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Thread: Artificers

  1. #1
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    Artificers

    At the heart of this deck is Stone Haven Outfitter.
    A creature that has not one but two abilities that can be key to winning games in Magic.
    It's also a T2 drop with an OK body and only one white mana requirement which opens possibilities for off-color help.
    And before I forget ... it's an Artificer ...

    The first question that comes up is : which equipment is of best use to her ?
    To my amazement the search for "ideal" T1 equipment produced not one, not two, but ... three! useful cards.

    Sai of the Shinobi
    1. Sai + Outfitter gives you a solid 4/4 creature on T2
    2. If the opponent used an Instant or Sorcery to send her to the GY you not only draw a card but you also come out of this transaction with card advantage.

    And it gets better. Remember the Outfitter is an Artificer.
    Inventor's Goggles
    Same effects as above but with an added Toughness for a 4/5 creature on T2.

    Third but not least
    Shuko
    1. Just +1/+0 but FREE to equip.
    2. This card makes sure your creatures in play can be equipped alright and gain the +1/+1 bonus from the Outfitter.
    3. You can use all Shuko's in play to attack, then equip them to a ( just summoned ) creature to defend.

    That's a potential 12 T1 drops who all fit the strategy.
    And since they all cost just one generic mana this automatically leads us to Urza's Saga.
    In testing so far I found that it's a great first land drop as it allows you
    1. to play an equipment on T1,
    2. play Stone Haven Outfitter on T2 and
    3. get another equipment in play for free at the soonest possible T3.
    4. No possibility for a Construct in this case but you don't want to spend that three mana so soon on a relatively weak Construct.
    5. Later Constructs certainly make sense though as they too can pick up a Sai or Shuko and thus gain twice from them. ( bonus for artifacts in play + bonus from the Equipment effect )

    With the Equipment cards in place, it's time to find out if there are any other Artificers who'd fit the strategy.
    The search engine turned up ...

    Stoneforge Mystic
    What's not to like here ? A proven quality card.
    1. She can pick up any 1 of the Equipment and all of the Shuko's in play and become a beatstick.
    2. She's another great T2 drop and
    3. Another card like US that allows card "draw" that gets around Narset, Spirit of the Labyrinth, Hullbreacher etc.

    Exloring other colors for usefull Artificers turned out

    Reyav, Master Smith
    1. Another great T2 drop
    2. Just doubles the damage race speed. An equipped Reyav can deal up to 6 damage, just with 1 Equipment attached.
    3. Double Strike allows your attackers to survive their attack.
    4. Double Strike allows you to get around pesky (token) blockers and still hit your opponent.

    Feldon, Ronom Excavator
    This card didn't "hit" me right away but I included one copy anyway just to see what it did.
    Feldon gave me the first big "WOW" effect and turned out to be an MVP candidate in this deck.
    1. another T2 drop who can pick up any Equipment.
    2. He has HASTE! which means he hits for at least 3 damage on T2.
    3. If your opponent decides to block him and deal damage to him he will "draw" as many cards as he got damage and you choose 1 to exile.
    4. This card stays in exile and can be played until the end of your ... NEXT ... turn, meaning even if you're tapped out on T2 you have T3 to play the exiled card.
    5. Note the text says you may "play" the card from exile, which means you can also play lands. ( as opposed to "cast" from exile, which does not allow lands )

    Any other Artificers worth playing ? Yes and no.
    Not an Atificer but acting as if he was one :
    Kemba, Kha Enduring
    1. Another possible T2 drop.
    2. Can pick up any 1 of the artifacts in play and all Shuko's.
    3. He's your fifth LORD.
    4. With Equipment on T2 he's at least a 4/3 and possibly a 4/4 or 4/5.

