This deck is inspired by Donald's Angus MacKenzie Do Nothing deck. It is somewhere in the neighborhood of a turbo-fog or pillowfort strategy, but with a heavy focus on being non-threatening and flying under the radar. It aims to win in the very long game by setting up multiple layers of defensive locks and doing nothing to control the rest of the board, unless absolutely critical. I have been playing it with Derevi beats as the only win-condition, but it might be nice to add in one real win condition at some point. So far concession/gentlemanly draw is the only way the few real games I have played with this have actually ended.
Early game is all about getting Derevi to do as much work on defense as possible. Usually best if you can get her out by T3 as a deterrent and you are in good shape if she can protect you for a couple times around the table. A Maze of Ith or a Kor Haven can go a long way here to take you a few extra turns before dropping a lock. This is nice because most of the locks deny you some resources and stall your board progress as the cost of locking you out of damage or combat damage, so it is nice to be able to hit a decent land count and drop a bit of utility before moving on to your mid game strategy.
Mid game is all about setting up one of the following defensive locks and protecting it with counters. There is a decent amount of board control in here, but it should only be used to prevent crazy game ending plays of your opponents, not to try and keep the game clear. Things are going well at this stage of the game if one of these locks can buy you a handfull turns around the table which is often enough time to assemble the pieces of another lock in your hand. If you find yourself without one of these defensive locks, you have to fall back on normal board control and Derevi flash blocking until you can get one. You often rely heavily on opponents assuming you are holding fogs and counters and largely leaving you alone and attacking each other.
Late game starts when your opponents have pounded each other and there are only two of you left. Hopefully you are already protected by one of the above locks going into the late game and ideally you have had many turns to sculpt your hand. Now is the time to shift into heavy board control mode you have been avoiding the rest of the game, because you are no longer trying to stay under the radar. With Derevi always available in a flash for 4 mana, you will eventually be able to poke your way through for the win.
Currently I am having trouble finding room for win-conditions other than Derevi. I would like to try Helix Pinnacle, Runechanter's Pike and Luminarch Ascension at some point, probably only room for one real "win condition" card, but not sure where to stick it.
What I am not using:
The most glaring omission here is Humility, but at least to start out I am trying to stay away from anything that has a negative impact on my opponents beating each other silly or draws any attention my way. Angus Mackenzie is the other notable omission here. I may end up going that route, but right now I am testing the theory that having easy access all game to a flying flash blocker that doesn't care one bit about spot removal is just as strong over the course of a game. Propaganda effects would probably be fine in here, but in my meta they tend to attract attention from those that can afford to pay the cost, so I am not convinced they would help me in the long run. I obviously am missing a couple of pricier pieces. Not sure if I have quite enough enchantments to justify Serra's Sanctum, but it is probably close.
I guess the most hilarious thing about this deck is, I have one similar(not in my sig) I made about six months ago when I got sick of being targeted first when I tried to play any other form of Derevi.
I guess the most hilarious thing about this deck is, I have one similar(not in my sig) I made about six months ago when I got sick of being targeted first when I tried to play any other form of Derevi.
Kudos to you, Sir!
..
Cheers! How did it work out for you? It has been the better part of a year since I was playing a powered Derevi deck in my group, so the stigma has more or less worn off.
My deck runs more wipes than yours, but the few times I played it, it worked well. The cool thing I like about Derevi, is no commander tax, so you can wipe the board, exile the board, over and over and still cast derevi on the end of someones turn to attack with him on your turn. It really annoys the hell out of people, but it is a slow grindy game, just make sure you have a couple of ways to get her back, because folks will try to tuck her.
If I get a chance next week I will update my sig with that deck, but I have two other decks I am working on so it might be a while. I added Ugin to it, recently, I cant wait to try him out.
Very cool deck! How has Arboria been working for you? I've tried building with it before but I feel like I've taken the wrong approach with it every time.
