Pongify is not as good as Rapid Hybridization , but... I feel like Echoing Truth is better, not just for tokens, but also for anti-combo, bouncing their key piece.

Echoing Truth allows the opponent to retain access to nontoken targets, though. At least Pongify would kill it outright. I would like to use another counterspell, but I don't know if there are any more counterspells worth including.

Spell Crumple is a great one, basically another Hinder

Spell Crumple is good, but it's also a 3-drop. I would rather run a 2-drop counterspell if possible - Hinder is even pushing it as a counterspell. I include it because it is very strong against generals, but I'm unconvinced that redundancy is worth raising the mana curve.

Negate is classic and I've never really had a problem with it. Ya it doesn't counter creatures, but if you're in a pod focused on combos, its good protection and will probably still be able to hit all the spells you'd want it to.

There's also Deprive , but its probably only going to be beneficial when Azusa is in play.

Muddle the Mixture could be good. It's useful against other counterspells, and it transmutes for a lot of relevant cards.

I'm also considering Green Sun's Zenith as a ramp spell and Misdirection as a counterspell.

Just thought I'd say that your deck has helped me tremendously. I knew I wanted to play Damia, but I had no idea where to begin. Your deck has given me many ideas and suggestions. I am only a casual player so I have a lot of cards I thought would be fun, but I have enough of the good ones to win if I want to. So thank you, for your indirect deck-building assistance :P

Not a problem; it's always a pleasure to help a fellow EDH player. What is your meta like?

I have really only played against my friends; they do play at my LGS after standard but I haven't had enough time to join a game yet. I have seen Doran, Niv-Mizzet 2, an esper artifact commander (whose name I cannot remember), and Kaalia. My friends play Riku, Kaalia, and I am helping my friend build a Glissa deck. In my deck I added cards like Redirect , Willbender , and Gather Specimens because they are just hilarious.

I think I might give Leyline of Anticipation another chance. At this point, it seems more relevant than either Rhystic Study or Capsize .

i thought that Capsize was a wincon... i forget, why did you drop the leyline in the first place?

I initially decided Leyline of Anticipation was a bit slow. It's a 4-drop, and I never really wanted to cast it; if it didn't start in play, it didn't get into play. However, my friend still runs Leyline of Anticipation in his variation of this list, and he praises it. I suppose it's another card I can potentially exile to Force of Will .

Capsize is a win condition, but it isn't a good enough win condition. It's like Exsanguinate used to be - strong with infinite mana, but limited in noninfinite situations. It's expensive to cast with buyback, and it's still kind of expensive to cast even without buyback.

I know this might be insignificant, but have you ever considered Cavern of Souls ?

I have, actually. I'm debating Cavern with a few members of MTGS. On the one hand, it's a strong way to protect Damia and some of the other cards (name Wizard for the ability). On the other, it only taps for colorless if I'm not casting a specific set of spells, and my land base is already pretty taxed by colorless-producing lands. What are your thoughts?

Personally, I think Cavern of Souls would be a great option. I feel like it would be a really good way to protect Damia without using Mana.

What to drop for it, though?

I'm not totally sure. I am maybe thinking Forbidden Orchard or Tolaria West ? Also I am thinking Sower of Temptation and Green Sun's Zenith could help. Thoughts?

You could probably drop Alchemist's Refuge for Cavern of Souls . The refuge essentially adds three mana to the cost of a spell to give it flash, which is probably more expensive than you are aiming for with this deck. Cavern of Souls offers better protection to the key creature spells that you want to get past counterspells and you already have Leyline of Anticipation and Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir in the deck.

Hmmm hard to say,

Homeward Path is often a dead draw in my experience. Don't get me wrong, it's a very good card! But usually I don't mind/ have multiple solutions when shit hits the fan or I won't have to deal with it in the first place.

Alchemist's Refuge on the other hand, has been good for me..

I can't cut Forbidden Orchard because it's essentially another Command Tower . The 1/1s are never relevant, and it's a very small price to pay for access to every color I need.

Tolaria West is useful because it can tutor Pact of Negation and Boseiju, Who Shelters All . It's another way to get support for my combo, and, if necessary, I can play it as an extra land using the explore effects.

Sower of Temptation is a bit slow, and it isn't relevant in enough situations for me to include it.

Green Sun's Zenith is currently being tested along with Dryad Arbor . It seems strong - the tutor effect can find the important ramp creatures.

Alchemist's Refuge is something I'm considering. It is a bit slow, and I don't often find myself activating the ability.

Homeward Path is an important card because it protects Damia and key combo creatures from cards like Ray of Revelation , Gilded Drake , etc. Though I don't use it every game, it is valuable to have as a utility.

At this point, I'm leaning toward dropping Alchemist's Refuge .

which cards would you search for with Green Sun's Zenith ? Azusa, Lost but Seeking ? also, with Dryad Arbor it might be too slow since you can't tap it for mana the turn it comes out.

That's initially how I felt about Dryad Arbor , but in testing it actually works very well. It's not as fast as a basic Forest, but it does have some advantages. Green Sun's Zenith is now a viable turn-1 play because I can use it with X=0 to find another land. In later turns, it finds other accelerators, often Lotus Cobra .

So here's what I'm thinking right now:

Cut:
Brainstorm
Abrupt Decay
Beast Within
Rhystic Study
Phyrexian Metamorph
Snow-Covered Forest

Add:
Utopia Sprawl
Carpet of Flowers
Dark Ritual
Green Sun's Zenith
Misdirection
Dryad Arbor

Then potentially cut Alchemist's Refuge for Cavern of Souls .

hmm, why Dark Ritual , what turn would you expect you expect yourself playing it? and since the mana leaves at the end of turn... i don't think that it would be as good in this deck as say Abrupt Decay but on the other hand, it would be cool to have a turn 1 Chromatic Lantern ... why the Dryad Arbor , would a regular Forest be better since you can tap it for mana the first turn it comes out?

Cutting Abrupt Decay , Beast Within , and Phyrexian Metamorph significantly lessens your possible responses to threats that manage to make it on to the battlefield. I can see Abrupt Decay as being somewhat limited in its range of targets and thus replaced for that reason, but the versatility that Beast Within has to deal with threats and Phyrexian Metamorph 's ability to kill generals, mimic threats, and copy an opponent's mana artifacts in a pinch are valuable. Removing a fair portion of your responsive spells for yet more linear (and in the case of Dark Ritual , short term) mana acceleration seems counter-intuitive for a control deck.