pretty hard by Relic and Claws and again Souls stalls vs. aggro until we get big (huge) critters out late game. Ulamog can mean infinite life is not a win con.

Bogles I haven't played but I bet it is very tough. Discard is key, they often keep a one-critter opener.

Merfolk and Elves are very hard because they don't feed the yard well. Don't accept any Sower-exiled Islands from Merfolk (ask me how I know). The deck is not fast enough to beat these guys G1 and sweepers are desperately needed G2/3.

Living End I also haven't played yet but... ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Good luck with that man.

Thanks a lot for the feedback. I can see Burn being a problem, but I seriously can't wait to process their Rift Bolt then -3/-3 a Goblin Guide lol.

Have you considered Languish over Damnation? Same CMC, but Languish will kill basically any creature heavy deck and leave Eldrazi still standing. Could be a good answer to Merfolk, CoCo decks, and Affinity. I would also consider dropping the Caves of Koilos and going to 4 Ghost Quarter. Having the extra land destruction against Tron pieces is good, following it up with Surgical Extraction would be great.

You're welcome. That is an amazing play vs. Burn and could certainly happen but Burn is one deck and that is one very specific play situation you describe.

The problem with cutting any source is color consistency, which I ran into big problems with in earlier builds with higher GQ counts.

I have thought about Languish but I happen to own 2 Damnation and 0 Languish. I've had my eye on other problems like Tron but I think you are right. There is a discussion happening at mtgsalvation.com; here are my proposed changes.

Big SB and minor MD hanges to help vs. Tron, Burn, Bogles, and mono-color fast aggro.

Maindeck changes:

Wasteland Strangler has been inconsistent for me. I am cutting 3 and adding 3x Spellskite to block vs. aggro and steal spells in G1 vs. Burn and Bogles.

Took out 1 Surgical Extraction to add 1 All Is Dust for aggro if I can hold out until I get it off.

Doom Blade goes back to Go for the Throat to get around opponent's Spellskites.

Sideboard changes:

To fix the Tron match I am running 2 Expedition Map to tutor my MD Ghost Quarters. Three more Surgical Extraction from the side hope to shut them off Tron entirely. Stony Silence remains for Tron and Affinity, and possibly the mirror.

Blood Moon can be a problem and that will only increase with the addition of mandatory- Oath cards. Map tutors for Plains and can get a Wastes, in a couple of weeks.

Fast aggro gets a second Damnation in the board in place of the All is Dust that was there, plus I am keeping the singleton Engineered Explosives.

Celestial Purge goes away, regrettably, but there are only 75 available cards. Sacrifices must be made.

Changes:

All is Dust was too slow and had to go. Now 2x Damnation and 2x EE in the board for sweepers.

Three Skites was too many and slowed the deck down too much. Now 2x Skite and 3x Strangler, who is really good if you can put the pieces together. It is inconsistent, though.

Spellskite kept being annoyingly durdly and had to go. Upped the creature count and added the OGW cards I had my eye on. If Bogles and/or Scapeshift come on in a big way Skite might make a reappearance.

4-0'ed a field of 42 last night, beat Burn (lucky), Jeskai Geist, Jund, and a UBRG Pump brew. Reality Smasher, Thought-Knot Seer, and Lingering Souls were my all-stars. Oblivion Sower is going out of the build altogether--too slow and not needed--and even Ulamog is being considered for replacement because I play him so rarely and side him out so often. The current mid-game plan of Herder, Smasher, and Seer is what is winning me games, not the late-game Titan.

Eldrazi Displacer is cute but not fast enough so it goes too. I am going to add Sorin, Solemn Visitor for lifegain.

Fetid Heath works extremely well in this build as a 5th Caves of Koilos that taps for all three "colors" and I have been running it where the Wastes is. But Heath doesn't help against Blood Moon, Path to Exile, or Ghost Quarter, so I think the Wastes is the right play.

At 24 lands with three being fetches, do you ever find yourself just shy of being able to cast eight 5 drops? My list is very similar to yours, and I am a bit worried that it is too top heavy even with four sol lands.

Y'know, OrosTheAvengerX, actually sometimes yes I do. I seem to get stuck at three to four lands more than I would like. 24 does not seem too low to me for reliably making drops but it happens noticeably often.

Maybe it was always like this and I only notice now because of the height of my curve. Might need to think about 1-2 Matter Reshaper or Eldrazi Displacer to replace a Herder and/or Smasher.

Think I'll start tracking this. Thanks!

Lowering the curve is not bad, I am just not sure how well matter reshaper fits into the deck. Another option would be Mind Stone. Provides colorless ramp and can be cashed in later when not needed.

Mind Stone is a good idea and I may give it a shot. My thinking behind running Reshaper is A) it gives me something to do early (trades with Nacatl, Merfolk lords, etc.), and B) it will draw me a land 40% of the time when it dies.

I want to keep my creature count as high as possible, because I have been playing BW Midrange builds for a long time, and have found myself running out of gas and being unable to keep pressure on my opponent.

I appreciate your thoughtful feedback.

I am eager to hear how Matter Reshaper works for you. I browse the MTGSalvation forum so I am sure I will see your post there. Personally I am going to stick with 25 lands and four blight herders to feed abbey.

I went 4-1 last night coming in 4th out of 39 players. I played as constructed above, with no Reshapers, and I didn't miss them.

Matches:
2-1 vs. Free Win Red featuring Blood Moon, Ensnaring Bridge, and Koth of the Hammer
2-0 vs. Storm
1-2 vs. Jund
2-1 vs. Five Color Domain Zoo featuring Geist of Saint Traft, Siege Rhino, and Tribal Flames
2-0 vs. Skred Red

Last night I placed 4th of 36, going 3-0-1. Again I was happy with the list despite the apparent high curve.

2-0 vs. Infect
2-0 vs. BUG Control/Superfriends Homebrew
1-1-1 vs. UR Storm
2-1 vs. 8-Whack