Child of Alara:
Used to keep things under control if things get too crazy.
Divine Intervention:
Best. win-con. ever. Fetch it up at instant speed with Academy Rector. Remove the counters with Vampire Hexmage. Make friends.
Academy Rector:
This is one of your main combo pieces. Use it to fetch up Divine Intervention, or if you aren't ready to tie the game and need an immediate answer, then dig up an Enchantment such as Moat to lock down creatures, Power Artifact to put on Basalt Monolith, or Humility to wreck your opponent's creature strategies.
Use Mirrorpool (or Spitting Image if you are experimenting with Retrace cards) to create a token of Rector so that you don't have to exile the original, saving it for DI.
The Gitrog Monster:
Most people use this guy as a commander but I prefer 5 colors so he is in here as utility and a card draw engine. Use Dakmor Salvage to turn him into a card drawing machine. He also synergizes amazingly well with Bazaar of Baghdad, Life from the Loam, Crucible of Worlds, Crop Rotation, Knight of the Reliquary, Scapeshift, Mox Diamond, Horizon Canopy, etc, etc, the list goes on.
Basalt Monolith + Power Artifact:
Infinite Mana. A touchy subject in some playgroups. I just recently added this combo to the deck for fun. This deck doesn't 'combo out' like most decks though. Its two main uses are to put out all of your lands with Animist's Awakening or to essentially cast any permanent in your library with Wargate. The infinite mana also comes in handy by allowing you to power out Marit Lage without a Thespian's Stage, powering Kessig to devastating effect, and will also give you a lot of flexibility while casting cards from your graveyard with Yawgmoth's Will.
Another fun use is to put Villainous Wealth into the deck. Though playing 75% of someone's library will not make you any friends ;)
Chromatic Lantern & Prismatic Omen:
Necessary Mana fixing for a 5-color deck.
Riftstone Portal:
More mana fixing
Sol Ring:
doh
Dark Depths:
20/20 flying indestructible badie.
Snow-Covered Forest:
Because Blood Moon is an asshole
Into the North:
Dig up your forest or your Dark Depths. This is sort of a pet card of the deck and can probably be replaced with something more efficient.
Vampiric Tutor & Demonic Tutor:
No explanation needed really. Dig up answers.
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 Strip Mine & Horizon Canopy. 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, bounced or tucked.
Glacial Chasm:
This can grind the game to a halt so fast but definitely in your favor. 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 and figure out what you want to do. When combined with Life from the Loam and Exploration though, if your opponents have no way to deal with this, it could just be game over... in a couple of hours. The most effective way to dig up Glacial Chasm is by using Crop Rotation at instant speed to protect yourself from devastating game ending damage.
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 opponents in resources and eventually, 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. This synergizes wonderfully with Diamond Valley though, gaining 20 life every time you sac Marit Lage.
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. Strip Mine 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.
Burgeoning:
Better than Exploration on turn 1. Becomes less powerful as the game goes on though.
Manabond:
The land advantage this card can potentially grant is insane. It's main function is to shut down your opponents by Sundering everyone's lands to their hands, play Manabond, and then drop all of your lands back down.
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 other nice thing about Tabernacle is that it gives you the option of sacrificing Child if it's out.
Kessig Wolf Run + Inkmoth Nexus:
Kessig with Inkmoth Nexus can put your opponents on a poison counter clock and is a nice way to knock out a particularly dangerous opponent.
Kessig Wolf Run can also give your Marit Lage token trample for GR. This is excellent against decks that use weenie creatures that can fly.
Though I don't currently use it, Rogue's Passage can ensure that both Inkmoth & Marit Lage always hit their target.
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 risky. It's not called Gamble for nothing.
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. Someone just swung at you with 1 million 1/1's? Grab Glacial Chasm. 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.
Krosan Grip:
R.I.P. Rest in Peace. Also, Blood Moon is an asshole.
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, the Dark Depths + Thespian's Stage combo is always at your fingertips. Bring able to play and use Horizon Canopy every turn is also useful. Gitrog + a Temple lets you scry every turn.
