muktidata

You can't actually "swing with a 5/5 indestructible big guy on turn 2" outside of a rare Ornithopter, Springleaf Drum, Citadel, Ensoul, Island draw. Also 10 targets for 4 Ensoul Artifacts can't be correct, can it?

I think the Ornithopter decks are interesting. I like the one Tamoharu Saito posted at the beginning of M15.

I'd make the following changes:

-2 Ensoul Artifact

+2 Thoughtcast

Etched Champion is often better than Master of Etherium, but since you're trying to go as wide as possible with the 4-of Memnite plan, I can see playing Etherium. Steel Overseer shouldn't be overlooked, but I think that's what your Tempered Steels are looking to replicate. Thoughtcast is almost Treasure Cruise. Almost. I'd play a couple. Ensoul is just your weakest card and you don't want multiples.

I'd also change your sideboard quite a bit depending on what you think you'll face. Since Dredge is back in Modern, you have Grafdigger's Cage and Stoney Silence which do a much better job than Relic. Ratchet Bomb can be great against Tokens - might make the cut as a one-of or Whipflare can also be good. Wear/Tear is really nice. Torpor Orb is a solid one-of in the board as is Rule of Law. Leyline of Sanctity against Burn instead of the Circle.

Basically, with your sideboard in Modern, you want it pretty diverse. Any deck can give you a hard time and the answers to them are pretty strong. So, just play the strongest answers and spread things out a bit.

Trying to stay true to your original idea of a budget mono-red midrange deck, I'd make the following changes:

4 Generator Servant
4 Lightning Strike
3 Magma Jet
3 Tormenting Voice
3 Hammer of Purphoros
4 Minotaur Skullcleaver
4 Flame-Wreathed Phoenix - $1/Each
3 Fanatic of Mogis
4 Flurry of Horns
4 Soul of Shandalar - $1/Each
4 Radiant Fountain
20 Mountain

Outside of Stormbreath Dragon and Sarkhan, Dragonspeaker, there's really not any great 5-mana spells to ramp into on turn 3 in red via Generator Servant. In comes Flurry of Horns. I think it's not incredible, but it has to be good enough working within your limitations.

I added in Soul of Shandalar and Flame-Wreathed Phoenix for your top-end. Soul is just an incredible magic card and a great pickup at $1. Before Soul of Theros and Innistrad started seeing Standard play, a lot of people were hyping Soul of Shandalar. It's a 6/6 FIRST STRIKER. You'll block with Hornet Queen and all her tokens? Let's resolve First Strike damage: 1 to each of the insects and 2 at the queen. Thanks. You'll block with two Siege Rhinos and a Satyr Wayfinder? Kill a Rhino, kill the Satyr, let's move to combat damage?

Flame-Wreathed Phoenix is also a fine pickup at a buck each (possibly lower) that is either a 5/5 for four or a 3/3 Haste that returns to your hand when it dies. It's the closest you'll come to Ashcloud/Chandra power-level at this price-range.

Tormenting Voice helps you filter your draws and gives you something to do in the early game alongside burning any early plays from your opponent and playing Servant. It also lets you ditch Soul of Shandalar (which you don't want clogging your hand early).

Minotaur Skullcleaver is just the best beat-stick you're going to buy at 3-mana. If you can afford them, Prophetic Flamespeakers are excellent card draw and devotion providers. I'd shift several things around if you can snag some, including upping the count on Fanatic of Mogis to a 4-of.

Radiant Fountain comes in because... this deck is slow. It's red. But it's slow. There's no turn 5-6 kills lying around here. Either you live long enough to see the mid to late game and win during it or you die.

Best of luck in Standard, NorthernWarlord. I don't know that Coordinated Assault and Spawn of Thraxes belong in the same deck, but maybe you know something I don't.

Here you go, Jessie. I combined Red and White for a budget burn list for you:

http://www.mtgvault.com/muktidata/decks/b3-budget-boros-burn/

It should be both powerful force at the kitchen table and reasonably cheap to build.

