JaceTheMindsculptor

I'm actually running a deck much like this right now. I'm finding that legion loyalist is a much better one drop red than stromkirk noble. Especially if creature beatdown is your strategy, on turn two or 3, you can trigger his ability and it basically puts your opponent at a HUGE disadvantage if they're not playing defensively enough. First strike + beatdown is pretty lethal.

EDIT: Scratch that actually, I just saw you're running 4 cacklers. I'd swap those out instead--but that's just me.

Add Sanguine Bond, make it an infinite loop ;)

Shocklands will absolutely make the curve better for you. Trying to brainstorm a good counter to the conjurer's closet... best I can think of is splash black for slaughter games or white for detention sphere or council of the absolute. I'll look into it some more.

Oh, and 2 Nivmagus' should probably be plenty. Like you said, they eat a lot of spells, and 4 would increase your chances of having to feed more than 1. 2 means you'll draw one probably 1 in 3 or 4 games, which is a good balance between that and the other strategies in your deck. Seriously though--if you're opponents playing a slow deck (or even a fast deck with little removal), don't be afraid to dump it all on the nivmagus. That thing can get ridiculous.

It looks great. I can't currently think of anything I would change :) I'll be on the lookout for a cheaper replacement for cleaver riot as well--I'll comment when I see anything worthwhile.

Nice job and keep up the good deckbuilding!

Immediate suggestion: Nivmagus elemental. Especially in fast-paced control decks, nivmagus elemental is a ridiculously good izzet card. Got me a few 4-turn wins at FNM's. I'd throw in 4 instead of the lobber crews.

I would also suggest mizzium mortars. Turn 2 it hits for one more than a lightning bolt. If the game goes on too long, it becomes so much more.

Check out dual-casting too. Granted, it'll be going out of standard soon, but it means you can copy a dragonshift for only one extra mana, copy a miz mortars on turn 3, and effectively double battle hymn.

Overall, I think there are a lot of things you can do to make this deck more aggressive early game. Swap in some lower cost spells, for one thing. While Cleaver Riot is a good card, it's a little expensive in this deck, I think. Even if you get it on turn 5, you're only swinging for 8 damage with the cyclops. I would take a look at Silent Departure for early game bouncing (bouncing is an underused strategy early game--wastes their mana and temporarily takes out blockers), Think Twice for obvious card draw, Searing Spear or Pillar of Flame for cheap direct damage just because, etc. etc. I also don't think battlehymn will work as well as you think it might. This isn't really a creature based deck, and I know you want to battlehymn into cleaver riot, but I think the deck would probably be more consistent if you didn't have to rely on them in combination. I think you can find better spells that can take their place more consistently.

I think this deck has some great combos and some great ideas. Just try to shave the curve down a little bit and you can make it 9x more aggressive than it already is. I'll keep stopping by to see what updates may come!

I like this deck a lot. First of all, I love dragonshift, and I think you've got a formula that works real well here.

Since a big part of this deck will be buying time, I suggest a more control oriented approach rather than just defenders. If they drop a supreme verdict then you're toast. I would throw in some dissipates--probably dropping the downpour. Might also be worth adding in Melek to give you a bigger control base for counterspells and the like.

Take a look at Ral too. I know this is supposed to be budget, but it wouldln't be a bad investment in the future.

I hope these comments work for you. Keep us updated as to how it plays!

If that's your strategy, this could be a very attrition based strategy. Make them waste their mana on rakdos and the master while your pingers slowly wear them down. You have good things going here. I'll be watching to see what changes you make in the future!

I think Master of Cruelties is an incredible card. At the same time, he's not very valuable because he's a giant target. He needs hexproof or evasion of some sort. If you wanted to splash green (you wouldn't even need to add forests, just shock lands), then I would add in Alpha Authority for the Master and Rakdos. If you combine Alpha with Madcap then he has hexproof + Can't be blocked except by 2 and Can't be blocked except by 1. Basically--hexproof and unblockable. Game over--right there. If you do, I would add 3 Alpha's drop a madcap, drop a deviant, and drop a dreadbore. This is just a suggestion. Given that would make this Jund more than Rakdos, I still think it would be worthwhile.

I really like this deck. I've been researching for a while if Rakdos could be truly standard playable, and this is probably the closest I've seen. I'll try to help as much as I can.

