[EDH] Arcum Dagsson - Prison Tinkerer

[mrjumbo03]

Nice list! We're about 10-11 cards different, not counting the lands which basically is personal preference. I do think you have an extra card somewhere because it's exactly 100 without counting Arcum.

Re: Blightsteel Colossus, you don't need it to win. You can't put it into play via Arcum, and it's just a big Bribery target that may even cause you to lose.

[rxavage]

Nice list! We're about 10-11 cards different, not counting the lands which basically is personal preference. I do think you have an extra card somewhere because it's exactly 100 without counting Arcum.

Re: Blightsteel Colossus, you don't need it to win. You can't put it into play via Arcum, and it's just a big Bribery target that may even cause you to lose.

Thanks, I'm not familiar with the format and I didn't know bribery was that prevalent.

[Bruedetour]

Is there a reason why Blightsteel Colossus isn't included? I've been looking for an edh deck to actually play and get into and this one is high on the list, gy/recursion strategies seem to be hated pretty easily so I've lost interest in those.

i dont include big meanies because it is my goal to combo out around turn 3-4 every game but if you are looking for a more interactive list i would suggest cutting P P and add some big fatties as you see fit as posessed portal is not a good time for anyone but yourself

[Bruedetour]

Nice list! We're about 10-11 cards different, not counting the lands which basically is personal preference. I do think you have an extra card somewhere because it's exactly 100 without counting Arcum.

Re: Blightsteel Colossus, you don't need it to win. You can't put it into play via Arcum, and it's just a big Bribery target that may even cause you to lose.

my bad i just added mind over matter and forgot to cut something oops

[The Big Ragu]

I run Memnarch, Steel Hellkite, and Sundering Titan for shits and giggles, but they're not particularly helpful for locking down the game. That's this deck's primary objective, not establishing aggro dominance.

Blightsteel Colossus has no place in this deck for many different reasons, but it seems odd that somebody would ever use Bribery against someone using Arcum in the first place.

[mrjumbo03]

Just an update, I think I'll be going +1 Cavern of Souls, -1 Rishadan Port, as soon as I get a foil one, no matter how pretty Rishadan Port is in foil. Initially, I didn't like Cavern because my mindset was taking out an Island for it, and considering the number of U spells we have, U mana is a premium. But removing Port doesn't hurt as much because you can't really deny mana in EDH, plus one of its main uses is essentially to tap 1-2 lands to prevent Arcum being countered, which is what Caverns does in the first place. And you're replacing something that doesn't produce U as well. As an additional plus, you get U mana for Trinket Mage and more importantly, Magus of the Future (UUU is hard to get).

[mrjumbo03]

Bumping this thread. Do you think Arcum can be competitive using the French Banlist? There's an upcoming 1on1 Tourney here and I'd like to join.

As it stands, you lose the following:
Crucible of Worlds
Intuition
Mana Crypt
Mana Drain
Mana Vault
Mishra's Workshop (I don't run this anyway)
Sensei's Divining Top
Sol Ring
Strip Mine

*Metalworker is legal though, but Staff is still banned. But I'm not sure if it's even good for the deck considering most stuff are not that hard to cast anyway. Tuck rules are also in effect so Spell Crumple and Hinder are not good.

Suggested replacements would be appreciated as well. I'm not sure if Artificer's Intuition and Trinket Mage are good enough anymore if you remove those cards, specially SDT.

[kombatkiwi]

Bumping this thread. Do you think Arcum can be competitive using the French Banlist? There's an upcoming 1on1 Tourney here and I'd like to join.

As it stands, you lose the following:
Crucible of Worlds
Intuition
Mana Crypt
Mana Drain
Mana Vault
Mishra's Workshop (I don't run this anyway)
Sensei's Divining Top
Sol Ring
Strip Mine

*Metalworker is legal though, but Staff is still banned. But I'm not sure if it's even good for the deck considering most stuff are not that hard to cast anyway. Tuck rules are also in effect so Spell Crumple and Hinder are not good.

