Here is another opinion I have: if you are playing Synod, you should probably be playing some number of Thoughtcast. Synod is a greedy card and you should be rewarded for your efforts.

It doesn't hurt that Baral discounts Thoughtcast but does not discount Preordain.

I don't think that running 0 Preordain is ever correct, but you could run a split perhaps.

Edit - I'm not sold on Shoal like the OP is, but at least Thoughtcast recovers the lost CA while Preordain doesn't. But you still often need Preordain for t1 to get things going.

@serracollector I'm just thinking of Company. I have no idea since I haven't tested. It just feels like... well, like a turn behind Workshop since you have to play a land to play Cobra and pass the turn. Workshop comes down and taps right away... Not trying to argue. Test it. Go nuts and let us know what happens. I'm glad you are interested.

@john-cox

I do remember Josh playing a Helm Oath deck. Can't say for sure if he created the list or not, but I swore he played one. Either way.

@BazaarOfBaghdad said in Let's discuss White based hatebears!:

Lots of cards that could be discussed that leave the feeling of hearing only half a story here, but I realize we need to respect your time. Can you at least comment why you don't recommend splashing for another color(s)? - Ramunap, Confidant, Queller are all enticing options with supplemental reasons in those colors to boot. Obviously the Wasteland package might take a hit, so it's a question of gains and losses in card evaluations. How much is the loss of 2-4 Wastelands to the strategy?

It's not that I don't recommend splashing for other colors. In fact, I mention in the opening post that this is just one of many ways to construct a hatebear strategy and that I welcome all discussion on other strategies including other colors as well. You hit the nail on the head with the time issue, though. It would take up a lot of time to write a primer that includes all viable options, especially when considering other colors as well.

That said, I do play other builds as well, including GW and GWB and I think that they are certainly valid directions to go. Ramunap I haven't tested very much, but as I mentioned earlier I think that the best way of exploiting Ramunap is to focus even more on the mana denial strategy. Green certainly offers some very good choices with Ramunap being only one of those. Gaddock Teeg, Qasali Pridemage, Elvish Spirit Guide and even Knight of the Reliquary are all strong. Confidant is obviously a very good card, but I think that's it's not a necessity anymore with the printing of Palace Jailer making the black splash slightly worse than it has been. I have never splashed for blue so I don't know how good Spell Queller is.

One thing to keep in mind when considering splashing for one or more colors is that it's a lot harder to support the Eldrazi Displacer plan and keeping a solid manabase. I'm not saying that that's the only way you should go, but in my opinion Displacer is so strong that it's definitely something to consider. You can play Brushland and Caves of Koilos but it does open up your manabase to Wastelands to a much higher degree than playing only playing one color.

I saw you playing GW a few days ago. What are your thoughts going forward? Any changes you would make to your list?

@Sovarius I have thought about K-command, but its not quite as versatile here as it is in the Legacy version. Base cost of 3 to blow up an artifact is pretty steep when facing down spheres. As for removal, shops is the only matchup where I feel like I need more, but I board in quite a bit there.
JvP has been a consideration, but he fights for the Snapcaster spot as well as making Jace TMS awkward since I can only have 1 going at a time. Snapcaster being able to pressure opposing planeswalkers is also nice and generally has an immediate effect when played so I always get 'value' (vs sometimes when JvP gets plowed/blasted before I can untap).

Any concern about the presence of Animation Module turning on your opponent's Mental Missteps game one, when they would otherwise be dead?

I updated the OP with the current list I'm running. I was trying out Balance for a bit, and it seemed great in several spots; but it never quite got there for me. I may try it out again, but I'd shaved a land for it which I regret. Back up to 15 which seems to be the sweet spot.

I went down on a Gush since it felt kinda weird at times having 2, but 4 may be the correct amount.

Also squeezed a Dack into the list which has felt great so far. I've been happy even just using the +1.

@Dumpsterac1d How about Tabernacle? Well, not exactly budget I guess, but it pretty much kills token strategies...

+Workshop; -Lodestone would be interesting.

Too much to respond from thoroughly at the moment, but I will say this. I tested Cruise and don't like it without playing Dack Faydens. Dig is just better. I chose top to I could smooth my draws better. I don't want more artifact fast mana because I play this as a landstill/grindy control deck first and foremost. The worst thing would be playing a Standstill and drawing moxes. My list is a direct reflection of my playstyle. If I wanted a more aggressive oath list with faster and more aggressive plays, it certainly wouldn't be a landstill variation.

@Islandswamp I have been thinking about Omniscience builds for the past couple of weeks and here I see that your list is two months old. Oh well! In theory I think that the Omniscience builds are the best suited right now.

Also I think we can shave a Misstep for another spell right now, preferably something like an Abrupt Decay which interacts favorably with Priest, Displacer, both Thalias, etc.

@PeAcH
If he already has counter-top online misstep is only there to preserve the top but there are 4 tops already so the mms would be redundant dead draws at that point.

Have you considered something along the lines of coercive portal to help get you to the combo quicker or is serum powder sufficient?

For reference this is the list I ran last time I was on combo shops, obviously quite a different build to yours and it's about a year old now

4 shop
4 tomb
4 buried ruin
Academy
2 city of traitors
7 solomox
1 Mox opal
Crypt
Vault
3 grim monolith
4 voltaic key
4 metal worker
4 Serum powder
4 Leyline
4 forge master
2 lightning greeves

Time vault
Helm
Blightsteel
Staff of domination
Sundering titan
Trinisphere
Memory jar
2 coercive portal
Spine of ish shah

SB
4 mistep
4 cage
4 mountain
3 smelt

There are other options, but it turns out that most of them are good only in really specific situations where in most situations Griselbrand is quite good. I agree on the multiples thing, if I were playing control oath right now i would split 1 griselbrand w/ 1-2 Rune Scarred Demon. I am not, because in this deck, just ignoring containment priest, oathing twice and winning with a memory's journey return'd yawgmoth's will has been real good.

Post board against shops I think your best bet creature wise is a mix of blazing archon (or elesh norn) and griseldad. Blazing Archon literally turns off their chances of winning against most modern shops lists, and griselbrand helps you win the game before they get a trike with enough counters to kill either the archon or you. Elesh Norn has been good, but sometimes you need to oath against, and it doesn't win through Wurmcoil which is frustrating.