Somehow i am afraid of playing Merfolk because i believe that many people will play cards designed to beat aggro, since everybody knows that aggro is the next archetype to play...

That is allways my Problem...

Do I play the Aggro, because in a field of Aggro controll (Midrange controll) it seems to win.
Or do i go a step further and play Combo in the hope to see many aggro decks trying to beat those who thought one step ahead?

What do you think?
What has been your experience?
Do you play one step ahead the current metagame or two steps?

 

Thanks both for your thoughts!

I agree the metagame goes towards aggro-controll...
But i can't believe that SotL will have that predicted Impact (still i will test it) 3/1 for 2 is ok.

towards Chubby Rain:
Grixis Controll is the "same" Aggro Controll like BUG is...
Martello is the same Workshop like the new lightning greeves deck is
You are right that nuances of the decks will change, but the archtype remains. This is what i meant.
Surely i will need to test to see how it feels like to play against an Deathrite Shaman,
or to see a lightning greeved Workshop Player going off, but i think that some mechanics havent changed:

Controll <- Aggro Controll <- Aggro (Dredge is aggro) <-Combo <- Workshop <- Controll

This is very simplified i know but has been my experience so far...

Saying so i believe that TheWhiteDragon is right with the Idea to sleeve up an aggro deck but im not sure if Black Suicide is the right Idea...
Especially a 4 Mana Critter seems not to fit the curve...

How about the common candidates:
Food Chain, UW-Hatebears, or even Joels Merfolk Deck?

What has become of TMWA? Or Christmas Beatings?
Are they competitive?

Hello There,

im going to BoM this year...

Right now im trying to understand the european metagame...
As i had a look at Morphling and here i came to the conclusion that nothiong dramatically has changed for over 2 years?

30% Workshop (the same as ever)
10% Dredge (it envolved more controlish with loosing Flamekin and adding ingot chewer)
30% Aggro-Control (Delver, BUG and other Fish) --> They won the percents where dredge lost them...
20% Controll (Tezz, Bomberman, Jace)
10% Combo (Burning Oath, Gush)

surely some decks/cards are new (Deathrite with Abrupt Decay) but overall nothing relevant changed?

can this be?
is my sight wrong?



apart from this:
1. two years ago workshop was something like: not many people are playing it, but most who do are doing top8...
2. Why is Dredge so underplayed? Is it beacause it is so boring and people like to interact more? Or is the SB-Hate that great?

Hello all,

How would you SB against:
- Dredge
- Controll
- Mirror
- Fish (Aggro Control)
- Creature based Aggro

with the following Decklist:
Maindeck (60 cards):
1 Black Lotus
4 Chalice of the Void
1 Duplicant
4 Kuldotha Forgemaster
4 Lodestone Golem
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
3 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Sol Ring
3 Sphere of Resistance
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Sundering Titan
4 Tangle Wire
4 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Trinisphere
3 Phyrexian Metamorph
Lands (19):
4 Ancient Tomb
1 City of Traitors
4 Mishra's Factory
4 Mishra's Workshop
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Wasteland

Sideboard: (15 cards)
2 Crucible of Worlds
2 Duplicant
2 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Ratchet Bomb
2 Tormod's Crypt
1 Wurmcoil Engine

I think this is a kind of typical Martelloshop with maybe one or two variations...

Do you differ your SB-Strategys if you are on the draw or not?
Any Oppinion is welcome!

what Do you typically sb out against dredge?

what do you mulligan for?
e.g. you draw a 7 cardhand With 1 hatecard but no pressure...
Do you keep?

what are typical targets for phyrexian revoker?

what do you name against an unknown deck?
what are targets against:
- controll (jace)
- noble fish (the 2/2 exalted guy who can destroy artifacts)
- Combo ???
- delver ???
- dredge ???

when do you sideboard those cards out? never?

Given the fact that those delver decks rises in number And fish becomes more and more played,
I'd like to stick with a more aggrovariant of mud...
I can see a decklist with 4 sphere of resistance and only 3 thorns...

Do you see it the same?
Aggromud over prisonmud if the meta consists of 40% fish?

Hallo All,

As i studied the latest Decklists i noticed 2 different "archtypes".

1.
4 Metallworker
1 Manavault
17 mana lands without mishras factory
More than 4 silverbullets

2.
19 lands including mishras factory
Up to 4 silverbullets and less
3 to 4 phyrexian metamorph
3 phyrexian revoker


Since i want to play a tourney within next 2 weeks with unknown meta.
I'd like to know the difference between the both playstyles.
I last played last year... i know the variant 1, but don't see the advantage of variant 2?

