I've had success with Keranos, God of Storms, once you resolve Keranos with some artifact acceleration you blow up everything with Jokulhaups/Wildfire/Burning of Xinye ect. and Keranos provides a win condition and a way to draw into extra lands so you hit your drops before everyone else. It also allows counterspells like Force Spike, Mana Leak and Daze(saves a land from a wipe) as well as Gush, which is a powerhouse.
I've never had a problem with game one of the lantern matchup, in fact I would almost say it's a bye. Every time I just cantrip and try my best to get an engine online and then kill them as soon as they mill PiF, although going off is painfully slow when they want to stop and think before every draw. Although I've had a lot of trouble beating them game two when they bring in Rest in Peace. Amy advice on how to beat RiP?
Like said before, Yeva, Nature's Herald is good, it would let you drop a Necrataal effect or a Fleshbag Marauder at instant speed, Yisan might also we worth looking into as a birthing pod effect to get utility creatures.
How about Rosheen Meanderer tribal Hydras, most hydras are RG and you get support with Chord of Calling and Green Sun's Zenith to fetch utility creatures and guys like Somberwald Sage to make more creature mana. Throw in some untap effects like Early Harvest and a green ramp package along with some of those guys that draw you a card when you cast a big creature and you'll be spewing out fatties every turn pretty easily.
In matchups which you have to play around counter I usually try to get through an ascension, and then cast spells pretty recklessly to get counters on it since it'll trigger whether they are countered or not. Once you have it online you can just Past in Flames and combo out through your graveyard.
What about the non-combo decks, then? Well, for 1U you can get Snapcaster Mage, which is much more flexible, especially when you have Thought Scour to set it up.
I was thinking along the lines of the control decks, you could use it to find whatever answers you need against whatever particular deck you're facing. For example lets say you're up against Affinity on the draw, would you rather do something like Mana Leak one of their T3 plays or would you rather spend your T2 to get Electrolyze to help stabilize on T3?
The problem with that is that its sorcery speed, so you can't hold mana for a counterspell and cast it EOT for the answer you need.
With that being said I'm testing it as a 2 of in my esper control list, where it can hit Cryptic, Esper Charm, Logic Knot, Spell Snare, Think Twice and Sphinx's Rev.
What experience do you guys have winning through other means than storm cards? I just had an incredibly grindy G3 match up against Jund, boarded in Pyroclasms and Bolts, he got 3 Ascensions with Thoughtseize, Decay and Maelstrom Pulse and ended up winning with Bolt Bolt PiF Desperate Flashback Bolt Bolt Bolt.
I never thought of Infernal, but I've tested it a couple of times now and so far it's been fantastic for setting up, though it's dead mid-combo of course. I got to go T2 infernal for manamorphose into t3 pyretic ascension pyretic manamophose manamophose and ended up winning that turn.
While that's true, I won some games which would have been much harder without thoughtseize stripping a bolt or path from my opponents hand before playing an electromancer. Of course I could ritual in response to the removal to get some value, but having the electromancer online for the entire combo is obviously much better.
Disciple of the Ring
Bribery
Mind's Desire
Ignite memories
Rite of Replication
Sphinx-Bone Wand
Eye of the Storm
Epic Experiment
Guttersnipe
Charmbreaker Devils
Talrand, Sky Summoner/Young Pyromancer
Edit: And Turnabout Reiterate
The problem with that is that its sorcery speed, so you can't hold mana for a counterspell and cast it EOT for the answer you need.
With that being said I'm testing it as a 2 of in my esper control list, where it can hit Cryptic, Esper Charm, Logic Knot, Spell Snare, Think Twice and Sphinx's Rev.