Well, apparently, [scryfall]Voldaren Pariah[/scryfall] is a bomb, at least based on my experience in Limited. Sure, Limited and Standard are really different worlds, but when something functions really well in Limited, you should at least test it in Standard. Remember this guy?
Okay, maybe [scryfall]Voldaren Pariah[/scryfall] isn’t quite on that level… or even close to that level, actually, but anyhow, the point stands.
Okay, she’s a bit costly for Standard and the Madness cost is anything but easy to pay. Also, there’s the problem of quite a few opponents playing tokens as well, as those strategies are very popular right now. Some cards that are or should be popular in this regard:
Actually, there’s quite a few others that could see play in some decks, but you’ll never know.
How about this?
[deck title=BG Pariah]
[creatures]
4 Sylvan Advocate
4 Lambholt Pacifist
4 Voldaren Pariah
3 Ishkanah, Grafwidow
[/creatures]
[spells]
4 Traverse the Ulvenwald
2 Vessel of Nascency
2 Sinister Concoction
3 Call the Bloodline
2 Dead Weight
4 Grasp of Darkness
2 Ruinous Path
2 Ultimate Price
2 From Under the Floorboards
[/spells]
[lands]
4 Hissing Quagmire
4 Llanowar Wastes
4 Evolving Wilds
3 Forest
5 Swamp
2 Westwale Abbey
[/lands]
[/deck]
Or how about this?
[deck title=BU Pariah Zombies]
[creatures]
4 Cryptbreaker
2 Wharf Infiltrator
4 Relentless Dead
4 Diregraf Colossus
2 Stitchwing Skaab
2 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
2 Gisa and Geralf
4 Voldaren Pariah
1 Geralf’s Masterpiece
[/creatures]
[spells]
3 Dark Salvation
4 Grasp of Darkness
2 Silumgar’s Command
[/spells]
[lands]
4 Sunken Hollow
4 Choked Estuary
4 Evolving Wilds
10 Swamp
4 Island
[/lands]
[/deck]
What about a more aggressive build with red with this a finisher? There’s a problem with the manabase, though…
[deck title=BR Aggro]
[creatures]
3 Zurgo Bellstriker
4 Falkenrath Gorger
4 Heir of Falkenrath
4 Olivia Bloodsworn
4 Forerunner of Slaughter
2 Abbot of Keral Keep
4 Hanweir Garrison
4 Voldaren Pariah
[/creatures]
[spells]
4 Fiery Temper
4 Incendiary Flow
[/spells]
[lands]
4 Foreboding Ruins
4 Smoldering Marsh
6 Mountain
7 Swamp
[/lands]
[/deck]
… and finally, a monoblack version.
[deck title=Monoblack Sacrifice]
[creatures]
4 Carrier Thrall
1 Nantuko Husk
4 Fleshbag Marauder
3 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
4 Smothering Abomination
3 Voldaren Pariah
[/creatures]
[spells]
4 Grasp of Darkness
2 Ultimate Price
4 Ruinous Path
4 Liliana, the Last Hope
2 Ob Nixilis Reignited
[/spells]
[lands]
4 Westvale Abbey
21 Swamp
[/lands]
[/deck]