I would swap Ardenvale for Locthwain straight up. Your manabase would still be even. Yes, Ardenvale can be useful, but is it consistently more useful than a locthwain? I think the answer is clearly no. Drawing a permanent answer to a threat is better than chumpblocking indefinitely for 5 Mana - also, think about all of the creatures that can be chump-blocked versus those that can't. (QB, Embercleave, Krasis, Borrower, Kenrith,..)
It's more for control actually. Using the mana late game to make a 1/1 every turn can add up surpisingly quickly. I can't disagree with running another locthwain though.
I hadn't really thought about it as a win-con, but I feel you'll just draw into your actually reliable wincons with locthwain more often than you'll overwhelm your opponent with a 1/1 each turn.
I think you might have too many sideboard slots dedicated to the same thing, but different (Noxious, devout decree, despark, murderous rider). Can you use one or two of these slots to diversify your sideboard?
+2 cry is a great call. Although, I probably would have gone -Devout Decree instead of Rider. I feel you already have plenty of answers to the black and red threats in the format.
Also, theres a method for getting around Cry with the cat where you sac on your own turn and then bring back on your upkeep or your opponents end step. You can counter-play this counter-play by +ing Little T and should keep that line in mind.
I don't think that gets around it. Teferi says opponents can only cast cards at sorcery speed. Activating abilities should be fine to do whenever. Unless I'm missing something
I can't find the r/spikes discussion I read but I wish I could just link to that as it explains what I'm trying to say better.
I'll try again: to keep the cat from being exiled, cat players need to make sure that the cat doesn't die on the same turn that a Cry is cast. If your opponent is savvy and suspects that cry is in your deck, they will sac the act to oven on their turn, when you can't cast Cry (because Cry is a Sorcery) and then bring it back on their upkeep, after untapping the oven. This let's let's them keep the loop going at the same pace without the risk of it being ended by Cry.
Since Teferi let's you cast sorceries at flash speed, you can just cast cry on your opponents turn and exile the cat anyway.
It's a very slim chance line, but maybe it comes in handy. If your opponent doesn't know about this strategy, just fuck them over with cry.
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Main Deck - 60 cards, 22 distinct
-1 rider
+2 cry
Also, theres a method for getting around Cry with the cat where you sac on your own turn and then bring back on your upkeep or your opponents end step. You can counter-play this counter-play by +ing Little T and should keep that line in mind.
I'll try again: to keep the cat from being exiled, cat players need to make sure that the cat doesn't die on the same turn that a Cry is cast. If your opponent is savvy and suspects that cry is in your deck, they will sac the act to oven on their turn, when you can't cast Cry (because Cry is a Sorcery) and then bring it back on their upkeep, after untapping the oven. This let's let's them keep the loop going at the same pace without the risk of it being ended by Cry.
Since Teferi let's you cast sorceries at flash speed, you can just cast cry on your opponents turn and exile the cat anyway.
It's a very slim chance line, but maybe it comes in handy. If your opponent doesn't know about this strategy, just fuck them over with cry.
Tef +1 is so key in this deck to boost Dance, Thougth Erasure, Cry, and Kaya's Wrath.