Question 1: Do you need duals?
No. As a matter of fact many lists I run play 0 copies of any type of dual (shock or not)
Debated Statement: Is Enchantress viable?
Yes, but it’s not easy, and will require a lot of work to get good enough with the deck that it has to be a labor of love or the deck will not work for you. There are many things currently working against the deck. Here are the main ones:
BGx getting the following cards:
Abrupt Decay, Golgari Charm
Prior to these cards BGx matches were heavily favored because they could not interact with out “locks” now they have main deck hate.
Sigarda & Oring effects for Strix seems like a good plan b, but is relatively untested.
Storm:
Storm was always an issue, but is mitigated well with.
Gaddock Teeg (
Green Sun’s for Gaddock),
Stony Silence, and to a lesser extent
Leyline of Sanctity There may be additional insurance in
Runed Halo
Sterling Grove IMO is just not good here.
Omnitel:
Beatable with
Banishing Light,
Oblivion Ring,
Seal of Primordium or helm combo.
Gaddock also does a lot of work here.
Elves:
Elves when from poor to horrible with the printing of
Reclamation Sage.
Gaddock is a decent way to Fight elves, but you need to close them quick. Some sweet tech for Elves may be
Torpor Orb
All the rest of the match-ups in the decks to beat for the GW Helm list (no duals) Are / were 50/50 or favorable.
In summary Enchantress is not a deck that you pick-up and do well with it right off the bat (especially in this meta.) In order to play Enchantress you have to:
1.Want to REALLY play Enchantress
2.Understand the Meta and what makes your opponents decks work
3.Practice
4.Tweak your list to the ever changing meta
In other words it has got to be a labor of love. If you are not up for that type of investment, I would suggest a different deck as there isn’t a lot of development going into Enchantress although it can be quite powerful in skillful Enchantress player’s hands.