Thanks windowlessvan! Viashino Heretic is decent, but I don't think he makes the cut for this build. If I were to run an effect like that, I would probably run Hoard-Smelter Dragon instead since it's a beater and repeatable.

Mindslaver+Daretti's ult lets you control someone for the rest of the game, and its still pretty nice with his -2. Also, imho, Mana Crypt is better then Sol Ring (Although you should play both). The three dmg every other turn is annoying, but because of the ramp you should win faster so that may offset the harm. It $$$ tho, so I can see why its no in there now. Also maybe MindStone. The card seem great with daretti cuz its good at ramping early game, but it can turn into a cantrip later, when the mana is irrelevant. Basically, you deck need more artifacts that start with m. +1

Mindslaver is in the sideboard as I wasn't using it all that much, but I'm still considering it. I would love to add Mana Crypt, but as you say it's a cash issue. I really like and miss the 2-cost ramp artifacts like Mind Stone and Fellwar Stone, along with the mana dorks like Plague Myr and Iron Myr, but they were pushed out in favor of bigger impact spells. If I find I'm stuggling to get Daretti out by turn 3 I'll reconsider them. Thanks for taking a look llamaglama01!

Won a 4-Headed-Giant match against my friends, one of whom has been playing MTG for ages and has TONS invested in his decks.All credit goes to the Hellkite Tyrant + Mycosynth Lattice combo.+1 for sure!

I'm testing a variation of the list you have currently posted. I figured I'd share what's different any my reasons to foster discussion:

Instead of the 3 fetch lands (Arid Mesa, Bloodstained Mire, and Wooded Foothills) I'm running Thawing Glaciers, Temple of the False God, and a Snow-Covered Mountain. My reasoning is that the ramp from the temple shouldn't be missed, that we're already low on basics, and that Thawing Glaciers while slower, is reusable without another combo piece, and doesn't ping us for life, which is a resource we often need in this deck.

Instead of Mox Diamond, I'm running Mox Opal. My reasoning is I have it, and in a deck that already runs so few lands, I may not be in the position where I have a land to discard, or even want to.

Instead of Defense Grid, I'm using Mana Web because it doesn't effect me, and because it has more overall impact on everything my opponents do. It also combos nicely with Winter Orb.

I find that while cute, the combo of Prototype Portal + Ugin's Nexus is just too situational and have opted to instead run Extraplanar Lens and Mirrorworks for ramp and duplication.

Finally, I cut Lightning Greaves which I love, but doubt in this deck, and replaced them with Mycosynth Golem, because being able to spew artifacts for free is just too good to ignore.

Anyway, that's what I'm testing. Please let me know what you think FeralKitten.

Mana Web is pretty bad. They can respond to the trigger by floating their mana, unless your goal is to get them to tap out on their turn.

kameenook Tapping them out (or the threat of it), is exactly the point. With Winter Orb out, it causes a real problem. Even on its own it forces a control player to choose whether to play a spell on their turn, or hold back in case a threat emerges... It makes their game become all or nothing. Believe me, Mana Web is not ''pretty bad". Try playing against it and see how you feel after :)

Hey Ender666666, always willing to discuss changes and optimizations!

Regarding fetches vs Thawing Glaciers, I'm building for speed and there have been too many times I've had Glaciers in hand and really just needed 1 more mana right now. I'm going to playtest it and see if I like it, so it still may find a home. Temple of the False God was only out while I was testing some changes, and in my test build it's already back in, along with Extraplanar Lens.

I discovered Mana Web the other day and it interested me, since it's in line with other disruption I'm running. I'm probably going to get one because that's so dirty with Winter Orb.

Prototype Portal and Ugin's Nexus are in because they're both pretty good on their own, but together are amazing. Mirrorworks has been one that I'm interested in slotting back in.

I've been on the fence about Lightning Greaves, because they've been nothing but great for me, but I really need to find slots for other things without compromising the speed I'm looking for.

I'll probably post an update with some of the changes I've been testing. I'm really trying to focus on speed and a steady stream of cards to get us to the disruption and combo pieces. It's getting so hard to make cuts though, which probably means the deck's almost there :)

I know what you mean FeralKitten, you eventually get to that point where your deck is very stable, and you have 5 more cards you want to add for Reasons, but don't know what to cut. It like that with Two words... I'm Sorry...

That being said, Mana Web was something I made room for in that deck, and in was bonkers, so I really can't recommend it enough.

Any thoughts on Mycosynth Golem for acceleration? Cheat him in with Daretti on turn 3-4 and then go nuts? Seems like of could be a thing.

Just offering my two cents since my Daretti deck is by far one of my favorites and is quite similar to yours(minus a lot of the stax, I'm not that mean...yet). Lightning Greaves has been a great asset since it protects the fallback guys like Welder and Feldon in case Daretti gets too costly to cast or tucked. Once they're not needed, can sacrifice them to Welder or Daretti as well.

