Dies to Removal

I have been working on a RUG Chord Toolbox to hold me over until rotation.

[deck]
Creatures
3 Young Pyromancer
1 Hornet Nest
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Izzet Staticaster
1 Reclamation Sage
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
3 Courser of Kruphix
1 Purphoros, God of the Forge
1 Polukranos, World Eater
1 Keranos, God of Storms
1 Hornet Queen


Spells
2 Shock
1 Mizzium Mortars
3 Lightning Strike
3 Stoke the Flames
2 Xenagos, the Reveler
4 Chord of Calling
3 Turn // Burn

Land
1 Mana Confluence
1 Forest
1 Mountain
4 Stomping Ground
4 Shivan Reef
3 Yavimaya Coast
3 Temple of Epiphany
3 Temple of Mystery
4 Temple of Abandon

Sideboard
1 Hornet Nest
3 Nylea's Disciple
1 Izzet Staticaster
1 Reclamation Sage
2 Negate
2 Phyrexian Revoker
3 Skylasher
1 Mizzium Mortars
1 Ætherling
[/deck]

The idea behind the deck is to use Chord of Calling to call out whatever creature that might be needed at the
time. Backup theme of token generation with Purphoros triggers. Sometimes you get free wins with uncontested Rabblemasters.

Strengths: Can find silver bullet creatures fairly reliably. Big enough to withstand aggro, can be fast or resilient enough to fight control.
Weaknesses: Enemy planeswalkers, sweepers, decks that are bigger (mono green being a big one).

Other card options:
Izzet Charm: A card near and dear to my heart. Creature removal, soft counter and filtering all in one.
Setessan Tactics: A way to ensure you can get hornets from your Nests. Also a good way to snipe creatures with deathtouch hornets.
Sylvan Primordial: Chord target that can take out enemy planeswalkers, a weakness for the deck.
Nylea, God of the Hunt: Devotion is reasonable to obtain, trample and pump very useful.
Boros Reckoner: Might give us some extra game
against decks like Mono Green.
Clone: Copy their best creature or double one of our own.
Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius: Bigger than Stormbreath, reasonable card draw engine.

I saw this deck on SCG and once on MTGO. Looks awsome.

It really is fun to play. Now I need to tune it to make it viable.

+1 Primordial, -1 Nylea's Disciple working pretty well so far.

Needed more burn and sweepers. Ooze to sideboard, cut the Staticasters and Disciples. An extra Shock and Courser main, 2 Anger of the Gods in the side.

Two articles on the deck today, each with different variations.

http://www.channelfireball.com/videos/c ... rug-chord/
Courser, Izzet Charm, Dispel and Xenagos in the side.

http://www.starcitygames.com/article/29 ... otion.html
No Courser or Charm. Xenagos main, heavy Staticaster/[card]Gorgon's Head[/card] package in the sideboard.

The tournament practice room has been miserable the past few days. Every single person is playing Simic Yisan or something similar. I can't get any good testing in. This deck loses to that one fairly often since they accelerate faster and have more meaningful endgame plays. Most of my wins against them are from Purphoros triggers.

Updated build:

[deck]
Spells
3 Shock
2 Izzet Charm
3 Lightning Strike
3 Stoke the Flames
3 Turn // Burn
2 Xenagos, the Reveler
3 Chord of Calling

Creatures
3 Young Pyromancer
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
4 Courser of Kruphix
1 Hornet Nest
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Polukranos, World Eater
1 Purphoros, God of the Forge
1 Soul of Shandalar
1 Sylvan Primordial

Lands
1 Forest
1 Mountain
4 Stomping Ground
4 Shivan Reef
3 Yavimaya Coast
1 Mana Confluence
4 Temple of Abandon
3 Temple of Epiphany
3 Temple of Mystery

Sideboard
2 Negate
2 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Scavenging Ooze
3 Skylasher
1 Hornet Nest
1 Reclamation Sage
2 Anger of the Gods
1 Keranos, God of Storms
1 Ætherling
1 Hornet Queen
[/deck]

3-1 tonight, beating Rabble Red, Mono White and Esper Control (I was a lucky bastard) and losing to BW by mulling to oblivion and then having the rest of my hand shredded. Reasonably happy with the deck. I am going to cut the Izzet Charms and try a Staticaster and a Cyclonic Rift in those slots.