You will need to run more than 20 lands. That's a fact. 22 or 23 would be recommended. You'll probably need some shocks as well if you're running Ash Zealot. It's a bit unreasonable to think that you'll be able to start with 2 mountains and then get a steady black mana base as well. Just run shocks when you get them. (I'd recommend Dragonskull summit -- much more budget friendly)

Crypt Ghast doesn't seem to make sense here. He's good for extort since he gives a bunch of mana for extorting spells, but this seems like a much faster deck than that. The only situation I could see the ghast as useful is if you were running Rakdos's Return, which you're not (although you should be!!!). I say add in the return or drop the ghast.

Bomber corps is good. I'd try playtesting a proxy of Firefist striker instead, just to see which works better for you.

Master of Cruelties is an interesting card. I'm still trying to figure out how to break him, and madcap skills may work. The only issue I see is that at that point in the game, they will probably have the two creatures to block with, thus making him less useful. I can't think of anything off the top of my head, unfortunately, but see if you can't find something in the block that gives him evasion instead of just the double-block clause on madcap.

RUN RAKDOS, LORD OF RIOTS. OHMAHGAWD. He's the only worthwhile Rakdos card, in my opinion. Turn 3 Lobber Crew. Turn 4 Ping and then drop the lord. That's a 6/6 Flying Trample on Turn 2. That is a psychotically quick finisher.

Otherwise, I really like what you're doing here. Keep up the awesome work!

That's an interesting idea. I like blood more so than flesh. It could definitely get some synergy--more with borborygmos than the hydra though. The only thing I don't care for so much is that it doesn't synergize with the double-strike very well. I dont' quite see the point of flesh, though. If I wanted to take this in a scavenge approach, I could add in varolz for much cheaper than flesh, and it's more permanent.

I'll play around with the blood idea. Thanks for the comment!

I've updated some of the discussion objects. Check them out and comment with suggestions!

That's not a bad idea. I'll try messing around with that a little.

That was the reason I included fog bank in there--to remove some of the early attacking stress until I can get Mirko Vosk or the aberration out. Do you think I need more? Something different? Suggestions are appreciated.

I have to disagree with you there. Turn 4 is when you can start casting spells with his ability--little stuff like dream twist. Turn 5 you can flash it back or use paranoid delusions. Turn 6 you can Mind grind for one, cast Mirko Vosk or the Aberration, which would be pretty pumped up, assuming you're using codex shredder as well. I'm fairly new to standard play, but Turn 6 seems a bit early to lose, especially when you're knocking out 3 life a turn and the numbers only increase from their.

I would also prefer suggestions with your comment, or at least constructive criticism. Just saying it doesn't work isn't really constructive. What part doesn't work? How can I fix it?

Actually, EDH decks have to be 100 cards.

A few suggestions -

Bring in Pyrewild Shaman over the Slaughterhorn--pretty much same costs, but Pyrewild can come back to your hand. Pretty freaking awesome that way.

I would SB Increasing savagery and pull Blessings of Nature. Without miracle, it's the same cost, but miracle on blessings is just crazy good.

I think Champion might be outdated with the evolve mechanic in standard. I'd go with experiment one instead. Two less mana and will evolve almost as often--not to mention it has regeneration.

Overall, real nice work. I'm trying to build a gruul standard deck too... maybe you can help me out? You definitely know what you're doing
http://www.mtgvault.com/jacethemindsculptor/decks/pretty-dang-gruul/

The M11 scry mechanic would help with this greatly.

Madcap skills is good, but for one extra mana over rancor it gives an extra +1/+0 and doesn't give trample, not to mention it doesn't have the failsafe of always coming back to my hand. And its second ability doesn't really do much since spire tracer has minor evasion anyway.

Flinthoof boar just doesn't seem very mana-efficient. Sure, potentially 3/3 for 2 mana is good, but if you're going to give it haste it's going to cost you 3, which is just average PT return.

Experiment one is a great card, but doesn't give near the evasion that spire tracer does. Granted the evolve mechanic is fantastic, I think that the creatures in this deck aren't consistently big enough to evolve it, and it's not worth giving up evasion for.

As for Skullcrack, It's really just there for a mana dump and there to take out life-gain/extort decks. It can probably be sideboarded. I'll swap in clan defiance.

Thanks!