After some changes and a few rounds I think I have finally reached a good balance with this deck, though there is still room for improvement and suggestions!
Running burn spells, scry and card draws, as well as a couple creature removal, cancel spells, and a token generator. Playing up spells that work well when copied with
Doublecast
, on top of just 9 creatures that either do passive damage or benefit from the use instants/sorcieries. I chose
Doublecast
over
Expansion / Explosion
because it can trigger
Guttersnipe
or
Electrostatic Field
twice.
What makes this deck gain steam is the easy card advantage with draw spells that makes cheap burn happen. Also, any one of the creatures can really accelerate damage, and if i never draw a creature, the burn and doublecasting is enough to seal the deal. Though ive been advised against it, using
Browbeat
really defines the style of the deck as a mid-game card draw or a nice burn, and it has proven fun and effective in casual play. Copied, it is pure evil. Doublecasting
Fireblast
when I sac 2 mountains is an easy 8, 12 with a
Guttersnipe
, so I am considering running 2 of
Fireblast
. Only hesitating to run more than one because of the mana cost to damage ratio.
Currently debating adding another
Snap
, or one
Vapor Snag
. I want to focus on burn and speed, but snap is excellent in buying me time. It sets the opponent back in needing to pay to play their creature next turn, and its basically free. Plus when i copy it, i bounce two creatures, also for free, so it plays well late game too.
I dont want to overload with evasive cards, but creature removal pushes that control element that can secure a win against a deck stacked with big creatures. I almost prefer to bounce creatures over using
Ionize
with this deck. First off, this deck generally needs to work quickly; cheaply removing threats early can mean room for early damage- and thus, an early win. Ionize requires me to leave 3 lands untapped, and despite being a hard counter for any type of spell, it is pricier, relatively slow and cant be doublecast. For three mana, i could be causing havok, rather than waiting around for a threat. Right now I am keeping it, because it still does 2 damage and is flexible, and solid when im not getting good draws, or am on the defensive against bigger spells if the game runs too long (the "weak point" of a deck like this). BUT, ultimately i may swap
Ionize
for another bounce spell or even just a straight burn. I could use some input on this!
Thanks all!