I put together a trial list. Given how cheap it is, I may put this together on MODO and see what happens. This looks like a White Weenie deck with a toolbox, which isn't the worst. Removal suite probably needs tweaking, and your sideboard will obviously vary depending on matchups.
Notes:
Chose to include 8 total "tutors" for redundancy, even though blightspeaker is a bit 'meh'. Can be a win-con on a clogged board, but very unlikely.
Knight of the Holy Nimbus is a mana sink for your opponent. He blocks and attacks very well, forcing your opponent to spend mana to remove him.
Blade of the Sixth pride is fragile, but holds a bonesplitter well and presents one heck of a clock.
All of the toolbox cards help against threats that White Weenie is soft to in game one: Big Game hunter handles large threats, Children of Korlis can really punish a storm player trying to kill you with grapeshot, and Mirror Entity makes your alpha strike work. Dunerider handles Goyf's very well. Bound in silence is fairly all-purpose, with the bonus of being able to hit hexproof guys when tutored up.
As noted above, blue can give you access to counters, good card draw, and Training Grounds, which allows you to start churning out an army extremely fast.
Either way, your goal is to control the board while abusing the rebels ability to build an army without expending cards from your hand, and that is really the power of the tribe. It is not fast, nor aggressive, but it is inevitable if you manage the board state for the first couple of turns. An unanswered Amrou Scout or Blightspeaker can easily get out of hand, especially if you had a turn 1 Training Grounds.
You have too many combat tricks for only 20 creatures.
If you want this to be aggro, I would suggest lowering the curve (top out at leatherback baloth), increasing creature count to 24-26, and including 4 rancor.
Experiment one would be a good inclusion; evolving it will be no trouble at all.
I would remove all pump spells except mutagenic growth, Giant Growth and vines of vastwood, and include 4 rancor as mentioned above.
Slaughterhorn is versatile, acting as another pump effect OR as an extra body.
Optionally, instead of leatherback Baloth, Dungrove Elder is the epitome of Green beats. However, all the changes I listed should be easy to find, since you are planning this thing for tonight.
I saw a grixis version of this that was more like your standard reanimator.
It was using Faithless Looting, careful study and forbidden alchemy to "dredge", with it's win-con's being Ulamogs Crusher and Krosan Tusker (I think he was splashing green to cycle the tusker), along with Dragon's breath to give the exhumed fatties haste.
The filtering available in grixis guarantees you don't pitch your exhume, and they dig fairly deep. Also, gixis gives you access to other quality control cards.
Seems like that may be the better choice if reanimation is your goal.
I browsed through a list of all the modern slivers looking for other possible sliver synergies, and it really looks like a naya zoo style list is going to be the most effective.
However, we do have another contender, if the right support cards can be assembled: a RUG Opposition style list using -
So it's mostly a case of min/maxing at the cost of flexibility.
I still intending on playing small naya, because I love what white brings to it (lion/smiter/helix/path/boros charm), but I am also acutely aware of how much a third color can screw up consistency.
I was just concerned that there was a major roadblock in opposing decks that was stuffing small naya, leading to the adoption of big naya.
I've noticed that the last few 4-0/3-1 lists posted here have all been the mid-range flavor of Naya Zoo. Is Small Naya falling out of favor? If so, what's killing it?
Are we better off going for the Gruul flavor if we want fast aggro?
Also, big props to Lantern for continuously posting placing decklists for review! Very good information.
You really need to provide a list for any Sideboard advise to be useful. Sideboard choices depend on what you have maindeck, your mana curve, expected matchups, etc.
Whenever I brainstorm a W/U draw-go, my finisher of choice is White Sun's Zenith. It's an instant, if it resolves it goes back in to find again, and it can be pretty hard to answer (yes yes, pyroclasm). Since it recycles, you can cast it early (x = 2 or so) as a defensive measure or to put on some pressure without "wasting" it.
But really, it being an instant is a huge selling point for me.
Maybe I'm missing something, but isn't Shrieking Affliction a better choice than Quest for the Nihil Stone? It does less damage, but doesn't require any work to turn on and allows them to have 1 card in hand. A little more flexible.
You could also add Nether Traitor as another recursive creature.
Heck, Blood Artist could even be a thing.
4 Amrou Scout
4 Blightspeaker
4 Blade of the Sixth Pride
4 Knight of the Holy Nimbus
4 Aven Riftwatcher
2 Dunerider Outlaw
1 Big Game Hunter
1 Children of Korlis
1 Mirror Entity
2 Bound in Silence
4 Path to Exile
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
Equipment
3 Bonesplitter
Land
23 Land
Notes:
Chose to include 8 total "tutors" for redundancy, even though blightspeaker is a bit 'meh'. Can be a win-con on a clogged board, but very unlikely.
