I just don't like it. I want a 4 CMC enchantment, or frankly anything, to win me the game, or be extremely helpful. From Beyond is totally an example of worth running at that cost.

Are you not seeing the part of Retreat that turns all your lands into virtual Allies?

It doesn't seem worth it to analyze allies this much (it's like trying build a serious roster from the second string team), but I guess:

Why wouldn't I just run an actual ally? Btw, this deck does exactly that in the 4cmc slot, also Gideon. I mean for real... I hope you aren't suggesting I remove ambush leader for retreat to Emeria? Speaking of ambush leader, if he resolves you'll never draw another land. Not sure how that changes the calculus. (Did I mention he also has haste... Maybe you should splash red... ...)

Back on Emeria, it really just turns your lands into a consolation prize. So far, I've never won or lost with this deck without at least one ally in hand. I play one per turn. Usually not more unless it's for a clear victory.

That said, if you are playing WX allies, you need more, so I kind of see the point. But still, for that mana, you have other options that do stuff right then.

One last point, circling back to the beginning... This is the worst deck, by far, I've built so far this season. Testing vs. CGB proved that beyond a doubt.

This is my Dega Allies list. It has a lifedrain theme with some burn and pump.

And for the love of god please fix your settings to manual before commenting on Munda's MAY ability.

4 x Fiery Impulse
3 x Vampiric Rites

4 x Kalastria Healer
3 x Serene Steward
4 x Twin Bolt
2 x Celestial Flare
1 x Reprisal


2 x Exquisite Firecraft
2 x Lantern Scout
3 x Drana's Emissary
1 x Liliana, Heretical Healer

3 x Retreat to Emeria
1 x Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
2 x Munda, Ambush Leader

2 x Hero of Goma Fada

2 x Isolated Chapel
2 x Shambling Vent
2 x Dragonskull Summit
2 x Smoldering Marsh
2 x Clifftop Retreat
2 x Mortuary Mire
4 x Evolving Wilds
4 x Plains
2 x Mountain
1 x Swamp

Hey all, seeing as I'm always seeing Gruul, Golgari, Naya, yadda yadda at the top of the decklists, here's a little love for Mardu.

Allied Arts

3 x Serene Steward
2 x Kor Bladewhirl
4 x Kalastria Healer
1 x Reprisal
1 x Twin Bolt
2 x Lantern Scout
3 x Malkir Familiar
3 x Firemantle Mage
3 x Drana's Emissary
1 x Kytheon's Tactics
3 x Read the Bones
1 x Bloodbond Vampire
2 x Munda, Ambush Leader
1 x Aligned Hedron Network
3 x Retreat to Emeria
2 x United Front
1 x Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1 x Ob Nixillis, Reignited
4 x Plains
3 x Swamp
2 x Mountain
2 x Shambling Vent
2 x Smoldering Marsh
1 x Canopy Vista
1 x Rootbound Crag
1 x Clifftop Retreat
1 x Isolated Chapel
1 x Dragonskull Summit
1 x Mortuary Mire
4 x Evolving Wilds


This deck is really fun and different than what I'm seeing out there. The green mana is just to pump up united front, which can really produce come from behind victories if Kalastria Healer or multiples are in play. Ambush Leader is a good card, but don't be afraid to skip grabbing the ally if you really need something else. Don't think I've ever actually used the Hedron Network (kinda a nobo with my singleton bloodbond vampire thou) so that card may not be good, still testing.

I've recently went 9-2 with it, notable victories include:

facing lethal by plated crusher and wide wall of ground dorks, opponent at ten life with only bat and K Healer on field. Cast 2nd Kalastria Healer, then Kor Bladewhirl draining -2, -2, swing with bat for 6.

two K Healers on field, cast united front for -8 to opponent, +8 to me.

Anyway, it's a fun deck, and I'm always open to suggestions.

Let's start with that avatar ...

Come on, he's great.

I'm not familiar with her at all. Is she like a big shot feminist or something ?