    What other non-Artificer cards fit this deck ?
    Feldon gave me the first WOW effect, Fireblade Charger gave me the second.
    1. Just one red mana for this bomb
    2. He fits the strategy perfectly. Play him T2, pick up the hardware and gain Haste.
    3. If possible play a Shuko T2 before the Charger and equip that too.
    4. T2 Attack with a power 2 or 3 Charger.
    5. If he dies, he deals another 2 or 3 damage to ANY target ...
    6. Imagine what a Fireblade Charger can do if there are multiple Shuko's and/or Outfitters in play ...
    7. ... deal extra damage dying and possibly draw a card(s) for it.

    Sunspear Shikari
    1. Fits the Strategy perfectly.
    2. The free equips push this card from good to very good imo.
    3. Can be a game saver as a defender.
    4. Goes over the top combined with Reyav, Master Smith

    Ethersworn Canonist
    1. does not add anything specific offensively/defensively but can pick up Sai and Shuko.
    2. Main reason for addition is to handle the multi-spellcast type decks out there.
    3. Can start SB'ed if better options arise.

    Dealing with opposing threats:

    Swords to Plowshares

    March of Otherworldly Light
    I prefer this over Prismatic Ending
    1. primarily because it can be played during the opponent's turn, circumventing Canonist
    2. The deck has 22 white cards so it's often possible to play this for just one white mana.

    Land :

    Battlefield Forge
    1. Feels like it belongs because it can play Equipment and provide both colors in case of emergency.
    2. Playing it T1 instead of a Plateau seems the right play and it can save your Plateau from a Wasteland.

    Sideboard is WIP but obvious inclusions should be :

    Ethersworn Canonist
    Soul-Guide Lantern
    Pithing Needle
    Grafdigger's Cage
    Pyroblast
    Red Elemental Blast
    Blood Moon ??

    I would love some feedback on this deck.
    Cards that should be included/considered.
    SB suggestions.

    Final notes :

    1. I'd like to point out that this is a deck that wants to go wide, with each creature equipped with one Equipment.
    That is the reason I removed for example Fervent Champion.
    At first glance he checks all the boxes but he is more a creature that wants to go big by equipping everything to himself or by freely equipping the more expensive Equipment with "equip 3".
    In this deck Fireblade Charger is the better fit.

    2. Turn 3+ often consists of casting another Equipment + Creature giving the creature immediately all possible boosts.
    For example : a T3 consisting of Goggles+Feldon after a T1and2 Sai+Outfitter gives you a 4/4 Outfitter attacking together with a 4/5 Feldon with Haste who can possibly put cards in exile if blocked and damaged and with both creatures drawing you a card if they die.

    3. Outfitter+Saga+Mystic+Feldon gives the deck 14 card drawers.

    Update :
    -2 Inventor's Goggles
    +1 Shadowspear
    +1 Kaldra Compleat
    Reason : Kemba, Kha Enduring can equip these for free.


    CC1 21
    4 Shuko
    4 Sai of the Shinobi
    2 Inventor's Goggles
    4 Fireblade Charger
    4 Swords to Plowshares
    2 March of Otherworldly Light
    1 Shadowspear

    CC2 18
    4 Stone Haven Outfitter
    4 Stoneforge Mystic
    2 Feldon, Ronom Excavator
    2 Reyav, Master Smith
    2 Kemba, Kha Enduring
    2 Sunspear Shikari
    2 Ethersworn Canonist

    CC7 1
    1 Kaldra Compleat

    Lands 20
    4 Urza's Saga
    4 Plateau
    4 Arid Mesa
    2 Windswept Heath
    2 Plains
    2 Battlefield Forge
    1 Mountain
    1 Bloodstained Mire
    Last edited by Borg; 07-23-2023 at 02:30 PM.

  2. #2
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    Re: Artificers

    Fun concept!

    The bottleneck seems to be Stone Haven. You have only 4 of this draw effect but 10-12 "free" equips (+8 equipment tutors!). That means you'll see the cheap equipment much more than you see Stone Haven (especially because Stone Haven will be a magnet for removal).

    Sadly Stone Haven's ability doesn't stack. If you have 3 equipment on 1 creature, you only get +1/+1 and draw 1 card. The other 2 equipment are redundant. The abilities of Fireblade Charger, Reyav, and Sunspear Shikari also do not stack. If they have 3 equipment or 1 equipment, it makes no difference.

