Possible non-Portal Grim Tutor replacements in IT

[ICUP]

Play quite a bit of Type I, but haven't touched combo since Rector-Trix. Then I fell in love with TNT, and have been stuck on Control Slaver variants ever since.

Always tended to avoid combo, especially storm combo because,

1. Allergic to long turns (for either player...) To this day I always feel a slight pang of guilt when I resolve a Will.
2. Resolving complex game situations with tutors is not one of my strong suits. Its sad, but I'll always play Fact or Fiction or Intuition over Gifts because I can't handle choosing four unique cards. Never had a problem with decisions involving a fistfull counterspells...or playing the tempo game with a Fish deck...but tutoring at the wrong time or for the wrong card will often cost me games. 

Yet, the metagame (Oulu, Finland) here tends to be equal parts Fish, Oath and combo, so I figured I'd build an IT deck and play it for a week or two, just to get a feel for it, as I am sure the deck will eventually make an appearance up here.

The problem? No Grim Tutors, no inclination to trade for or buy them. Have a fairly complete collection, just no 'Starter' set tutors.

What are the best replacements? If there is an objective list of tutors, from good to bad, where do Grim Tutors fall? And, yes, I know that some tutors are more appropriate for some deck types than others....

The restricted usual suspects make most lists,

Demonic Tutor
Vampiric Tutor
Mystical Tutor


But what could replace the 3cc Sorcery Grim Tutor? Leaving aside Portal and the Wishes, the each alternative tutor has failings.

Expensive:
Diabolic Tutor
Gifts Ungiven....

Card selection too limited:
Merchant Scroll
Impulse

Messy:
Demonic Consultation (and Spoils)
Desperate Research

Conditional:
Rhystic Tutor (although this might work in this fish heavy, Drain-light environment)
Infernal Tutor

But I am just a bit too unfamiliar with the the 'rhythm' of IT to be able to identify which weaknesses are most acceptable in these alternative tutors? Perhaps there are some I missed, or perhaps there is no alternative. (ie, replacing Grim Tutor is like trying to replace Ancestrall Recall....)

My own inclinations are towards Rhystic Tutor, and if that is just too terrible, I would probably just fill the slots with Impulse or perhaps a couple wishes.

Are there any other tutors out there that I am missing that may be an 'good enough' replacement for Grim Tutor?

[Hi-Val]

I know that some of the guys ran Perplex as well.

[Moxlotus]

You can't play the deck without them.  You need a minimum of 3 or 2 + a Perplex.  The deck simply doesn't work without them.  We tried Rhystic Tutor in the past and it was terrible.

There simply is no replacement for them.  The deck could not exist without them.

[warble]

The deck simply doesn't work without them.

Yes, no matter what other tutor if it's not hard it cannot fetch both black lotus and yawgmoth's will.  If you find a replacement it must be able to find both of those two cards.  The next important card would be duress.  No matter what other tutor you are talking about it doesn't place one of those two cards in hand...so it's the suck when it comes to combo.

The problem here is that those two cards are restricted.  No 4-of tutor is going to replace that.  If you try all you're going to do is reproduce draw7 tendrils and all the failings that draw7 tendrils has.

[Lamanai]

I've tried this multiple ways.  I really liked the idea of Rhystic Tutor.  Then I played it.  I totally sucked.  Trust me:  Avoid that one.  You do, however absolutely need three hard tutors for the deck to work.

I've had pretty decent luck with Diabolic Tutor.  It's expense doesn't come into play very often.  You recognize the problem when you can't Rit-Tutor on Turn one, but after that, Diabolic is a very functional replacement.

I've taken first in two tournaments (one with 30+ players) with Diabolics in IT.  They're right, that you really don't want to replace the Grims, but it can be done effectively.  Even replacing the Grims with Diabolics the deck is truly broken.  It's still worth playing.  I'd say go for it.  It's too good a deck, and too much fun to ignore it just becase you lack the Grim Tutors.

[Prometheon]

Tainted Pact is an often overlooked pseudo tutor, but it's very unpredictable