Casual Red/Black deck

[Spiderman]

R/B deck
1 Hammer of Bogardan
2 Sulfur Vent
1 Shivan Dragon
1 Sol'kanar the Swamp King
1 Tainted Isle
4 Swamp
7 Mountain
2 Badlands
1 Sol Ring
1 Cinder Shade
3 Rhystic Study
1 Agonizing Demise
1 Dance of the Dead
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Soul Burn
1 Carrion Ants
1 Volcano Imp
1 Sorceress Queen
1 Chain Lightning
1 Sedge Troll
1 Chaosphere
1 Dungeon Shade
1 Roc Hatchling
3 Agent of Stromgald
1 Granite Gargoyle
2 Hooded Kavu
4 Terminate
2 Caldera Kavu
2 Dizzying Gaze
1 Shiv's Embrace
1 Sizzle
1 Breath of Darigaaz
1 Terrain Generator
3 Lightning Bolt
3 Volcanic Island

Sorry if the above is disorganized; I tend to just enter my deck in Apprentice without any order whatsoever.

The idea is just to have red and black spells that help each other. This is casual and multiplayer, so I did not include any discard cards. I also don't really have any tricks; just get out creatures for offense and defense. Two opponents play with fliers a lot, so that's why Chaosphere, Dizzying Gaze, and Shiv's Embrace is in there. Disenchant-effects are not usually played, so I'm not too worried about them or Rhystic Study; my opponents aren't aware of the power of card drawing (I don't think) so the Study should be fairly safe.

Most creatures are ones I just want to try out and play; except for the commons, I only have one of them anyway. I added a few black pumpables to see how they work.

 

[BigBlue]

I'll give you a small heads up.

start playing with the study and all of the sudden enchantment hate will start coming out. . .

Our group didn't use much enchantment hate either, because we mostly didn't play with enchantments, until I built a rhystic study deck, now 3 of us have RS decks, and ench hate is in full effect. It doesn't hurt that we also all have repercussion decks now and the other 2 play these really annoying sigil of sleep/unblockable decks now too.

 

[Mikeymike]

1 Sol Ring
2 Sulfur Vent
1 Tainted Isle
4 Swamp
7 Mountain
2 Badlands
1 Terrain Generator
3 Volcanic Island

21 mana sources - 1 of which you have to sack to get the color of your choice, 1 is strictly colorless mana, 1 that wants basic lands in your hand, and 1 more that relies on you have 1 of 6 of your swamps in play.

Shivan Dragon, Hammer of Bogardan, Granite Gargoyle - want a lot of red mana
Soul Burn, Cinder Shade - want a lot of black or red mana
Dungeon Shade, Caldera Kavu (not so much) - want a lot of black mana

My point is that you've got a lot of mana hungry spells and not nearly enough mana sources to satisfy them. I'd cut a couple of cards (Soul Burn, Gargoyle) to make room for at least 2 more lands, although I think 4 more is the right call.

Instead of the Sulfur Vent and the Terrain Generator, try the Mirage 'fetch' lands that can go and snag you Dual lands.

I don't think you really need the Agents of Stromgald, the deck doesn't rely on you getting black mana for your 2 Shades so the need to create black mana is minimal. The Caldera Kavu doesn't need as much black mana

I wouldn't be afraid of putting more burn in here, like Lightning Bolts or such (which are strictly superior to Chain Lightning). They also work nicely with your Sorceress Queen.

 

[Spiderman]

BigBlue: I don't know, I have a deck with one Treasure Trove in it and Mana Flare, have gotten the trove out either with or without the Flare, drew around 2 cards a turn because of the Flare or lots of mana already in play, and they didn't care. I'll have to see if they get smarter

MikeyMike: Yowza, is it only 21? I thought it was 2 more... I'll see what I can do. Probably not much, since I'm going to play right after work so I'll have to cannibalize some other decks. I thought Chain Lightning would be good for variety and I also was planning to put in 4 Bolts before I started counting how many spells I had; maybe I'll cut the Soul Burn for another Bolt.

 

[train]

Hatred isn't casual buts it fun to play... and raging river might be nice in casual...

Also Blood moon, Bedlam, Chance encounter, chaos moon, there's just a bunch of fun stuff out there...

 

[Captain Caveman]

Have you considered Nightscape Familiar in the Agent slot? The
thing regenerates and would lower the CC of your red and Blue
spells.(Sol Kanar for 4


When you play a big MP game you might sub in some of these
spells.


Nightscape Apprentice
Nightscape Battlemage
Flametongue Kavu
Bone Shredder
Acidic Sliver
Crosis
Tsabo Tavoc

Crosis's Charm
Feast or Famine
Void
Erratic Portal
Ghostly Flame
Searing Touch

Caveman

 

[train]

This is casual....

You need a yawgmoth's bargain!!!

 

[Spiderman]

Capt. Caveman: I looked at the Familiar, but I only had the Rhystic Studies as the blue spells so didn't think it was worth it. I'll have to look at your suggestions; I'm pretty sure I don't have Flametongues, Crosis, and Tsabos though. Ghostly Flame turning my spells colorless isn't really an issue with my group.

train: No Bargains either...

Mikeymike: I changed my land mix when I looked at my other decks that I don't use that much (and need to be taken apart). I ended up putting in a Thran Quarry, Thawing Glaciers, Library of Alexandria, 2 Badlands, 3 Volcanic Islands, 6 Swamps, and 9 Mountains.

I won a free for all, lost and won team games (for a total of three games). My Studies came out in the games I won, especially the free for all... one turn I got 5 cards from my opponents. My Library also came out and I was drawing like mad. The game I lost, I pretty much was a target from the first game and didn't get land or enough removal. The team game I won, I was hung at 3-4 lands and my creatures were getting removed, but I got enough removal to keep the pace. Eventually a Dizzying Gazed Agent stablized the board from fliers and I started drawing land again. I got the Rhystic Study out but my opponents were more aware of its power; still, it lasted for two full round (a round being my turn to my turn, going through each of the other three players turns).

The Agent actually is pretty useful; it helped get out Carrion Ants and powered the Dungeon Shade. My Cinder Shade never came out, unfortunately.