[Deck] Another blue deck

[Jura]

There are no proxy vintage tourneys in my area that I know of, but there's quite a few vintage players thankfully (some better than others). Quite aggro heavy at times, though.

This is my deck as it is sitting in the deck box at the moment. I haven't played in months.

2x Morphling
4x Ophidian

1x Brainstorm
4x Counterspell   
1x Fact or Fiction   
4x Force of Will   
4x Mana Drain   
1x Mystical Tutor

1x Isochron Scepter
1x Lotus Petal
1x Mox Sapphire
4x Powder Keg
1x Sol Ring
4x Vedalken Shackles
2x Skullclamp

3x Flooded Strand   
14x Island
3x Polluted Delta
1x Strip Mine
4x Wasteland

I'm thinking of removing perhaps two land (Wasteland likely?) and I wish to have more draw/counters. Daze, Force Spike, Gainsay, Mana Leak, and Spell Snare are possible. I seem to have a strong preference to Spell Snare. Card drawing/search could be Arcanis the Omnipotent, Landstill, Fabricate, Merchant Scroll, Ponder, and/or Stroke of Genius? In a few months hopefully I'll have Ancestral Recall. Thieving Magpie would be possilbe, too, but I tend to Powder Keg often for 0, 1, 2, and 4. The single Isochron Scepter is to help my hand from being burned.

Sideboard could use some updating as well.

3x Back to Basics
4x Propaganda
4x Blue Elemental Blast
4x Energy Flux

Blue Elemental Blast because I find red to be fairly common. Energy Flux could be a possible problem now. I've been hoping the deck would be flexible enough for both a light tourney and casual.

[mans0011]

You run 15 artifacts. Would tinker and Darksteel Colossus be too much to fit in? Daze is more of a tempo card and you don't seem like you're going for the tempo approach. Ophidian is nice and all, but I like creatures that actually deal damage and draw you the card. I mean I guess his back end is nice and he dodges your explosives. Also, with your artifact count, I'm surprised there is no Tolarian Academy or Academy ruins, I understand that you have Back to Basics in the sideboard, but main board they seem powerful. Recurring kegs or shackles that get dealt with is nice. Tapping for lots of mana is also nice. /shrug. Just some thoughts.

[Jura]

2x Guile
4x Trinket Mage

1x Brainstorm
4x Counterspell
1x Echoing Truth (later on Ancestral Recall)
4x Force of Will
4x Mana Drain
1x Mystical Tutor
1x Ponder
1x Stroke of Genius
4x Thirst for Knowledge   

4x Engineered Explosives
1x Isochron Scepter
1x Mox Emerald
1x Mox Jet
1x Mox Pearl
1x Mox Ruby
1x Mox Sapphire
4x Vedalken Shackles   

4x Flooded Strand
12x Island Buy   
1x Strip Mine
2x Wasteland

Trinket Mage to fetch off color Moxen and Engineered Explosives. Too much land or not enough I don't know. This isn't how the deck is now, but what'll be later on...

Sideboard incase the Shackles or EE are excessive.

4x Blue Elemental Blast   
2x Trickbind
3x Back to Basics
2x Declaration of Naught
4x Propaganda

[Legendre]

If you're going to run 4 Trinket Mage, it might be nice to expand his toolbox.  Pithing Needles and Tormod's Crypt might be helpful, but if you take on a lot of aggro then maybe Aether Spellbomb or Pyrite Spellbomb could be better.  In the case of those last two, you can always just give your mage a cantrip for 2 mana.  I find this is occasionally helpful in situations when there is no particular silver bullet I need.

Another thought--Guile is fair but you might be better served by Tezzeret.  Maybe you don't want to go that direction, but if you can force him down then I imagine he would be a more effective win condition than guile.  Also gotta second mans' opinion--Tinker/DSC seems a pretty clear improvement.  Tolarian Academy as well.

Good call on switching out Powder Keg for Engineered Explosives, although you might get more mileage out of it if you could find a place for more non blue mana sources besides the moxen.  It might even be worth having a sprinkle of another color and some duals to get with the Flooded Strand.  Besides whatever advantage you might garner from the new colored cards themselves, the synergy boost with EE will be noticeable.  I would question effectiveness of EE in a monocolored deck, with only moxen to explode the larger threats.

Vedalken Shackles seem an odd fit to me.

Okay, well I'm no expert but that's my input.  Good luck with your build.

[Jura]

Perhaps I could sideboard a Shackle or two, but I've had luck with it. If Powder Keg is a bit slow and EE is risky, know of any other options?

I would almost cringe if I had DSC in my hand, but I guess that's what Thirst for Knowledge can help with.

[Legendre]

Don't sweat DSC.  With TFK having it in hand is pretty much a non-issue.  Could you explain how the Isochron typically plays into your strategy? 

There are so many superior options to Counterspell, I think you should consider before resorting to it.  Negate, Spell Snare are common ones, but for a little more mana Cryptic Command is powerful in mono-blue.

Could probably stand 1 or 2 more land.

Generic board control instead of EE/Keg?  Hmm lemme get back to you on that one.

[nineisnoone]

If you're looking for board control options (assuming you are talking about creatures) Control Magic and Threads of Disloyalty are the best you can get (and additionally really good) in a blue deck.  For me it depends on how much power you run.  The more power the more I like Control Magic. 

There are better wins than Guild (you could even just go for Morphling).  And I don't think Scepter +  counters is really good enough.  I would go Counter-Top before I went Scepter-Drain. 

Back to Basics in the main deck is (imo) one of the strongest reasons to play mono-blue.

[Jura]

As much as I love options, Cryptic Command is pretty mana pricey even for picking two. Isochron Scepter so I can still counter if my hand is running low or if I wish to save cards. How's Trickbind?

I think Morphling is what I'll go back to, nineisnoone. Even though I can counter after I end my turn when I cast it, I eventually don't need it's ability. I main board B2B when when I know I'll be playing certain places. ^^