FyreFiend

I can understand the anti-mill from that perspective, although it still feels like kind of wasted space. Personally I might risk just using an Elixir of Immortality; normally that's a weak option because it can be milled out, but in this deck you can bring it back with a Sun Titan and at least the life gain helps you. Of course, that depends a lot on how fast the mill decks can be. Yesterday I made a horrible play error with the Arrest/Glimmerpoint and allowed myself to get milled out by a Geth, Lord of the Vault. I'll test it out and see what happens.

I think it's funny how the Swords that really are the focus of most people's decks really do serve mainly for filtering here, and an occasional swing. Khemba's still doubtful; her ability would help against massive creature control, but you have to filter really fast if you want to find her. Against red decks....
Sword of War and Peace :D

One final comment on Mortarpod. Cheap artifact, but you can abuse it really hard with this deck. I almost came back from my spectular mill fail by swinging with everything, then sacking them all with mortarpod for extra damage, and bringing them all back next turn.

Dude. Amazingly Epic Deck.

Not to be a netdecker, but I wanted to see how this would work, so I tried it out on octgn. Amazing! Just endless possibilites, make smart choices to control through first few turns and then trigger massive revival. The land draw is really good, definitely keep the Pilgrim's Eye where they are, with that you can consistently play a land every turn. After seeing it, I really can't object to any card in this deck. Maybe a few in the sideboard, but the actual deck has awesome synergy, and the filtering/card draw from the Eye and Omenwall are very fast. Don't worry though; I won't netdeck you irl, I just like to see things online so I can get ideas. Didn't even know about Glimmerpoint Stag before I saw your deck.

To anyone who called this a caw deck, it's really not if you look at it. Squadron Hawk is just a great way to keep your hand full of cheap blockers. Personally, the only part I don't see happening is the swords. They're useful to you for the protection, but really the deck is more about survival until you can build a huge army and reset everything from your graveyard each turn. Keep them, but rather drop a Pilgrim's Eye than a Sword.

The reusable Tec Edge is kind a cool too; you might consider adding Condemn in place of some of your sideboard cards, like Khemba and Ulamog(?!), but I think you'll be okay just blocking with a hawk/eye, bring them back later, and the Divine Offering will ruin Argentum.

Really awesome deck; good luck next tourney!

Still working on balance and looking for better cards to add. If anyone sees this and has any suggestions for better ways to bounce, more card draw, balancing the land, or some nice big green fatties I can pull out late game with GSZ (trying to stay away from the standard Thrun/Glissa decks, focusing on bouncing the Necropede and Perilous Myr) please leave a comment :)

A friend of mine did a similar thing with his vampire deck. Have you considered Viscera Seer as a way to sac creatures and scry through your deck? What my friend did was to put Blade of the Bloodchief on a Pawn of Ulamog. Captured my creature, sacked it for +2/+2 counters on Pawn, spawned Eldrazi and sacked them to scry through for his next Mark of Mutiny.

It would be nice to see these together, though I won't make any comment on the likelihood of that happening or on which deck would go farther in tournament :P

As for Blood Clock...it's interesting, but I don't see it being useful for two reasons. First off, the mana cost; I'd like to keep my deck down to 3 mana max, and I'm favoring the 2 mana spells. Secondly...can't you just return a land? That's what I would do if I were playing, to avoid the damage, unless I had another one in my hand and knew I needed both this turn.

Thank you Kharay. As said before, combo decks are a lot of fun and I tend to love the possibilities, but every combo is vulnerable to removal in some way. In this case, its a Naturalize on the Ascension or a kill/exile on Maralen. The point is to build the deck to make the combo as safe as possible while still remaining aggressive. BrainDamage has an alternative version relying purely on counterspells and some creature destruction, whereby he waits until he has enough mana to do both in one turn, using control to stay alive, and then plays Maralen, backing her up with counters. As I said, I prefer to play aggressively, and activate more quickly.