What happened to typical metagame?
Is Delver a vial decktype?
When is variant 1 or 2 the deck to go for?

Hmm...

The Tourney wasn't my best at all.
Here is the report:

http://www.themanadrain.com/index.php?topic=42074.0

Sers!

Last Sunday (27th March) has been a Trial at Frankfurt which was hold by Demonic Hordes Hessen.
We were 25 wizards fighting in a 5 Round Tournament for a Bazaar of Baghdad.

After a lon time of absence i played Ichorid since i have made good results with it in the past.

Her is what my list looked like:

// Lands
    4  Bazaar of Baghdad
    4  Undiscovered Paradise
    3  Petrified Field
    1  Dakmor Salvage

// Creatures
    4 Stinkweed Imp
    2  Golgari Thug
    4  Bloodghast
    3  Ichorid
    4  Narcomoeba
    1  Flame-Kin Zealot
    4  Golgari Grave-Troll
    1 Terastodon

// Spells
    4  Bridge from Below
    4  Cabal Therapy
    2  Dread Return
    4  Serum Powder
    4  Chalice of the Void
    4  Leyline of the Void
    3  Unmask

// Sideboard
SB: 1  Darkblast
SB: 3  City of Brass
SB: 4 Nature's Claim
SB: 4  Chain of Vapor
SB: 1  Ingot Chewer
SB: 2 Contagion


So i began my first Game against Daniel playing the mirror.
He tried to trick me with showing a Oath-Decklist.
I throw a 1 he a 4

He started with mulligan after mulligan while i kept my starting 7 with bazaar.
I believe i made a mistake when i told him after his 3rd mulligan "Guess we have a mirror match".
Because he lead wit a 2-Card Hand playing Leyline of the Void and Petrified Field

I still had a good hand and played Creature after creature but when he came down to 10 life he finally drew Bazaar an won from there the game.
I beat him down to 4 and he killed me afterwards...

After Sideboarding i kept my starting  7 without Bazaar.
It was Leyline of the Void, Cabal Therapy, 2x Stinkweed Imp, City of Brass, Undiscovered Paradise and Chain of Vapor.
My thought was to therapy myself, going for the long dredge way, while my LotV keeps him busy and his hate would be answered with my Chain...

This happened instead:
I put LotV in play, played City, Therapy myself and say go.
He played Bazaar drew 2 cards adn gave me the turn.
I dredge and pop out Narcomoeba.
He played 2nd Bazaar drew 4 cards and gave me the turn.
I dredged for a second Narcomoeba attacked him with the first and let him go.
From there he drew again found chain for my Leyline and run me over this or the next turn...

After this Game i talked to him a little and come to the conclusion "ALLWAYS MULLIGAN FOR BAZAAR"


The 2nd Round was against Florian playing Oath
I threw a 1, he a 7.
I had a starting hand with no bazaar but Serum Powder.
the same was the second 7-Hand and the 3rd 7-Hand still no bazaar so i mull to 6 still seeing no bazaar. The muligan to 5 made me again believe but:
I had no Outlets and only one bridge left...
I bazaard 2 times but found no dredge
While he gave me 2nd turn Tinker to Sphinx eating my live and giving him HP.
With 32 lifes left i scooped...

The 2nd game i had a starting 5 with Bazaar and Golgari Grave-Troll but none of my SB cards.
I drew nothing relevant and had also no manaland while he played strip mine on my bazaar, Lotus for Demonic Tutor and Relic of Progenitus.
i dredged the Troll but found nothing.

He played Pithing needle and saced relic leaving me with a 5 Hand land and nothing else.

We both play draw-go for a while when i started dredging really slowly, i dredged a Nacromoeba and bring him down to 19.
In the meantime he played Lotus, moxen, mana and hardcasted Sphynx which won him the 2nd game too (He showed my Force of Will...)


Since i was 2-0 behind there was noc chance wor T8 but i played for Experience...

3rd Game was Martin playing Shop.
At this point i was really disapointed with the Deck and my mistakes after debating how boring Ichorid is we continue to play.
I have not much notices but i remember i won the die-roll and his first-turn was Workshop Metallworker, i got a solid 2nd Turn.
While he showed and played Steel Hellkite, Tanglewire and Sphere with help of the Ancient Tomb.
I managed to Dread Return Terastodon eating his mana base and in the next turn with flame-kin zealot, 3 Bridges and enough token i swing for lethal damage.

