Here's a deck that started as GB Winding Constrictor built solely around +1/+1 counters, then added Energy, then eventually splashed Red for Harnessed Lightning. This deck has a lot of persistence, Glint-Sleeve Siphoner and Tireless Tracker work as draw engines that allow the deck to power into the midgame, looking to outvalue and pressure the opponent at the same time.
Winding Constrictor is at the heart of both the +1/+1 Counter and Energy Counter strategy.
The deck uses of +1/+1 Counter Support in Nissa, Voice of Zendikar, Narnam Renegade, Rishkar, Peema Renegade, Tireless Tracker, and of course Verdurous Gearhulk to turn good creatures into absurd creatures.
On the Energy side we have a renewable source of energy in Greenbelt Rampager, who can be a threat himself, allow us to turn a Forest into an Energy Counter for Glint-Sleeve Siphoner or Aether Hub, or trigger revolt for Fatal Push and Narnam Renegade. Harnessed Lightning acts as energy generation and removal, this deck makes it capable of hitting some high toughness targets if necessary.
Update 1
Removed 2 Arlinn Kord
and 2 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet, rarely felt there was a good time to play them, T4 is often setting up to drop a Gearhulk on T5, or continuing to combo out energy or +1/+1 counters.
Added 2 Aethersphere Harvester as another energy generator and flying body.
Added 1 Narnam Renegade, possibly the best 1 drop in Standard, couldn't find a reason not to run a fourth.
Added 1 Verdurous Gearhulk, with removing Kalitas and Arlinn Gearhulk is now the sole mid to lategame body in the deck, felt appropriate to bring the number back to 4
Update 2
Removed 1 Rishkar's Expertise, added 1 Painful Truths. I really love Rishkar's Expertise, and it will almost definitely appear in the sideboard for longer range matchups.
Painful Truths seems to work better with the low to the ground mana curve, where Rishkar's Expertise just too often was a dead card when drawn in the early stages of the game.
Update 3
Added sideboard, still a work in progress
Update 4
Swapped 2 Aethersphere Harvester with 2 Attune with Aether to help consistently jump start Glint-Sleeve Siphoner and the manabase. Harvester proved difficult to hit with +1/+1 counters, meaning creatures in the deck could quickly outgrow it's power and toughness making it a bit irrelevant.
