For modern, Spell Pierce is handy sideboard tech. Modern has a huge removal suite which you'll have to contend with. If you can get a hold of a playset of Delver of Secrets  ^Flip , that would be strongly recommended (most likely replacing the Leaps). If you're looking for more bounce options, Boomerang is a classic and Echoing Truth can be devastating. Think Twice and Magma Jet could also be very useful for digging through your deck.

Radiocade, the only thing with counterspelling is that I don't need the creature pumps (+3/+0 triggers) on my opponent's turn. I know it's a control thing, but the theme here is more aggro. Delver of Secrets  ^Flip is a great card for sure, but again she doesn't really fit the theme. Boomerang is okay, but I'd rather play Disperse easier with two colors. I'm thinking I'm more concerned with mostly blockers getting in the way, so I that's why I chose Unsummon , until I find something like it but better, for the same cost. Echoing Truth looks like a solid card for certain situations/decks, so I'll toss a couple in the SB. Think Twice is nice for the flashback, but I'm wondering if Brainstorm , Opt , Gitaxian Probe , Ponder , Peek or even Cerulean Wisps might be easier? I still like Leap because it helps me in combat AND gives me a draw. I love Magma Jet , so that's going up for heavy consideration. Thanks :)

CRAP, I just realized Leap isn't modern :(

I'd swap 2x Shock for 2x Lightning Bolt , just because it's the same cost for more damage in case you need to burn for face damage or 'Walker removal.

I'd also do the same for Assault Strobe and Hidden Strings . I see how the combo works, and it's amazing, but what if all you get is Assault Strobe without seeing your Hidden Strings ? Consistency with combos is key in this game. If you really like seeing Assault Strobe s, but still want more consistency with Hidden Strings , I'd also recommend taking out 2x Titan's Strength for the third and fourth copies.

devastated-heart, thanks for the advice. What you see is what I have in stock unfortunately. I might be able to borrow an extra Lightning Bolt from on of my EDH decks, but if I had 4 on hand there would be 4 in the board, and hopefully soon there will be!

At worst Hidden Strings pays for itself and acts as a free pump. Ideally, it will tap 1 pesky defender and untap a mana if I need to cast another pump. For straight tapping, Hands of Binding keeps them down and literally wins games against small defenses, worthless against Rabblemaster type crap... but I can see Strings being more versatile/consistent as a MB item. I'll be happy to take out 2x Titan's Strength for more Strings, but I'm obligated to do so reluctantly since it's such an amazing pump and lets me scry, but I'll still give it a try......... all this if i can even find a couple more Strings. My extras are lost and my LGS doesn't have any on hand :'((

I would suggest you look at some of the new stuff from Khans of Tarkir... lots of cool Prowess creatures. Possible splash of white for Jeskai Ascendancy ? I see some awesome synergy with Young Pyromancer :)

Thanks for the +1

I do prefer the card draw pumps. You can roll through draw spells one after the other achieving multiple triggers at the same time as multiple digs for combo pieces.

Blistercoil weird is a good idea in the spot i have filled with guttersnipe- I may have to playtest it a bit. I have seen a t2 win involving blistercoil and paradise mantle in a version of this deck that runs almost exclusively card draw and a very low land count. At the moment I run him because its nice to have a non-combat damage wincon. I've taken several games by just card drawing them to death via guttersnipe.

Apostles blessing is something id suggest highly for your version. Its very nice to have a dual purpose evasion/defense. - its kinda like mizzium skin plus distortion strike.

+1

Also- I'd highly suggest Gitaxian probe. You can up your triggers, gaze at your opponents strategy and dig for combo pieces all with zero mana.

thanks back Portfolio, I just don't have any probes, but i just watched a match on youtube where they used probe to recon the opp's hand to know whether to go ahead and combo off or not, a good idea. i've seen that strategy with blistercoil and the mantle, but i don't like infinite combos; i enjoy winning through brute force. that combo isn't a fit for the pump theme, it's an entirely different deck/strategy, so meh no thanks for me on that. i think you'll find that the deck is much quicker with blistercoil than g-snipe since g-snipe is a grindier dude for longer games, but let me know how things go. Also, i do like Apostle's Blessing , but this deck doesn't see much defense, it's made to blitz. I can make my dudes hexproof with Mizzium Skin if i need to protect them, or use D-strike to push them through... and I've got Vandalblast in the SB for affinity/artifact matches/problems.

Rhokshida07, that is an awesome enchant, but if anything, i was thinking of splashing black for Tainted Strike for the T3 win (Kiln Fiend +Assault Strobe +Tainted Strike = GG). The 3 mana (1 of each) also concerns me a little considering what else I could do for 3.

I'm surprised there's no Guttersnipe .

turnyouover, he's too slow. I toss him out T3... or I could hope to swing for lethal by then. He would be good if I were playing grindy control, but the idea here is pump and swing hard (win quickly).

swap the mana confluence for Shivan Reef it has the same effect in the deck but it can also be colorless and plus it's cheaper

how about Nivmagus Elemental He gives you a rare turn 2 win and his counters are permanant.

Poplover18 I definitely like that land idea, it's one that's always been on my mind. The trouble is that I don't have any Shivan Reef yet, nor much colorless mana in my cards... and I'd probably wind up pinging myself to death in a grindy matchup. If I had to use it first turn, I will have lost 2 life by the end of T2, for which I probably would have rather paid that for a Steam Vents and be done with it.

Price-wise, the $5-7 cost of the Reefs is slightly more budget-friendly than the $9-11 Vents, so I'd use the Reefs as placeholders until I could get Vents... but I don't have the Reefs, or the money, but I do have the confluences, and they're better than guildgates, lol.

TLDR: Hoping to acquire Steam Vents instead some day, thanks :)

Portfolio, I considered him, but as much as I love +1/+1 counters (I'm a reformed Evolve, Scavenge, and Heroics player), I don't find them quite as effective here as the cards I have. It might depend on what you'd replace to fit him in, but he doesn't pump-big-and-swing like my other dudes. How does Nivmagus Elemental win on T2 as you say?

Are you talking about the Storm stacking thing?

ya either that or 5 phyrexian spells and assault strobe.

Monastery Swiftspear from the new set might be better than Blistercoil Weird .

Monastery Swiftspear did catch my eye for the extra toughness, but it doesn't have:

a) the versatility of being cast T1 with an island.

b) the ability to untap.

It does have haste, but just not the versatility of BcW. The extra toughness is nearly irrelivant in Modern.

Steam Vents rotates out or i would say use them instead of shivan

Poplover18, this is Modern, there is no rotating out.

Oh yea my bad... i had been looking through a lot of standard decks before i came to this lol

Poplover18 Np, I tweaked it a bit today; took out the pyromancers since they're kinda slow and grindy, where I'm really intending to win quickly, so I threw in a couple strengths and topped off the mizzium skins for the extra protection since my early win strategy can be pretty much beaten with a Shock . I'm updating it in a couple minutes.

List looks great! and cheap for a competitive modern deck