Artificer's Locketstone

[GGoober]

So, it's 3am here, but after testing the deck out a couple of times, and a few games against Survival, I must say this is a really fun deck and decent competitive deck that can be optimized.

This deck is based on Blue's version of Survival of the Fittest (http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?name=survival%20of%20the%20fittest).

http://resources.wizards.com/Magic/Cards/5DN/en-us/Card50172.jpghttp://resources.wizards.com/Magic/Cards/EX/en-us/Card6150.jpg

The deck has a very diverse kit of answers to a lot of Legacy threats out there, and without delving into an explanation yet, I'll first present the deck list:


//Manabase:
3 Island
1 Plains
4 Tundra
4 Flooded Strand
4 Seat of the Synod
4 Ancient Den

//Acceleration, Cantrips
4 Chrome Mox
3 Lotus Petal
2 Lion's Eye Diamond
3 Ponder
4 Brainstorm

//0cc-1cc Artifacts Toolbox:
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Locket of Yesterdays
3 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Pithing Needle
2 Grindstone

//Win-Cons
4 Enlightened Tutor
4 Artificer's Intuition
3 Counterbalance
2 Painter's Servant
2 Brain Freeze


Sideboard:
2 Engineered Explosives
3 Pithing Needle
3 Phyrexian Dreadnought
4 Stifle
1 Dispeller's Capsule
1 Chalice of the Void
1 Meekstone
or if you have heavy Dredge, Relic of Prognitus is great.


How the deck works:

The strategy of the deck is simple:
1. Land an Artificer's Intuition in play. The deck plays 28 Artifacts, so it allows for easy tutoring of targets.
2. Tutor the relevant artifacts for board control, but usually you just want to go for the win. So the following are the possible win-conditions.


Win-con 1 Locket Freeze
With Artificer's Intuition in play, discard an artifact to fetch SDT, discard SDT to fetch locket, play locket, discard artifact to get another SDT (or you can Enlightened Tutor at this point). This combo requires a Brainfreeze in hand, or with the setup, a Mystical Tutor in hand.

Two SDTs and a Locket allows for the famous Sensei Sensei combo:
Play SDT for 0cc, tap draw with SDT, put SDT on top of library, draw with the other SDT, repeat and storm to 1million counts, and brain freeze.

This combo is broken by Stifle, and is graveyard dependent on the one Sensei's top in the grave. It requires 3 cards, but with Artificer's Intuition, you can tutor them up very easily. The combo wins on the spot, and can be accomplished on turn 3 with acceleration.


Win-con 2 Countertop lock out
The deck searches out the Countertop lock really fast. Artificer's Intuition grabs SDT. Enlightened Tutor grabs both Counterbalance and SDT. It doesn't win you the game, but most people conceit to a lock. If they don't, with Artificer's Intuition out, you can easily grab your win cons out.


Win-con 3 Servant's Grindstone
This is self explanatory, but with the acceleration, and Enlightened tutors which grab any of the combo pieces, and Artificer's Intuition that grabs Grindstone, it's the most consistent win-condition tested, apart from Servant getting nuked by STPs and Bolts in all Servant-stone decks.

This combo does not depend on the graveyard, and only takes 6cc to activate. With an LED in play, it wins the game fast.


Win-con 4 Post-Sideboard Stifle Nought
The deck packs this package in the sideboard if it were ever to get hated out by specific anti-tutor/enchantment/other hate. Stifle Nought package would be unexpected, especially after post side-boarding when people get mixed with the deck you're playing.

Stifle Nought combo wins in 2 turns, requires 2 cards, and is susceptible to creature hate, but this should be lessened since the opponents should be boarding in more combo/artifact hate than creature hate after playing against this rogue deck.


Deck Consistencies
The deck is very consistent. In terms of grabbing an Artificer's Intuition, it accomplishes almost all the time by turn 2. With 10 Cantrips (3 Ponders, 4 Brainstorms, 3 Sensei's Top) and a total of 7 shuffle effects (4 Strands, 3 Ponders) and more shuffling when Artificer's online, the deck can easily find the combo pieces to the above win-cons mentioned even without doing shenanigans.