Why the *** does Ichorid shows his potential when its too late...

Since i was in a strange mod i deceided not to sideboard(!) but won the 2nd Game too
with casting dread return through a sculpting steal aka Loadstone Golemn number 2 on flame-kin
I had also to Mulligan twice, then using Serum Powder to get Bazaar, Bridge and dredgers...


The 4th pairing was against another Martin now with Painter.
1st game i didnt need to mulligan!
Instead i Leylined and Unmasked his painter.
He played land, mox bob but my Terastodon ate his land and mox and swing for the win...
Notice: I learned that when he attacks with the elephant token and i block them, my bridges are still removed, since Leyline says:
"If a card would...", but a token is not a card...

Nevertheless i won!

In the second game i couldnt handle his Leyline and 3rd turn Trinket Maged Pithing Needle

The 3rd game was rough!
I managed to win through double Leyline with Force of Will Backup + Engineered Explosive + Pithing Needle...
Well... he didnt drew business spells for a while but opted to saw about 15 cards through a Senseis Divining Top and Fetchlands...

2:2
Not that bad!

Last Round against Markus ( I believe he was the shop owner or the Organizer, sorry i dont remember)
He is a very gentle person and let me win while i made a terribel mistake in the last game.
I was going for the lethal attack but instead i told him that if i attack he would be dead. He said yes an i thought he gave up.
But i didnt asked him and shuffle my hand and board together while he was looking at me saying: "What are you doing?"
At this moment i understood: "He answered my Question but he didn't gave up..." If he would be in a bad shape i guess i would have had a game loss/match loss...
Thank you for this lesson...

But from the beginning:
I remeber i won the first game in the Ichorid way!
He won the 2nd game with a first turn Blightsteel Colossus.

In the 3rd game i became nervous and made a bad mistake.
I had a GY full of stuff, 3 Bloodghasts, Outlet, Dread Return and a Dakmor Salvage...
Somehow i didnt dredged the Land but the Grave-Troll again...

Until this Situation i started with Chalice for 0 while he played the Leyline.
He played Land and Solring
In the 2nd or turn i bounced his Leyline
He played Mystical Tutor for Tinker at the End of my turn where i responded with Nature's Claim for his Sol-Ring.
After a Cabal-Therapy for his Tinker i saw his Problem:
Lotus and 3 moxen
I cabal thearapied his Leyline and he drew the next turn a fetchland...

The Dread Returned Golgari-Grave Troll and the Zombiearmada was overwhelming but as i stated before.
Next time i will attack unless my opponent will give up...

Another Lession i learned was that when i dread return the Troll, he will be counted for the numbers of creatures in the GY too...


Thats it!
3-2 and place 15 i think...
But a lot of Fun and deeper knowledge with Dredge...

Props to:
Christian Schmitz for a sleepingplace in his appartement.
Arasch Abed for buying 3 Rishadan Ports and Cafe au Late
Demonic Hordes Hessen for the Tourney
Markus for let me win even if he could have opted for his own

Cons:
My Skill in the Mirrormatch
My Deck for beeing ugly when i demand it

Lookin at this Results i came to the following:

The Number of Ichorids is according to the Number of Golgari Thug, since the other Dredgers are there 4 times
so: 2 Ichorid needs at least 2 Golgari Thug and 3 Ichorid needs 3 Golgari Thug
1. You share this Oppinion?

Most of them are playing Darkblast main.
2. Why is Darkblast (pre Sideboard) better then lets say Golgari Thug?
I see Gogari Thug drege one card deeper and features the Ichorid while Darkblast does... ???

3. Is the Number of Dread Return corresponding to the number of Target Creatures?

4. Is Unmask in the Mainboard noticable as the latest Decks used them in a 182-Person Tournament?
I had the oppinion that Unmask belongs in the SB.

5. Fatestitcher seems to be forgottable?

6. 2 Return Targets are the best played Number? I remeber in the earlier days plaing a third one which let you drew more cards...

