Hello friends! I’ve been brewing this one for a bit with a strict $250 budget (to match my pod), and I’m still not quite sure how I feel about it.

I feel like my biggest challenges are 1. Getting Shadow out on a budget, 2. Protecting Shadow, and 3. Reliably consistent card draw. I tried my best to address these issues, but maybe I’m missing crucial cards or maybe I should remove cards that don’t make sense. Looking for help there!

Decklist: https://moxfield.com/decks/8KBR1jIgZ0yzR_XOdf7U7g

I built Shadow as an aristocrats/combo deck, taking advantage of the card draw from haste/flash creature sacs and split second from several artifact mana options (treasure token gen, artifact lands, mana rocks, [[ornithopter of paradise]]). I also included fast ramp in cards like [[blood pet]], [[impulsive pilferer]] + [[skirk prospector]], [[rite of flame]], [[culling the weak]], and [[dark ritual]]. 

The plan is to get Shadow out with a sac outlets board state by turn 3/4, then draw into two-card spell or sac combos. Combos such as [[kiki-jiki, mirror breaker]] + [[zealous conscripts]], [[dualcaster mage]] + [[electroduplicate]], [[chain of smog]] into [[professor onyx]], [[repercussion]] + [[blasphemous act]]. Also got some infinite mana combos like [[chain of smog]] into [[storm-kiln artist]] or [[gravecrawler]] + [[warren soultrader]], then throwing out a split second [[crackle with power]] to end it.

Also to point out, I am purposely opting out of the underworld breach + grinding station + 0/1 CMC mana rock because my options for the mana rock look like they are too expensive to include.

Need help with Shadow, the Hedgehog deck