[Deck] SlighClamp Redux

[Lurker101]

Awhile ago I posted a thread for a budget sligh deck that ran skullclamps as a draw engine. I have since improved the deck into something that I think could be vintage viable. Keep in mind that this is a BUDGET deck.
Here it is:
//Lands: 15
11 Mountain
1 Strip Mine
3 Wasteland

//Creatures:17
4 Ball Lightning
4 Spark Elemental
3 Gorilla Shaman
4 Fulminator Mage
4 Slith Firewalker

//Spells:
1 Fireblast
4 Skullclamp
4 Chain Lightning
4 Lightning Bolt
1 Lotus Petal
4 Pyroblast
4 Price of Progress
4 Chrome Mox

//Sideboard:
4 REB
2 Stingscouger (against Oath/DSC)
2 Dead/Gone (against Oath/DSC)
1 Wheel of Fortune (additional draw when not playing against combo)
4 Browbeat  (additional draw)
2 Pulverize

First off why no Magus of the Moon? Answer: With 3 wastes and 3-4 fulminator mages there is already enough land disruption. Also he doesn't die while clamped very often. Fulminator Mage can attack for 3 sac itself and draw you 2 cards while also destroying a land.
Magus of the Moon also kills one of your best burn spells which is Price of Progress.

All of the creatures in the deck work very well with Skullclamp sans Slith Firewalker who is just in there for cheap beats.
If you have a clamp in play and a ball lightning or spark elemental you can attack and then clamp them during your postcombat mainphase for some cards. Goblin Tinkerer may kill itself once in awhile while clamped and can also attack for 2. Replaced Tinkerer with Gorilla Shaman.

In the sideboard Stingscourger also works well with clamp due to its echo requirement.

I think the rest of the deck speaks for itself. Let me know what you think.

EDIT: Added 2 REB to sideboard and cut Tattermunge maniac for Slith Firewalker.
EDIT 2: Cut Goblin Tinkerer for Gorilla Shaman, cut Lava Spike for Chrome Mox

[the boogie man]

what about hellspark elemental over spark elemental? he can attack, you clamp, he dies, repeat next turn. He seems really good at covering the distance between you running out of cards in hand and your opponent losing.

[nineisnoone]

Hellspark will be RFG once you Unearth it, so it'd be pointless to Clamp it.  That being said I DO like Hellspark in this sort of deck.

@ Lurker.  I like it. Well, conceptually at least.  The whole Clamp + Sligh thing.  I had been wanting to work on a Sligh/Burn deck (especially with Hellspark) but had no idea where to start.  For where I started, I feel that 3 mana is just too much unless you are going to run acceleration.  (Though I haven't tested acceleration), talking about Ball Lightning and Fulminator.

I would definitely splash black just to add Duress + Thoughtseize.  Just because you're a budget deck doesn't mean you have to lose.    

I've found Pups/Maniac to be slow.  They are great early but they are horrible top-decks later on in the game. I think Tinkerer is way too slow as well.  I would rather just run Smash to Smithereens (and I would run it in this deck). 

Scorched Ruskala also can be used with the self-sacrificing creatures.  If you go black you can use Plagued Ruskala or Nezumi Bone-Reader. 

There's also Green which can give you Bequethal, which is a one-time Skullclamp for half the cost.  Which might be better.

Also this would be the sort of deck I could see as as using the full Chrome Mox as it the card advantage loss is irrelevant since you are going for the whole "win or die" thing.

Some other things to consider are Keldon Marauder and Wild Cantor.  Keldon is a 2 mana for 5 (albeit slowly) and Wild Cantor can get you that extra piece of mana to cast a spare Lightning bolt in your hand post-combat (or just clamp).

[nineisnoone]

Working list....

4   Badlands      
4   Bloodstained Mire
4   Wooded Foothills
2   Plateau

4   Spark Elemental   
4   Lightning Serpent
4   Keldon Marauders   
4   Hellspark Elemental   
4   Slith Firewalker   
4   Dark Confidant   

1   Mox Ruby   
1   Black Lotus   
4   Chrome Mox
4   Duress   
4   Thoughtseize
4   Hide/Seek
4   Skullclamp

SIDEBOARD
4   Pithing Needle (Wasteland, Ichorid, Tezzert)
4   Red Elemental Blast (Blue decks)
4   Path of Exile (aggro decks)
3   Rack and Ruin (shop deck)

Skullclamp could be Bequethal or added too.

