Greatness at Any Cost (Zur EDH) (EDH / Commander)

I made my first EDH deck a couple months ago. (It was...really, really bad!) So this is version 3!

I've since read that Zur is a highly controversial general, especially in 1v1 games. People absolutely hate playing against him, and for good reason. A proper Zur deck filled with counters and abusing Necropotence is definitely unfun. But if you're trying to win tournaments, this guy did a fantastic job with his deck: http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?21113-EDH-Zur-the-Enchanter-Ultra-Competitive-1-vs-1

My goal for this Zur deck is to make it as flavorful and interactive as I can. I'm designing it to be semi-competitive with a focus on multiplayer, using a roughly $500 budget. There are definitely still powerful cards in there (Necropotence included), but most won't win on the spot. (Only combo that can do that is Helm + RiP).

I recently found out about Zur's backstory: http://mtgsalvation.gamepedia.com/Zur. He was an incredibly powerful wizard who sought immortality -- at any cost. Could it be he was trying to ignite his spark? Planeswalkers are, after all, nearly immortal! This deck is an exploration of that possibility. Flavor-wise, you're playing as Zur, after his exile but before he ascends. Alone on the tundra, you've begun a dark, ancient ritual, one that has called a congregation of intrigued Planeswalkers out of the multiverse. Being a hermit, you have few minions to support you, but you're a highly capable mage on your own. And you're willing to destroy anything that gets in the way of achieving your goal...

Cards like Dark Deal, Necropotence, Demonic Tutor, and Bloodchief Ascension emphasize the diabolical nature of the ascension ritual. Zur can also cast highly destructive spells and powerful enchantments, and possesses a vault of arcane artifacts. I tried to limit cards flavor-wise to the kind of stuff that Zur might have encountered in his travels on Dominaria during the Ice Age. (So, for example, no "Boseiju, Who Shelters All", which is unique to Kamigawa.) Most of the cards are generic enough not to belong to a specific plane.

Winning the game signifies your ultimate success in gaining your spark.

P.S. For some reason I feel Zur and Lim-Dul were probably friends. :-)
I bet the two hermits often hung out on weekends in the frozen wastes, discussing dark magicks over beer.