nickbooth

Kozilek commander, not Ulamog? 4 cards are nice, but so is an indestructible remover of permanents.

Either way, I'd put in Darksteel Juggernaut and Darksteel Plate for some Vandalblast resilience, as well as Mycosynth Lattice to be that guy (and make Vandalblast pretty game ending).

I would like to suggest It That Betrays as a reanimator target over Empyrial Archangel. The archangel is cute, trying to protect yourself, but the complete shut down offered by It That Betrays is just better.

If you combo out on your first turn, with a ritual => buried alive => exhume, if you get the eldrazi your opponent will usually never have more than 3 mana, and thats only if they went first and played a one drop and two drop. It is a must answer, and an 11 to boot. Plus you get whatever they sacrifice.

However, if you have the Archangel for its shroudiness, then there are still better options. Plated Slagwurm and Kalonian Behemoth are both massive opponent's-spell-proof things, but the best option is Inkwell Leviathan, with islandwalk for counterspell decks and trample for weenies in addition to shroud, plus it is a 7/11.

This is a very long comment for one card, but in a deck like this your targets are important. This is a very good deck, a very classic deck, and a very powerful deck. I hope this comment helps!

Vector Asp? I know its for the cheapness, but come on you can do better. Ichorclaw Myr and Necropede are infinitely better options, as they have permanent infect.

I would suggest Livewire Lash, but its rare. However, its probably cheaper than invisible stalker (Bant hexproof is a thing).

I would dump all the non-infect things tainted strike and phyresis for other infect things. Having a tormented soul and no way to give it infect sucks. Cheap equipment would be better and more permanent, like bone saw or bonesplitter, are better to drop on turn 1 for a terrifying thing turn 3.

I would drop all the tutor targets down to 1 copy. You absolutely do not want them in your opening hand (as you stated in the description), and having 2 platinum angels or 2 darksteel colossi is just win-more.

I also think Fabricate is a bad choice for this deck. I doubt you will aim to hit 7, 9, or 11 mana consistently, so putting a darksteel colossus into your had is pointless without something like Master Transmuter.

Which brings me to my final point: take out one of each the Emperion, the Angel, the Colossus, and the Forge and add in 4 Master Transmuters. Then, even if you do get stuck with one of your win-cons in your hand, you don't have to mulligan if you have a Transmuter. If there is one of the win-cons you don't want to drop to 1, drop a Forgemaster instead (he's your backup tutor anyway).

I like this deck, and its core is pretty cool. I'd just thin it out a little to make a lot more consistent. If you do add in the Transmuters, be careful: people know she's insanely powerful and will try to kill her immediately.

If you really going for mainly alpha strike the one-mana spells are best because you can cast them with no target to trigger the cyclops and then the game counters it as a state-based action (which is why counterflux says "can't be countered by spells or abilities" so the game can counter it) but the trigger still resolves cuz you countered it.

Personally i would swap the swan songs for dissolve, dissolve hits everything as well as letting you scry 1, everything you want for this deck. Leaving 3 mana open should be no problem for this deck, when you're not alpha striking you can sit on empty mana to cast instants to solve answers.

Definitely add the Shrine, i cracked it at the prerelease an its incredible. In my opinion, you need a few more lands in general, 20 lands in monoblack control is not optimal, i would aim for 23.

Also, i would take out the Cutthroat maneuvers. It is way to expensive for its effect, and bestow creatures are way better heroic triggers. I would include some Erebos's emissaries in the deck for the general +3/+3 as well as a way to pull a win out of nowhere (especially because of march of the returned).

All in all, i would personally push the deck towards blue/black, with black permanents for devotion and blue control spells (like voyages end, dissolve, and curse of the swine) to keep the board clear, but its up to you.

Just to be annoying, this is more a Johnny (combo) deck than a Timmy (Stompy) deck. Let me rephrase that, this is an EXTREMELY Johnny deck and as a fellow Johnny I applaud you.

R&D's Secret Lair from Unhinged.

"Legendary Land. PLAY CARDS AS WRITTEN. IGNORE ALL ERRATA. {T} add {1} to your mana pool."

ADD THIS CARD. THEN YOU CAN LEGALLY PLAY PIKACHU.

Besides that, i would add more tutors and lands so that this can work smoothly and consistently.

might be black lotus (which is ridiculously expensive so i doubt you should include it) and springleaf drum is probably the other one. Instead of the lotus get some steel overseers or arcbound creatures

the mystic is there to speed up the combo, for a turn 2 denizen to curve out to winning turn 4 in the ideal situation. However, it is straining the mana and it is solely for the ideal scenario, top decking it turn 2 or later is terrible if you dont have the combo you need. i can see arguments for both sides.

this could actually go off turn 4, just tap the lotus as soon as you cast it for 3 blue and go to town.

Fist of Suns? Turns all your spells into 5 colorless with prismatic omen

This is a cool deck, Nivix Cyclops is the latest of its ilk to make a standard appearance. However:

1) Magma jet is a great burn spell, but not in standard. It is the only card in this deck not in standard, so i would swap it out for Searing Spear or something similar.

2) Uncovered Clues is one of the worst dig spells printed in standard, just run some draw spells like Divination or Faithless Looting or something.

Some counterspells wouldn't go amiss either, although they probably won't trigger the cyclops, Guttersnipe and Pyromancer like them just fine.

you need better artifact sacrifice. A lot can sacrifice on their own but a few can't. I would either add sac engines or take them out for spellbombs (Origin Spellbomb is a favourite of mine, just don't activate the draw a card feature) and Perilous myr.

If you go bant you gain access to Detention Sphere, which allows you 8 copies of exiling to combo out with.

Blue also gives you counters to protect your combo with.

You have no cards with activated abilities (abilities with a colon) so illusionist's bracers is useless. Mirko Vosk has a triggered ability (an ability with "whenever"), as does the demon and the aberration.

Agreed, Snapcaster would be perfect, more 3/3s and you can bounce him for even more

if youre not concerned with tournament legality, Thalakos Seer is a great combo with Pongify/Mutation and Faerie Imposter, much better than the bear which would die if you tried to do anything, countering the spell to give you 3/3.

Familiar's Ruse is a good card here, return the ornithropter/memnite for a counterspell or return the Geist to get rid of that counter so you can "kill" it again or (if you use him) return the Seer for a card.

I did, this is the accurate listing of the deck as it is now: http://www.mtgvault.com/nickbooth/decks/bant-allies/

Thanks for the tip tho :)