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Thoughtseize is one of the format's most used cards for a reason: it's an extremely strong turn-one play which maintains its utility through the mid-game (or late game against control!).
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At 3 mana, Doomfall is a bit expensive for an unconditional discard spell, which is why I have limited it to three copies. Its exile effect is quite relevant against certain decks, however, and if this deck's discard/removal suite does its job then the removal half of this spell does a good job of approximating a targeted removal spell.
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Transgress the Mind is usually the first spell to be sideboarded out in most matchups, as its higher mana cost means that it can be inefficient compared to Despise or Duress. However, Transgress the Mind is extremely important in game one as a catch-all response to a wide variety of decks, which is why it makes the list.
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Brain Maggot is an effectively unconditional "discard" spell which also puts the opponent on a slow clock. While it is technically weak to removal, meaning the card's floor effectively becomes "discard one removal spell from your opponent's hand," this deck's expansive suite of discard spells often makes Brain Maggot into hard discard for the vast majority of the game, if not the entire game. This card gets the nod over Kitesail Freebooter because of its ability to grab creatures.
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Kolaghan's Command is a strong role player in this deck, acting as reach, removal, instant-speed discard, and/or a way to recur any Rankles, Hazorets, Brain Maggots, Goblins, or Murderous Riders which happen to find their ways to the graveyard.
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Hazoret the Fervent is the deck's strongest finisher, representing a nearly irremovable four/five turn clock at best or a very difficult-to-remove blocker at worst (if you're trying to catch up from behind). The detrimental aspects of her legendary status are mitigated somewhat by her ability to turn extra copies into shocks and by Rankle's ability to pitch extra copies of both cards into the yard.
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Rankle, Master of Pranks is very strong in this deck. He finishes games in the air, reinforces leads against opponents by acting as a repeatable source of discard, can be a repeatable source of removal, and in desperate cases can act as a source of emergency draw-power / reach.
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Chandra, Acolyte of Flame fills multiple roles admirably in this deck. Her <0> and <-2> abilities represent a 10-turn clock and (up to) two discard/removal/creature-recursion spells, respectively. In addition, her <0> ability combines with Rankle to repeatedly sacrifice your opponent's creatures.
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Dreadbore is very well placed in the metagame, given the high number of decks being played which use planeswalkers. One copy is in the main board in case I want to replay it with Chandra, while another is in the sideboard to be brought in for creature/planeswalker heavy matchups.
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Fatal Push helps patch up this deck's game against low-curve aggro decks, and is easily flashed back by Chandra as early as turn four.
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Goblin Dark-Dwellers acts like Chandras five and six by allowing me to flash back a relevant spell from the grave, and can support Hazoret and Rankle in closing out games.
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Murderous Rider is included in the main-deck as a one-of to supplement the deck's removal package and provide a small source of virtual card advantage. More copies are included in the sideboard to be brought in as sources of incidental lifegain and to be emergency blockers against more aggressive decks.
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Ramunap Ruins acts as a generic land most of the time, but it is occasionally useful for providing the final bit of reach this deck might need to close out a game.
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Castle Locthwain is a very necessary source of card draw for this deck in the late game, but it can interfere with the deck's tempo early on if too many copies are included. I'm unsure if one or two is the optimal number, but three is too many for the deck to have turn one / turn two plays as consistently as I might like.
General Gameplan: use discard cards / other cheap forms of interaction to disrupt opponents early on, and follow up late game with strong hasty creatures (Hazoret/Rankle) and/or damage-dealing planeswalkers (Chandra/Angrath)