    That means you probably need to balance the numbers. It looks like you have too many cheap equipment and not enough good payoffs for them.

    What about Puresteel Paladin? That makes 8 draw effects! Puresteel does stack. You draw 1 card per equipment! It's not an Artificer, but creature type is not a big deal if you cut Inventors Goggles down to 1 copy (tutorable with Saga & Stoneforge).

    As a 1-drop what about Esper Sentinel instead of Fireblade Charger? Esper Sentinel is a great turn 1 play and gets dangerous when you add +1 power!

    Edit: That would bring you to 12 draw engines + 12 equipment, more balanced!
    Because of Kemba and Puresteel, you could consider 1-of Colossus Hammer. You have 8 tutors and sometimes you can free equip. The upside is huge. Colossal even!
    Last edited by FTW; 07-25-2023 at 11:02 AM.

  3. #3
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    Re: Artificers

    Quote Originally Posted by FTW View Post
    The bottleneck seems to be Stone Haven. You have only 4 of this draw effect but 10-12 "free" equips (+8 equipment tutors!). That means you'll see the cheap equipment much more than you see Stone Haven (especially because Stone Haven will be a magnet for removal).
    I don't view her as a bottleneck. If she gets removed, so be it, you can get a draw for it and there are other good creatures to pick up the Equipment.
    It's not like the deck can't function without her.

    Quote Originally Posted by FTW View Post
    That means you probably need to balance the numbers. It looks like you have too many cheap equipment and not enough payoffs for them.
    Good observation there.
    12 copies was the original plan, before the Saga's and SFM's were added and I didn't adjust for them.
    -3 Goggles.

    Quote Originally Posted by FTW View Post
    What about Puresteel Paladin? That makes 8 draw effects! Puresteel does stack. You draw 1 card per equipment! It's not an Artificer, but creature type is not a big deal if you cut Inventors Goggles down to 1 copy (tutorable with Saga & Stoneforge).
    I'm unsure about the paladin.
    His free equip ability is hardly needed.
    His double white cost may throw your preferred starting land sequence off.
    There is arguably not enough equipment to trigger him consistently.

    As a side note,
    The equipment that really gets the most out of his abilities is Bloodforged Battle-Axe imo.

    Quote Originally Posted by FTW View Post
    As a 1-drop what about Esper Sentinel instead of Fireblade Charger? Esper Sentinel is a great turn 1 play and gets dangerous when you add +1 power!
    I had the Sentinels in there first but replaced them with the Chargers for their explosiveness, but I agree, the Sentinels are likely the better overall choice.

    Quote Originally Posted by FTW View Post
    Edit: Because of Kemba and Puresteel, you could consider 1-of Colossus Hammer. You have 8 tutors and sometimes you can free equip. The upside is huge. Colossal even!
    I already have one potential dead card with Kaldra Compleat. Adding a Hammer may be too much.
    Kaldra can operate on its own and if its creature is removed somehow, the deck still has two Kembas to pick it up.
    The Hammer does nothing on its own and has only two creatures who can operate it.
    That's an easy choice, I'd say.

    Current deck

    //CC1
    4 Swords to Plowshares
    4 Shuko
    4 Sai of the Shinobi
    4 Esper Sentinel
    2 March of Otherworldly Light
    1 Shadowspear
    1 Inventor's Goggles

    //CC2
    4 Stoneforge Mystic
    4 Stone Haven Outfitter
    2 Sunspear Shikari
    2 Reyav, Master Smith
    2 Kemba, Kha Enduring
    2 Feldon, Ronom Excavator
    2 Ethersworn Canonist
    1 Jor Kadeen, First Goldwarden

    //CC7
    1 Kaldra Compleat

    //Lands
    4 Urza's Saga
    4 Plateau
    4 Arid Mesa
    2 Windswept Heath
    2 Plains
    2 Battlefield Forge
    1 Mountain
    1 Bloodstained Mire
    Last edited by Borg; 07-26-2023 at 12:39 PM.

