The entire premise requires a large board presence or at least a decent board presence + insult + this card. Don't token decks play instant removal ? Charioteer dies to plenty of those things.
'Dies to removal' isn't a good argument, but it does have more significance when you are basically trying to combo the opponent out with a 6 mana play.

I could see playing Hellion or charioteer, or collective defiance at this mana spot. Now consider that the worth of the charioteer goes down by alot if your deck does not play insult, which is basically a win-more card.

don't take the terrain elemental statement seriously. i was just trying to say the 3/3 is probably not good in the spot. I found defiance slow in the format. I'd rather play more 1 to 2 mana removal or 2 mana threats so I can double spell occasionally, given that we've got pretty solid beaters all over the curve from 2 to 5.

Could play another blossoming defence or a hungry flames ? I like the Defiance, because when you are upping landcount to curve into your big drops, defiance can serve as another big drop and cycle some lands if you are flooded.
If you really want another 2cmc removal spell, play roast maybe ?

It's immediate value if you any beater out, you don't need a wide board. Insult+Charioteer+wide board is amazeballs when it happens but that's not the only time it does work. Any non-hasty 3 drop is going to have the same vulnerability to removal. I can see favoring Hellion because you can hopefully get an attack in before it gets removed tho.

Insult is a top 10 card from this set IMHO. Popping off huge chunks of damage out of nowhere is insane. Kill Opp now or give them more turns to draw answers isn't what I'd call win more. Even if you're behind on board you can cast both sides at 6 mana to to kill anything with a Kalitas butt AND kill (or at least put off ultimate) a Planeswalker or deal 4 to face. It absolutely can help you if you're behind.

Charioteer I personally like but don't think it's essential. Insult is hella good and essential to any gruul beatdown deck I'd build. I've been running the playsets in mine for a while now, but haven't updated the OP list.

Popping off huge chunks of damage out of nowhere is insane.

It is, but that's not what insult // Injury does. it needs a board presence to do great amounts of damage, otherwise it's just an overcosted lava axe. This deck; unless you count on curving into it for a goldfish t4 win with 0 disruption from the opponent, isn't particularly good at having a GREAT board presence. Above average board presence? Sure, but for the most part it just plays some pretty good dudes.
Maybe i'm being too hard on the card, I have to admit, I have not given it a fair shot, mainly because I don't like lava axe. Maybe I would defend the card more eloquently in boros tokens ?

Lava axe

LOL!!! I like these analogies with a little bit of exaggeration.
after glorybringer < glory seeker electrify
khenra charioteer < terrain elemental
we have now insult // injury < lava axe.

If Lava Axe did 5 to face and 3 to creature I might consider it (idk, 4d kills more creatures, like Kalitas). If it offered additional upside and versatility by being able to cast it at half cost to double all your damage (Chandra Torch burns face 4 instead of 2, Creature damage non-fogable, shocks are exquisite firecrafts, etc, etc) for a turn, with an option to pay the other half of its cost later to shock face/Walker plus a creature I'd be all over that ****.

Personally I love the spell, easily among my favorites from the set. Played it in Rakdos aggro and Gruul beatdown, and been very happy with it in both archetypes. I'd say try it out and you might find yourself pleasantly surprised. It's hilarious how many opponents don't understand the card and get blown the **** out by it rather than just devastated by it. Unless you play on xbone. If that's the case, then yes the card is bad and you should never ever play it.

Regarding Khenra Charioteer, I'm having troubles thinking of other relative 3 drop being played competitively that this doesn't at least trade with. First thoughts are Thalia, Heretic Cathar or possibly a God that has it's condition met or maybe things like a Plague Belcher that dumped it's counters on something else. I'm sure there's a couple more but the list isn't very long (like a Tireless Tracker being left unchecked - still initially trades though). The point is, a beatdown deck is playing aggressive cards that are generally ahead of the curve but at a bare minimum will match the curve. Realistically Charioteer; in most cases, force blocks or removal which is absolutely fine. Then the trample adds to the synergy and theme of the deck by making blocks potentially even worse. Someone mentioned removal as a concern and it's always a concern for any creature based strategy. It's also why Blossoming Defense makes the cut to try and prevent the combat/removal blow outs. Then we have the auto win option by playing Insult // Injury (which also synergizes with the deck) with trample (really doesn't matter what turn whether it's a goldfish turn or not - trample + Insult = win). I'm not seeing the troubles here nor am I evaluating other options higher than this one (at least on par - I'm not saying some of the Lanthu Hellion type options aren't playable).

Now granted I'm biased because trample is my all time favorite mechanic so it does possibly skew my judgement. Timh is probably right and could live at 2 copies for other options/considerations to be added. Still, green based/ mid-range beat down decks are often synonymous with trample(esk) effects. The question I have then is have folks actually tried it? Having a Tireless Tracker, Bristling Hydra or pretty much anything else in this deck (a 5/5 land? a 4/5 Advocate? etc) with trample is just incredible beatdown and that is; after all, what the deck is trying to do.


As for Insult // Injury, it's one of my top 10 cards of this set. It works in quite a few decks and does quite a few different thing is many of them. Love that card.



elk

Like the 4/3 brawler, I am having trouble thinking about spot removal that is competitively played that this dolt doesnt trade with mana-negatively. Could say the same about Serpopard, but I think i'll keep playing that fool (damn i wanna cut it for something better though )

I think your earlier post put it best : you like your bone

As for Insult // Injury : I think this card can be the perfect finisher; please show me where to run this. Unless you are willing to run kessig prowlers and red 1 drops and ditch your brawler land confidently t2, I don't think it's here. I ve been messing with boros tokens, but I don't have a good list yet .

I win as much with Insult as I do when I get tremendous value out of it when I discard and Injury something later , often singing my own creature cuz opponent is at two life or less. This card is incredible

Elk, I retired your deck after going 47-14 with it. Two straight losses to Azorious did me in. Deck also lost to Orzhov lifegain, Boros and mono white vehicles, mono black, Dimir and Gruul energy

Was lots of fun, thanks

77% out of 61 games. I'll take a win percentage like that. Thanks for the games.

I gotta say though, with no new updates, you're eventually going to run out of decks. No matter how good the deck is, variance will end up having you lose two games in a row (variance is already going to cost you 10-20% of games whether it's flood, screw, bad draws, bad match ups, opponent nut draws etc). So if you delete them all after two losses in a row, you're going to end up with a pretty empty library.


elk

That's when I stop playing

I have three decks left in Magic 2015.

It's a fun thing for me to play down to the most consistent decks

Plus, jokers contests will keep me building

Looks like Barney may be the best barometer to evaluate the best 30 deck of Duels. (except in the cases you blame the pilot )