Orzhov Deathpact

In general I don't have Heroic creatures because that means less enchantments which is an inherent problem with the strategy. I like Phalanx Leader but didn't put him in due to the WW. I also like Agent of the fates, but the problem with him would be, in regards to my current strategy, is that my opponent could choose to sacrifice his Pacified or Arrested creatures to sabotage my enchantment count which would be bad. I do like your suggestion of Fabled Hero though, after looking at him more I've decided that play testing might decide he needs to be squeezed in. It's just so tempting to put Ethereal Armor on him and then laugh at the look on my opponents face when they realize the damage potential.

I play tested the deck for the first time today, because I finally had all of the cards, and wow! Fabled Hero so far seems to be MVP of the deck. Thanks for the tip.

No problem man, good luck in your future games!

I'm definitely going to test out Sphere of safety at my next FNM and see what happens. I think it's going to do pretty well.

They would be good, but I don't think either is better than what you already have. Serenity just seems like a bomb, but you'd rather pump up your little dudes. Chosen generates creature advantage, and that seems a little bit better but unless you're playing Phalanx Leader it doesn't seem better than a Blightcaster.

I tested out Angel of Serenity and it seems to work really well in this deck, with my only complaint that it always seems to come a little late. I've decided not to fiddle around with Ajani's Chosen or Phalanx Leader.

Agent of the Fates: I've heard that whenever someone plays this card whether the owner wants it to be or not it becomes removal bait. However, the biggest problem with it in this deck is that the opponent would sacrifice whatever creatures I had pacified or arrested and hurt my enchantment count.
Auramancer: I used to have this in my sideboard, but found out that having enough enchantments is never a problem in this deck so I never needed it. Because of it's mana cost, it would have to replace Fabled Hero and I know that that would be a downgrade.
Blightcaster: There are a lot of good strategic cards that can be taken out with just two toughness. If something's bigger than that I can just Pacify or Arrest it. If I'm really desperate I can just use Merciless Eviction.
Fabled Hero: This card replaced Banisher Priest mostly because I didn't need so much early removal, but also because the deck was lacking the power to quickly eliminate opponents. Turn four win swinging for 18 damage with just this plus Dark Favor and Ethereal Armor, if I hit earlier with Imposing Sovereign. The benefit of this card is that when necessary, it can hit hard enough to make up for some of the small hits I occasionally take saving my Pacifys and Arrests for bigger creatures. Frankly, with as few creatures as this deck has everything tends to be removed, but Blightcaster gets its share of removal spells. There's no reason I have to save any of my buff Auras for this card, it's just more efficient to do so if it's out and hasn't been removed before it could attack.
Lifebane Zombie: I think this card is interesting, I don't think it would be a good card for the current metagame now though. Fabled Hero deals more damage than it without any buffs, and if the control aspect is working the intimidate shouldn't be needed.
Sin Collector: It would be good against Instant Sorcery Decks, and in that respect I think it has potential. But it is so unthreatening as a creature, and would not be useful against creature-based decks. I suppose I could make room for it in my sideboard.
Soul Tithe: I feel reluctant to give my opponents the option to sacrifice their creature in this deck. I know that they will usually choose to sac the creature and then I might as well just use Doom Blade to get instant speed if it's not going to help my enchantment count.
Stab Wound: This was in an earlier version of this deck. Because there are so many low toughness creatures worthy of removal right now, it usually turns into expensive removal. When it doesn't though and the creature isn't too big, it is some good life damage.

What do you think of Angel of Serenity for this deck replacing Merciless Eviction? It would serve as both good temporary removal and creature recovery. I'm seriously considering taking the plunge. It would also help my creature count.

Also what do you think of Nyxborn Shieldmate, Hero or Iroas, or Spiteful Returned, from Born of the Gods replacing Imposing Sovereign or Scourgemark?

If you disagree with any of my points feel free to comment. What are your thoughts? Thank you.

I guess we are going about this different ways. My thoughts on the Auramancer, Soul Tithe, and Stab Wound all differ from yours because I see a lot of your enchantments and/or creatures going to the graveyard all the time. In competitive play that's pretty much the way it's going to work out. And in that type of situation you want to win attrition wars with two-for-ones, which are guaranteed by Auramancer.

Yo if you think Agent of the Fates is removal bait how exactly do you rationalize Fabled Hero? That one's even worse

I do not think you should run Angel or Eviction to be honest. But if you insist upon running one, go for eviction. It hits things with hexproof, the exile is permanent, and it's more versatile.

Hero of Iroas and Nyxborn Shielmate are both really excellent cards for this shell. And yes, those two you mentioned would be good things to sub out for them. Spirit of the Labyrinth is really good too.

I may make a version of this deck to illustrate the engine I am thinking of better. I will cite your deck.

