where is the Cloudfin Raptor :D

Cloudfin Raptor (and Experiment One ) are cards that fit much better when it was an aggro build. I did test with those early on, but they proved inconsistent, and Sylvan Caryatid took their slots.

true that trade does make sense :)

Thanks for the suggestions. :)

Cool deck! I have a similar deck that is straight GU (My Prophet, Your Loss (Top 4 FNM)), and one of my friends has a deck like this that also splashes White; both of our decks made Top 8 at FNM last night.

One card from his deck you should definitely try to make room for is Sphinx's Revelation , which seems like a huge upgrade over Give/Take for draw power and gives you some life gain, since there's currently none on the mainboard, and you could even fit in another Garruk. Heck, you could use those couple extra slots to mainboard Rootborn Defenses (I also like Ready / Willing here to untap your dorks and for gravy, you can cast the second half every so often with a Caryatid) or Cyclonic Rift, which is dynamite in this new world of Devotion.

Also, tbh, I'm not sold on the low-curve White creatures (Fleecemane and Smiter) since they don't build toward Devotion, which is what you want to do early on. Those cards seem better suited for straight aggro which, as you said above, isn't really what this deck is. My friend and I both have Burning-Tree Emissary in our decks which really helps with fast starts, and Boon Satyr offers the same power as the Smiter while having a ton of other uses (my personal favorite- Bestow onto Master Biomancer). The Satyr also gives you a safer way to cast all those Prime Speakers without fearing a kill spell to your most powerful creature in response, since your worst-case-scenario is 5 cards.

Finally, you might consider some other dorks besides Gyre Sage, which can slow you down in the early game. Elvish Mystic or more Voyaging Satyr's would be faster. And one last random sideboard suggestion- Nylea's Disciple can slam the door on aggro decks.

Many thanks for the suggestions. I've spent a good chunk of the day tweaking this list and testing it. Up until today, I did have Sphinx's Revelation in the deck, and as crazy good as it can be sometimes, sometimes I also just don't have the mana to make it worth it (if my ramp creatures get hit with a sweeper, for instance, having to use Revelation for 1 or 2 isn't so great). At the same time, Give / Take is useless if I can't keep creatures alive, but there are enough in the deck that I should usually have something (and sometimes, for a 3 or 6 mana investment, I draw 15 cards).

I really like the suggestion of Ready / Willing , though. I've actually been looking for a card I can use like that, and that's a perfect fit and will be in the deck shortly. Likewise, I agree that Boon Satyr would fit better than Loxodon Smiter . Smiter is one I've been thinking about cutting. Fleecemane Lion , on the other hand, is there for more than just its size, even if it seems like it doesn't fit in a ramp deck. Once monstrous, it becomes a GREAT target for Give / Take , and, post board against aggro, for Unflinching Courage . While I can play it like an aggro card, I often hold it in my hand if I can ramp to something bigger, only to drop it later when I can monstrous it right away. My favorite play with it is t2 Gyre Sage into t3 Fleecemane Lion and another 2-drop.

Gyre Sage is one I go up and down on too. It's fantastic if it lives a turn or two, but it's terrible against heavy removal. In testing, I've been going between 1 and 3 copies with it. I did have 4 Elvish Mystic and 4 Voyaging Satyr in here too, and may still again, but they were terrible in testing against removal-heavy control. High power, low mana cards like the Fleecemane Lion and Loxodon Smiter (soon to be Boon Satyr ) were meant to rectify that, to put pressure on the opponent early and to resist control cards. I can see the case for running 4 Voyaging Satyr and no Gyre Sage ; I may go back to 1 Sage (for the occasional situation where it's fantastic) and 3-4 Satyrs.