List updated almost to what I actually shoved together last night just to get a feel for it.
Obviously haven't put some of the auto-includes in yet (mana crypt, force of will, cryptic command, worldly/sylvan tutors, etc) because I'm just trying to see how various cards play, and I'm missing a few random things in the list because I'm updating from memory and through a hangover.
I'm not looking to triumphantly end games. I'm looking for enough efficiency to be an active participant at a CEDH table, but not be built around one of the typical linear and optimized win conditions at CEDH tables so I can actually appear to play at a lower power level (e.g. intentionally tutoring for answers/value instead of my own threats). Probably need to slot in telepathy, preordain, sleight of hand, faithless looting, and woodland bellower, drop some of the bad value dudes, and toss in mana dorks and survival of the fittest.
I'm aware of all the problems with building competitively and playing casually. The problem is, I don't have the capability to bring multiple decks to events (because I'm usually judging the events), so if I'm going to do a pickup game of EDH afterwards, I'm stuck with whatever deck I can put in a cargo pocket. Usually, those games will be with hardcore CEDH players, and having full power CVT is perfectly fine. If there's non CEDH players who want to jump in, they all have other decks they pack in and can switch to. I don't have that luxury. I also don't have an attachment to "winning" or playing a deck to its fullest potential, because these events are social in nature for me, so yes, there is some requested cognitave dissonance going on here. At a table of 75% players, I can jam 3/3's for 3 and turn them sideways, tutor up value ETB creatures, and red blast dumb planeswalkers. At stores without the CEDH presence, or if my primary pod mates weren't all dedicated CEDH players, I would just do some sort of "you did this to yourself" sheldon build or tons of clones and treachery effects, but that build style doesn't scale up to CEDH land. I'm looking to scale between 100% and 75% land, not between 75% and theme decks.
The manipulate fate, foresight, and defense of the heart are cards I hadn't considered; the first two because I've never played a food-chain based deck in EDH and the last because it's not really a CEDH card. I don't consider intuition to be an auto-include here because RUG doesn't have the same capability as BUG and Esper to put together "win now" piles. Back to Basics, blood moon and sunder are cards that lead to massive feel-bads in the 75% tables, and ineffective at most CEDH tables when compared to options like
cursed totem,
narset, parter of veils,
grafdigger's cage, and
null rod effects. I don't expect to need lock pieces at a 75% table, I expect combo to be good enough. I'll play the ones that actually impact the games where I need them to be competitive.