In the end, it comes down to strategy more than deck building. Dropping Maralen does give my opponent an opportunity to kill her next turn, if I don't have the Lightning Greaves and if they actually want to. However, my deck is designed to play both ways. If I know you're running a lot of removal, I'll save Maralen till the Ascension is active - which I can do quite easily without her. Then I play Maralen, and at the beginning of your next turn, you lose. Worst case scenario, I can always find another Maralen - the Ascension is the most important part, as I can win the game through damage, and that is at its most protected simply from the counters I have in the deck.

Basically, I believe there is a balance in every deck - somewhere between playing towards my combo, protecting it with spells, protecting myself by killing enemy creatures, and keeping enough power to win if I fail on those three. Having extra cards in my sideboard will allow me to shift that balance as needed ; in the end, it comes down to how you play the cards - do you risk putting Maralen out, or do you save her and cast a Terminate instead.

And no, I won't win every game. Do you? :)

Sorry for the angry outburst everyone; I was just irritated that my first deck finally makes the home page, and the first two comments are "this will never work it sucks forget about it". Please, I understand that the combo, like any combo deck, has its weakness, and this version might be more vulnerable to removal. However, don't just tell me "it wont work if your opponent has any removal *at all* " - at least give a positive suggestion on how to make it better. But thank you to everyone who did liked it or made a recommendation. In response to some of those:

Removed Sign in Blood, it was a good card to start but added Terminate instead for cheaper anti-ramp. Also sideboarded Volcanic Fallout, thanks Kharay for clearing that up. I think you're right, if I ever did need to wipe bigger creatures I'll use Terminate and most opponents would rather pay the 6 life if they're swinging for a kill, but at least Volcanic can't be countered.

Also added Imp's Mischief for more protection, though I'll need to work on the balance between defense and damage.

Pain Magnification....not essential, but a great addition to the deck. I like it. Between this and Blightning, I'll have much more potential to take down opponents even if they wreck the combo, so it's an alternative to adding more protection. Thing is, I don't have that many effects that deal three damage except Bolt and Blightning, which is higher mana and I don't think I'll use it often. Pain Magnification doesn't trip from Maralen because she doesn't "deal damage"...it's another way to go, but it takes me away from the combo and will probably slow me down. Should I sideboard it and extra Blightning as an alternative win method? Opinions on this?

I realize the combo itself has its weakness, as with any combo deck, removal can kill you. And yes, once my friends find out how it works, they will fight to prevent it. I doubt this deck would make it through a tournament, but it would be great where I play.

Also, this is part of why I went for the more aggressive burn approach. Kharay's and BrainDamage's versions fight hard to protect the combo. Mine is less defensive, but can win on its own without dropping the Archive Trap. Enough burn and board control means I can potentially finish them, especially if I bring in BSZ. Naturalizing the Ascension would make that much harder, but that's what I save Dash Hopes for.

@Kharay and others: Comments on the balance of the deck, whether I need more counterspells, etc. to make it less likely to fail. Here's a few I've been thinking of adding:

Molten Influence - counter unless they pay 4 life, I already have Dash Hopes but that's extra defense if I need it

Imp's Mischief - another way to avoid removal, at least against Maralen, but will it be effective and how costly is it to my life?

Shunt - safer than Imp's Mischief, but the extra mana makes it harder to pull off

Breaking Point - destroy all creatures unless an opponent pays 6 life. A powerful alternative to BSZ, at probably lower mana cost, but it can be countered...however, the heavy life cost means in 1v1 I'll finish them next turn if I don't die...

Volcanic Fallout - another alternative board-wipe, can't be countered, but it will only hit toughness 2 or less unless I help it out with a Lightning Bolt

Thanks for the defeatist attitudes by the way, and the comments telling me what I already know.

Was just about to add Terminate :)

I've been thinking about replacing Sign in Blood, I'm also not sure about Blightning just because the higher cost makes it less useful in my opening hand...but it's such a great card...what are your thoughts on that?
Why increase Blightning?

