No. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, Villainous Wealth is not good in this deck. It's too expensive to use as a regular spell because you aren't guaranteed to get value out of it. Plus, it's a sorcery. Therefore, it's only really playable as a win condition, and I don't like playing anything that's only viable once I reach endgame. The win conditions in this deck almost all function as regular utility spells outside of the combo, which is important because this prevents me from having dead cards and opens up possibilities when I might otherwise not have had any options.

Here's a question I've wanted to ask for a long time: What happens if they manage to exile Deadeye Navigator ? It seems like this deck lacks the ability to grind out a game like combo-control decks in other formats.

I saw that you dislike Treasure Cruise in this deck, so I have to recommend Dig Through Time . I feel like Dig is particularly good in EDH, where every card is different and thus the card gives you options upon options whenever you cast it. Delving six seems reasonable (obviously you can just cast it for 4-5 mana if needed), and it's also an instant to boot. As for what I would cut, Dark Ritual seems like the weakest link in the deck, as a one-time ramp spell doesn't seem impactful enough.

As I've said, the main problem with this deck is how dependent it is on Deadeye Navigator . Because I haven't tested it since my most recent changes, I don't know how the deck would play without it.

The idea would be to use Palinchron and Phantasmal Image to go infinite, then proceed from there. I've done it a few times, but Deadeye Navigator is more useful in general.

I've had trouble with the deck, so much that i'm thinking about scraping it. I feel like the deck has a hard time against blue and especially in pods. Maybe I'm not playing it right(that's what i think), Is there anything you can tell me that would help me? I would Skype if it helped me with piloting the deck.

We could arrange that. I've already done that for another user, and it went well.

I'm down to get that arranged, can you pm me or something of that sort

There's no pm system. You can email me your Skype name if you don't feel like posting it publicly. My gmail name is the same as my username (I don't write it out because I don't want it getting skimmed by spambots).

Oh, to address Dig Through Time : It's probably not worth it. It still has a high delve cost, and it doesn't offer enough advantage to justify that. Testing would tell us for sure, but it seems like it would be marginal at best.

Have you ever tested or considered Ad Nauseam as a card draw spell? Your average converted mana cost is rather low at 2.61 and in EDH you have some life to work with, so drawing 5-10 cards with it should be possible most of the time. Or do you think your lifetotal is too valuable to use it for this kind of effect? Of course it costs 5 mana compared to Necropotence 's 3, but being instant speed and the ability to see the cards you draw are certainly nice upsides. Necropotence is obviously able to draw a lot more cards if you are willing to invest the same number of lifepoints, but maybe it would be possible to run both of them?

trying to build this deck have around 80 of the cards wondering what i should sub for Mana Drain , Mana Crypt , and Imperial Seal till I can acquire them

@Emzed: Ad Nauseam isn't worth it in this deck. The cost is pretty steep, and there are enough high-CMC (4+) cards in the deck that I would likely only draw a couple of cards without seriously reducing my life total. I'm not wholly against using lots of life as a resource, but when you figure each card is probably going to cost me 2-4 life with some freebies interspersed, you're looking at a very high cost for some low draw potential.

Of course, it's worth testing. If I were in a position to do that, I would just to see how it plays out. A few people have suggested it now and I feel I'd be remiss not to see how it actually plays in this deck.

@atgarnett: There's no easy replacement for either Mana Drain or Mana Crypt because nothing else does quite what they do. You might include another low-cost counterspell over Mana Drain and another ramp dork over Mana Crypt and see how that goes.

Imperial Seal could be replaced by a number of other tutors. There are some blue tutors, such as Merchant Scroll and Personal Tutor that go unused in this deck. Your functionality will be limited by the search restrictions, though.

Basically, when you make replacements, you should be looking for ways to stay close to the CMC and functionality of the original cards. Sometimes that's not possible. Also, make sure that, if the changes impact the way the deck plays, you're aware of the differences.

I do not want go give off my email, but i will give my skype which is as follows josephyakhin, I'll be looking forward to your pm

Well, I had a list of ~12 cards, but a trip through the archived comments knocked it down to Dissipate and Lighthouse Chronologist , and the latter is looking much worse now that I realize that Level Up is sorcery speed.

Rapid Hybridization /Pongify (just one) would be a good addition, as the only ways I see to deal with creatures on the board are JTMS, Venser, and Damnation , and two of those are just bounce (although you could counter it...).

@imarockyou: It appears that Skype name doesn't exist.

Has Tempt with Discovery been mentioned. It is seriously good. The majority of games I've seen it played you get at least 3 lands out of your deck (non-basics I might add), which could put you seriously far ahead. It still can just ramp you two by getting an Ancient Tomb in the worst case scenario, but can also manafix, get landkillers or basically whatever is useful. And it's untapped, so you often make back your mana anyway.

@KingSorin: I haven't tested Tempt with Discovery , but I'm not hopeful about it. It seems very risky, especially because my opponents can go get Strip Mine s, Boseiju, Who Shelters All s, or other key utility lands. It's not just the disadvantage of ramping opponents (who are probably also playing control).

I'd also be interested in running through a Skype primer for this, if you have time. My handle is orbrunnerx.

Has Shadow of Doubt been considered? Countering tutors and fetch lands, as well as cantripping. It seems that it would have use.

