Quote Originally Posted by Dark Ritual
I wouldn't ever drop the green splash. How is echoing truth better than abrupt decay again? On top of that, it really doesn't weaken the manabase much at all. The only difference is if you run trop MD or SB, and if you run trop sideboard with 2 islands maindeck, the manabase is actually strengthened as boarding in an additional land is actually useful against RUG even if it is just an island that can be wastelanded.
Abrupt decay is much worse than Chain of Vapor, which is the card most people cut for it. If not chain, than slaughter pact, echoing truth, pyroclasm - there are a lot of more situational cards that are a lot better than decay, the only thing abrupt decay does better is kill Counterbalance (and I guess chalice on two, but not terribly relevant). If MUD is popular in your meta, keep decay, otherwise there are a lot of better options that don't require a splash.

With 3 basics, 2 gemstone, 3 duals, that puts you at 7 fetches. I'm much more comfortable at 8 or 9. You can run an additional land in the SB if you want, it doesn't need to be a trop. I generally run 16 land main and cut it in matches I don't need it, which is basically the same thing.