All this being said, this is a huge disenchant target.
Intuition:
Probably one of your best tutors in the deck. This lets you dig up Life from the Loam and two of the most useful lands for your given situation.
Entomb:
Another very powerful tutor that lets you put Life from the Loam directly into the graveyard. If you already have LftL, then just dig up a land you need or even Soul of New Phyrexia in case you need to protect your permanents from a board wipe or your own Child. If you are playing with any Retrace cards such as Spitting Image, then that is another option as well.
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.
Tolaria West:
Uncounterable (normally) land tutor.
Academy Ruins:
Very useful artifact recursion.
Maze of Ith:
This is your shield. He keeps you safe. Copy it with Thespian's Stage if you need more protection. Makes a good target for your Vesuva & Candelabra of Tawnos for even more protection. Having Urborg out lets them generate mana and keep you safe. win win.
Sensei's Divining Top:
It's nice to know what cards are coming up so you don't accidentally dredge something like Exploration.
Wheel of Fortune:
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.
Time Spiral & Timetwister:
Extremely powerful effects for resetting everyone's decks, hands, & graveyards. Best played before you find Life from the Loam obviously but even still, sometimes it's worth it regardless. Sometimes I play one or the other, sometimes both. Day's Undoing can replace Timetwister since it's so $. Timetwister can ruin a mill deck's day since it doesn't exile itself and so can be recast eventually. Time Spiral has the potential to be the most powerful of the 3 late game, as the effect of untapping 6 of your most powerful lands can make for a very advantageous turn.
Yavimaya Hollow:
Keeps your utility creatures alive. Also extremely useful for keeping your man-lands alive, in particular, while using Inkmoth Nexus as a blocker indefinitely. Can also be used politically to save an opponent's creature.
Tranquil Thicket:
Allows you to draw a card and thus, dredge at instant speed if Life from the Loam is in your graveyard, allowing you to save LftL from nasty graveyard hate.
Horn of Greed:
It's a fun card for the whole table but you get will potentially get the most value out of it.
Candelabra of Tawnos:
This card has the potential to be amazing. It allows you to use Maze of Ith twice. Untap an attacking man-land. Double regenerate with Hollow. Double Bazaar of Baghdad!! The madness.
Azusa, Lost but Seeking:
The best utility creature for dropping extra lands. Unfortunately she will sometimes get nuked from orbit by a savvy edh player.
Teferi's Response:
Card advantage against land removal. Card advantage against creature removal when used against my man-lands. The dream? Cast it on a Maze of Ith that's targeting your Inkmoth Nexus? The best use of this card is to protect your Glacial Chasm when you are pillow forting.
Diamond Valley:
DV is used to sac Child at instant speed. Also, if someone attempts to exile or bounce my Marit Lage token, I can get 20 life out of it. Not too shabby.
The cheaper alternative is obviously High Market which also generates colorless mana.
Bazaar of Baghdad:
This land in this deck is absolutely nuts. Uncounterable Dredge at instant speed if LftL or Dakmor is in your graveyard. Even with the card disadvantage, being able to dig for a response at instant speed is so powerful. With Gitrog out, your Bazaar Activations will usually draw 3 instead of 2. If you also have Candelabra out? Well, you get the idea.
Since this card is so expensive, few players have access to it. The only semi-viable alternative to this monster of a card is a Cephalid Coliseum.
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth:
Makes all of my lands also tap for black. The most important thing about this land is that it allows my manaless lands to also pull their weight in terms of mana generation.
Boseiju, Who Shelters All:
Being able to cast spells knowing they can't be countered. Makes blue players cry.
Rites of Flourishing:
This is a bit group huggy but also gives me an advantage as I tend to have more lands than other players to work with.
Volrath's Stronghold:
So you always have access to Child of Alara
Soul of New Phyrexia:
This dude protects your permanents from Child. The nice thing about him is he can protect your board from the graveyard as a last resort and he can also be recured with Academy Ruins.
