With Umezawa's Jitte, and all the targeted removal flying around, you're going to want at least 2 Simic Sky Swallower in the deck as a win condition. He's very difficult to deal with.
I forgot all about Distress. I don't know much in the Kamigawa block cards. I came back from a few year hiatus in the game about the time 9th Edition came out. But yeah, I would run 4 Distress cutting out the Sensei's Divining Top, and 1 Phyrexian Arena or Umezawa's Jitte.
I faced Black/White most of the day in pittsburgh, most of it was a cakewalk. So no Pittsburgh really didin't suck that bad. I just played my good matchup to get there.
Why would I run Life From the Loam, I don't need to reccur my land?
I'd rather not sacrifice my stuff to Crack the Earth. I'd rather run more utility land destruction, or some creature kill.
More Wildfire is unneeded, I've rarely ever been thinking if I could just draw a wildfire... I usually have it when I need it.
And Hierarch is a beast against the current formant, land destruction takes an early beating, he takes back most of that back for me and then some.
I think Wrath is needed, look at Simic Sky Swallower, how do you deal with him short of running a different deck? Or Paladin en-Vec? You need some non-targeted removal, and mass is the best for this deck.
Mostly I'd like suggestions on the sideboard. It loses a lot to Tron, Vore, and the new U/G/W Dovescape/Glare deck. But does very well against all the B/W, R/G, and Zoo matchups I've had.
Ok, here's some match results. This is from Magic Online, where I don't have all the sideboard cards I need.
I took 26th with this deck at the Pittsburgh, PA Regionals. So it is very very tested in standard.
The real problems for this deck right now are the Legenday Dragons of Kamigawa and Jitte. Once Kamigawa block rotates this deck could be one of the top decks. As it takes out almost all of the matchups that will remain once Kamigawa rotates, and will actually have an easier time since nearly everything loses key cards and this loses nothing but sideboard cards.
4 Flames of the Blood Hand
4 Char
4 Volcanic Hammer
4 Seal of Fire
4 Umezawa's Jitte
4 Rakdos Guildmage
4 Gruul Guildmage
4 Giant Solifuge
4 Scorched Rusalka
3 Demonfire
4 Plagued Rusalka
4 Dark Confidant
4 Hand of Horror
4 Phyrexian Arena
4 Blackmail
4 Hypnotic Specter
3 Sensei's Divining Top
4 Umezawa's Jitte
4 Last Gasp
4 Drekavac
4 Cranial Extraction
3 Pithing Needle
4 Sickening Shoal
4 Cruel Edict
1 Minamo, School at Waters Edge
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All (anti mirror match)
19 Island
22 Land
2 Meloku, the Clouded Mirror
2 Keiga, the Tide Star
3 Drift of Phantasms (to fetch stuff, or block)
4 Mana Leak
4 Remand
4 Hinder
4 Rewind
4 Repeal
3 Compulsive Research
3 Tidings
2 Muddle the Mixture (to search for counters or a signet)
1 Golgari Signet (to add or remove a counter from the Plague Boiler)
2 Plague Boiler
4 breeding pool
3 overgrown tomb
3 watery grave
2 underground river
3 tendo ice bridge
4 forest
1 swamp
2 island
22 land
4 birds of paradise
3 elves of deep shadow
4 dimir cutpurse
4 hypnotic specter
4 Trygon Predator
3 Simic Sky Swallower
22 creatures
4 Putrefy
4 Mana Leak
3 Hinder
4 Remand
15 Spells
I faced Black/White most of the day in pittsburgh, most of it was a cakewalk. So no Pittsburgh really didin't suck that bad. I just played my good matchup to get there.
Why would I run Life From the Loam, I don't need to reccur my land?
I'd rather not sacrifice my stuff to Crack the Earth. I'd rather run more utility land destruction, or some creature kill.
More Wildfire is unneeded, I've rarely ever been thinking if I could just draw a wildfire... I usually have it when I need it.
And Hierarch is a beast against the current formant, land destruction takes an early beating, he takes back most of that back for me and then some.
I think Wrath is needed, look at Simic Sky Swallower, how do you deal with him short of running a different deck? Or Paladin en-Vec? You need some non-targeted removal, and mass is the best for this deck.
2 Overgrown Tomb
2 Temple Garden
1 Sacred Foundry
2 Karplusan Forest
1 Sulfurous Springs
1 Brushland
5 Forest
2 Swamp
2 Mountain
1 Plains
4 Rumbling Slum
4 Loxodon Hierarch
4 Farseek
4 Creeping Mold
4 Rolling Spoil
4 Stone Rain
2 Wildfire
4 Wrecking Ball
4 Putrefy
3 Wrath of God
3 Sowing Salt
2 Kodoma of the North Tree
4 Cranial Extraction
3 Crime//Punishment
Mostly I'd like suggestions on the sideboard. It loses a lot to Tron, Vore, and the new U/G/W Dovescape/Glare deck. But does very well against all the B/W, R/G, and Zoo matchups I've had.
Ok, here's some match results. This is from Magic Online, where I don't have all the sideboard cards I need.
Mono Green Beats - 1-2
U/R Vore - 1-2
Zoo - 2-1
Ghost Dad - 2-0
U/R Vore - 2-0
U/W Mill Deck - 2-0
Mono Red - 2-0
Greater Good - 1-2
BUW control - 2-1
U/W control - 0-2
B/W aggro - 1-2
B/U Mill Deck - 2-0
Tron w/Simic Sky Swallower - 0-2
Owling Mine - 2-0
Tron w/Simic Sky Swallower - 0-2
U/W Zur's Weirding - 2-0
U/G/R Kudzu - 0-2
U/G w/Simic Sky Swallower - 1-2
Ghost Husk - 2-0
G/W/B Glare - 0-2
U/W Owling Mine - 2-0
Tron w/o S.S.S - 0-2
Owling Mine - 2-1
Ninjas - 1-2
Dovescape/Glare - 0-2
G/R LD - 2-1
U/W Mill - 2-1
R/W Aggro - 1-2
R/U Vore - 2-0
G/U/W - 2-0
U/G/W Dovescape/Glare - 2-0
Tron w/o S.S.S. - 1-2
R/G/W Gruul - 2-1
R/W Aggro - 0-2
Tron w/o S.S.S. - 2-0
U/G Kudzu - 0-2
R/U Vore - 0-2
Firemane/Zur's Weirding - 2-1
That's 4 days of testing online for you all.
I took 26th with this deck at the Pittsburgh, PA Regionals. So it is very very tested in standard.
The real problems for this deck right now are the Legenday Dragons of Kamigawa and Jitte. Once Kamigawa block rotates this deck could be one of the top decks. As it takes out almost all of the matchups that will remain once Kamigawa rotates, and will actually have an easier time since nearly everything loses key cards and this loses nothing but sideboard cards.