The deck is mana-consistent (dies to Moon like all combo/multi-land deck does). With Artificer online, good plays will be to tap U, discard artifact, search for seat of synod. This can be viewed as grabbing a blue land at 1U when you're mana screwed. Some great techs with Artificer's Intuition is worked with Lion's Eye Diamond (LED):

Tap U, discard artifact, grab LED, play LED, tap U, discard artifact, response sac LED for 3U, resolve Artificer to grab your artifact, and fill your yard with artifacts that you need for casting cheaper artifacts next turn with Locket of Yesterday, or just win with Locket + 2SDT + Freeze.


Strengths of the Deck
When playing this deck, you do not have to care much but use your life total as a clock to kill the opponent with Servant-stone and Locket-Freeze combo. It's usually consistent turn 4. This deck is not really a combo deck, but more like a synergy deck. It has many win-conditions, and given that it is a rogue deck, it may make unexpected wins (I've won against testing against Survival, Goblins. Still have to test it against thresh, landstill, control based decks).

The deck is flexible, and has all the main answers to huge threats.
Think of it as a trinket mage that triggers when you have an artifact in hand (we have a total of 28 artifacts). It wins without dealing damage.

The deck fetches (with Artificer/enlightened tutor)
- Pithing Needle (for so many things, not going to list here)
- Engineered Explosives (up to 2cc, kills bridge/warren tokens)
- Meekstone (against Goyfs, tombstalkers)
- Lotus Petal and Artifact lands (mana fixing/acceleration/stabilizing)
- Lion's Eye Diamond (for synergy searches as mentioned above, and floating mana for brainfreeze)
- Locket of Yesterdays (Locket-freeze combo, and also working with a tighter curve)
- Sensei's Divining Top (Locket-freeze combo, countertop lock)
- Grindstone (painter-servant combo)

The deck gets countertop very consistently, and the servant-stone combo consistently as well (without hate of course). Consistency is maintained by our demonic tutors Artificer and Enlightened Tutor, and 3 SDT + Brainstorms and Ponders together with shuffling effects from fetchlands, Artificer, and Enlightened Tutor. The deck is capable of playing a turn 1-2 CounterTop lock with its acceleration, but more importantly, it can search out the pieces easily. The same works with the combo pieces.



Weaknesses of the Deck
Yaay! Weaknesses of the deck. The deck simply dies to Chalice @1 and Trinisphere (most combo decks do anyway, with exception of the resilient builds of Fetchland Tendrils etc). Chalice @1 shuts down both Locket Freeze and Servant-stone combo, and Stifle-nought beats. It kills all the utility cards in the deck as well. Right now, I'm just building the deck to ignore this huge fundamental flaw. The sideboard and MD has to be optimized to account for this. 3Sphere isn't too big a problem since Servant-stone combo still comes online easily, and Artificer will be busy searching and fixing the manabase before bringing it online.

The deck is susceptible to graveyard hate. It shuts down only the Locket Freeze combo though, so the deck has an alternative win. Discard doesn't do much against this deck since it plays tutors putting cards at the top, and Artificer allows you to dump stuff you want in the graveyard anyway.

The deck rolls to fast aggro. As in really fast such as goblins and dredge. However, stalling out with EE and Countertop, allows you to buy some time to get the combo out. Post sideboard, Stifle-nought crushes gobs and dredge unless they SB artifact hate.



Potential Ideas for the Deck
One could go with the following cards:

Artifact Reanimator
- Goblin Welder (and MDing Mindslaver, Sundering Titans, etc) with synergy with Artificer's Intuition
- Thirst for Knowledge for card advantage/

Affinity Shell
- Thoughtcast in a more aggressive affinity build
- Myr Servitor (I see potential of this in an affinity Artificer build with Thoughtcast and Ravagers/Workers/Master of Etherium. Dumping 3 Servitor in your graveyard via Artificer is lame tech, but with pumps from Master of Etherium, it's worth considering)

Control shell:
- pack Force of Wills, Spell Snare, Dazes, since the deck runs enough blue cards. I personally like cantrips, and focus on combo than diversifying into control-combo. Countertop gets online easily in the deck, so I don't see the need to put more counters and take up spell slots


I really like the idea, and it's 5am, but I wanted to share my ideas for this deck, and I've been excited how it's performed, pre-optimizing-wise. And the fact that it's Blue's version for Survival of the Fittest, and who knows when this deck can be optimized to perform better, and perhaps stand side-by-side with Survival in DTB - nah, just kidding, but I do want to see this deck being more developed so let's Draw-3-cards-and-put-two-cards-from-you-hand-on-top-of-your-library-in-any-order now!

