soulknife

I've got to say this strikes me as having a very high curve for what is essentially a control deck. (attempting to stall for planeswalkers).

my only concern is that the format in scars of mirrodin (which a lot of people are going to be jumping over for the net while) looks to be pretty fast.

Ok, that wasn't a very good answer. The real reason I didn't use straight up balance was because I wanted to get milage out of the aperture. There's no reason why I wouldn't want to cast the aperture from my hand. This at least felt tricksy and not flat out unfair.

I used restore balance because I like the art better.

I'm not going to tell you Exactly which cards to put in this deck. I Can however suggest that you take a careful read of the ability "Champion a creature" than imagine what would happen if you champion...another champion and then champion that champion.

See where I'm going?

bear with me here. I think you could cut back on your dragons. Yes I know that's heretical but consider this, dragonstorm is likely to kill if you can properly set it up with just the hellkites. As a replacement try putting in something to help you stall the game in the earlier phases. Say....Viashino! They're dragon like, and are relatively cheap for their cmc. You're also going to want to dig through the deck for combo pieces. But you're in red, so Crystal Ball ought to do the trick.

If you aren't restricted by format then what about Gamble or browbeat? its obviously chancy but assembling the combo is pretty important.

If you are aiming to stall the game, than dark tutelage probably won't work out so hot for you.

how about killing the singleton counterspell, evacuation, remand, and spiraling embers for a playset of runeflare trap or Gaze of Adamaro for redundant backups to sudden impact: your main source of damage.

So, this is basically a oneshot mill deck than? I don't see any other way of actually Finishing the game with this deck.

There's also warmonger's chariot if you'd like to go the more direct route.

The rules distinguish between casting spells and copying them. So, while a copied world at war, a distortion strike and a kiln fiend is 21 damage (world at war and distortion strike to give +6, swing three times). I gotta tell you. From experience this type of deck can kill fast enough that the ascensions aren't really necessary.

I feel that you'd be better served with putting in more sources of scry or tutoring in order to find your kiln fiends faster. The cheap instants and sorceries will force the kiln fiend to go critical with a charming amount of speed.

While this is solid. Are you sure its going to be under $40? I'm seeing 8 rares, and six mythic rares.

The evolving wilds are in there to serve as deck thinning. Mathematically increasing the chances of drawing relevant threats.

I've never liked the zektar shrine frankly. No particular reason. The other suggestions are sort of beside the point as this was a request for a standard legal deck.

It would be easy enough to make this tournament legal.
t
Boos the land count to something like 21 to 22 by putting in a playset of Sejiri Steppe, and optionally one Emeria the Sky Ruin.

And then just drop in some combat tricks or removal aka Oblivion Ring, Path to Exile, Armored Ascension, Emerge Unscathed. Even some mass removal. After all, two knight exemplars means that wiping the field with Day of Judgement won't adversely affect you. You only have to add 20 cards after all.

You forgot Paradox Haze. No reason that the insanity has to stop with eight doubling seasons. You also can take four upkeeps each turn as well.

Seems fine. I'd only recommend at least side boarding some form of enchantment destruction, and possibly boosting the land count. You're running armored ascension as well some cards with converted mana cost six. It would be a shame to end up land snookered.

The enchantment destruction is purely on the basis that the leylines are bound to be popular for a little while. And Leyline of Punishment would bring your deck to a grinding halt by itself.

also, you have Khalni Hydra listed twice.

I would recommend using Fauna Shaman. I can see you want to play with a ton of interesting creatures. Well, Fauna Shaman acts like extra copies of each creature, meaning you can trim down the number of creatures in the deck to singleton bombs and then add a few more non creature spells to the mix Stuff like Beast Hunt, or Primal Bellow

To play the devil's advocate. What do you do if someone sides in leyline of punishment? Perhaps some enchantment killers in the sideboard are in order.

Is it not the same sort of theory behind the painter's servant grindstone combo? From what I can see the druid's ability doesn't stop, even when there isn't any library left.

I just realized a problem. I don't think this will work at all. The hermit's ability states that he keeps on milling until he finds a basic land. If there isn't any at all then you'll actually mill yourself out and lose (since you'll have to reveal a card after the last one since the last card is not a basic land) before you can even play the dread return.