Thanks, it has been fun to put together and so far to play. I think this is a really good deck for Arboria. I have only got to play it once so far, fairly early in the game without any of its support cards and even there is was decent. It bought me a few turns to draw into some more resilient protection. The ideal though is to have it out with Leyline of Anticipation or Alchemist's Refuge. There is also a combo with Magosi, the Waterveil that I have yet to get online. I also like that it has a bit of a political element to it, since others can use it as protection too. That means the only person at the table who is really motivated to remove it is the one with the best board position ready to beat down, not anyone else.
Derevi really loves Sacred Mesa as a wincon. It's hard to deal, it gives you protection, and it just feeds itself.
Why not include a few manlands?
Sacred Mesa is just the type of wincon I think I could get away with including in this deck. I just think Luminarch Ascension is better and will find room to test that soon. What Mesa might have on it is that it is significantly less threatening and much safer to drop in the early game without being made a target. I think that will be a very important consideration when choosing a win-con for this deck. Manlands are a good idea, especially along with Runechanter's Pike that I want to test as well. The big downside is the etbt clause. This deck really likes to land Derevi on T3 as a deterrent for early pokes. There are a few colourless utility lands I have left out because of this that could go in there too. Reliquary Tower and Mikokoro, Center of the Sea come to mind.
Not having to fetch untapped shocklands is really going to help this deck. It is really important to manage my life total into the long game, and I am not running much in the way of life gain. Working on trading in to a Tropical Island to more or less finish off the deck. A couple of things I could use some input on:
I like Illusionist's Gambit, Domineering Will, and Reins of Power, though it is not exactly a wincon, it makes it harder for your opponents to attack you and it forces them to kill each other off. Once you are down to one opponent, Derevi can easily finish off the last player using Runechanter's pike.
The goal of my Derevi deck is to survive to the end, and take the last guy out. I stopped playing this when my meta got more combo decks, but combo has not been so popular recently, so I might go back to it.
- Farseek
- Merchant Scroll - Solid card, but could only find me answers, no engine pieces, so was kind of slow. First in line to come back in.
- Moment's Peace - Would like to fit this one back in, important to fog often enough that the general feeling at the table is not to bother attacking me, because you will just get fogged anyway.
- Bant Panorama
+ Three Visits - fetching untapped duals is the business
+ Runechanter's Pike - still working to find room for a wincon, we'll see if this lasts
+ Dig Through Time - At instant speed this can usually dig up what you need, seems strong
+ Tropical Island
I think this list wants to try out the new Narset Transcendent. It was having trouble defending it's walkers and this will be no different, so may not last. Considering we are creatureless, and there is a decent amount of top-deck manipulation here, I expect I can draw off her +1 about 75% of the time, which is decent. The -2 will be excellent with tutors and draw spells, OK with kill spells and useless for counters and fogs. Considering how good this deck is at locking out attack based strategies, the -9 basically wins the game for me, however long it will take to close out. Just wish the preorder wasn't $40, will write Narset on a Mountain for testing.
I have been messing with a deck idea similar to this. I find to be a really great card. You will basically always have Derevi to block with so it pretty effectively stops people from attacking you. My group has learned that they are going to have to fight through counters to remove and instant speed board wipes if they do manage to break my grounds and swing with the team.
I also don't particularly agree with all the cantrips in the deck. I love cantrips but in a deck like this I feel it is better to use powerful draw and having more answers.
I have been messing with a deck idea similar to this. I find to be a really great card. You will basically always have Derevi to block with so it pretty effectively stops people from attacking you. My group has learned that they are going to have to fight through counters to remove and instant speed board wipes if they do manage to break my grounds and swing with the team.
Yeah, I am still really enjoying this deck. I feel like I have to give Angus Mackenzie a fair shake since he is usually the boss of this sort of deck, but Derevi has just been fantastic. You don't even need to cast her for her to be a deterrent to attacks, and you don't need to think twice about using her.
I also don't particularly agree with all the cantrips in the deck. I love cantrips but in a deck like this I feel it is better to use powerful draw and having more answers.
I couldn't agree less. These aren't just cantrips, they are the premiere hand sculpting spells in the game. They allow you to dig for your defensive combo pieces and premium answers, at practically no cost. On top of that they are very non-threatening plays that allow you to keep your mana up for answers while gaining incremental advantage. What draw would you run instead?
