I like her, I played her in Cap Sisay and Kamahl both with elesh-norn. But as a general? No one will wrath with her out, and in that sense she is a deterrent which is awesome.
Cool deck! Stealing permanents in edh is fun as ice cream but bad for politics, but who cares right lol? blatant thieverycontrol magicsower of temptationvedalken shackles. I'm fairly sure Sower is 6 bucks which is fairly budget. volition reins isn't bad either as it can take anything. Out of all of them vedalken shackles and sower are awesome. Shackles is repeatable which is sweet and even though sower dies to a swift breeze, she is reusable with crystal shard or riptide laboratory. crystal shard is especially delicious with clone effects and ETB blue value creatures. I also will mention temporal adept, as this wizard can boomerang anything, hence giving you a second chance if you need to counter something or even save something from removal. In the same vein is vedalken mastermind who is essentially like crystal shard.
I have a Roon list, fairly typical in that regard as it is primarily blink/value. I don't think anyone missed the Bant recursion staples. Typically, blinking creatures or permanents with ETB value is a great way to control things or of course if you desire, go infinite. If you are strictly going token spammage I think Brago, King Eternal is better than Roon for that style. Using Cathar's Crusade in tandem with token producers like whirler rogue[/card geist honored monk are a great way to make a good sized army. If you want pure value ETB things, I still think Brago is best but there is a lot to be said for Roon (as I have a decent fun Roon list). I do go for the whole Karmic Guide/Reveillark sacrifice through the Atars route or DEN+Peregrine Drake/Venser, shaper savant silliness.
I constantly find myself reiterating the same point ad nauseam when it comes to these posts. To me, it all can be poignantly delivered in two eloquent words: power level. In your personal play group if decks exist that combo out turns 2-4, Staxx etc and the rest of the playgroup is Dragons.deck, there is a glaring dilemma. The playgroup together must govern and adjudicate what they want to do as a collective playgroup. I have witnessed this multiple times in my own personal experience in EDH. The answer is either the Top Tier decks power down (or they embrace a more casual approach and a different deck altogether), or the players with weaker decks start to maindeck multiple specific hate cards to basically cheese the power deck players, or the pilots of the casual decks power up which is essentially the Great Arms Race of EDH, or, lastly, everyone decides to play casual decks. Now, I understand that this is within a specific playgroup of friends, as this is most likely the best way a democratic decision can actually be made within said group. In a random Game Shop where anything goes, is exactly that, anything goes.
I just used it as an example. REBlast is perfectly fine if you want to run it, or any other card for that matter. I am just reiterating that playing specific hate cards in the anticipation that you will run into a deck in which said card is effective means you accept the risk your mainboard hate cards will be dead draws over the course of any match.
However, in retrospect, playing hate cards specifically to hose someone or play an "anti" deck to counteract someone else's deck is impolite. If that's the case why bother playing edh? Again, I think this entire debate revolves around deck power level. The feeling of the need to implement and include hate cards is thinking that is based upon a need to overtly and oppressively crush someone because one fears their deck is not on an equal power level. I have witnessed this personally multiple times. When groups have a wide margin in power, typically in my experience the first thing I see is talk about mainboarding specific hate cards in order to combat the more powerful decks at the table, or the Great Arms Race Begins. Out of the two options I prefer either a powering down so the power level among decks is balanced OR an upgrade in complete deck power among all participants. Often, many people are budget and cannot or are unwilling to pay exorbitant prices for CEDH staples, and that is understandable. If the group are friends (and I hope they are), then powering down, or trading etc to power up is a viable and recommended option.
Personally I dislike metagaming in EDH. You just get dead draws that end up being a liability in the hopes of ensuring some protection versus a nitch probability. It's the 10th man syndrome, prepare for an alleged disaster. I don't expect disaster, so the 10th man ideology is useless to me. This is, of course for me specifically, I am not calling out anyone else to follow (unless they want to).
