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Been playtesting various builds of this deck a lot and have it at a point where I'm happy with it. It's a blast to play and it's always a nice feeling to be able to win with a creatureless deck, especially in this meta . Suggestions are always welcome but it's pretty much set in stone at this point, mostly just posting it here to share.

Enchantments(4)
4x Burning Vengeance

Instants(25)
3x Burning Oil
4x Desperate Ravings
3x Dissipate
3x Feeling of Dread
3x Rewind
3x Searing Spear
2x Sphinx's Revelation
4x Think Twice

Sorceries(8)
1x Devil's Play
3x Faithless Looting
4x Supreme Verdict

Land(23)
2x Clifftop Retreat
1x Desolate Lighthouse
3x Glacial Fortress
4x Hallowed Fountain
4x Steam Vents
3x Sulfur Falls
2x Island
2x Mountain
2x Plains

Rewind is actually fantastic in this deck, you'll always have something you can do with the mana at the end of their turn so you can really take advantage of it. I wasn't aware it had ever seen play in standard, I certainly haven't come across any other decks using it.

Izzet Charm isn't just for the looting effect, it's actually the mode I find I use the least. It's a removal/counter spell that is also able to function as an instant speed Faithless Looting and it performs quite well, though if I had to pick a card ot get rid of it would probably be this one.

Feeling of Dread is definitely a card I forgot about. I only recently added white and it must have slipped under my radar, going to test the deck with 3 of them replacing the Izzet Charm s and see how it goes.

I haven't tried the deck with Snapcaster Mage yet due to budget reasons. At the same time I'm kind of reluctant to add him just because I like being creatureless. Will definitely try it out if I get hold of a few copies though.

I've tried Past in Flames and it really didn't work out so well.

Due to the complete lack of other creatures to absorb removal, Guttersnipe is all but guaranteed to die before I can really take advantage of him.

Jan 22, 2013 -- 12:36PM, Jman22 wrote:

Gonna just straight up tell you this:

Wizards made flashback themed decks extra weak because they thought it was the top deck, and thought that as-is it would be a top tournament contender. Shows you how much they were wrong.
Secondly, the deck lacks a LOT of raw power that helps other decks be able to fight against aggro.

You also really need Secrets of the Dead to keep you going.

That said, your deck looks like one of the better attemps at the theme. Agree with most your views, but I think you really need Guttersnipe.

I ran Secrets of the Dead in a lot of early builds, but from my experience it really wasn't necessary. The deck is almost entirely card advantage as is, and if you have multiple copies out you run a serious risk of milling yourself to death if the game runs long, as they often can with this deck.

I really do have to disagree with Guttersnipe . I can't count the times I've had an opponent show me a hand full of various forms of removal at the end of a game while commenting on all the dead cards they had, which is itself another form of card advantage. While he would certainly fit into the deck well I just can't see him surviving long enough to have a large enough impact to justify running him.

Updated the deck list with Feeling of Dread replacing Izzet Charm

I've tried Thought Scour , it isn't bad but the inability to choose what gets milled can lead to unfortunate consequences. Desperate Ravings works since it has flashback and I have the ability to weigh the risk/reward before casting it, Thought Scour is more of a crapshoot. If we get any good deck manipulation so I can set it up it will probably find a place in the deck but in the mean time I'm not particularly keen on it.

Thragtusk isn't too much of a problem. While it's obviously preferable to counter him to stop the life gain, if he does hit the field 3 toghness really isn't a lot. Searing Spear kills him easily enough. 2 Burning Vengeance triggers will kill him. Burning Oil will kill him and the token the following turn just by itself.

Thundermaw Hellkite can be a bit more of a problem if he resolves before you can play a Burning Vengeance . With a Vengeance on the field he isn't too tough to burn out, and if you have a Burning Oil in the yard he isn't a problem at all. Usually I'll have a Supreme Verdict or the Devil's Play in hand/yard when he comes out so I just take one hit at most, but I've definitely lost a few games because of him.

Just need to take this moment to express, once again, that I ****ing hate Cavern of Souls . It's been giving this deck headaches since it came out.

I never really considered Ghost Quarter , I could probably run a couple of those mainboard without hurting the manabase too much.