This deck is designed for control style play, but is also pretty consistent running ramp against slower opponents.
Disrupt your opponents early game plan with counter magic and creature removal while generating treasure with Spell Swindle, Treasure Map
& Sailor of Means and your other treasure generators. When they are out of Gas, play Torment of Hailfire, Mechanized Production or Revel in Riches to close the game. The win cons are varied to avoid single sided hate, Revel in Riches is Sideboarded for more variation against horde generators or lost legacy.
Board Control
As far as interaction with your opponents board state goes, we want to avoid major threats from hitting but if the board accelerates beyond your control, Yahenni's Expertise has proven to be far more effective than Bontu's Last Reckoning in most matches. That said, with the resurgence of Grixis Energy Bontu's handles the large creatures more completely.
Fatal Push is great, however in this style of deck, 4 is either to many or not enough - Merfolk and Dinos dropping 2 for 1's can become an issue that Fatal Push just can't handle. Yahennis is as good as you could ask for without instant speed. Vraska's Contempt is a 2 Of for the exile ability, planeswalker hate and life gain.
Counter Pool
We keep this simple. our counters are hard, and versatile. Hornswoggle is a new addition thanks to Rivals. as a turn 3 drop it speeds up the treasure clock while disrupting your opponents plays. Disallow is too good and flexible for situational magic not to be in here. Metallic Rebuke, Lookout's Dispersal, and Spell Pierce all have a place here, I just chose Disallow to make sure nothing can get under or around it when I am in need.
Card Draw/
Metalspinner's Puzzleknot provides us early card advantage, comes in handy to trigger revolt for Fatal Push or save it for the late game to push through to the right card. Search for Azcanta
has been in and out of this deck over the last season as it tends to walk the line between the greatest filter ever and better spotted as a counter spell. My play testing with it with the quick aggro running around has proven its place for a 2 of. Unlike previous plays when Marionette Master was the center of the build, you DO want to flip Search for Azcanta
in most matchups. though you want to try to wait till you have the 2nd to flip the first.
Tool Box
To be effective in competitive, most decks need a tool box card that answers multiple situations. Though it was placed in the deck originally for the wincon of making 5/5 creatures, I have quickly realized that Tezzeret the Schemer handles killing just about anything that may be a threat kind of like Chandra, Torch Defiance would. In addition, he offers a secondary engine for artifact mana, providing more flexibility and speed. If you end up playing on your back foot, Tezzeret will work as a target for your opponents swing damage for a couple turns, which hopefully is enough time for you to stabilize or pull a board wipe.
Treasure Production
Turn 2 will almost always be a Gleaming Barrier or Treasure Map
. Game play aside, the rest of the pack of pirates were decided on not only for treasure production, but also they dodge most of the meta's removal rather easily. Attacking with these guys aren't what we are after. They are tough chump blockers - Sailor of Means, Prosperous Pirates.
The Biggest treasure production in the deck is a counter. Spell Swindle is your turn 3-6 drop to disrupt the top curve of your opponent and net you 3-6 treasures. Played correctly this spell will indirectly win you the game within 2 turns.
Win Conditions
Through testing I have ranged from the amount of win condition cards is a right fit. we don't really want any of them on the draw. or if we must, we only want a Mechanized Production as it is a 4 drop and can be played on curve in some matches. Torment of Hailfire Can be played any time you feel it is appropriate.