I like Chromanticore. It appeals to the Johnny and the Mel in me, and one of the happiest moments of my Magic life was actually getting one in a booster pack. (It's only the second Mythic Rare I ever opened.) Currently it resides in a tweaked version of the Pre-Constructed Sunburst deck (the only thing I have whose mana base can handle it), but I started wondering recently what else it could live in. And that's when I found a combo deck on Channel Fireball.

Commune with the Gods and Satyr Wayfinder, and to a lesser extent Sinister Concoction and Bone Shards, are to dump cards into your graveyard -- namely, Leyline Prowler, Sylvan Caryatid, Pharika, God of Affliction, Swiftblade Vindicator and, most especially, Chromanticore. Then you Delve all of them to drop a Soulflayer, which at that point costs and reads as "4/4, Every Keyword Ever". (Prioritize the Caryatid and Pharika to get that all-important Hexproof and Indestructible involved; Frank Karsten's original used Sagu Mauler, and I used to run Primal Huntbeast, until for that exact reason.) The backup aggro strategy involves Bestowing the Chromanticore on something, such as Prowler or Vindicator. This can take until turn 7 but nets you at least a 5/5 Every Keyword Ever, which most decks have trouble dealing with, particularly with the First Strike and Double Strike.

As usual, my main concern with assembling this deck is budget. Almost every deck I've listed on this site will retail for less than $60, and I want to keep it that way. (The fact that both Soulflayer and Chromanticore were under $1, at least at time of deckbuilding, was a big factor in deciding to try this at all. The Caryatids and Pharikae are actually the most expensive cards.) I also ditched the many counterspells Frank Karsten was running. The end result is, obviously, less flexible, but it also goldfishes much more efficiently, and I actually find it plays better than the original in the sense that I spend less time waiting for key cards and more time playing them. Finally, I replaced his Murderous Cut with Spark Harvest, and then later with Bone Shards, as it gives me more ways of getting critical cards from hand to graveyard. (Assassin's Trophy may be a better card overall, but it doesn't contribute to your graveyard the same way.)