So as not to grt to off track from the main topic I think Bow of Nylea is better then Venom Sliver it may only give death touch when attacking but, the other utility it brings makes it far superior to Venom Sliver or Cavern of souls.
Waving off "only gives deathtouch while attacking" is a pretty big caveat I think you are underselling. I would rather have a wall of deathtouch and deathtouch attackers rather than just deathtouch attackers (mainly because I'd probably be swinging with slivers are Shifting Sliver or some other evasion to make deathtouch moot). Bow of Nylea also suffers from the fact it's not a Sliver. Being a sliver in a sliver tribal deck gives Venom Sliver an edge you don't give it credit for. Honestly all the modes of Bow of Nylea underwhelm me except maybe the put four cards back on the bottom, but even then, Elixir of Immortality does the whole thing at once if I want graveyard recycling or Sun Titan if I just want to put the majority of them back on the battlefield.
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Vive, vale. Siquid novisti rectius istis,
candidus inperti; si nil, his utere mecum.
~~~~~
So as not to grt to off track from the main topic I think Bow of Nylea is better then Venom Sliver it may only give death touch when attacking but, the other utility it brings makes it far superior to Venom Sliver or Cavern of souls.
Waving off "only gives deathtouch while attacking" is a pretty big caveat I think you are underselling. I would rather have a wall of deathtouch and deathtouch attackers rather than just deathtouch attackers (mainly because I'd probably be swinging with slivers are Shifting Sliver or some other evasion to make deathtouch moot). Bow of Nylea also suffers from the fact it's not a Sliver. Being a sliver in a sliver tribal deck gives Venom Sliver an edge you don't give it credit for. Honestly all the modes of Bow of Nylea underwhelm me except maybe the put four cards back on the bottom, but even then, Elixir of Immortality does the whole thing at once if I want graveyard recycling or Sun Titan if I just want to put the majority of them back on the battlefield.
The yes death-touch is really good for blocking espeshally with first strike but the fact that it isn't a creature is huge 1v1 be fast is good but 1v3 or 1v1v1v1 is a different matter. Plus if your playing slivers the game usally stars as a 3v1 most of the time. One board wipe and your done this card lets you do more with less.
Plus they were thinking about replacing it with Cavern of souls and I was just stating that this could be better because enchantment removal is rear in EDH then creature removal. Yah death touch is really good on deference but is a giant trampler is indestructible or has first strike you can be kind of sunk.
Plus this can allow you to gain some life back after using hibernation sliver.
What do you think about Mind's eye vs Triumph of the Hordes. I know how important card draw is but since dealing 120 damage can be hard to do in one turn this makes it so you just have to do 30. Plus you can just use this card once and take out one player to make it a three way witch can give you an advantage. Still maybe the deck needs more graveyard hate or the new disallow. It looked parity sold with the mana base and fetch to either curve out or have an explosive start. Plus very consistent with the search affects. I like the bow for that one time boost in power after my opponent kills a pumping sliver and blocks so that I still end up trading or just winning the fight.
I don't have anything to say about the Bow of Nylea vs Venom Sliver that Mockingbird hasn't already said, myself - including the single useful effect we can get out of the Bow. It's probably a mistake on my part but I try to look for solutions within the sliver toolbox because tutoring.
Mind's Eye is something I'm going to try out - it's like a reverse Rhystic Study, which means it shouldn't be anywhere as annoying - and it should have some more staying power. That said, in a multiplayer environment, and given the surplus of mana you're usually expected to have, it's a source of card advantage the enemy will quickly learn to target.
Triumph of the Hordes is definitely on my wantlist. Everyone's life total reduced to 10 for one turn? Sign me up. Damn, I wish I had considered it in detail myself. Props to you, blackcat.
I'm considering to once again fill my present build with countermagic, especially since once both Sliver Hivelord and Crystalline Sliver land only a few choice WMDs can really get the table rid of the swarm - stuff like Merciless Eviction or Ixidron, for instance.
Sadly I haven't played in forever, but mine is about a year old toolbox combo version. There are faster, but I like to have several play styles available in case they shut down one combo I can go different ways.
See my signature for details. Just an FYI, it's not budget at all.
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Currently Playing: Standard:
Nothing, the format Bores me! Legacy: RBurn (Made on the Cheap!)R RGBelcherRG WSoldier StompyW BReanimatorB EDH: BUGRWSliver OverlordWRGUB BGeth, Lord of the VaultB
There are multiple combo combinations. It all comes down to finding the most efficient path based on your hand and the board state.
