seeing as how he is playing U/B control, he would definitely have a counterspell ready to cancel the O-ring, or he could snapcast, to flashback the negate, dissipate, mana leak, etc.
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It is very helpful actually, against red decks, that extra life nets you more turns to out-race them. and against like Blue-White Blade decks with Geist of Saint Traft, Tribute to Hunger is great if they only have one creature, its instantly gone. I sideboard out the Tributes against token decks for sure though. I hope that explains why I like them in the deck
I've played the deck a few times now, and it runs fantastically. Ponder, divination, and think twice help us find the heartless summoning, or the Rune-scarred Demon to tutor out whatever you might want if you don't already have said cards in hand. if you have a heartless out on turn 2, optimally, you can get a turn 3 bloodgift demon, netting you huge card advantage early on. The spot removal helps, and I run 1 of's to threaten the opponent that I have more removal than i actually have. Overall, the deck has been quite consistent when I've played it, and I love that it's a tool box style deck. It rewards smart play. :)
I agree with taking out Crossway. I have a pretty darn successful vamp deck I've run at a couple tournaments. Haven't yet missed top 8. I highly recommend considering "Arc Trail", that card is an amazing addition to any aggro based deck, and I run it in my vampires. which you are more than welcome to look at and take ideas.
Thank you! :D I tried it at a tournament last week and got top 4, I think it has potential, and I want to make some tweaks. Any insight or anything that would improve upon it would be most appreciated. thanks again ^_^