Looks like a pretty fun deck.

I do really love the Misthollow Griffin interaction with this deck. Especially with Varolz, the Scar-Striped .

A couple of changes I'd take out Screeching Skaab And put in more Grisly Salvage and maybe Mulch .

I think Gnaw to the Bone Is a pretty bad card in general...

thanks for the comment!i liked Screeching Skaab because of the self-mill but also the fact that i can Scavenge up two +1/+1 counters with it for only two mana. i know this deck should probably be creature heavy, so a Skaab that is efficient this way seemed like a good idea. always down to edit this though.

I agree, this deck needs Grisly Salvage .

More, that is.

Instead of Screeching Skaab and Deranged Assistant I suggest using Chronic Flooding enchanting a forest, tap then use Arbor Elf to retap the forest. Also Skaab Ruinator and Misthollow Griffin is a combo that I've always wanted to try in a deck and now I might with Varolz.

Misthollow Griffin is exactly what I was thinking.

Get it in the graveyard, scavenge it, then summon it again next turn.

yea i love that combo. not sure what to cut for it but its worth it... this deck needs more protection from fliers... those Spiders don't always cut it.

if your gonna do the Misthollow Griffin and Varolz, the Scar-Striped combo, maybe Heartless Summoning so you can play him for two rather than four. or Lotleth Troll so you can discard him.

i might get rid of some (or all) the Screeching Skaab and replace them with Lotleth Troll , since both get the Zombie boost from Diregraf Captain , but the Troll helps me pick what creatures i dump in the graveyard... plus that regenerate is handy.

+1. maybe use Deadbridge Goliath ? it could become a 4 cmc scavenge with Valroz.

Deadbridge Goliath is a really efficient creature, a 5/5 for four mana? yea that's pretty nice. if i need to take things out i'll consider that thing.

Where's Ghoultree and Armored Skaab ? Forbidden Alchemy could help as well.

Ghoultree wouldn't work well in this deck because the creatures in the graveyard will be exiled quickly, so the Ghoultree 's ability won't be used to it fullest potential. Armored Skaab was considered because it mills me well, but once its in the graveyard, its sort of a crappy Scavenge creature: I'd pay 3 mana to give a creature +1/+1 with Varolz.. not worth it, in my opinion. Forbidden Alchemy is nice though, I just don't know what to cut for it. Any suggestions for that?

I agree with the Ghoultree assessment.

It's best use would be as a 10 counter scavenge while Varolz, the Scar-Striped is in play... but at 8 mana, it should never happen.

The only change I would make: -2 Gnaw to the Bone , +2 Mulch - This would give additional cards into the grave, while getting early mana if needed, and help to 'thin-out' the deck a little. - I'm not convinced you need the life.

Gnaw to the Bone is on the chopping block, Rayenous, now that I have 3x Tribute to Hunger , but it was fun gaining 10 life with three mana.

Deathrite Shaman instead of Slitherhead ?

if i use Deathrite Shaman on the field, i'd most likely only use his first two abilities on myself and only exile my opponent's creatures. if a Deathrite Shaman gets milled, i'd only be Scavenging a +1/+1 for one mana and only if Varolz, the Scar-Striped is on the field. it definitely has more utility than Slitherhead , but i don't mind milling all my Slitherhead s into the graveyard, and if they're on the field with Diregraf Ghoul , they even get a power bump. i've considered doing this swap but haven't play tested it yet. i should get on that, but i've weighed the pros and cons for both.

i see a whole lot of zombies and no Grave Crawler... which is also Lotleth Troll 's best friend, as well as a great scavenge target for varolz.

Jarad's Orders is good but one time use, if you have the spare money, Garruk Relentless  ^Flip might be a decent investment.
Also, you don't really seem to have many scavenge targets and yet you're running a lot of grave filler. Perhaps add more grave bombs like your Skaab Ruinator , one can be Treacherous Pit-Dweller , he won't see much if any field time, but with your dumping he could be great.
As well, with your deck dumping power, consider perhaps Boneyard Wurm and/or Splinterfright . They start reasonably big from your deck disposal, and then once Varolz, the Scar-Striped hit's the board, you can change their 1/1 from a Ruinator into a 5/5 for the low low price of 3 mana.

Hope this gives you some ideas :)

killkong1211, i don't mind Jarad's Orders with its one-time use, since i can use Deathrite Shaman to exile it out of the graveyard for some damage! i'm hesitant to add Splinterfright -like creatures because the creatures don't stay in the graveyard for very long, thus making their P/T a little too inconsistent. i am, however, on the lookout for cheap casting cost creatures with high P, so Treacherous Pit-Dweller is interesting.

@jermtube I see your point on Jarad's Orders , as for the Splinterfright guys, esspecially Splinterfright himself, they would be what you scavenge onto, so that as you dump your deck they get bigger, and once Varolz is on the board, they get a bigger boost from counters making their power/toughness stabilized to an extent, as they can still grow, if you see what I mean.
As for the scavenge bombs I know what you mean if you were in red or had colour fixing I'd suggest Vexing Devil as he is probably the best value for scavenge in standard, plus turn 1 him, they take 4 to the face. In black though Desecration Demon is a solid pick, as he's nasty on or off the board.

Splinterfright would really be an excellent option, though... and for the very reason you are looking at Treacherous Pit-Dweller . if Splinterfright (or maybe a even a Boneyard Wurm ) are in your graveyard and there are say 5 other creatures in your graveyard, you can scavenge it for its mana cost and get 6 +1/+1 counters since the stars allow its P/T to change even when not in play. Splinterfright also does you the favor of helping you get other creatures into your graveyard. and the trample is a nice touch. as far as Jarad's Orders , there are other cards that do it better for cheaper, especially given the deck you are working with. look at Forbidden Alchemy , Drown in Filth , Grisly Salvage , and Mulch .

@dandugg I think that the point of Jarad's Orders in this deck is to tutor for either of the Trolls, and coincidentally drop a scavenge target into the bin.
So in essence it's done to setup combos or get the ball rolling again in the late game.

well Grisly Salvage and Forbidden Alchemy do that as well. they might not let you necessarily tutor, but as a 4 and 3 of, it shouldnt be hard to find either with the dig that both options offer (and i see that he did add grisly salvage). They are also capable of putting far more creatures into the graveyard than Jarad's Orders , both at instant speed, and both for less mana... which is important given how few things he is able to actually play in the first few turns. it is also important for deathrite shaman. he isnt running any evolving wilds to use as mana ramp for the shaman's mana ability, so any way to dump lands into the graveyards to use as mana fodder is just making deathrite shaman all that better. will you always need to use his mana ability? no, but giving yourself the option is never a bad thing... especially since Lotleth Troll can regen for a single black mana. just tap that Deathrite Shaman when your opponent thinks you are tapped out. im also a big fan of Drown in Filth for that same reason. get more lands in the graveyard to use with Deathrite Shaman , get more creatures into the graveyard to use with varolz, and potentially kill a creature? i am in no way opposed to that.

I do see what you're saying, and I'll agree those have better synergy, but Jarad's Orders is by no means out of place as a two of, especially seeing as Varolz is somewhat necessary for the deck to work to it's maximum capacity.
So tutoring and still filling the grave is a good backup in my opinion, cause we all know, things never go quite to plan.
As for Drown in Filth , until the innistrad block goes out, my heart will always belong to Tragic Slip for dealing with indestructible creatures. Drown would probably go well here, but guaranteed -13/-13 off morbid if just too good if you can guarantee a kill, and one way or the other, you can manage that in black. :P