7. It seems that Petrified Field should earn 2 or 3 slots in the mainboard?


Nevertheless
i plan to play the following List:

4 Chalice of the Void
4 Serum Powder

4 Blood Ghast
4 Bridge from Below
4 Cabal Therapy
1 Darkblast ( or the 3rd Golgari Thug)
2 Dread Return
2 Golgari Thug
2 Ichorid (Maybe 3 Ichorid if i play the 3rd Golgari Thug)
4 Leyline of the Void
4 Stinkweed Imp
3 Unmask (2 If i play 3 Ichorid)

4 Nacromoeba

1 Flame-Kin Zealot

4 Golgari Grave-Troll
1 Terastodon

4 Bazaar of Baghdad
1 Dakmor Salvage
3 Petrified Field
4 Undiscovered Paradise (i need to buy 3 one at the Tourne, wish me luck)

SB:
4 Chain of Vapor
3 City of Brass
2 Contagion
1 Darkblast or Ichorid (Depends on the Mainboard)
1 Ingot Chewer (he dodges Spheres right?)
4 Nature's Claim

According to the latest Tournaments posted at another site (I don't know if i am allowed to name the site) i made the following Table:

	Florence 3/182	Florence4/182	Lindenhurst1/14	Zürich5/33	San Jose 2/14	Osaka4/14	Midlothian3/?	Bloomsburg6/24	Lindenhurst7/20	Sarzana5/22
Artifacts	13.03.2011	13.03.2011	20.02.2011	20.02.2011	20.02.2011	12.02.2011	12.02.2011	22.01.2011	16.01.2011	28.12.2010
Challice of the Void	4		4	4	4		4	3	4	4
Serum Powder	4	4		4	4	4	4	4		4
Black
Bloodghast	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4
Bridge from Below	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4
Cabal Therapy	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4
Darkblast	1		1	1	1	1		1	1
Dread Return	2	3	2	3	2	4	2	2	2	3
Golgari Thug	2	3	2	2	2	4	1	1	2	3
Ichorid	2	3	4	3	2	4	2	4	4	3
Leyline of the Void	4		4	4	4		4	4	4
Stinkweed Imp	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4
Street Wraith							4			4
Unmask	3	4				3				4
Blue
Breakthrough						2
Chain of Vapor							1
Fatestitcher		3
Nacromoeba	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4
Gold
Angel of Despair								1		1
Flame-Kin Zealot	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2
Green
Golgari Grave-Troll	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4
Nature's Claim					2			2
Terastodon	1	1	1						1
Crop Rotation			4						4	1
Red
Ancient Grudge		1
White
Iona, Shield of Emeria		1			1	1
Sun Titan				1
Lands
Bazaar of Baghdad	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4
Cephalid Coliseum					2
City of Brass		2	4	2	2	1	3	3	4	4
Dakmor Salvage	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	1
Gemstone Mine						2	1
Petrified Field	3	2		2				2
Undiscovered Paradise	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	4	3
Sideboard
Ancient Grudge	2	2		1		2				3
Chain of Vapor	3	3	4	4	4		3	3	4	2
Chalice of the Void						3
City of Brass	3			2	2		1
Contagion	2	2
Firestorm								2
Darkblast		1	3	1	2		2		3
Ichorid	1
Ingot Vhewer										3
Iona, Shield of Emeria							1	1
Leyline of Sanctity				4		3	3	3
Leyline of the Void		4			3					4
Nature's Claim	4	3	4	3	2	2	3	2	4
Petrified Field								1
Pithing Needle					2	2
Serenity								3
Unmask			4		3		2		4
Wispmare										3

Next weekend is a local qualifier for Bazaar of moxen.
This is what i plan to play:

// Lands
    4  Bazaar of Baghdad
    4  City of Brass
    1  Dakmor Salvage
    4  Undiscovered Paradise
    2  Petrified Field

// Creatures
    4 [DDC] Stinkweed Imp
    4  Golgari Thug
    4  Bloodghast
    3  Ichorid
    4  Narcomoeba
    1  Flame-Kin Zealot
    4  Golgari Grave-Troll
    2  Fatestitcher
    1  Angel of Despair

// Spells
    4  Bridge from Below
    4  Cabal Therapy
    2  Dread Return
    4  Serum Powder
    4  Chalice of the Void

// Sideboard
SB: 4  Leyline of the Void
SB: 3  Nature's Claim
SB: 4  Chain of Vapor
SB: 2  Darkblast
SB: 2  Unmask




As mentionend earlier this is my expection:

Workshop with 25% of the field,
Tezzeret-Controll with 40%,
Ichorid with 15%
Fish 10%
Combo 10%

Now for the debate:
a) No LotV mainboard
b) 3 Ichorid instead of 2 (for the better chance against Workshop)
c) 2 Unmask in the SB seems random but what instead (or what to change for 4 Unmask SB)
d) No Titan and Serinity
e) only 2 Petrified Field
f) 2 Fatestitcher in the main to boost my own game

Any critique is welcome!
What are your sb-choices for Tez-Controll?
What are your sb-choices for Workshop?
How often did the mainboard LotV really help?

