sconnell, I accept that there are numerous situations where having Empty in hand can be valuable. It's a tradeoff with more Wishes allowing the mana to function better since you can use LED. And yes I know you win a lot of games without Belcher, so you don't always need 7 mana. My feeling is that the mana boost to a 7+ average is sitting out there at no cost: you don't have to give anything up to receive it.

And the mana boost is not just about having access to 7+ in a regular hand. It is also about having access to 6+ on a mulligan, so that you can still expect to be able to Wish-Empty.

asthereal, the problem I see in potentially cutting a belcher is Miracles. If you are going second, and they have access to a Tundra, a Brainstorm, and there is a Terminus in the top 10 cards of their deck, then your Empty will not do any damage. I realize Miracles is probably a rough matchup anyway, but I don't want to make a sacrifice unless it gives me solid gains elsewhere, and I'm not sure that this does.