Paying 4 life would make the assumption of 8 shock lands and drawing 2 that you'd have to put into play untapped, a slightly unreasonable assumption. However, for blue black, it boils down to Jace AOT, opportunity, pilfered plans as a possibility for you (a person using wight), read the bones, underworld connections (though this semi demands some sort of lifegain to dig to), or if you want to get really janky, bane alley broker.
Regarding Divination vs. Inspiration: I find a big point in Divination's column, and likely the reason it, not Inspiration, is in several pro decks these days, is that it lets you dig for land on turn 3. Control decks can't afford to stumble on land drops that early in a game in this format, and a turn 3 divination can be the difference in whether or not you hit your fourth land drop in time for crucial plays. Once you're at 4 land, Jace, Architect of Thought is available.
Anyway, a non-white control deck's answer to Sphinx's Revelation is probably just Opportunity. Besides Rev and niche cards like Bident, it's simply the most cards for one in the format.
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Formerly Angrypossum over at the now-defunct WotC forums.
The problem is that if you play turn three divination you can't counter anything. Turn 3-4 are the critical turns in standard most importantly in U/B underworld connections/gods/desecration demon/polukranos/Jace, Jace doesn't help you against these things. Every time I don't have the counter up turn 3.. I die to something like Heliod. I'd rather sit at three mana with a hand of counterspells and removal than cast divination and drop the shields.
U/W and Esper (the compedative decks) can go completely counterless play divination and 4 Dspheres (thoughsieze for esper) and not have to worry but U/B is just dead to too many things not to have to have the counter up turn 3-4.
Anyway, a non-white control deck's answer to Sphinx's Revelation is probably just Opportunity. Besides Rev and niche cards like Bident, it's simply the most cards for one in the format.
U/W and Esper (the compedative decks) can go completely counterless play divination and 4 Dspheres (thoughsieze for esper) and not have to worry but U/B is just dead to too many things not to have to have the counter up turn 3-4.
Pioneer:UR Pheonix
Modern:U Mono U Tron
EDH
GB Glissa, the traitor: Army of Cans
UW Dragonlord Ojutai: Dragonlord NOjutai
UWGDerevi, Empyrial Tactician "you cannot fight the storm"
R Zirilan of the claw. The solution to every problem is dragons
UB Etrata, the Silencer Cloning assassination
Peasant cube: Cards I own