Sometimes i fizzle when mulligan for Bazaar...
Have you made any experience under which circumstances you mulligan do to which size of hand?
I mean do you say: "Against shop i mulligan only down to 4 or 3"?

hmm...

So i address the mirror and the combo games...
Let's say these metadecks together would be 25% of the field
paired with the chance to have a LotV on the starting hand (7%)
you get a 1,66% Chance that you have LotV online when you need it...
doesn't seem noticeable...

But if 65% of the meta heavily relies on artifacts its a good idea to address them at first place...

Except Tezzert-Controll and Workshop have a more worse matchup pre sideboard than mirror/combo

i guess i answered my question myself...

I should play LotV main because those games which can beat ichorid pre sb are combo and mirror.
Workshop and controll have a worse matchup pre sb so i don't need to address them especially...

EDIT:

Hmm...
Why isn't Fatestitcher anymore played?
He boosts the game and could be played over LotV.
He doesnt disrupt my Opponent like LotV does, but he boosts my own game which can adress the combo/mirror deck and also a first turn tinkered Blightsteel colussus...
Has Fatestitcher turned into a win-more-option??? or is he not that fast as i have in memory?

I read carefully this thread an want to adress one thing:

Why do i need the 4 Leyline of the Void?

The mirrormatch?
The fight against combo?

I want to test for Bazaar of Moxen and plan to play Ichorid.
Therefore i am currently building a decklist where i want to adress the following Expection:
Workshop with 25% of the field,
Tezzeret-Controll with 40%, 
Ichorid with 15%
Fish 10%
Combo 10%

I think -4 LotV +3rd and 4th Ichorid +1 Natures Claim +3rd Dread Return would be a good answer if i expect the field like explained before.
What do you think?

So in the case i have necro and my opponent has memory jar and i am the active player:
i try to "draw" 10 cards.
My opponent sacrifices the memory jar (as i understood it doesent matter if he does it in response or not):

at the end of my turn i will get the cards back set aside with memory jar and then i will get the 10 cards from necro?
since both effects are "at the end" and it goes APNAP

<top>
memory jar (Opponent as non active player)
necro (me as active player)
<bottom>

resolving from top to bottom...

Hello,

I want to know something:
When does which effect end?

A Basic question:
I play Dredge and have 2 Bridge from Below im my Graveyard

Bridge from Below:
Whenever a nontoken creature is put into your graveyard from play, if Bridge from Below is in your graveyard, put a 2/2 black Zombie creature token into play.  When a creature is put into an opponent’s graveyard from play, if Bridge from Below is in your graveyard, remove Bridge from Below from the game.

Im in my turn and i am going to attack with two Ichorids and my opponent is blocking with 2 1/1 Creatures.
How is deceided which Creatures will go in the GY first?
What happens if my opponent has 2 Bridge from Below in his Graveyard too?


A 2nd Question similar to the first one:
I have a Necropotence and a Memory Jar in play

Necropotence:
Skip your draw step. ; If you would discard a card, discard it, but remove that card from the game instead of putting it into your graveyard. ; Pay 1 life: Remove the top card of your library from the game face down.  Put that card into your hand at the end of your turn.

Memory Jar:
,Sacrifice Memory Jar: Each player removes his or her hand from the game face down and draws seven cards.  At end of turn, each player discards his or her hand and returns to his or her hand each card he or she removed from the game this way.

If i use the Mameory Jar and the use the Necro effect. What will happen at the end of my turn?
May i stack them both as i want since i am the controller of both?
What would happen if i have the Jar and my opponent has necro?
Case a) i sac jar in my turn b) i sac jar in my opponents turn?

I see there are many abilities in the deck but some are not so clear to me:

Time Vault:
Errata:  Time Vault comes into play tapped. ; If Time Vault would become untapped, instead choose one - untap Time Vault and you skip your next turn; or Time Vault remains tapped. ; : Take an extra turn after this one. [Oracle 2006/07/14]

How can i achieve unlimited turns?
As far as i can see i need Ring of Brigthearth and 2 Mana?

