I didn't really like Door of Destinies when I had it. I would only have it at 2 or 3 counters for most of the game since I would be making tokens and not casting creature by the time I had it out.
Grave Pact is an absolute must since you are sacrificing creatures anyway. I would just pull the Pestilence for it.
I honestly took out creatures with ETB effects just to make Torpor Orb better.
I would strongly recommend Torpor Orb, the only Creature ETB effect you have is Chittering Rats and quite frankly that isn't even a very good card. Akroma's Memorial is there for the haste, go infinite with Marrow-Gnawer and kill everyone on the same turn. Scrib Nibblers is a fun card that provides really random value. The list in my sig is a tad out of date, but I think the only difference is I have worked in a couple of kill spells from the last couple sets.
You must assign you damage to blocking creatures. In the first part you can assign all 3 damage to one of the blood artists. In the second part you must assign at least one damage to the blood artist.
I voted no since the only time that casting Trade Secrets is good is when you are colluding with your opponent or the opponent doesn't realize letting your opponent draw his deck is a really bad idea.
Mono-White tends to be very linear, not a whole lot you can do about that.
To me having my opponents not attack into Darien/Warden meant that Darien was doing his job of keeping me alive. I also generally use the Wardens to mitigate the damage I am doing to myself with Ancient Tomb and City of Brass.
A couple of things on the deck though.
You labeled your Instants as Enchantments.
Scroll Rack is really good with Land Tax. The Traveler's Amulet seems a little weak, so that would be my suggestion to take out for the Rack.
I think I may make this an Azami, Lady of the Scrolls Deck, but have Talrand be one of the 99. Every time I have played it I have thought, "Man, I really wish I was playing Azami right now." I even had a friend tell me Azami would be so much better tonight.
The drake production allowed me to protect Jace for long time, but I almost always want to have more cards in hand.
I will have to think on this.
To Restoration Angel, 4 Mana is a LOT for this deck. I am running 2 in my build and I have had them stranded in my hand because I never got to 4 mana (GQing and Teching lands).
Mangara was very clunky and slow. He was mediocre more often than good when I played. He is so much better in the Legacy version of the deck because of Karakas.
OK, I finally got a couple of games in with this and saw some of its deficiencies. It really needed cantrips bad. I did a pretty major update. I still need to get the Mana Doublers and Sapphire Medallion. Hopefully this version will work better.
This is a first draft, I expect to make a lot of changes to this. There are a bunch of cards that I have for EDh decks, but haven't used. I want to use my cards.
I need to get another copy of both Gauntlet and Caged Sun, I plan on cutting back on the mana rocks once I pick them up. Both Relic and O-Stone are pretty necessary in my group. I wanted to try Spine, it kills stuff, it may or may not stay. I don't really like Extraplanar Lens, my group is pretty wise to Mana-doublers and LOVES destroying Lens ASAP. Most Lenses don't last a turn cycle. Scepter is in a similar boat to Lens, it doesn't last long.
Leyline will likely end up in the deck. I don't think I have one at the moment.
Consecrated Spinx will end up in the deck after it rotates out of Standard, sooner if I proxy one off (my group doesn't mind as long as you own the card). I need to get another Palinchron, but he isn't too important until I get the Mana Doublers. Mystic Speculation is another card I am planning on adding.
My go at a Talrand deck.
I am basically trying to win with Drakes. I need to get a few cards for it. Evacuation, Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir, Tidespout Tyrant, and Venser, Shaper Savant are the first that come to mind. I am planning on taking out the Ransack and Sunder for sure. I am thinking Wash Out and Dismiss for the other two cards. Blue Sun's Zenith will replace either Mind Spring or Braingeyser. I also plan on adding a Sapphire Medalion eventually. Tamiyo, the Moon Sage is another card I am thinking of adding.
Advice is welcome.
Thanks
I will go after the Chaos deck like no other. I LOATHE chaos. Norin the Wary will die quickly, as will Phelddagrif. I also will go after GAAIIV pretty quickly, same with Joira and Zur, there isn't really any reason to use those generals unless its to abuse them, most of the other big bads I wont be going after too harshly until they show that they show there is a reason to target them (yes, I know that wont be until they go off and I wont be able to do anything, but for the next game, I know. Also this doesn't apply if I am at a tourny setting with Prizes on the line.)
I what Tom said is correct. Also I prefer Revoker to Needle. Vialing In a Revoker is amazing. If the Vial effect resolves, your opponent doesn't get to respond to the card you name.
Grave Pact is an absolute must since you are sacrificing creatures anyway. I would just pull the Pestilence for it.
I honestly took out creatures with ETB effects just to make Torpor Orb better.
You may want a reset button too. Oblivion Stone or Nevinyrral's Disk would a good addition.
Knight-Captain of Eos
kjeldoran Outpost
Elspeths (all three)
If you want to be a little cute
Adaptive Automaton
Mirror Entity
But I am clearly Biased.
