The ShiftstonedEternal Power Calculator is a deck-building tool that visualizes your odds of drawing enough Influence and Power based specifically on the cards found in your deck.
Vara removes aegis from your West-Wind Heralds, which makes them more fragile. This is particularly bad if the Vara is permafrosted. If you want a lifesteal unit, I'd recommend Rindra or Black-Sky Harbinger. Statuary Maiden and Jotun Feast-Caller are other ok units if you want additional threats.
Having played this deck a bit, I find it extremely fun and challenging to play. This version has a lot of flexibility, and gives you A LOT of choices throughout every game. More often then not I win by the following line: merchant -> mirror image on merchant -> kaleb's choice their removal while removing their threats with cheap interaction of your own. And sometimes, you get free wins against time creature based strategies using the combo. Turns out, scattershot is quiet a decent creature even when you use it "fairly", and west wind herald won me a lot of games by attacking for 2 followed by flashing back a torch.
However, the matchup against Talir combo felt just abysmal to me. Perhaps, my draws just lined up poorly, but I felt miserable playing against that deck: SST, Mask, Alhed combined with inevitability their combo provides made me think this match is just unwinnable. Without kindle, the earliest realistic combo turn is 6 (unless you get a lucky quarry and dump mirror image on turns 2/3), which feels too slow against Talir, and the interaction you have in you deck and market simply doesnt line up against them...
nope, they usually sit at 0-2 cards by that stage of the game. And their combo usually wins the same turn as they start going off (Magus of celerity). Also, Maul is not a good card unless you build around it or you play against Temporal, which feels favorable for West Wind anyway.
Annihilate, Feeding Time, and Kaleb's Choice give some ways to deal with Talir, Sandstorm Titan, Auralian Merchant, and Last Chance, but I agree that it is difficult to stop Talir combo from going off. One observation is that Talir combo typically plays no maindeck removal, and they use merchants as combo pieces, so you can safely play out scattershot + mirror image. A combo with two scattershots will kill them more quickly, and a pair of merchants will often deter Sandstorm Titan from attacking.
I like this version better than the one I was brewing and the list with Kindle, the light fire splash is perfect IMO. I really don't like Rindra's Choice as a card, but I guess it is the best option to have for a market, and two other effects that MAY come into play. I really like utility and forget how to evaluate cards for the purpose I am trying to reach. I like Kaleb's Choice to an extent and I wonder how many times it may have been better off as a Banner. BSH is always a great market card and I also really appreciate running less than 4 of important cards, I think the numbers are very well balanced. With the right removal suite, I find Hailstorm sits in the hand a long time, depending on merchants, but is definately a must have card, maybe one could be a flex slot but I have no idea what you would swap out without more games with this list. Great job!
All of the removal is flexible depending on what sort of threats you are dealing with. Kaleb's Choice can answer Permafrost, Torch, Harsh Rule, Auric Runehammer, and Xenan Obelisk. Black-Sky Harbinger is primarily as a way to stabilize against aggressive decks like Skycrag, but with the maindeck Hailstorms it can be replaced with a different market card to help with other matchups.
I think that is the best version. Slowing down combo to have more interaction is the way to go. Kindle was dead in so many games I played with it. So yeah gg on winning tourney!
However, the matchup against Talir combo felt just abysmal to me. Perhaps, my draws just lined up poorly, but I felt miserable playing against that deck: SST, Mask, Alhed combined with inevitability their combo provides made me think this match is just unwinnable. Without kindle, the earliest realistic combo turn is 6 (unless you get a lucky quarry and dump mirror image on turns 2/3), which feels too slow against Talir, and the interaction you have in you deck and market simply doesnt line up against them...
Thanks