I've spent more than a year building this deck and may change it in the future. Turn 4 wins are not uncommon. Thinking of removing Harmonic Sliver due to its double sided nature. Will likely run Vindicate and Swords to Plowshares in place of Harmonic Sliver and Sterling Grove. Could also find room for Cautery Sliver for yet another combo piece giving a win condition outside of combat damage.
are the lightning greaves on the list? i just went through the primer again and didnt find them in the combo deck list. they effectively act like a haste sliver since you can use them on each sliver after it enters and float the mana, cast a new sliver, equip, tap. rinse and repeat for infinite mana.
I think that the Bow of Nylea or Venom sliver being better depends on which deck you are using them. I can see th sliver being better in an aggro version, where getting a wall of first strike death touch blockers is feasible, however, that isnt the case with the control/combo route where its likely that slivers got cut out for counterspells amd such.
For that type of deck the bow is better.
- take down a Kaalia from the vast? Check
- recover cards from the graveyard? Check
- recover some life because you hace taken hits instead of sliver combo pieces you want to protect? Check
- Buff a creature so it can avoid -x/-x effects? check
- Your opponent is dangerously low on life? Just attack and destroy his defenses. Check
The utility of the bow far exceeds the bonus from the sliver, but as I said before, it depends on the deck archetype.
The greaves are a staple of voltron commander decks, and although the Overlord can go voltron I find the greaves lack luster because they arent easily tutorable and Crystalline Sliver not only is tutorable, but also gives protection to itself and all the other slivers. You could argue that it gives redundancy, but I would prefer to tutor for alternate protection (should crystalline being killed) like Hibernation Sliver which even that cost more mana (and life) protects the slivers from board wipes, sacrifices, etc. things regular shroud cant protect from.
TLDR version: Greaves are lackluster to what slivers already provide, save the spot for another answer or threat.
Last but not least.
Slivers are *not* nice, I guess that the easiest you could go would be aggro in a multiplayer meta.
But I would definitely prefer to change decks in casual meta.
the greaves allow you to combo though. they act exactly like a haste sliver AND they allow you to protect key pieces. you can generate infinite mana with them when combined with manaweft, queen and basal. or manaweft, queen and training grounds. there are other combinations that work too. what im saying is people have missed this cards potential because its not obvious that you can float mana and equip the greaves to as many slivers as you want during a single turn.
No slivers are worth 1 mana and I think that you would get better value with Sentinel Sliver if you attack and after combat tap the slivers for mana.
Im not saying that the greaves are bad, they are a staple in commander for a reason, but I think that slivers by themselves have more value and that slot could be used with something else.
On the other hand Mind's eye vs Rhystic study. Study wins as enchantment removal is rarer than artifact removal, besides that YOU dont need to pay extra mana, your opponents have to if they dont want to give you extra cards. Again if your meta allows you such things by all means go for it, however I dont have the luxury of time in many of my matches, and you probably wont if you earn the title of archenemy with your sliver deck
Heh well, a correction I need to make is that just a few slivers are worth 1 mana.
Just use the greaves if you want, but for me is a waste of space as they arent easily tutorable and add nothing new to the hive. The way you mention that can allow to combo doesnt need them because Basal Sliver already goes to infinite with Training grounds. In my oppinion, instead of pulling out all the slivers from the deck to kill with combat damage ( and risk a overloaded cyclonic rift staple) you should combo out and insta kill the opponents.
I run three haste slivers so I have no need for the greaves as far as one board wipe and you are done then you are building the deck wrong. In a game this last Friday I survived a Wrath, Damnation, and Cyclonic Rift with no problems. It really just kept me from winning that turn.
Harmonic Sliver is uncuttable! When you are done destroying everything that isn't yours just bounce it to your hand or sac it to deal damage, draw a card, whatever...
