IOK is definitely maindeck material, however I think you answered your own question with "dealing with Surgical Extraction maindeck" all by yourself. All of those cards you said to cut either A: deal damage to the opponent, B: Help the combo, (by either dealing damage, or digging cards), or c: protect your combo. I would much rather have a mental misstep in my opening hand vs an IOK. Even if your opponent goes first, IOK won't protect from surgical extraction, while MM cost you 2 life.
I ran a Grixis colored version of this deck, using Tezzeret to fish for Mindcrank, preordains to draw into burn.
No creatures obviously.
Played about 4 games total. Lost the first, grabbed a turn 4 win twice and then bloodily stumbled across the finish line the other times.
The way mine was set up I could win the first game (against your average deck) easily, then they would be out for blood. Also I would try not to throw down Mindcrank until Bloodchief Ascension had it's charges up. Or until I could secure a win. Just for safety's sake.
The deck is hilarious when it works. I like the builds here! Looking very efficient. (Mine was hardly reliable).
because the most effective built for this mindcrank ascension is BR, i think its good to make your deck as an BR vampire post sideboard, you still got all the burners in the main board, you just side out the combo pieces and card filters to bring all the vampires, how about it?
No creatures obviously.
Played about 4 games total. Lost the first, grabbed a turn 4 win twice and then bloodily stumbled across the finish line the other times.
The way mine was set up I could win the first game (against your average deck) easily, then they would be out for blood. Also I would try not to throw down Mindcrank until Bloodchief Ascension had it's charges up. Or until I could secure a win. Just for safety's sake.
The deck is hilarious when it works. I like the builds here! Looking very efficient. (Mine was hardly reliable).
You switch back and forth between them in sideboard and maindeck for mindgames.
Gul Draz Specter
Slavering Nulls
Sword of Feast and Famine
Whispering Specter (Not loss of life, but good discard)
All of those would satisfy getting through the Leyline.
GGGMGAGGG
RRRRed AffinityRRR
RGShamansGR
BWB/W ControlWB
EDH:
Maelstrom Wanderer
Heartless Hidetsugu
Cromat
Nicol Bolas
Sapling of Colfenor
Mayael the Anima
4 Mindcrank
4 Lightning bolt
4 Galvanic Blast
4 Volt Charge
3 Arc Trail
3 Geth's Verdict
3 Black Sun’s Zenith
4 Despise
2 Duress
3 Tezzeret’s Gambit
4 Dragonskull Summit
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
2 Mountain
1 Island
4 Swamp
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Splinter Twin
4 Deceiver Exarch
3 Drowned Catacombs
4 Into the Roil
You could even bring in Into the Roil for Leyline of Sanctity.