Demon Deck: How can I speed it up?

[chronoplasm]

So the deck is pretty much built around this combo:
Blood speaker x4
Deathrender x4

I use this to search my library each turn for a demon and put it into play, returning the blood speaker to my hand.

I help this along using:
4 Skullclamp
4 Sneak Attack
4 Dark Ritual

For demons I use:
4 Skeletal Changeling
1 Reiver Demon
1 Rakdos the Defiler
1 Havoc Demon
1 Spirit of the Night

For general utility I use:
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Hymn to Tourach
4 Unmake


It seems to do pretty well once it gets going, but I need some help speeding it up. Any suggestions?

 

[Asmo]

Before I can give you any advice I want to know what your mana base looks like.
The deck contains 40 cards, and with the cards you´re playing, 20 lands isn´t enough, even with Rituals (if you want to play a 60 card deck).

Asmo

 

[chronoplasm]

Ah. Sorry, of course.

2 Blood Crypt
2 Sulfurous Springs
12 Swamps

 

[Asmo]

16 lands? It should be impossible to play this deck - or almost any deck with so few mana sources - without mana fizzling. Have you really goldfished the deck properly?
As a standard I´m usually playing at least 22-24 lands, depending on the deck. Even ultra-agressive decks needs lots of mana.

Asmo

 

[chronoplasm]

Sorry. I forgot to mention the 4 mountains that are in there too.
It's 20 lands.

I'm thinking though that it might be a good idea to have some kind of land in there that lets me sac creatures (like... whatsit called? Phyrexian Tower?)

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I don't know what format you're in, so YMMV.

It looks like you have a fair amount of black & red with only a splash of white- you might try Burnt Offering.

http://sales.starcitygames.com//carddisplay.php?product=13216

You might also consider Mogg Infestation to rid yourself of problematic critters under your foe's control.

http://sales.starcitygames.com//carddisplay.php?product=9210

You might consider Hypnotic Specter (and/or Order of Yawgmoth and/or Abyssal Specter) instead of Hymn to Tourach- despite their higher cost, typically, you'll get more than one use out of them.

For giggles, you might include Altar of Dementia.
http://sales.starcitygames.com//card...p?product=9481

 

[chronoplasm]

Format is 'business casual'.

Hypnotic Specter sounds good.
I'm thinking of putting Avalanche Riders and Mogg Fanatic in there.
What do you think?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I've always been "meh" about the fanatic.

Avalanche riders can be effective in slowing down your opponents, but I think you might get more use out of some of the other Red land destruction cards.

 

[Runestar]

Considering that the deck is somewhat combo reliant, what about adding in vampiric tutors/demonic consultations to help you get the bloodspeakers, dark rituals or sneak attack ASAP?

Also, is there a purpose to changeling? Seems to be there only to trigger bloodspeaker.

Not so sure if lightning bolts help much in this deck. Maybe swap them out for silver bullets, 1 of a variety of proven deck/colour hosers such as perish, engineered plague, persecute and eradicate, and rely on vampiric tutor to get them out if facing the appropriate deck.

Your creatures also seem quite fragile. You may also want some form of graveyard recursion so you can recycle dead demons. Either disturbed burial or corpse dance can work.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Consider: your deck is combo reliant and absent pulling off the combo, the critters that provide the deck's main punch are otherwise quite expensive. You've properly recognized that this makes your deck slow.

You need something to slow down fast critter decks. Lightning Bolts and Unmake won't cut it.

You need a creature sweeper- something like Pyroclasm, Spontaneous Combustion or even a golden oldie like Earthquake.

http://sales.starcitygames.com//carddisplay.php?product=46096
http://sales.starcitygames.com//carddisplay.php?product=9787
http://sales.starcitygames.com//carddisplay.php?product=12850