  4. #4
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    Re: Artificers

    It looks better with those changes.

    Have you tested it against other Legacy decks yet?

    Quote Originally Posted by Borg View Post
    I don't view her as a bottleneck. If she gets removed, so be it, you can get a draw for it and there are other good creatures to pick up the Equipment.
    It's not like the deck can't function without her.
    So the main principle here is that the cheap equipment (Shuko, Sai of the Shinobi, Inventor's Goggles) aren't really worth a card in Legacy. It's not that the deck can't function without her. It's that a board of 4x Goggles/Shuko is going to get overrun by any other deck that drew business cards instead, unless you can turn the equipment into cantrips. Those equipment combo very well with Stone Haven Outfitter, but they're kind of bad on their own. You'd never play them in a normal Legacy deck. You need something special like Stone Haven to offset the card disadvantage.

    Example 1:
    Say you have Grizzly Bears equipped with Shuko. You spent 2 cards and 3 mana to make a 3/2 creature. Opponent can kill it with 1 card (e.g. Fatal Push, a 1-mana 2/2 creature). You still have Shuko left, but that Shuko by itself isn't really worth a card, and it does nothing on its own unless you make another creature. You basically got 2-for-1d.
    :(

    Example 2:
    You have Stone Haven Outfitter equipped with Shuko. You spent 2 cards and 3 mana to make a 4/3! Opponent can still kill it with 1 card, but you will draw a card! It's more like trading 2-for-2 (plus you can use Shuko again later, so you're a bit ahead). Stone Haven's draw offset the disadvantage of running a card like Shuko.
    Profit! :)

    Example 3:
    You have Stone Haven Outfitter equipped with 3 Shukos. You spent 4 cards and 5 mana to make a 6/3 (only marginally better than the 4/3). Opponent can still kill it with 1 card (e.g. Lightning Bolt, Fatal Push, 3/3 creature). You draw only 1 card. That's like trading 4-for-2. Sure you keep 3 Shukos, but they contribute very little to the game, and you drew them instead of other creatures or removal. Flooding on equipment leaves you behind on resources vs a fair opponent.
    :(

    Stone Haven's draw can only compensate for 1 equipment, not all of them. That means you don't want to draw many more equipment than Stone Haven effects. That's why I consider Stone Haven the bottleneck. Those 4 copies are what limit your ability to replace the weak equipment. Opponent will see that and remove her first.

    Your other creatures do benefit from equipment, but gaining First Strike or Haste isn't enough to make up being behind cards. Stone Haven is the one that really makes the equipment worth it! However if she dies, her draw only replaces 1 equipment but not all of them. In example 3 you're behind on resources, even though you got a draw when she died. So you don't want the numbers to be too unbalanced. She can only make up for 1 equipment but not multiples, and you have less of her than equipment.

    You can fix that imbalance either by cutting equipment or adding more creatures like Stone Haven.

    Esper Sentinel fills the same role. If opponent Lightning Bolts an Esper Sentinel carrying Shuko, either you draw a card (2-for-2) or they have to pay 3 mana for Bolt and couldn't cast other spells before that (big tempo gain). Like Stone Haven, she compensates for running that Shuko even if she dies.

    Puresteel Paladin would fill that role too. It makes every equipment into a cantrip, replacing themselves, so you don't fall behind on cards even if you flood on equipment. You don't need to trigger him consistently. If you have 0 equipment, there are no bad draws to replace anyway. The important part is he replaces weak equipment drawn with other cards, so you don't fall behind on resources. The draw is much more important than the Equip 0 (although Equip 0 is still good. It lets you move equipment between creatures, not only onto new creatures).

    WW is a tougher cost, but it shouldn't be an issue. WW just needs 15 white sources. After cutting Fireblade Charger you won't need to sequence turn 1 basic Mountain. You could run a cleaner manabase:

    //Lands: 20
    4 Urza's Saga
    4 Plateau
    4 Arid Mesa
    4 Prismatic Vista
    3 Plains
    1 Mountain

    You may still decide you don't want Puresteel. It may help to have some other card for that role though. Turning Shukos into cantrips is what should give this deck a fighting chance.