Suggested replacements would be appreciated as well. I'm not sure if Artificer's Intuition and Trinket Mage are good enough anymore if you remove those cards, specially SDT.

That seems bad
If you can get other cards it's probably better to just design a new deck for that format

[mrjumbo03]

French banlist just unbanned Intuition so I'm down to 7/9 (Trinket and Artificer) cards that I need to change.

[BoPete21]

Metalwalker and/or Jumbo I know this is a old post, but I was wondering if any of you can give me your opinion and questions or concerns I have for your guys decks. I've been looking at them both and comparing one to the other and come up on the decesion I need a second input. Considering you guys made the list I only felt it to be proper that you guys replied. What about timetwister, transmute artifact, and reshape. I know a brief explanation was given by metalwalker on not running too many 7 draws from the fact of possessed portal, but jumbo said he liked playing time spiral using possessed portal so why not timetwister. I don't know if it was banned at the time of this posting maybe it was like I said "I don't know." Metalwalker also said he didn't like paying the extra mana for transmute and reshape, but it was also mentioned using kuldotha is a steep price but sometimes one tinker is all you need sometimes. I'm also curious about artificer's intuition considering sometimes one tinker is all you need, but its gonna be only for top or a sol ring. I probabally need some more explanation please. Is Solemn Simulacrum working that well for you guys i feel its a little slow and back on artificer's intuition is it really worth it. i'd like a updated list from you guys if you dont mind. I also have not become a fan of petrified field can you explain that. and i think it should be one or the other not both trinket mage or artificer's intuition bc like i stated 3 time thats all it takes is one sometimes. Even Kuldotha feels slow sometimes because i need the three artifacts meaning early game, but thats why Arcum's the general I'm just rambling now. Please respond i'd appreciate the feedback i have no idea what would replace these maybe some more counterspells or something, but I know its kinda hard to get U. Like I said I need another opinion the creator of the decks would be very nice. Sorry if I come off as a newb, but I probably am compared to you guys Help!

[kombatkiwi]

Metalwalker and/or Jumbo I know this is a old post, but I was wondering if any of you can give me your opinion and questions or concerns I have for your guys decks. I've been looking at them both and comparing one to the other and come up on the decesion I need a second input. Considering you guys made the list I only felt it to be proper that you guys replied. What about timetwister, transmute artifact, and reshape. I know a brief explanation was given by metalwalker on not running too many 7 draws from the fact of possessed portal, but jumbo said he liked playing time spiral using possessed portal so why not timetwister. I don't know if it was banned at the time of this posting maybe it was like I said "I don't know." Metalwalker also said he didn't like paying the extra mana for transmute and reshape, but it was also mentioned using kuldotha is a steep price but sometimes one tinker is all you need sometimes. I'm also curious about artificer's intuition considering sometimes one tinker is all you need, but its gonna be only for top or a sol ring. I probabally need some more explanation please. Is Solemn Simulacrum working that well for you guys i feel its a little slow and back on artificer's intuition is it really worth it. i'd like a updated list from you guys if you dont mind. I also have not become a fan of petrified field can you explain that. and i think it should be one or the other not both trinket mage or artificer's intuition bc like i stated 3 time thats all it takes is one sometimes. Even Kuldotha feels slow sometimes because i need the three artifacts meaning early game, but thats why Arcum's the general I'm just rambling now. Please respond i'd appreciate the feedback i have no idea what would replace these maybe some more counterspells or something, but I know its kinda hard to get U. Like I said I need another opinion the creator of the decks would be very nice. Sorry if I come off as a newb, but I probably am compared to you guys Help!

I'm not either of the two guys you mentioned but I have built this deck IRL and play a lot of games with it:

Timetwister: I've never felt that I wanted so much card draw. I play TFK and Thoughtcast, I feel like it's adequate. You often only want to exchange a couple of cards, I would play Brainstorm and these and like See beyond before I considered something like Timetwister.

