zen_fishy:

• Gravitational Shift feels win-more, and is also a pretty mana-intensive effect. I'ma pass on it for now. Maybe I just need to see it in action.
• Submerge is too dependent on my opponent's boardstate to have a place in the main, even with how popular green is in my group. Maybe if I ever actually build that Cunning Wish board...
• Last Thoughts is too much mana for a sorcery speed draw one. Even though it's repeatable, it's too slow and too mana intensive for me to get anywhere with it.
• I was already considering Learn from the Past, and also Anticipate. I'm planning on taking out Psychic Spiral for Learn from the Past, actually; Spiral isn't consistent as a wincon, so I run it for the shuffle effect, and Learn is better in that regard, being cheaper and replacing itself.

You also called to my attention that I need to update this list online (I don't run Quest anymore, for instance).

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Might be against the budget of the deck, but Invoke Prejudice is an awesome card for mono-blue, because after all, if you're not running blue, you're not my friend. Another card that I just personally think is awesome is Illusionist's Gambit. It is by no means a super competitive card, but when it works, its hilarious. I've had people form alliances against me only for them to end up killing their temporary ally with a massive attack. I mean, worst case scenario its a blue fog spell..

Necrotize: Invoke Prejudice is one hundred fifty dollars. No.

As for Illusionist's Gambit... It's not that I don't like the card, there's just nothing I'd honestly cut for it.

I know Invoke is super pricey, its just I've wanted to get one for ages now so figured I'd mention it lol. Plus its a pretty interesting card with a rather...sorted backstory and not so subtle references. Although, just for accuracy's sake, it is closer to 100 dollars lightly played on TCGplayer :P

Another pretty expensive(but definitely worth it) card you could consider is Karn Liberated. He is a bit expensive, but he is colorless(so he'll always have a place in any EDH deck that wants him) and he really shores up mono-blues main weakness which is a lack of hard removal. He is outside your curve, but I have never played Karn and not immediately gotten my mana's worth in the first 2 turns alone.

Also, how do you feel about Blue Sun's Zenith? Has value at all stages of the game, and even if you don't have the mana or don't want to cast it for card draw, it can still be used as a shuffle effect if you don't like what's on top.

Lastly, a card I always like fitting into my mono blue decks is Vedalken Shackles. Having people play around this can severely slow down game plans and open up very interesting interactions.

Love the deck though, Talrand was probably one of the first legendary cards I saw and then immediately wanted to make an EDH deck for.

Necrotize: Sorry I took a while getting back to you.

• The whole CMC thing is an aesthetically pleasing thing to me as much as it is a proper deckbuilding strategy (smaller spells = more spells cast in a turn = more drakes with which to beat face). As much as I would love to run Karn, it ruins the aesthetic and makes me sad.
• USZ was covered in the January update. As a repeatable spell, it was unreliable; as a win condition, it didn't work well; as a cantrip, it was too mana intensive.
• The Shackles are interesting, I gotta say. And I love the scalability and the shenanigans potential. Maybe if it's printed again in MMA15, I can pick up a copy on the cheap(er). There's also the problem that it doesn't really synergize with the deck; it's more of a goodstuff thing. Still, it's worth considering.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

If the shackles are an issue price wise, might I suggest their sightly less played cousin, Helm of Possession?

I run it in my Teysa, Orzhov Scion deck to great effect.

Pros:

1. You can take anything, regardless of power.
2. You'll always likely have drakes to sac.
3. Getting their Blightsteel or Eldrazi for the low, low cost of a 2/2 flyer is a real kick in the sack.
4. It's about $10 cheaper.

Cons:

1. You have to sacrifice a drake for every steal.
2. It costs four instead of three to play.

Even if you like the shackles better it might be worth it to test out the helm if you just want to see if the effect has a place in the deck.

Sleep? maybe?

Skinkesvin: If only Sleep were an instant... as it stands, though, I don't like it as a sorcery speed card. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

If you want an instant speed sleep try Cryptic Command.

It was a very easy win with deck but I still don't know how it performs against another control. Also, I'm not allowed to play this deck anymore lol.

themindxyz: Except, well, Cryptic's sixty bucks. A bit out of my range for now.

lightningshard: ...easy...win? When did you use my deck? Like, it's not like I have a copyright on this specific arrangement of 100 Magic: the Gathering cards, but, like, when did you use my deck? I feel bad that it got banned from your group, though. Um.

As for how it plays against other control... Depends on the control. It can bounce back relatively well from MLD (because the curve is low) and most board wipes (because 4-5 mana into 3-5 spells and I have a board again), and I get most of my value off of spells being cast, not necessarily them resolving, so counterspells aren't too big a problem. Talrand not being able to be tucked any more saves me a lot of trouble as well. I won't win any counterspell wars anytime soon, but it can hold its own. It's oftentimes a matter of directing the control player's ire elsewhere.

ever considered things like Obelisk of Urd or Coat of Arms b4?

some instant speed hexproof, or protection enchantments/equipment might be useful to keep talrand on the board, such as Whispersilk Cloak, Lightning Greaves, Swiftfoot Boots, Robe of Mirrors, Mizzium Skin, Ring of Evos Isle, etc