Here is a list of cards that are fairly strong in the cur...

Here is a list of cards that are fairly strong in the current meta and are easily attainable (comparitively).

Black
Duress
Cabal Therapy
Coffin Purge
Withered Wretch
Chains of Meph.

Red
Pyrostatic Pillar
Blood Moon
Gorilla Shaman
Red Elemental Blast

Green
Xantid Swarm

Blue
Back to Basics
Blue Elemental Blast
Stifle
Standstill

White
Swords to Plowshares

Multi-Color
Pernicious Deed

Artifact
Null Rod
Cursed Totem
Tormod's Crypt

There are of course more cards, and I will add to the list as they come to me.

Now in making budget decks i think we can assume a few things. Firstly, obviously no P9 or otherwise really expensive cards (Bazaar, Workshop). Secondly, I think we need to assume that the budget player can get 4 Force of Will, and a decent numbr of dual lands. I think that is a reasonable investment to make in the format.

It seems to me that the first thing that should strike us that any deck that can support dark ritual should be better able to keep up with a powered list. Following that logic the first list I think we should explore is B/r Sui.

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B/r Sui Template

Mana - 25
6 Swamp
4 Dark Ritual
4 Badlands
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Lotus Petal
1 Sol Ring

Creatures - 14
4 Nantuko Shade
4 Withered Wretch
4 Phyrexian Negator
2 Gorilla Shaman

Control - 17
4 Duress
4 Hymn to Tourach
4 Sinkhole
3 Blood Moon
2 Null Rod

Broken - 4
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Necropotence
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Demonic Consultation

Sideboard - 15
X Tormod's Crypt/Coffin Purge
X Rack and Ruin
X Red Elemental Blast
X Masticore
X Cursed Totem
X Smother/Contagion/Diabolic Edict
X Chalice of the Void
X Chains of Meph.

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The second deck that catches my eye is Fish, not becuase it would immediately catch my eye, but because it posts excellent results. I don't know that just from looking at a list one would expect fish to do particularly well. But the data proves my instincts wrong many times over here.

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Mono U Fish Skeleton[/u]

Mana/Threats - 26
12 Island
4 Mishra's Factory
4 Faerie Conclave
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Lotus Petal

Control/Draw - 18
4 Curiosity
4 Standstill
4 Force of Will
2 Misdirection
2 Stifle
2 Null Rod

Creatures - 16
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Rootwater Thief
4 Manta Riders
4 Cloud of Faeries

Sideboard - 15
X Tormod's Crypt
X Blue Elemental Blast
X Stifle
X Cursed Totem
X Magus of the Unseen
X Energy Flux/Hurlkyl's Recall/Rebuild

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The third deck that dawns on me is a Red Rock variant. This is because it can run the most diverse types of hate, though it is unlikely to be able to support Dark Ritual.

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Budget Red Rock Skeleton[/u]

Mana/Threats - 27
4 Mishra's Factory
4 Taiga
4 Bayou
4 Wasteland
2 Wooded Foothills
3 Bloodstained Mire
2 Forest
1 Strip Mine
1 Swamp
1 Sol Ring
1 Lotus Petal

Creatures - 16
4 Gorilla Shaman
4 Call of the Herd
4 River Boa
2 Troll Ascetic
2 Ravenous Baloth

Control - 17
4 Duress
4 Cabal Therapy
4 Pernicious Deed
2 Naturalize
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Demonic Consultation

Sideboard - 15
X Tormods Crypt/Coffin Purge
X Cursed Totem
X Null Rod
X REB
X Rack and Ruin

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It is clear that there are other list we could make from the cards I listed, and there are other cards that I should have listed. Keep in mind that the skeletons i posted are not complete decks lists, and will need to be altered with your help.

With that in mind, lets have a good constructive thread trying to make a competetive budget gauntlet.

-Thefram

I will update the lists and add new ones per your suggestions.