Yasova:
So I don't actually even play Yasova all that often. At least not so far. I will only cast her in two situations:
1. I have 3 spare mana that I know I absolutely won't need on my opponent's next turn.
2. They have a creature that I absolutely must steal to either swing back at them and/or sacrifice (see Diamond Valley in the maybe-board).
Dark Depths:
20/20 flying indestructible badie.
Forest:
Blood Moon.
Life from the Loam:
This is your deck's engine. It lets you dredge lands into the graveyard to then be retrieved back into your hand faster than if you were just drawing one card per turn. The only major downside is that you will inevitably dredge non-land cards into your graveyard that you may desperately need in a given situation and this will make you sad. LftL will also let you retrieve reusable lands like Wasteland and lands which have been Wastelanded by the opponent. Most importantly though, this will allow you to get back the Dark Depths + Thespian's Stage combo in case your Marit Lage token gets exiled or bounced or tucked.
Manabond:
Congratulations, you win. Seriously though, you win. Ok, maybe not 100% of the time. There have been instances where the non-land cards in my opening hand were actually much more important to play than dropping all of my lands. It's something you really need to think through and again it depends on the type of deck you are playing against. The land advantage this card can potentially grant is insane though. Especially on turn 1 or 2.
Glacial Chasm:
This can grind the game to a halt so fast your opponent might just concede. Glacial Chasm by itself won't protect you forever but it gives you a nice buffer for up to a few turns to stabilize the board. When combined with Life from the Loam and Exploration though, if your opponent has no way to deal with this it's pretty much game over. And when I say game over, I mean the game will go to turns, will be a draw, and your opponent will hate you.
Exploration:
This is the card that you will want to play every single game but won't get to. It really makes the deck shine and when paired with Life from the Loam you will quickly outpace your opponent in resources and answers. Here are some of the most efficient ways to use both in conjunction:
1. You will be able to Dark Depth + Thespian's Stage every turn if need be. If for example your token is being exiled or bounced. The only downside is that you won't be gaining a land advantage.
2. You will be able to Glacial Chasm every turn without loss of life but the downside is that you won't be gaining a land advantage. A way around this is to pay the cumulitive upkeep every other turn when necessary, that way you are only taking 2 life every other turn and getting a land drop in between.
3. Wasteland for days while retaining a 1 land drop per turn.
4. Fetch land a couple times to ramp up quickly.
5. Repeatedly block with Inkmoth Nexus to infect your opponent's attacker and then bring it back.
Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale:
The mother of all MtG lands. This thing oozes value (and $).
The Tabernacle is an extremely powerful board control. All it asks of you is that you miss a mana producing land drop and then it does work for the rest of the game, adding pressure to your opponents mana production if they want to keep creatures on the board. This card hoses decks that are heavy on creatures and especially token, goblins, elves, etc. The nice thing about Tabernacle with the Marit Lage token out is that you won't need to pay for the token as it is indestructible. Tabernacle destroys creatures which are not paid for. It does not force you to sacrifice (yes, even in the oracle text which i have had to assure countless opponents. Judge!) The only creature you really have to worry about is Yasova. Dropping Tabernacle on turn one along with the rest of your lands using Manabond is horribly oppressive to say the least. Unfortunately Tabernacle is Legendary, so you can't Vesuva or Thespian's Stage it.
Kessig Wolf Run + Pendelhaven + Inkmoth Nexus:
I have combined these three because when using Kessig & Pendelhaven with Inkmoth Nexus can put your opponent on a poison counter clock late game.
Kessig Wolf Run can also give your Marit Lage token trample for GR. This is excellent against decks that use fliers or token spirits.
I'm not completely convinced of these lands though. Marit Lage often doesn't need trample and Kessig Wolf run only produces colorless mana. Also, i find myself wanting to keep my lands up for my opponents turn more often than not and tapping out to use Kessig seems dangerous. As for Pendelhaven and Inkmoth, I am starting to think that Pendelhaven can be exchanged for another fetch, Quicksand, Urborg, or Vesuva.
Kessig may be better served as a sideboard land if facing fliers.
