Not sure what it's called, but there's a card very similar to Blood Artist from Shards of Alara. Maybe it's worth checking out...

Scorprix: Cool, I'll check it out and see if I can find it. I wouldn't mind increasing the leave-the-battlefield triggers here.

Scorprix: Is it Deathgreeter ? He used to be in here, but I took him out, because I want to deal damage on that trigger rather than gain life, if possible.

nice deck +1

Thanks, jessebow2000. I've been working on it for a month now, and I think it's pretty much complete.

Why Banishing Light ? Oblivion Ring is strictly better. Even though you'll never be able to proc its perma-exiling effect, once in a blue moon your opponent might have a card effect that does proc it, thus giving you that rare edge that Banishing Light wouldn't.

Oh, I should also say Oblivion Ring can target something you control, so they could have made one of your creatures more of a detriment that you need to get rid of, and O-ring helps with that.

Femme_Fatale: Thanks! I actually hadn't noticed the difference between the two until you pointed it out. I will pick up Oblivion Ring tomorrow. I was thinking I might need to be able to remove Dark Prophecy if I am ever in a situation where it could kill me.

It's (very) slightly better to play 2 Soul Warden and 2 Soul's Attendant rather than 4 Soul's Attendant . There are a few cards that can punish you for having several creatures with the same name, and although none of them really see much play in Modern, you can never be too careful.

Trivialphysicist: I will keep that in mind. I actually just swapped Soul Warden out for Soul's Attendant because it is better against Rain of Gore and similar spells, but the scenario you are describing is probably more likely.

That scenario is mostly seen in UW decks or american and that spell is Detention Sphere but if you face golgari look out for Maelstrom Pulse because thats another that does it very well

Don't bother. Being a BBB card, you actually have an incredibly hard time getting it out on turn 3, especially with your mana base not having fetches or shocks. Also being your only draw card mechanic, it is easily discarded.

Also to note: Aegis of the Gods purpose to shut down Discard, Burn and Combo decks is quite pointless for a few reasons: Discard happens turn one, and both discard and burn have tonnes of creature removal. You are better of with Leyline of Sanctity , because it enters before the game evens starts, giving you an upped advantage.

I think your biggest problem with this deck is you are relying on too much interactions between your cards for victory. Blood Artist and Bloodchief Ascension are your two main methods of killing. Blood Artist is incredibly weak, and Bloodchief Ascension takes a few turns to get set up, by which your opponent probably has found an answer to it.

Now because you rely on tonnes of interactions to supply a minimal effort, a single card can provide problems for you. A single Tarmogoyf on the field that is constantly swinging, a single destroy spell that chucked one of your enchantments, a single discard spell discarding your pivotal card. The removal you have just isn't enough to recover from a few blows to the cards you have, because the chances of getting those cards again to complete the synergy is slim.

Believe it or not, Ghostly Prison does not help much. It costs 3 mana, so against an aggro deck you've already been dealt potentially 2-3 turns of damage. Now when it comes out your opponent already has 3-4 mana, meaning they can still attack with 2 creatures constantly. That isn't much of a suppression. And when your opponents deck relies on swinging with only a few creatures at a time to win? (BUG control, UWR control, jund, Junk) You are kinda screwed because those decks have lots of mana available and don't have to worry about the limitations.

Blind Obedience is another card that shouldn't be mainboarded. It is too weak against so many decks to be worthwhile. At best it is sideboard against RDW and aggro, it helps stop things like Ball Lightning and slows your opponent down. Against most other decks, it is practically useless.

Why do you have no tutors? Tutors are must haves for any combo deck.

Here are the decks I tested against yours:

You being unable to target my creatures because of Leonin Shikari + Lightning Greaves was a big problem. Not to mention Puresteel Paladin 's ability to draw me into more lands at every turn to supply a constant attack with even two Ghostly Prison s out.

None of your creatures could heal you fast enough against Skullcrack and a constant barrage of burn to the face. You died on turn 5.

With so much control and discard, I was able to take out a few pivotal cards leaving you helpless as you hoped to draw the right card.

A similar match with athreos test deck, but in this case, small little creatures with massive P/T aren't really hindered by Ghostly Prison . Not to mention Phyrexian Unlife makes your strategy useless.

Cards I would take out:

• 3x Ghostly Prison
• 2x Blind Obedience
• 4x Soul's Attendant
• 2x Suture Priest
• 4x Ajani's Pridemate
• 2x Dark Prophecy

For ...

• 3x Idyllic Tutor
• 1x Shred Memory
• 2x Thoughtseize
• 2x Inquisition of Kozilek
• 2x Tidehollow Sculler
• 1x Genesis Chamber
• 3x Dark Confidant
• 3x Gods Willing

Just play-test this out in another copy and see how it works for you. Report back your findings and we'll work through the kinks. In no way is this an ideal list, I just believe that you should find a better angle for your deck to work more efficiently. Start from here and continue onward. If there are budget concerns, display them and this list can be altered.

Femme_Fatale: Thank you very much for giving my deck so much attention.

I don't want to seem ungrateful (I'm really glad, even flattered, that you felt this deck was worth spending your time so thoroughly playtesting), but I do have a bit of a problem with your testing methods and some of your card suggestions.

First, you are testing this deck against decks it was not designed to beat, and will never beat. The two $1400+ orzhov decks and the $500 burn deck, in particular. (I actually think I could take down the Kor one with this I don't need to target your creatures, and would sideboard out Path to Exile against that deck but that's not important.)

Second, adding just two Dark Confidant would double what I have spent on this deck so far, and you're recommending that I add three. Were I to go with all of your suggestions here, I'd be gutting half the deck, spending a ridiculous amount of money on cards, and ending up with something that isn't really much different from what everybody else is playing.

