First and foremost, this deck evolved from this sweet budget deck by Saffron Olive at mtggoldfish. It's essentially a midrange deck with a little bit of spice added in in the form of Unburial Rites, but we'll get to that later.
Early Game
Your early game looks like most GB decks with disruption in the form of Inquisition of Kozilek and Collective Brutality. Satyr Wayfinder, Grisly Salvage, and Grim Flayer help make sure you hit your land drops (hint hint: you really want to get to four). Lingering Souls throws out blockers or can apply early pressure depending on the matchup.
Start the Siege
Move over green/red stompy, here comes Siege Rhino! Not only is it a strong attacker/defender that demands removal, but the ETB trigger of draining for three is very significant. Thragtusk and Wurmcoil Engine are even stronger threats. Restoration Angel has great utility. Flashing in and blinking one of your threats can fizzle spot removal or untap for an ambush block. Plus Thragtusk and Siege Rhino love being blinked.
Do the Rite Thing
Everything we've talked about so far works pretty well, but where the deck really shines is the graveyard interactions. Every threat that has eaten removal can come back with Unburial Rites. Oh, and remember our trio of two mana draw spells that were smoothing out our draws? They also happened to be filling up our graveyard with juicy targets. Plus it feels great to flashback Unburial Rites or Lingering Souls at a discount after casting/milling it earlier.
Sidelines
One of the great strengths of Abzan is the sideboard options. My sideboard is where I need the most help. I'm facing an embarrassment of riches. Many cards pull double duty. Scavenging Ooze is great against burn, graveyard shenanigans like Snapcaster Mage, and longer games where you need another threat. Stony Silence and Reclamation Sage are great for affinity and lantern. I think Extirpate is criminially underplayed in modern. I know playing Surgical Extraction for free is great, but in a lot of situations it's better to have it uncounterable. I've found that the matchups where Extirpate is needed (cough cough: control) are the ones where split second matters the most. Rain of Tears is for torn and ponza. I know the industry standard is Fulminator Mage, but not hitting basics with Utopia Sprawl was a deal breaker for me.
Help Wanted
I'm not just posting this deck because I think it's sweet (which for the record I do). The main reason I posted is because I want to hear what you all think. Do you like the deck? Do you hate it? Where are the major areas for improvement? Are the Hissing Quagmires worth it? Csn/should I fit in a Liliana, the Last Hope? And please... help with my sideboard. Above all else, thanks for stopping by and taking the time to check the deck out.
