On the day, I beat mono-red twice, UW Lark once, G/W tokens once, Jund once, and G/R Hackblade beats once.

I lost to John Mahon’s U/G Savor the Moment combo deck, after reanimating Anathemancer 3 times to attempt to kill his jace, he just dropped a Garruk and used 5 turns to make beasts, beat me down, and overrun.
Lost to Sanity Grinding, same situation.

Also lost to Jund where Game 1 I drew all 4 shriekmaws and he thoughtseized away my cryptic and my mannequin in turn 3, and then ripped a seize on turn 6 to hit my cruel. G2, I mulled to 5 lands on the play and stole the game with a flashfreeze, mannequin’d puppeteer clique, and a topdecked cruel. G3 was close, but I drew poorly and couldn’t deal with 2 leech beatdown.

On the whole, I feel like I would have made T8 if I had my sideboard prepared for combo, but I can’t metagame against everything. The deck is powerful and synergistic, but the list posted right now needs more early plays and Vendillion Clique needs to find it’s way in somewhere imo.

It was also tons of fun to play

Due to a lack of the 3rd ultimatum, I too replaced it with a single Hellkite. Besides that, I also -4 Bitu Blast +4 Lightning Bolt maindeck for reasons stated later. I bought it to FNM and won all 3 games against 5CC, 5CB (sygg-cryptic command version), and mono-white kithkins/soldier hybrid.

The reason why I chose to maindeck lightning bolts are the following:-
1) With soul manipulation and cryptic command, you do not have a control over your cascades. Although there is a chance to cascade into a counterspell when you need it, it makes the bituminous blast a situational play. It also cost 5CMC.

2) Lightning bolt deals with mainboard stags, and an early putrid leech if they fall for the 2 life trap. It is also an additional reach and only worth 1 cmc.

3) Opens up 4 slots in my sideboard, possibly for volcanic fallouts against faeries.

Bitu Blast is no doubt a strong card, but in this deck, I actually prefer the bolt.

@Weeksy: You need a soul manipulation against the colossus, however in my sideboard, I bring in Sower of Temptations to add some depth to my answers against it.

First game Finest Hour (loss):
I won the first match by bringing back his rafiq with my clique and attacking with a doublestriking Hellkite.
Lost the third match to a Sable stag. Didn’t draw any of the fallouts, bolts or hellions and I couldn’t keep him off with shriekmaw alone since sable stag finished it. I would have taken a mulligan if I hadn’t dropped to 5 cards in hand already.
I drew one fallout. Rafiq + Sable Stag finished it at lightning speed.

Second game Transmuter (win):
Nothing worth mentioning, I finished both game quite easily with cruel ultimatum.

Third game Jund (loss):
Won the first game thanks too cruel and hellkite.
Lost the two next games. Putrid leech, sable stag, blightning and Bloodbraid into anathemancer was just horrible. Didn’t see hellkite or cruel which was pretty meh.

Fourth game Merfolk (win):
I lost the first game.
Swept his field with Hellion and Fallout AND Hellkite ftw.
He got to attack with a banneret. I countered or killed all his other creatures. Shriekmaw came back 7 times and eventually beat him down together with mulldrifter.

Fith game Conley Woods Mannequin (loss):
I won the first game thanks to pulling back Hellkite over 4 times.
I once again failed to draw any Hellions or Fallouts. A field of two putrid leeches and sable stag was just too much.
I was keeping of his Leech and Sable stag. Then he played bloodbraid into kitchen finks ftw. I played a Hellion but that simply wasn’t enough.

So…I hate Putrid leech and sable stag. Despite multiple riffle shuffles and mulligans I simply failed to draw my Hellions in time to fend off some dangerous fields. Lightning bolt certainly helped. Yet putrid leech and the Great Sable Stag got to me. Despite this I must say that I enjoyed playing the deck a lot and that the use of AoW was complimented positively a couple of times. I found that the Hellkites were super though and that it was worth removing Cruel Ultimatum as it won me a few matches which Cruels wouldn’t have been able to pull off.

Again, loved the deck and I hope you don’t mind me using it or maybe killing the design in some way by removing an Ultimatum

(P.S.: the deck that came in first was remarkably simular to the rhox meditant deck with 100% less rhox :p And sorry for the long post ^^;)

Your story has been summoned to the battlefield – Trackback from MTGBattlefield…

I was wondering if you could adress the advantage of limiting yourself to Grixis colors. You could easily be running four vivid lands over the Crumbling Necropolis, but it seems to me like you get most of your advantage out of Sunken Ruins and a few basics. Still, can a handful of faster lands justify avoiding green and white mana? Or are there just no green or white spells you want to play? Hard to believe, but not at all impossible. I just think that any control deck that isn’t running the typical five color control manabase needs to seriously justify limiting its colors.