-reported

After a time lurking around here, I decided to post the only interesting deck I built that is not a version of an already played archetype, my Mardu Midrange:
4 x Fiery Impulse
4 x Perilous Myr
2 x Abbot of Keral Keep
3 x Twin Bolt
1 x Liliana, Heretical Healer
2 x Fleshbag Marauder
3 x Read the Bones
2 x Radiant Flames
2 x Exquisite Firecraft
2 x Akoum Firebird
2 x Pia and Kiran Nalaar
2 x Languish
2 x Suppression Bonds
1 x Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1 x Cruel Revival
2 x Planar Outburst
2 x Angelic Edict
1 x Ob Nixilis Reignited
1 x Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
2 x Shambling Vent
2 x Clifftop Retreat
2 x Smoldering Marsh
4 x Evolving Wilds
5 x Mountain
4 x Swamp
3 x Plains

Suggestions will be appreciated :>

Welcome! Personally, I think you need to put in a few more lands, at the moment you're only running 22 including 4 evolving wilds with no fixing so i don't really see how the deck gets even close to Ulamog mana.

Not sure what you'd cut for 2-3 more lands but I think you should switch up the mana base a bit anyway and take out the evolving wilds ( you have no landfall triggers to really abuse and don't want to thin this deck out of lands) and put in some more of the duels lands e.g Isolated chapel and Dragonskull summit seeing as you need double of each of your colours by turn 4.

Surprised no one's tried this yet, so here goes:

Mardu Total Control

Spells (34)
3 x Celestial Flare
3 x Gideon's Reproach
3 x Reprisal
3 x Rolling Thunder
2 x Exquisite Firecraft
2 x Radiant Flames
4 x Complete Disregard
4 x Read the Bones
1 x Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
2 x Languish
2 x Suppression Bonds
1 x Ob Nixilis Reignited
2 x Planar Outburst
2 x Tragic Arrogance

Lands (26)
2 x Clifftop Retreat
2 x Dragonskull Summit
2 x Isolated Chapel
2 x Mountain
2 x Shambling Vent
2 x Smoldering Marsh
3 x Foundry of the Consuls
3 x Swamp
4 x Evolving Wilds
4 x Plains


Basically, this is a full on control deck. It's a bit early in testing, but it won't change much. Just make sure you remove threats, and slowly bury your opponent in card advantage. Win cons: rolling thunder, shambling vent, and PWs.

If any one has ideas on how to get a touch of life gain into the deck, I'm all ears.

I've been working on one for quite some time now. The problem(s) I've had so far are wrong removal, lack of win cons and life total. You always have removal but it's often the wrong removal where it doesn't actually kill the threat or it's removal you shouldn't use on that sort of target. Most control have very few win cons but this deck; once it does gain control, ends back up in category 1 (wrong removal) or category 3 (life total) before you find your win cons and the opponent top decks gas. Same scenario with life total. You end up in control and at a mid to low life total. The opponent ends up top decking their way back into the game before you find a win con or the right removal.

I'm currently trying to find the right blend of removal and stall to allow more time for win cons or correct removal. I haven't focused on life gain yet as my stall though and that could help shore up the 3rd side.


elk

So I think you can handle the blend issue with card draw, and catch all cards - sweepers. Last night I was playing against an evo leap crats deck, and despite drawing half of their deck, I was still able to stay ahead and win (tough test, btw, I won with only 6 life left). I think life gain would be key here, I could also see trying a Liliana/fleshbag/myr build in exchange for the early white removal - although lili isn't necessarily a wincon in this deck, and the discard portion would be tough to manage.

I also took on a moss deck, but still managed to beat it - despite them wrecking my early mana base.

The other thing to consider - in the future - this deck would be very good if we had some reasonably priced colorless mana fixing. Ex: Armillary Sphere... Or an additional hard to kill win con in these colors, which tbh, we lack.

