[Deck Discussion] Jace Aggro Control

[beder]

Hi all,

PS : sorry for my imperfect english, message from France

First, some thoughts that lead me to build this build.

- The more I play with it, the more I like Jace the mind scuptor. Having a look at the evolution of today's blue deck, I feel like I am not the only one . It started with 1 jace in blue decks, then 2 and now I sometimes see 3 of it in some builds.

- Quasali pridemage is a tremendous control card that has the benefits of dealing damages.

- More than a mana accelerator, Noble hierarch is excellent when it comes to quickly access to 3 or 4 mana.

- In today's meta, Trygon predator is a solution - or at least an interesting option - to many decks. And against many others, it can be part of a mana denial plan.

- Umezawa jitte is a very versatile card, being at the same time a clock and a very fine solution to aggro decks. Generally, the pb with it is that it is often too mana intensive for fish decks.

- With spellpierce being everywhere around, creatures that disrupts are pretty good cause this is a difficult disruption to disrupt (clear? ). Among them, glen elendra is according to me one of the best solution in order to prevent the opponent from resolving one key spell of T1 (yawgmoth, tinker, oath, ...), especially when a deck produces lot of mana. And at the same time, it deals damage and creates card advantage. Like it.

.... with this in mind, I built an aggro control deck that I like a lot and that perhaps could interest some other deck builders of TheManaDrain.

I am pretty sure that this deck can be optimized, so feel free to react. This is an open discussion.



--  JAC - Jace Aggro Control V1.1 ------------------------------------------------
// Updates from V1.0
-1 Mana drain
-1 Trygon predator
+1 Glen elendra
+ 1 Umezawa jitte

// Lands x17 (this is the typical mana base of noble fish)
    4 Misty Rainforest
    2 Flooded Strand
    3 Tropical Island
    2 Tundra
    1 Island
    1 Forest
    
    3 Wasteland
    1 Strip Mine

// Creatures
    4 Noble Hierarch    
    4 Qasali Pridemage
    3 Trygon Predator
    3 Glen Elendra Archmage

// Mana accelerators (the full package)
    1 Black Lotus
    1 Mox Pearl
    1 Mox Emerald
    1 Mox Sapphire
    1 Mox Jet
    1 Mox Ruby
    1 Mana Crypt
    1 Sol Ring

// Protection and disruption => simple but efficent
    4 Force of Will
    4 Spell Pierce
    3 Mana Drain

// Draw and Board control (big creature)
    4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

// Clock and Board control (small creature)
    3 Umezawa's Jitte

    1 Ancestral Recall
    1 Brainstorm
    1 Time Walk

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

This build is pretty simple : "board control + disruption + clock" based on huge and fast mana producers, in order to be able to quickly play the mana intensive key spells.

Board Control package is made of :
- waste and strip for lands
- jace for big creature (or even small ones),
- umezawa for small creatures,
- quasali and trygon for artifact and enchantment

Disruption package is made of :
- 11 counters : fow and spell pierce for early game, drain for mid and late game
- 3 glen elendra for mid/late game

Clock package is made of :
- The exhalted creatures
- Umezawa
... and this is most of the time sufficent

Card advantage is mainly based on the 4 jaces. One may also consider that Trygoon or Glen elendra are part of the card advantage package.


/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

What's funny with this deck is the tempo. This is a very smooth and continuous tempo, with key plays at the different moments of the game :
- spell pierce, noble, fow and strip effect for early game,
- quasali, trygon, drain and umezawa for early/mid game,
- jace and glen elendra for mid/late game .

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Matchups

- Shop : the deck has a built-in ability to handle efficently shops decks. With 17 lands, the full moxes package and 4 noble, that's really a lot of mana. Then, with 4 quasali main and 4 trygoon main, that's a lot of main disruption. Finally, 4 drains help accessing the 4CC spells, even under multiple spheres.

