Pure Blade.

4x Puresteel Paladin
4x Stoneforge Mystic
4x Nimble Obstructionist

4x Brainstorm
1x Enlightened Tutor
4x Ponder
3x Swords to Plowshares
3x Supreme Will
1x Supreme Verdict
4x Force of Will

3x Sword of the Meek
3x Thopter Foundry
1x Time Sieve
1x Jitte

3x Flooded Strand
2x Island
2x Plains
4x Polluted Delta
4x Prismatic Vista
1x Scrubland
3x Tundra

SB:
2x Flusterstorm
1x Swords to Plowshares
2x Dovin's Verdict
2x Supreme Verdict
1x Blue Elemental Blast
1x Hydroblast

1x Time Sieve
1x Batterskull

2x Rest in Peace
2x Oblivion Ring

All of my testing has been mathematical so far. If you want to test the list, be aware it has no real world testing so far. Matchups should be similar to Stoneblade decks, but the clock is faster, and the combo is pretty much a lock against any decks that can't beat you before you get it in place.

I do like Dispel and Spell Pierce in the Supreme Will slot, but I was trying something different. Nimble Obstructionist earned it's slot mathematically. Clique would be the alternative, but I don't like Clique against non combo decks, and drawing multiples is terrible. Nimble can have multiple copies on the board, and drawing more is always good.

In heavy Stifle metas, I would run Dispel as a 3x maindeck. This deck could theoretically run Stifle, and I have a Wasteland build as well that does so, but this shell is the stabler of the builds I have come up with so far. This was intended to fight Maverick heavy metas. I have played enough Maverick to know how to beat it regularly. Maverick was my go to deck for years on MODO.

Urza, Lord High Artificer

gives you infinite combo with sword/foundry? just play a singleton. you have a time sieve in there so you can take another turn after flipping your deck.

thoughts?

What do you mean by "mathematical"? Based on some ideal curve or ideal ratios, and if so where did you get them from?

Nimble Obstructionist seems bad, especially as a 4-of. If you want a 3-drop that can carry equipment to victory and you don't want too many Cliques, what about True-Name Nemesis? Or maybe 2 Clique + 2 TNN? Flickerwisp is another option that has a lot of utility.

Supreme Will seems weak. Spell Pierce seems better, since you have no non-FOW counters under 3 mana which is awkward (even your Stifle effect is 3 mana) and that limits your ability to interact or protect your pieces. You could also consider a mix of Snapcaster Mage and Spell Pierce. Snapcaster gives you those extra modes of Supreme Will: you can have more counters, or more cantrips, or even more spot removal.

The 1 Supreme Verdict main is too slow to help against D&T (mana denial) or Elves (fast), so there are only some matchups where it's relevant. The 4th StP is probably better more often, especially if you add Snapcaster. Or replace it with another 4 drop like Urza or Jace.

For the land base, I would go -2 Delta -1 Tundra +1 Island +1 Plains +1 Strand. 11 fetches is probably overkill for a UW deck and why not run more basics to dodge hate now that Prismatic Vista is a thing? Then you can even board into Back to Basics.


Without Snapcasters:


4x Puresteel Paladin
4x Stoneforge Mystic
4x True-Name Nemesis
1x Urza, Lord High Artificer

4x Brainstorm
1x Enlightened Tutor
4x Ponder
4x Swords to Plowshares
3x Daze
4x Force of Will

3x Sword of the Meek
3x Thopter Foundry
1x Time Sieve
1x Umezawa's Jitte

4x Flooded Strand
3x Island
3x Plains
3x Polluted Delta
4x Prismatic Vista
1x Scrubland
2x Tundra

SB:
2x Flusterstorm
2x Dovin's Verdict
2x Supreme Verdict
1x Blue Elemental Blast
1x Engineered Explosives
1x Time Sieve
1x Batterskull
1x Sword of Fire and Ice
2x Rest in Peace
2x Detention Sphere

I don't know how "necessary" the Obstructionist is here, but Tribute Mage can find every Artifact in this deck.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mistercakes

Urza, Lord High Artificer

gives you infinite combo with sword/foundry? just play a singleton. you have a time sieve in there so you can take another turn after flipping your deck.

thoughts?

