>>43325134That's a valid point, but it doesn't mean that those decks always end up conking out. I have a feeling (and I'm rather annoyed at how hard it is to find full tournament reports to confirm/disprove) that the reason those decks don't end up placing very often is that they aren't played as often as other decks (i.e., ones that use The Force). You're right that Mindbreak Trap isn't all that good against non-combo matchups, but it's so useful against those decks that I think it should be an auto-include for most non-blue decks and some blue decks. It comes down to the question of whether it's better to play 75 cards that have an excellent chance to beat most of the decks you'll face, or 75 cards that will give a reasonable shot but will also prevent automatic losses. Preventing an auto-fold is a pretty big thing, especially because Legacy decks often work on completely different axes from "real Magic".
To put it another way, the tier-1 decks in Legacy don't fold automatically to anything. Delver, Mentor, and Miracles are the three decks that can manage this, and it's not just the fact that they're favored against most decks that makes them the best. Plenty of other excellent decks (Maverick, Storm) aren't tier-1 not because they're bad decks, but because there are matchups/cards against which they're guaranteed to lose.
>>43325177If you're worried about getting permanents removed, wouldn't Life from the Loam (to recur Wasteland) or The Banana King (to just be really good) be a better choice? Forced topdecking hasn't ever really been done well in Legacy (with the exception of banned cards, Sensei's Divining Top, and cantrips), and tapping three lands is a pretty hefty investment.
It's up to you, but I don't really think Volrath's Stronghold is all that useful.
What have you been facing that's made you think along those lines? The breadth of Legacy gives a lot of options, so it would help us give advice to know what's been giving you trouble.