Knight of the Holy Nimbus is a mana sink for your opponent. He blocks and attacks very well, forcing your opponent to spend mana to remove him.
Blade of the Sixth pride is fragile, but holds a bonesplitter well and presents one heck of a clock.
All of the toolbox cards help against threats that White Weenie is soft to in game one: Big Game hunter handles large threats, Children of Korlis can really punish a storm player trying to kill you with grapeshot, and Mirror Entity makes your alpha strike work. Dunerider handles Goyf's very well. Bound in silence is fairly all-purpose, with the bonus of being able to hit hexproof guys when tutored up.
You can play it as either W/U, W/B, or, if you are feeling frisky, Esper.
The goal is to stick one of the recruiters (Amrou Scout, Blightspeaker, etc), and then never play another spell on your turn ever again ever.
Rebels have access to a number of good toolbox cards like Big Game Hunter, Children of Korlis, Bound in Silence and my personal favorite, Mirror Entity. If green is big in your meta, you have Dunerider Outlaw to block forever.
As noted above, blue can give you access to counters, good card draw, and Training Grounds, which allows you to start churning out an army extremely fast.
Either way, your goal is to control the board while abusing the rebels ability to build an army without expending cards from your hand, and that is really the power of the tribe. It is not fast, nor aggressive, but it is inevitable if you manage the board state for the first couple of turns. An unanswered Amrou Scout or Blightspeaker can easily get out of hand, especially if you had a turn 1 Training Grounds.
If you want this to be aggro, I would suggest lowering the curve (top out at leatherback baloth), increasing creature count to 24-26, and including 4 rancor.
Experiment one would be a good inclusion; evolving it will be no trouble at all.
I would remove all pump spells except mutagenic growth, Giant Growth and vines of vastwood, and include 4 rancor as mentioned above.
Slaughterhorn is versatile, acting as another pump effect OR as an extra body.
Off the top of my head:
4 Experiment One
3 Gladecover Scout
4 Dryad Millitant
4 Garruk's Companion
4 Strangleroot Geist
4 Leatherback Baloth
3 Slaughterhorn
4 Giant Growth
4 Vines of Vastwood
Enchantments
4 Rancor
Land
2 Treetop Village
20 Forest
Optionally, instead of leatherback Baloth, Dungrove Elder is the epitome of Green beats. However, all the changes I listed should be easy to find, since you are planning this thing for tonight.
Good luck!
It was using Faithless Looting, careful study and forbidden alchemy to "dredge", with it's win-con's being Ulamogs Crusher and Krosan Tusker (I think he was splashing green to cycle the tusker), along with Dragon's breath to give the exhumed fatties haste.
The filtering available in grixis guarantees you don't pitch your exhume, and they dig fairly deep. Also, gixis gives you access to other quality control cards.
Seems like that may be the better choice if reanimation is your goal.
However, we do have another contender, if the right support cards can be assembled: a RUG Opposition style list using -
4 Dormant Sliver
4 Gemhide Sliver
4 Mesmeric Sliver
4 Telekenetic Sliver
4 Homing Sliver
4 Blur Sliver
3 Intruder Alarm
Spells
1 Grapeshot
It can function as both a control/lockdown list OR as a storm list. Might be terrible, but it's an option.
4 Sidewinder Sliver
4 Striking Sliver
4 Sinew Sliver
4 Predatory Sliver
4 Cautery Sliver
4 Adaptive Automaton
2 Firewake Sliver
2 Homing Sliver
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Path to Exile
Planeswalkers
3 Domri Rade
22 Lands
Domri would love slivers. He digs for them, and good lord fighting with them will be fantastic once a few lords hit the table.
I still intending on playing small naya, because I love what white brings to it (lion/smiter/helix/path/boros charm), but I am also acutely aware of how much a third color can screw up consistency.
I was just concerned that there was a major roadblock in opposing decks that was stuffing small naya, leading to the adoption of big naya.
Are we better off going for the Gruul flavor if we want fast aggro?
Also, big props to Lantern for continuously posting placing decklists for review! Very good information.
Details about your meta will go miles, as well.
But really, it being an instant is a huge selling point for me.
I am clearly very good at internets.
With Beck, you'll draw SO MANY CARDS.
ALL THE CARDS.
And Bushwhacker makes it into a win-con.
Just not sure if the 4 cmc is too prohibitive.
You could also add Nether Traitor as another recursive creature.
Heck, Blood Artist could even be a thing.