    Feldon can draw cards but is unreliable. Opponent doesn't have to block. Opponent could kill with a spell that doesn't deal damage.

  5. #5
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    Re: Artificers

    You make very solid points regarding the Paladin, FTW.
    Your input is very much appreciated.
    I think I'll give the Paladin a shot.
    Let me digest this a bit ;)

  6. #6

    Re: Artificers

    Fun idea. I agree with everything FTW said. Sunspear Shikari looks weaker to me than Puresteel Paladin. Drawing cards is better than vigilance and lifelink. You have 11 (?) pieces of equipment in the current list, but with 4 Stoneforge and 4 Urza's Saga, that's really 19.

    Is there anything to be gained by milling your whole library? Some way to build in a combo angle? I get a weird feeling, looking at a list with 4 Shuko and 4 Stoneforge --- I'm itching to use Cephalid Illusionist to combo off somehow. It's fun to have a beatdown plan and a combo plan. I can't think of a plausible way, but I'm not the cleverest Legacy deck builder out there ;-)

  7. #7
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    Re: Artificers

    Adding Paladin left just a few red cards in the deck, neither of them vital.
    Mono white looks more potent.

    //CC0
    2 Mox Opal

    //CC1
    4 Swords to Plowshares
    4 Shuko
    4 Sai of the Shinobi
    4 Esper Sentinel
    3 March of Otherworldly Light
    1 Soul-Guide Lantern

    //CC2
    4 Stoneforge Mystic
    4 Stone Haven Outfitter
    4 Puresteel Paladin
    2 Kemba, Kha Enduring
    2 Ethersworn Canonist

    //CC5
    1 Batterskull

    //CC7
    1 Kaldra Compleat

    //Lands
    6 Plains
    4 Urza's Saga
    4 Prismatic Vista
    4 Ancient Den
    2 Windswept Heath


    Edit 1 : maybe Batterskull fits more than Shadowspear here ?
    Edit 2 : +1 Mox instead of Bitterthorn.
    Last edited by Borg; 07-26-2023 at 10:46 AM.

  8. #8
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    Re: Artificers

    That looks much more streamlined and consistent! Good luck playing it!

    For SB options you could consider some of these cards:
    Relic of Progenitus
    Tormod's Crypt
    Surgical Extraction
    Containment Priest
    Ethersworn Canonist
    Skyclave Apparition
    Loran of the Third Path
    Pithing Needle
    Umezawa's Jitte


    Cards that are creatures (bodies to equip) or tutorable artifacts have the most synergy with your deck. You could pick out about 4 grave hate slots, a couple combo hate slots, a couple disenchant effects, and 1 Jitte to kill small creatures like Orcish Bowmasters or Elves.

    Edit: Batterskull is good! Bitterthorn is probably better as one of the other equipment you had before (Shadowspear or Bloodforged Battle Axe) or a 2nd Mox Opal. Your curve is low. Once you have 3 mana you don't get much from putting more Plains in play.

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    Re: Artificers

    I like Batterskull over Shadowspear here. Cheaper and needs no other creature.
    You're correct about Bitterthorn. I figured it could thin the deck but the 3CC cost is an obstacle.

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    Re: Artificers

    Paradise Mantle instead of one mox ?

  11. #11
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    Re: Artificers

    Quote Originally Posted by Borg View Post
    Paradise Mantle instead of one mox ?
    Paradise Mantle is slow because of summoning sickness and losing an attacker. Springleaf Drum is a much better version of the same effect, but it's not an equipment. Mox seems best.

    Edit: Explorer's Scope is cheap and thins the deck, but it's weak too.

