I use Evil mode for vim emulation. I think it does Vim better than Vim. Flycheck for syntax checking, smartparens / paredit for structured editing, and key-chord for some bindings. I avoid using the Meta key in all of my bindings, mostly because I find it uncomfortable to reach for, and also because its in different places on different keyboards. All of my bindings are Ctrl- or Leader- based (my leader is comma)
If this sounds like your kind of setup, feel free to copy it.