- Tezz/Oath (Oath, Keyvault and Tinker) : the deck also has a built-in ability to handle efficently oath. Even if trygon cannot be considered has a 100% reliable solution - cause sometimes too late - it definitely is an interesting option.  
When it comes to Key+Vault : quasali shines, trygon helps and glen elendra may seal the deal. Finally and regarding Tinker/Robot, 4 jace is a reliable out (except against inkwell...).
More generally, against Tezz or Oath, the key is Jace and this deck's ability to play one very quickly. Indeed, even with the 12 counters package+2 glen elendra, if you are out drawed, it will often be difficult to win (the clock  of this deck - through aggro mode - is reliable but not as fast as builds with tarmogoyf. This is particularly true against Tezz builds using dark conf. Those may be a difficult matchup cause spellpierce does not help preventing darkconf and umezawa may arrive too late.

- Fish and Aggro : the key is umezawa (except against noble fish that has many tools to get rid of umezawa). Their mana denial plan may be painfull but noble hierarch helps a lot. Against tarmos, Jace is also pretty usefull but may not be sufficent. Globally, this matchup is  a difficult one, which would requires attention in the sideboard.

- Storm : well, this is a difficult matchup, as for any control decks that does not have a combo mode. Should be adressed in sideboard through at least 2 or 3 mindbreak trap. This is even a card I hesitated to put in main : given the huge number of mana of this deck, hardcasting it is not so difficult.

- Dredge : dredge is dredge. At least this deck has 4 strips effects main and the capacility of sacrificing creatures. But it definitely needs at least 6 slots in board (pithing needle, leyline, tormods, ...)

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Feel free to react, I am sure this build can be improved, even if it already works pretty well.

Cheers,

Nicolas

[beder]

After some discussions, exchanges and reflexions on the french T1 website Solomoxen - thanks Quentin - some interesting changes have been made to the original build I was testing since 2 weeks :

- 1 Tolarian
+1 Island

- 1 Glen
- 1 Trygon
- 3 umezawa

+ 2 Vendillion Clique
+ 1 Tinker
+ 1 Mystical
+ 1 Inkwell


----------------------------------------------------------------------
// JAC - Jace Agro Control V1.2

// Lands
    4 Misty Rainforest
    3 Flooded Strand
    2 Tropical Island
    2 Tundra
    1 Island
    1 Forest
    3 Wasteland
    1 Strip Mine

// Creatures
    4 Noble Hierarch
    4 Qasali Pridemage

    2 Trygon Predator
    2 Vendilion Clique
    2 Glen Elendra Archmage

    1 Inkwell Leviathan

// Spells
    1 Black Lotus
    1 Mox Pearl
    1 Mox Emerald
    1 Mox Sapphire
    1 Mox Jet
    1 Mox Ruby
    1 Mana Crypt
    1 Sol Ring

    4 Force of Will
    4 Spell Pierce
    3 Mana Drain

    4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

    1 Ancestral Recall
    1 Brainstorm
    1 Mystical Tutor
    1 Time Walk
    1 Tinker

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

It does not change the main strengths of the deck but make it smoother and add a plan B - tinker=>robot :
- The mana base is still very solid and important, allowing to deal with spheres effect and/or waste
- The inclusion of vendillion, a versatile card, gives interesting options : kamikazing in front of an attacking dark-conf or lodestone, replacing umezawa as another clock component and disrupting.
- The inclusion of the tinker package, provides a plan B that is not as reliable as in decks with the full tutor package, but that is still and efficent plan. Against noble fish and shops, this is a very interesting option. Against blue control, it is also an efficent option, as soon as you have on board a quasali to control the key/vault combo.

In the end, those changes improves significantly the main.

