Quote:
The distinction between using a broad concept and someone else's deck list is that there's 35 white critters in Standard with a CMC of 2 or less. I used 25% of them in my deck.
Sure, but of those 35 there's probably less than 15 that aren't automatically eliminated because they are not efficiently costed (Capashan Knight, God-Favored General), too defensive for your gameplan (Nyx-Fleece Ram, Yoked Ox, Concordia Pegasus), not doing something that does anything for your deck (Dutiful Thrull, Soulmender) or strictly worse than creatures with the exact same mana cost and stats (Boros Mastiff, Stonewise Fortifier, Traveling Philosopher).
Knowledge of the metagame and card pool in standard then make card choices much simpler for example Loyal Pegasus is terrible in a format where good removal is abundant because it allows your opponents to render the pegasus irrelevant without having to spend mana or a spell to do so. Good removal also means you need a certain number of defensive cards to "counter" removal.
On top of that there's an element of affordability that further limits you (no Brimaz, no Mutavault) so your choice in cards is pretty limited and what you're left with is fine tuning between a certain number of flex spots that you fill depending on your local metagame.
It is literally no different from the black devotion decks you seem to dislike so much as there's the fine tuning for which removal to have in main and side board, using lifebane zombie or nightveil specter, playing whip of erebos or not, staying mono black or splashing white, green or black and if you splash for how much (just Obzedat/Blood Baron or also banishing lights and Elspeth? Just Dreadbore or also Mizzium Mortars, Anger of the gods and Rakdos' Return?) etc.