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Kei is correct.

To add further detail.  Combat happens in steps I'm sure you know this.

1. (Precombat) use instants/effects usually to remove attackers or resolve triggers that happen at the start of the attack Step.

2. (Assign attackers) The active player chooses attacking creatures and taps them unless something says otherwise (IE: vigilance), this does not use the stack and cannot be responded too in anyway.  These creatures are now considered attacking and any triggers that say "when this creature attacks do x" will trigger and go on the stack.  A round of priority is passed if there are any such triggers.

3. (post Attacking Step), after attackers are declared before blockers are declared, there is a round of priority to play spells and effects.  Here for instance you could play a creature with flash and use it to block in the next step.

4. (Assign blockers) The defending player, chooses which creatures they use to block which attackers, assuming there are not blocking restrictions IE: unblockable, flying etc. This does not use the stack and you cannot play effects. here the attacker also decides damage order.  Which creatures will receive damage first then 2nd etc.  Any triggers that happen "when this creature blocks" go on the stack and resolve with a round of priority.

5. (Post blocking Step). After blockers are declared, there is a round of priority. Instants and other activated abilities can be played here.  Here you an return a blocker to your hand to prevent damage to it, or buff a blocker with a giant growth for a favorable trade.

6.(First strike damage Step/ Damage Step). _First, if there is a first strike or double strike creature, a new and separate damage Step is created with all the following rules, then the 2nd "regular" damage step happens with the same rules. Only creatures with first or double strike deal damage in the first strike damage step._  If there is more than one blocker, or if there is trample, damage is assigned here, and the points of damage are allocated to the blocking creatures and/or players. Tramplers must assign lethal damage to blockers before any remaining damage can be assigned to players. No instants or abilities can be played in this step and damage all resolves at the same time. State based effects (IE: creatures with lethal damage) must be resolved here and any triggers that happen when creatures go to the graveyard go on the stack and a round of priority resolves.)

7. (Post combat cleanup).  There is a round of priority here, all creatures are still considered attacking and blocking at this step and effects that target attackers and blockers can still be played here.

that's generally correct, i think.  I may have slipped up on a minor detail.

Some hypothetical notes about your example. 

Lets say for example, your trampling sliver had first strike, then as stated above you would deal damage first, before the creatures without first strike. So, 2 damage to the flyer, then 3 to the player and they don't get a chance to deal damage back since they're in the grave yard due to state based actions.   

lets say, for whatever reason the cockatrice had first strike, then it deals it's deathtouch damage first, before any "normal" damage can be dealt by the trampler and the defending player takes no damage.

Now, what if the trampling sliver had Double strike?  It gets to deal damage twice, first strike and normal damage.  It would deal 2 to the flyer, killing it then 3 to the player ,then 5 again to the player. UNLESS!!! it didn't have trample.  Then the damage stops there.  only trample can make damage carry over to the player.   So without trample, even double strike damage stops with the blocker.

Furthermore, if the trampling sliver had deathtouch it could deal only 1 point of damage to the blocker then 4 to the player, (death touch makes even 1 point of damage lethal, and the rules specify that you must deal _lethal_ damage to a blocker before trample can carry over to the player.

Also just to be thou rough, Blockers can't deal combat damage to attacking players even if they have any of the abilities mentioned.

Overall I like the midrange feel of Junk, I wish it had the new lands from Born of the Gods already. 

Aside from a slightly shakier mana base, I think the deck is okay.  I like midrange decks with decent removal and bombs.   I do like the golgari charms and abrupt decays.  Abrupt decay hits a decent amount of stuff right now, domri, specter, sphere, any number of weenie drops.

I have been playing mono black, splash blue, splash white, splash nothing... without gary, with gary... etc... the deck doesn't get there for me.  I took it to GP FW to a 4-3 finish and have had mixed success at the local store.  It doesn't feel like it has what it takes, i honestly don't know how it puts up consistent results at big tournaments. I'm with you on trying something a little different.

Here's a couple questions. 

1. Why 3 whips?  You're gaining enough life imo, with ghost dad and baron.  Also, playing 3 golgari charms main deck _should_ be enough regenerate to save your dudes from a board wipe or spot removal. The whip/ghost dad combo is neat and if you're running the dad, I think you should run a whip to respect the combo, but 3 feels excessive.

2. are you sure you have enough answers to the big dudes?  Master of waves, descration demons, dragons, etc... I think in the format, if you're not runing 4 down falls you're not respecting the big guys enough not to mention all the walkers.