Glad to see someone else appreciates the Spine + Chalice + Throne combo :)
I built a deck around that, using Grand Architects for extra mana and Trinket/Treasure mages to pull it out. Mine's a lot more focused on just bouncing the Spine for its own sake, I don't have the money for Jace/Tezz and I didn't want to make my deck as wild as yours, just bought cheap cards and tried to guarantee the combo. Still, I did think it would be cool, blowing up three permanents per turn, to proliferate Jace up to 12 by his second turn :P

It might be less competitive, it's more of a casual deck, but you can look at if you want. Meanwhile, cool deck, I like the Clone Shell idea :)
http://www.mtgvault.com/ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=160291

Still kind of balancing it, just bought the cards, really wanted it just to have fun and see my friends' faces when I destroyed everything and swung with a 30/5 hellkite :)

Hm. I don't think Hissing Miasma will really help that much, for less mana I'd rather just play a Blood Seeker but I already tried that; it's not enough to be really worth it. But I will sideboard the other two for consideration, not sure whether they'll make the final cut or not. Rain of Gore is a potential counter to lifegain decks, however I don't think its safe in this situation; essentially, if that's on the field I can't play Bloodchief Ascension or we'll both die. Contaminated Ground, however...if played early, that's a good way to ensure 2 damage on an opponent's turn, plus it could be a frustrating lockout for some of my friend's decks, although a lot of them play black unfortunately :( I'll think about switching that for some Blightnings while I look into other cards.

So far, I feel like this deck is almost finished, but it just needs SOMETHING more...
I found the lands I wanted, so that seems to work pretty consistently now, and with 4 Maralen/Ascension sample hands are winning consistently by turn 5.

However, I feel like there's something missing; anything I could do to increase speed in searching/scrying/cycling the deck, or any useful defensive items, would be very helpful right now. I'm running out of ideas, but I believe Blightning and Sign in Blood, while very cool and useful cards, are the weakest spells in the deck right now, and I'd be more than willing to trade them out if I can find a more helpful card. That or any suggestions for sideboard additions, mostly defensive spells to face different opposing decks, would be much appreciated.

C'mon, somebody, help me out :)

I think we're all starting to reach the same perspective on this, and I like a lot of what both of you have suggested regarding all three decks. The green has its pros and cons, it just requires testing but I certainly won't be changing mine to three colors. I had originally thought of using vampires, but that seemed to unoriginal and not particularly effective; everyone has their ways of dealing with creatures, which is why I preffered the aggressive burn and/or the indirect activations you're using. After freeing up some space, though, I am going to add Dash Hopes to my deck. If nothing else, one of the strengths of mine is that I can finish the game without the combo. I'll look at more ways to balance defense in mine now that I have redundant cards like Sign in Blood and Magma Jet, athough I think the Sideboard will end up being an important factor for me.

Just looking at your deck, I'm starting to make all these comparisons trying to find the balance between ours. Some ideas running through my mind right now:

Kharay's Deck: Focuses on playing the combo as fast as possible, with a balance of defensive counterspells and some activation, through tarpits and Maralen. Fast to find and play, potentially slow to activate, but relatively balanced. Potential for countering like yours, but not the focus.

My Deck: Focuses on activating the combo and dealing damage. Similar speed and consistency with some scrying and drawing, maybe not as good with Beseech. Aggressive, activates faster using spells, but weak to removal since I'm not running any counterspells. Potential for board control like yours, but not the focus.

BrainDamage's Deck: Most defensive, focusing on counterspells and anti-creature spells. This is good because you'll be the most protected, but you have no direct way to activate the ascension. On the other hand, you made some really nice choices with the spells (Countersquall, Hideous End, etc) so that you'll activate while defending yourself. I think your biggest weakness is that you simply have no way to find Maralen or the Ascension other than drawing them, and 2 Sign in Blood probably won't help you too much. But if you can hold out till you get it, which you should with four of each, the activation will come within 3 turns, and your opponent should give you an opportunity to do it sooner.

Strategy Summary:
Me - play Bloodchief, attack with spells to activate it, destroy creatures to protect my life, then play Maralen whenever I get her
Kharay - play Maralen as soon as possible, protect her and bloodchief, activate if possible or wait and hit as soon as she finishes activating it
BrainDamage - patience. Protect yourself with GftT and Counterspell, play Maralen whenever you get her, then activate indirectly with spells based on how your opponent is playing (creatures/spells).

