American Nuke Legion

Your mana is fine, take out 2 clifftops for 2 islands, as that is your majority mana colour. Other than that, nice control deck. The Assemble the legion is an interesting idea.

And democidist, how is his mana slow? I'm confused....

If you don't want to lose the two life or don't have one of the islands, mountains, or plains out your land will not be immediately tappable. Once the deck gets going it should be fine, but I'm sure that it'll take longer than you'll want it to to get out of the gate, so to speak.

life isn't an issue sphinx's rev and Azorius charm get me life back

Yeah and he does have Islands mountains and plains.... That's what the shocklands are. With this sort of deck life isn't too much of an issue except with really aggro decks.

I know they are, but they come in tapped unless you pay with your life. Not to mention the completely reasonable possibility that you don't get one in your opening hand, or you get one or more that are of the wrong type. Life isn't an issue against all decks, but there are a plenty of decks that will play fast enough that you'll be too little too late by the time they're ready for the kill.

I still don't know what you're getting at. Sorry, but I just don't see the issue here. He's got no 1 drops, so the first turn he plays a shockland, second turn a dual land, he has a multitude of colours to go right off the bat and has a range of 2 drops to take advantage of it. I think you've missed the point of shocklands entirely. I'm not trying to be mean, I just can't see why you would be so hell bent on not losing 2 life. This is a control deck. Control decks normally start kicking off turn 3 sometimes 2. I mean take a look at this deck, it is mostly shock and dual lands, and it's won 2 tournaments already!

http://www.mtgvault.com/bennyboy777/decks/winning-gwb-tourney-deck/

And i've taken 2 damage from a shockland first turn, then I get an Obzedat or Thragtusk turn 3. I don't care if I just spent 2 life, I just got it all back and have a powerful 5 drop 2 turns before it is even meant to come out.

It's the same thing with sphinx's rev or azorius charm.

The mana in this deck can be slow in the sense that the only land guaranteed to be untapped when it enters the battlefield is the two Islands that you recommended he add. And that's all there is to it. The mana curve in this deck is enormous. 1/6 of the deck needs 5+ mana. 1/3 of it needs 4+. Both of those stats are including land and absurd.

Your deck on the other hand is no mystery. All that ramp you have clearly makes a big difference in the play speed of the deck.

I've played the same colour deck as this one, almost identical cards, but still America control, and not once was mana a problem. I think you're just seeing a problem where there is none. He has 14 land that can come in untapped, and say if he draws 3 shocklands on his opening turn, the first turn he won't need it, the second turn he may need it if he wants to draw with an Azorius charm, and from the third turn pay 2 life to keep a counter open. So what? From turn 4 he's just going to clear the board with a supreme verdict and the opponent will have to start again. Have you never played a deck as or against like this before? This is how it works. Hell even in the Pro tours it's the exact same thing..... Control is ALWAYS slow to start, taking full advantage of the shock lands. Just having any one of the shocklands on the field, means all of his dual lands will come in untapped, as they all share a colour with it. You simply just do not like the 2 life that you lose from a shockland, where sometimes it is necessary.

Or at least sideboard it.

thinking reckoner act kill in sideboard