I really wish it would let me post my updated list.
fair enough i guess. my build is shooting for a turn 5 win as often as possible so anything that gets me to combo sooner and more consistently is what i build towards. endless tweaking ensues. id like to see your list, im hungry for card selection
it requires mana acceleration in the opening hand with a haste sliver and manaweft.
turn 1: draw card, play land + chrome mox + mox diamond + mana crypt + heart sliver + manaweft (discard 2 for mox's)
turn 2: draw card, play land + summon overlord + tutor for queen
turn 3: draw card, play intruder alarm + queen + tutor for 1 cost sliver + play 1 cost sliver combo combo combo
you can combo off on turn 3 hypothetically. there is likely more than one starting hand combination to get there but im too lazy to figure them out.
im thinking of running lion's eye diamond for yet another piece of mana acceleration
Hello everyone, long time lurker, first time poster. I've been playing commander for a couple months using ideas from here. I've liked slivers since Tempest and love the tribal feel. I am making adjustments based on what's happened in games so far. I'm running Descendants' Path with Mirri's Guile and some tutors to set it up. I will grant that it has yet to happen. When I have tutors, I'm looking for Manaweft Sliver or Crystalline Sliver to make sure I can get the Overlord out. Has anyone tried Call to the Kindred? Is it viable to set up something where in the upkeep, you're dropping slivers on to the board? My concern is the more cards needed to make something happen, the more fragile/less likely it is to set up. I am running Brainstorm and draw cards to assist with optimization. I was hoping someone had already gone down this rabbit hole and knew if this was feasible. I'd like to post a full list and get feedback but am not sure if this is the right thread to do it in.
it requires mana acceleration in the opening hand with a haste sliver and manaweft.
turn 1: draw card, play land + chrome mox + mox diamond + mana crypt + heart sliver + manaweft (discard 2 for mox's)
turn 2: draw card, play land + summon overlord + tutor for queen
turn 3: draw card, play intruder alarm + queen + tutor for 1 cost sliver + play 1 cost sliver combo combo combo
you can combo off on turn 3 hypothetically. there is likely more than one starting hand combination to get there but im too lazy to figure them out.
im thinking of running lion's eye diamond for yet another piece of mana acceleration
Not sure LED is that good of a choice I think it can backfire a lot, anyway I saw your list, I too try to make the deck combo as fast as hell, one thing I gave a try and worked very nice is using Earthcraft and in place of shocks one of each basic, on my list I have the 10 fetches and run 6 basics (2 forests) so actually 16 combinations for earth, and I have been very successful with having at least 1 basic, which means every creature I have on the field generates a colored mana with Earthcraft without even needing haste, the extra color from the shocks can save you, but it doesn't disrupt that much the manabase.
I went a slightly different direction as I also brought in an Aluren combo package, most of the interactions uses Hibernation Sliver and the Recruiters (which are great for slivers, they tutor for any creature on the deck).
Anyway I'm not sure if you want to go full sliver, but Bloom Tender is absurd with Intruder Alarm, it goes off crazily fast.
Hello everyone, long time lurker, first time poster. I've been playing commander for a couple months using ideas from here. I've liked slivers since Tempest and love the tribal feel. I am making adjustments based on what's happened in games so far. I'm running Descendants' Path with Mirri's Guile and some tutors to set it up. I will grant that it has yet to happen. When I have tutors, I'm looking for Manaweft Sliver or Crystalline Sliver to make sure I can get the Overlord out. Has anyone tried Call to the Kindred? Is it viable to set up something where in the upkeep, you're dropping slivers on to the board? My concern is the more cards needed to make something happen, the more fragile/less likely it is to set up. I am running Brainstorm and draw cards to assist with optimization. I was hoping someone had already gone down this rabbit hole and knew if this was feasible. I'd like to post a full list and get feedback but am not sure if this is the right thread to do it in.
For multiplayer I think Brainstorm is much weaker than any other format, I wouldn't use it, if you want card draw, I would go for Sylvan Library or Phyrexian Arena, if they don't stick in your playgroup you can go for the black draws that pay life Night's Whisper, I also like Oracle of Mul Daya and Dark Confidant if your budget allows.
Hello everyone, long time lurker, first time poster. I've been playing commander for a couple months using ideas from here. I've liked slivers since Tempest and love the tribal feel. I am making adjustments based on what's happened in games so far. I'm running Descendants' Path with Mirri's Guile and some tutors to set it up. I will grant that it has yet to happen. When I have tutors, I'm looking for Manaweft Sliver or Crystalline Sliver to make sure I can get the Overlord out. Has anyone tried Call to the Kindred? Is it viable to set up something where in the upkeep, you're dropping slivers on to the board? My concern is the more cards needed to make something happen, the more fragile/less likely it is to set up. I am running Brainstorm and draw cards to assist with optimization. I was hoping someone had already gone down this rabbit hole and knew if this was feasible. I'd like to post a full list and get feedback but am not sure if this is the right thread to do it in.
I played with Descendants' Path and Call to the Kindred in an early iteration of my list and it worked ok. If it was working it is phenomenal but if you don't have a creature out they were lackluster to miserable; so be careful with that.