[Mordel]

Your deck posts make my eyes happy with links to the cards.

i don't know what it is with you/other people and the affinity shell thing, but it is not a feasible idea ever, ever, ever, ever, evar for one reason: affinity is already a pretty tight deck and is kind of "meh", working combos into it screws it up horribly and makes it more "meh", the obvious exception is dreadnaught and stifle. I don't know if people don't remember affinity very well or just plain haven't played/tinkered with it, but yeah...just my opinion there.

Your best bet is to have a control shell, but to be honest that would cause problems because you would have to do a bunch of waiting around for the right components if you want to try to win fast. I haven't taken your deck for a test drive or anything, but it might kind of remind you of solidarity's three to five turn wait before destroying an opponet, except solidarity has a bit better of an out against a chalice at one(ie wish).

Overall, your mentioning of the weakness of chalice at one is a bit underplayed because you have no quick answers imho. Yes, you have EE, but the fact is that the combo takes some mana to get rolling. The best way for you to cover your ass against chalices is running seals I think. The enlightened tutors invite one or two to be added between the sideboard and deck.

I also understand lionseyes are probably for activating a grindstone or something, but I really don't think two is such a hot number to have. Have you considered dropping them and adding another ponder and petal?

Another top might be good too. Out of all of the combo pieces, top is probably the one that I would be the most iritated to have to tutor for.

[TheLion]

yes. why 2 LED? Or why other tutor targets as 2-off? Just in case they get countered?
The main problem with Artificiers Intution is the lack of an Artifact Squee. I brainstormed, too, with the card and always wanted Myr Servitor to be some kind of Squee replacement, but I could never come up with the final idea.

You produce too much card disadvantage (Artificiers Intuition, Enlightened Tutor, Lotus Petal, Chrome Mox, LED) and have no protection.
I suggest: less petal/mox/led, less 2-offs of tutorables, more protection (counterspells)

[Mordel]

Well, in defense of the engine, it doesn't really need a squee card because you just discard, discard and play and proceed to go off. I think they were quite deliberate in the card's design and with artifact card design after it was printed too. I am pretty sure with the longevity of survival decks and how inundated standard and extended were with them as top decks in folowing year r&d probably swore to never again produce such a search machine that could have the one for one trade broken so easily.

[Skeggi]

This is a deck that looks like it has use for Tezzeret.

[Maveric78f]

The opening post is very well done. It's a pity the deck is not. Playing 4 chrome moxen with only 20 imprintable cards is silly. 2 LED is stupid, even 1 is. Several (rhetoretical) questions :
What happens if artificer's intuition is discarded, counterspelled or destroyed?
Do you know why Survival is good? Because creatures are good (well, at least better than 1CC artifacts) of course, bt that would not be my primary answer. It's because it generates card advantage with genesis and Squee.
Do you know why blue is good? Reason 1: brainstorm, but only a splash is necessary to play BS, so that a splash would enable you to play it in a survival build. reason 2: FoW and you don't even play it.
Did you count how much card disadvantage you were playing? Chrome mox, lotus petal, LED, locket, artificer's intuition, locket of yesterday, enlightened tutor. And not a single card advantage, except maybe counterbalance.

[Mordenkaynen]

Interesting approach for SDT-SDT combo)

T's crypt seems like missing piece of the deck. It attacks library and have no answer to gaea's blessing and such.

This deck is not really a combo deck
Well, it doesn't sound good while it has only EE (non-recurable if I didn't miss anything) and counter-balance. But it's IMO.

The deck rolls to fast aggro.
Omg. Yeah, I want to take it as a combo and it's not as you say...

You know, I'd rather add black for proactive control instead of adding countermagic. Dazes with 11 islands.. idk may be I'm not right.

