Olivia is something i definitely want to work into this, if it even means just tossing two of her in. I can't believe i overlooked her when i made this. The Bloodlord, while with great potential, i find is too slow for the way i often have to compete with opponents in a tourney. Reassembling Skeleton would be excellent cannon fodder to keep Aristocrat indestructible so i would like to try that out as well. To be completely honest, the Aristocrats have carried me to victory quite often and would be difficult to let go. As long as Rakish Heir is standing behind her and i have others to sacrifice, she's really quite the bi*ch to get rid of and an ever growing problem to block with my removal spells preventing creatures able to do so. -1 spells, Oblivion Ring and a souped up Fiend Hunter are the only problems i generally run into.
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This is by far my favorite deck atm. The creatures are either going to hit you or they are going to do something mean to you in death. I bought into zombies the moment Innistrad dropped and eagerly purchased the Dark Ascension zombies while they were just released and cheap. The Altar's Reap was suggested to me by a first place contender at a local tourny. It brings the deck together seemlessly by using it on either Geralf's Messenger, Black Cat or Grave Crawler with Diregraf Captain out. The life loss experienced paired with never top decking has brought me a lot of wins. I paid 2 dollars each for Geralf's Messenger and i think maybe 3 each for Gravecrawler. With the prices now, this would definitely would be a different deck listed...
I have triffled with Prey Upon but have found it to be a large creature's undoing against the guys i frequently play in casual. Grasp of Darkness, Dead Weight, Tragic Slip and sometimes direct damage are able to deal a deathblow in kind and even prevent their creature's death in some cases. I find that burn is a simple solution to both creatures and the pesky dilemma of leaving my opponent at 3 life as you mentioned as well. However, as I am spending time looking through werewolf decks and seeing all of the positive feedback on Instigator Gang being a solid win condition, I am going to purchase a playset and see how it plays out for sure.
I'd sure appreciate any input you have to offer if you do happen to browse my decks. I'm new to the site and can't believe this was not suggested to me sooner. I've only 4 of 5 decks I have assembled posted that are standard.
He's a decent fit. I see benefits and I see drawbacks. Both sides benefit from Mayor (Transformed) and Immerwolf in that when he produces his wolf tokens, they're coming to the battlefield much larger then by himself. In addition to that he produces a means to keep him defended long enough to have him make use of his bottom ability on the flip. The trouble lies with finding a creature to knock that won't also kill him with all the bonuses to wolves/werewolves in mind... You're suddenly relying on your opponent's creatures to facilitate this. You'd have to play the bonuses to wolves/werewolves carefully to do it yourself. He has the potential to both complicate or catalyze the course of the game. Furthermore. The wolf tokens produced, being larger and preventing his flip, do not benefit from some key cards in the deck. Full Moon's Rise and Terror of Kruin Pass only affect werewolves and with only two Pyreheart Wolf, the odds of them being able to touch your opponent diminish. The wolf tokens become more of a defensive play rather then an aggressive one. You won't catch me complaining about a 3/3 or 4/4 wolf token (possibly w/ deathtouch) sitting at my defense however. Overall, he may actually be slowing you down in a competitive aggro beat-down format. For casual play, he will definitely be something to have fun with.
IMHO: Huntmaster is still a 5/5 Trample creature (w/ Immerwolf out) for your opponent to deal with that already just hit for 2 and possibly took out a blocker of theirs. I feel as though Huntmaster, while great as a human, does not fit as a constant flip in werewolf decks. Werewolf decks should not constantly flip. I would be playing token decks if i wanted to win with tokens he produces and i would splash white in for lifelink if i was concerned with gaining life. His human side admittedly does not fit the "smash" theme. His flipped side is all i'm after in the end. In a werewolf theme, I just want to beat someone's face in. Try an Assault Strobe on a Ravager of the Fells w/ Mayor of Avabruck, Instigator Gang, Immerwolf and HotF's wolf token out and all attacking. Argue otherwise during a doublestrike/trample monster attack that you can fling after. >:D That said, Assault Strobe may also fix losing to an opponent left at 3 life. You've just made you're "superpowered Instigator Gang" extra superpowered for the attack and then Fling FTW. Anything else you have in the deck already makes him a hard hitter or difficult to block, why not make his already superpowered charge double? Looks like a well rounded deck otherwise. I apologize for imposing my firmly held believes of Huntmaster upon you, lol.