I don't care for sneak, there is rarely a time when id like a one hit from a major mister, outside of winning. Id rather just [card]overwhelming stampede[card] for a win though.
I don't have experience with mayael, but I do have experience with temporary removal effects completely backfiring. Which is fine in normal edh, as its part of the fun, but if you're truely being competitive you're better off avoiding potentially setting yourself up for failure. Id play the multi lightning helix way before adamant angel if I truely cared about my win %.
You're right plow isn't fantastic, in fact cauldron of souls might be even better wipe protection if you run oren. Other good cards that could replace it: furyborn hellkitemagmatic force and if you're ok sacrificing a 5p drop rage reflection viscous shadows [card]where ancients tread[card]
I haven't followed this in awhile but it seems the creator gave up updating. I run a very similar list, and my issue is essentially the same; I rarely have a board presence but the question is what to cut.
(Check out my non-basic land ideas too and see if you like any of them, no longer need to worry about plains/forests so you can cut basics and a Reliqary Tower because its not worth the effort)
Cards like Crucible of Worlds isn't doing much for you besides recurrable strip mines. One thing I think is important in competitive play is to minimize 'dead draws' which this can quickly be. You're much better off with something that the deck can actually utilize, such as Quicksilver Amulet to cheat more things into play uncounterable (and more importantly, from your hand -- something your deck is lacking atm)
Also for the same reason Scroll Rack should make an appearance; tucking creatures from your hand for guarenteed mayael/genesis targets is definitely not something to scoff at. Question is what to take out; in my opinion that's either Chord of Calling or Wild Pair. The nice thing about chord is IMO is the ability to get some of your "combo" guys online (Duplicant/Kiki/E-Wit/Seedborn, or Regal after an Avenger), but at the end of the day, the reach you can get from scroll rack will almost match that (especially with all your refuel), and this way you can keep utility in hand and throw fatties back in. It's a worthy trade, IMO. The other option is Wild Pair simply because it requires hardcasts (sort of what you're trying to avoid) to work. But it's power can't be denied. Its effectiveness is really in the lower end of your deck; E-Wit/Academy, Kiki-Jiki/Oracle, Urabrask/Genesis. BUT if you can cast a 10 or a 12 (which is not unlikely with all the doubling you have), you have a HUGE amount of utility creatures that can come out. Yosei, Stalking, Regal/Avenger, and Spearbreaker are all in the 10 group, and Woodfall, Spearbreaker in 12.
As for creatures, here's my input;
Knight of the Reliquary in your deck isn't that great; he can be an okay play, but he isn't there yet. You need some reason he's actually fetching lands, which to me are Gaea's Cradle, Tuck Lands, Contested Cliffs (even though your beast count is low atm, but I'll be suggesting more in a sec), and Maze of Ith, Homeward Path, Oran-Rief, the Vastwood (which you should be running anyway with woodfall and avenger), Riftstone Portal, Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion, maybe Arena. Also the ability to tutor up a Strip Mine to deal with grottos or academys is always great. But he's not going to be cycling through your lands or being pumped or anything like that, so he really is cuttable if slots are needed. Especially because I think Primeval Titan does his job better, and he plays nicer with Wild Pair. Actually, I think i'd even run Scapeshift over Knight.
Baneslayer Angel is kind of lacking. I know a few people run him, but I'd much rather run Windbrisk Raptor first, that is as long as you have a fairly dragon-tame meta.
I personally don't care for Krosan Tusker; theres better excel available Skyshroud Claim for one and the fact that it's a 6 power beast is going to be rarely relevant.
Two cards I really don't care for are Admonition Angel (especially with Knight gone), and Blazing Archon. The reason is, in competitive play, I don't want to set myself up for power turns. It's VERY easy to see things go south with Admon; before a players turn he could kill it and bring back his force that you were not ready for and kill you with, and protection from wrath for other players is the two major things. The only way the angel really shines is if you're in a REALLY tight spot, or if you are going to win that turn because of her. But I hate setup in competitive play because plans change way too quickly and making bad plays around an easily disruptable and sometimes detremental strategy isn't very good. Blazing Archon is in the same boat, you put a target on your head (oh I can't attack you? We'll see about that!) that gives you a false sense of comfort (main phase kill archon swing for 40) all for a 5 power flyer. If something hits the board, I want it to either be utility or be a threat. Cards like Godsire can win games by himself. Blightsteel Colossus can swing for lethal on the turn you play him on any player with all your haste effects. These guys make differences in the game, and if you're going to get a target on you it should be over something that'll let you win.
