Early in the Khans of Tahkir block, this article popped up in Star City Games, and I fell in love.
http://www.starcitygames.com/article/29428_The-Deck-That-Made-Me-Cry.html
I before then LOVED Mardu Ascendancy, and even now, I love this card. The first list on the article is the deck I took and played for a month or two till the meta shifted, but I never really wanted to give up on the deck, or more importantly the card.
I want to play with this card in Modern. I think the list can still be competitive, but I need to tune it a little further for the Modern Theater. (With the note that i do not understand what Modern play really looks like)
This is my current card Line Up
1 Drop Creatures
Monastary Swiftspear - Still good, still is pretty aggressive, and benefits from the casual control elements in the deck. Just a good beater. Rarely sorry to draw one early or mid game.
Rakdos Cackler - 2 Power for 1 mana is the standard. It doesn't have a lot of synergies, but a Bear is a Bear. I have always liked this card, and it's just nice to dust it off again. This replaces Firedrinker Satyr.
Foundry Street Denizen - Ugh. Okay, this has a good synergy with Mardu Ascendancy, and I like it because of that, but otherwise, it just seems underpowered most of the time. I really wish there was a better option for this card.
Two Drop Creatures
Goblin Wardriver - I've also liked this card a lot. While I like Goblin Rabblemaster (which this is replacing), I like that it's smaller, and boosts everything, not just Goblins, and doesn't force me to act when I may not want to be acting.
Akroan Hoplite - A Change by the original creator in the comments of the article, The Hoplite is insane once you drop a Ascendancy. It easily gets to 5-9 power and just forces a defensive action. It is marvelous.
Four Drop
Ogre Battledriver - I want to try this. This may just end up being worse than Butcher of the Horde (which this replaces), but having your Goblins from Ascendancy pop out and do 3 instead of 1 just seems insane to me. I still don't know if this is better than Butcher of the Horde, which is why they are in the sideboard at this time.
Spells
Mardu Ascendancy - Protects us from damage and toughness based wipes, and fuels massive attacks and damage. This is why we are playing the deck.
Lightning Bolts - Replaces Stoke the Flames, it's just hard to do better than Lightning Bolt in Modern for removal and direct damage.
Boros Charm - THis replaces Ride DOwn, and I think it's just a better card overall. An unblocked Hoplite with Surprise Double Strike, or a save from removal is just value.
Titan's Strength - I just can't think of a reason not to run this.
Sideboard is in flux, because I have no clue what I need for the Meta Game.
I also feel the Mana Base is a mess, but I'm not sure what to do to make it better. I am basically taking the list mostly and running with it.
...
So I a really looking for tuning advice. I think this deck is still awesome when it hits it's cylinders, and is a lot of fun when it gets going. I really could use some ideas on how to make it even better, though.
