-You have too few Ninjas to make Standstill reliable.
-Delver also seems like a bad choice since you aren't running Brainstorm or Top to manipulate the top of your deck to get it to trigger, and at only 12 instants and sorceries, that seems like a gamble. Compare that to other Delver decks like Canadian Threshold and Stoneblade which are typically packing 30 instants and sorceries. And with Delver, comes Brainstorm, which comes fetch lands.
-I've never liked Ornithopter. The only good thing it does is let's you play it right after ninjutsuing it to set up for another ninjutsu next turn. Since you only have 4 ninjas, that scenario is going to be rare. I run the standard 7 ninjas in my deck, and even then, Ornithopter does nothing. You can't even attach a Jitte to it.
I cannot honestly believe you aren't trolling with this idea. Standstill is a major component of the deck, removing it just makes this deck worse in every way I can imagine.
Please read the opening post if you are looking for 2-mana 1/1s to improve this deck. I mention Thalakos Seer which:
1: Shadow is better than flying in the format
2: Same increased clock, except it draws a card if removed for any reason (including exile)
3: Can also be recurred, which draws a card while ninjutsu-ed.
4: Is a creature
5: Anytime spell
The only downside I can see is that it costs UU to cast.
I'm not trolling. I sort of thought my reasoning was fairly well thought out. Augury Owl getting recurred digging 6 cards deep into the deck seems to trump Standstill's 3 or Thalakos. And if we're to the point of running Thalakos, it begs the question of why we didn't just splash black for Strix which is the better card imo.
Perhaps you are reading the card incorrectly? If there is no other creature to return, you have to return the drake itself. Faerie Impostor is strictly better in the context of this deck (2 power, relevant creature type).
Been playing with this incorrectly for a while which sucks. But having 3 less opening creatures to play seems all the more to have Augury in.
This is the list that I run. I replaced Standstill with Augury Owl for a few reasons which seem to come down to a matter of philosophy-
1. Augury Owl is another flyer in a deck that wants a lot of them on the field. Whereas normally I would have a field with Pest, CoF, and Standstill on T2 with 3 more cards on the way, I'm now able to set up Pest, CoF, and Owl which is going to be swinging consistently with a clock of 4 unblocked T3. It also makes us less susceptible to removal just by having more things to remove.
2. Because of the increased clock, opponents are quick to waste removal early in the game when it will cost them. On T3, your opponent has 3 lands. RUG can either play Bolt first then Goyf, or Goyf first then Bolt. Either way, he taps out and you get a lot of value out of your daze. And the Owl should have been able to ensure that another Pest or Jitte or Shinobi is on the way to keep the pressure on.
3. Augury Owl can be recurred. Whereas Standstill pops once, you can play Owl over and over to dig almost 6 cards deep into your deck. Getting crucial Jittes has never been easier. Plus, using him with Deep Hours creates a pseudo-top effect.
4. Having 4 more creatures all but guarantees a good opening hand. I hate drawing 2 daze, 1 FoW, 1 Standstill, 2 Island, 1 Deep Hours. I also hate getting hands like this when I'm mulliganning down to 5 with 1 Daze, 2 Island, 1 Standstill, 1 Deep Hours. In both cases, if Standstill was Augury Owl, I would be able to play. This is a deck that needs to have a plan T1. You're taking a huge gamble by relying on your Standstill to go get the kinds of cards that should have been in your opening hand to begin with.
5. Standstill is conditional whereas Augury Owl is an any-time spell. Owl doesn't care if you have board position yet. Standstill is irrelevant against Merfolk and DnT which are going to Vial in threats anyway. And against other fair decks, you need Shinobi usually to set up board position because our guys usually aren't swinging for much until T3 which is too late a lot of the time.
edit:
-The reason I run Drake and not Faerie Impostor is just because it can be played turn 1. This deck pretty much has to play an enabler T1, and I can't stress enough how much it sucks to mulligan past 6.
edit edit:
-I wasn't aware that Drake bounced itself, and replaced him with Impostor for the time being. However, those 3 slots are contentious atm, and I might change them to a number of things in different combinations: Shadow Rift, Curfew, Zephyr Sprite, Ornithopter, Dismember, Thalakos Seer, or just make those the 3 Standstills.
