I have too many cards in the deck so I need help taking cards out. I'll overview some important interactions and combos and then cover each category (other than lands, I'm happy with that).
Interactions:
Solemnity is an important and new addition to the deck. Solemnity is not only a great card on its own it also interacts well with many cards. With Delaying Shield and Nine Lives it stops any damage from being dealt to me. With Decree of Silence I prevent anyone else from casting spells (essentially winning the game).
Rest in Peace is a great card on its own but it also interacts well with Energy Field allowing me to cast instants and sorceries while keeping Energy Field on the field. Most importantly, Rest in Peace with Helm of Obedience is a major win condition for the deck.
I am really excited about Oath of Lieges, not as a group-hug-ramp-card but as a ramp card that uniquely benefits me. Oath of Lieges with Paradox Haze can net me two lands per upkeep (especially if I am giving lands away with Zedruu the Greathearted with Rising Waters or Winter Orb out) while my opponents can only get one. Additionally, Oath of Lieges with Confounding Conundrum keeps my opponents from greatly profiting from Oath of Lieges.
Thought Lash is a win condition with Thassa's Oracle.
I love Pendrell Mists in this deck and it synergizes well with any of the LandHate cards, especially Mana Web and War's Toll.
Removal:
I am pretty happy with the amount and kinds of targeted removal. Any permanents such as Detention Sphere, Grasp of Fate and Darksteel Mutation can always be gifted once played. Aura of Silence is great because of how it plays with oppressive land cards and also just generally slowing my opponents' ramp. Generous Gift and Swords to Plowshares are both just such good instants that I can't not play them. I don't know how Shatterskull Smashing
will play, I like that it is both a land and a decent card but I would be willing to change it for something better if it does not play well.
Wipe:
I am pretty happy with my board wipes. Promise of Loyalty is the one new wipe, it looks like the perfect board wipe for this deck.
Protection:
Protecting Zedruu is actually important, she is the main source of card draw for the deck and we like card draw. When it comes to shroud Lightning Greaves is great and another good option is Clout of the Dominus although I just don't think I have room for it. I would also like to try Robe of Stars as it looks like such a great and fun card. The problem is that these cards are here just to protect our card draw engine, other than that they are dead.
Ramp:
I am running so many artifacts for ramp because this deck uses Winter Orb, Rising Waters and Back to Basics to mess with everyone's lands. I need a way for these oppressive cards to not affect me, so running a lot of artifact ramp is my way of doing this.
LandHate:
Land hate is the way that this deck remains competitive against non-creature decks. Winter Orb and Rising Waters are the very best, Back to Basics and Blood Moon are excellent at taking care of 3+ color decks and especially those unfair five-color decks. Both Mana Web and War's Toll are strong against control decks but I think I'm going to have to cut one of them. Confounding Conundrum is a great card for stoping green ramp but I think it could be cut. Overburden works great in this deck as we are trying to play a few creatures as possible, and it punishes everyone else for playing those silly creatures.
Tutor:
Tutors allow us to get our combo pieces and any card that best responds to the current board state. Wild Research is the best of the tutors in this deck, and Long-Term Plans is just such a fun card. There are two tutors that are the weakest in this deck, Mystical Tutor and Fabricate are both great cards but they just don't hit a lot of different things in this deck (other than getting key win cons).
CastHate:
Rule of Law and Arcane Laboratory are amazing cards in this deck as they stop combos from just popping up, and slow everyone else down so that we can play our cards. Stranglehold is amazing at stopping combo decks and expensive decks in general but sometimes it's just a dead card. Drannith Magistrate is an awesome card, but it's a creature... that being said I'll make room for it.
Draw:
Paradox Haze and Teferi's Ageless Insight are both great if we have Zedruu up and running, one of them might need to be cut.
CreatureHate:
I have decided that Blind Obedience is better than Authority of the Consuls and Kismet because it makes artifacts enter tapped but it does not cost a lot of mana. Ghostly Prison and Propaganda and both great and often can stop people from attacking you at all with the land hate cards. Meekstone stops all big creature decks and Smoke stops all "go wide" strategies. Dissipation Field has become one of my favorite cards in the deck, Noetic Scales has a similar effect (except people don't have to attack you!) the only problem is that I don't have hand hate so Noetic Scales should probably not be put into the deck. Torpor Orb is a great card and stops any deck trying to take advantage of etb effects.
Counter:
I am pretty happy with the counterspells in the deck, but suggestions are always good.
NoDamage:
We talked about most of these cards above. The stand-out card here is Solitary Confinement as all you need is Zedruu for it to work. I do think that one card will need to be taken out of this category. Energy Field has a great cmc, Nine Lives can be gifted to kill an opponent, and even Delaying Shield can be gifted to kill someone. I think one of these three cards will have to go.