Fair enough. The Bloodsoaked suggestion was for an aggro version. I appreciate your assessments and yeah, no pack one pick twelves in my standard decks...

Aggro list:

4 Tormented Hero
4 Gnarled Scarhide
4 Pain Seer
4 Spiteful Returned
4 Herald of Torment
4 Mogis's Marauder

4 Bile Blight
3 Crippling Blight
2 Murderous Cut
2 Boon of Erebos
1 Ulcerate

1 Whip of Erebos

23 Swamp

Spruce it up with Bloodsoaked Champion, fetches, Thoughtseize, and Hero's Downfall if you have the money.

A one-of whip made the cut for a long time in Mono Black last season because it added devotion and served as inevitability alongside Gary and Demons. The floor on Whip of Erebos is that it gives all your guys Lifelink. The ceiling? Whipping back Gary. How do you fill your graveyard with creatures? Play them. If they die, you get even more value from Whip. If they don't die, aren't you just winning? The Mono Black deck boasted three things (in addition to out-racing anyone via Pack Rats):

1) Your opponents threats don't stick.
2) You're drawing more cards than your opponent.
3) Gary and Whip save you from a slow start and give you an incredible long game. (Whip was removed toward the end)

Those aspects of the deck are pretty easy to port directly into the current Standard. Disciple of Phenax is devotion on a stick, a blocker, an un-biased discard spell, and a Whip target. It's not great, but I don't think he's terrible considering how slow the format can be. On the play you're thwarting Rhinos, Cruises, and Whips. On the draw, Rocs, Dragons, and Walkers. Soul of Innistrad is just a fatty and card advantage machine that dares your opponents to double-block him after which he fills up your hand. Seems fine to me.

This looks more like a teach a new player the game deck than one you'd want to send a new player to FNM with. If we're shooting for a black control deck like from last season, why not something more like this:

4 Brain Maggot
4 Herald of Torment $1/each
4 Squelching Leeches
3 Disciple of Phenax
4 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
1 Soul of Innistrad $1.50
1 Whip of Erebos $3.50
4 Despise
3 Bile Blight
3 Signed in Blood
3 Murderous Cut
1 Read the Bones
1 Silence the Believers
24 Swamp

Sideboard:
4 Drown in Sorrow
3 Dark Betrayal
3 Pharika's Cure
2 Stain the Mind
1 Silence the Believers
1 Read the Bones
1 Agent of Erebos

You could even spruce it up a bit with Erebos, God of the Dead for $2.50 a piece who is very well positioned right now in a format of Whip of Erebos, Siege Rhino, Jeskai Charm, Soul of Theros, Courser of Kruphix, and Wingmate Roc. Empty the Pits is another nice addition at around $1. This list could actually win an FNM and is still cheap and noob-friendly.

Fascinating. I'm not familiar with Commander.

Shouldn't Pilgrim just be Heirarch? Could Wall of Omens make an appearance over Ram? Courser of Kruphix seems good here.

Skullclamp is banned.

Thanks! I need to finish my sideboard and I'm probably going to take Force of Will down to a one-of since it's Uncommon and I could use those other two Uncommon slots elsewhere.

I also tried my hand:

http://www.mtgvault.com/muktidata/decks/sultai-midrange-aristocrat/

Hunt the Hunter is the best sideboard option against Malira because it pumps yours creature as well.

It looks great! Don't forget to build your sideboard. I can't wait for you to go T1: Dyrad Militant, T2: Emmisary + Titanic Growth... swing for 7!

It looks REALLY strong in a common/uncommon environment. Hey, if you don't mind, post your results here.

Detention Sphere, Banishing Light, Banisher Priest, Unravel the Aether, Celestial Flare, and several other cards really screw with your plan, so be weary.

It seems like budget on this site typically means Vintage super-casual and sub twenty bucks. I think the only reason deck is getting thrown into Modern-talk is because it's Modern legal and infect is a common Modern archetype.

It has rares.

This is a midrange deck, not an aggro deck. I would cut the Nykthos and play two Mutavaults in their place. I would cut a Godsend and replace it with another Advent.