Weekend Magic: Team Grixis Burn

This weekend I spent time playing a Team Grixis version of Flores' Grixis Burn deck.

Here's my build:

2 Sorin Markov
1 Chandra Nalaar
1 Jace Beleren

2 Courier's Caspule
4 Blightning

3 Cruel Ultimatum
4 Sedraxis Specter
2 Mind Spring
2 Earthquake

4 Burst Lightning
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Grixis Charm
4 Terminate

4 Crumbling Necropolis
4 Drowned Catacomb
3 Dragonskull Summit
4 Island
2 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Swamp

sb:
2 Sphinx Of Jwar Isle
2 Malakir Bloodwitch
2 Vampire Nighthawk
4 Countersquall
4 Double Negative
1 Nicol BOlas, Planeswalker

This deck is an absolute blast to play. Although Nicol Bolas and Liliana are missing in this build, the deck has so much - and I realise Michael would hate me saying this - synergy. There is really nothing like pulling an opponent down from 20 to 0 with an active Chandra and a newly played Sorin. Or protecting your Cruel Ultimatum turn with a Sorin Ultimate (instant concession, right?). Or even something simple like drawing off Jace, and then blasting away the draw with Blightning.

What does this deck lose to? Random jank you don't know how to play around. But once you've learnt, nothing really. Unlike Flores' terrible build you have terminates against Baneslayer and Earthquakes against Boros and a couple of Grixis Charm against weird stuff that needs bouncing. Also, on the play, Grixis Charm makes for a nice Time Walk, bouncing an opponent's lands just for the hell of it and getting mana domination on by turn 4.

Would I play this deck competitively? At an FNM, sure. At a PTQ? With tuning for the metagame, I think so. There's not a deck this doesn't have game against, and the only things it fears is Flashfreeze and Mind Sludge. And even then it can recover nicely, drawing of Mind Spring and Jace into a dominating position again.
And then, of course, you're playing Cruel Ultimatum.

MY favourite play of the weekend was a sequence of events where I managed to ultimate Sorin, use my opponent's turn to turn his spells against his own creatures, returned to my turn, drew off Jace and then Cruel'd him. How many decks do you get to feel in such total control in Standard? None moreso than this. Give it a try.