[rufus]

Etherium Sculptor and Helm of Awkening are both less conditional than the Locket - they open the door to playing the eggs (Chromatic Sphere, Chromatic Star, and Conjurer's Bauble)

Have you considered Transmute Artifact or its kid brother Reshape?

Glaze Fiend can also work with Sensei-sensei, and is an artifact, although it would require a black splash.

Erayo? Ethersworn Cannonist?

Salvage Titan + Intuition/Buried Alive?

[Zinch]

I've brainstormed with this idea long ago too, but it was long ago and are new good cards for it...

First, I'd make this changes:

- 2 grindstones
- 2 painter's servant
- 1 enlightened tutor
- 1 LED
- 3 lotus petal
- 1 locket of yesterdays
- 4 enlightened tutor
- 3 tundra
- 1 plains

+ 2 Phyrexian dreadnough
+ 4 stifle
+ 4 FoW
+ 3 trinket mage
+ 1 sigil of distinction
+ 1 Academy ruins
+ 1 Underground sea
+ 1 Volcanic island
+ 1 island

The painter combo is not necesary (is more weak against creature removal than the dready and the stifle are good alone) and more counter magic is necesary to protect the combo or disrupt the opponent.
20 lands and 4 chrome moxes are enough I think (I let a LED to accelerate the combo when needed) and the trinket mage cannot be ignored in a deck with so many 0-1 CC artifactts (I added the sigil for those cases that you have the counter top actibve and draw a mage, making it a good threat). The same is true for academy ruins (only for engineered recursion is worth the try I think)

Finaly, I don't see the weakness against chalice at one with 7 cantrips and 7 tutors (in my version) to find engineered explosives (and 4 counters against it)

[GGoober]

Thanks guys for the fast feedback! Many goodpoints and I'll discuss what I feel and tested with you:

@Mordel: By Affinity, I don't mean the strict affinity shell. Heh, One with Myr Servitor + Artificer + Ravager = Lame tech :P, and Master of Etherirum + Myr Servitor + Artificer. In general I don't like the "Affinity/aggro" shell, and prefer the control/combo shell.

And in exact defense of the engine. The engine is strong as such that you can play and go off since the tutored cards are 0-1cc. We definitely lack an Artifact Squee, but in the testing so far, this deck aims to get Artificer up and then win in 1-2 turns later by searching the combo pieces out.

@everyone: Yes 2 LED isn't the right number. I tested 2 in case I needed to hit up to 6 blue sources but it's totally unnecessary. 1 LED is enough to get the Locket Freeze combo, and 1 LED is enough to activate servant-stone. So I'll drop it to 1 LED, and probably up Petal counts to 4.

@Skeggi: Not really, this deck doesn't drop a ton of artifacts, it just drops 1-3 artifacts that win the game. So I can't see how I can fit Tezzeret in any shell. Would be delighted if you can post a list though :)

@ Maveric79f. LED is used as an emergency 3U supply, to float for Brainfreeze or Grindstone activation, or just dumping artifacts in graveyard and searching out with artificer to establish Locket freeze.

The deck does crumble under discard and counterspell, but seriously most combo decks do. And I don't argue that survival is better. It has a FAR MOAR superior engine and synergy and package. I do agree with you tat I should play FOW. It's not that I don't play it, but I haven't tested an optimized build with it. I agree entirely on the Chrome Mox disadvantage, and would most likely want to drop that to 2 Chromes or forgo that entirely to include the control package.

The deck has its resiliency as I tested though. Brainstorm protects against discard, and black does nothing to an enchantment unless you meet Vindicate, for which you'll have to search out your pieces with Artificer, leaving the Pikula player more non-creature permanents to deal with. Pernicious Deed can be handled quickly by fetching Needle, although if they hard cast it at 3cc+2cc to kill Artificer, you've lost the whole board, but this deck goldfishes consistently at turn 4, turn 3 with acceleration.

Other than Chrome Mox, I don't think there's card disadvantage. Instead there's card advantage in Sensei's Top + Fetches, 4 Brainstorms, 3 (+1) Ponders, and Tutoring flexibility with Artificer, as well as Enlightened Tutor + Countertop pseudo card advantage.