Gamble:
99% of the time you want to Gamble for Life from the Loam. That way even if you are forced to discard Loam, you can immediately start to dredge and get Loam back. If you already have Loam then the next choice is to Gamble for one part of the Dark Depths + Thespian's Stage combo. In some instances you will need to Gamble for an immediate response to a threat such as Maze of Ith or a way to protect yourself with Glacial Chasm. You may be tempted to Gamble for a non-land card but it can be extremely risky. In every case that I have Gambled for some non-land card I got burned and regretted it. Exploration or Crucible of Worlds was disenchanted for example. Also, there is the chance that you may be forced to discard the card.
Crop Rotation:
Gives you an instant response to whatever situation you're facing. Need your Maze of Ith? Sure. Need the second half of your Dark Depths + Thespian's Stage combo? Done. The only thing you should be wary of is if Crop Rotation is countered, you were just 2 for 1'd, you no longer have the response you were searching for, and you are now having a bad day.
Expedition Map:
Not as fast a Crop Rotation but it doesn't require a sacrifice. Also, you can recur this with Academy Ruins.
Arcane Lighthouse:
Because Geist of Saint Traft is an asshole. Can be side boarded out in game two if you are absolutely certain your opponent's deck is lacking Hexproof or Shroud.
Anger of the Gods:
Because Geist of Saint Traft and Kira, Great Glass-Spinner are assholes. A lot of Shu Yun Tiny Leader decks run both Geist & Kira and let me tell you, it's the most satisfying thing in the world to exile both of these little bastards in one fell swoop. If your opponent's Tiny Leader is Geist himself, then it's often better to hold him off and use Anger of the Gods to catch a couple other creatures along with him. Burning Anger of the Gods on a single target creature, especially a Tiny Leader which will only come back eventually, is often times a waste but sometime necessary.
Firespout:
Creature wipe. The ability to distinguish between flying vs non-flying is a nice bonus. I'm definitely on the lookout for more powerful alternative board wipes in Tiny Leaders.
Krosan Grip:
R.I.P. Rest in Peace. Also, swords make good targets too.
Crucible of Worlds:
With all the land shenanigans going on, this card is crazy. Being able to play lands from your graveyard without having to rely on Loam is busted. When paired with Exploration, Wasteland will tear your opponents mana base apart and your Dark Depths + Thespian's Stage combo is always at your fingertips. All this being said, this is a huge disenchant target.
Realms Uncharted:
This card is a beast. Dig up Dark Depths, Thespian's Stage, and the two most useful lands for your given situation. So what if two go to the graveyard? That's what Life from the Loam & Crucible of Worlds is for.
Maze of Ith:
This is your wall. He keeps you safe. Copy it with Thespian's Stage if you need more protection. Makes a good target for two of the maybeboard cards, Vesuva & Candelabra of Tawnos.
Zuran Orb:
This has saved my ass more than once. Also, the ability to sac a land or man-land at a moment's notice can be crucial if it's about to be exiled. This also gives you a way to 'reset' Vesuva.
Rolling Earthquake:
Wipe the board and protect all of those Horsemanship creatures we are running...
Frantic Search, Ponder, Brainstorm:
These all perform similar functions in this deck, though Frantic Search seems the most powerful. I'm uncertain as to how many blue draw/discard/replace cantrips should be used in the deck. This is still being experimented with.
Sensei's Divining Top:
Performs a similar function as the cantrips but reusable but also vulnerable to removal. It's nice to know what cards are coming up so you don't accidentally dredge something like Exploration.
Psionic Blast:
This might seem like a really odd choice but for single target removal, I have found that having that 1 extra damage to be invaluable regardless of the 2 damage penalty. Also, blue. If all of my red sources are tapped no one would ever expect a blue direct damage spell. If anyone has another recommendation, please add it in the comments!
Mulch:
Potentially a 4 card draw spell if you are checking the top of your deck with Top. I feel that something else may work better in this spot though.
Wheel of Fortune:
Off the ban list. Insane card draw. Let's you throw lands into the graveyard and draw 7 more cards. The Dream? Dump your opening hand with Manabond, top deck Wheel, draw 7 more cards, laugh maniacally.
Expedition Map:
Not as fast a Crop Rotation but it doesn't require a sacrifice. Also, you can recur this with Academy Ruins.
Arcane Lighthouse:
Because Geist of Saint Traft is an asshole. Can be side boarded out in game two if you are absolutely certain your opponent's deck is lacking Hexproof or Shroud.