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    Re: Artificers

    Doing some draws atm and just wanted to mention this great 1-land hand I kept :
    T1 - Ancient Den - Sai - Mox - Sentinel
    T2 - SFM for Kaldra

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    Re: Artificers

    Quote Originally Posted by Borg View Post
    Doing some draws atm and just wanted to mention this great 1-land hand I kept :
    T1 - Ancient Den - Sai - Mox - Sentinel
    T2 - SFM for Kaldra
    Nice sequence! Ancient Den and the artifact creatures work well with Mox.

    If you find Mox is too inconsistent, you could try Lotus Petal or something else.

  14. #14
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    Re: Artificers

    Nice surprise play with SFM possible when you have a Kaldra or Batterskull in hand.
    Play SFM for a Sai or Shuko, like SFM poses no real threat of bringing something really dangerous into play, then surprise them with the Kaldra or Batterskull.
    Last edited by Borg; 07-29-2023 at 03:03 PM.

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    Re: Artificers

    Changes made so far.

    The cards that underperform :

    Stoneforge Mystic
    As fun as it may be to be able to get a Kaldra Compleat in play sometimes, spending two mana to go fetch a 1CC Equipment is bad economics.
    She gets no extra bonuses from being equipped and her "bring into play"-ability is wasted on 1CC artifacts.
    Offensively she means little to nothing.
    She clearly does not fit in this deck.

    Puresteel Paladin
    An average game will see around 4 Equipment.
    Thus, adding Puresteel to get draws off of Equipment drops makes no sense.
    On top, his free Equip ability is mostly useless as most equipment already equips for free.

    The deck definitely needed to look in a different direction and find some cards with more "pay-off" for having multiple Equipment on them.

    Cards that (over)perform :

    Champion of the Flame
    +2/+2 for each Equipment attached and Trample combined with Equipment that attaches for free, that sounds more like it.
    You see this card in your opening hand and you start to feel good.
    Consider :
    T1 Sai
    T2 Champion
    T3 Shuko/Leather Armor and attack with 5/4 or 4/5 Trampler with Ward-1
    He's a must remove creature as he can get very big.

    The expectation is in fact that your opponent will use his removal on the Champion or Outfitter ( or other 2cc Creatures ) so that you can drop the real bomb by midgame :

    Valduk, Keeper of the Flame

    What a find that card was. :)
    Pressure your opponent with the 2CC creatures and when you're sure he has no removal left drop Valduk, pick up all Equipment in play ( let's say 3 or 4 ) and throw 3 or 4 3/1 Elementals with Trample and Haste at your opponent.
    You can even equip your elementals with Sai's should you have those in play for some extra oomph and possibly even some card draw ( through Outfitter )

    I dropped the Goggles altogether and replaced them with Leather Armor
    Ward-1 really becomes a factor once you have two of them attached.
    A Champion of the Flame with two Leather Armor is a 5/7 with Trample and Ward-2 by T3.

    Since our creatures will often have 3+ Toughness, Rolling Earthquake can make for a very nice one-sided boardwipe vs decks going wide.
    Something I felt the deck really needed when playing for example vs Humans.

    Overall, this deck has gained a lot of damage output potential.
    The standard opening you're looking for goes like this :

    T1 Equipment
    T2 Champion/Outfitter
    T3 Equipment+Reyav/Outfitter or Earthquake


    //CC1
    4 Swords to Plowshares
    4 Shuko
    4 Sai of the Shinobi
    4 Leather Armor
    2 March of Otherworldly Light
    2 Esper Sentinel
    1 Shadowspear
    1 Infiltration Lens

    //CC2
    4 Stone Haven Outfitter
    4 Champion of the Flame
    2 Reyav, Master Smith
    2 Benevolent Blessing
    2 Baird, Argivian Recruiter

    //CC3
    2 Valduk, Keeper of the Flame

    //Lands
    4 Urza's Saga
    4 Prismatic Vista
    4 Arid Mesa
    2 Plateau
    4 Plains
    2 Mountain
    2 Karakas

    //Sideboard
    4 Ethersworn Canonist
    3 Rolling Earthquake
    2 Pyroblast
    2 March of Otherworldly Light
    1 Soul-Guide Lantern
    1 Red Elemental Blast
    1 Pithing Needle
    1 Grafdigger's Cage
    Last edited by Borg; 08-30-2023 at 04:08 PM.

