Hmm, is anyone running this deck with Think Twice though? I'm not sure either one belongs here; yes, you get some slight CA either way, but Desperate Ravings has the same fundamental problem TT has, which is that you're paying 5 mana to get +1 cards. DR adds a bit of filtering, but you don't get to choose what you're filtering, just what hand you play it on. It is better than TT for this deck, but to me the answer is "neither." This deck is all about getting the early advantage, and I don't think the sort of slow draw effects that DR and TT provide are fast enough. That's why Ponder is effective for this sort of deck; sure, it's a sorcery, but it's just one mana and helps to flip Delver and get the early advantage.
Remember though, that if DR is drawing a Snapcaster Mage and then discarding it, you're not any worse off than you were when you didn't have a Snapcaster in your hand. (Technically, you're worse off in that particular case because you're less likely to draw one on your next turn, but you could just as easily have discarded a Mountain and proceeded to topdeck the Snapcaster. All told, DR is more likely to get you a Snapcaster than it is to cost you one.)
Dissipate doesn't fit this deck well. Kind of unfortunate, since a hard counter would be nice to have in the late game when Mana Leak becomes less usable, but if you're that late in the game, you're hopefully in a position where that slot is better served with a burn spell to finish off your weakened opponent. I've tried running Psychic Barrier in this deck, and it's nice enough when it works, but I've found that the UU cost is tough to come up with given the mana base we're working with.
Vapor Snag is nice, but 4 is definitely too much. My thought right now is to run 2 of them plus a singleton Disperse, maybe with an extra Disperse in the SB. While it's no Boomerang, it's one card that can bounce a creature, enchantment, artifact, or planeswalker, in a deck that doesn't have other options for dealing with a resolved enchantment. Anyone else running it? I wouldn't run more than 1 or 2, but remember that we can potentially cast it a second time with Snapcaster Mage if necessary.
Hi. After playing quite a bit of casual Magic during the Urza, Masques, and Invasion blocks, I've returned to the game during the past few months and started playing FNM regularly. I have yet to win packs at a tournament, but I can usually manage a 2-2 finish or so, which I suppose isn't too bad for just recently getting into Standard.
I've tried out plenty of different deck types, always leaned toward blue control, also ran a decent mono-black mercenaries deck for a while (mainly used tutors and Dark Rituals to break out an early Cateran Enforcer, at a time when that was a pretty devastating card). Given the current blue-control-hating meta, I've recently settled on running UR Delver/Tempo in Standard. I've done some Innistrad drafts as well and haven't really mastered it yet, but it's a good time. I've also put together a fun little mono-black EDH deck with Geth, Lord of the Vault.
I'm also still mourning the loss of Counterspell in more modern formats, and I hope it sees a reprint down the road. Mana Leak isn't a terrible card, but nothing is more frustrating than getting ready to say "no" and seeing those three open mana on the other side of the table. On the other hand, I always laugh at people who complain about Innistrad block being underpowered... obviously these folks never opened a Prophecy pack.
Remember though, that if DR is drawing a Snapcaster Mage and then discarding it, you're not any worse off than you were when you didn't have a Snapcaster in your hand. (Technically, you're worse off in that particular case because you're less likely to draw one on your next turn, but you could just as easily have discarded a Mountain and proceeded to topdeck the Snapcaster. All told, DR is more likely to get you a Snapcaster than it is to cost you one.)
Dissipate doesn't fit this deck well. Kind of unfortunate, since a hard counter would be nice to have in the late game when Mana Leak becomes less usable, but if you're that late in the game, you're hopefully in a position where that slot is better served with a burn spell to finish off your weakened opponent. I've tried running Psychic Barrier in this deck, and it's nice enough when it works, but I've found that the UU cost is tough to come up with given the mana base we're working with.
Vapor Snag is nice, but 4 is definitely too much. My thought right now is to run 2 of them plus a singleton Disperse, maybe with an extra Disperse in the SB. While it's no Boomerang, it's one card that can bounce a creature, enchantment, artifact, or planeswalker, in a deck that doesn't have other options for dealing with a resolved enchantment. Anyone else running it? I wouldn't run more than 1 or 2, but remember that we can potentially cast it a second time with Snapcaster Mage if necessary.
I've tried out plenty of different deck types, always leaned toward blue control, also ran a decent mono-black mercenaries deck for a while (mainly used tutors and Dark Rituals to break out an early Cateran Enforcer, at a time when that was a pretty devastating card). Given the current blue-control-hating meta, I've recently settled on running UR Delver/Tempo in Standard. I've done some Innistrad drafts as well and haven't really mastered it yet, but it's a good time. I've also put together a fun little mono-black EDH deck with Geth, Lord of the Vault.
I'm also still mourning the loss of Counterspell in more modern formats, and I hope it sees a reprint down the road. Mana Leak isn't a terrible card, but nothing is more frustrating than getting ready to say "no" and seeing those three open mana on the other side of the table. On the other hand, I always laugh at people who complain about Innistrad block being underpowered... obviously these folks never opened a Prophecy pack.