Survival is very synergistic. This deck is a cousin of survival, less options, less synergistic, but right now in this premature build, it has enough synergy to control certain board matchups, and grab countertop lock or other combo pieces efficiently.

@Mordenkaynen: I thought about black and didn't include a build with it since I wanted white to access Enlightened Tutor to make the deck more consistent with all the artifacts and enchantments, and also possibly including STPs, and Chants

Depending on the meta, Crypt would be good MD, I prefer Relic in SB and MB since it has cheap synergy with Locket, playing multiples out at 0cc and removing specific cards, getting 4 Relics out in 1 turn post SB against Dredge/Goyf = fun lol.

@Rufus: You have no idea how much I wanted to make a Egg deck. I think that the Egg deck takes up too many card slot to get a storm combo. If you noticed. This deck only packs 2 SDT + 1 Locket of Yesterday + Artificer + Brainfreeze to get the combo out. It's more cards, but since Locket freeze isn't the main combo in the deck, there's alternative win conditions. the Eggs are in general dead cards without Helm, and I dislike having dead cards. Artificer, SDT, Lockets are not dead cards by themselves, and having any of them in play is good board position for either control or comboing soon.

Glaze Fiend + Sensei Sensei is cool tech, and would be great in a black shell, that has a sac outlet to deal damage directly to the opponent.

Erayo + Ethersworn Cannonist doesn't seem to fit in the deck since they're 2cc and don't work synergistically with Artificer (I did start a thread on ECC: Erayo Canonist Control, which is somewhat hopeless, but I'm hoping to make a good shell for it :D)

@Zinch: Thanks for the great feedback. They were along the lines I was testing with. I packed the Stifle-nought combo with a control shell last night before posting this list. I decided to post the Servant-stone list since I thought servant stone is more resilient to hate and has a better win condition athough servant dies to bolt but naught doesn't, and both die to STPs.

I disagree with the Trinket Mages since I've tested them out, and they're too slow in the deck. I really like your idea of 1 Sigil of Distinction with Trinket Mage, adopting a Faerie Stompy variant. There's probably not enough mana acceleration in this deck as compared with FS to abuse sigil, but that's a great idea!

@everyone again: I am having a little trouble deciding whether to add Academy Ruins. As much as I love Ruins + EE recursion lock, i feel that it's usually win-more and therefore have not considered it. For those people who have experience with Ruins-EE lock, let me know how game-winning it is in Legacy, and I'll try to work it into the deck. Thanks again for the feedback!

[Isamaru]

Do you know why blue is good? Reason 1: brainstorm, but only a splash is necessary to play BS, so that a splash would enable you to play it in a survival build. reason 2: FoW and you don't even play it.

First of all, this is the worst logic I've ever seen. GTFO.

As for the deck, I was expecting to see some of the new Alara trinkets in here... and you didn't include Trinket Mage in the original list... Trinket Mage x3 and 1-3x EE means you wont lose to Chalice.

Why is this such a dedicated combo deck? It seems as bad as Whisky Tango Foxtrot style Survival of the Fittest combo-mashup decks. Shouldn't the combos just be on the side, and probably not including the Grindstone?

[GGoober]

Hey Isamaru. Other than Stifle-Nought, I can't see how Artificer can win without a combo win-con. It's not like Survival which searches for ANY creature of ANY cc. We're limited to 0-1cc artifacts, but there are 3 possible combos with 0-1cc artifacts, which I've packed. Strictly speaking, playing in a non-combo shell with Artificer is pointless, and we might as well, make the deck without Artificer, but I would like to think of Artificer as Survival's blue brother, flexible in searching for needed answers, and when the time is right, win the game.

I might work on the Stifle-Nought shell again, and pack in 4 FOWs, 4 Spell Snares for resiliency. Control hasn't been bugging me too much because this deck sets up Countertop really fast, and I'm not boasting about that. It really does if you look at the cards :P

[Isamaru]

Yeah good point, craz87. I wanted to emphasize the earlier points more: you won't lose to chalice as badly as you worried.

