Apologies, I completely forgot about the life gain on Consuming Vapors. It's still not a good choice though. If you're going to run 4-CMC sorcery speed removal, Damnation is going to be better most of the time. The Rebound effect will only be relevant in corner cases. Also, the points about lower casting cost, instant speed, etc. are all still valid for Tribute to Hunger.
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The main reason for playing sacrifice-based removal would be to kill the occasional Slippery Bogle, et al (and the random Geists of Saint Traft). Tribute to Hunger's life gain is significant in those matchups, as is the fact that it costs 3, thereby allowing you to kill a turn 3 Geist before your opponent can untap with counter magic.
Given that you run 3 Damnation mainboard, maybe swap out Pia and Kiran Nalaar for 2 Vendilion Cliques. It smooths out your mana curve, acts as instant-speed disruption, and attacks/blocks. The Damnations do a better job of keeping creature strategies at bay than the Nalaars. And there are many other cards better at beating down than the Nalaars. On a side note, Tasigur is a great control card, due to his card draw.
Have you thought of adding Gurmag Angler/Tasigur, the Golden Fang and Thought Scour?
If you're okay with a more mainstream design, you could make the following changes:+2 Thoughtscour+3 Gurmag Angler+3 Inquisition of Kozilek+2 Thoughtseize -1 Grave Titan-2 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet-1 Damnation -1 Rise // Fall-1 Spell Snare-1 Far // Away-1 Cryptic Command -1 Kolaghan's Command -1 SwampThe reasons for the above suggestions:With delve cards, Thoughtscour is literally a blue Dark Ritual + cantrip. Gurmag Angler helps abuse Thoughtscour. It's also a really big creature for very little mana, allowing your deck to quickly take the role of a tempo deck when required. Inquisition of Kozilek is usually just better than Spell Snare. If Spell Snare is really important, cut a copy of mana leak for it. One of the biggest reasons to run Grixis Control is the great discard spells available. Use them. Grave Titan and Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet are quite expensive to cast. Tasigur, the Golden Fang and Gurmag Angler are much cheaper to play. With all the discard, removal and counter spells, Damnation becomes more of a sideboard card. All the other spells on the list are basically just making way for the discard spells. All these changes lower your average converted mana cost, allowing you to cut a land.
This deck can't compete in Modern (no access to Dark Rituals); it'll be way too slow. Bearing in mind that the average kill-speed of a Legacy deck is 3 turns or more, dropping a T2 or T3 Shared Fate is hardly the most efficient use of all that ramp, but it is vastly better than a T4 Shared Fate in Modern. Remember that this deck is not going to be competitive if it relies so heavily on a Shared Fate soft lock, but the deck's creator didn't necessarily build the deck to win at Tier 1 Magic. Without some sort of guideline from the creator on how competitive he/she wants the deck to be, all we can do is suggest potential improvements for the current strategy. On a side note, referencing your Thoughtseize remark: the probability of getting rid of the Shared Fate threat through discard is 14% on T1, 16% by T2 and 19% by T3 (assuming you run 4 Thoughtseizes). Not exactly overwhelming odds compared to this deck's 77% of casting Shared Fate by T3 (referencing my proposed list).
Actually, I think Legacy would be the way to go with a deck like this. You have access to the best ramp rituals and draw spells (barring Ancestral Recall), as well as the best answers that won't cripple you once Shared Fate is in play (e.g. Force of Will, Trinisphere, Winter Orb, etc.).This deck would kinda suck in Modern, since it won't ever interact with the opponent, and Shared Fate will hardly ever hit the board before T3 (due to lack of 1 mana rituals). Big, stompy, fast decks (Eldrazi, Amulet Combo, Infect, etc.) will establish strong board positions before you do anything worthwhile.