3. How is ready/willing working out for you?  I have to say it doesn't see much play and I haven't seen it interact with enough cards to know how to evaluate it.

4. Also, i think 25 lands here... at least, even with the caryatids.  You've got sinks in the form of reaper activated abilities, whip activations, spot removal and you have to remember that underworld connections basically read, pay 1 mana and 1 life to draw a card.

Modern? no way, too slow not enough synergy and other card already do her job better. She's a standard card all the way like jace. 

I see bant control in her future, or some kind of Simic ramp/devotion.

Small problem with the value you can extract from them

Also, keep in mind that a lot of the red "devotion" decks are on the splash for white/green for some scry lands and access to things like domri/boros charm.  Both can provide excellent advantages depending on your meta.

why not run 4 mutavaults?  they're great in the deck.

I agree with monster.  I think you need to restructure your build to either take more advantage of the devotion mechanic (IE: reckoner, frostburn weird, burning tree and the synergies that can exist there) or go really low and fast with akroan crusader and something like madcap skills.

Speaking strictly standard here she's not playable in modern or legacy.

Lets also not forget that Jace - AoT was only a 1-2 of in most control decks until rotation or not played at all against the backdrop of the great array of four drops from innistrad block. 

When rotation happens we lose a lot of viable 4 drop options from control and she could fill an important role.

Also, just my $.02, but I think 4 mana is the new 3 mana very soon, the fast aggro decks aren't as fast as they were a year ago and we would have laughed at a 6 mana planes walker being playable, but yet there are 2 in heavy use atm.

You're basically GR devotion here, with blue.  I think not having the nykthos and the burning tree combo potential is hurtful to the deck.  IMO replace exp one with burning tree.  The extra mana you can get is pretty ridiculous.

TBH, i would really just go with the straight GR red list, you're replacing garruk for prime speaker and polukranos with the prophet.  You can do some neat things with the prophet and draw a bunch with prime speaker, but you're mucking up the manabase just to include the blue and I don't think the deck needs it.

Also, if you splash black as a burn/draw option you could run toil/trouble.   You normally will only have mana for one or the other, but if you have enough devotion nykthos could help.

Other than that I agree with Ty, you're really split between RB aggro, red deovtion and rakdos control.  You need to decide on a plan and move in that direction.  Thoughtseize isn't really something you want to be doing and in general if you're going to be drawing other cards, magma jet should just be lightning strike.

All of the current decks will change after Btg comes out and some new ones will become available.

Also depends on the deck, I built modern affinity and it's a "budget" legacy deck with a few additions. It requires none of the terribly expensive lands.

I don't think I'd put it on the side either.  Nykthos for mono blue helps you do many things.  With dumps like thassa's ability and muta vault, and the ability to draw more cards off bident it becomes a good tool.  It's not 100% necessary,  I think you either want them main deck or you don't and I feel pretty confident in saying mono blue wants some number in their main deck. It's not a 4 of like in GR devotion, you don't lean on it like they do.

I run 1 of nykthos in my mono black, too along with 4 mutavaults.  There are still times occasionally where I hit temple, swamp, vault, nykthos, when all i want is to put my specter on the board.  So you just have to be careful with what you put in the mana base to make sure you can reliably get to the mana you need.

Sounds like your friends need to reevaluate how they think about playing magic. Proxying cards is a great way to find out if something "works" or is "worth" the money/effort.  Without proxies we can't test things.  Do you think the pros test without proxies?  I know for sure 90% of them test proxy builds before they play and a lot of them don't even own the decks they play at the tournaments.

As for your deck.

Hands of binding is awful.  Doesn't do much for you in this deck.  Doesn't add devotion, not instant originally. Easily removable once cyphered. Just bad.  Claustriphobia or domestication would be better.

No mutavaults? no mutavaults! no mutavaults?!  So I see you have no mutavaults.  The deck really needs them.  Like really really needs them.  With thassa on the board it can be 2 unblockable sweeper immune damage every turn against control. With master of waves out they're 3/3 elementals.  Sounds like you're kind of late to the mutavault party.  If you can't afford to buy them I would borrow them from someone one when you play FNM or whatever.

jace memory adept has no place maindeck in here.   You're an aggro deck, not a control deck.   I think Jace AoT is fine where it's at.

I'd also like to see the deck at 23/24 lands.

I think she's probably a control card.  She reminds me a lot of tamyio from the last block.  I don't think it's a ramp to play it out card though.  She's definitely a long term investment card similar to jace - aot.  A bant control would love this card. Remember we're getting the other temples in this set. You still have jace and elspeth, bant super friends.