I’m however very displeased with Soul Manipulation. I have played around 10 2/2 matches now and I have only yet managed to 2-1 with Soul Manipulation twice. It’s also kind of poopy to flip with Bit. Blast. I would certainly want to cut at least 2 if I play the deck again. I would also like to see Volcanic Fallout main. Perhaps even Lightning Bolt. See, the following happened to me.

Example #1:
My opponent goes T2 Bitterblossom on the play pre-board. I was, as the say, basicly cold. I almost made a comeback with tripple Cryptic Command but he had a counter for the third.

Example #2:
My opponent goes (on the play, both pre and afterboard) turn 2 Putrid Leech/Wren’s Run Vanquisher, turn 3 Great Sable Stag and turn 4 Chameleon Colossus. I had virutaly zero outs after that turn 4. I feel that I could beat just Stag or just Chameleon Colossus, but them togheter was just too much.

Any thoughts about that?

Played a Merfolk deck last night. My opponent knew his deck and played it well. I don’t know his deck’s exact build but he had an updated and stable manabase (Hubs, Fortress, Gates) and played Cryptic, Harm’s Way, Dousing, Banneret, Reejery, Sovereign, Adept, and sideboarded in Forge-Tenders. I took first game on the back of Redcap and Shriekmaw alone. Second game, I failed to board in Fallouts but he had the Tender on board. I misplayed a Blast (which he leaked) when I returned a Shriekmaw the previous turn on a Soul Manipulation on a ‘Lark. I flipped Mannequin which returned a cycled AoW which forecasted my next three draws of land, land, land. He chumped a 4/4 Mutavault and, next turn, I didn’t cast the two Hellions I had in because of the Tender and he countered all my redcaps. I sided in Fallout, he overextended, I cleared, and he told me after that he de-sided the forgetender because I didn’t show any red sweepers. Good news for me but I think I would’ve taken game two had I sided in the Fallouts like I should’ve. I still think they belong in the board.

I played a few Bant decks and found that I lose if I fail to get a 2nd turn Shriekmaw.

Found Shriekmaw underwhelming against Jund decks if they ran Mannequin. Ok to good in situations where they went Bloodbraid into Ram-Gang.

So far, I really enjoy playing this deck. Has anyone who playtested it ran into Time Sieve combo or anything like that? Is it worth running Though Hemorrhage in the board? I’ve got three copies in there but have yet to board it in.

Also regarding the heavy red in the sideboard have you had any issues not having the double red to cast Hellion and Fallout?

(My Card Breakdown in no particular order)
Hence the strength of the Remove Soul paired w/ Raise Dead in the card that is soul manipulation. (Reloads all the crits in ur deck). Also note that the card is more efficient than remove soul and raise dead. why? b/c raise dead is a sorcery…
Cryptic Command was and is still the shiz, no explanation needed. But dont forget it can return your ________ to your hand at eot and cast it again ftw.
Or the mid/late game punishment for having 4 reflecting pools and vivid lands that 2 COPIES of anathamancer brings(if you have 2 it will generally pop up later when you need it to end the game). Soul manip should let you play again after it chump blocks.
Shriekmaw is ok now b/c there arent really any pro black crits that will end you quickly now and the deck is backed up by 8 counters. and it instant speeds w/ manne and gets reloaded w/ soul and cryptic
The Clique well…. you kill/counter their crits… why not use them against them and then exile it to boot… it has psychological value more than anything. Your Opponents Thoughts, “Hmm should I evoke my thresher? should I try and play broodmate dragon? I think I’ll just hold it and alter my play….”
Cruel Ultimatum:__________________________________ fill in the blank yourself I’d go w/ powns/owns/and smacks their momma
Bituminous well… helps kill crits and gives you “extra” copies of counters and mannequins. The targets in the deck (preboard) are 1 of the 8 counters, architects will, mannequin, and anath. The quality of the card will depend on the situations your in. i.e., are you casting it in hopes of hitting your counter (about 50% chance). Do you need recursion?… Really it is best played w/ the mindset that it is a blaze that hits crits at instant speed. It can be played strategically w/ hopes that it makes certain hits which can swing the game tempo. I feel it is the most subjectively un-subjective card in the deck. So perhaps only 3 copies…
But the last card is the namesake card of the deck. I still feel like architects is a bit overpriced for its ability but it does smooth the deck out. Its bituminous-able. And at worst, if you dont want it. cycle it. then soul manip and cycle it again. Perhaps there are some other early cycling cards you could put in for those that dislike the card.
I know I skipped a few cards but I dont think they need comments.
Oh, almost forgot: does the deck really need 25 lands? seems like u could stick in that magical singleton hellkite make them pay for blightning’ you early on. just saying.