tmw30

If only storm crow could be my commander in EDH... he'd be in my wizards deck and it would be fantastic.

Might I suggest unsummon over messenger's speed and turn the mountains into islands? No trample, but it could turn into extra damage. Or a removal spell.

I made a standard one!

I actually really like this format.

Mana leak is an amazing card to have on you main board. As for venser's diffusion, if someone is playing that competitively, I'd eat my foot. You'll never see it, but it would be funny if you did.

One card worth looking at is Gore-House Chainwalker. It's a 3/2 two drop that can't drop. Historically, that's brilliant. In conjunction with Deathbellow, your two drop slot would be awesome. Also, my buddy runs a deck like this that runs Experiment One, which pulls off Christmas magic almost every time he gets it. Turn 1, Experiment One, Turn Two, Burning Tree into a Deathbellow/Gore-House Chainwalker, Experiment One Double Evolve, Swing Three turn Two, 7-8 Power on the board.

Oh, and Ghor Clan Rampager is Fantastic in G/R Aggro, just as a 'spell'. I'd run it over messenger's speed any day.

Venser's Diffusion would be a fantastic card against this deck, but I like it never-the-less. Very flavorful and synergistic in it's own way.

With a 5 drop on top of the curve, 18 is a bit touchy. The way I think of it, if you want to hit two drops reliably, 20-22, 3 drops, 22-23, 4 drops, 23-24, but a five drop? Well, you don't really care if you hit it reliably, but being able to hit it is nice, so I'd go with about 22.
But seriously, funny deck.

It's delicious :D
Although, might I suggest 22 Islands instead of 14?

Heh, I know the feeling, all of my non-standard decks are control, I just feel that the standard metagame is far too simple to be the proving grounds for a control deck. My 8-rack proactive deck is the closest thing I have to a semi-linear strategy outside of standard. Even my EDH decks are just a bunch of control decks. This kind of stuff I find fun in standard, Naya is just brutal. Blunt can be fun too :D

Sounds good, I would love to play against this deck. It's very linear, in a good way. Control is too convoluted and common these days.

Might I suggest Scavenging Ooze over Voice of Resurgence on the main board? Hear me out on this. You deck is a series of relevant threats, one after another, that typically are supposed to be good on their own, yet accept backup from the likes of Boros Charm well. Voice is a brilliant card, absolutely savage against control, but its primary weakness is that most decks in the metagame can ignore it completely and just pretend it's a bear. Scavenging Ooze, on the other hand, gets far too pesky without having your opponents deal with it and demands their attention. In a deck where your goal is to make every drop besides your Caryatid a threat, why play Voice over Ooze? Of course, leaving Voice on the sideboard is a good move, because again, it is fantastic against control. Also, might I suggest Assemble the Legion for your sideboard? Mono-Black Devotion literally has no answers for that spell.

Also, it's easier to cast effectively. Just a point.

There's always still that chance that Ral's ultimate fails, but your odds are good. I like it :) Could I suggest Lotus Bloom? You gotta get that contagion engine out fast.

Perhaps fated infatuation isn't the best card for this deck, seeing as you only have 7 creatures main board. Perhaps try fitting some steam augury on the main board.

Not only that, but Eater of the Dead + Phenax is a very solid almost infinite mill when paired up. I agree, Phenax should be the commander.

Imagine the horror of Consuming Aberration (Geddit? He's a Horror...) and Phenax on the same board state... I play a spell, everyone mill till you show a land, and now I'll tap Consuming Aberration so he is now ridiculous size. Have fun.

Infernal Tutor is an interesting choice... it needs to be the last card in your hand to do anything, and with the volume of tutors you have present, Torpor Orb/Platinum Angel will already be in your hand at that time. Might I suggest that spot go to recursion, such as Yawgamoth's Will? In this deck it presents a limitless (well, sort of) amount of tutors and develops a board state that can issue a deadly Phage every time. Not only that, it can get you back your lovely Torpor Orb in case anybody fries it. Speaking of which, if I sudden spoiling your Torpor Orb/Platinum Angel while Phage is on the stack, it makes you lose. Food for thought.

Good sideboard options! Implemented a few. As for the main board, I'll drop a land in favor of something else, but I like the 4x Ensnaring, it gets top decked abrupt decay to the face way to often. And I hate having cards in hand post 4th turn, but I like the idea of read the bones. I'll play test it, but drown in sorrow just kills dark confidant, so I'll stick with it.

That is a point. I would still suggest adding some basic lands :P nvm, you're good. It gets a like from me.

Yeah, but they only act like lands if you bounce a basic land, which I see you lack. Dark steel ingot would do the same in this deck :) Hence my point. 6 drops at relatively hard to play even at 23 lands, let alone 19, might I suggest going up to 24-25?

That captain of the watch on 19 lands is pretty ambitious, I dig it. Do you summon that thing often?