The walking dead seem better to me, but I haven't had much experience with either so I can't really say for certain.
To me having my opponents not attack into Darien/Warden meant that Darien was doing his job of keeping me alive. I also generally use the Wardens to mitigate the damage I am doing to myself with Ancient Tomb and City of Brass.
A couple of things on the deck though.
You labeled your Instants as Enchantments.
Scroll Rack is really good with Land Tax. The Traveler's Amulet seems a little weak, so that would be my suggestion to take out for the Rack.
The Increasing Devotion would probably be better as White Sun's Zenith
Using Mind's Eye might be a better source of card advantage than Scrying Sheets/Snow Permanents
The drake production allowed me to protect Jace for long time, but I almost always want to have more cards in hand.
I will have to think on this.
Mangara was very clunky and slow. He was mediocre more often than good when I played. He is so much better in the Legacy version of the deck because of Karakas.
I need to get another copy of both Gauntlet and Caged Sun, I plan on cutting back on the mana rocks once I pick them up. Both Relic and O-Stone are pretty necessary in my group. I wanted to try Spine, it kills stuff, it may or may not stay. I don't really like Extraplanar Lens, my group is pretty wise to Mana-doublers and LOVES destroying Lens ASAP. Most Lenses don't last a turn cycle. Scepter is in a similar boat to Lens, it doesn't last long.
Leyline will likely end up in the deck. I don't think I have one at the moment.
Consecrated Spinx will end up in the deck after it rotates out of Standard, sooner if I proxy one off (my group doesn't mind as long as you own the card). I need to get another Palinchron, but he isn't too important until I get the Mana Doublers. Mystic Speculation is another card I am planning on adding.
I appreciate the feedback.
I am basically trying to win with Drakes. I need to get a few cards for it. Evacuation, Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir, Tidespout Tyrant, and Venser, Shaper Savant are the first that come to mind. I am planning on taking out the Ransack and Sunder for sure. I am thinking Wash Out and Dismiss for the other two cards. Blue Sun's Zenith will replace either Mind Spring or Braingeyser. I also plan on adding a Sapphire Medalion eventually. Tamiyo, the Moon Sage is another card I am thinking of adding.
Advice is welcome.
Thanks
1 Talrand, Sky Summoner
Creatures (10)
1 Archaeomancer
1 Azure Mage
1 Palinchron
1 Phantasmal Image
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Tidespout Tyrant
1 Trinket Mage
1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
Instants (26)
1 Blue Sun's Zenith
1 Boomerang
1 Brainstorm
1 Capsize
1 Counterspell
1 Cryptic Command
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Dismiss
1 Dissipate
1 Faerie Trickery
1 Foil
1 Force of Will
1 Long Term Plans
1 Mindbreak Trap
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Overwhelming Intellect
1 Pact of Negation
1 Pongify
1 Rewind
1 Spell Crumple
1 Spin into Myth
1 Stifle
1 Time Stop
1 Trickbind
1 Twart
1 Invoke Prejudice
1 Leyline of Anticipation
1 Rhystic Study
Planeswalkers (1)
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Artifacts (12)
1 Caged Sun
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Gauntlet of Power
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Runechanter's Pike
1 Sapphire Medallion
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Sol Ring
1 Spine of Ish Sah
1 Witchbane Orb
Sorcerys (11)
1 Bribery
1 Deep Analysis
1 Evacuation
1 Impulse
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mystic Speculation
1 Ponder
1 Preordain
1 Rite of Replication
1 Sleight of Hand
1 Time Warp
1 Wash Out
1 Faerie Conclave
25 Island
1 Maze of Ith
1 Miren, the Moaning Well
1 Mystifying Maze
1 Relequary Tower
1 Riptide Laboratory
1 Strip Mine
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Tolaria West
1 Tower of the Magistrate
1 Vesuva
8/24 -Grim Monolith -Gilded Drake -Compulsive Research +Deep Analysis +Palinchron +Caged Sun
8/25 - Eye of Ramos -Worn Powerstone - Opposition +Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir +Gauntlet of Power +Sapphire Medallion
9/1 -Flusterstorm -Thran Dynamo +Trickbind +Witchbane Orb
9/4 -Jace Beleren +Jace, TMS
9/6 -Reality Strobe -Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir +Evacuation +Leyline of Anticipation
9/10 -Oona's Grace +Tidespout Tyrant
9/13 -Lonely Sandbar -Remote Isle +2 Island
10/1 -Into the Roil +Cyclonic Rift
Grunts is also really useful against Loam.
I really like Celestial Purge in the side. It hits a lot of cards that are a real problem Liliana of the Veil and Seismic Assault are the big one off the top of my head.
My SB is 1x Thalia, 2x Purge, 3x Grunts, 3x Prison, 3x Revoker, 3x Kataki, War's Wage