I play a reshape and sometimes it's good, sometimes not. Transmute Artifact is obviously better. I think it's correct to use both considering that all lists play fabricate and these serve a similar purpose.

I don't play Kuldotha Forgemaster

Solemn Simulacrum I enjoy mainly for the card draw, which I why I re-added Faerie Mechanist (which is blue, so it goes with Grand Architect).

Both Trinket Mage and Artificer's Intuition are great because all the best cards in the deck are 1-drop artifacts (or 0, in the case of mana crypt). I'm never disappointed to draw either of these.

Also, what do you guys think of trading post? The last 2 abilities seem pretty decent

[mrjumbo03]

Might deserve a slot as it deals with multiple opponents by the end game, and a utility bouncer in the beginning.

[kombatkiwi]

I think I'd rather play Hurykls Recall than this because
-A lot of opposing combos are artifact based so it serves a similar purpose
-You can occasionally gain value from Hurkyls by casting it on yourself if you have a lot of fast mana in play
-The Lattice interaction

Chain of Vapor or Repeal are two other cards I would probably rather play before I considered this one

[kombatkiwi]

My Current List
Italicized cards are ones that I don't feel completely confident about their inclusion

1 Arcum Dagsson

Sac Food
1 Alloy Myr
1 Guardian Idol
1 Silver Myr
1 Plague Myr
1 Palladium Myr
1 Manakin
1 Millikin
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Etherium Sculptor
1 Myr Moonvessel
1 Spellskite
1 Junk Diver
1 Myr Retriever
1 Faerie Mechanist

Gotta Go Fast
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Sol Ring
1 Grim Monolith
1 Basalt Monolith
1 Mox Diamond
1 Mox Opal
1 Mind Stone
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Cloud Key
1 Lion's Eye Diamond
1 Grand Architect

Draw/Tutoring
1 Artificer's Intuition
1 Memory Jar
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Thoughtcast
1 Trinket Mage
1 Fabricate
1 Expedition Map
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Intuition
1 Transmute Artifact
1 Scroll Rack

Permission
1 Force of Will
1 Mana Drain
1 Pact of Negation
1 Mental Misstep

Utility/Combo
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Voltaic Key
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Sculpting Steel
1 Clock of Omens
1 Mind Over Matter
1 Mirran Spy
1 Rings of Brighthearth
1 Planar Portal
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Possessed Portal
1 Magus of the Future
1 Myr Turbine
1 Spine of Ish Sah
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Mindslaver
1 Darksteel Forge
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Power Artifact
1 Argivian Restoration
1 Gitaxian Probe

Land
15 Snow-Covered Island
1 Mishra's Workshop
1 Mishra's Factory
1 Blinkmoth Nexus
1 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge
1 Tolaria West
1 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Rishadan Port
1 Academy Ruins
1 Buried Ruin
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
1 Ancient Tomb
1 City of Traitors
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Seat of the Synod
1 Darksteel Citadel

Reason why certain cards are in Italics

Guardian Idol and Alloy Myr - They're the most expensive accelerator-fodder but I guess they get the job done and there really don't think that there's a viable alternative to these.

Myr Moonvessel - A 1 or 0 cmc artifact creature is needed for the purposes of Artificer's Intuition. However, I'm not sure if it's correct to play this or something like Shield Sphere or Ornithopter. The Myr is almost strictly better if you have an Etherium Sculptor Effect in play, and also has the benefit of being able to cast it early on and accelerate you later. Ornithopter is better in situations where you have no mana open but want a guy to tinker out for something else. I think this is rare enough that the Moonvessel is probably better.

Spellskite - It's kind of a meta call because sometimes it just doesn't do anything. I think it's still probably fine in that even if it's not relevant in the matchup you can still just tinker it away for something else.

TFK and Thoughtcast - These cards are fine but not great. I'm not sure whether it's worth having these effects available or if I should simply include more utility cards like graveyard hate or Pithing Needle.

