Toasted Lands

On Magic-League, there's a deck that's been mislabeled Quick N' Toast that's performed well in the last few Trials. I find that the more I look at it, the more I like it:

// Deck file for Magic Workstation (http://www.magicworkstation.com)

// Lands
2 [LRW] Gilt-Leaf Palace
7 [LRW] Forest (3)
1 [SHM] Fire-Lit Thicket
4 [LRW] Vivid Grove
1 [LRW] Mountain (1)
5 [LRW] Swamp (3)
1 [SHM] Graven Cairns
3 [SHM] Reflecting Pool

// Creatures
3 [SHM] Kitchen Finks
2 [LRW] Cloudthresher
1 [LRW] Shriekmaw
4 [SHM] Farhaven Elf
4 [SHM] Murderous Redcap
4 [SHM] Fulminator Mage
1 [SHM] Oona, Queen of the Fae

// Spells
4 [SHM] Firespout
3 [LRW] Primal Command
4 [LRW] Fertile Ground
4 [LRW] Profane Command
2 [LRW] Makeshift Mannequin

// Sideboard
SB: 1 [SHM] Kitchen Finks
SB: 2 [LRW] Cloudthresher
SB: 2 [LRW] Shriekmaw
SB: 4 [LRW] Thoughtseize
SB: 3 [MOR] Mind Shatter
SB: 1 [SHM] Grim Poppet
SB: 2 [SHM] Incremental Blight

In talking about the deck in the tournament talkbacks, the guy says that it plays more like a land destruction deck than anything else. Most of the time, you use your Primal Commands to throw a land on top of their deck and then search for a Fulminator Mage. Someone responded that this would be a great place to try Incendiary Command, since it's got the LD built in, plus a good hit against Weenies. I think it'd be tough to find room for it, though.

Yeah i definitely want to mess around with something like this

Just make sure you have enough removal for Smokebraiders. I still don't like Fertile Ground, but it's better if you play a few basics. I played against a deck like this, and most of the time I was just able to use Mulldrifters to stay ahead. But there is a lot of power in 4 Profane Commands, and Mannequining back an Oona was pretty saucy. Still, I think you could fit Incendiary commands in the board for some of the space you have for Kithkin.

Also, a strategy like this seems weak against Faeries.

You pretty much pointed out the main three flaws I've found with the deck. Early Smokebraider into Mulldrifter can be a problem, especially once they start Chaining Mulldrifters into Larks into Mulldrifters ad nauseum. I'm almost wondering if this deck could use Thoughtseize maindeck. So far the best draws, I've found, pretty much go turn 2 Fertile Ground, turn 3 Fulminator Mage, turn 4 Primal Command bouncing a land and fetching Oona, turn 5 Oona (a tip so you don't make the same dumbass mistake I did: don't try to use Primal Command on Mutavault). It's just way too much tempo for most decks, even Kithkin, to deal with. Though there's also something to be said for the 7 copies of Fulminator Mage draw. The deck does suck against Faeries, though I haven't played it post-board.

So far Fertile Ground hasn't been a problem, mostly since you can always play it on a basic.

Killing their smokebraider is brutal though. I might mess around with it to be able to do that and as for faeries, I only played against it once in block.

I'm wondering if maybe the deck wouldn't just be better off replacing the Murderous Redcaps with Nameless Inversions.

You could easily just make this an elemental deck also ;/

The problem with that, though, is that you end up having to play Smokebraider, which can't accelerate your Commands.

There were plenty of decks at the PTQ that were elementals and opted to not play smokebraider.

bitch never lives anyways

One thing I've learned is that Thoughtseize is much better when you can reliably cast it on turn 1, and most of the decks I really like have a ton of Vivids so they can't do that. Second, LD is best when backed by some serious boom booms rather than just a Mulldrifter or something. Mind Shatter is best but probably not maindeckable, so like you said, Oona or something works great for that.

I do like Inversion, or just more Shriekmaws really, better than Redcap.

I don't see a reason not to play Smokebraider. A 1R guy who eats removal? Fine.

Yeah, I think my main problem with the Elementals deck is how such crucial parts of it, namely Smokebraider and Incandescent Soulstoke, parts that you need to get the massive card advantage needed to fight the "aggro" decks (I put quotes around it since some people still consider Faeries to be an Aggro-Control deck), are so easy to kill. Basically every single removal spell in the format eats the guys up. The reason I liked this one was that your avenues of CA, Profane and Primal Commands, dodge the creature hate that I think a lot of the PTQ decks are going to be maindecking, at least in the early PTQs. I mean, it was the same with TSP Block. In the early days of the block, the Teachings deck had something like 4 Tendrils, 3 Slaughter Pacts, and 4 Damnations in the main. At the end of the season it was more like 1, 1, and 2-3, respectively. They were very different decks to play against. And considering I've played against people packing Redcaps, Inversions, Lash Outs, Shriekmaws, and Firespout all in the maindeck, that's not the kind of place I'd want to be.

Don't play Soulstoke, but meh, Kithkin is good enough to fight though lots of boardsweepers, so it's not so bad for them that decks are storing up on hate. They'll figure how to beat it more easily soon enough though.

Also, I don't think it's really important that you out-CA the aggro decks so much as I think it's important that you hit land drops, and have enough turns to hit enough of them that your powerful spells just take over. I mean, CA is important in any matchup really but less so against aggro because they are trying to kill you before all your cards matter. More than anything you want selection against them so you can find the few cards that are good in the relevant time frame.