I think you could safely replace Swan Song with Force of Will or Mana Drain (if you have the dosh, that is).

That's the eventual plan, along with the ABU duals and fetches and Mana Crypt . It just comes down to actually getting the money together :P

I'd keep Swan Song in the deck no matter what kind of cards you eventually acquire. It's just too good in pretty much all significant situations not to run.

I like your deck. I used to play Damia battlecruiser but recently switched to control, so I have a little experience with what you're trying to do.

Suggestions:

Curse of the Swine , I think, could be replaced with something better. Damnation and Evacuation come immediately to mind as better wipes, though I also really like Abrupt Decay and Maelstrom Pulse for removal.

I prefer Stroke of Genius to Blue Sun's Zenith because it's easier on the mana. You don't run fetches so your mana is probably not always optimal. Speaking of mana, I think you run too many of the slow fetches, and could easily replace them with basics. I understand you're trying to combo with Crucible of Worlds , but I bet you'd prefer to have a faster, smoother early game than a single combo somewhere in your deck, right? Moreover, I think you're running too many utility lands, like Volrath's Stronghold , Boseiju, Who Shelters All , and Reliquary Tower . I think if you smoothed out your lands you'd notice a huge improvement in your early game.

I also disagree with the inclusion of Massacre Wurm and v-clique. I'd replace them with things like Seedborn Muse and Prophet of Kruphix that further your combo/control strategy. I also think you should be running Mystic Snake and perhaps even Draining Whelk . Especially if you decide to run the aforementioned muse/oracles, the counter net will be much more powerful. And don't even get me started about the advantaged of flashing in Deadeye Navigator with Prophet of Kruphix on board. Tooth and Nail becomes absolutely insane (if it wasn't already bonkers).

Nice deck.

Cheers for the feedback :D

Swan Song is going to stay in the deck for the foreseeable future, its just been too good on me to take out. Even with the addition of better counters, a 1 mana spell like that is amazing.

The reason for Curse of the Swine is mainly due having to deal with indesctructilbe creatures (Avacyn and Ulamog are the immediate ones that come to mind). This is a semi regular thing with my play group and I need that flexibility. I agree its not the best kill spell at socery speed but it is just really flexible. The other thing about using wipes is that Damia is one of the more expensive generals and having to wipe the turn after dropping her just to kill one thing is a real downer. I had been thinking about Maelstrom Pulse instead of Putrefy but am digging the instant speed. That being said its still very much on the consideration list.

As for Stroke of Genius , I completely agree. The problem is that I swapped Oona, Queen of the Fae out for BSZ as a win con, not just a draw card engine. It make the deck feel a bit like a generic Damia deck, but I have had this discussion many times. In this case, the benefit of BSZ is that it never hits the graveyard as long as it resolves. So in this way its much less vulnerable to removal.

As for the mana base, I agree that the fetches I'm currently using are slow. The plan is to rectify this in the next few months. I'm looking into buying the ABU duals, then after that, the fetches. As for mana fixing, the deck is actually really good at it, despite the colourless tapping lands. I think about 1 in 15 games I run into mana problems. There are so many dedicated ramp cards in the deck (or tutors for said ramp) that after about turn 4 I have the colours I need no problem.

Massacre Wurm is not the optimal card for the deck, you're right, however he does work well in that A) he is a win con B) he is weenie control C) he is a big enough blocker. Ultimately, I would love to find something like Rakdos Charm in my colours. Right now though, that thing is Massacre Wurm. As for Vendilion Clique , its in there more for sentimental reasons. It does alright so until I want to make the deck like $3K I'm not too fussed to change it.

Prophet of Kruphix is really nice, howeer in the league I play in its an auto-ban. I dont think this will ever change until the card gets offically banned in the format (then it wont be a problem either way). Its just too broken to not be. I like Seedborn Muse and might eventually find some space for it. I used to run Mystic Snake but honestly found it was too slow. Sure, wth Deadeye Navigator its great, however if thats the board state I have, I would much rather just combo out. By itself however its really just an overpriced counterspell. In battlecrusier Damia it works great but I very rarely attack so its only good as a once off chump blocker. As for Draining Whelk , well same thing except its even more expensive.