Have you ever considered Magus of the Library or Insidious Dreams ? The former seems efficient enough for your tastes, but is threatened by the smallest of breezes, while the latter lets you sculpt a winning hand on an opponent's end step.

@Epochalyptik, I've been playing-testing with Toxic Deluge recently in your Damia, Sage of Stone deck. It's a powerhouse of a card. Much easier to play than Damnation , and gives you the flexibility of choosing how to wipe the board. Paying 3 life and killing all creatures on board while keeping Damia alive is one of those advantages that Damnation could never do alone. Highly recommended.

@Orbrunner: I've never tested Shadow of Doubt in this deck. I've dismissed it in the past because it generally isn't as good as a counterspell, but it cantrips, can hose fetches, and stops tutor combos. It might be worth a look.

@Teal_Fox: Magus of the Library sketches me out because of its cost. That's a little high for what's essentially a Llanowar Elves . The draw ability is good in theory, but if I have to choose between that and mana on a 2-drop frame, I don't know that I want to devote a slot to it.

Insidious Dreams is not a good idea. It's kind of viable in more casual decks, but it would get counterspelled immediately, and I can't afford to discard as a cost just to tutor to the top (and rely on Damia surviving).

@TheSpartanLemon: I had a feeling it would be good, but I still haven't touched this deck in months.

In a four player pod, over an extended number of games, what decks would you consider stronger than Damia?

I feel you are not giving Prophet of Kruphix enough credit. Who cares about your mana rocks? If you're playing control, then why would you be tapping your stuff on your turn? You tap your lands, play your spells, tap your mana rocks on their turn. Also, one huge advantage over seedborn muse, flash to your creature spells. You have no idea how helpful this is. I've won so many games because I can flash in creatures in response to prophet being killed, if he is killed. Instant speed creatures in EDH is no joking matter and is one of the most powerful things I've ever seen. Also, Peregrine Drake is a cheaper alternative to that 7-drop. I use him in mine for infinite mana. Also, Prophet, with Deadeye navigator and Mystic Snake make for a great way to always counter their spells. These are my thoughts on these cards, I just feel you should give prophet a chance and see it really play.

@Rakdos_CacklerXXX: Most of the time a build like this doesn't hard cast the win con - it uses Tooth and Nail to cheat the creatures out (Boseiju, Who Shelters All can make it uncounterable and if somehow TaN does get countered, you don't lose the creatures). So the 7 CMC of Palinchron is irrelevant. But unlike Peregrine Drake you do get a level of redundancy with Phantasmal Image.

Mystic Snake + Deadeye Navigator is a nice combo and all, but by itself Mystic Snake is just a 4 drop counterspell thats easier to interfere with than an actual instant. And again, if you can get that combo of then you should have won by that point. Not to mention Venser, Shaper Savant can pair with deadeye to do what you want AND bounce permanents too.

As for Prophet of Kruphix - I have a feeling this one is out is because A) you need at least 7 or 8 mana to actually play it and protect it. So you play it (on your turn) and waste a bunch of counterspells getting it to stick. Now your land untaps but you're out of answers and your opponent plays a Phyrexian Metamorph for 3 copying it. You don't have the countermagic available to stop it so you're in a worse spot than you were to begin with. and B) Again, you're Tooth and Nailing your creatures into play. Prophet won't help you here.

But thats just my thoughts.

@Frank_Glascock: It's been years (well, at least one) since I played in a side event with this deck, but I do remember Arcum Dagsson being particularly needlesome.

@Rakdos_CacklerXXX:
enpc covered most of the points rather nicely, but I feel obligated to respond with my own view.

A large portion of my mana at any given point will be coming from mana rocks. It's only once I get to late game (i.e. combo turn and maybe the turn before) that I have enough lands on the battlefield to justify an untap effect (say, for example, Palinchron). Until then, I rely on both lands and rocks to play my spells.

I also don't want to invest in a sorcery-speed spell if I can help it. CMC 4 and 5 are awkward spots on this deck's mana curve because they are just out of reach of turn two plays, and just expensive enough to be suboptimal in the midgame.

On top of that, only a few creatures in the deck would benefit from flash and don't already have it. The mana dorks are all irrelevant because they come down in the first two turns, long before Prophet of Kruphix (which doesn't itself have flash) comes down.

I was, at some point, entertaining Peregrine Drake as either a sideboard card or (much less likely) a mainboard card, but I never developed the idea. I'm not desperately looking for a cheap alternative to Palinchron because I don't hardcast Palinchron and because Palinchron has the bounce ability (which allows it to go infinite with Phantasmal Image).

As for Mystic Snake, I cut it in the alpha build of this deck and haven't looked back. Too expensive, too slow, and too irrelevant. And I never play Deadeye Navigator outside of my combo.

And, at the risk of sounding arrogant, it's generally not a good idea to tell me I have no idea how useful something is in this deck or in the format. If I don't have a clue, I'll be the first to admit it and ask for suggestions. I think you meant the comment more as a rhetorical device than as a jab, but, having played this deck for years, and having considered and tested many ideas and cards, I can safely tell you that neither Seedborn Muse nor Prophet of Kruphix have any place in this particular deck as far as I'm concerned. I often recommend them for slower variants of this deck built on a more limited budget, but they don't put up good enough results once you progress to the more advanced iterations of this decklist.