[beder]

Even if it seems like this build/thread does not get a lot of interest from the The Mana Drain community , I keep you in touch of the latest evolutions of this deck tested over the last 3 weeks and under discussion on solomoxen.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
// JAC - Jace Aggro Control V1.3

// Lands
    4 Misty Rainforest
    2 Flooded Strand
    2 Tropical Island
    2 Tundra
    2 Island
    1 Forest
    3 Wasteland
    1 Strip Mine

// Creatures
    4 Noble Hierarch
    3 Qasali Pridemage
    3 Trygon Predator
    
    2 Cold-Eyed Selkie

    2 Glen Elendra Archmage

    1 Inkwell Leviathan

// Spells
    1 Black Lotus
    1 Mox Pearl
    1 Mox Emerald
    1 Mox Sapphire
    1 Mox Jet
    1 Mox Ruby
    1 Mana Crypt
    1 Sol Ring

    4 Force of Will
    4 Spell Pierce
    2 Mana Drain
    2 Mindbreak Trap

    3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

    1 Ancestral Recall
    1 Brainstorm
    1 Mystical Tutor
    1 Time Walk
    1 Tinker

// Sideboard
SB: 3 Nature's Claim
SB: 2 Sower of Temptation
SB: 2 Pithing Needle
SB: 2 Tormod's Crypt
SB: 2 Relic of Progenitus
SB: 2 Serenity
SB: 2 Swords to Plowshares

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Sure this modest build does not really look impressive, sure it cannot win through key/vault and sure it does not have access to some of the most broken spells. But in the end it works pretty well, so I like it  

Cheers

Nicolas

[AmbivalentDuck]

Is there a compelling reason not to run the Jace aggro-control list that pulled 1st and 2nd at Gencon?  It looks like you're trying to stop broken instead of just being broken.

[beder]

Well, I don't have a direct answer to your question. In fact, I started testing this list days before GenCon (and created this thread before GenCon results). Neverthless, it's funny to notice that different builds, with different approaches/tactics/strategies, share some similar inspirations/components. But those still have very different gameplans.

If I were caricatural, I could say that one could have asked the same question as yours, 6 month ago regarding noble fish (for instance) : "Is there a compelling reason not to run the Tezz list that works so well?  It looks like you're trying to stop broken instead of just being broken."

Even if this build and the one you are talking about share some cards (Jace and Trygon), they are according to me significantly  different. This one has definitely a more important aggro dimension and relies strongly on those creatures to disrupt opponent. Right now, I have the feeling that the "disrupting creature options" are sufficently versatile, efficent and at the same time threatening, to perhaps make them a better option than - or at least one as good as - the disrupted options.

PS : I don't know if my answer is clear. English not being my mother tongue, it may be difficult to clearly illustrate my state of mind.

[beder]

Last update

Removing the 2 mindbreak trap for 2 aven mindcensor. This improves the aggro matchup and provides an interesting control option against those broken plays allowed by tutors. Then, it is also part of the mana denial plan. And in this build, which uses the full mana artifact package, Aven Mindcensor is not an issue when it comes to his mana cost (as it may be in fish decks)


////JAC V1.4 ///////////////////////////////////

// Lands
    4 Misty Rainforest
    2 Flooded Strand
    3 Tropical Island
    2 Tundra
    1 Island
    1 Forest

    3 Wasteland
    1 Strip Mine

// Creatures
    4 Noble Hierarch

    3 Qasali Pridemage
    3 Trygon Predator

    2 Cold-Eyed Selkie

    2 Aven Mindcensor
    2 Glen Elendra Archmage

    1 Inkwell Leviathan

// Spells
    1 Black Lotus
    1 Mox Pearl
    1 Mox Emerald
    1 Mox Sapphire
    1 Mox Jet
    1 Mox Ruby
    1 Mana Crypt
    1 Sol Ring

    4 Force of Will
    4 Spell Pierce
    2 Mana Drain

    3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

    1 Ancestral Recall
    1 Brainstorm
    1 Mystical Tutor
    1 Time Walk
    1 Tinker

[AmbivalentDuck]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the strength of Hierarch that it was a non-artifact Mox that could be run in Null Rod decks?  In this context (with no Rods), wouldn't you be better off with Merchant Scroll, a Nature's Claim, a Rafiq of the Many (2x Selkie, Trygon triggers and the effect itself has "haste"),  and a Swords to Plowshares/Hurkyl's Recall?