I was hoping your second combo (instead of :yawn: Painter Grindstone) would be Helm + Top, but including the 1/2 1U Wizard from Alara that makes your artifacts cost {1} less. I was hoping you could try to build around this creature.

[Hopo]

A version of this deck played quite nicely with Intuition and Accumulated Knowledge. Since you lack draw other than cantrips, those might be viable and also benefit from lockets, as well as give you an out to chalice in game one. Now you have pretty much too many win conditions in my opinion, and can easily crop some of them from the way. You don't have to prepare for everything by packing all your wincons to main. Grindstone and Brainfreeze do basically the same thing. Have you tried Grapeshot instead of freeze? It doesn't suffer splash damage from solidarity/painter hate. Also, LED's look too random. You have no way to abuse them like they should be abused.

[Maveric78f]

First of all, this is the worst logic I've ever seen. GTFO.
Is it an abuse?

[jericohs@cottage]

Last year's UR Sensei Locket Combo was more consistent.

[rufus]

It seems like the 0-1 cc artifact list just isn't strong enough yet. I think that running 0-1 CC artifacts with Reshape/Transmute Artifact has more potential right now, since that opens up trick plays with Lotus Bloom as well as the ability to tutor higher CC artifacts like Painter's Servant, Ethersworn Cannonist, or Sphere of Resistance into play.

[GGoober]

@Hopo: Thanks, maybe just Locket Freeze + Servant stone?

I really hate Servant Stone since it's overplayed in Legacy, but Grindstone is 1cc, which fits well in the deck.

@jerichohs@cottage: Mind posting the list up here to see?

@rufus: I think if I have to work with another variant of the deck, it would be to include 4 Welders + Transmute artifacts, thirst for knowledge, Mindslaver, Sundering Titans etc for reanimation with Artificer + Welder. I'll think about such a list :)

[Maveric78f]

Let's try to be more constructive. First, forget about artificer's intuition. It's too weak. Then, consider Etherium Sculptor in replacement of locket of yesterday. Finally, the best tutor is clearly transmute artifact/reshape in the deck. Trinket is not so bad neither:

Lands: 19
4*seat of the synod
6*fetches
4*islands
1*trop
1*sea
1*tundra
1*volcanic
1*academy ruins

Critters: 11
4*Etherium
3*Trinket
4*Painter

Tutoring and manipulation: 16
4*Brainstorm
4*Sensei
3*Transmute artifact
2*Reshape
3*long term plans (or 2*intuition and 1 additional BF, or 3*mystical tutor)

Control : 7
4*Force of Will
3*counterbalance

Toolbox: 5
1*grindstone
3*EE
1*relic of progenitus

Kill: 2
2*brainfreeze

You still have servant stone kill, double top freeze kill, counterbalance lock and EE lock, but you play less card disadvantage cards. this list would needsome test to see if you can reliably count on any combo to be (virtually) in your starting hand.

[rufus]

Let's try to be more constructive. First, forget about artificer's intuition. It's too weak. Then, consider Etherium Sculptor in replacement of locket of yesterday. Finally, the best tutor is clearly transmute artifact/reshape in the deck. Trinket is not so bad neither:...

The 3/2 split of Transmute Artifact and Reshape seems strange to me. Is there a particular motivation for it?

The list looks mono U. Any reason for the funky colored manabase?

Since this is supposed to be an artifact toolbox deck, it seems like it should feature some (metagame-motivated) 1-offs like:
Tormod's Crypt
Pithing Needle
Chalice of the Void
Meekstone

[Maveric78f]

it should be 4/0 because I misread reshape (which is crappy actually). Funky manabase for the funky EEs.

[jericohs@cottage]

@Hopo: Thanks, maybe just Locket Freeze + Servant stone?

I really hate Servant Stone since it's overplayed in Legacy, but Grindstone is 1cc, which fits well in the deck.

@jerichohs@cottage: Mind posting the list up here to see?

@rufus: I think if I have to work with another variant of the deck, it would be to include 4 Welders + Transmute artifacts, thirst for knowledge, Mindslaver, Sundering Titans etc for reanimation with Artificer + Welder. I'll think about such a list :)

Sure, here's one list that did quite well in a US tourney.

