Great write-up, and congrats on finishing all the gods!

I need to unpack another Witherfingers. I unpacked two and immediately sold them. Mercantile Marine is a great option against a Light meta. I don't play deception much, but I did play a bit with the new Dart Maniacs. Never thought to give them deadly, though. Neat idea (you can always cheat the maniac 2x, so that could work.

I love going first with Shackled Acolyte against Light. They have zero tools to deal with it. By the time they can Levy, it's 4/4. You can also play it going second if they bagged into a Mace or other 2-mana card.

I will say I'm loving my Shadow Cats right now against light. I'll try and figure out how to fit them in this deck. The Maniacs do have the advantage that they help you control board, but the cats are basically invincible against Light. But of course, cats mean I need to find room for dark knives, too. Then I'm afraid I'll run into the hidden rush problem you mentioned: consistency.