Something like that....let us know how it goes in tournament, I believe all planning and preconceptions are readjusted when you actually have to react to an opponent, which is where your deck is the most stable :)

Also an anti-suggestion: I haven't looked at most of the spells, but I wouldn't add Doom Blade. You shouldn't need that many destroy spells. I would suggest sideboarding it though, if you find that Hideous End isn't enough. In my deck, I replaced Doom Blade with Hideous End - which I will trade with Go for the Throat if my opponent is playing a black deck, i.e. vampires. For you, I would only keep DB for an alternative to GftT if your opponent is playing artifacts. Just how I play :)

Added Highway Robber to sideboard - expensive, but its a creature in case I need it, and another way to drain life. Something to consider, though I don't know if it will make the final cut. Culling the Weak is another powerful mana source, but I don't think I'll be able to use it without dumping most of the burn and turning this into a creature-based deck.

UPDATE:

After playing with a few creatures and Diabolic Intent the way Kharay tried it, I decided it wasn't worth taking that much away from the existing spell-based deck. Instead, I made a few changes for more dual-purpose spells:

-Replaced Doom Blade with Hideous End - more expensive but it activates the Bloodchief

-Added Magma Jet - went through a few burn spells before I found this, not fond of 2-mana cost but the scrying feature helps to cycle for Maralen while board-controlling or activating Bloodchief, like a reverse Sign in Blood

-Added Lightning Greaves - had forgotten they gave shroud, right now they're my only protection for Maralen, I'm more concerned with speed so we'll see how the deck fares before I decide how many to add

Please post any comments on the spells I'm using, suggestions for better land, or how to improve consistency, as they would be much appreciated :)

Yes, its annoying, but if nothing else it helps me find a bloodchief. There really is no way to guarantee Maralen by turn 3 without Demonic Tutor - 4 Maralens and 4 Dark Ritual is the best I can do, I think. Gonna look into some other cards with Cycling abilities... Otherwise, for now I'm happy with turn 5-6 kill and decent board control :)

*FACEPALM*

Just realized how much of an idiot I am...been trying to find a good tutor ability to replace the over-priced, banned, yet oh-so-enticing Demonic Tutor. So far, with a little tweaking of mana and balancing the spells, the deck consistently churns out turn 4-6 kills, except when I can't find Maralen.

Went back to my crappy Vampire EDH experiment.....found Beseech the Queen.
It's cheap on BidWicket, and it should solve my consistency issues. It won't speed up the deck, but it should guarantee Maralen's presence by turn 4, or it can speed up finding an Ascension.

Realistically, there is no way to speed up the deck; a turn 2-3 kill relies on drawing a Dark Ritual and a Maralen, and not wasting time tutoring. With four in the deck, that's the best I can do, and it does happen every so often. Beseech the Queen is just a compromise between the high-budget, low-mana Demonic Tutor and the low-budget, too-high-mana Diabolic Tutor. We'll see how it goes, but I'm hoping this deck will be finished after a few more minor edits.

No actually I believe it does work. I read somewhere, possibly the rule book, that when multiple creatures die at the same time from something like BSZ, they all leave the battlefield at the same time. Any leave-the-battlefield / enter-graveyard triggered abilities will trigger for all of those creatures, even if the permanent with the ability is leaving as well. They all leave at the same time, so Sangromancer is still active when they leave; it only checks when the ability is triggered, it doesn't go back to check if Sangromancer is alive when it resolves. So yes you would gain 3 life for every opponent's creature that dies. I've seen that issue come up before when my friend blocked a creature with his Massacre Wurm and they both died - the opponent lost 2 life :)

I don't like how Reverberate is working with the deck. I usually don't have the mana to cast it (I find I rely a lot more on black mana early on, despite the amount of red burn in this deck, which is why I took out the mountains) and when I do, it's not really worth it just to copy a bolt/doom blade. Copying an Archive Trap is fun, but usually unnecessary.

I'm actually reconsidering Isochron Scepter instead...early on, I could Imprint a bolt, allowing me to cast burns or kill creatures with black mana, or later I could copy a doom blade for extra board control....
I think it's better that way that I can recycle it and tap it on an opponent's turn instead :)