Nice build! How is the Energy Field working out for you? Do you find Derevi draws you too much heat? He does gain some appeal since the tuck rule changed and the Twiddle ability probably has a lot of interesting uses. Do you use him as a rattlesnake most of the game or does he see a lot of play?
Win conditions are a tricky thing with this kind of deck because being able to win quickly and efficiently is a scary trait in a deck and what you're trying to avoid. I think the simplest way to accomplish what you're trying to do is to run Blue Sun's Zenith in addition to or over Sphinx's Revelation. This allows you to target your opponents and deck them and I actually removed BSZ in favor of Sphinx's Revelation specifically for this reason. Drawing your opponents large chunks of cards is not that bad late game when you have defenses up and they have a lot of dead draws. It's also quite simple to do as you'll simply target yourself with it until you've drawn your library then you target your opponents ever turn. A mana doubler will quicken the clock and a Stifle effect can stop Eldrazi triggers if those are a concern. If you can drive your playgroup to play Obstinate Familiar then you've already achieved a greater victory than any game win will ever give you.
Nice build! How is the Energy Field working out for you? Do you find Derevi draws you too much heat? He does gain some appeal since the tuck rule changed and the Twiddle ability probably has a lot of interesting uses. Do you use him as a rattlesnake most of the game or does he see a lot of play?
Win conditions are a tricky thing with this kind of deck because being able to win quickly and efficiently is a scary trait in a deck and what you're trying to avoid. I think the simplest way to accomplish what you're trying to do is to run Blue Sun's Zenith in addition to or over Sphinx's Revelation. This allows you to target your opponents and deck them and I actually removed BSZ in favor of Sphinx's Revelation specifically for this reason. Drawing your opponents large chunks of cards is not that bad late game when you have defenses up and they have a lot of dead draws. It's also quite simple to do as you'll simply target yourself with it until you've drawn your library then you target your opponents ever turn. A mana doubler will quicken the clock and a Stifle effect can stop Eldrazi triggers if those are a concern. If you can drive your playgroup to play Obstinate Familiar then you've already achieved a greater victory than any game win will ever give you.
Thanks for the comments, I just did a quick update by memory to the list. Haven't made any changes in response to tuck-ban yet. I may end up getting a hold of a cryptic command and using that in place of Hinder or Bant Charm, but they are still largely fine cards. I never did end up playing a version with any "wincon" cards in it, and am more or less fine with that. So far all games have ended in a "draw" between the last two players (secret win for me, don't tell anyone!). Looking back at your thread and your comments for the first time in a while reminds me that I should find a place for Faith's Reward and Trickbind, space is so tight!
Energy Field has been great, mostly because of how easy it is to assemble a combo with wheel of sun and moon. I really like being behind a "prevent all damage" defense rather than just combat damage protection, and this is one of the simplest and cheapest to set up. I have not played energy field on its own, and would only do that in an emergency, or if I knew I could recur it later when I found WoSaM. I have found Wheel handy on its own for grave hate. Their high point was flashing in both enchantments in response to a doubled big red X spell headed my way.
Derevi hate has been fine for me because we are a small playgroup and people know what I am trying to do. I could definitely see that being a problem if you were showing up at a bunch of various different pickup games. She works great as a rattlesnake in the command zone, and that has pushed me to up the instant count a bit and play more draw-go. That said, I do usually play her out ASAP on 3 mana so I don't have to keep the mana up while I build some defenses early on. That move in particular could be a bit threatening in an unknown meta.
I’d say Trickbind should have an application in any meta but you do have a Voidslime in your toolbox and that may be enough for you. It’s most useful at stopping Oblivion Stone/Pernicious Deed/Perilous Vault but has plenty of other uses. Faith’s Reward is mainly to combat mass LD and enchantment sweepers. Both are good at what they do but I wouldn’t feel like either is an auto include, just depends on the meta. If you want to make room for something I would recommend trying Mystic Barrier. Might not be what you’re looking for since it can prevent your opponents from attacking each other but I’ve found it to be amazing.