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  17. #17
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    Re: Artificers

    I tested your deck!

    It was fun, but very all-in. If the first threats are answered it runs out of resources quickly. Any fair deck that stabilizes outdraws you in the lategame. However you can sometimes win fast if opponent is short on answers. That's what it did best.

    Stone Haven Outfitter and Valduk were both very good.

    Goblin Tomb Raider was bad. See Goblin Guide and other 1-mana threats.

    Champion of the Flame was mixed. It makes a huge threat, but also died very often before attacking. When it dies, then you're far behind on board vs opponent's cards due to the equipment. But it is nice to have some big threats to punch through.

    Benevolent Blessing was clunky to hold up and easy for opponent to play around. Apostle's Blessing seems more practical than Benevolent Blessing (despite not getting the Aura bonus). Mother of Runes may be better than both.

    I'd cut Baird and play Forth Eorlingas! or Fable of the Mirror-Breaker if you want tokens as backup attackers.
    Last edited by FTW; 12-20-2023 at 03:36 PM.

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    Re: Artificers

    Nettlecyst seems strong at the 3-mana slot. It gets +1/+1 for each equipment. The germ is "equipped" so Stone Haven draws a card when it dies. If the germ dies, you can equip Nettlecyst to Champion for a very large trample creature. It counts as both a creature and equipment, which may help balance your ratios in the deck. It turns anything into a big threat.

    I tested this out.


    //Lands: 20
    4 Urza's Saga
    4 Arid Mesa
    4 Prismatic Vista
    4 Plateau
    3 Plains
    1 Mountain

    //Equipment: 15
    4 Sai of the Shinobi
    4 Shuko
    4 Leather Armor
    3 Nettlecyst

    //Creatures: 15
    4 Champion of the Flame
    4 Stone Haven Outfitter
    4 Puresteel Paladin
    3 Valduk, Keeper of the Flame

    //Spells: 10
    4 Swords to Plowshares
    3 March of Otherworldly Light
    3 Forth Eorlingas!


    Good mix of explosive starts and resilience against disruption.

    I tried Mother of Runes but cut it. It's not good with this few creatures.

    Puresteel played well for me. Is drawing 2-4 cards not enough? Do you expect it to be a "combo engine" like Enchantress and feel disappointed otherwise?
    For me, even if it only draws 1 creature or 1-2 more equipment, it did its job and depleted opponent of disruption. Puresteel also made it easier to re-equip the best ones: Sai & Nettlecyst.

    Lion Sash seems good in the SB.

  19. #19

    Re: Artificers

    Why are we not playing sram? It’s a pure steel Paladin that costs 1W.

    Flayer husk or mortar pod seem better than the sai as they come with creatures and sac outlets attached.

    Tinderwall with paradise mantle and the outfitter seems funny.

  20. #20
    Member

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    4,776

    Re: Artificers

    Sram, Senior Edificer might be better than Puresteel Paladin. Sram doesn't draw a card off ETB (Saga, Stoneforge), but does for countered equipment (Daze, Chalice @ 1). Puresteel's 0 equip is relevant sometimes, especially with Living Weapons.

    Flayer Husk could be good with Stone Haven and Puresteel/Sram, but is worse with Champion and Valduk.

    Sai of the Shinobi equips for 0 often. You can equip to Valduk (get 3/1 token), then attach to the attacking token (4/2 trample haste) and trigger Stone Haven draw on end step sacrifice. Sai also equips for 0 to hasty Eorlingas tokens, new Saga constructs, or any top-decked creature. Flayer Husk and Mortarpod cost a lot of mana to move around.

    Edit: Sai of the Shinobi also attaches to evoked Solitude, triggering the draw from Stone Haven Outfitter when Solitude dies. Maybe some StP/March should be Solitude to have more bodies.

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