Maindeck:

Artifacts
2 Chromatic Star
2 Chrome Mox
1 Engineered Explosives
4 Locket Of Yesterdays
1 Pithing Needle
4 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Tormod's Crypt

Artifact Lands
2 Darksteel Citadel

Creatures
3 Trinket Mage


Enchantments
4 Artificer's Intuition

Instants
2 Brain Freeze
1 Echoing Truth
1 Fire / Ice
1 Muddle The Mixture
3 Thirst For Knowledge

Sorceries
3 Careful Study
2 Grapeshot
3 Merchant Scroll

Artifact Lands
4 Great Furnace
4 Seat Of The Synod

Basic Lands
10 Island

Legendary Lands
2 Academy Ruins
Sideboard:

1 Engineered Explosives
3 Pithing Needle
2 Pyrite Spellbomb
2 Tormod's Crypt
1 Gigadrowse
1 Hibernation
1 Muddle The Mixture
3 Spell Snare
1 Grapeshot

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

****There's a better list that won a tourney. Trying to find it. The differences were: no toolbox trinket engine for phyrexian walkers etc. I don't know why Nick Eisel decided to play with trinket in the deck since you already have a toolbox finder in Artificer's Intuition. The other list was much better. Hold on...


Here's the better version...

sensei's devining top 4
locket of yesterday 4
artificer's intuition 4
grapeshot 4
brain freeze 1
thirst for knowledge 4
echoing truth 1
phyrexian walker 4
lotus petal 2
chrome mox 4
careful study 3
fire/ice 1
muddle the mixture 1
engineered explosives 1
38
seat of synod 4
great furnace 4
steam vents 4
polluted delta 4
flooded strand 2
watery grave 1
island 2
mountain 1
22


I think this was the best version i saw out there during that time. To port the deck to Legacy, I think I would include Intuition ... Oh and this list is missing Academy Ruins???

[Mordel]

Combo strategies tend to port very awkwardly across formats. Aggro tends to be a bit easier. A key factor is metagames. Before flipping out and replying by saying "that is obvious", look at the post you just made.

The last list seems to have been an illegal 1.x deck because even before tempest rotated, lotus petal was not legal.

This deck needs removal for chalice or pith more than anything. That means a splash of red for shattering spree or something like that, or white for seal. There is always green too, but I think white or red will offer the most in regards to other options for cards to add:

red-spree
PB/REB
Firesprout/pyroclasm/etc
grapeshot(previously mentioned)

white-CoPR
Seal
Meddling mage
Chant/Abeyance
Enlightened tutor

There are other cards, but I think white offers more in volume, but would be more related to survivability, while red would be more related to just ensuring the combo goes off. Both of those factors are more or less related though, so whatever.

[Maveric78f]

EE is not exactly what your need ?

[GGoober]

Hey Jerichos, thanks so much for the posts and decklists. I think there are strengths and weaknesses in his list (partly due to pre-port to Legacy)

The better version seems to be more consistent since it has better draws.
To port hist list over, we can change Walkers into Shield Spheres for stalling? Shield sphere is strictly better than Walkers in my opinion. However, to me Tallmen are just a waste of slots in this deck, unless your meta is filled with Lackeys. You can pretty much let anything else hit you.

Why the one copy of fire/ice? Against 3spheres? I think UR is a stronger list. The only reason why I wanted to run UW is purely due to enlightened tutor that makes the list very consistent. You pretty much draw/play Artificer turn 2 with 4 Artificer/4 Enlightened. The UW list allows you to search out Countertop by turn 2-3 as well, and allows for you to side in Orim's Chant, Stps, and a host of powerful white spells against the meta. I'n really tempted to run UR, for the additional grapeshot win condition, as well as the potential to port this version in adding 4 Welders and a bunch of huge artifacts such as Sundering Titan, Mindslaver. I've been thinking about it, and a potential UR list would look like:

Lands: 20
4 Polluted Delta
4 Volcanic Island
4 Seat of the Synod
3 Great Furnace
3 Island
2 Academy Ruins

Welder stuff: 8
4 Goblin Welder
1 Painter's Servant
1 Sundering Titan
1 Platinum Angel
1 Crucible of Worlds