Sun Titan does almost nothing for the deck; sure e-wit recursion is fun (if you can kill her), but other than that you're bringing back land or your destroyed boots. I'd rather play Paleoloth in the utility slot, this way if your low CC combos get destroyed you have a good recursion engine since most are 4cc. Plus bringing back creatures like Yosei, Avenger, Terastodon, Woodfall, Regal, Stalking, Bogardan, Kozileks ETC if you have the mana is much stronger than bringing back a fetch land. Sun titan suffers from the "good before everyone's board developed" syndrom, and is much better on paper than in a real game. Most of the game you go "meh" over your selection.
Novablast Wurm is bad; you have board wipes if you need a board wipe, why would you play a creature that can't do anything unless he kills all your stuff? The only way I'd even consider playing him is with Spearbreaker Behemoth and Vagrant Plowbeasts around. But even then it goes back to the combo-y business I don't care for. Maybe if you could find a good combo for him with Wild Pair, but to my knowledge there isn't anything fantastic. I'd rather play Vigor who protects my creatures instead, and is almost as big, and swing in for fun. Especially great if he gets instantly thrown in. The nice thing is, unless he gets instant removed during combat (and if you are worried about this just play smart), he really doesn't have a downside unlike Blazing Archon or Adomition Angel.
Also, Brightflame is FANTASTIC if you have a tokens player or a good multicolor creature. Just so happens i said remove one more thing than I suggested, so throw it in
Q: I control Puca's Mischief and Thought Lash. On my upkeep, I stack my triggers so that the Mischief ability will resolve before Thought Lash's cumulative upkeep and then trade Thought Lash for something. Will my opponents library be removed?
A: Assuming you choose not to pay the cumulative upkeep, that's exactly what will happen. Thought Lash has an ability that triggers when its cumulative upkeep isn't paid. At the time you don't pay, Thought Lash is controlled by your opponent, so he'll control the triggered ability, and it'll be his library that gets eaten.
Note that you'll also be instructed to sacrifice the Thought Lash, but you won't be able to, because you don't control it.
Im actually putting a jin and an empyral plate in my deck to try to balance out a zedruu-les boardstate in case he gets tucked. Eternal dragon just for his recursion?
Best way to deal with hate is to 1. Slowroll it and 2. Run counterspells. You need to be reactive so that way they are not in control. If they are still hating you out, design the deck so it doesn't rely on zed. The thing is, zed himself isn't a threat so he shouldn't be hated on nearly as much.
What do you need to know about thought lash? Beginning of your upkeep choose not to pay with the effect on the stack donate it. They now own it, the cost wasn't paid so controller removes their library which is now then.
Edit: donating thought lash with unpaid upkeep exiles their library, the donate goes off giving it to them, then unpaid upkeep and they are the new controller even though they did not choose to pay. I use it as a deterrence more than griefing, its a good way to end games
Sounds like a bad version of pyromancer's swath and words of war. Sure you can lock them out of draws, but if (s)he has any sort of okay board position you are losing all your good **** too. I suppose it could work in theory since you're still gaining tons of life and will be drawing a lot more cards than your opponent a turn, but man that's too much of a gamble for my taste.
Vows lose their effect if they are donated, so I think Zendruu should throw them away in favor of pacifism like cards instead that don't matter who controls the aura.
Problem with cards like ward of bone is they don't help you win the game, simply cause people to add a big red target to your head. In fact, by griefing everyone you've now put a huge target on your head. Once the ward is gone, people are gonna gun-ho for you and you'll have little or no responses to it.
Cards like propaganda are much better politically because they deter people from attacking you, not punish everyone else equally while not advancing your boardstate.
While the ramp from gilded is nice, the real benefit is that it smooths out casting costs greatly without the need for super manabase. Insurrection/Cryptic Command becomes easy, and the only double colored spells are niv and venser. Not to mention almost every instant is in the 3CC single colored range, and almost every spell is a double colored mana casting cost. Also tricks with venser. In fact the only deck I really hate it in is rafiq due to all the multi-color nonsense going on.