First i skip my next turn to untap time vault. Now i immediately tap him to take my extra turn. Then i pay 2 mana and copy the effect of getting an extra turn.
this make one timewalk netto?

Another one what about the thing with infinite pentavus token?
How does he interact with the ring?

Can i do the following:
i pay 1 to remove a counter from pentavus, After that i pay 1 to put the token back as a +1/+1 counter on the pentavus.
With ring on board i pay 2 to copy the effect so he is now a 6/6 instead of a 5/5?

Monolith; Rings:
This was stated in the first posting and doesn't make any sense to me.
since the ring says:
Whenever you play an activated ability, if it isn't a mana ability, you may pay 2. If you do, copy that ability. You may choose new targets for the copy.
So the only thing i can copy is the untap ability of the monolith? so i pay 5 mana 3 + 2 from ring to untap the monolith twice? how do i stack this thing?
i tap monolith to get 3 mana then i use this 3 mana to untap him, i pay another 2 mana to copy this effect. with this on the stack i tap him to gain 3 mana again?

the state was also:
Monolith; Rings + Top/Staff/Win (5 mana needed on turn 2)
???

One of the hard-to-understand things is this:
"Activate the "draw a card" ability on Top copy it.  In response to the copy, Activate Totem targeting the tapped Top.  Resolve Rings and copy the ability targeting something of your opponents.
Now the stack resolves. You steal the card totem takes a trip to the other side of the board.  Then the totem comes back to you trading them the tapped top. Now the top ability resolves last and the top goes to YOUR library. You draw a card and if you copied the ability you then draw the top."


the stack would be like this:
1. draw a card with top
2. draw a card due to ring copying the top
3. exchange totem with top
4. Resolve Rings and copy the ability targeting something of your opponents --> i cant let it resolve (Resolve Rings), since it isn't on top of the stack. the top of my stack is to exchange totem with top

May anyone enlighten me???

No its Mana Crypt what i mean...

Mana Crypt gives you a win of 2 Mana.
Sol Ring just of one
(the moment they are played)

From your latest list i cut 1 more moat so the total number is 1.
Also the enlightened tutor gave me more opportunities like your allready used serenity, but i included also:
+1 Mystic Remora
+1 Back to Basic
+1 Tormods Crypt
+1 Energy Flux
-1 Meddling Mage
-1 Moat
-1 Echoing Truth
-1 Chrome Mox

i also replaced the Mana Crypt with Sol Ring

i think i have now more flexibility for unknown decks..

Shopdecks don't like the back to basic, Serenity and energy flux.
Ichorids don't like back to basic and crypt
and the mystic Remora is against other controll or combodecks or discarddecks like those with 4 duress, 3 thoughtseize...

So far from testing i can say that i like the single Remora very much.
I would also like to have space for timetwister since i often had situations where i was far away from having the right answer to something, or my best answer allready was played...
(Like tormods crypt)
maybe energyflux is not needed with Serenity but this is something i have to test further, since Serenity is a onetimebomb and energyflux is a constant thread

From the games i allready played i found out that the meddling Mage isn't that kind of mustplay, that you need 4 of them. I mean its nice to have him but its not needed. He isn't that versatile answer to a number of decks.

Also the manabase is some kind of shaggy.
Somehow i would like to have room for more mana. (I have to say that i didn't even tested the version with Chrome Mox, since i don't like this card in a controll deck)
Also i think the one extra mana you win from the Manacrypt isn't that worth loosing random life, so the solring is doing his job fine.

This are some archegroups of draw engines:

the point drawers:
demonic tutor, vampy, enlightened tutor...

the onetime big drawers:
(Drain powered Stroke of genius, intuition / AC, FactOrFiction)

the onetime small drawers:
Brainstorm, thirst, impulse

the consistens smalldrawers
howling mine, bazaar draw engine like it is used in dragon

the consistent bigdrawers
bazaar drwa like in ichorid (dredge)

First we have to choose which archetype it has to be, then we should consider the special draw engine...
if the core would be 4 oath, 4 orchard, 2 tyrann, 24 manas maybe the whole deck should be redesigned...
the oath has to be asap on the table! in that case a point drawer would be a lot better

Also it might be a good idea to include more tutors,
Living wishes could find the orchard also and the living wish could fetch a creture with an ability that helps you on your way to get the enchantment... With grim tutors you can find oath a lot faster but it would need a colour change