I always play the same deck honestly. If someone feels like mainboarding red elemental blast, choke and boil, go for it. I find that more often players I know that did this very thing before just end up taking these cards out anyway, because they find the dead weight isn't worth it overall. I can understand perhaps a piece of GY removal because that is exceptionally common in EDH, but specific hate cards mainboard is a stretch.
The only dilemma to me has ever been power level. If some of a playgroup are playing hyper cuthroat lists that win consistently as early as turn 3-4, then the decks have to change to either become top end to match, or the power level lowered. I don't think any player will hate another player out as long as the power level is similar in the group.
Memnarch is a great creature overall, as the general or even part of the team. I play Azami, and memnrach is a great way to go infinite and take all permanents. To the Azami poster, I think you just need more combo outlets for Azami. The traditional infinite mana with high tide+palinchron+DEN etc to BSZ, Capsize the table or Memnrach the table accompanied by archaeomancer+time warp+riptide lab or crystal shard and the famous Azami+MoM=Lab man. Personally I find this to be a great route cuz you don't rely so heavily on sticking Azami and you have ways to win in case MOM gets exiled etc.
If you go Azami, most of the wizards for a wizard tribal theme are inexpensive, and you can win via psychosis crawlerdiviner's wand, or docent of perfection. This is in tandem with clone effects, possession effects etc.
I say play to win, and by that I mean play the most threatening, high power plays you can muster. Time it well, utilize politics, but make the table answer YOU. I love to play this way personally. Holding back in edh never really worked for me, I always do much better forcing things to resolve and continuous high power plays. Holding back just means the opponents have more time to draw cards and answers. I want them to have the answer now or I win either now or in short order. You have to make people use their countermagic/removal, otherwise they collect it over the course of the game, waiting for the opportunity to nab you (and each other). Make them have it and at the least make them use it. Counters/removal in edh are precious, many don't want to spend it unwisely unless they HAVE to, which completely shifts the game to your favor. Playing bad cards doesn't make you less of a target necessarily, and even if it does on occasion, it still means you're playing bad cards lol. Play to win, play to add pressure, make them answer you!
brine elemental plus vesuvan shapeshifter is awesome. snap is fairly decent. capsize since it has buyback. vedalken shackles is exceptional. If you play alot of creatures beguiler of wills is sweet. You can also play "pingers"....think prodigal sorcerer accompanied with willbreaker. Of course copycat cards are practically always useful. The mass bouncey spells. Empress Galina and memnarch. I think clone effects and stealing effects coupled with more creatures that draw, bounce, posess etc would be quite fun. Good luck!
Oh another card that is 25 cents and quite fun and good with Brago is mistmeadow witch. She is a great substitute for Venser Planeswalker. The cool thing about mistmeadow witch is you don't need to tap her and she can phase out any creature, not just your own.
Your list is pretty stock, and I see you have the little lock with stasis+Teferi which is cool and the rishadan brigand. You can always get the 2 other rishadan pirates to help with the lockdown. Another fun budget option is brine elemental plus vesuvan shapeshifter. These two cards in tandem create a stasis effect that only hits your adversaries. I prefer this to stasis since the cards are good on their own (and in the case of brine elemental you can use crystal shard, manowar, reflector mage if need be to unsummon and recast him for morph) and vesuvan shapeshifter is a clone that is changeable, so that is always good. I'd only say at this point you could spring for karmic guide and reveillark both no mre than 3 dollars and both are tremendously valuable.
Wow congrats! You know, I love stoneforge mystic, she never ever disappoints. I have never to this day removed reality acid, mostly because of its versatility and ability to get around hexproof generals, which I see regularly like narset/geist of st. traft. Even those aside, reality acid is super versatile and gets around SO many things, and it is low cmc at 3. I used to play mana web, and it is quite good, much better than armageddon honestly since it is continuous, and fetchable with trophy mage is a plus. Pithing needle isn't going anywhere.
I dunno if you run countermagic, but I choose to. Mostly because of cyclonic rift. So I am still rocking the force, swan song and counterspell.