So the thing with Shared Fate is you can only play your opponent's cards if you can produce the correct colored mana. Since your ramp spells only produce black mana, and all your other mana sources only produce black and blue mana, you'll struggle to play most decks' cards.With the above in mind, I'd suggest adding green to supplement the black, and enable you to use the opponent's cards.Replacing your current draw spells with cheaper, deeper-digging spells will also make this deck faster and more consistent.I'd suggest a build along the lines of:Draw/Discard Spells: 4 Shared Fate 4 Preordain 4 Ideas Unbound 2 Serum Visions 4 Distress (or Inquisition of Kozilek/Thoughtseize if you can afford it)Ramp Spells: 4 Birds of Paradise 4 Sylvan Caryatid 4 Dark Ritual 4 Cabal Ritual 4 Pentad PrismLands: 2 Opulent Palace 4 Exotic Orchard 4 Mana Confluence 2 City of Brass 1 Reflecting Pool 1 Mikokoro, Centre Of The Sea 2 Island 2 Swamp 4 ForestReasons for some less obvious/intuitive cards:Birds of Paradise - This card acts as rituals 9-12. Birds+a ritual is a turn 2 Shared Fate. It also enables you play any of your opponent's colors. Yes, your opponent can play it from your deck, but the downside of an opposing 0/1 flyer is far outweighed by the value you get from it.Sylvan Caryatid - Similar to Birds, except slower and even less of a threat in your opponent's hands. Also helps slow down aggressive decks, giving you time to get going.Distress/Inquisition/Thoughtseize - Even though you can lock an opponent out of the game with Shared Fate, they still have the cards in their hand. This lets you get rid of the scariest cards (including enchantment destruction). It's also a pretty useless card in your opponent's hands, since you aren't really using your cards-in-hand anyway once a Shared Fate is on the board.Pentad Prism - color-fixing. Also guarantees a turn 3 Shared Fate even without access to other ramp spells.Ideas Unbound - Great for digging for a Shared Fate, or ramp spells. It's also funny if your opponent casts it, since they have to discard 3 cards.Preordain/Serum Visions - Great for digging for Shared Fate/ramp. Downside is your opponent can use the Scrying against you, but at that point, it's more just an inconvenience than a deal-breaker.Mikokoro - Honestly, it's a win-more kinda card in this deck. But it's REALLY FUN with Shared Fate on the battlefield. It doesn't add any value to this deck's strategy though. It would probably make more sense to replace it with another City of Brass... or Serum Visions... or Island... or anything mildly useful really... lol.Cards to consider:Sterling Grove - It performs double duty by tutoring AND protecting your Shared Fate. Enough white sources to cast this card by T3.Better Lands - Shocklands and Fetchlands would be better than this manabase, if your budget allows for it.Manamorphose - Fixes mana and draws a card, BUT it doesn't ramp :(Simian Spirit Guide - Fantastic, uncounterable ramp. Downside is it gives your opponent a creature with power>0.Force of Will - great back-up for if things go south early on. You don't really care if your opponent uses this against you (most times).Winter Orb - doesn't really affect you, but can cripple your opponents. Adds a secondary lockdown option for this deck.Ensnaring Bridge/Propaganda - slows down creature decks, BUT it kinda sucks if your opponents plays it off a Shared Fate trigger.It was a bit of a long post, but I hope it helps :)
Look at replacing Arms Dealer with Tuktuk the Explorer; he'll give you a big 5/5 beater when you sac him. Plus the beater's an artifact for Shrapnel Blast.You also have a lot of land in a deck that tops out at 3 mana. Have you considered running sac-lands like Arid Mesa to thin out your deck and minimise dead-draws?
