Howdy! This is my first time posting a deck here, and my third attempt at making a deck from scratch, so any advice/help is apprectiated.
Anywho, I was inspired by Market Festival and Verdant Haven to make a deck that was multi-colored, but had only forests as lands. On my second draft, (a green burn that worked better than I expected it to at my last FNM modern night), I found that the deck fit rather well with a song that I had just heard. So, adhering more to the song, switching the format to EDH, and adding the colour blue to the deck, here we are! My deck is called "Tricks up my Sleeve," after the song that inspired it. I spent hours looking through Magic cards, trying to find things that would work in this deck, trying to fit with the commander I accidentally found while looking for a different card entirely. This deck is actually going to be my Christmas present to myself, so, as I've said, any advice or help on this deck will be very much appreciated.
The purpose of this deck ties to the title. There are many "tricks" in the deck, and the unpredictability that will come with only using forests in a tri-coloured deck will keep your opponent wondering (and hopefully worrying) what you're going to do next. Here are the reasons for my choices (I pasted this from TappedOut 'cause I was NOT willing to type all of this a second time):
[[Maelstrom Wanderer]] as my commander: Green, so I can have my forests and multi-colored mana ramp, red so that I can pull burn spells out of nowhere, and copy my own spells, or copy my opponents' spells to throw 'em right back. Blue, so I can draw more and take more turns than the opposition, among other things. And haste for everything? Whether I get two mana generating creatures or a couple o' bruisers with his cascade, it works. Plus, with his double cascade effect that casts two more spells for free, well, I don't know of a single Magic card that better fits having tricks up one's sleeve.
[[Dawn's Reflection]], [[Utopia Sprawl]], [[Verdant Haven]], and some others: These allow my forests to generate more mana of whatever colour I want. [[Market Festival]] was the card that first inspired me to do this to begin with.
[[Arbor Elf]], [[Voyaging Satyr]], others: Being able to untap my forests that are often generating two or more mana? Yes, please!
[[Lightning Strike]], [[Lightning Bolt]], others: "Well, he seems to be using only forests and mana ramping to... who knows what. Either way, my low toughness creature is safe!" *zap*
[[Djinn Illuminatus]]: I will have plenty of mana. Heck, I may be able to win just by using him to cast [[Lightning Bolt]] several times.
[[Howl of the Horde]]: Heh... Heh... Oh, Djinn Illuminatuuuuuus!
[[Time Warp]]: I can run it, I'll have the mana to take advantage of the rest of the turn I cast it, it'll probably be unexpected, it can be cascaded, need I say more?
[[Reiterate]]: You wanna burn me? Well, I'll burn you for the same and keep the spell to do it again!
[[Rite of Replication]]: With plenty of mana to kick, and plenty of big bruiser creatures to copy (oh, and ways to copy this for multiple copies), I think this is VERY justified.
[[Lighthouse Chronologist]]: Because why not give myself more turns? I can play him and level him up in one or two turns, easy.
[[Birds of Paradise]], [[Sylvan Caryatid]], others: Tap for mana, and I can choose the colour, and I can play them with just forests, so... yeah.
[[Manamorphose]], others: In case I need to convert my green mana into something not green.
[[Azure Mage]]: I will have enough mana to use this plenty.
[[Plasm Capture]]: "Okay, so he's got strong creatures, and he can burn? I better wipe..." "No. Thanks for the mana, though!"
[[Chord of Calling]]: Can cast with just green mana and creatures if necessary, calling a creature that can generate any mana, or my lovely [[Elvish Piper]] to call big things from my hand.
[[Elvish Piper]]: She calls big things, she can call any colour of creature, she uses one green mana to do it, she is perfect for this deck.
[[Colossus of Akros]]: Big, scary, runable, and my mana pool can take him. He is the one creature with a >8 mana cost that I was willing to risk throwing in, that I knew of.
[[Dragon Throne of Tarkir]]: Big, haste commander, with big bruiser creatures, and the potential to throw this on a 20/20 and say gg instantly if my commander hits? AND TRAMPLE TO EVERYTHING, TOO? Boy, I hope this gets cascaded at some point.
[[Hydra Broodmaster]]: Cascadable, and with enough mana (something I will likely have) it brings a bruiser army of its own to the block? While becoming extremely powerful itself? Oh, Dragon Throne of Tarkiiiiirrrr!
[[Paragon of Eternal Wilds]]: Because just one way of strengthening my creatures and giving trample to my commander just isn't enough.
[[Elvish Visionary]]: Cheap, replaces herself in my hand, and can be strength fodder for [[Dragon Throne of Tarkir]] or tap fodder for [[Earthcraft]].
[[Seedborn Muse]]: So. Many. Applications.
[[Banefire]]: Mana+Runable+Fits a line in the song. And with a raid-true [[Howl of the Horde]], this has a lot of hit potential.
[[Life's Legacy]]: To draw if I need it.
[[Garruk's Packleader]]: Draw engine. With [[Hydra Broodmaster]], I can fill my hand easily.
Now, we get to the primary bruisers.
[[Arbiter of the Ideal]]: Cascadable. I swing, and next turn I may get something for free! Like a generic brand cascade.
[[Balefire Dragon]]: Cascadable. Like [[Bonfire of the Damned]], in creature form! I can give him trample, too, sooooo...
[[Dominus of Fealty]]: Cascadable. And every turn, if you control a bruiser, it's mine now. (Or if you've got something that's giving you shroud or hexproof, you won't have it on my turn, when it matters most)
[[Borborygmos]]: Cascadable. Trample, and if just one damage goes through, my bruisers bruise harder!
[[Colossal Whale]]: Cascadable and omnoms the opposition clearing a path for other bruisers!
[[Deus of Calamity]]: Cascadable. If he gets damage through, you're hurt. If I copy him a bunch, goodbye your land, if you somehow survive the damage. (Playtesting note- Amazing combo: take their creature, and sac it with Life's Legacy)
[[Flameblast Dragon]]: Cascadable flying bruiser who basically lets me [[Banefire]] on each of my turns.
End of creatures whom I found while looking for red and/or blue bruisers.
[[Mind Control]]: I can run it, it's cascadable, and I can take the opposition's force and throw it back at them. (Or snag a handy creature ability)
[[Blue Sun's Zenith]]: In case I need draw.
[[Aqueous Form]]: Unblockable commander and some scry? For one mana? Si!
[[Ral Zarek]]: He can tap the opposition's blockers while untapping one of my mana-heavy lands, deal direct burn damage, and give me up to five extra turns. And I will likely have plenty to protect him with. Oh, and he's cascadable, too.
[[Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger]]: Double my land-generated mana, and effectively halve yours.
[[Forest]]: Trees, for all your needs.