The reason you’re stumbling on landing threats is probably because you have to two-for-one yourself to get a 3/3 Ape. What you’re essentially doing is playing six Nacatls (Delver and Pongify), but the last two only work if you also cast a 0-mana Chain of Silence, which also costs you a card.

If you’re running Stormtamer, though, I’d suggest a Bonesplitter or two. The -1 of casting an equipment will be rapidly offset by the damage your fliers deliver in many matchups, unlike the -1 of Pongifying your own creature.

I’ve also been trying a brew with Grixis token donation, using Rampaging Ferocidon, Trespasser’s Curse, and blood seeker. It then uses Forbidden Orchard and Hunted Phantasm effects plus bounce spells to bleed my opponents out.

It’s been doing okay, but it has “drawing the wrong half of the deck” problems. If it can keep a hand with two punishers and a good payoff, it can just burn somebody out like turn 4, but sometimes it just flounders.

At 1 CMC this card would have become a Modern staple. Tweaking to beat Burn is quite manageable for most decks, including Shadow, thanks to stuff like Brutality and Shadow itself.

Anyhow, interesting read; has me hoping for some Suicide brew, even if it does get demolished by Burn.

How’s that been going for you? I think Settle is one of the most overrated Modern cards in the set, as written here, since it only hits attackers:
http://quietspeculation.com/jurassic-plank-ixalan-spoiler-review/

Man, it would have been great at 2/2! I wish! My problem with Waters is that it doesn’t immediately impact the board, but I can see it working in a more passive post-board plan for Merfolk against attrition decks. Of course, the attrition decks of today are quite proactive (Shadow), but I still like its stream of chump-blockers/islandwalkers.