Replace 2 Adaptive Automaton with 2 Hamlet Captain. It'll give you some faster starts. Also consider Grand Abolisher and Elite Inquisator for your sideboard to deal with control and tribal decks. Please check out my deck: mtgvault.com/ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=308314
Have you thought about running Putrefax? It's a great way to surprise your opponent. Also maybe some Spellskites to absorb removal aimed at the Hydra. Please have a look at my deck: mtgvault.com/ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=308314
If you're running Red and Green, you HAVE to run 4 Huntmaster of the Fells - best werewolf and arguably the best 4 drop in standard. Also consider running 4 Mayor of Avabruck. Rites of Flourishing sucks. Really badly. It's a card that let's your opponent draw more cards AND lets them ramp. And your opponent gets to use the draw ability before you so they'll always be up on cards. For this deck, I'd suggest getting rid of all the ramp. Run 4 Birds of Paradise and 4 Llanowar Elves instead. Add 2 Green Sun Zeniths. Chandra's Outrage is too expensive for a removal spell. Rather run 3 Galvanic Blast and 3 incinerate. Plummet should be in the sideboard, definitely not a mainboard card. You could do a lot more to improve the deck, but I'll let other people give some suggestions as well :) Please check out my deck: http:// www.mtgvault.com/ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=308314
Take out: 1 Parallel Lives 2 Scorned Villager 2 Immerwolf 2 Asceticism 1 Feed the Pack 4 Moonmist Put in: 2 Green Sun's Zenith 2 Huntmaster of the Fells 4 Birds of Paradise 1 Mayor of Avabruck 3 Arc Trail The Birds of Paradise aren't wolves/werewolves but they allow you to play Immerwolf or Kruin Outlaw or Green Sun into a Mayor on Turn 2. And the Mayor is just so much better than Immerwolf. Also, Huntmaster of the Fells is one of the best 4 drops in T2 at the moment, hence you should ALWAYS run 4 of them. They're like 4 mana titans! Please check out my deck: http://www.mtgvault.com/ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=308314
Strangely, I actually came up against a similar deck at the most recent FNM! No Hellriders, but Manabarbs and Huntmaster combo. I was playing my Esper Lightsaber deck (see it here: http://www.mtgvault.com/ ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=308314). The first game was REALLY close - I was on 3 life before I managed to hit him with a Sword of War and Peace. I barely squeaked through that match. For the second game, I sided in 2 Revoke Existence, 3 Flashfreeze, 2 Timely Reinforcements and a Day of Judgment and cleaned up with ease.
Replace Instigator Gang with Huntmaster of the Fells. It can win a game on its own. Its like a 4 mana titan :P Also, replace 1 Immer Wolf and 1 Moonmist with 2 Green Sun Zenith. Please have a look at my deck: http://www.mtgvault.com/ ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=308314
You're going to need some more basic lands, just in case someone uses Path to Exile on one of your creatures. If you're looking to use discard and burn to control, may I suggest a list that looks something like this: *Lands 4 Lavaclaw Reaches 4 Badlands 4 Dragonskull Summit 4 Blood Crypt 2 Graven Cairns 6 Swamp *Creatures 4 Bloodghast 4 Chandra's Phoenix 3 Geralf's Messenger 4 Demigod of Revenge 2 Liliana of the Veil 2 Sarkhan the Mad *Spells 4 Thoughtseize 3 Hymn to Tourach 3 Blightning 4 Lightning Bolt 3 Terminate Please check out my deck: http://www.mtgvault.com/ ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=308314
Replace 3 Whipflare with 3 Slagstorm. And replace 3 Altar of the Lost with 3 more land. After all, it's pointless running some form of ramp if you're not running enough lands. Also consider Increasing Vengeance. And definitely add 4 Snapcaster Mages. Please check my deck out: http://www.mtgvault.com/ ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=308314
With only 22 land (4 of which are sac lands) and spells like Rampant Growth and Solemn Sim, you're going to struggle to make your 5th and 6th land drops. If you're running ramp like that, you're going to need 25-26 lands (28 if you want to run Evolving Wilds). Also, considering that your way of not dying involves keeping Melira alive, consider adding Undying Evil to the deck. Please check out my deck: http://www.mtgvault.com/ ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=308314
Could you please take a look at my deck: http://www.mtgvault.com/ ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=308314
Oooh, I have an idea! What if you take out 12 mountains and add 4 Badlands, 4 Bloodcrypt and 4 Dragonskull Summit. And then add 4 Dark Rituals? This option also allows you to play things like Vampiric Dragon and other Black/Red dragons.
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