-You have too few Ninjas to make Standstill reliable.
-Delver also seems like a bad choice since you aren't running Brainstorm or Top to manipulate the top of your deck to get it to trigger, and at only 12 instants and sorceries, that seems like a gamble. Compare that to other Delver decks like Canadian Threshold and Stoneblade which are typically packing 30 instants and sorceries. And with Delver, comes Brainstorm, which comes fetch lands.
-I've never liked Ornithopter. The only good thing it does is let's you play it right after ninjutsuing it to set up for another ninjutsu next turn. Since you only have 4 ninjas, that scenario is going to be rare. I run the standard 7 ninjas in my deck, and even then, Ornithopter does nothing. You can't even attach a Jitte to it.
I'm not trolling. I sort of thought my reasoning was fairly well thought out. Augury Owl getting recurred digging 6 cards deep into the deck seems to trump Standstill's 3 or Thalakos. And if we're to the point of running Thalakos, it begs the question of why we didn't just splash black for Strix which is the better card imo.
Been playing with this incorrectly for a while which sucks. But having 3 less opening creatures to play seems all the more to have Augury in.
4x Mutavault
15x Island
Creatures
4x Judge's Familiar
4x Augury Owl
4x Signal Pest
4x Cloud of Faeries
4x Spellstutter Sprite
3x Shrieking Drake
4x Ninja of the Deep Hours
3x Mistblade Shinobi
4x Force of Will
4x Daze
2x Umezawa's Jitte
1x Sword of Fire and Ice
4 Hydroblast
4 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Annul
3 Surgical Extraction
This is the list that I run. I replaced Standstill with Augury Owl for a few reasons which seem to come down to a matter of philosophy-
1. Augury Owl is another flyer in a deck that wants a lot of them on the field. Whereas normally I would have a field with Pest, CoF, and Standstill on T2 with 3 more cards on the way, I'm now able to set up Pest, CoF, and Owl which is going to be swinging consistently with a clock of 4 unblocked T3. It also makes us less susceptible to removal just by having more things to remove.
2. Because of the increased clock, opponents are quick to waste removal early in the game when it will cost them. On T3, your opponent has 3 lands. RUG can either play Bolt first then Goyf, or Goyf first then Bolt. Either way, he taps out and you get a lot of value out of your daze. And the Owl should have been able to ensure that another Pest or Jitte or Shinobi is on the way to keep the pressure on.
3. Augury Owl can be recurred. Whereas Standstill pops once, you can play Owl over and over to dig almost 6 cards deep into your deck. Getting crucial Jittes has never been easier. Plus, using him with Deep Hours creates a pseudo-top effect.
4. Having 4 more creatures all but guarantees a good opening hand. I hate drawing 2 daze, 1 FoW, 1 Standstill, 2 Island, 1 Deep Hours. I also hate getting hands like this when I'm mulliganning down to 5 with 1 Daze, 2 Island, 1 Standstill, 1 Deep Hours. In both cases, if Standstill was Augury Owl, I would be able to play. This is a deck that needs to have a plan T1. You're taking a huge gamble by relying on your Standstill to go get the kinds of cards that should have been in your opening hand to begin with.
5. Standstill is conditional whereas Augury Owl is an any-time spell. Owl doesn't care if you have board position yet. Standstill is irrelevant against Merfolk and DnT which are going to Vial in threats anyway. And against other fair decks, you need Shinobi usually to set up board position because our guys usually aren't swinging for much until T3 which is too late a lot of the time.
edit:
-The reason I run Drake and not Faerie Impostor is just because it can be played turn 1. This deck pretty much has to play an enabler T1, and I can't stress enough how much it sucks to mulligan past 6.
edit edit:
-I wasn't aware that Drake bounced itself, and replaced him with Impostor for the time being. However, those 3 slots are contentious atm, and I might change them to a number of things in different combinations: Shadow Rift, Curfew, Zephyr Sprite, Ornithopter, Dismember, Thalakos Seer, or just make those the 3 Standstills.