Looks good. W/out the duals, there is no way T3 Geralf's Messenger and T3 Diregraf Captain will work consistently. You need more islands if you want to be able to play the captain and every non-swamp will have you gritting your teeth as the messenger stares back at you from your hand, uncastable.
The Butcher Ghoul is easy for your opponent to ignore, but with him and the messenger, maybe a Zameck Guildmage would help.
Ok after scrounging around and buying a couple cards I think this is what I'll try at a weekend tournament.
Ok, so I kind of feel that 3 Frontline Medics might be a bit too much, same goes with the Spark Troopers. Should I add in more Boros Charms, and should I ditch Planar cleansing?
What those other guys said. I like legion's Initiative as a 4-drop. So the pattern you want is like:
turn 1: Aggressive 1-drop: Boros Elite or cackler
2: aggressive 2 drop or two aggressive 1-drops
3: aggressive 3 drop (medic is great) or 2-drop + 1-drop
4: now you can have battalion working and drop LI to pump your guys while saving the mana to exile if you fear a sweeper. Or you can blast one of their guys with a Spear and lay down a 3 drop. Or lay down a four drop.
Of course this is ideal and things never go according to plan, but if it's not even possible for your deck without statistics and your opponent messing with you, it won't work.
Lay out your 1 drops in a column, then your 2 drops next to them, then the three drops, and so on. You need about 8 to have about a 2/3rds chance of getting one in your hand in the early game. See the problem? You're going to be passing turn two, dropping LI early or mortaring something that doesn't need it too often. If you want battalion to work you need more 2 drops.
Seems like fun. I'm not sure how competitive you expect it to be.
Not saying, just suggesting: Skirsdag High Priest + sac outlet, Ral Zarek can help w/Krenko and SHP. Falkenrath Aristocrat and Bloodthrone Vampire are sac outlet with activated ability. Havengul Lich needs the mana to cast both creatures for the bracers to help.
Krenko isn't very useful without other goblins. Lobber Crew, Rummaging Goblin and Arms Dealer (also sac outlet) are goblins that have activated abilities. Pyrewild Shaman can be discarded, sacced or bloodrushed, then bought back.
To run Boros Elite, Ash Zealot drops 1-2 you will need some expensive mana sources. Sacred Foundry will be useable in standard for another 15 months. Get as many as you can afford. Cliffside Retreat rotates sooner, but would help.
The Lantern fixes mana, but in aggro you don't want to have your 3 drop not be able to attack turn 4 and it doesn't help turns one and two.
The Vexing Devil will probably go away for damage, but that won't help you get battalion, so should go unless you don't want to use battalion.
You probably want at least 9 1-drops. The Rakdos Cackler counts.
Melek and Domri Rade in the same deck will produce an antimatter explosion while shuffling.
Seriously, I love Domri and this deck seems fun, but I don't think he fits in a deck with 11 creatures. Even more when you consider that the low drop creatures don't want to fight.
I love the Zhur-Taa Druid/Curiosity combo.
It may not be better, but a few Tracker's Instincts instead of a like number of Diregraf Ghouls could be interesting. A Ghoulcaller's Chant also is involved in the deck I am starting to assemble.
Intangible Virtue and Lingering Souls go great together. Intangible Virtue doesn't do as much for Advent worms. If you've got IV and Advent on the table and the worm gets wiped out, you've got nothing. With big tokens you may do better with more threats, since they don't need to be buffed.
Maybe get rid of the IV, Collective Blessing, Relentless and Assemble in favor of Call of the Conclave, Parallel Lives, Vitu Ghazi Guildmage and Primal Hunter to consistently punish with a variety of bigger tokens. Or go the other way.
How has the Slayers' Stronghold been working? Goldfishing a similar deck once left me always having better things to do with the mana. Since it has to be used pre-attack to give haste and vigilance, you can't bluff it and then cast other stuff like Kessig and Gavony.
Seems like an interesting synergy to this not very competitive player, particularly in a deck w/other ETB creatures, instants and sorceries. I wonder about a dark bant shell that uses farseek to help fix. It seems like too many moving pieces, though.
Dega and the Aristocrats probably have better things to do, but I keep thinking that Legion's Initiative and Frontline Medic combine interestingly with this.
Well, there are plenty of people who know more than I, but I did try to use the Skirsdag High Priest with zombies. A 5/5 demon token is a load turn 4. Turn 6, not so much. A Bonfire of the Damned that will destroy your components can happen turn 3, a Supreme Verdict turn 4 will even wipe your demon.
I recommend you curve out your ideal scenario. With zombies, I did:
T1: Diregraf or Gravecrawler (any 1 drop)
T2: Priest
T3: mortarpod (or any kill spell for 2 mana, if your opponent is kind enough to help out with a creature), one drop creature that doesn't come into play tapped (not diregraf): boom! 5/5 demon turn 3!
In BGW, assuming you aren't interested in zombies, you could do:
T1: Avacyn's Pilgrim, Arbor elf, young wolf, doomed traveler or other 1 drop
T2: Priest, other one drop if mana dork was used
T3: creature + Kill something-> 5/5 demon token
A good scenario would be:
T1: Doomed Traveler or Young Wolf
T2: Priest
T3: Doomed Traveler or Young Wolf + Tragic Slip: Demon Time with only two lands!
Ideally you can get the opponent to volunteer a creature to create morbidity with something like Ultimate Price or Abrupt Decay. With a mana dork and Midnight Haunting you could do the evil deed at the end of their turn or in time for the demon token to do some surprise blocking.