You definitely want some form of card draw but Brainstorm is not where you want to be. I think the person above me's suggestion is good.
Thanks for the reply and the advice. I am running other draw like Phyrexian Arena, Braingeyser, and Distant Melody. I was thinking about Ad Nauseam given the relatively low casting cost of the deck. I recently played two games that resulted in poor mana draw saved by Gemhide with Manaweft or Cryptolith Rite as back-up and finished the game with some mana rocks, which got me to thinking about adding Armageddon. Are there other boardwipes people run? Adding Ghostflame Sliver doesn't seem to add enough outside of being able to run All is Dust.
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Waving off "only gives deathtouch while attacking" is a pretty big caveat I think you are underselling. I would rather have a wall of deathtouch and deathtouch attackers rather than just deathtouch attackers (mainly because I'd probably be swinging with slivers are Shifting Sliver or some other evasion to make deathtouch moot). Bow of Nylea also suffers from the fact it's not a Sliver. Being a sliver in a sliver tribal deck gives Venom Sliver an edge you don't give it credit for. Honestly all the modes of Bow of Nylea underwhelm me except maybe the put four cards back on the bottom, but even then, Elixir of Immortality does the whole thing at once if I want graveyard recycling or Sun Titan if I just want to put the majority of them back on the battlefield.
candidus inperti; si nil, his utere mecum.
~~~~~
The yes death-touch is really good for blocking espeshally with first strike but the fact that it isn't a creature is huge 1v1 be fast is good but 1v3 or 1v1v1v1 is a different matter. Plus if your playing slivers the game usally stars as a 3v1 most of the time. One board wipe and your done this card lets you do more with less.
Plus they were thinking about replacing it with Cavern of souls and I was just stating that this could be better because enchantment removal is rear in EDH then creature removal. Yah death touch is really good on deference but is a giant trampler is indestructible or has first strike you can be kind of sunk.
Plus this can allow you to gain some life back after using hibernation sliver.
What do you think about Mind's eye vs Triumph of the Hordes. I know how important card draw is but since dealing 120 damage can be hard to do in one turn this makes it so you just have to do 30. Plus you can just use this card once and take out one player to make it a three way witch can give you an advantage. Still maybe the deck needs more graveyard hate or the new disallow. It looked parity sold with the mana base and fetch to either curve out or have an explosive start. Plus very consistent with the search affects. I like the bow for that one time boost in power after my opponent kills a pumping sliver and blocks so that I still end up trading or just winning the fight.
Mind's Eye is something I'm going to try out - it's like a reverse Rhystic Study, which means it shouldn't be anywhere as annoying - and it should have some more staying power. That said, in a multiplayer environment, and given the surplus of mana you're usually expected to have, it's a source of card advantage the enemy will quickly learn to target.
Triumph of the Hordes is definitely on my wantlist. Everyone's life total reduced to 10 for one turn? Sign me up. Damn, I wish I had considered it in detail myself. Props to you, blackcat.
I'm considering to once again fill my present build with countermagic, especially since once both Sliver Hivelord and Crystalline Sliver land only a few choice WMDs can really get the table rid of the swarm - stuff like Merciless Eviction or Ixidron, for instance.
[Horde] Phyrexia ascendant - The Virus
WUBRG - [Primer] Sliver Overlord - The Swarm - WUBRG
See my signature for details. Just an FYI, it's not budget at all.
Currently Playing:
Standard:
Nothing, the format Bores me!
Legacy:
RBurn (Made on the Cheap!)R
RGBelcherRG
WSoldier StompyW
BReanimatorB
EDH:
BUGRWSliver OverlordWRGUB
BGeth, Lord of the VaultB
SLIVERS (by CMC):
Constricting Sliver
Brood Sliver
Sliver Overlord (COMMANDER)
Sliver Hivelord
Sliver Legion
Sliver Queen
Basal Sliver
Blur Sliver
Syphon Sliver
Harmonic Sliver
Hunter Sliver
Crystalline Sliver
Sentinel Sliver
Manaweft Sliver
Quick Sliver
Gemhide Sliver
Heart Sliver
Venom Sliver
Striking Sliver
Sidewinder Sliver
Galerider Sliver
Virulent Sliver
LANDS:
All 10 Fetch lands. 5 Shock lands (prioritize green sources). All 10 OG Dual lands.