With Jace, you can shuffle away situationally dead cards (like Rafiq vs storm combo) while still having flexibility through the inclusion of tutors and one-ofs.

[beder]

Well, to be completely honnest, I don't know.

I would say that you are right when saying that it is perhaps not as vital in this deck as it is in noble fish with rod. But I feel like it is still the best option to be able to quickly play the 3 or 4 CC key spells on which that deck relies. And the "booster +1/+1 effect" is definitely not negligible.

In the end, those are 4 slots that I never revisited, I have always been very happy with them.

But again and to be honnest, I cannot really answer your question. My only certitude is that without the 4 nobles, the build has to be completely thought again, given the importance of noble as a mana producer, allowing this build to consistantly deploy its game plan fast enough.

[desolutionist]

Noble Hierarch is cool because it gives you a pretty good chance of having 2UU on turn 2, but I'm not sure if this is better than turn 1 Confidant.

[beder]

Latest small evolution :

Aven mindcensor was cool, but selkie is definitely very nice
So I removed the 2 Aven Mindcensor for 1 more selkie and 1 sensei (to prevent me from being mana flooded).

In the end, here is the latest version.


// Lands
    4 Misty Rainforest
    3 Flooded Strand
    2 Tropical Island
    2 Tundra
    1 Island
    1 Forest

    3 Wasteland
    1 Strip Mine

// Creatures
    4 Noble Hierarch
    3 Qasali Pridemage

    3 Trygon Predator
    3 Cold-Eyed Selkie

    2 Glen Elendra Archmage

    1 Inkwell Leviathan

// Spells
    1 Black Lotus
    1 Mox Pearl
    1 Mox Emerald
    1 Mox Sapphire
    1 Mox Jet
    1 Mox Ruby
    1 Mana Crypt
    1 Sol Ring

    1 Sensei's Divining Top

    4 Force of Will
    4 Spell Pierce
    2 Mana Drain

    3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

    1 Ancestral Recall
    1 Brainstorm
    1 Mystical Tutor
    1 Time Walk
    1 Tinker

[Lemnear]

Isn't this just half a step away from noble fish? You simply add the ochoa-duo trygon and jace...

[beder]

A step away, perhaps, I don't know...
Full mana acceleration, full package of Jace, Tinker/Inkwell, Glen Elendra, no null rod and even some drains... I would say this is not really noble fish  (12 to 14 different cards).
Or it can be, as you want, but in that case it is a pretty different noble fish build.

In the end, I feel like the name is not really so important. What I notice is that the way this deck works is pretty different from a noble fish build. This is more like a Control Deck relying on creature (not even big ones).

[matt_sperling]

I think Goyf is underplayed right now in these types of decks.  Considering him for the sideboard?

[beder]

Yes Matt, I considered (and still is considering) tarmo for side.

Right now and based on matchup with the main, here are my conclusions :
- Blue Tezz doesn't really require dedicated slots (this is not a necessity),
- Oath doesn't really require dedicated slots  (this is not a necessity),
- Storm combo could require some slots,
- Shop Locks require dedicated slots (at least a little bit help)
- Aggro decks (especially MUD and Noble) definitely require dedicated slots,
- Ichorid definitely requires at least 6 slots,


In the end, here is what I try right now, a side which is not really 100% satisfying for the time being :

SB: 2 Pithing Needle
SB: 2 Tormod's Crypt
SB: 2 Relic of Progenitus

This package is interesting but I am not sure this is enough (in addition with the 4 strip effects and the sacrificing creatures main). Relic is a very interesting option, especially if you don't have tarmos in your side.

SB: 2 Nature's Claim
SB: 2 Serenity

Serenity is really excellent as a reset button, especially when one has been overwhelmed during the first turns.

SB: 2 Sower of Temptation
SB: 3 Swords to Plowshares

Some Sower+Sword could be replaces with tarmos (3 for instance), I don't know.

