Hey,
first of all, the initial card,
Thassa's Oracle. I understand why some people compare it with cards like
Demonic Consultation and
Tainted Pact. But I disagree about the strenght, at least for cEDH. The latter ones allow you to dig through your whole library. The
Oracle on the other hand allows you only to dig
X deep, where
X is your devotion. Devotion means you'll need some board presence. That's nothing you usually build up in cEDH until turn 3-4 out of nowhere.
I'm pretty sure you'll find a example deck that proves me wrong here, but I don't think those decks would need the
oracle, since they can do much more troublesome stuff than it.
For the comparison with the lab maniac, I wouldn't call it a better version. Pro: the
Oracle is cheaper and digs by itself Con: You only win the game if you empty your libary with the
oracle. Misscalculate here or play it to early, and this won't work anymore. The Maniac on the other hand still works a turn after he's been played (if he doesn't get removed ofc.).
About
Paradox Engine: Correct me please if I'm wrong, but afaik the reason why they banned it isn't that it's superior in cEDH with
Sisay. It has become banned because the "kitchentable" players used it to generate alot of very long turns without finishing the game. That's just something unfun to play against. Imagine a player that plays 3 extra turns and you have to sit there and wait until he's done, because he still won't be able to finish at his turn 4 in a row. That's just boring.
For me it's sad that it has become banned, but my plan was (like they did in cEDH) to use it as wincon, in stead of extending my turns until next year.
For the
Flash Hulk combo.. Well.. it's difficult. at least for me, both cards by itself are okay. they allow strong plays and kick off powerful combos, but you usually can do something against them. The real problem is the combined power along with combos that work completly on instant speed. For me, a important part of magic is the ability for interaction. But these combos basicly
disallow them.