Cavern of Souls
Volrath's Stronghold
Mutavault
Reflecting Pool
Ancient Tomb
Gaea's Cradle
Sliver Hive
Command Tower
Exotic Orchard
Flooded Grove
ARTIFACTS:
Scroll Rack
Chrome Mox
Lightning Greaves
Mana Vault
Lotus Petal
Engineered Explosives
Sensei's Divining Top
Crucible of Worlds
Aether Vial
Paradox Engine
Mana Crypt
Chromatic Lantern
Mox Diamond
Sol Ring
ENCHANTMENTS:
Cryptolith Rite
Steely Resolve
Sterling Grove
Sylvan Library
Survival of the Fittest
Rhystic Study
Intruder Alarm
Mana Echoes
Training Grounds
Mirri's Guile
Pernicious Deed
Spirit of Resistance
SORCERIES AND INSTANTS:
Skyshroud Claim (my version runs 0 basic lands so fetching 2 duals off this is great)
Counterspell
Mana Drain
Beast Within
Path to Exile
Cyclonic Rift
Ravages of War
Syphon Mind
Armageddon
Patriarch's Bidding
TUTORS:
Green Sun's Zenith
Enlightened Tutor
Tooth and Nail
Chord of Calling
Vampiric Tutor
Eladamri's Call
Demonic Tutor
COMBO PIECES:
Sliver Queen
Sliver Overlord
Basal Sliver
Blur Sliver
Manaweft Sliver
Gemhide Sliver
Heart Sliver
Lightning Greaves
Paradox Engine
Cryptolith Rite
Intruder Alarm
Mana Echoes
Training Grounds
Patriarch's Bidding (Situational based on graveyard state)
There are multiple combo combinations. It all comes down to finding the most efficient path based on your hand and the board state.
I've spent more than a year building this deck and may change it in the future. Turn 4 wins are not uncommon. Thinking of removing Harmonic Sliver due to its double sided nature. Will likely run Vindicate and Swords to Plowshares in place of Harmonic Sliver and Sterling Grove. Could also find room for Cautery Sliver for yet another combo piece giving a win condition outside of combat damage.
- Cryptolith Rite
- Engineered Explosives
- Paradox Engine
[Horde] Phyrexia ascendant - The Virus
WUBRG - [Primer] Sliver Overlord - The Swarm - WUBRG
For that type of deck the bow is better.
- take down a Kaalia from the vast? Check
- recover cards from the graveyard? Check
- recover some life because you hace taken hits instead of sliver combo pieces you want to protect? Check
- Buff a creature so it can avoid -x/-x effects? check
- Your opponent is dangerously low on life? Just attack and destroy his defenses. Check
The utility of the bow far exceeds the bonus from the sliver, but as I said before, it depends on the deck archetype.
The greaves are a staple of voltron commander decks, and although the Overlord can go voltron I find the greaves lack luster because they arent easily tutorable and Crystalline Sliver not only is tutorable, but also gives protection to itself and all the other slivers. You could argue that it gives redundancy, but I would prefer to tutor for alternate protection (should crystalline being killed) like Hibernation Sliver which even that cost more mana (and life) protects the slivers from board wipes, sacrifices, etc. things regular shroud cant protect from.
TLDR version: Greaves are lackluster to what slivers already provide, save the spot for another answer or threat.
Last but not least.
Slivers are *not* nice, I guess that the easiest you could go would be aggro in a multiplayer meta.
But I would definitely prefer to change decks in casual meta.
Im not saying that the greaves are bad, they are a staple in commander for a reason, but I think that slivers by themselves have more value and that slot could be used with something else.
On the other hand Mind's eye vs Rhystic study. Study wins as enchantment removal is rarer than artifact removal, besides that YOU dont need to pay extra mana, your opponents have to if they dont want to give you extra cards. Again if your meta allows you such things by all means go for it, however I dont have the luxury of time in many of my matches, and you probably wont if you earn the title of archenemy with your sliver deck
Just use the greaves if you want, but for me is a waste of space as they arent easily tutorable and add nothing new to the hive. The way you mention that can allow to combo doesnt need them because Basal Sliver already goes to infinite with Training grounds. In my oppinion, instead of pulling out all the slivers from the deck to kill with combat damage ( and risk a overloaded cyclonic rift staple) you should combo out and insta kill the opponents.
Harmonic Sliver is uncuttable! When you are done destroying everything that isn't yours just bounce it to your hand or sac it to deal damage, draw a card, whatever...