Sanctum prelate is awesome but I think she is better suited for decks like Cap Sisay, since you have all the other hate bears to accompany her. Her being adjustable with Brago is a plus, but you have to really have a grasp of what you want to turn off with sanctum prelate.
Good assessment on cards and reasoning. I forgot Oath was already in the deck. I can see your point about vendy clique, I never tried it before but allowing the opponent to draw is....yeah lol. Well, I think your deck is well rounded, I think I have pretty much made all the suggestions I can at this juncture. I tried manifest cards, Staxx, and value. I think the best options are the Parallax cards, brine elemental+vesuvan shapeshifter and strionic resonator. Other choices are meta dependent. I can say that my recent addition of stoneforge mystic is doing an outstanding job. The little lock guys as well, they can be quite powerful. I did play the rishadan guys and recruiter of the guard to tutor them up, however I think they are best in the Staxx version of Brago as they fit perfectly.
However, in retrospect, playing hate cards specifically to hose someone or play an "anti" deck to counteract someone else's deck is impolite. If that's the case why bother playing edh? Again, I think this entire debate revolves around deck power level. The feeling of the need to implement and include hate cards is thinking that is based upon a need to overtly and oppressively crush someone because one fears their deck is not on an equal power level. I have witnessed this personally multiple times. When groups have a wide margin in power, typically in my experience the first thing I see is talk about mainboarding specific hate cards in order to combat the more powerful decks at the table, or the Great Arms Race Begins. Out of the two options I prefer either a powering down so the power level among decks is balanced OR an upgrade in complete deck power among all participants. Often, many people are budget and cannot or are unwilling to pay exorbitant prices for CEDH staples, and that is understandable. If the group are friends (and I hope they are), then powering down, or trading etc to power up is a viable and recommended option.
I always play the same deck honestly. If someone feels like mainboarding red elemental blast, choke and boil, go for it. I find that more often players I know that did this very thing before just end up taking these cards out anyway, because they find the dead weight isn't worth it overall. I can understand perhaps a piece of GY removal because that is exceptionally common in EDH, but specific hate cards mainboard is a stretch.
The only dilemma to me has ever been power level. If some of a playgroup are playing hyper cuthroat lists that win consistently as early as turn 3-4, then the decks have to change to either become top end to match, or the power level lowered. I don't think any player will hate another player out as long as the power level is similar in the group.
If you go Azami, most of the wizards for a wizard tribal theme are inexpensive, and you can win via psychosis crawler diviner's wand, or docent of perfection. This is in tandem with clone effects, possession effects etc.
Panharmonicon- Ok it's about 6 dollars but it really makes the deck stronger
Parallax Wave
Parallax Tide
Auramancer
Mystic Remora
cloudblazer- mulldrifter #2
oath of jace- great repeatable filter card
trinket mage- fetches sol ring or seat of the synod
body double- a very innocuous clone effect since it copies things in the gy.
crystal shard- an amazing card
Your list is pretty stock, and I see you have the little lock with stasis+Teferi which is cool and the rishadan brigand. You can always get the 2 other rishadan pirates to help with the lockdown. Another fun budget option is brine elemental plus vesuvan shapeshifter. These two cards in tandem create a stasis effect that only hits your adversaries. I prefer this to stasis since the cards are good on their own (and in the case of brine elemental you can use crystal shard, manowar, reflector mage if need be to unsummon and recast him for morph) and vesuvan shapeshifter is a clone that is changeable, so that is always good. I'd only say at this point you could spring for karmic guide and reveillark both no mre than 3 dollars and both are tremendously valuable.
I dunno if you run countermagic, but I choose to. Mostly because of cyclonic rift. So I am still rocking the force, swan song and counterspell.
Sanctum prelate is awesome but I think she is better suited for decks like Cap Sisay, since you have all the other hate bears to accompany her. Her being adjustable with Brago is a plus, but you have to really have a grasp of what you want to turn off with sanctum prelate.