I play a Mardu Superfriends list and one thing I've noticed that I see you doing is that Declaration in Stone under-performs so much. In its place I have been running Blessed Alliance because if you really have the dedicated control it hits what you need it to hit 90% of the time. Also, since you're in red Radiant Flames is the best (and the only) sweeper under 5 mana which makes it invaluable. Gideon, Ally of Zendikar is good, but really he's just a creature with special text and does nothing to help the rest of your Walkers control the field. Saheeli Rai is really good with the gearhulks, however since you barely have any I'd recommend keeping her out unless your number of gearhulks change.

Zaueski First, I 100% agree with you about Gideon. He really under performs in this deck, and I am thinking of replacing him with another Dovin Baan and another Chandra, Torch of Defiance (or Chandra, Flamecaller). For Radiant Flames, at the moment I am content with it in the sideboard, because with decks without a lot of creatures it does not help very much. And finally, for Declaration in Stone, I am unsure. I like it because I need "target creature" removal and right now it is the best in standard. I dislike Blessed Alliance, even though it is utility, because it is not target creature; it allows the opponent to choose. The other thing is that Declaration in Stone wipes tokens. I might consider running Immolating Glare if I need more instant-speed removal however. The final reason I like the Declaration in Stone is that it is a target for Goblin Dark-Dwellers.

So what do you think?

The main reason I like Blessed Alliance is that, despite the fact that it doesn't target, it can take care of the only two creatures in Standard that decks like our need to be afraid of: Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger and Emrakul, the Promised End at instant Speed. No other Instant can do that for just 2 mana. Any other creature I am more than comfortable in the ability of the walkers to remove but if you don't run that then all you're left with is enchantments which are usually quite a bit more expensive. Yes, Dec Stone wipes out tokens, but unless your meta is very strange, token decks have been on the backfoot ever since Liliana, the Last Hope was released and aren't nearly as big of a player. Declaration in Stone is just bad in long matchups because it gives your opponents cards and lets them keep up with you

Ah theres the thing. Declaration of Stone hits both Ulamog and Emrakul. Also, there is little to no point in hitting Ulamog or Emrakul at instant speed. No matter what, they get their cast trigger, unless I use Summary Dismissal, which is why I have it in the sideboard. If they drop an Ulamog, I can just dec in stone him on my turn. However, with Blessed Alliance I have to wait for him to attack, and then I lose the top 20 cards of my library for no reason. As for tokens, I don't know why, but it is still decently prevelant in my meta. I have a Naya Tokens, 2 U/R Thopter Tokens, and 2 G/W Tokens decks in my play group. Thats probably just because black decks have not been too prevalent. Yes, Declaration in stone lets them get a clue, but thats the only downside. I mean, even the best removal in modern, Path to Exile, ramps the opponent. In the end, there is just too much going for Declaration in Stone to justify taking it out.

Comments have been Archived! Here is what has been considered and playtested:

Oath of Chandra - taken out

Oath of Gideon - taken out

Incendiary Flow - taken out

Gideon, Ally of Zendikar - taken out

Stasis Snare - considered, not used

Bruna, the Fading Light - taken out

Gisela, the Broken Blade - taken out

Deploy the Gatewatch - taken out

Kozilek's Return - taken out, under consideration

Turn Aside - considered, not used

Cataclysmic Gearhulk - taken out

Harnessed Lightning - considered, not used

Animation Module - considered, not used

Saheeli Rai - taken out, under consideration

Blessed Alliance - considered, not used

Horribly Awry - taken out

If you have any more opinions on these cards, you should share because maybe I did not think about your argument before! Especially those that are under consideration.

Running only 3 copies of Galvanic Bombardment means that the usually only deal two or three damage, might want to consider other removal like Grasp of Darkness.

NippDip Grasp of Darkness is black and my deck is R/W/U.

Ah. You're right. I'm dumb, maybe something like Incendiary Flow?

I did have Incendiary Flow before but I needed instant-speed removal for stuff like Copter.

Why not use Harnessed Lightning and it can play with Deadlock Trap

See, while I might consider Harnessed Lightning, I don't believe that Deadlock Trap is all that effective. Right now I have Imprisoned in the Moon in my sideboard because it works effectively against both planeswalkers and creatures like Ulamog and Emrakul(#flavorpoints). What would you suggest I take out for Harnessed Lightning, if anything?

Galvanic Bombardment maybe? Or Immolating Glare

Yeah I think I will replace Galvanic Bombardment with Harnessed Lightning. Thank you for your help!

I like the way it looks, I think the Deadlock Trap can be sub'd in for Authority of the Consuls and put authority in the side. Because authority only works the when they first come in, so unless they have haste, who cares. While Deadlock Trap can also work on vehicles and when they are ready to hit on the next upkeep. I am altering mine I used a couple ideas of yours so they will be very similar if you want to take a look. The creatures I'm using are a little different.

No problem!

Aether Hub is a great card to lessen the chance you get mana screwed turns 1-3. You might not be too worried about it with your build... but it is probably the most likely way you will lose. Plus if you draw it later you could always use the extra energy to power up Harnessed Lightning, turning it into a 2cmc/4dmg card.

Yeah Aether Hub seems good here.

I never thought to put Aether Hub in here. That actually sounds like a great idea, and I will definitely try it out.

Honestly, I really love this deck and I'd love to try it. Just a bit expensive for me. I am missing the Chandra, Torch of Defiance and two Dovin Baan. Do you have any suggestions on how I can build a similar deck to this with subs? I do have access to a Gideon, Ally of Zendikar.

Yeah I would suggest replacing Chandra, Torch of Defiance with her larger, cheaper counterpart, Chandra, Flamecaller. Dovin Baan can easily be replaced by Gideon, Ally of Zendikar if you have him. And you could also add stuff like more Thalias, Deploy the Gatewatch, and any kind of counter spells. I am glad you like the deck, and good luck!

Thank you very much! Those should be doable!

Could you possibly see Saheeli Rai in this deck? I just don't have it in the budget to go buy two Nahiri, the Harbinger.

Saheeli Rai could be in a more budget copy of this deck. However, I would suggest adding more creatures to that kind of deck. Maybe Hanweir Garrison, more gearhulks, etc. She works better with creatures, not with other planeswalkers really.

Bald Eagle always earns an upvote ALWAYS