:
1) The deck usually plays like a control deck, you are trying to stabilize and once you turn the corner you can often turn it hard swinging for 6-12 damage a turn and often gaining life. That means look to stay alive and leverage your late game (the deck is good in top deck wars versus everyone but big abzan).
2) 3 mana is where it is at for this deck, play removal and thoughtseizes in such a way to drop a big token maker on 3 (and be wary of opponents who may have a counter as that is a big tempo hit).
3) Opening hands really need at least one token generator, you prefer two but one is really a minimum at 7 (you usually want one in your 6 card hands too, although a great hand with like 2-3 mana sources, 2-3 removal spells and something like a Sorin can be ok).
4) Hero of Bladehold out of the sideboard is the fastest clock the deck has access to, that means you often want it to close out a game fast after you disrupt a combo this usually means Duress and Hero come in versus combo.
5) Auriok champion stonewalls Twin (deceiver Exarch cant go off) and Grixis Control (blocks Gurmag Angler and Tasigur for days) and neither can remove it. That said, both have Snapcaster and so can ambush your Auriok if you attack with it this means be very careful about attacking with Auriok into open blue mana.
6) Dont be afraid to fetch basics if there is any chance of a blood moon, white is more important (need 1-2) and you only ever need one black. If you have W and B already go ahead and fetch a Temple Garden early it sucks to draw into a Gavony Township late and not have the mana to wreck face with it.
7) Relic of Progenitus comes in versus snapcaster and tarmogoyf (and other graveyard decks) which might be obvious but took me a little while to appreciate.
8) Rough Sideboard Guide (Updated September 2015)
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: 15-10 [60% win percentage]
: 3-1 (Maindeck Auriok Champion is brutal against them, and the sideboard is well tuned with duress and timely reinforcements. My one loss was due to a mistake on my part; Game 3; I was at 9 life they were at 6, they had a destructive revelry and one unknown card in hand; I had 4 spirit tokens in play and two intangible virtues in hand - I decided to play around them having two DRs and so just attacked with three tokens taking them to 3, they bolt me at end of turn taking me to 6; my next turn I attack again for lethal and they lightning helix putting me at 3 and them at 3; they top-deck a rift bolt for the match win. In hindsight I 100% should have jammed both intangible virtues; taken 2 damage and killed them that turn... bad play on my part. Won't make that mistake again.)
: 2-0 (both matches went to game 3, zealous persecution is a blow-out as is hand disruption)
0-2 (seems like a pretty tough match-up would love advice on this one)
3-1 (these matches felt pretty hard, only in one of the four did I ever see stony silence; a lot of the match comes down to getting ahead on tempo / a specral can really help stabilize, and an early zealous persecution can just blow them out; steal overseer felt like the most common way to lose a game, and the deck I lost to was running lots of master of etherium).
1-0 (Game one he mulligans to 5, me to 6; I have 3 land and 3 path to exile, which is great versus some decks and terrible versus others, since he is an unkown I decide to keep; he assembles lands and kills me with emrakul. Game 2 I pick apart his had with Duress and inquisition and kill him before he lands the Karn in his hand. Game 3 I turn 1 Inquisition away his sylvan scrying and turn to stony silence. Was pretty happy to take down a tough match-up.)
0-1 (What an un-fun deck to play against, game 1 he turn two combos through my thoughtseizing his night's whisper. Game 2 he turn 3 combos through a duress. Should Rest in Peace or Surgical Extraction come back into the sideboard?)
0-1 (match felt winnable but the cards just weren't there. I think it might often come down to a top deck war, which they are good at; then again many of their cards are dead against us. The version I faced was also running main deck board wipes which is atypical.)
1-0 (IDed my first match versus Jund, but jammed 4 games for 'fun' and went 2-2; I felt it was slightly favorable for us but pretty close. Next match went 2-1, definitely a close one, their spot removal is bad versus us, but they still have a lot of powerful cards, and abrupt decay and maelstrom pulse hurt.)
0-1 (Missplays cost me this one. Basically I undervalued Young Pyromancer, and held my removal for a bigger threat - turns out Young Pyro is the real deal and they were able to go off with him. I am a little disappointed with myself about this one; but am still learning the deck so oh well.)
0-1 (this was Gerard Fabiano's list - after not playing for awhile, I was definitely a bit rusty in this match - but either way it felt pretty hard. I am thinking
Choke
might be a good SB card considering the blue decks around - I could also make room for targeted hate for other decks like
Deathmark
etc)
4-0 (it feels like we have a really good twin match up - they often can't interact with Auriok which nerfs their deceiver exarchs and makes it hard to race us. Is tough to know when to jam spells versus leave up mana; but a patient approach has served me well so far.)
0-1 (Oh the shame! I am pretty confident that his deck and play were inferior to mine on this one; I made one pretty bad mistake in one game (walked into a zealous), versus his multiple bad mistakes on his front - flood and screw did me in for 1-2. The shame. #Salty.)
1-0 (Not even sure I should count this in my record)
0-1 (this felt really hard; maybe it was variance but it just didn't feel like I could get a footing)
Expected Worst Matchups: Elves, Merfolk, Little Kid Abzan, Tron
Expected Even Matchups: Big Abzan, Jund
Expected Favorable Matchups: Burn, Twin, Affinity, Grixis Delver, Grixis Control, Infect
