Alright so here is my latest concoction that some of you may have already seen

The deck plays some of the best creatures we got from the new expansion as well as a few of the best mid range PW's. I've been bouncing this list back and forth with some other NGA friends trying to make it optimal on paper before I go on a testing spree. The main issue that came up in the first version of the deck was the mana couldn't support the double costed black cards (originally Kalitas, Ob, 2x Grasp of Darkness). The original manabase has 24 lands which is now 26, hopefully this manabase will increase the consistency of the deck enough. As usual, I'm looking for suggestions/solutions the deck may need to be optimal!

Abzan midrange

Creature(23)
2 x Sylvan Advocate
3 x Duskwatch Recruiter
2 x Deathcap Cultivator
2 x Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim
2 x Eldrazi Displacer
2 x Tireless Tracker
2 x Matter Reshaper
2 x Woodland Wanderer
1 x Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
2 x Thought-Knot Seer
2 x Reality Smasher
1 x Archangel Avacyn


Instant(2)
2 x Anguished Unmaking

Sorcery(2)
2 x Declaration in Stone

Enchantment(4)
2 x Oath of Nissa
2 x Oath of Gideon

Planeswalker(3)
1 x Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
1 x Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1 x Ob Nixilis Reignited

Land(26)
3 x Plains
3 x Swamp
4 x Forest
2 x Westvale Abbey
1 x Wastes
2 x Crumbling Vestige
2 x Sunpetal Grove
2 x Shambling Vent
2 x Hissing Quagmire
2 x Canopy Vista
3 x Evolving Wilds


View to this deck go to: http://www.magicduelshelper.com/decklis ... 4540cba403

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I still think you need to be tweaking/working on the mana. You don't have 3 colors, you have 4 ( yes - it's colorless, but it's still a cost to cover).

There are quite a few casting costs and an activated ability that don't seem supported by the 5 sources you have. I'd dump Evolving Wilds in favor of Warped Landscape which can help fix later. There also seems to be a fair amount of slow/tap lands which could cost you tempo. It seems; in the current meta, that you need a fast board presence due to all the aggro and you'll need to keep on curve/pace with the other midrange decks. You definitely need more consistent/early mana for sure because if you're casting a turn or two off curve (2 mana cards on T3 for example), you'll fall too far behind and the power level of your cards won't make up for it. Especially if you're on the draw.


elk

I definitely agree the mana still needs work. If someone could help me tweak it to make it optimal that would be greatly appreciated!

First, you've got to add Sorin. Cut any other card in the deck if you have to. He's the best card in this archetype.

I'd suggest -3 Duskwatch Recruiter, -2 Oath of Gideon (I've tested this a lot and think it's just a touch under-powered), -1 Westvale Abbey, +1 Sorin, +4 Sylvan Ranger. Duskwatch Recruiter is a fantastic card, but with this greedy of a mana base - it's in truth a four color deck - you need to make some sacrifices to get your mana right. I'm also slightly skeptical of Woodland Wanderer in deck that can't get him to 6/6 and would lean toward cutting both for Woodland Bellower (putting 10/10 on the battlefield T6 is no joke) and the fourth evolving wilds. Woodland Wanderer will dominate some match-ups, but UW Tempo is a Tier one deck right now that just laughs at Wanderer.

Kalitas is a great card in removal heavy decks, but you don't have much, and that you do have exiles rather than kills, so he's not at his best here. I think either Hydra or Greenwarden would be better.