Thanks guys. I think I will be sticking to the ashen ghoul sideboard. I know in my head that they make more sense than dread return, I just felt like if I'm spending 10 hours playing magic it might be a good idea to go "autopilot" for certain matchups in order to avoid mental fatigue. But I think coffee might be able to help me out in that area instead.

As for the firestorms vs. leylines I am strongly in favor of leylines. They are just so good in the mirror and can sometimes help against reanimator and certain loam decks. In my experience firestorms are very ineffective. Its probably just a preference thing, but I hate playing cards that you can't dredge into (although certain concessions must be made for nature's claim and leyline of the void since their effects can be neccessary).