Anger of the Gods:
Because Geist of Saint Traft and Kira, Great Glass-Spinner are assholes. A lot of Shu Yun Tiny Leader decks run both Geist & Kira and let me tell you, it's the most satisfying thing in the world to exile both of these little bastards in one fell swoop. If your opponent's Tiny Leader is Geist himself, then it's often better to hold him off and use Anger of the Gods to catch a couple other creatures along with him. Burning Anger of the Gods on a single target creature, especially a Tiny Leader which will only come back eventually, is often times a waste but sometime necessary.
Mutavault & Mishra's Factory:
Two ground based man lands. One can pump himself on defense and the other is all creature types. I think Mishra's factory is better than Mutavault for mainboard inclusion. It's not like i'll be facing off against any Tiny Leader Sliver decks any time soon.
Rishadan Port:
Port isn't as oppressive in Tiny Leaders as it is in Legacy Lands due to only having 1 and not 4. Nonetheless, it's still useful for tapping down problematic lands. Usually the #1 target is your opponent's Maze of Ith. Another smart target includes any land which generates two mana.
Yavimaya Hollow:
Keeps Yasova alive. Also extremely useful for keeping your man-lands alive, in particular, while using Inkmoth Nexus as a blocker.
Tranquil Thicket:
Allows you to draw and thus dredge at instant speed if Life from the Loam is in your graveyard.
Faerie Conclave:
Another flier and potential blocker when combined with Yavimaya Hollow. Should probably be replaced with something else from the maybe-board though.
Ensnaring Bridge:
Locks down your Marit Lage but also can shut down your opponent and make their day miserable. Used as a last resort but once it's down you can alternate between 1-2 cards. On your turn, draw a card to have two in hand. attack with manlands, drop a card from your hand or play it then on your Opponents turn, they most likely won't be able to attack with anything. Other options are to ping them to death with Inkmoth + Kessig, etc.
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Maybe-board:
So these are all cards that i'm experimenting with as includes into the main deck or 1 of my 10 sideboard cards.
Any and all advice is welcome in the comments.
Artifacts:
Arena of the Ancients:
Taps down all Legendaries regardless of Hexproof or Shroud. The thing that makes me hesitant though is that Marit Lage is also Legendary...
Elixir of Immortality:
I was seriously considering making this a mainboard card if not definitely a side-board card. In many of my games I have come close to decking myself (Laboratory Maniac..) but what's even more useful is getting all of my non-land cards back into my deck once I have dredged and/or searched up most of the lands that I need. This card would only typically come into play for games that go long and would be very helpful against another lands deck I think. Also, once this is out, it gives me another way to protect my graveyard besides Krosan Grip.
Ensnaring Bridge:
Protection from huge creatures. This is a staple side-board card in Legacy Lands, and I see it as a worthy sideboard card for this deck.
Glaring Spotlight:
With all the damn Geist of Saint Trafts running around, this is almost an auto-include into the sideboard. Also, making the Marit Lage token Hexproof and unblockable for a turn seems pretty good.
Horn of Greed:
I was toying with the idea of this card in the deck but even with me outpacing my opponent in land drops, sometimes significantly, i'm not sure it's worth the risk.
Pithing Needle:
Sometimes you just need this. Not sure it should be 1 of the 10 sideboard cards though.
Proteus Staff:
This right here. I am seriously thinking about about doing a mainboard experiment with this.
1. I can tuck their Tiny Leader and if they go to attack with the next creature, i tuck that too.
2. I can tuck my Tiny Leader and stack my entire library. Broken.
3. I tuck my Mishra's Factory and search my library for... the rest of eternity... or until the game is a draw? or? I have f'in clue what happens but it will be fun damnit!
Tormod's Crypt:
Graveyard hate. Is there a better card for these colors? Do I even need graveyard hate? No clue.
Trinisphere:
Is this and Sphere of resistance even worth trying? I have seen Azusa decks that use them.
Candelabra of Tawnos:
Not sure if this is main deckable. It does grant a lot of utility though being able to use Maze of Ith & Port twice. Untap an attacking man-land. Double regenerate with Hollow.
