What do you think of this Green-Black Deck?

[Eric5]

Can you tell me what you think of this Green-Black deck? Thanks.

14 Creatures:

1xStampede Driver
3xThresher Beast
1xSilverglade Elemental
1xRhox
1xHorned Troll
1xHunted Wumpus
1xSpore Frog
1xDeepwood Wolverine
1xDarba
1xAvatar of Might
1xAvatar of Woe
1xVolrath the Fallen

22 Other Non-Land Cards:

3xLiving Terrain
1xSeal of Strength
1xSymbiosis
1xThrive
1xVitalize
2xAnimate Land
1xGiant Growth
1xJolrael's Favor
1xVitalizing Wind
1xTreetop Bracers
1xSkyshroud Claim
2xInvigorate
1xBraidwood Cup
1xSeal of Doom
4xDark Ritual

17 Lands:

10xForest
7xSwamp

Sideboard:

1xRathi Assassin
1xSeal of Doom
1xEngineered Plague
1xRoot Cage
1xMarsh Boa
1xTranquility
1xYavimaye Enchantress
1xHunted Wumpus
1xSpitting Spider
1xRib Cage Spider

Thanks

 

[krichaiushii]

What can you tell the board about the format of play you plan to use this deck in?

I ask because my advice will be for multiplayer games, someone else will recommend changes for a type 2 tournament deck, while a third person will post a completely different decklist that shares only the colors of your deck.

If you specify what you are looking for in the way of advice in your initial post, more people will provide timely, relevant comments. It also helps to say what card sets you have access to, as well, if only to keep people from "reconstructing" your deck using the P9 and certain cards from Legends.

That being said, some rules of thumb in deck design are:
1)The more copies of a card you have in your deck, the more likely you are to draw that card. Try not to self-restrict your decks to one of a useful card, unless it is all you can find, or is terribly expensive to cast (like Winds and Avatars, for example).

2)Try to build synergy into the deck. For example, the Thresher Beasts are pretty cool, but they truly shine in a land destruction deck (staying black and green for LD would require addition of Ice Storm, Thermokarst, Argothian Wurm, Sinkhole, Rain of Tears, Demonic Hordes, and Despoil, to name but a few options).

Another example is your Avatar of Woe -- in addition to its many useful abilities, many people play it because of its Alternate Casting Cost (ACC). Aside from creature battles, and the Avatar of Woe's ability, you have no way to efficiently remove opposing creatures from play (IMO, Seal of Doom is not very efficient, and can only be used once, anyway). If you were to run 2 or 3 Thrashing Wumpus (Wumpi? Wumpuses?), not only would you remove creatures quickly and damage your opponent, but you would also benefit because most of your creatures will survive a 1 or 2 point burst of damage, which in turn leads to greater control of the overall game. Instead of, or in conjunction with, the Thrashing Wumpus, consider Blood Pets - not only do the Pets provide an additional black mana, once you sac the Pet for a current turn gain, you are one step closer towards the ACC of the Avatar of Woe. Do you see my point about synergy? (Plus, it is a fun word to say).

and 3) Consider your mana sources and the casting costs (CC) and types of your assorted spells. The majority of your 1-2 CC spells are all creature enhancers, yet the vast majority of your creatures have CCs of 4+.

Nothing in this deck takes advantage of a first-turn Dark Ritual -- in fact, you are running 7 Swamps and 4 Rits to support 3 other spells, 6 spells if you use all of your sideboard. Reconsider the black component of your deck.

There, I have said enough, perhaps more than enough. I don't intend to sound condescending, I am only trying to improve the overall deck-building skills of Eric5.

 

[Hellion]

Well said krichaiushii! I think there's nothing much left to say....you covered everything!

Well Eric 5, keep us posted about your deck if u still need help. ^_^