An alternative to this is Boros Charm along with perhaps Snapcaster Mage, which I have done so in the past, but despite its casting cost, I found myself liking this guy more.
Notion Thief:
Because stealing your opponent's card draw is hysterical? Also, this guy combined with Mikokoro and Candelabra is real fun.
Knight of the Reliquary:
A utility creature that can also be used as a late game beater. Being able to sac a land to fetch up any land you want at instant speed is extremely powerful in this deck
Mana Drain:
The only counterspell that the deck runs aside from the land specific Teferi's Response. Due to its price, it can definitely be replaced with something else.
Yawgmoth's Will:
Can't argue with the power of being able to play cards from your graveyard for a turn. Just be wary of card destruction which would get some of your permanents exiled.
The Great Aurora:
Just in here for fun.
Terminus & Merciless Eviction:
Aside from Child, these are your two board wipes. I have found that these are the best options as they will bypass indestructible creatures. Also, Merciless Eviction is critical for neutering artifact decks and deck which can easily get creatures back from the graveyard.
Forcefield, Moat, Humility:
All defensive measures with different applications. Both Humility and Moat can be fetched into play with Academy Rector at instant speed. Humility is probably the most powerful of the 3 but will also shut down your own utility creatures as well as Child.
Creeping Renaissance:
Given that this deck tends to Dredge a lot of non-land cards into the graveyard, it's nice to be able to pull a card type of your choice back into your hands. Late in the game with your graveyard filled to the brim, playing this with Manabond out can be quite nice.
Tempt with Discovery:
This card is awesome in a play group who has a devil be damned attitude. Lands for all! The craziest I have seen this get is when I cast this when there was a Hive Mind out...
Awakening:
More group huggy than the creature counterparts that only untap your permanents. Definitely replace this with Seedborn Muse if you want to increase the power level of the deck.
Ad Nauseam:
Draw all the cards. Just don't kill yourself...
Reliquary Tower:
Keep all the cards. Pretty obvious.
Homeward Path:
Meta dependant but recently I have seen a lot of decks which steal creatures so right now it's an include.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other cards to experiment with:
Grove of the Burnwillows + Punishing Fire:
I used to use this combo to kill off small utility creatures but have since given it up to experiment with other cards for a while.
Spitting Image:
This is a nice card since it can copy an opponent's creature, it can copy Academy Rector which can be extremely powerful, and it can be recast over and over since it has retrace. Raven's Crime as well as some of the other Retrace can be fun to experiment with as well.
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. Combined with the Gitrog, this can let you draw quite a bit of cards.
Arcane Lighthouse:
Because Geist of Saint Traft and Sigarda are a pain in the ass. I have since moved this out of the deck since they are both fairly rare in my play groups.
Rishadan Port:
Port isn't as oppressive in Commander 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 or Cabal Coffers during an opponent's upkeep.
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...
I have used it in Voltron heavy metas before though and it can work wonders.
Trade Routes:
This has the potential to be a great draw engine in the deck when combined with Life from the Loam, Gitrog, etc. Being able to bounce Dark Depths or other critical lands to prevent its exile can be invaluable.
Courser of Kruphix & Oracle of Mul Daya:
Both good but not as good as Azusa and now that we have the frog, I don't see a need for 3+ land drop creatures in this deck.
Rogue's Passage:
Makes your Marit Lage unblockable and thus, very very scary. Also makes your Inkmoth unblockable and thus, very very very scary. Since I try to just end the game with Divine Intervention most of the time, I have since taken the land out.
Worldly Tutor:
Just another way to grab Gitrog or Rector.
Dack Fayden:
I heard stealing artifacts is good. Also, that card draw & feeding the loam! Also even better now when combined with Gitrog.
Riftsweeper:
I had kep this card in mind just as a way to get back exiled lands or even Time Spiral & Yawgmoth's Will.
Kruphix, God of Horizons:
A good, more fair, alternative to the Power Artifact combo. I have used him in the past and he works very well.