I'm probably not someone who should give advice on this topic, lol, but I think better you mix the track, less it need when mastering. Owsinski's books are great for that. Esentially you wanna look for balance, stereo width/placement and dynamics. In our generes, we kinda kill dynamics by limiting, though, so the real job is to get it spectrum-wise and width-wise on the similar level as records you wanna compete with.
I don't like all that "woodoo magic" of analog models, tape saturators and stuff. It messes up with frequency spectrum, adds wow and flutter and subtle saturations. Don't get me wrong, those are good things, but I think it's better to apply them while mixing or even better, while sounddesign stage.
So my chain: EQ, Width Expander if needed, Limiter. All in O-Zone, quickly out. (But again, I'm probably not the best example.)