If you can consistently get more than three mana out of Axebane Guardian , it might speed it up to have a Captain of the Mists on your board. It gives you control if you don't need to untap, and mana if you do. In addition, Axebane Guardian triggers its untap when it comes into play, so if you have a ton of defenders out, you might be able to sac Door to Nothingness a turn earlier. Might be worth testing out.

Ooh! It can also untap Door to Nothingness if you have 12 mana and have just played the door. That's absurd senario, come to think of it, but it'd be fun.

Hey, I'm currently working on a Axebane Guardian/Door to Nothingness deck as well, so I'll throw in my opinions. You are playing with a little more control than I am which is a good method to use (I'm running more of a fog protection). Anyway, personally I'd prefer Negate on the mainboard and Essence Scatter on the side board because I think board wipes and burn would be more dangerous than creatures the majority of the time. With defenders like you have I would be more afraid of being overwhelmed with token creatures for which I would suggest Cyclonic Rift . Also, from playtesting my own Door to Nothingness deck, I cannot stress the importance of having 4x Gatecreeper Vine s. They help a lot with early mana fixing before you can get out an Axebane Guardian or a Chromatic Lantern . I would remove Hover Barrier since Fog Bank should be enough to block the more bulky fliers. Also personally I would suggest a different draw card such as Think Twice instead of Forbidden Alchemy since this deck doesn't really have much graveyard support. If you are worried about getting that Door out, I'd suggest the tutor Increasing Ambition . Its expense will not be too much trouble with the amount of ramp you have.

My final note is for you to decide on some kind of alternate win condition. I'm using card:Ludevic's Test Subject, but there are many options depending on your own playstyle. Primordial Hydra , Jace, Architect of Thought , any of the wurms, and probably many more that could work with your mana ramp.

Anyway, I hope that I was helpful and if you like check out my Door to Nothingness deck. Defenders of the Door

thanks! those are some great suggestions[both of you]. the Tree of Redemption and Sheltering Word make a lovely combo, so they must stay. but i can definitely see the hover barriers being switched out for some of these other suggested creatures, the Gatecreeper Vine , Captain of the Mists , and i was actually already considering the ludovic's test subject. i think i will definitely do that. now the gatecreeper vines i am not sure about, but maybe you are correct. i usually find that not having the right color mana by the time i have ten mana is not a large problem, especially with the lanterns. the Forbidden Alchemy has proven to be the most effective digging card in my experience, but i had completely forgotten about tutor cards and how they'd be more effective in searching for what i need. what i might want to do instead is the Diabolic Revelation , since mana is not a huge problem, this way i can search for possibly a door And an additional Axebane Guardian . as for the control aspect, i believe Cyclonic Rift is an excellent alternative for Unsummon . the primordial is nice but there isn't any room, exactly. can't quite afford to remove any defenders, else the whole plan is foiled. i will make the changes soon but other pressing matters await, like napping.

Do you have the Increasing Ambition to mainly pull Door to Nothingness ? I just feel that 4x Door to Nothingness is overkill if so. Also, this is an amazing deck for Ral Zarek to shine in. His +1 on an Axebane Guardian is VERY strong. Idk how many times I've hit my Door win con just by Axebaning twice due to Ral's +1.

You could also consider an Infinite Burn combo with Fireball, or one of the other X Burn Spells. Or have Dawnglow Infusion for Infinite Lifegain, to either make them quit or just get enough life to where whatever they do doesnt matter anymore.