How the deck works
I started with a dream to scavenge 13 +1/+1 counters onto a creature to finish a game.
That required two cards
Varolz, the Scar-Striped + Death's Shadow
Deck Breakdown
Core
Birds of Paradise helps ramp, offers a regenerate target for varolz as well as a scavenge target with evasion.
Goblin Guide and Vexing Devil are the other one drop creatures. They are there to apply pressure and offer great scavenge target options, while also being powerhouses on their own.
[edit] Vexing Devil was not a powerhouse on its own. Although a great card, I wanted a body on the field on turn one, the option then was to replace his position with removal cards.
The rest of the board (Varolz excluded) are pretty much two or one drops to help stabilise, clear and prep for dropping Varolz who can end the game that, or next, turn.
Lightning Bolt, Fatal Push, Dismember keep them creature free, allowing Goblin Guide to continue to beat face until he eats a removal spell (one less for Varolz)
Thoughtseize and Collective Brutality keep their hand free and can board wipe/life gain.The added bonus of brutality is the discard which i can use to throw Death's Shadow into the yard.
Grisly Salvage has a beautiful synergy with Abrupt Decay because both are instants threatening the same mana cost. While decay's function is obvious, salvage helps me dig for answers/fill the yard with Death's Shadow.
hooting mandrils
is a fill spot that gets rid of the numerous number of instants in my yard. Also tramples.
[edit] : Hooting Mandrills and Tasigur, the Golden Fang, while very good cards, empty my yard. That looks good on the surface but in reality it usually gets rid of my Faithless Lootings / Death's Shadow. What I am left with is a 4/5 body with an inferior grisly salvage.
Temur Battle Rage is a game ender and synergises well with any scavenged target to go straight over the top.
Game plan
T1: Green mana - Birds of Paradise
T2: land - Varolz, the Scar-Striped
T3: land - get Death's Shadow into the yard:
a) (ideal) Faithless Looting , scavenge Death's Shadow onto Varolz, the Scar-Striped , swing and pump with Temur Battle Rage = 30 damage w/ trample.
b) Collective Brutality pitching death's shadow to take removal from their hand and clear the board then scavenging onto Birds of Paradise and swinging for 13, or onto Varolz, the Scar-Striped and swinging for 15.
c) Grisly Salvage to find a death's shadow then following same pattern as above (blockers greatly hinder)
However, the burn spells and creature options also mean i'm not reliant on the combo. If my health gets low I can put a Death's Shadow into play by himself and swing. Coupled with Goblin Guide and Lightning Bolt, I have serious damage on the table.
Important
19 lands is a major red flag for most people, but with my ability to cycle through my deck, the incredibly low curve, and the fact I have ramp I am not at all worried (I was running 17 lands at one point and it was doing very well).
Weaknesses
Land base: Blood Moon is a major problem and is why Abrupt Decay is a four of in the mainboard
Path to Exile: It does work on my deck, but with the amount of removal and discard I have, if they don't use their paths on a scooze then they're in for a beat down. - sub in Inquisition of Kozilek , Molten Rain and Scavenging Ooze
Reliant on combo: if they Surgical Extraction death's shadow then we're pretty f**ked, but the ability to scavenge goblin guide onto a birds means we have air power, and with a temur battle rage we can still win
Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet is a c**t. Lifelink, 4 drop (soz Abrupt Decay and unrevolted Fatal Push, and exiles the creatures I throw in the yard. This is the number one problem for my deck, so I need to have removal ready for it at all times. Dismember and Fatal Push do work here. Luckily he is never run in more than a 2 of (although Kolaghan's Command can recur him, that's just something to deal with and Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek away.
Sideboard
Ancient Grudge is artifact hate, pretty self explanatory [edit] I did toss up Destructive Revelry however the flashback is better in the long run vs the enchantment removal
Bojuka Bog is for dredge, living end, etc also synergises with grisly salvage that lets me search for a land or creature
Feed the Clan ferocious trigger is most likely always going to go off. I only run one because against burn that's enough to set them back a turn or two which is all I need, because I am very midrangey.
Inquisition of Kozilek is against control same for Choke
Molten Rain is for tron and the jund/junk matchups who rely heavily on their nonbasic manabase, same with Terminate because I expect there to be alot in the new meta.
Scavenging Ooze is for dredge, living end, etc also triggers ferocious after two stacks, is a must target for removal and always eats a bolt or path. if he doesnt he dominates the game on his own.