Creatures:
Azusa, Lost but seeking:
I really think I should main deck this. I should main deck her over Courser of Kruphix. I should do it right now. Playing her is like playing a worse Summer Bloom but I can drop the extra lands each turn if she doesn't get nuked from orbit.
Riftsweeper:
I was thinking this might make a good sideboard card in case Dark Depths get exiled? Is it worth the slot.
Kira, The Great Glass-Spinner:
Kira is so powerful. She protects my Tiny Leaders, my Marit Lage token, my man-lands, Azusa if i end up trying her. The problem is, if i do, am i flooding my deck with non-lands and thus defeating the purpose. Also, double UU.
Enchantments:
Rites of Flourishing:
I added this card to the list so that I am aware of its presence. It does not seem worth the risk of giving my opponent the land advantage though.
Sylvan Library:
I was thinking if I add both this and the Top, I can remove my cantrips, thus freeing up space to add more lands. Worth experimenting with.
Trade Routes:
This has the potential to be a great draw engine in the deck when combined with Life from the Loam. I am going to experiment with this in my next game. Also, being able to bounce a man-land after block is nice. Being able to reset Vesuva would be nice. Ok, I should add Vesuva. Being able to bounce Dark Depths to prevent its exile would be invaluable.
Courser of Kruphix:
I think Azusa is just plain better in this deck.
Thassa, God of the Sea:
Makes Marit Lage unblockable. Scry every turn. Will never be a creature. She would unfortunately hose my Proteus Staff plan if I main deck both her and Azusa :\
Instants:
Intuition:
Better than a cantrip. Should probably replace one.
Mystical Tutor:
Card disadvantage. But finding Life from the Loam is worth it. Intuition is better.
Teferi's Response:
Card advantage against land removal. Card advantage against creature removal when used against my man-lands. I think it's definitely side-board worthy.
The dream? Cast against a Maze of Ith that's targeting your man-land?
Red Elemental Blast & Pyroblast:
Because F you Geist.
Jace Beleren:
Card draw? Double UU :(
Dack Fayden:
I heard stealing artifacts is good. Also, that card draw & feeding the loam! I was told my multiple people to main board him. Seems like good advice.
Sorceries:
Living Wish:
Sky's the limit! And as in sky, I mean a 10 card sideboard. Stupid oracle rulings. Anyways. Would it be a waste to sideboard a card that fetches stuff from the sideboard?
Summer Bloom:
Azusa is longer lasting.
Sylvan Scrying:
Another card that I should main board. Not that the deck limit is 50 cards or anything.
Lands:
Bazaar of Baghdad:
This is no doubt powerful but is it worth it? Again, worth experimenting with. The downside, is that it doesn't generate mana.
Diamond Valley:
Another card that I was pondering for sideboard inclusion. The DV is very synergistic with the deck's tiny leader. Steal a creature, gain life. Also, and stay with me here. If someone attempts to exile or bounce my Marit Lage token, I can get 20 life out of it. That's a gain of almost double your starting life. Assuming you are in a position where you are being attacked and your token gets exiled. DV would give you a 20 life buffer for that turn giving you a very good chance to survive to your next turn and allowing you time to stabilize the board. Also, if they happen to swords the token, and you end up gaining 40 life. The downside is this is yet another land which does not produce mana on its own which can sometimes hurt.
Quicksand:
Can make your opponent think twice about attacking. The fact that you can Loam this back makes it a threat the rest of the game. Sideboard? Main?
Vesuva:
Yes, I should just add it.
Rogue's Passage:
Makes your Marit Lage unblockable and thus, very very scary. It does generate mana which is more than I can say for some of the other lands. This is a card that I would compare to perhaps Thassa. This is a land that makes a creature unblockable which can be manipulated by Loam, generates mana, can be fetched by crop rotation and even if Gamble fails, I can get it back. Thassa on the other hand can also make a creature unblockable and lets me scry every turn but does not generate mana and can be Loamed right into the graveyard to then be useless. Decisions decisions.
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth:
Makes all of my lands tap for colorless. Even the ones that don't normally produce mana. It seems like a good fit in the deck but I guess i have to weigh it against something that could be more impactful.
Boseiju, Who Shelters All:
Might be worth sideboarding against a heavy counterspell deck. If even such a thing exists in Tiny Leaders yet. Not sure.