@ brokendwarf -- Oh hell yes! I'd like to remove Thassa... but I don't think removing a 3-drop is quite the right move. I was just thinking of Lens of Clarity in the SB...

If youre looking at lens, make sure its the right reasons.

Lens has 2 parts. The first, letting you see morphed cards, is ONLY good for information and removal. If you know what cards are what, you know when they will be able to be flipped and what to use your removal on. You dont have a lot of removal, so dont weigh that too highly. Second theres the looking at the top of your deck, which is only good for information as you cant manipulate it in anyway with the card.

If youre sideboarding it, you need to have a match up thats a good reason to do so, because the card is not good enough on its own.

@ Dropbear -- It was just a thought, and I have space in the SB for now with rotation approaching.

Howl of the Horde maybe not meta but im thinking it could be nuts in these decks

@ jaggthemiller -- Which instant/sorcery would be worth copying with Howl of the Horde ?

in your deck, Shrapnel Blast

@ jaggthemiller -- That would require me to sacrifice three artifacts though, and I don't have that much of an abundance. I guess 15 to the face can usually end a game, though. It's still not a lot just for one interaction.

if you destroy Ugin's Nexus its 15 to the face (general later game) and take an extra turn after that.

or even Ensoul Artifact make 3 artifacts 5/5s lol

jaggthemiller- i don't believe one good card should affect the entire deck's theme. while Ugin's Nexus would be nice, it doesn't fit into the deck. also remember that Howl of the Horde says instants and sorceries. Ensoul Artifact is an enchantment

my bad :P and yes it is just a suggestion if you don't want/ think you need it, or even sideboard that is fine. it is just an idea

@ducttapedeckbox Ghostfire Blade is in the dbase now

I don't think you would need to sac three artifacts for copying Shrapnel Blast . The sac is part of the cost, and Howl of the Horde effect isn't recasting it. So you will be sacrificing 1 artifact to do 15 damage.

But I'm no judge, so this may need to be double checked. BTW, boss deck!

Howl of the Horde would not require you to sac an artifact each time you copy Shrapnel Blast because Howl of the Horde does not specifically state to cast them, the copies automatically go on top of the stack, on top of the original cast card. In this case, you would not have to pay additional casting costs, and you MAY pay a kicker (if applicable) and you CANNOT pay an alternative casting cost.

Xinofos is right. Sacrificing an artifact is part of the cost so just like when you copy the spell you don't have to pay mana again you don't have to sac 2 more artifacts. If Shrapnel Blast had said "when you cast Shrapnel Blast you may sac an artifact. If you do this spell deals 5 damage." then you would've had to sac 3.

+1 BTW

wow I just realized that if you attack with the Scuttling Doom Engine and cast Shrapnel Blast and Howl of the Horde , even if the opponent blocks, you can dish out 6 + 5*3 damage which is insta win if at 20 hp. This for only 5 mana. And since it would be a T5-T6 play, it's actually very doable

I'll provide a more in depth response when I'm back in my dorm on my laptop. But, in general, Howl of the Horde is a dead draw unless I have Shrapnel Blast in hand and a viable target on the battlefield. Its application is far too limited to include unless we get more Instants and Sorceries that fit into this build. Feel free to discuss it more or try to persuade me otherwise, but it simply doesn't seem like a good addition due to its narrow range of application.

well the reason i brought up Howl of the Horde is a bigger reason my friend is playing more instant/soc where he could also copy Divination

We've reached 100 upvotes! Thank you everyone!

@ jaggthemiller -- It would be an extremely strong card if I had more targets. I'll keep it in the back of my mind, and move it up if we see viable Instants and Sorceries from Khans to add.

yep np man :P yeah your deck it isn't 100% worth putting it in there

What we can put in place of Ghostfire Blade , Ugin's Nexus and Lens of Clarity to make this deck standard ?

@ Stynnger -- It will be standard in a few weeks. The deck will benefit greatly from the Khans additions.

btw, using Howl of the Horde + Shrapnel Blast does not require you to sacrifice three artifacts. You just choose new targets for the spell, you do not cast it again. Since Shrapnel Blast states that the sacrifice is a condition to cast, and you are not casting again, just copying... well that's 15 damage for 5 mana and one artifact.

In terms of syntax, you would have to sacrifice more artifacts if it said."Sacrifice an artifact. Shrapnel Blast deals 5 damage to target creature of player". Since it is an "additional cost to casting", you still sacrifice an artifact even if you get countered and deal no damage.

I've been playtesting this on xMage and it behaves amazingly. I've had some problems with white removal and some forms of aggro. I added a couple of Howl of the Horde and got to dish out 27 damage with Scuttling Doom Engine + Shrapnel Blast with the active from Thassa

I have been following this deck since its release and I was wondering how well Clever Impersonator would work.