I’m still trying to decide to do with the tuck cards, will probably get my list updated sometime soon. Isochron Scepter with an expanded toolbox, Nevermore/Null Chamber, Darksteel Mutation/Song of the Dryads or simply running some more spot removal are all options. Also needing to include either Treasure Cruise or Dig Through Time and I’m also leaning more towards DTT. There’s also some older cards I’ve kept in the deck for too long that I need to cut.
Just got my hands on an Angus Mackenzie, who I am excited to try out at the helm of this list. Not convinced he will be any better than Derevi, but I am a sucker for weird old cards. Also have a Mana Drain incoming, so will try and do a bit of an update soon.
Have not played this too much in the last little while, other than a couple of 1 v 1 games where it doesn't work all that well against fast decks. Much more suited to multiplayer where it can rely on distraction of the threats of others to buy a few turns to get set up.
Treasure Cruise would definitely be a solid include. But I think that dig through time is better because of the instant speed and the card selection, recurring insight is better because it draws so many cards. Sphinx's revelation is something I have not really drawn much, but is probably also better as a scaleable instant. That said, this deck more often has a full yard than it has a boatload of mana, so maybe that is something to consider. Day's undoing/timetwister I am not so sure about here, though there is no question they are powerful cards. This deck really likes to sculpt it's hand over several turns, ideally having the next defensive lock or response lined up in-hand in case the one you have in play gets disrupted. The idea of shuffling that away along with a full stocked yard is not appealing, but on the other hand, they could easily get me out of a situation where I am not well set up for the next onslaught, will test it out.
What this deck would really like is another draw engine to fuel solitary confinement, Honden of seeing wind is kind of weak sauce, but it is one of the best do-nothing locks you can set up.
1 Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
//Artifact (5)
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Scroll Rack
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Tormod's Crypt
//Enchantment (16)
1 Arboria
1 Burgeoning
1 Energy Field
1 Exploration
1 Karmic Justice
1 Land Tax
1 Leyline of Anticipation
1 Mystic Remora
1 Privileged Position
1 Rhystic Study
1 Solitary Confinement
1 Sterling Grove
1 Sylvan Library
1 Telepathy
1 Wheel of Sun and Moon
1 Honden of Seeing Winds
//Instant (27)
1 Bant Charm
1 Beast Within
1 Brainstorm
1 Constant Mists
1 Counterspell
1 Crop Rotation
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Evacuation
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Forbid
1 Hinder
1 Impulse
1 Intuition
1 Memory's Journey
1 Moment's Peace
1 Muddle the Mixture
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Krosan Grip
1 Noxious Revival
1 Path to Exile
1 Reality Shift
1 Sphinx's Revelation
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Voidslime
1 Force of Will
1 Dig Through Time
1 Austere Command
1 Three Visits
1 Idyllic Tutor
1 Life from the Loam
1 Nature's Lore
1 Ponder
1 Recurring Insight
1 Regrowth
1 Replenish
1 Rout
1 Terminus
1 Wargate
//Land (40)
1 Academy Ruins
1 Alchemist's Refuge
1 Arcane Lighthouse
1 Breeding Pool
1 Command Tower
1 Flooded Grove
1 Flooded Strand
1 Forbidden Orchard
4 Forest
1 Glacial Chasm
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Hinterland Harbor
4 Island
1 Kor Haven
1 Krosan Verge
1 Magosi, the Waterveil
1 Maze of Ith
1 Mystic Gate
4 Plains
1 Strip Mine
1 Sunpetal Grove
1 Temple Garden
1 Tolaria West
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Bastion
1 Tundra
1 Savannah
1 Polluted Delta
1 Arid Mesa
1 Tropical Island
A bit on strategy:
Early game is all about getting Derevi to do as much work on defense as possible. Usually best if you can get her out by T3 as a deterrent and you are in good shape if she can protect you for a couple times around the table. A Maze of Ith or a Kor Haven can go a long way here to take you a few extra turns before dropping a lock. This is nice because most of the locks deny you some resources and stall your board progress as the cost of locking you out of damage or combat damage, so it is nice to be able to hit a decent land count and drop a bit of utility before moving on to your mid game strategy.