You don't want to be done if your opponent picks off the Priest (which they will do if they can). I would look at the Junk Tokens list Nerobian is leading here for a shell to work off that will be able to win without demon tokens.
The synergy with Gavony Township and Ajani, Caller of the Pride seems good. Is it not being mentioned because the walkers are better and there are only so many 4 mana spots? It seems better than Trostani in some matchups.
The Butcher Ghoul is easy for your opponent to ignore, but with him and the messenger, maybe a Zameck Guildmage would help.
Garruk, Primal Hunter seemed like a strong add.
Other ideas that I just offer for consideration as possible singleton adds:
Craterhoof Behemoth
Yeva, Nature's Herald
Korozda Gorgon
Deadbridge Chant
Skarrg Goliath
Nothing seems bad to me, but maybe go to 3 Strangleroots and/or Rancor.
Good luck! Let us know what worked and didn't for you if you can.
What those other guys said. I like legion's Initiative as a 4-drop. So the pattern you want is like:
turn 1: Aggressive 1-drop: Boros Elite or cackler
2: aggressive 2 drop or two aggressive 1-drops
3: aggressive 3 drop (medic is great) or 2-drop + 1-drop
4: now you can have battalion working and drop LI to pump your guys while saving the mana to exile if you fear a sweeper. Or you can blast one of their guys with a Spear and lay down a 3 drop. Or lay down a four drop.
Of course this is ideal and things never go according to plan, but if it's not even possible for your deck without statistics and your opponent messing with you, it won't work.
Lay out your 1 drops in a column, then your 2 drops next to them, then the three drops, and so on. You need about 8 to have about a 2/3rds chance of getting one in your hand in the early game. See the problem? You're going to be passing turn two, dropping LI early or mortaring something that doesn't need it too often. If you want battalion to work you need more 2 drops.
tl;dr: looks better, have fun and get some 2 drops: Wojek Halbardiers, Mogg Flunkies, Gore-House Chainwalker, Bomber Corps, Daring Skyjek, Boros Mastiff, Keening Apparition may not all be good cards. When they allow battalion to trigger and the Medic makes all your guys indestructible they could be good for you.
Not saying, just suggesting: Skirsdag High Priest + sac outlet, Ral Zarek can help w/Krenko and SHP. Falkenrath Aristocrat and Bloodthrone Vampire are sac outlet with activated ability.
Havengul Lich needs the mana to cast both creatures for the bracers to help.
Krenko isn't very useful without other goblins. Lobber Crew, Rummaging Goblin and Arms Dealer (also sac outlet) are goblins that have activated abilities. Pyrewild Shaman can be discarded, sacced or bloodrushed, then bought back.
The Lantern fixes mana, but in aggro you don't want to have your 3 drop not be able to attack turn 4 and it doesn't help turns one and two.
The Vexing Devil will probably go away for damage, but that won't help you get battalion, so should go unless you don't want to use battalion.
You probably want at least 9 1-drops. The Rakdos Cackler counts.
Seriously, I love Domri and this deck seems fun, but I don't think he fits in a deck with 11 creatures. Even more when you consider that the low drop creatures don't want to fight.
I love the Zhur-Taa Druid/Curiosity combo.
What matchups worry you?
Crypt Incursion can be unpleasant for reanimator.
Undying Evil can keep the captain alive, but not from exile. Ranger's Guile can blank Pillar of Flames.
Golgari Charm can regen the team, pick off dorks or get rid of enchantments > 3cc (but I have trouble thinking of any relevant enchantments).
A sac outlet could be useful. Corpse Blockade? If you care about blocking. Undercity Informer can mill you to find more 'crawlers. Grim Backwoods is too expensive.
Dimir Charm works well with Duskmantle.
Deadly Allure rarely works.
Appetite for Brains, Duress, Victim of Night, Putrefy or Murder could be sideboard options.
The competitive thread has ideas like the Bloodthrone Vampire and Skirsdag High Priest. Mizzium Skin is recommended, but doesn't really work with your mana.
Maybe get rid of the IV, Collective Blessing, Relentless and Assemble in favor of Call of the Conclave, Parallel Lives, Vitu Ghazi Guildmage and Primal Hunter to consistently punish with a variety of bigger tokens. Or go the other way.
How has the Slayers' Stronghold been working? Goldfishing a similar deck once left me always having better things to do with the mana. Since it has to be used pre-attack to give haste and vigilance, you can't bluff it and then cast other stuff like Kessig and Gavony.
I recommend you curve out your ideal scenario. With zombies, I did:
T1: Diregraf or Gravecrawler (any 1 drop)
T2: Priest
T3: mortarpod (or any kill spell for 2 mana, if your opponent is kind enough to help out with a creature), one drop creature that doesn't come into play tapped (not diregraf): boom! 5/5 demon turn 3!
In BGW, assuming you aren't interested in zombies, you could do:
T1: Avacyn's Pilgrim, Arbor elf, young wolf, doomed traveler or other 1 drop
T2: Priest, other one drop if mana dork was used
T3: creature + Kill something-> 5/5 demon token
A good scenario would be:
T1: Doomed Traveler or Young Wolf
T2: Priest
T3: Doomed Traveler or Young Wolf + Tragic Slip: Demon Time with only two lands!
Ideally you can get the opponent to volunteer a creature to create morbidity with something like
Ultimate Price or Abrupt Decay. With a mana dork and Midnight Haunting you could do the evil deed at the end of their turn or in time for the demon token to do some surprise blocking.
You don't want to be done if your opponent picks off the Priest (which they will do if they can). I would look at the Junk Tokens list Nerobian is leading here for a shell to work off that will be able to win without demon tokens.
I hope this helps. Sorry about the length.