This is just a rather random idea I had a few nights ago, I thought it had some potential, so I played around with it. I would love to make this as competitive as possible, although it could be that in the current meta, it might not be ideal.
So there it is, my theory deck. The basic strategy is aggro; out tempo them, and then when you've gotten the advantage, crush them with all your flash-backed creatures (That's what unearth really is, when you get down to it.)
What makes this deck different? Well, you'll note a lack of one-drops, and a surprising amount of disruption. The lack of one drops means that this deck is slower than most aggro-type decks, I would guess by about a turn. However, it also runs 14 discard spells, most of them capable of making your opponent discard multiple cards. (And yes, Sedraxis Specter amounts to a sorcery spell that costs 1B: Target opponent takes 3 damage and discards a card. Exile this card instead of putting it into the graveyard.)
Important Cards:
Avatar of Discord: Actually, this is probably the card I'm the least comfortable with. It's cheap, has evasion, hits hard, and can weather most pyroclasms. Problem is, you have to discard the two cards, which can be a problem. However it does deserve a place in the deck simply because it is an amazing beatstick in this situation. The only real competition would have been Hell's Thunder or Ball Lightning but it does have more synergy than either.
Blightning: This is probably one of the better tempo manipulators in the meta right now, as far as I can tell. It's kind of a shame it doesn't get as much use as it could. However, I could see taking this out for more lands or for Lyzolda, the Blood Witch or Anathemancer.
Jagged Poppet: An efficient attacker or defender, and once you achieve hellbent, it becomes a very useful creature. Probably one of the stronger cards with hellbent ever printed.
Delirium Skeins: Kind of a 'duh' card for this deck.
Shambling Remains: Probably one of the best Unearth cards printed, and perfect for this sort of deck.
Sedraxis Specter: An instead of for Hell's Thunder, and discard fodder. The disruption actually can help a lot, particularly if it takes you awhile to get your opponent to top decking.
Viscera Dragger: Another wonderful unearth card. Also the only card draw in the entire deck.
Gathan Raiders: 3 for a 5/5 with hellbent isn't bad, but is otherwise a rather vanilla card.
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Cards I could see in the deck:
Lyzolda, the Bloodwitch: This is a very good card, but it does kinda fight Hellbent. Makes a great finisher, though. Particularly with Unearth in the late game.
Hell's Thunder: A flying ball lightning. With unearth and two points less of power. Also, doesn't get smacked around by 1/1 first strikers. Problem: the Unearth cost is a bit out of the range of this sort of deck. If it was even 1 colorless cheaper...
Conflagrate: The price is right, particularly in the flashback cost, but it doesn't hit hard enough. You could in theory get seven damage with a full hand, in practice, I suspect you would get two or three in most cases.
Kindle the Carnage: Basically, this could replace Blightning, and definitely has a place in the sideboard, but it has a tendency to destroy all of your creatures too, which is problematic. Still, I think that it has a lot of use.
Firefight Mage: Basically, a wannabe Kris mage (which I would love to have in extended right now). But it is a cheap discard outlet, and I can get some utility out of it in some aggro match ups, I expect. There's got to be better out there, though.
Anathemancer: While the Unearth cost is painful (Seven!?), the effect is awesome and totally worth it, given all of the crazy mana bases going around today. Plus, it even has a 2/2 body, which isn't terrible. I'd put this in my side board, but I could see them main deck.
Dredgescape Zombie: It's cheap and it comes back. Not much else going for it though. Good with Lyzolda, I expect.
Burning Inquiry: Awesome, but the random discard hurts. Especially first turn.
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Thanks for reading all that, please, any help you might have is would be appreciated!
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4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Dragonskull Summit
4 Graven Cairns
4 Blood Crypt
2 Mountain
2 Swamp
3 Avatar of Discord
4 Shambling Remains
4 Hellspark Elemental
4 Jagged Poppet
3 Viscera Dragger
4 Gobhobbler Rats
4 Gathan Raiders
3 Sedraxis Specter
4 Delirium Skeins
4 Terminate
3 Blightning
So there it is, my theory deck. The basic strategy is aggro; out tempo them, and then when you've gotten the advantage, crush them with all your flash-backed creatures (That's what unearth really is, when you get down to it.)
What makes this deck different? Well, you'll note a lack of one-drops, and a surprising amount of disruption. The lack of one drops means that this deck is slower than most aggro-type decks, I would guess by about a turn. However, it also runs 14 discard spells, most of them capable of making your opponent discard multiple cards. (And yes, Sedraxis Specter amounts to a sorcery spell that costs 1B: Target opponent takes 3 damage and discards a card. Exile this card instead of putting it into the graveyard.)
Important Cards:
Avatar of Discord: Actually, this is probably the card I'm the least comfortable with. It's cheap, has evasion, hits hard, and can weather most pyroclasms. Problem is, you have to discard the two cards, which can be a problem. However it does deserve a place in the deck simply because it is an amazing beatstick in this situation. The only real competition would have been Hell's Thunder or Ball Lightning but it does have more synergy than either.
Blightning: This is probably one of the better tempo manipulators in the meta right now, as far as I can tell. It's kind of a shame it doesn't get as much use as it could. However, I could see taking this out for more lands or for Lyzolda, the Blood Witch or Anathemancer.
Jagged Poppet: An efficient attacker or defender, and once you achieve hellbent, it becomes a very useful creature. Probably one of the stronger cards with hellbent ever printed.
Delirium Skeins: Kind of a 'duh' card for this deck.
Shambling Remains: Probably one of the best Unearth cards printed, and perfect for this sort of deck.
Sedraxis Specter: An instead of for Hell's Thunder, and discard fodder. The disruption actually can help a lot, particularly if it takes you awhile to get your opponent to top decking.
Viscera Dragger: Another wonderful unearth card. Also the only card draw in the entire deck.
Gathan Raiders: 3 for a 5/5 with hellbent isn't bad, but is otherwise a rather vanilla card.
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Cards I could see in the deck:
Lyzolda, the Bloodwitch: This is a very good card, but it does kinda fight Hellbent. Makes a great finisher, though. Particularly with Unearth in the late game.
Hell's Thunder: A flying ball lightning. With unearth and two points less of power. Also, doesn't get smacked around by 1/1 first strikers. Problem: the Unearth cost is a bit out of the range of this sort of deck. If it was even 1 colorless cheaper...
Conflagrate: The price is right, particularly in the flashback cost, but it doesn't hit hard enough. You could in theory get seven damage with a full hand, in practice, I suspect you would get two or three in most cases.
Kindle the Carnage: Basically, this could replace Blightning, and definitely has a place in the sideboard, but it has a tendency to destroy all of your creatures too, which is problematic. Still, I think that it has a lot of use.
Firefight Mage: Basically, a wannabe Kris mage (which I would love to have in extended right now). But it is a cheap discard outlet, and I can get some utility out of it in some aggro match ups, I expect. There's got to be better out there, though.
Anathemancer: While the Unearth cost is painful (Seven!?), the effect is awesome and totally worth it, given all of the crazy mana bases going around today. Plus, it even has a 2/2 body, which isn't terrible. I'd put this in my side board, but I could see them main deck.
Dredgescape Zombie: It's cheap and it comes back. Not much else going for it though. Good with Lyzolda, I expect.
Burning Inquiry: Awesome, but the random discard hurts. Especially first turn.
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Thanks for reading all that, please, any help you might have is would be appreciated!