[DECK] BR-Midrange(?)

[Caekor]

Hey there fellow magicians!

I am trying to get started in Modern at the moment, since Legacy-wise there's not much going on where I live.
After reading lots of deckdiscussions and ideas and not quite finding the right list which fits me, I end up here.
The meta looks pretty combo-heavy and one of my all-time-favourite cards being Extirpate, I want to play black.

So... knowing I want to play black, I started to think about "How I want to win".
The idea is to pressure my opponent to make him play spells earlier than he is ready to, disrupting him
with discard and ripping him of his essentials via Extirpate.
So I add red to my "spell-pool" to apply the pressure.

This is the list im currently running:

22 Lands:
3x Blood Crypt
5x Mountain
14x Swamp

26 Spells:
4x Thoughtseize
4x Extirpate
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Magma Jet
4x Geth's Verdict
4x Blightning
2x Phyrexian Arena

12 Creatures:
4x Vexing Devil
4x Vampire Nighthawk
2x Bloodgift Demon
2x Grave Titan

Sideboard:
3x Duress
4x Blood Moon
4x Black Sun's Zenith
4x Satyr Firedancer


So that's the gameplan and the list works kinda fine.
But I feel like it's a little loose but can't quite determine why.

I'm already planning on swapping the Mountains for another Blood Crypts and Dragonskull Summit.
Keeping an eye on not hurting myself too hard with that Blood Moon.

I hope there's not a thread for this already, 'cause I couldn't find one.
Anyway... I'd really appreciate some opinions and ideas on this decklist and the idea of the gameplan as a whole.

Thanks in beforehand!

P.S.: Could someone help me find the correct archtype this deck is in? I'm not quite sure on that.

[Phoenix Ignition]

I can see some places that might make it feel lose like you mentioned. First off Extirpate is bad main deck. Against combo decks it doesn't even really stop them from killing you since almost every combo deck has a backup plan (that they coincidentally win with more frequently than not, at least in Pod/Twin). Non-combo decks really don't care that you're spending cards to rip them of card selection later on.

Vexing Devil is really lackluster in hybrid lists like this too, as sometimes you're going to draw him in a topdeck war when the opponent has plenty of life to pay for it. It's almost worse when they let him survive because you know a lightning bolt/abrupt decay is going to hit him for free.

Is this a budget list? Liliana of the Veil should be in here, and I'd even throw in 1-2 Tombstalkers as efficient beaters. You definitely want Urborg, Tomb of yawgmoth in some number in here since you play 5 mountains and have stuff that needs exclusively black mana. Maybe even lavaclaw reaches as an alternate win con after you kill everything on board and are just sitting there. You might want to fit in some number of gatekeeper of malakir or Shriekmaw as beater/kill spells.

[Caekor]

I see your point on Extirpate and you're probably right - but against Scapeshift-Combo decks (which is pretty popular here) that's flatout a win, at least against the lists they play.
Can't see a backup plan, Lightning Bolt or Geth's Verdict can't handle. I don't want to be mistaken for some "advice-resilient" kid, I understand that Extirpate isn't that good maindeck, its just
a flavor-call for me. I really like that card ;D and it always did something for me. I also feel as if I have more games vs Twin with Extirpate... But thats just one point, I will test out alternatives to
Extirpate (although it will probably stay for being my favourit card).

Ok next point before people get tired of me talking about how much I love that card :tongue:

Vexing Devil: The list normally played out to either not be in topdeck (Arena, Bloodgift Demon) and trade the cards 1-1 to gain an advantage and force the opponent to topdeck - where Vexing Devil still is the
Lightning Bolt for 4. But thats an old discussion... The slot Vexing Devil is supposed to pressure the opponent (burn him into boltrange for example), which would force him to use spells before they normally would want to.
Any suggestions? I'll try out Tombstalker in that slot. Perhabs a 2/2 split or something... We'll see.

Next Point: Budget list? Well... not quite... I'm on some sort of a monthly budget, I can't go ahead and get a playset lillis and fetchs out of nowhere, but I am willing to invest into those over time :)
Lavaclaw reaches doesn't quite fit the flavor of the deck, being a slow land.

[The Crow's Eye]

Terminate over Geth's Verdict. This might a bit too "build around me" for your deck, but Phyrexian Crusader has protection from Modern.

[Phoenix Ignition]

Terminate over Geth's Verdict. This might a bit too "build around me" for your deck, but Phyrexian Crusader has protection from Modern.

Except for BG midrange's removal suite, Pod's chump blockers, Tron's O stone/Karns, and any blue deck's counterspell/bounces. So, no, I don't think I'd just throw P Crusader in a non infect deck.

[Rizso]

Manlands like lavaclaw reachs are a resurgence plan against flooding. Midrange kinda need thoes effects, fixing flooding and increases threats. Only drawback is cominb into play tapped and its worth it tbh. Sense you arent playing fetchlands shocklands arent that important. Filterlands and mirrordin fast lands are a exellent lands.