10-Proxy TPS help

[Doomsday]

Looking for help tuning my TPS list for a 10 proxy environment.  I own zero power, so right now my 10 proxies are Power 9 + Grim Tutor.

List is:

Creatures
1 Inkwell Leviathan

Artifacts
1 Black Lotus*
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Memory Jar
1 Mox Emerald*
1 Mox Jet*
1 Mox Pearl*
1 Mox Ruby*
1 Mox Sapphire*
1 Sol Ring

Enchantments
1 Necropotence
1 Yawgmoth's Bargain

Instants
1 Ancestral Recall*
1 Brainstorm
2 Cabal Ritual
4 Dark Ritual
1 Fact or Fiction
4 Force of Will
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Rebuild
1 Vampiric Tutor

Sorceries
1 Demonic Tutor
4 Duress
1 Infernal Contract
1 Grim Tutor*
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mind's Desire
1 Ponder
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Time Walk*
1 Timetwister*
1 Tinker
1 Yawgmoth's Will

Land
1 Island
1 Snow-Covered Island
1 Swamp
1 Snow-Covered Swamp
4 Polluted Delta
4 Underground Sea
1 Tolarian Academy

Sideboard
4 Phyrexian Negator
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Rebuild
2 Extirpate
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Helm of Obedience
1 Engineered Explosives

The Infernal Contract is there because my 10 proxies are used up so I can't use Imperial Seal.  I considered Windfall and Meditate and thought the Contract was better.

Keeping this 10-proxy, any ideas for Infernal Contract replacements?
Do I have 1 land too many?  If so, what would you replace one of them with?

When I change it for 15/infinite-proxy:
I will replace Infernal Contract with Imperial Seal.
Should I add more Grim Tutors?  In place of what?

Other suggestions?  Glaring sideboard weaknesses that you see?


Any and all help is appreciated.  Thanks

[Thegreatgonzo]

First, infernal contract is not that hot. If you can't get seal, maybe a misdirection will do. The threath/protection ratio might get off balance, but it seems better than playing contract, in my opinion.
Your maindeck bounce suite can't deal with a resolve teeg. It's ok if your meta is drain vs stax, but if you expect non artifact locks, you might want echoing truth. chalice at 2 is not a real problem for tps.

Also, I think you need one or two more basics in the side. They grant inevitability against wasteland.deck. I'll probably trade the 2 extirpate for 1 island and a jailer.

I think 1 grim tutor is the right number.

[mmcgeach]

You probably want at least 1 SB card against fish.  I'd suggest INFEST.  It kills everything you care about : Teeg, Mindcensor, Pridemage, and Canonist.  If EE is in the SB for fish, maybe pull that for infest (if it's there for oath... i dunno).  I don't like Rebuild in the board, either.  You've got a lot of SB against stax now anyway (4 leyline, 1 helm, 1 basic, 3 bounce... you can't even side out that much stuff)

The above poster makes a good point - i'd include a main deck chain of vapor over the infernal contract.  Chain builds hot storm and provides utility.  I feel like chain/hurkyls/rebuild are all storm enablers that have potential double uses.  Running all three is ok.  I should mention I haven't tested Contract...

I think most lists run 5 fetchs and fewer duals.  Maybe that doesn't matter too much, tho.  But 5 fetches/3 u.sea is much more common.

[Doomsday]

Thanks for the input so far guys.  My logic in not including CoV in the main was that Chalice will be set @ 1 vs this deck, and that CoV can't do anything to Inkwell.  If Teeg resolves my plan is to find Tinker.  I can see how that's flimsy.  I'll try Infest over Engineered Explosives in the board also.  I wanted to put Echoing Truth in the board as additional bounce that will work better vs Oath and Goblins (and also Teeg) too but couldn't find room.  I'll try replacing Rebuild like was suggested.

I also have to scoop to an activated Jester's Cap or that Goblin if I didn't put Negators in (which I don't vs Stax or Goblins obv).  Any suggestions for that?

Do people think my 13 land is OK?  I usually see 12.

Any other draw that you would suggest over Infernal Contract?  I can see subbing CoV in for my extra land but I'm hesitant to replace card draw with bounce.  It seems like I'm light on business as it is compared to other lists, without the Seal and additional Grim Tutor(s).  I guess the Fact or Fiction isn't in all of the lists though so it might balance out. 

Thanks again!

[Thegreatgonzo]

about jester's cap : it's only a real matter if, and only if :

1 : they have 6 manas to cast and activate on the very same turn (otherwise you just have to tutor for your tendrils)
2 : it does not get duressed or countered
3 : they are still alive when all this happens.

i think it's not a real problem. plus, you can actually side in negators against stax if you feel confortable with that, they probably sided out all sources of direct damage and blockers.

oh, and infest is a good choice, even if i prefer a single slaughter pact (infest is better if your meta is loaded with chalices)
good luck, and have fun

[Ten-Ten]

Hmm, I also have a TPS deck with 10 proxies but i playtested and ran a Cruel Bargain, which is a alternate print of Infernal Contract from the Portal set, and I too found it better than Windfall. At some point i even had Cruel tutor in place of a single Grim tutor! Didn't work out like i thought   I eventually cut Cruel Bargain/tutor from my list in place for Thirst for knowledge/Intuition. Both can be pitched to Force of will when Cruel tutor/C.Bargain/I.Contract can't. Another alternative would be to go with Gush, though it would depend on your meta. You could loose big time tempo using Gush against all of the Stax/MUD decks out there. Again, Gush also pitches to Force of will. Currently I am working on a non-proxie TPS and although many have advised me to go the Ad Nauseam combo route, I refuse because TPS and ANT play so much differently. I enjoy both equally but I enjoy not having the pressure of a turn one win and I am most familliar with most of TPS lines of play. Here's my deck list, hope it helps:

main deck:
4 polluted delta
1 bloodstained mire
1 Tolarian Academy
2 island
2 swamp
3 underground sea

4 chrome mox
1 lotus petal
1 mana crypt
1 lion's eye diamond
1 mana vault
1 sol ring
1 sensei's divining top
1 memory jar
1 darksteel colossus

1 gush
1 thirst for knowledge
1 intuition
1 ponder
1 brainstorm
1 fact or fiction
1 gifts ungiven
1 merchant scroll
1 mystical tutor
1 tinker
1 mind's desire
1 misdirection
1 chain of vapor
1 echoing truth
4 force of will

2 cabal ritual
4 dark ritual
1 demonic tutor
4 duress
2 tendrils of agony
1 vampiric tutor
1 yawgmoth's will
1 necropotence
1 yawgmoth's bargain

sideboard:
2 tormod's crypt
2 pithing needle
1 mana web
1 damping matrix
1 engineered explosives
1 sundering titan
2 hurkyl's recall
1 darkblast
1 massacre
3 yixlid jailer

The sideboard is still not how i would like it though, i am constantly tweeking here and there.
I wanted slaughter pact in place of Darkblast but i like taking care of all of the Gorillas,BOBs, and Welders in the late game as opposed to the one time use i get from slaughter pact. Again, this is my non-proxy decklist and i don't own P9. So far this is what i have. If i had my proxies in it, I would definately add a Seal instead of grim tutor and keep thirst for knowledge or gush for draw. intuition works for me, give it a try and let me know what you think. Also, I would leave out the timetwister or any other draw7 for that matter in the current meta with all the mana drain.decks around...