Explore seems to be the weakest of your cards, I think you may have misunderstood how scapeshift plays a little. Since you're trying to assemble 7 or 8 lands in order to cast scapeshift its less of a combo deck and more of a control deck, you want to be able to last a long time rather than rush out a combo, consider more cryptics and a few less explore as its bad when you don't have an extra land to go along with it.
November 10, 2014 1:38 p.m.
@ilagirl and @legioncult13 - Thank you for the suggestions, to lead (because being an ingrate would be rude).
Second, individual responses! @legioncult13 - I love Snapcaster and I did add him to the deck on your suggestion. I had a few lying around and had debated trying him out, but I hadn't taken the time to actually sleeve up the Mages. He's testing excellently thus far! I actually don't have any Izzet charms as of this moment, but my locals does, and I'll update there as to whether they prove efficient or not!@ilagirl - I personally don't like Explore as much as I like Serum Visions for the deck, but, a month before I got into the modern format (my first deck was Melira Pod), I sold my playset! A guy I know is currently looking to find me some and I'll probably play those in place of Explore. A lot of the decisions to play Cryptic at two were budget choices (I don't get paid a lot), but I would like to play a third copy after testing the card against some fairly aggressive delver/pyromancer lists.
The sideboard is inaccurate at the moment (I change it depending on what decks I feel I'll be playing against), so the logic for the "combo-preserving" Pact of Negations is a little out of date. I believe what I have in the side right now is actually more along the lines of 1 boseiju, 1 swan song, 1 negate, 1 spellskite, 1 pyroclasm, 2 anger of the gods, 2 relic of progenitus, 3 baloth, 1 nissa, 1 pact of negation, and 1 creeping corrosion.
November 10, 2014 7:04 p.m.
What are your thoughts on Birds of Paradise or Sylvan Caryatid? They're both great for mana fixing and the latter can block a lot of early aggro
November 13, 2014 6 p.m.
@bigguy99 - I can't play them, honestly. They're good cards, but they aren't actual lands on the battlefield, which is how I win with this deck.
legioncult13 says... #1
cut Explore and Courser of Kruphix. Use Snapcaster Mage and Izzet Charms.
November 6, 2014 11:42 p.m.