I don't use a Mardu Total Control deck like yours but I like to use this one, which give pretty good results and life gain.
I originally wanted to build based on Munda, Ambush Leader because I wanted to continue the declinaison of the "allies deck", (cf. my post on the GRW deck here http://forum.nogoblinsallowed.com/viewtopic.php?p=406221#p406221 ) so I first did something like this :

3 x Vampiric Rites
3 x Bone Splinters
2 x Serene Steward
2 x Lantern Scout
2 x Firemantle Mage
3 x Drana's Emissary
2 x Radiant Flames
4 x Act of Treason
2 x Chasm Guide
2 x Ondu Champion
2 x Munda, Ambush Leader
4 x Traitorous Instinct
1 x Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1 x Hero of Goma Fada
3 x Angel of Renewal

5 x plain
4x swamp
5x mountain
2 x Clifftop Retreat
2 x Dragonskull Summit
2 x Blighted Steppe
1 x Boros Guildgate
1 x Orzhov Guildgate
1 x Evolving Wilds

Not so sure about Blighted Steppe
The core here is ALLIES to keep pressure (remember Munda, Ambush Leader?)+ Act of Treason and Traitorous Instinct which can give a lot of combinaisons with others cards. (The ratio for drawing one is pretty high (8/60) and killing an opponent with his/her own creature is too good )
Use them wisely to keep danger away from some creatures like Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
Lantern Scout, Drana's Emissary, Vampiric Rites, and Angel of Renewal are here for the life gain
Radiant Flames can be swapped by languish with a 4 damage, but it gives me more control
Ondu Champion and Chasm Guide may seem useless but they can put a good pressure with haste and trample. Works well with Traitorous Instinct
Firemantle Mage is a must have
Hero of Goma Fada is a good ally, like Serene Steward who works well with lifegain cards
Retreat to Emeria and Kalastria Healerwork well in this deck

So, with the new two expansions knocking at your door, it may be time to revive some old Mardu Control dreams.

Ob Nixilis Reignited is exactly the planeswalker that Mardu Control wants, and SOI gives us two very similar walkers in Nahiri, the Harbinger and Sorin, Grim Nemesis. This, together with some of the awesome removal and card adventage in these colors, might be enough to push it over the top.

Creatures (14):
4 x Cleric of the Forward Order
3 x Pilgrim's Eye
1 x Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
1 x Archangel Avacyn
1 x Linvala, the Preserver
1 x Oblivion Sower
2 x Emeria Shepherd
1 x Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger

Planeswalkers (5):
1 x Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1 x Nahiri, the Harbinger
1 x Ob Nixilis Reignited
1 x Sorin, Grim Nemesis
1 x Chandra, Flamecaller

Other spells (17):
3 x Grasp of Darkness
2 x Declaration in Stone
2 x Radiant Flames
4 x Read the Bones
2 x Anguished Unmaking
2 x Languish
2 x Planar Outburst

Lands (24):
4 x Swamp
4 x Plains
4 x Mountain
2 x Needle Spires
2 x Shambling Vent
2 x Smoldering Marsh
2 x Clifftop Retreat
2 x Dragonskull Summit
2 x Isolated Chapel


If anyone knows a card that's not going to be in Duels, please let me know (I'm not 100% sure about Dark-Dwellers and Linvala).
All other remarks are welcome as well.


EDIT1: So, no dwelling in the dark for us *sadface* Playing Ulamog/Sower for now. Also added manlands over evolving wilds and Grasp of Darkness over Reprisal.
Maybe Accomplice > Cleric is the correct way to go; also Ayli is definitely worth a consideration.

We're probably getting Tazri and not getting Linvala but AFAIK it hasn't been confirmed yet.

I wish cleric of the forward order wasn't in duels

Cleric is mainly an anti-aggro-tech and to offset life-losses from the likes of Read the Bones, Anguished Unmaking and Obi. These add up, you know.

On Linvala, she is not integral to the deck (though she is obviously VERY good). Not sure what exactly I'd replace her with, but it shouldn't be too hard.

It does, in an Allies deck. Turning every dead draw into something between useful and definitive is a no-brainer

It's huge with wide boards, that Allies must have anyways to have a chance...with Lantern scouts can save ur butt, with Bladewhirls/Firemantles gaves a lot of advantage etc...and makes Evolving Wilds lethal. They are like mini-gideons 2-4

Anyways, I like way better WBUG allies, so the problem with Munda isn't there, a big factor...for me, 3 x skyrider elf (nice at any cost, among the best we have...and we need fliers in the deck, above all against planeswalkers... I mean, besides Emissaries, which are weak) + Jace is much better than 2 x Munda + 1 Firemantle + ...I dunno...another Firemantle? bah!
Still weak, of course, but somewhat better, imho