I think the reason so many people have liked this deck is that it is very different from what they've seen before, and can appreciate the creativity and attention to cost-effectiveness that went into its design.

My last gripe, before we get to the positive stuff, is that you're a little shortsighted in some of your critiques. For example, I wouldn't be dumb enough to drop Aegis of the Gods against a burn deck without Mark of Asylum already in place. And every card is easily discarded against a discard deck. That's the point of a discard deck. Your 90$ Dark Confidant is easily discarded by a discard deck.

Anyway, that said, some of your recommendations are very good ones, and would be appropriate in here. I just happen to have Inquisition of Kozilek and Tidehollow Sculler (thank you Modern Event Deck), and the tutors are smart choices (though I hate tutoring in Modern... always feels like I can't keep up after spending a turn tutoring). I will be thinking about how I might mainboard them.

Again, thank you for the advice. I'm not saying you're wrong--your choices are perfectly logical outside the context of my budget and play style--I'm just saying I wouldn't and couldn't add a lot of these cards.

Huh. I had some interior brackets in that second paragraph that disappeared on me.

You can't discard a before the game Leyline of Sanctity , and your strategy of playing BOTH Aegis of the Gods and Mark of Asylum is a bad one against RDW. The reasons are this, RDW generally kills in turns 4-6, the chances of getting both those cards in that time frame is slim, and they still got the numerous creatures they can chuck at you once you get the two set up on turns 3-5. But as for alternatives ... Imperial Mask , Ivory Mask and Witchbane Orb are all things to consider.

As for budget alternatives, use Sign in Blood instead of Dark Confidant but put it as a 4 of. Thoughtseize could be replaced with Duress , but keep sideboard alternatives handy.

As for tutors, I don't think there are any 1 cmc mono-B transmute cards. There is only Shred Memory for your 2 cmc ones. And since with those changes you won't have any 3 cmc cards, you won't have to use Dimir Machinations . You could try Maralen of the Mornsong , but that also means no card draw, more hate cards, and an altered sideboard against combo. Hmm ... I guess there is Diabolic Tutor , Infernal Tutor and Beseech the Queen .

Oh, and RDW is only $500 because I put in shock lands even though it doesn't need them entirely. So on whole it is probably only ... $185. On that note, why the fuck is Scalding Tarn up to $75?! Christ ... it just keeps going and going and going ...

Oh, I forgot to mention Greater Auramancy for enchantment protection.

Dark Tutelage is a three drop black enchantment that does the exact same thing as Dark Confidant its the exact same ability just not on a creature but an enchantment. also this deck would want more enchantments and to throw in Pacifism or Sphere of Safety would make the deck a very hard deck for both control and agro to face. their creatures would get locked down. and all their mana would have to be spent on attacking with a single creature if they can do such a thing. also consider Journey to Nowhere for its oblivion ring for only 1 colorless less (I know it only targets creatures)! I really like the life gain effect of your creatures but if you go the enchantment route also have the infinite Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond . this will allow your deck to instant win once you gain life. I hope this idea of making it enchantment heavy is not one you disregard but would embrace because most colors (blue, green the major exceptions) have a harder time removing enchantments especially black because it deals with mostly creature removal. im sorry this post is very long but I hope it helps your deck

Thanks, Femme_Fatale. Of the tutor cards you suggested, I think Shred Memory and Dimir Machinations will work best (I'm not dropping my 3-drops). Sign in Blood is horrible, and if I were to do anything like that, I'd probably put Wall of Omens back in here first (at least I get a wall out of it, rather than a sorcery in my graveyard and whatever card is sitting behind it.)

For now, I am adding to the ETB opponent's side triggers, since that's how I end up dealing the most damage with this deck. I put in 4x Blood Seeker . That should focus things a little better than Ajani's Pridemate , though I'll miss that combo with Mercy Killing .

Jamesfurrow: Dark Tutelage is a great suggestion. I may need to add that here.

As for Pacifism , the reason I like Oblivion Ring is that it can also target any non-land permanent, rather than just creatures. Really important for removing a Torpor Orb , Rain of Gore , or for knocking out an Expedition Map against a tron deck. I have Path to Exile for creatures, but can still use Oblivion Ring when necessary.

Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond is too slow of a combo for this deck, unfortunately. I love it, and use it in one of my more casual decks, but the 5-drops are really hard on my mana base. I don't think I've ever seen anybody pull it off in tournament play.

I understand that but that was why I was suggesting both Sphere of Safety and Pacifism to severly slow down the opponents decks so you can then use such a combination. I was trying to simply make your deck slow down the barrage of creatures like AEtherling or a full set of Ash Zealot + Goblin Guide from crushing you while you set yourself up for that win con. and I was not saying to remove o ring but I was saying to add to it so you can have more enchantments that would benefit Sphere of Safety . I was thinking enchantment heavy because no one would have enough enchantment hate in their deck and sideboard to fully remove what you would build up.

Femme_Fatale: I added the Gift of Immortality + Kami of False Hope combo in here. I think it should iron out some of the issues you addressed. What do you think of the build I have going now? I know you don't like Ghostly Prison , but I really do. I did shave one off, however.

Curse of Death's Hold and Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite would work nicely in here also. though they might slow the deck down a bit still very effective. also have you thought of using Lightmine Field instead of Ghostly Prison ?

Oooo... I have never seen Lightmine Field before, Valentine35. I like it. I will have to think about that one. Thanks! As for Elesh Norn and Curse of Death's Hold--yeah, it's a bit slow for the build I have, but I love those cards. Igor Kieryluk is probably the only MTG artist's name I have committed to memory.