[brianpk80]

This is a fine deck.  What it may sacrifice in brokenness is offset by having less reliance on artifacts and a bigger mana base, improving the Shop and Null Rod Aggro match ups.  The fact that control mirrors are generally won by the player with the most mana means that 4 Noble + 4 Strip/Waste offset the lack of Dark Confidant.  

I have some suggestions.  

While I understand that Cold-Eyed Selkie is very powerful if Exalted and left unchecked, it has always struck me as a "win-more" card.  I think a better supplemental draw creature would be Ninja of the Deep Hours.  Even in the "worst case scenario," absent Ninjutsu, 3U is comparable to 1(G/U)(G/U) in a fully powered deck.  Higher base toughness.  To support it, I would also run Icatian Javalineers.  I've found that 7 1-CC creatures is usually an adequate minimum to support Ninjutsu on Turn 2.  

As for Tinker, I don't think it accomplishes anything here that a Mirror Entity would not.  Inkwell is strictly a finisher, rather than a "save-my-life then finisher" like Sphinx, so the ability to deal a lot of damage to an opponent is the prime criterion.  With a very expansive mana base and even just one creature on the table, the damage amount gets obscene very quickly.  It never sits dead in hand like the robot and doesn't require the set-up and investment of a properly executed Tinker.  Running 2 Mirror Entities frees up space by eliminating the need for Mystical Tutor.  

-3 Cold-Eyed Selkie
-1 Tinker
-1 Inkwell Leviathan
-1 Mystical Tutor
-1 Sensei's Divining Top
-2 Mana Drain
-1 Flooded Strand
-1 Mana Crypt
-1 Wasteland

+3 Ninja of the Deep Hours
+3 Icatian Javalineers
+2 Mirror Entity
+1 Savannah
+1 Mana Vault
+1 Lotus Petal
+1 Library of Alexandria

In the sideboard, you can consider Jotun Grunt as dedicated Tarmogoyf Fish-hate with huge splash damage v. Ichorid and a little bit v. Shop.  It takes more than one hate card (often several) to stop Dredge, and Jotun is really good as a second.  After you Crypt Dredge once (on Turn 2 for instance), Jotun can remove their Dredge-creatures which slows them down a lot, and creates a disincentive for the Dredge player to keep filling the yard.  It's immune to Nature's Claim, Chalice @ 0, Leyline of Sanctity, Darkblast, and Contagion and is easily replayed if bounced so the standard tools Dredge uses to protect itself from hate won't stop him.  

Balance might be a good sub for a Swords to Plowshares.  

Good luck.  

[vassago]

ITT:tl;dr

but, glancing at the first couples of versions of the deck, I kept wondering why you are splashing white for pridemage. Why make your mana even more awful than it already is? They're good, but not good enough to potentially put yourself on tilt.

[beder]

ITT:tl;dr

but, glancing at the first couples of versions of the deck, I kept wondering why you are splashing white for pridemage. Why make your mana even more awful than it already is? They're good, but not good enough to potentially put yourself on tilt.

I would say that I did not splash white, white is part of core of the deck.
When building the creatures package, here are the choices I started with and have always been happy with :
- 4 noble
- 3 or 4 quasali
- 2 or 3 trygon
- 2 or 3 Glen Elendra

To me, Quasali is part of the starting team, clearly deserving the slots. Being able to access a card which is at the same time a clock and a very versatile control card is definitely a sufficent reason for me to play white. IMO, Quasali is the card that allows you to have a good matchup against Key/Vault deck or Oath deck. And given that it also helps against shop, I definitely vote for it as a key card.

Finally, when it comes to the mana base, I don't feel like this is awful at all. I never really had any specific issues with having access to the right color at the right time.

[vassago]

With multiple trygon predators, it just seems redundant to me. Nature's Claim would do the same thing in all instances, except turn sideways.