Mid game is all about setting up one of the following defensive locks and protecting it with counters. There is a decent amount of board control in here, but it should only be used to prevent crazy game ending plays of your opponents, not to try and keep the game clear. Things are going well at this stage of the game if one of these locks can buy you a handfull turns around the table which is often enough time to assemble the pieces of another lock in your hand. If you find yourself without one of these defensive locks, you have to fall back on normal board control and Derevi flash blocking until you can get one. You often rely heavily on opponents assuming you are holding fogs and counters and largely leaving you alone and attacking each other.
The locks:
Solitary Confinement + any draw engine
Wheel of Sun and Moon + Energy Field
Glacial Chasm + Crucible of Worlds/Life from the Loam (+ Exploration/Burgeoning)
Constant Mists + Crucible of Worlds/Life from the Loam (+ Exploration/Burgeoning)
Arboria + Magosi, the Waterveil(or Leyline of Anticipation or Alchemist's Refuge)
Each of these is significantly strengthened by Privileged Position/Sterling Grove or holding Forbid with a draw engine.
Late game starts when your opponents have pounded each other and there are only two of you left. Hopefully you are already protected by one of the above locks going into the late game and ideally you have had many turns to sculpt your hand. Now is the time to shift into heavy board control mode you have been avoiding the rest of the game, because you are no longer trying to stay under the radar. With Derevi always available in a flash for 4 mana, you will eventually be able to poke your way through for the win.
Currently I am having trouble finding room for win-conditions other than Derevi. I would like to try Helix Pinnacle, Runechanter's Pike and Luminarch Ascension at some point, probably only room for one real "win condition" card, but not sure where to stick it.
21/02/2015
- Helix Pinnacle
- Terramorphic Expanse
- Evolving Wilds
- Mystifying Maze
- Jace Beleren
- Reflecting Pool
+ Force of Will
+ Savannah
+ Tundra
+ Polluted Delta
+ Honden of Seeing Winds
+ Arid Mesa
What I am not using:
The most glaring omission here is Humility, but at least to start out I am trying to stay away from anything that has a negative impact on my opponents beating each other silly or draws any attention my way. Angus Mackenzie is the other notable omission here. I may end up going that route, but right now I am testing the theory that having easy access all game to a flying flash blocker that doesn't care one bit about spot removal is just as strong over the course of a game. Propaganda effects would probably be fine in here, but in my meta they tend to attract attention from those that can afford to pay the cost, so I am not convinced they would help me in the long run. I obviously am missing a couple of pricier pieces. Not sure if I have quite enough enchantments to justify Serra's Sanctum, but it is probably close.
All comments or suggestions welcome.
UGUPrime Speaker Seamonster RampUGU
WUGDerevi Does NothingWUG
RRRFeldon's Lovely LadiesRRR
Kudos to you, Sir!
..
Azusa - Derevi - Glissa - Mizzix - Sharuum - Wanderer - Wort
Cheers! How did it work out for you? It has been the better part of a year since I was playing a powered Derevi deck in my group, so the stigma has more or less worn off.
UGUPrime Speaker Seamonster RampUGU
WUGDerevi Does NothingWUG
RRRFeldon's Lovely LadiesRRR
If I get a chance next week I will update my sig with that deck, but I have two other decks I am working on so it might be a while. I added Ugin to it, recently, I cant wait to try him out.
..
Azusa - Derevi - Glissa - Mizzix - Sharuum - Wanderer - Wort
Why not include a few manlands?
Mono Red's Strengths and Mono White's Strengths
Thanks, it has been fun to put together and so far to play. I think this is a really good deck for Arboria. I have only got to play it once so far, fairly early in the game without any of its support cards and even there is was decent. It bought me a few turns to draw into some more resilient protection. The ideal though is to have it out with Leyline of Anticipation or Alchemist's Refuge. There is also a combo with Magosi, the Waterveil that I have yet to get online. I also like that it has a bit of a political element to it, since others can use it as protection too. That means the only person at the table who is really motivated to remove it is the one with the best board position ready to beat down, not anyone else.
