dainir

I would drop the courser and add 3x axebane guardian. This allows for better ramping that the courser can provide, however it doesn't grant you the card advantage that the courser does. Then again with the sunbond/fathom mage/ horizon chimera you don't really need the extra card advantage. You could also drop the spring leaf drums then and add something else more beneficial to the deck.

I believe I have a semi similar deck to what you are trying to do here where it tries to work towards the same combo, however it uses extort quite a bit, whereas its not featured in your deck at all. Take a look to see if it gives you any ideas.
http://www.mtgvault.com/dainir/decks/t2-ramped-extortion/

and if you really want to go all out with the combo:
http://www.mtgvault.com/dainir/decks/t2-infinite-combos/

Maybe consider adding Primeval Titan, or oracle of Mul Daya, allowing you to get more forests out faster?

You can splash any color instant into your deck so long as it is what you will be exiling with your elite arcanist as the arcanist only is concerned with CMC. Which is why I didn't really think of the colors required to cast it instead of its mana cost.

If you exile ready//willing with your first arcanist you will delay your game a little, however, it will ensure your creature's safety.

To build off of Stam's post. It is true that the angel will be targeted right away, and is a little slow due to its 5 cmc.

Maybe run 3 angels and 2-3 of sunbond. This would allow for you to hit the draw your entire deck mechanic as well. It just won't boost all of your cards at once. Also, this would allow you to hit the combo, then hit the angel.

Other options for your deck is to add a domri Rade in place of the elspeth. This would be highly dependent upon you getting the sylvan caryatid out, but it will give you some extra card advantage, and the ability to protect all your creatures from removal spells.

Depending on the route you want to take there's a couple. You already have dissolve in your deck which is a great step towards that.

I would consider looking at Domri Rade instead of Thassa. He would give you an avenue to card advantage.

Other than that, the card ready//willing focusing on the ready portion, you could use this for both hexproof and an alternate untap mechanic to pair with your elite arcanist. This does have a much higher mana cost associated with it. If you do include this card I would look at taking out 4 of your land cards and replace them with axebane guardians.


The other option I see is the simic charm. If you exile this with your elite arcanist it grants all of your creatures hexproof, and you could use it when needed.

Either of the two instants, if you choose them you would have to make a tough choice on what to remove from your other instants.

Also, these should just be sideboard cards as your opponent may be running a creature heavy deck and you won't need them.

Otherwise bravo on the deck!

The trouble I see with this deck is after the first game your opponent knows what you are aiming for. So, what I would aim for is to remove your elite arcanist asap. That could be through exile, destroy, or counter mechanics. I would look at maybe adding something to protect the arcanist like hexproof.

I will look at adding those in place of basic lands as is I can search for the guild gates with gatecreeper vine.


Strionic resonatores is an awesome call. I am going to look at ways to reword it. Tanks for the thoughts!

Also for delay purposes: what about adding Elite Arcanist with the plans of copying fog, defend the hearth or riot control?

If you do this you could potentially stall your opponent's creatures forever.

I would also consider dissolve over negate sheerly for the scry ability. Which is also an instant.

What about adding Triad of Fates, it would allow you to exile and return gatecreeper vine once every other turn, and use it as potential removal if need be.

It is the first and second sentence of the deck description. Instead of the how to play. I will add it to the how to play.

In the How to play, it is assumed that you have 0 cards in your library and 0 in your graveyard when you begin step 1.

That way when you use elixir the only 3 cards that go into your library are Elixir, Axebane Guardian, and Gyre Sage., thus guaranteeing that you draw them next

And agreed, they would not work without the original combo.

You draw your entire library, so ALL of your library is in your hand before you sacrifice those three creatures.

Archangel of Thune, Fathom Mage, and Horizon Chimera, will endlessly allow you to gain life and draw, assuming you choose to draw forever.

You may have to go through your entire graveyard once before that though...

I like it, completely unavoiable death by turn 6.

So I found a way to get haste to everything, and add a sacrifice mechanic:

The following is the result:
Korozda Guildmage = sacrifice
Hammer of Purphoros = haste

http://www.mtgvault.com/dainir/decks/t2-infinite-combos/

Yes, it's exactly what I was asking. I was hoping a little too much then.

Other cool cards that might combo well with this is Gyre Sage, which allows you to tap for as many +1/+1 counters as are on the sage.

Also, with the some type of sacrifice mechanic combined with the elixir or immortality would prophet of kruphix allow you to sac creatures in particular sylvan caryatid and then tap them for mana? or do the creatures only have pseudo flash where they can be played anytime, but not tapped?

I have similar deck made:
http://www.mtgvault.com/dainir/decks/t2-almost-infinite-drawmana/

To clarify the difference I am seeing:

T1 land
T2: land, sylvan Caryatid
T3: land Basilica Guard,
T4; land Axebane Guardian, sylvan Caryatid

At the end of turn 4 I have the potential to be able tap for 10 mana. This could be more, if things feel even better.


Vs.

T1 Swamp
T2 Swamp
T3 Swamp
T4 Swamp Crypt ghast

At the end of turn 4 I have the potential to tap for 8 mana assuming all the lands were swamps. Which would also prevent you from being able to use or lay any of your white cards.


The choice in using green is to be able to hit my stride sooner in terms of the amount of mana needed to run the deck, and to be more flexible in how I spend my mana.

Yes liliana will eventually over take the green splashed in. But I have chosen speed over the extra late mana.

You could use both duress and thought seize, that way later in the game you have an extra mana to use on extort and pump.

I have a similar deck but built specifically to ramp up and abuse extort as much as possible.

http://www.mtgvault.com/dainir/decks/t2-ramped-extortion/

I like the deck, my only concern is how quick will your deck play. I found that it takes a lot of mana to get extort working well. Which is why I made the ramped version.

But direction you are taking it. I would consider going mono black with a couple of orzhov artifacts to generate the mana for your angel. It could really help your case especially if you had a Liliana of the dark realms and then I think you will be set.

Or a couple of chromatic lanterns/springleaf drums.

The reason I have shied away from that is the amount of mana available still only goes up by 1 per turn. The 4x crypt ghast do increase that, but with the 4x Axebane guardian you get +1 mana for every defender you control. 4 of which extort, and another 4 give mana. So 1 axebane, 2 basilica guards and 2 Sylvan Caryatid, yields 7 extra mana, which can be used as any color.

Also dropping these eliminates the only source of card draw in a deck that SORELY needs it.