Will post pics of new alters soon. Just updating for changes.

Oof! That meta is tough, hopefully some deck variety gets added to those games once they play those prototypes enough. The unique politics angle/pillow is difficult to play when the meta is primarily low-interactivity, alternate wincon stuff, especially when it is the majority of your table. I was going to suggest Kambal, Consul of Allocation but I saw you already added that. Painful Quandary seems like a fit... Sunscorch Regent can keep your life total level and provide a severe counterattack if a storm does not COMPLETELY end the game. I enjoy Stigma Lasher, Malignus,Tainted Remedy

These aren't really low interaction decks, and they are not really alternate wincons that prevail. They deal damage to win, and there is a ton of interactive control. It is just not an overly combat oriented group of decks that keep winning. I plan to change that. They have fewer paths to victory than my deck, and less defense. Slight tuning will allow me to keep up. The philosophy should still stand. It is the cards that will slightly change.

Also, Suspicious Bookcase is super fun... after all it says "target creature" - doesn't have to be one of yours ;)

Depends on your definition of "interactivity" - but yes, by definition the greater MTG community the philosophy that I was looking for was: "non-combat/non-traditional" wins. I have built many decks with more of a fun retargeting, redistribute dmg, & promote player activity style - they have often suffered to decks that are content to build fortresses while pinging away it is not that they are so much "low-interaction" as they are somewhat conservative and can basically win all in their own little self-contained world - i.e. paradox engine storm out. But yes, there are definite ways to make slight additions to deal with this.

Have you tested Kaya, Ghost Assassin before? I have found her perform extremely well with a tonne of utility and resilience. Also I see you don't run Exquisite Blood which seems like it would work really well in your new meta as it negates extort and cards like Aetherflux Reservoir. I have also been running Kambal and Blind Obedience for a long time and they are absolute staples. Authority of the Consuls might also be worth trying.

precociousapprentice, curious how you feel about the new Xantcha, Sleeper Agent spoiled for C18.

Was just going to post that Megamatt, I saw it and immediately thought of this deck.

For reference Xantcha is a 5/5 for 1BR with:

As Xantcha, Sleeper Agent enters the battlefield, an opponent of your choice gains control of it.

Xantcha attacks each combat if able and can't attack its owner or planeswalker its owner controls.

3: Xantcha's controller loses 2 life and you draw a card. Any player may activate this ability.

Owner is defined as the owner of the card, so you give a powerful creature away to someone, and they get a 5/5 swinger that has to attack, can't hurt you, and which encourages others to spend mana to ping that opponent down and draw.

It seems to perfectly fit the playstyle. Not sure what to drop for it though.

I saw that card. I like it. I am still digesting, but it will be totally reasonable to test. I am a little worried that it gives potentially otherwise unlimited card draw to the controller, but it may be good anyway. I was also intrigued by Varchild, Betrayer of Kjeldor, Fury Storm, and Coveted Jewel. All of these have Aikido effects, but I agree, not sure what to cut. I am curious how they will be used in the C18 deck(s) they come in.

Yeah, I thought about this deck. Varchild seems on curve & fun. I will always dream of Varchild with Crescendo of War :)

The more I think about Xantcha, the more I think she is a great addition. It incites early aggression, comes with card draw, and even encourages non-combat aggression. Not bad. I am looking forward to playing some with this.

Um... I think I found a new card. In '94-95, I destroyed a lot of people with Balance. Magus of the Balance

precociousapprentice Have you considered Tainted Remedy or Rain of Gore? If your opponents usually win through a lot of life gain, those card might be a consideration. And Rain of Gore could even be fetched by sunforger.

AliMoe, I want to tune the deck so it works well against every deck, but can handle the overwhelming strengths of the most common or most powerful decks in my meta. I don’t want to just hate on a specific deck or archetype. I want just about every card to have outsized impact on every game. I am not sure that either of those cards would have any impact in most metas, so they have been considered, but not chosen. I picked similar cards that will be useful in any game that they are drawn in. I try to only add hate that is very broadly useful, and hopefully has alternate uses.

Also, Rain of Gore is an enchantment. Sunforger tutors for instants.

precociousapprentice, Balance & Magus of the Balance are ruinous if you or an opponent casts Teferi's Protection in response.

yeah, I had tainted remedy in my version for a while and too often it just sat there. that's why I think Erebos is a better life gain hoser. it can always be used as a card draw engine even if it had no life gain to shut down

Exactly MegaMatt13. Every card needs to do something useful every game.