[brianpk80]

ITT:tl;dr

but, glancing at the first couples of versions of the deck, I kept wondering why you are splashing white for pridemage. Why make your mana even more awful than it already is? They're good, but not good enough to potentially put yourself on tilt.

It looks like a fully powered 3 color deck with 4 Noble Hierarchs.  There's no red or black.  It contains 29 mana sources.  I understand the disclaimer that the thread was "too long" and you "didn't read" it, but I'm not sure how anyone would reach the conclusion that the mana here is "awful" when the mana base is one of the deck's intended strengths.  No offense meant, but running Qasali Pridemage in a Bant-colored aggro control deck is as natural & conventional as running Rituals in Storm.   

[beder]

This is a fine deck.  What it may sacrifice in brokenness is offset by having less reliance on artifacts and a bigger mana base, improving the Shop and Null Rod Aggro match ups.  The fact that control mirrors are generally won by the player with the most mana means that 4 Noble + 4 Strip/Waste offset the lack of Dark Confidant.  

I have some suggestions.  

While I understand that Cold-Eyed Selkie is very powerful if Exalted and left unchecked, it has always struck me as a "win-more" card.  I think a better supplemental draw creature would be Ninja of the Deep Hours.  Even in the "worst case scenario," absent Ninjutsu, 3U is comparable to 1(G/U)(G/U) in a fully powered deck.  Higher base toughness.  To support it, I would also run Icatian Javalineers.  I've found that 7 1-CC creatures is usually an adequate minimum to support Ninjutsu on Turn 2.  

As for Tinker, I don't think it accomplishes anything here that a Mirror Entity would not.  Inkwell is strictly a finisher, rather than a "save-my-life then finisher" like Sphinx, so the ability to deal a lot of damage to an opponent is the prime criterion.  With a very expansive mana base and even just one creature on the table, the damage amount gets obscene very quickly.  It never sits dead in hand like the robot and doesn't require the set-up and investment of a properly executed Tinker.  Running 2 Mirror Entities frees up space by eliminating the need for Mystical Tutor.  

-3 Cold-Eyed Selkie
-1 Tinker
-1 Inkwell Leviathan
-1 Mystical Tutor
-1 Sensei's Divining Top
-2 Mana Drain
-1 Flooded Strand
-1 Mana Crypt
-1 Wasteland

+3 Ninja of the Deep Hours
+3 Icatian Javalineers
+2 Mirror Entity
+1 Savannah
+1 Mana Vault
+1 Lotus Petal
+1 Library of Alexandria

In the sideboard, you can consider Jotun Grunt as dedicated Tarmogoyf Fish-hate with huge splash damage v. Ichorid and a little bit v. Shop.  It takes more than one hate card (often several) to stop Dredge, and Jotun is really good as a second.  After you Crypt Dredge once (on Turn 2 for instance), Jotun can remove their Dredge-creatures which slows them down a lot, and creates a disincentive for the Dredge player to keep filling the yard.  It's immune to Nature's Claim, Chalice @ 0, Leyline of Sanctity, Darkblast, and Contagion and is easily replayed if bounced so the standard tools Dredge uses to protect itself from hate won't stop him.  

Balance might be a good sub for a Swords to Plowshares.  

Good luck.  

IMO, Ninja is a good option only when the creatures used to support him don't "tap for something". In this build, I definitely don't want to put creatures back in my hand. I want them on the board, and the longer they stay on it, the better it is.

Then, regarding Tinker=>Inkwell, I wouldn't say that it is a finisher (if I would need a finisher, I would play tarmos first).
In Plan A, meaning this deck starts deploying its game plan, you won't really need a finisher. Regular damages from the "2+exhalted/x" creatures are sufficent.
IMO, Tinker=>Inkwell is more like a plan B for diverse situations :
- against control, to have the opportunity to race opponent with a fast tinker and some disruption,
- against aggro (packing for instance some swords that would easilly deal with Mirror Entity),
- against shop, if you have the opportunity to play it.
To me, this is the most reliable plan B that I can pack in this deck.