I admit I didn't give Journeyer's Kite a chance, tbh this is the first non-tap out deck i've played so being able to grab a land before my turn with the mana will be worth the effort. I see the merit, I'll give it a shot ;P I'm personally running land tax over pilgrim's, only because it's insanely easy to trigger and only costs W. Oh and it plays well with mistveil plains as well as fills your hand with fodder for gambles, especially with paradox haze up. In fact, I love everything about land tax.
And I agree Spine of Ish Shah is bad, just oblivion ring isn't strictly better.
So five, why not sol ring and guilded lotus over inferior land ramp like journeyer's kite and pilgrim eye? Is it for basic land donation targets?
Also thinking about words of worship in my deck, esp. With consecrated sphinx and a way to not worry about regulating my draw. Also why no dissipate or faerie trickery? did you cut them?
Spine is better than o-ring in the fact that it permanently removes.
Whereas o-ring could be removed for an alpha when you lease want/expect it. Also hasI lastability. And interaction with blinks. Does that warrant the extra mana? that one is up to you
You're right plow isn't fantastic, in fact cauldron of souls might be even better wipe protection if you run oren. Other good cards that could replace it: furyborn hellkite magmatic force and if you're ok sacrificing a 5p drop rage reflection viscous shadows [card]where ancients tread[card]
-Knight of the Reliquary -Crucible of Worlds -Sun Titan +Quicksilver Amulet +Brightflame +Paleoloth
-Baneslayer Angel -Blazing Archon +Windbrisk Raptor +Vigor
-Novablast Wurm -Adominition Angel -Krosan Tusker +Godsire +Blightsteel Colloseus +Vagrant Plowbeasts
(Check out my non-basic land ideas too and see if you like any of them, no longer need to worry about plains/forests so you can cut basics and a Reliqary Tower because its not worth the effort)
Cards like Crucible of Worlds isn't doing much for you besides recurrable strip mines. One thing I think is important in competitive play is to minimize 'dead draws' which this can quickly be. You're much better off with something that the deck can actually utilize, such as Quicksilver Amulet to cheat more things into play uncounterable (and more importantly, from your hand -- something your deck is lacking atm)
Also for the same reason Scroll Rack should make an appearance; tucking creatures from your hand for guarenteed mayael/genesis targets is definitely not something to scoff at. Question is what to take out; in my opinion that's either Chord of Calling or Wild Pair. The nice thing about chord is IMO is the ability to get some of your "combo" guys online (Duplicant/Kiki/E-Wit/Seedborn, or Regal after an Avenger), but at the end of the day, the reach you can get from scroll rack will almost match that (especially with all your refuel), and this way you can keep utility in hand and throw fatties back in. It's a worthy trade, IMO. The other option is Wild Pair simply because it requires hardcasts (sort of what you're trying to avoid) to work. But it's power can't be denied. Its effectiveness is really in the lower end of your deck; E-Wit/Academy, Kiki-Jiki/Oracle, Urabrask/Genesis. BUT if you can cast a 10 or a 12 (which is not unlikely with all the doubling you have), you have a HUGE amount of utility creatures that can come out. Yosei, Stalking, Regal/Avenger, and Spearbreaker are all in the 10 group, and Woodfall, Spearbreaker in 12.
As for creatures, here's my input;
Knight of the Reliquary in your deck isn't that great; he can be an okay play, but he isn't there yet. You need some reason he's actually fetching lands, which to me are Gaea's Cradle, Tuck Lands, Contested Cliffs (even though your beast count is low atm, but I'll be suggesting more in a sec), and Maze of Ith, Homeward Path, Oran-Rief, the Vastwood (which you should be running anyway with woodfall and avenger), Riftstone Portal, Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion, maybe Arena. Also the ability to tutor up a Strip Mine to deal with grottos or academys is always great. But he's not going to be cycling through your lands or being pumped or anything like that, so he really is cuttable if slots are needed. Especially because I think Primeval Titan does his job better, and he plays nicer with Wild Pair. Actually, I think i'd even run Scapeshift over Knight.
Baneslayer Angel is kind of lacking. I know a few people run him, but I'd much rather run Windbrisk Raptor first, that is as long as you have a fairly dragon-tame meta.
I personally don't care for Krosan Tusker; theres better excel available Skyshroud Claim for one and the fact that it's a 6 power beast is going to be rarely relevant.