I like Slith Firewalker.  It goes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, which is the functional equivalent of having 4 attack for a 2 mana.  It also means I don't have to worry about green for Tarmogoyf.
Most questionable of creatures though.

Lightning Serpent is an excellent top deck later in the game where you can dump your mana into it. 
But also questionable.

Cabal Therapy is an option, but honestly I don't like to guess.

Duress/Thoughtseize for the early turn to slow Combo/Control. 
Hide/Seek for Vault/Grindstone/DSC/Tendrils to take their "oops I" win condition.
Everything else just beats and or draws.

Thoughts for changes:
Maybe Jackal Pups/Tattermunge Maniac are better than Lighting/Spark? 

Is Skullclamp even worth it?  I mean, sometimes I couldn't clamp for cards because things died or it was in my hand and I had 3 mana and a Hellspark. (or 2 mana and a Spark).  So far the strength of the deck has been Confidant/Duress/Thoughtseize/Hide/Seek and the explosiveness of Hellspark/Keldon doing 6/5 damage on a single card.  The draw just made the crappy hands where I went, Clamp, next turn, Spark, Clamp, somewhat decent.  It would open a good deal for other cards.

I also seriously want to play Hell's Thunder, but at 5 to Unearth, I'm not sure I can justify it.

Shambling Remains has also been a curiousity of mine, but in that case you can pay it's Unearth, but you'll never get it to your graveyard.

[LotusHead]

Magus of the Moon also kills one of your best burn spells which is Price of Progress.
I think the rest of the deck speaks for itself. Let me know what you think.

aren't non-basic lands always non-basic lands, even if Magus is in play? I know Artifact lands stay artifact lands, but a Tropical Island that is now a mountain does not become a Basic Land as far as Price of Progress is concerned.  Just a mountain. I could be wrong.

[Tempus]

aren't non-basic lands always non-basic lands, even if Magus is in play? I know Artifact lands stay artifact lands, but a Tropical Island that is now a mountain does not become a Basic Land as far as Price of Progress is concerned.  Just a mountain. I could be wrong.

You're not...

[Lurker101]

Is Skullclamp even worth it?  I mean, sometimes I couldn't clamp for cards because things died or it was in my hand and I had 3 mana and a Hellspark. (or 2 mana and a Spark).  So far the strength of the deck has been Confidant/Duress/Thoughtseize/Hide/Seek and the explosiveness of Hellspark/Keldon doing 6/5 damage on a single card.  The draw just made the crappy hands where I went, Clamp, next turn, Spark, Clamp, somewhat decent.  It would open a good deal for other cards.

In your build you have Bobs so I don't really see the need for clamp as much.

[overseer1234]

Well, I like the idea, but why not start this deck with the same basic's Smenen does, like:

4x chalice of the void
4x null rod (yeah, P8 for the win)

4x magus of the moon (realy screw you oponent's manabase)
4x stingscourger (DSC?  Hellkite overlord? who?!? :s)
4x Mogg fanatic (welder? bridge from below? mox monkey?)

4x wasteland
1x strip mine (why not not like we won't get red to cast spells )
1x lotus petal (not restricted and cheap )
4x Simian spirit guide (lotus petal 2-5)
Xx mountain (don't really know how much are needed but on +/- 20 lands... (including wasteland and strip mine) should do.

I Think some of the possible SB cards are:  Ingot chewer, Tormod's crypt, Relic or Progenitus, pyrostatis pillar, pyrokinesisn...

Cards that might be useful are: Vexing Shusher, Pyroblast, Greater Gargadon, Seal of Progenitus,... whatever that might make this competitive

I don't really have an idea about the open slot's but I DO think something like this should do well in a good developed meta.

Greetzzzz
Robin.

[Lurker101]

I don't run rod or chalice in here because I run 4 Chrome Mox and use Skullclamp as a draw engine. Also alot of my spells cost 1 mana so Chalice for 1 is a bad play and chalice for 0 screws up my mana acceleration.