Sacred Mesa is just the type of wincon I think I could get away with including in this deck. I just think Luminarch Ascension is better and will find room to test that soon. What Mesa might have on it is that it is significantly less threatening and much safer to drop in the early game without being made a target. I think that will be a very important consideration when choosing a win-con for this deck. Manlands are a good idea, especially along with Runechanter's Pike that I want to test as well. The big downside is the etbt clause. This deck really likes to land Derevi on T3 as a deterrent for early pokes. There are a few colourless utility lands I have left out because of this that could go in there too. Reliquary Tower and Mikokoro, Center of the Sea come to mind.
UGUPrime Speaker Seamonster RampUGU
WUGDerevi Does NothingWUG
RRRFeldon's Lovely LadiesRRR
- Helix Pinnacle - Cut this before I ever tested it, need to find another slot for wincon testing
- Terramorphic Expanse
- Evolving Wilds
- Reflecting Pool
- Mystifying Maze - Too mana intensive to really be useful
- Jace Beleren - CMC is very appealing, but the deck is not all that great at defending walkers, and it wants some more consistent draw engines to fuel solitary confinement.
+ Force of Will
+ Savannah
+ Tundra
+ Polluted Delta
+ Arid Mesa
+ Honden of Seeing Winds - CMC is brutal, but this deck really needs some more consistent draw engines to fuel Solitary Confinement, any other suggestions?
Not having to fetch untapped shocklands is really going to help this deck. It is really important to manage my life total into the long game, and I am not running much in the way of life gain. Working on trading in to a Tropical Island to more or less finish off the deck. A couple of things I could use some input on:
- What should I cut for a slot to test out wincons? I would like to try out Runechanter's Pike, Helix Pinnacle and Luminarch Ascension, but probably only one at a time.
- Is 15 enchantments enough to run Serra's Sanctum here? I am thinking no, but they do often stick around for a long time.
UGUPrime Speaker Seamonster RampUGU
WUGDerevi Does NothingWUG
RRRFeldon's Lovely LadiesRRR
The goal of my Derevi deck is to survive to the end, and take the last guy out. I stopped playing this when my meta got more combo decks, but combo has not been so popular recently, so I might go back to it.
..
Azusa - Derevi - Glissa - Mizzix - Sharuum - Wanderer - Wort
- Farseek
- Merchant Scroll - Solid card, but could only find me answers, no engine pieces, so was kind of slow. First in line to come back in.
- Moment's Peace - Would like to fit this one back in, important to fog often enough that the general feeling at the table is not to bother attacking me, because you will just get fogged anyway.
- Bant Panorama
+ Three Visits - fetching untapped duals is the business
+ Runechanter's Pike - still working to find room for a wincon, we'll see if this lasts
+ Dig Through Time - At instant speed this can usually dig up what you need, seems strong
+ Tropical Island
UGUPrime Speaker Seamonster RampUGU
WUGDerevi Does NothingWUG
RRRFeldon's Lovely LadiesRRR
UGUPrime Speaker Seamonster RampUGU
WUGDerevi Does NothingWUG
RRRFeldon's Lovely LadiesRRR
I also don't particularly agree with all the cantrips in the deck. I love cantrips but in a deck like this I feel it is better to use powerful draw and having more answers.
Yeah, I am still really enjoying this deck. I feel like I have to give Angus Mackenzie a fair shake since he is usually the boss of this sort of deck, but Derevi has just been fantastic. You don't even need to cast her for her to be a deterrent to attacks, and you don't need to think twice about using her.
I couldn't agree less. These aren't just cantrips, they are the premiere hand sculpting spells in the game. They allow you to dig for your defensive combo pieces and premium answers, at practically no cost. On top of that they are very non-threatening plays that allow you to keep your mana up for answers while gaining incremental advantage. What draw would you run instead?