Two cards I really don't care for are Admonition Angel (especially with Knight gone), and Blazing Archon. The reason is, in competitive play, I don't want to set myself up for power turns. It's VERY easy to see things go south with Admon; before a players turn he could kill it and bring back his force that you were not ready for and kill you with, and protection from wrath for other players is the two major things. The only way the angel really shines is if you're in a REALLY tight spot, or if you are going to win that turn because of her. But I hate setup in competitive play because plans change way too quickly and making bad plays around an easily disruptable and sometimes detremental strategy isn't very good. Blazing Archon is in the same boat, you put a target on your head (oh I can't attack you? We'll see about that!) that gives you a false sense of comfort (main phase kill archon swing for 40) all for a 5 power flyer. If something hits the board, I want it to either be utility or be a threat. Cards like Godsire can win games by himself. Blightsteel Colossus can swing for lethal on the turn you play him on any player with all your haste effects. These guys make differences in the game, and if you're going to get a target on you it should be over something that'll let you win.
Sun Titan does almost nothing for the deck; sure e-wit recursion is fun (if you can kill her), but other than that you're bringing back land or your destroyed boots. I'd rather play Paleoloth in the utility slot, this way if your low CC combos get destroyed you have a good recursion engine since most are 4cc. Plus bringing back creatures like Yosei, Avenger, Terastodon, Woodfall, Regal, Stalking, Bogardan, Kozileks ETC if you have the mana is much stronger than bringing back a fetch land. Sun titan suffers from the "good before everyone's board developed" syndrom, and is much better on paper than in a real game. Most of the game you go "meh" over your selection.
Novablast Wurm is bad; you have board wipes if you need a board wipe, why would you play a creature that can't do anything unless he kills all your stuff? The only way I'd even consider playing him is with Spearbreaker Behemoth and Vagrant Plowbeasts around. But even then it goes back to the combo-y business I don't care for. Maybe if you could find a good combo for him with Wild Pair, but to my knowledge there isn't anything fantastic. I'd rather play Vigor who protects my creatures instead, and is almost as big, and swing in for fun. Especially great if he gets instantly thrown in. The nice thing is, unless he gets instant removed during combat (and if you are worried about this just play smart), he really doesn't have a downside unlike Blazing Archon or Adomition Angel.
Also, Brightflame is FANTASTIC if you have a tokens player or a good multicolor creature. Just so happens i said remove one more thing than I suggested, so throw it in
A: Assuming you choose not to pay the cumulative upkeep, that's exactly what will happen. Thought Lash has an ability that triggers when its cumulative upkeep isn't paid. At the time you don't pay, Thought Lash is controlled by your opponent, so he'll control the triggered ability, and it'll be his library that gets eaten.
Note that you'll also be instructed to sacrifice the Thought Lash, but you won't be able to, because you don't control it.
From http://mtgsalvation.com/989-cranial-insertion-under-the-weather.html
Can we put it to rest that it works now?
What do you need to know about thought lash? Beginning of your upkeep choose not to pay with the effect on the stack donate it. They now own it, the cost wasn't paid so controller removes their library which is now then.
Edit: donating thought lash with unpaid upkeep exiles their library, the donate goes off giving it to them, then unpaid upkeep and they are the new controller even though they did not choose to pay. I use it as a deterrence more than griefing, its a good way to end games
Cards like propaganda are much better politically because they deter people from attacking you, not punish everyone else equally while not advancing your boardstate.
I admit I didn't give Journeyer's Kite a chance, tbh this is the first non-tap out deck i've played so being able to grab a land before my turn with the mana will be worth the effort. I see the merit, I'll give it a shot ;P I'm personally running land tax over pilgrim's, only because it's insanely easy to trigger and only costs W. Oh and it plays well with mistveil plains as well as fills your hand with fodder for gambles, especially with paradox haze up. In fact, I love everything about land tax.
And I agree Spine of Ish Shah is bad, just oblivion ring isn't strictly better.
Also thinking about words of worship in my deck, esp. With consecrated sphinx and a way to not worry about regulating my draw. Also why no dissipate or faerie trickery? did you cut them?
Whereas o-ring could be removed for an alpha when you lease want/expect it. Also hasI lastability. And interaction with blinks. Does that warrant the extra mana? that one is up to you