I really wish it would let me post my updated list.
turn 1: draw card, play land + chrome mox + mox diamond + mana crypt + heart sliver + manaweft (discard 2 for mox's)
turn 2: draw card, play land + summon overlord + tutor for queen
turn 3: draw card, play intruder alarm + queen + tutor for 1 cost sliver + play 1 cost sliver combo combo combo
you can combo off on turn 3 hypothetically. there is likely more than one starting hand combination to get there but im too lazy to figure them out.
im thinking of running lion's eye diamond for yet another piece of mana acceleration
1 Sliver Overlord
Creatures: (31)
2 Acidic Sliver
3 Amoeboid Changeling
4 Basal Sliver
5 Blur Sliver
6 Clot Sliver
7 Crystalline Sliver
8 Darkheart Sliver
9 Dormant Sliver
10 Firewake Sliver
11 Galerider Sliver
12 Gemhide Sliver
13 Harmonic Sliver
14 Heart Sliver
15 Hibernation Sliver
16 Manaweft Sliver
17 Mnemonic Sliver
18 Necrotic Sliver
19 Psionic Sliver
20 Quick Sliver
21 Reflex Sliver
22 Root Sliver
23 Sedge Sliver
24 Shifting Sliver
25 Sliver Hivelord
26 Sliver Legion
27 Sliver Queen
28 Synapse Sliver
29 Thorncaster Sliver
30 Venom Sliver
31 Winged Sliver
Artifacts: (9)
32 Ashnod's Altar
33 Chromatic Lantern
34 Coalition Relic
35 Darksteel Ingot
36 Heartstone
37 Mox Diamond
38 Sensei's Divining Top
39 Sol Ring
40 Paradox Engine
41 Aphetto Dredging
42 Counterspell
43 Cultivate
44 Demonic Tutor
45 Dissolve
46 Distant Melody
47 Enlightened Tutor
48 Farseek
49 Harmonize
50 Patriarch's Bidding
51 Regrowth
52 Shard Convergence
53 Vampiric Tutor
54 Vindicate
55 Wordly Tutor
Enchantments: (6)
56 Aggravated Assault
57 Exploration
58 Mana Echoes
59 Sylvan Library
60 Training Grounds
61 Unnatural Selection
Lands: (38)
62 Ancient Ziggurat
63 Badlands
64 Bayou
65 Bloodstained Mire
66 Breeding Pool
67 Cavern of Souls
68 Command Tower
69 Exotic Orchard
70 Forest
71 Flooded Strand
72 Hinterland Harbor
73 Island
74 Mountain
75 Overgrown Tomb
76 Plains
77 Plateau
78 Polluted Delta
79 Reflecting Pool
80 Rootbound Crag
81 Savannah
82 Scalding Tarn
83 Scrubland
84 Sliver Hive
85 Stomping Ground
86 Sunpetal Grove
87 Swamp
88 Taiga
89 Temple Garden
90 Thran Quarry
91 Tropical Island
92 Tundra
93 Underground Sea
94 Verdant Catacombs
95 Volcanic Island
96 Volrath's Stronghold
97 Windswept Heath
98 Wooded Foothills
99 Woodland Cemetery
Not sure LED is that good of a choice I think it can backfire a lot, anyway I saw your list, I too try to make the deck combo as fast as hell, one thing I gave a try and worked very nice is using Earthcraft and in place of shocks one of each basic, on my list I have the 10 fetches and run 6 basics (2 forests) so actually 16 combinations for earth, and I have been very successful with having at least 1 basic, which means every creature I have on the field generates a colored mana with Earthcraft without even needing haste, the extra color from the shocks can save you, but it doesn't disrupt that much the manabase.
I went a slightly different direction as I also brought in an Aluren combo package, most of the interactions uses Hibernation Sliver and the Recruiters (which are great for slivers, they tutor for any creature on the deck).
Anyway I'm not sure if you want to go full sliver, but Bloom Tender is absurd with Intruder Alarm, it goes off crazily fast.
For multiplayer I think Brainstorm is much weaker than any other format, I wouldn't use it, if you want card draw, I would go for Sylvan Library or Phyrexian Arena, if they don't stick in your playgroup you can go for the black draws that pay life Night's Whisper, I also like Oracle of Mul Daya and Dark Confidant if your budget allows.
I played with Descendants' Path and Call to the Kindred in an early iteration of my list and it worked ok. If it was working it is phenomenal but if you don't have a creature out they were lackluster to miserable; so be careful with that.
You definitely want some form of card draw but Brainstorm is not where you want to be. I think the person above me's suggestion is good.