Ah, the beauty of having CHOICES...
Magic is one of the few areas in life in which it can be better to react than to act. As long as you have the right choices and are savvy enough to use the information of your opponent's plays to your advantage, you get the chance to deploy your cards with optimal tempo and value in mind.
This deck looks to do just that. With a wide variety of choices that fall low on the curve, the entire arsenal minus Dig is available as soon as the third untapped land hits the battlefield. This includes big threats with instant-speed level-ups, tempo-minded Flash creatures, protection spells, a versatile removal suite, and (of course) counterspells.
And despite the fact that you CAN play nearly anything as soon as turn 3, there are still plenty of late-game options. Or CHOICES.
CREATURES
-1-Warden of the First Tree: The most intimidating 1-drop around. Levels up to a 3/3 early enough to be a solid defender vs aggro, and gets ridiculously huge and life-gaining in the late stages. Having the ability to pump at instant speed leaves all the other options open.
-2-Harbinger of the Tides: Can come out early against aggro with great tempo effect, or can be held back for all sorts of shenanigans when Flashed. Whatever the case, it's always nice to have another chance at a counterspell. One cute interaction is to have the Harbinger clean up Bounding Krasis' mess.
-3-Bounding Krasis: Solid enough body to ward off weenies and give control a bit of a clock, with a useful tempo trigger attached. If your opponent doesn't have anything good to target, double-charge your Hangarback Walker.
Silumgar Sorcerer: The card type says "Creature," but this is just a general Swiss army knife. It can sac itself or a token as a de facto counter spell, kill a weenie in a pinch, be an evasive attacker, and/or my favorite: leading the out-of-nowhere aerial assault after blowing up Hangarback Walker.
-X-Hangarback Walker: Kind of a good card. Has a lot of synergies in this deck that are already mentioned or will be. Above all, it's another flexible card that can come down small early or huge late, and levels up at instant speed.
OTHER SPELLS
-2-Anticipate: Sometimes, the best option is to improve your options, or make sure you have the mana to utilize them.
Dromoka's Command: Another obviously fantastic card that manages to be even better here. Adds Enchantment removal to further the deck's versatility, is a good removal spell for small creatures, and adds Thopters to Hangarback, among other uses.
Valorous Stance: The first word in the rules text should explain why it's here. One convenient bonus is that many of the creatures here are 3/3's in the early game, so this takes care of anything that can't be dealt with in combat.
-3-Stasis Snare: Perhaps the least flexible card in the deck, but it's very good at what it does, and it does it at instant speed.
Scatter to the Winds: Yes, it's a hard counter with late-game upside. But perhaps even more important is the fact that its mere presence is what makes the deck difficult to play against, as opponents always have to respect it but can't do too much tip-toeing, lest they be ambushed by the more aggressive side of the deck.
-8-Dig Through Time: When your choice is to choose the hell out of Choiceville.