Mystical Tutor - Having the card go to the top of the library is very annoying. It's good when it's good but it's often a do-nothing. It doesn't often feel very good to cast but I struggle to cut it because in theory it should be a strong card.

Nevs Disk, Darksteel Forge, Mycosynth Lattice - Funnily enough, Mycosynth Lattice wasn't even on the list. I built this up in a rush on cockatrice from memory of what my current real-life list was, and while I do have Lattice in the paper version, It wasn't something that I remembered to include in the online list. I did play several games with this on cockatrice and never noticed its absence. As stated in a previous post, I believe that this combo is a pointless sacred cow of the deck, a holdover of a previous version when it was the main win condition. The deck has significantly evolved from that point and it's painful to draw 4, 6, and 9 cmc artifacts that very rarely do anything in most games. I really want to cut these cards but I also want feedback from people who have experience with the deck as to why they do or don't think that it would be a good idea.

Argivian Restoration - This is only in italics because I haven't played with the card enough to have a strong opinion of it.

Anyway that's my list! If there's a card that you think is staple that I don't have here or there's a non-italicized card and you're wondering why I think it's that great, I welcome your feedback.

Cards I am considering adding to the deck/trying out
Riddlesmith/Vedalken Archmage
Pithing Needle
Codex Shredder
Graveyard Hate
Some kind of Bounce spell (Repeal or Chain or Rift or Hurkyls)
Runed Servitor
Myr Sire
Semblance Anvil
Otherworld Atlas
Dross Scorpion

[Hunding Gjornersen]

Scuttlemut is strictly better than Alloy Myr. Changing creature colors isn't amazing or anything, but having the option is a little bit better than not having the option.

[kombatkiwi]

[card]Scuttlemut[/card] is strictly better than [card]Alloy Myr[/card]. Changing creature colors isn't amazing or anything, but having the option is a little bit better than not having the option.

This has been brought up in previous posts (by me :P) and everybody unanimously agreed that the potential to save Arcum from doom blade was not worth the downside of scuttlemutt's crappy artwork.

[Werewolf]

This combo [top/basalt/rings] wins the fastest and is the safest way to win (draw your deck, play your deck out with infinite colorless mana). It requires 2 artifact creature fodder, Arcum to survive for 2 turns. If any of this condition fails, the combo will not be completed. You usually tutor for Rings instead of Top/Basalt because Rings by itself is busted with the rest of the deck. Sometimes I tutor out Basalt first depending on whether I can keep Arcum for another turn, or if I have something in my hand that I can play out that will screw my opponents over.

first post lol. this question was bugging me so much that i felt inspired to make an account here and ask it.

doesn't this actually take 3 artifact creature fodder? copying arcum's ability with rings doesnt exempt you from sacrificing another artifact creature i don't think. the sacrificing, it's part of the effect, not the cost (because it comes after the colon...otherwise it would be written "{T}, target artifact creature's controller sacs it: [cheat effect]" and then the rings would only copy the cheat effect and not the sac part).

or do i have it wrong?

[kombatkiwi]

first post lol. this question was bugging me so much that i felt inspired to make an account here and ask it.

doesn't this actually take 3 artifact creature fodder? copying arcum's ability with rings doesnt exempt you from sacrificing another artifact creature i don't think. the sacrificing, it's part of the effect, not the cost (because it comes after the colon...otherwise it would be written "{T}, target artifact creature's controller sacs it: [cheat effect]" and then the rings would only copy the cheat effect and not the sac part).

or do i have it wrong?

You're correct, I have always known this
It might be a mistake made by the person who wrote that, or they might just mean that if you untap with rings and 2 dudes you win immediately

[fuga]

Hi! What do you think about ubamask in this deck?

[kombatkiwi]

Hi! What do you think about ubamask in this deck?

Not very good
99% of the time if you want that effect you have possessed portal. It's not the worst card if you draw it but against a significant number of top decks it is largely ineffectual, as most of them achieve wins either by tutoring for what they need, or by drawing their entire deck in one turn and killing you, and in both of these cases uba mask does nothing.