UGUPrime Speaker Seamonster RampUGU
WUGDerevi Does NothingWUG
RRRFeldon's Lovely LadiesRRR
Win conditions are a tricky thing with this kind of deck because being able to win quickly and efficiently is a scary trait in a deck and what you're trying to avoid. I think the simplest way to accomplish what you're trying to do is to run Blue Sun's Zenith in addition to or over Sphinx's Revelation. This allows you to target your opponents and deck them and I actually removed BSZ in favor of Sphinx's Revelation specifically for this reason. Drawing your opponents large chunks of cards is not that bad late game when you have defenses up and they have a lot of dead draws. It's also quite simple to do as you'll simply target yourself with it until you've drawn your library then you target your opponents ever turn. A mana doubler will quicken the clock and a Stifle effect can stop Eldrazi triggers if those are a concern. If you can drive your playgroup to play Obstinate Familiar then you've already achieved a greater victory than any game win will ever give you.
Thanks for the comments, I just did a quick update by memory to the list. Haven't made any changes in response to tuck-ban yet. I may end up getting a hold of a cryptic command and using that in place of Hinder or Bant Charm, but they are still largely fine cards. I never did end up playing a version with any "wincon" cards in it, and am more or less fine with that. So far all games have ended in a "draw" between the last two players (secret win for me, don't tell anyone!). Looking back at your thread and your comments for the first time in a while reminds me that I should find a place for Faith's Reward and Trickbind, space is so tight!
Energy Field has been great, mostly because of how easy it is to assemble a combo with wheel of sun and moon. I really like being behind a "prevent all damage" defense rather than just combat damage protection, and this is one of the simplest and cheapest to set up. I have not played energy field on its own, and would only do that in an emergency, or if I knew I could recur it later when I found WoSaM. I have found Wheel handy on its own for grave hate. Their high point was flashing in both enchantments in response to a doubled big red X spell headed my way.
Derevi hate has been fine for me because we are a small playgroup and people know what I am trying to do. I could definitely see that being a problem if you were showing up at a bunch of various different pickup games. She works great as a rattlesnake in the command zone, and that has pushed me to up the instant count a bit and play more draw-go. That said, I do usually play her out ASAP on 3 mana so I don't have to keep the mana up while I build some defenses early on. That move in particular could be a bit threatening in an unknown meta.
UGUPrime Speaker Seamonster RampUGU
WUGDerevi Does NothingWUG
RRRFeldon's Lovely LadiesRRR
I’m still trying to decide to do with the tuck cards, will probably get my list updated sometime soon. Isochron Scepter with an expanded toolbox, Nevermore/Null Chamber, Darksteel Mutation/Song of the Dryads or simply running some more spot removal are all options. Also needing to include either Treasure Cruise or Dig Through Time and I’m also leaning more towards DTT. There’s also some older cards I’ve kept in the deck for too long that I need to cut.
UGUPrime Speaker Seamonster RampUGU
WUGDerevi Does NothingWUG
RRRFeldon's Lovely LadiesRRR
Have not played this too much in the last little while, other than a couple of 1 v 1 games where it doesn't work all that well against fast decks. Much more suited to multiplayer where it can rely on distraction of the threats of others to buy a few turns to get set up.
UGUPrime Speaker Seamonster RampUGU
WUGDerevi Does NothingWUG
RRRFeldon's Lovely LadiesRRR
Also, I think this card coming out of origins will be a fantastic addition to your deck:
Currently Playing:
Multiplayer EDH Lists (click italics for a link to the thread!)
[Primer] Lord of Tresserhorn - Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do[Primer] Roon of the Hidden Realm - Rhino Blink
5 Color Tribal Guide (Slivers, Atogs, Allies, Spirits)
Also Playing (most decklists can be found on my profile)
MarathGeistKamahlGrenzoBolasThassaGitrog
PiratesZurVial Smasher&ThrasiosYennettJhoira(cEDH)Strix(Pauper)
Legacy: Maverick
Modern:
Melira PodRIP 1/19/15GWHatebearsWhat this deck would really like is another draw engine to fuel solitary confinement, Honden of seeing wind is kind of weak sauce, but it is one of the best do-nothing locks you can set up.
UGUPrime Speaker Seamonster RampUGU
WUGDerevi Does NothingWUG
RRRFeldon's Lovely LadiesRRR