I wouldn't consider it in any deck unless you're playing five colors. There it's very good. There is a good chance it leaves you down a couple lands where everyone else has to sac down to three or even less. Combined with Crucible, you'll barely feel a thing.
Generally speaking, I'm much more likely to run different/more answers than change up my threats because doing the latter can sometimes require a complete retooling of the deck. It's not too hard to find more room for Grip or something.
I really like Survival but you kinda have to have a certain deck that wants it. Gahiji loves Survival where Edric doesn't have any need for it. Any GRx probably wants it because Squee turbocharges it.
Survival is sweet to set up recursion engines but not all decks want to do that, like a Gxx control deck that plays few creatures. It's very good but certain archetypes are better off without it.
You would be fetching out a couple of basics at the beginning of the game. (probably a plains and a forest.)
Yep, this. You only have to fold over to non-basic hate when playing 5-color if you really want to. I recommend anywhere from 3-5 basics, depending on what are your dominant colors. I prefer playing shocks to checklands in 5-color decks because they're more flexible as well as fetchable too. I wouldn't run all 10 because there really isn't any reason to. You lose out on stability with basics or utility with things like Academy Ruins or even more flexibility with the rainbow lands.
Library is amazing in the correct deck. Fortunately, those are few and far between. Drain, Bazaar, Workshop are legal and those cards are much more powerful and actually are auto-includes in their respective archetypes whilst simultaneously being more expensive too. Really, only the most control-y of control decks would want to play LoA.
I've had both good and bad experiences with the card but it does get much better in combo-centric decks. I think it is certainly worth running in some decks.
Yeah, as noted by previous posters, there really isn't all that much in playable enchantment hate. Best bet is to target the person who is playing crap like that: Krenko's speed is your best bet here.
I think my blue decks have, on average, 6 counterspells. It depends on what your decks want but I wouldn't go under that amount. Some combo decks run less because they don't want to be inundated with reactive spells so it's not a hard and fast rule by any means.
As long as turn 1 Serra Ascendant messes with Ad Nauseam combo, I'm all for it. It's just a dumb beater and a good Ranger of Eos target most of the time.
This is probably the best use for Serra Ascendant.
I really don't care about the cards that weren't designed with 40 life formats in mind. Most of the really strong cards are the ones that are also really powerful in Standard or Modern like Primeval Titan and Karn Liberated, respectively.
Blue Sun can be too once you got your infinite mana online.
Draw your deck and shuffle the one card back into the deck, draw it with another card, cast it to make a person draw himself or herself to death, shuffle again, and repeat until all other players are dead.
It's also nifty instant-speed draw X too when non-infinite.
To facilitate this combo, Future Sight is very helpful. It also is one of the most beastly card advantage engines in EDH. Can't recommend it enough.
This is really the best. It's like putting a moratorium on combo. Shenanigans-B-Gone.
Survival is sweet to set up recursion engines but not all decks want to do that, like a Gxx control deck that plays few creatures. It's very good but certain archetypes are better off without it.
Yep, this. You only have to fold over to non-basic hate when playing 5-color if you really want to. I recommend anywhere from 3-5 basics, depending on what are your dominant colors. I prefer playing shocks to checklands in 5-color decks because they're more flexible as well as fetchable too. I wouldn't run all 10 because there really isn't any reason to. You lose out on stability with basics or utility with things like Academy Ruins or even more flexibility with the rainbow lands.
I've played with the card. It's far more difficult to meet the requirements than you would think.
This is probably the best use for Serra Ascendant.
I really don't care about the cards that weren't designed with 40 life formats in mind. Most of the really strong cards are the ones that are also really powerful in Standard or Modern like Primeval Titan and Karn Liberated, respectively.
To facilitate this combo, Future Sight is very helpful. It also is one of the most beastly card advantage engines in EDH. Can't recommend it enough.