Cards that I see you've recently taken out(or ones that I remember you had at one point) that I think really tie things together are Silent Arbiter and Helm of Possession. Arbiter is cheap enough to be hard cast, and easier enough to pitch to discard when not needed. He also throws a wrench in almost any creature based deck that isn't voltron. Helm has saved me multiple times, but that's mostly because it really punishes anyone who overextends really well.

As for what you could remove, Kurkesh really hasn't done much for me. He costs 4 mana which means I'll almost never play him if Daretti isn't in play, and he really seems like a win-more kinda guy. Another card I played around with a bit was Slobad, but he rarely become relevant unless they're was a ton of spot removal, so that's more on your meta I guess.

Love the deck though, probably the closest I'll ever get to playing mono-red edh.

Mycosynth Golem seems solid, I just don't have one yet so I don't know how stupid he gets, which I'm guessing is pretty stupid. I'll playtest and see, but I imagine I'll be asking myself why I haven't acquired one yet.

Silent Arbiter is back in my test build, as I've been knocked out of one too many games by just one or two extras creatures I couldn't fend off. Helm of Possession would have also been nice in a few games, especially against a particularly nasty commander named Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund and a Seize the Day.

Regarding the stax Necrotize, main my goal isn't to make everyone miserable, just to minimize the amount and type of responses people have to my actions, since that really felt like the weak point of the deck before they were added. I would play something, then have to wait for 3-4 other players to see if things would stick, and of course they often didn't. Now a turn 2 or 3 Tangle Wire on the other hand gives me 1-3 turns of rather safe plays, which can be just enough to get to a win condition. The build might be a little heavy on it, but that's something I've trying to feel out in playtesting. When your deck is hated enough for everyone to try to take you out first every game, drastic measures are required :)

Cjhobbitbane, Smokestack didn't work out too well with the gameplan for this deck. It was good, but a bit too slow. I should mention that I never lived the dream of proliferating it then passing turn, which may have changed my mind.

Hi

Have you ever considered running Magistrate's Scepter? I was taught this combo and seeing that Contagion Engine is in your Maybeboard and you already have Kurkesh/Rings, maybe you could try this out. I'm in a pretty casual playgroup right now though and I've yet to test this combo yet in an actual game but one charge counter + Proliferate + copy by Kurkesh is enough to lock the game down. It is a bit mana intensive though so it may be to slow for your liking seeing that you want to win fast.

As of the Ugin's Nexus and Prototype Portal combo; I don't believe you need a sac outlet since the tomb is legendary and you automatically have to sac one when you make the copy.

Also, could someone walk me through the/an infinite mana combo?

alexyoung Classic infinite mana combo: Requires untapped Basalt Monolith, Rings of Brighthearth, and mana from anywhere else to get it started.

1) Add to your mana pool

2) Tap Basalt Monolith for another . You now have in your pool.

3) Pay to use the Basalt Monolith's Untap ability, and to Rings of Brighthearth to copy the Untap abliity. You now have remaining in your pool.

4) Resolve the first instance of the Untap ability that is on the Stack and Untap Basalt Monolith, then in response to the second instance of the Untap ability which is on the Stack, tap Basalt Monolith for . You now have in your pool, and all the artifacts are untapped and ready to go again.

Each time you repeat the whole process, you come out with more than you started with, thus infinite colourless mana.

alexyoung Another one was explained a bit higher up, and requires Basalt Monolith, Mycosynth Lattice, and Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient

1. Tap Basalt Monolith for . You now have in your pool.

2. Tap any mana source for an additional . You now have in your pool.

3. Spend to untap Basalt Monolith, and spend (because of Mycosynth Lattice's 3rd ability) to use Kurkesh's doubling ability to copy the untap ability which is on the stack. At this point you have in your pool.

4. After the first untap, in response to the second untap trigger, tap Basalt Monolith to produce an additional . Basalt Monolith will now be untapped, and you will have in your pool.

Repeat at will for infinite colourless mana.

Thanks a million.

alexyoung No worries! At first, it took me a while to remember how it worked too. The second combo using Kurkesh also works with Grim Monolith, where the first one doesn't.

Classic infinite mana combo: Basalt Monolith + Power Artifact .

All seriousness though alexyoung, you have to have a sac outlet for the Ugin's Nexus combo because if you have another nexus on the board, you can't begin your extra turn.

I see, I must have completely ignored the first clause.

Ender666666, I have a question. Is the Mycosynth Lattice required for the Kurkesh combo if you're running mono red? I was thinking that the combo could go off with just Kurkesh and the monolith.

Hi ronsen, to answer your first question this deck is getting away from the proliferate theme for now and going more for a fast kill, so Magistrate's Scepter doesn't fit well with that goal, but I will say it's a strong card in a proliferate theme. To answer your other question regarding Mycosynth Lattice being required for the Kurkesh/monolith mana combo, Lattice makes Kurkesh's copy ability cost instead of , which allows you to keep chaining from the mana the monolith generates.

And thank you Ender666666 for picking up my slack while I was away :)

FeralKitten I was just about to field this question too. No worries bro, I got chu! ;-)