Before I added white to the deck, I tried playing
Blink of an Eye. Usually, I'd try to kick it for the card draw, but the permanent that I'd bounce would usually just come right back a turn or two later. After adding white, I had access to more powerful removal.
I've also tried using card:Wake of the Wilds, but every time that I had her on the battlefield, I've seemed to have bigger priorities than activating her ability on one measly land. Additionally, the effect is indefinite, rendering lands that have been affected by her vulnerable to removal for much longer than other similar effects do. Cards such as The Mending of Dominaria and counterspells can make that not too big of an issue, but using that in this deck is largely a “non-bo”.
I heavily considered Evolving Wilds since it'd give an extra landfall trigger, but without any landfall abilities in play, it's largely detrimental to the deck. I already have plenty of land tutors to get my mana fixing, so it's effectively a basic land that enters the battlefield tapped. I want my lands to enter the battlefield tapped as least often as possible.
I previously used Arch of Orazca when this deck was originally mono-green. But after adding blue, it's largely unnecessary. It taps for colorless, so I felt that taking it out would be the safest move.
When I first built this deck, I had more than sixty cards because I was indecisive. After playing it several times, I eventually figured out what to cut. Thunderherd Migration was one of those. Being able to cast it for one fewer mana on occasion was nice (since I had a few dinosaurs in the deck at the time), but the card draw that spring / mind offers later is more beneficial than the occasional reduced cost that Thunderherd Migration offers.
I had two copies of Consulate Skygate as early blockers, but I found a number of problems with them. Mainly, they're awful top decks because they don't synergize with the deck. They also die to Abrade, which is one of the cards that I wanted such a blocker to be able to dodge. Wall of Mist and Surge Mare could be better but this strategy of handling aggro decks seems less than ideal.
If Reclamation Sage had flash, then I'd totally prefer it over Naturalize, because it's removal on a body and can be pulled out of the graveyard via Nissa, Vital Force. But I think that instant-speed removal for one less mana trumps those benefits.
I used to run Pull from Tomorrow, but I found that it was often burning a hole in my hand while I waited for a good time to use it. I feel that I have sufficient card draw effects through other cards.
Kefnet the Mindful was good for a variety of reasons. He's an indestructible flyer, he provides card advantage, and allows me to trigger landfall abilities more often. But I found that I'd too often fixate on keeping him capable of combat that I'd often neglect casting other much-needed spells. An easy solution to that is to address that bad habit, but if I don't plan to keep him capable of combat, why should I choose him over Pull from Tomorrow?
treasure map
was wonderful, especially when I had a Kefnet the Mindful, but it ended up being one of those cards that simply didn't provide enough benefit to the deck. Why bother scrying my way through my deck when I'm already deck-thinning and drawing my way to the cards that I need?
Llanowar Scout is a card that was previously in this deck when I had a Kefnet the Mindful in this deck, but after removing Kefnet the Mindful, he simply wasn't as useful anymore.
Previously, this deck formerly had a dinosaur sub-theme. But after removing Ranging Raptors and Wayward Swordtooth, I no longer had as many uses for Savage Stomp or Commune with Dinosaurs. I already discussed Ranging Raptors in the section titled “Ramp”. Wayward Swordtooth was great (especially with Kefnet the Mindful), but I felt that having more control spells was more beneficial than being able to play an additional land per turn. After adding white, Savage Stomp was suboptimal. Commune with Dinosaurs was great at ensuring that I'd more often have a land to play, but such an effect turned out to be not as helpful as removal spells or counterspells.