Finally, I would like to stress the importance of mana crypt or sol ring in this build. First, it helps playing quickly the Jaces, Glen Elendra or Tinker. Second, it helps against shop. Last but not least, it is god damn helpfull when it comes to win the spellpierce counter war. Thanks to Manacrypt and Sol Ring (plus the numerous other mana producers), this deck can easillly play around opponent's spellpierce. And right now, I feel like this is priceless.

[beder]

With multiple trygon predators, it just seems redundant to me. Nature's Claim would do the same thing in all instances, except turn sideways.

Trygon does not reliably stop key/vault. And Trygon is not always an answer to oath. This is not so redundant to me.

When it comes to nature's claim, it does not frequently attack for 4 damages, which is one pretty interesting ability of quasali. Not saying that Nature'claim is not an excellent card, sure it is. Just saying that in this build, the aggro dimension is pretty important. And Quasali is definitely good at that.

[brianpk80]

IMO, Ninja is a good option only when the creatures used to support him don't "tap for something". In this build, I definitely don't want to put creatures back in my hand. I want them on the board, and the longer they stay on it, the better it is.

That's your call.  I wasn't suggesting that Trygons or Qasali be returned (though that's sometimes the correct play), but I don't mind bringing Noble back for a turn to draw and likewise for Icatians (resets the counter).  I suggested Icatians specifically because of the disadvantage an early Dark Confidant on the other side of the table creates.   

Then, regarding Tinker=>Inkwell, I wouldn't say that it is a finisher (if I would need a finisher, I would play tarmos first).
In Plan A, meaning this deck starts deploying its game plan, you won't really need a finisher. Regular damages from the "2+exhalted/x" creatures are sufficent.
IMO, Tinker=>Inkwell is more like a plan B for diverse situations :
- against control, to have the opportunity to race opponent with a fast tinker and some disruption,
- against aggro (packing for instance some swords that would easilly deal with Mirror Entity),
- against shop, if you have the opportunity to play it.
To me, this is the most reliable plan B that I can pack in this deck.

It's your call.  To me it sounds like in most situations you would either want to Tinker for Sphinx (Dredge, Shop Aggro etc.) or not attempt Tinker at all (Control).  Of the two slots (Tinker + Robot), one is a risky play that sets you back very far if neutralized and the other is a 9-CC Robot.  Tinker itself is dead weight if the Robot has been pitched to Force earlier in the game.  Without the tutor suite of conventional Drain decks, switching to plan B isn't as convenient.  Maybe 2 Tarmogoyfs would fit better.  I personally prefer Mirror Entity because it's faster and usually ends the game the turn after it resolves. 

Finally, I would like to stress the importance of mana crypt or sol ring in this build. First, it helps playing quickly the Jaces, Glen Elendra or Tinker. Second, it helps against shop. Last but not least, it is god damn helpfull when it comes to win the spellpierce counter war. Thanks to Manacrypt and Sol Ring (plus the numerous other mana producers), this deck can easillly play around opponent's spellpierce. And right now, I feel like this is priceless.

Sol Ring is good.  Mana Crypt is risky in aggro-control.     

[vassago]

ITT:tl;dr

but, glancing at the first couples of versions of the deck, I kept wondering why you are splashing white for pridemage. Why make your mana even more awful than it already is? They're good, but not good enough to potentially put yourself on tilt.

It looks like a fully powered 3 color deck with 4 Noble Hierarchs.  There's no red or black.  It contains 29 mana sources.  I understand the disclaimer that the thread was "too long" and you "didn't read" it, but I'm not sure how anyone would reach the conclusion that the mana here is "awful" when the mana base is one of the deck's intended strengths.  No offense meant, but running Qasali Pridemage in a Bant-colored aggro control deck is as natural & conventional as running Rituals in Storm.   

The mana in this deck is a bit awful. It's not absolutely horrible, but there's room for improvement.  Let me explain with a couple of points.