Quick update from the weekend. I am still punishing myself by going against the Jhoira Paradox Storm and Kambal Lifegain Control.

First game I lost to Jhoira going off on turn two with a pile of Rocks and a Paradox Engine. I had only played a tapped Godless Shrine by that time. She shrugged and we shuffled up and played again. Not sure what to say.

Second game, Jhoira dropped an Ancient Tomb, an Island, and 6 Rocks on turn 2. I figured I needed to be super aggressive, and I had a fantastic hand for not losing turn 2 this time. I played Hide // Seek -> Seek, planning to exile the Paradox Engine. Jhoira Pact of Negationed it. Crap. At least I sort of Time Walked her. I ramped through turn 4 and held a Word of Seizing as Kambal played his commander and Path to Exiled Jhoira for another Time Walk. Finally Jhoira plays a Tezzeret the Seeker and upticks it to 5. I figured it was a perfect time. I wait for my turn, then Word of Seizing the Tezzeret the Seeker , -X for 5 to send it to the graveyard, delaying the tutor for Paradox Engine and I tutor up my Sunforger. Jhoira durdles for a turn, Kambal beats on her for every artifact that she plays, and holds up mana for responses. I play Queen Marchesa, and hold mana up for a Monarch top decked Anguished Unmaking and a Sunforger response. At this point, I can't remember the details, but Kambal seems to control the board, keeping Jhoira in check with single target removal until she starts taking an uncomfortable amount of damage to Kambal tax and a couple of Sunforger equipped Queen Marchesa attacks. Kambal takes her out with an Exsanguinate she can't respond to, and now it is me and Kambal. I pillow in, play an Erebos, God of the Dead, then Kambal plays a series of spells and hits some Extort triggers, and eventually I end up Forking a Debt to the Deathless played against me while holding a Mana Tithe, Reverberate, and Teferi's Protection in hand.

Jhoira Paradox Storm is a beast. If there are more competitive decks than her, I am not sure I want to play them. Still, Jhoira Paradox Storm isn't a guaranteed loss for Queen Marchesa, it is just probably a loss.

Hey precociousapprentice, loved reading through the deck and explanations. I'm super interested in trying this out. I have a question about how you'd pilot this deck around a group of people who don't like to attack? My playgroup usually tries not to attack people (even if incentivized via curses/card draw/free dmg) to not draw too much aggression/hate through most of the early and mid game. How do you usually deal with that (outside of the obvious disrupt decorum mass goad)?

Elywood, I would go after what they do best. How do people win in your meta? Take a strategy that encourages overextending and the reversing that on them. I am actually in a similar meta right now since the most powerful decks are combo and control with non-combat finishes. My process has been:

1. Don't lose.
2. Copy/steal their stuff and beat them with it.
3. Occasionally throw down my own wincon that doesn't turn out to me magnet for removal.

It is working pretty well, if not as perfectly as it was against purely combat focused decks.

My playgroup doesn't do infinite combos or crazy explosive cEDH decks. But I'd say its still probably in the 70-80% power range. Our games are definitely slower than the ones you describe and usually involve a slow attrition-y grind via recurring things with lots of value. Usually its an attack here or there and lots of cards like Blood Artist or Gray Merchant of Asphodel that slowly drain the entire table until someone can be finished off. A timely Word of Seizing on a board wipe with Blood Artist could be huge, but other than that I'm trying to picture how to interact with the board

I had a win in a 1v1 against Kambal Lifegain Control today. I used Praetor's Grasp twice to steal both his Sanguine Bond and Exquisite Blood followed by a Boros Charm burn to start the infinite. It was beautiful to steal his wincon to beat him with his own strategy.

Serenity is the best artifact/enchantment removal around - as long as you stay away from using them. Akroma's Vengeance is costly, but it works, and Rout can change the board immensely (in your favor) because it can be cast as an instant. Additionally, Rule of Law or Eidolon of Rhetoric can be extremely punishing against decks that try to combo off early game, or at least get a lot of things out.

Serenity would be a disaster for me. I would lose all my stuff, and waiting for my upkeep would basically allow Jhoira to go off during her turn. I was actually cobsidering Rule of Law, and also Nevermore. Both would hose a large number of decks, not just Jhoira, but I am pretty sure the salt would be thick. Still thinking, but I basically need something to hose Jhoira in the first few turns or we all lose.

Any reason you don't run Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep? She turns Marchesa and Virtus into serious rattlesnakes, gives your other legendary creatures some additional combat tricks, and is on additional tool to potentially affect combat between other players.