What often happens to me in matches is that Blightcaster and Fabled Hero get removed as soon as my opponent is able. If they're playing haste they also try to remove Imposing Sovereign. I just wait to enchant my creatures until they no longer have summoning sickness. At that point the only removal that gets used against possible attackers is Azorius Charm and Cyclonic Rift, not that there aren't other options, I just never see them used against me.

I do like Stab Wound and Auramancer, but Stab Wound tends not to be used as effectively as I'd like and I tend not to need Auramancer's effect. Early game I don't have any enchantments in the graveyard, and late game I tend to have bigger things to worry about than getting more enchantments. This could become more useful though if I decide to get more enchantment creatures.

I never see anyone directly remove my enchantments, just creatures that I've enchanted. I usually don't have a problem drawing enchantments, and if I do that's good because it means I actually have creature(s) in my hand. I can compensate for a lack of creatures on the field, when I have to, with Arrests and Pacifys. However, since I have such a small number of creatures in the deck they really need to bring a lot to the table or so to speak.

Both Agent of the Fates and Fabled Hero draw out removal, and they both have low enough mana costs that it doesn't matter. However, Fabled Hero if not removed can hit my opponent for a lot or defend against big creatures which is important with the current state of standard, at least with the people that I play with. In order to be effectively used, Agent of the Fates needs to remain on the field for a while, whereas Fabled Hero does not.

Thanks for the advice. Send me a link to the deck once you finish it. I'd like to look at it.

This is what it turned into: http://www.mtgvault.com/kmk888/decks/auramancer-standard/

I like the deck a lot, although as I was building, it diverged from your deck quite a bit.

I think the major problem with the deck you have is that you have plenty of soft removal but your creatures are really your wincons, and since you have so few they get removed very very rapidly. To counter this, you need creatures that have some sort of protection. Or you have to have more draw power to reach more wincons. Or you can make every creature literally so powerful that if unanswered it means the game is over very quickly. The two creatures that fit the bill in this standard in my mind are Obzedat and Blood Baron. However, this is not to say that you should replace the creatures you already have. Instead I would replace some of your less powerful offensive enchantments like Scourgemark and Dark Favour. These are very effective unanswered, but lead to getting two for oned if the opponent has removal. You could alternatively try Whip of Erebos, to reuse your creatures.

Also I suspect that Merciless Eviction is very bad in this shell.

Now that Banishing Light is in the deck I think that I might actually run Soul Tithe and Agent of the Fates and. I'll let you know how they do.

I like the human sub-theme you added. I have been thinking about switching in Banishing Light for Arrest to deal with all the strong enchantments out now. I hadn't really considered Xathrid Necromancer for this deck, but I think I'll try it out and see if I like it. Thanks for the suggestions. Imposing Sovereign used to be in the deck but I swapped it out for Hero of Iroas. It was good to slow down decks long enough for me to pacify or arrest their creatures, but Iroas is better for the deck as a whole.

On to explanations...
• I really like Athreos, God of Passage, but I can't justify paying so much for a card. If it's price drops significantly, or I can get it for trade, then I'll stick it in
• Angel of Serenity - Very flexible with many uses
• Pain Seer - This deck does play fast, but the meta right now has so much removal that I wouldn't want to deal with the life loss from this
• Blightcaster v. Agent of Fates - Doesn't need to be targeted, opponents can't intentionally reduce my enchantment count
• Spiteful Returned - Honestly I just needed more low cost creatures and I didn't want my deck to be more white than it already was. Low CMC alternative suggestions are appreciated and welcome
• Rogue's Passage - Ensures that my opponent doesn't narrowly evade death with chump blockers or a last-minute behemoth. In general, I haven't had problems getting the right mana in this deck so I'm not really concerned about the land ratio

Angel of Serenity is a game changer. It can remove my opponents major threats and/or recover my creatures from the grave. It also makes Elspeth players think twice before using -3. This deck doesn't have much trouble getting enough mana to play her, but doesn't have a lot of control; that's where she fits in. As for Favored Hoplite, I don't have any instant speed targeting and my mana curve is pretty low as-is, I'm wondering why you suggested it. Half of my lands can produce black mana, I think I'm fine.

Alright yeah it's just later game material. I was just thinking the Hoplite would be a good target for your 16 possible auras. And for the sideboard stuff, it would just narrow things down a bit. Blind Obedience and Imposing Sovereign are good against aggro. Hero's Downfall is just awesome removal for standard especially with all the planeswalkers starting to work their way in. High Priest of Penance is good for removing big stuff. Fabled Hero gets really big really fast. Bile Blight is alright. Lifebane Zombie I think could be replaced by Thoughtseize and God's Willing is awesome for protecting your big creatures or making them unblockable for the turn.