1. 25 sources and 8 of them are virtually colorless. This deck is literally filled with colored costs, not too many actually want a colorless filler. I would honestly consider cutting off color moxen to help support the very hungry mana base.

2. There is only 1 island in this deck. Seems like a pretty good engine of your deck requires 2 blue. Wasteland could severely wreck this deck, hypothetically speaking that is.  I am curious as to how this would face up to a shop deck.

Honestly, I think this might be trying to do too much, and its seems that it may be a bit out of focus. Otherwise, the only thing I dont like about this deck is Glen Elendra Archmage. The card sucks nuts, and honestly Vendilion Clique sounds better. Anything sounds better, but I am trying to be a bit helpful.

[brianpk80]

The mana in this deck is a bit awful. It's not absolutely horrible, but there's room for improvement.  Let me explain with a couple of points.

1. 25 sources and 8 of them are virtually colorless. This deck is literally filled with colored costs, not too many actually want a colorless filler. I would honestly consider cutting off color moxen to help support the very hungry mana base.

I agree with this.  The exact configuration of this mana base needs tweaking and some of the suggestions I made were to alleviate that, including losing the remaining two Mana Drains and Cold-Eyed Selkies.  Conceptually though, starting with the winning Trygon list, swapping black for Bant colors and adding Noble Hierarch is a move towards a stronger mana base.  Drain and Fish have always had plenty of overlapping individual cards and Drain is progessively borrowing from Fish both in its maindeck and sideboard.  Dark Confidant, Ethersworn Canonist, Spell Pierce, sideboard Tarmogoyfs, and now Trygon Predator.  It wouldn't be a bad idea for Fish to borrow Jace, the Mind Sculptor from Drain.  So there's a fusing going on.  The next logical step in the progression would be to try the Noble/Qasali package but retain the Planeswalker, hard counter suite, and the expansive mana base that define the Drain archetype.  In theory it should be the most resilient against mana denial strategies.  What it sounds like the deck would have is an improved match-up v. control because of mana advantage/denial and an improved match-up v. Fish because of mana advantage and the decreased reliance on artifacts means less sting from Null Rod.  The way the OP permutated his mana base can be optimized to that end.   

[beder]

Trying to give my opinion reguarding the 2 last replies.

For sure, I don't have the truth, I just provide you with observed information (from play) and some remarks.

When it comes to the number of colored spells, you are right. There is a lot of them and that's why this deck really needs noble hierarch. If this one is counted as colored source, then the number of colored producers is 17. Given that this deck has access to 1 Island and 1 forest, I could say that there are 6 mana sources natively immuned to wasteland (plus on colored moxen).
This deck mana base is very similar to noble fish one (which is not too bad), adding off color moxes, mana crypt and sol ring in order to be able to power out big spells, play around spellpierce and deal with spheres threat. Moreover, the off color mana sources also allow you to keep all your on colored mana sources for real colored needs. The   of Selkie or Trygon is rarely payed using a colored mana source. The same is true for the   of Jace.
Against shop - or wasteland deck - this deck relies strongly on the 2 basics land and on noble hierarch. In comparison to most of existing other decks, I would say that it is already a pretty good basis.

When it comes to the   remark, there are only 5 spells requiring it - 2 Drains and 3 Jaces - all of them being generaly mid-late game plays (Drain is not used as a mana accelerator but as a non conditionnal counter for mid-late game). By the way, sure Jace is an important card, but I don't know if I would say that this is the engine of the deck. I win most of my games without Jace, just through Aggro mode or even thanks to selkie (that can be played thanks to the 2 basics).

Finally a word regarding Glen Elendra. I already heard several times Vassago's remark, about it being not good. But to be honnest, during testings, this creature has definitely shine.   is not difficult to get, when the deck has access to 29 permanent mana sources. Once on the board, it is pretty difficult to lose against any win conditions of blue deck and it definitely helps preventing combo to access its engine (despite their duress effects). Don't have any more things to say about it, just that it was exceptionnaly good in testings.