This is my first attempt at putting together a Modern deck, I'm hoping to use it competitively at the local level. I finally got tired of playing Standard and constantly having to replace and buy new cards due to rotations, so I was looking to get into an eternal format. Inspired by Jeff Hoogland's performance at SCG Louisville Open, this is my take on a Kiki-Chord deck, with a focus on the current Eldrazi problem. There is a lengthy, card by card description below, but it is just a Kiki-Chord deck at its core. However, it might be worth checking out my explanation for the side board if you see something you question.
Like I said earlier, I'm new to Modern and don't have much experience with the format so I would appreciate any suggestions you may have or ideas on what you would run.
Main Deck:
The main goal of the deck is to combo Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker with Restoration Angel and win with an infinite loop. You get to this combo faster with Chord of Calling, using your low drop creatures to help pay for it.
Core Combo:
2x Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker - Cornerstone of the deck, use its ability on a Restoration Angel to start the combo. Then have the token target Kiki, banishing Kiki and returning him to the battle field untapped, ready to do it all over again. I run two just in case one gets exiled or I have one in my hand but need to Chord for one in my deck.
3x Restoration Angel - Part of the above mentioned combo, but able to win the game by herself with damage in the air.
Creatures:
3x Birds of Paradise - Great one drop mana dork that provides us any color of mana we need. One of the only sources of black mana in the deck, you may even consider running a full playset.
3x Wall of Omens - Big early game body that draws a card, keeping our hand full. There's not much that can get through 4 toughness on Turn 2, giving us time to get to the main combo.
3x Wall of Roots - Doesn't provide card the card advantage that Wall of Omens does but it has a bigger body with 5 toughness. Its second ability also allows it to provide an additional green mana when casting Chord of Calling. I'm still trying to figure out the proper balance of Wall of Omens to Roots, possibly 2-3 one way or the other.
3x Fleecemane Lion - Poor man's Voice of Resurgence; my pockets aren't that deep. I'm considering taking one out and maybe adding a Kitchen Finks, but I do like how the mana curve looks at the moment.
2x Scavenging Ooze - Good way to keep Tarmogoyf/graveyards under control and can become a threat itself. May only need one in the main deck and move one to the side board; maybe a 1/2 main deck/side board split. What do you think? Leave a comment on what you would run.
1x Phyrexian Revoker - Creature version of Pithing Needle that's a little cheaper($) and can be tutored for if need be. One in the main deck to gum-up decks running Eldrazi Displacer and Drowner of Hope, as these cards can be quiet annoying. It can also slow down a Lantern deck from milling you.
1x Qasali Pridemage - Great utility card filling an extra 2 drop slot that also helps Resto. Angel get off more damage before we can get to Kiki.
2x Eternal Witness - Good utility 3 drop that can save us the game if what we need is in the graveyard, say like idk, Kiki. You may want to take out one copy and sneak that Kitchen Finks in here to maintain the mana curve.
1x Big Game Hunter (BGH) - Great card for the Eldrazi match up you will run into. Cast it for its Madness cost after targeting Reality Smasher with a Path to Exile to remove an addition creature.
1x Loxodon Smiter - Good combat stats of its cost that also gives us value off Reality Smasher's ability. Another card I would consider removing since it is pretty focused on the Eldrazi match up.
1x Courser of Kruphix - I loved this card in Standard, in Commander after it rotated and I'm glad to see it's being used in Modern. It has a nice body and allows us to play lands off the top of our library. Then it gives you life for those lands. I want to make room for a second copy.
1x Obstinate Baloth - Another way to get value off of Smasher's ability, but this one also restores 4 life when it comes in. Running two wouldn't be a bad idea depending on what your local meta looks like.
2x Pia and Kiran Nalaar - Deceptively valuable, it provides extra ways of getting in damage with 2 of its 4 power in the air. Or if you have the mana, use its ability to trade those 1/1 thopters for 2 damage a piece. It can easily be your saving grace in a match against Lantern Control.
Instants:
4x Chord of Calling - Allows the deck to be fast enough and consistent enough to be playable. After setting up a board presence early game, use this to find the missing piece of your combo and finish the game. Use it late game to find to find the EtB effect you need to close out a game.
4x Path to Exile - Best creature removal available in Modern; it's a no brainer, and expensive no brainer.
Lands:
The land base isn't the best or most competitive, but its the best I have to Work with at the moment. Any suggestions on what I should look start replacing first would be appreciated.
4x Windswept Heath - The deck is mainly green and white, and I had a playset from my old Standard deck.
2x Bloodstained mire/ Wooded Foothills - I'm splitting it this way for the moment since I already had a couple Bloodstained Mires, keeping the cost of the deck low.
**EDIT** Now running 4x Wooded Foothills
2x Ghost Quarter - There are a lot of good lands in Modern, these are to deal with them.
1x Overgrown Tomb - A fetchable source of Black mana.
1x Gavony Township - Figured 'why not', I have the mana to activate it.
13x other fillers or basic lands
Side Board:
1x Phyrexian Revoker - Extra hate against Eldrazi Displacer and Drowner of Hope
1x Qasali Pridemage - Removal for matches against Affinity and Lantern control
1x Shriekmaw - I personally love this card, no idea if it's as good as I think it is though
2x Fulminator Mage - My friend plays a couple Tron decks.. I don't like my friend's Tron decks
1x Reclamation Sage - Chord it if you find yourself unable to cross Ensnaring Bridge (because in MTG, angels have problems crossing bridges)
1x Loaming Shaman - Getting milled by a Lantern Control isn't enjoyable, but he gives you a second chance to get the cards you need to win the game.
2x Kor Firewalker - Burn sucks, slow it down
2x Gut Shot - Good removal against infect creatures and Phyrexian mana is cool
3x Smash to Smithereens - Affinity is a strong deck, punish them for having artifacts. Use it against Lantern decks to get then in range for Pia and Kiran to finish the game.
1x Worship - Another answer to burn. Should this card be in the main deck?
My side board is where I need the most help since I don't have much experience with the format coming from a mostly Commander/ Standard background.
Again, any suggestions or ideas you may have will be helpful and appreciated. Maybe give it a thumbs-up and help to get more people looking at it, the more perspectives I can get, the better.
Thank you.