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I have a list with that as well, I haven't done any work on it though. My primary concern was that it's just win more, and the casting cost might be difficult against Delver decks and Lands.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by FTW

What do you mean by "mathematical"? Based on some ideal curve or ideal ratios, and if so where did you get them from?

Nimble Obstructionist seems bad, especially as a 4-of. If you want a 3-drop that can carry equipment to victory and you don't want too many Cliques, what about True-Name Nemesis? Or maybe 2 Clique + 2 TNN? Flickerwisp is another option that has a lot of utility.

Supreme Will seems weak. Spell Pierce seems better, since you have no non-FOW counters under 3 mana which is awkward (even your Stifle effect is 3 mana) and that limits your ability to interact or protect your pieces. You could also consider a mix of Snapcaster Mage and Spell Pierce. Snapcaster gives you those extra modes of Supreme Will: you can have more counters, or more cantrips, or even more spot removal.

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I used the tap out app to give me random hands and calculated the number of average turns it would take the deck to interact with other decks in the format, while taking my own experience into account with all interactions. For reference, I have been playing this game off and on since Unlimited. When I got onto MODO I was playing primarily Extended, and the Unlimited format to expand my understanding of the game itself. I actively play Legacy, Vintage and Modern, when I am able to play.

Obstructionist stops the Storm trigger, it'll also stop Breach, I don't like losing to that card in the first game.

I don't care for Nemessis, it simply doesn't interact with what the opponent is doing, and while it's great against Maverick, it simply has no other utility in any other matchups. I also do not want to have a weak game 1 against a slow durdle deck like Miracles. Obstructionist helps in that slot.

Snapcaster is mana intensive. I have tried it in Legacy, but I never found it to be "enough" to close out the game or create a lock state that the opponent simply can not get out of. It always seemed like you were just playing exchange time and turns for incremental advantage, when all I am trying to do with this deck is shut them down and lock them out completely.

I made my argument for Supreme Will above, it's primarily in the deck to help search for the pieces of the lock. I don't agree with Daze, at all. I never liked the card, and when I was playing Delver decks, I never ran it. I ran Stifles and LftL.with an extra land.I simple don't like Daze at all, it spends most of it's time getting pitched to FoW and getting played around. Setting yourself back a turn in a deck that is trying to get to 5 mana is counter productive.

Additionally, Supreme Will is a counter for late game, when you have to protect the lock, or get it to resolve. If anything, it would get replaced with Dispel.
This deck simply doesn't care about your Planeswalkers.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by H

I don't know how "necessary" the Obstructionist is here, but Tribute Mage can find every Artifact in this deck.

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I could see it as a 1 of replacing a Mystic.

Getting a SotM countered isn't so bad, and it actually makes the board state worse for the opponent, as the next sword will recur the first sword. Making it even harder for them to break the lock once it's in place.

Any other comments that aren't nonsensically based on disrupting a decks consistency?

With all due respect... based on this, there's no evidence to support that the choices you're defending are less nonsensical or help consistency.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NidStyles

All of my testing has been mathematical so far. If you want to test the list, be aware it has no real world testing so far.

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Have you done any real world testing yet? Played any games of Magic against other decks? Have any results to show?

Stifle effects are useful, of course. But keeping 3-mana open at all times to respond to the opponent is difficult in a 20-land deck that taps out a lot (2-mana and 3-mana sorcery-speed plays). Obstructionist does not stop Storm or Breach or other things if you don't have the mana open when the opponent does his thing. Nimble Obstructionist does not have promising results in other decks.

OTOH TNN has proven results in UWx Stoneblade as a 3-drop equipment-carrying finisher.

Time sieve is a total do nothing card. Without thopter sword it is useless and you rather have urza, with thoper sword you also rather have urza and just win on the spot. Your plan is to have thopter, sword, time sieve and 25% of your lands in play in a format with wastelands. Also, reported for antisemitism in the other thread