Artificer Toolbox: 13
4 Artificer's Intuition
2 Locket of Yesterday
4 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Pithing Needle
1 Grindstone

Sorceries/Instants: 12
2 Brain Freeze
1 Grapeshot
3 Thirst for Knowledge (or for those of you with monies, 3 Strategic Planning is just AMAZING with Welder + Ruins recursion. Check out Strategic Slaver vintage decks and you'll know why :D Predict works fine too with 4 SDT for card advantage.)
3 Careful Study
3 Intuition

Others: 7
4 Lotus Petal
3 Counterbalance

Sideboard: Too lazy to write it, but you know the common drill, add in 4 Shattering Sprees.

Another possible UR list is to have less focus on Welder recursion, and focus on the Servant Stone win, packing 4 Pyroblast, 4 REB that goes nicely with Painter's Servant. But that's just another boring deck that's overplayed, and doesn't go well with the intent of this deck that's abusing Artificer's Intuition to generate 1cc-demonic-tutorable cards.

The list is really tight, and has yet to be optimized. I don't see the point of running grapeshot actually since brainfreeze's win condition is much better, requiring lesser mana, and dodges Worship and other damage prevention mechanism. However, grapeshot is required to get rid of creatures such as true believer if it ever comes up in Legacy etc.

UR seems interesting, more explosive, and has better hate against Chalice + Pithing (naming Grindstone, Artificer etc) with the Sideboard packing 4 Shattering Sprees. It allows for more flexible options with Welder + discard outlets (Artificer is great here, Intuition is more amazing).

Thanks for the feedback guys, and I realize hesitating to not run Ruins was a mistake. Even though it takes up mana for the EE + Ruins recursion, it's game winning most of the time. The only issue to run EE + Ruins more consistently, Intuition would be great in the deck, and to make playing Intuition much more compact, UR fits into the theme better, since Welder can recur artifacts dumped by Intuition for the win.

The only thing I don't like about the UR list is there isn't much resiliency, you lose Countertop consistency, and it's much more graveyard dependent. Welder, Titan, Platinum Angel all die to StP, unless you can protect him with Countertop, chances are he's dead anyway (from experience). But you gained another way to play the deck, with big fatties and synergy with Welder + Artificer's Intuition.


And for the lulz, if you notice the picture of Artificer's Intuition and Survival, both of them are holding sickles. They really ARE brothers! :D

[jericohs@cottage]

Hey Jerichos, thanks so much for the posts and decklists. I think there are strengths and weaknesses in his list (partly due to pre-port to Legacy)

The better version seems to be more consistent since it has better draws.
To port hist list over, we can change Walkers into Shield Spheres for stalling? Shield sphere is strictly better than Walkers in my opinion. However, to me Tallmen are just a waste of slots in this deck, unless your meta is filled with Lackeys. You can pretty much let anything else hit you.


I Agree 100%, two shield spheres is sufficient because you can art. intuition for them. Maybe even one copy if it comes down to cutting numbers to make room for other goodies. The list i was trying to find was a 1st place finish at an extended tournament and it ran four steel walls. But I couldn't find it. It was on StarCityGames for a while.



Why the one copy of fire/ice? Against 3spheres?


Um, see this was me trying to remember the list...I think it played merchant scroll as well. I'm determined to find that list. I have it at home, i'll look for it tonight.



I think UR is a stronger list. The only reason why I wanted to run UW is purely due to enlightened tutor that makes the list very consistent. You pretty much draw/play Artificer turn 2 with 4 Artificer/4 Enlightened.


I like enlightened tutor a lot. I considered this while i was testing the deck several months ago. I never had any issues with playing a turn one artificers intuition, so i never added the splash white for enlightened tutor. Also, how is your mulligan strategy for the deck. I know i would aggressively mulligan for AI. I didn't play countertop mainboard. Kept it strictly for the control match-ups or other counterbalance decks. In those match-ups the winner is usually the person who gets countertop online first, so i could see the need for enlightened tutor.



The UW list allows you to search out Countertop by turn 2-3 as well, and allows for you to side in Orim's Chant, Stps, and a host of powerful white spells against the meta. I'n really tempted to run UR, for the additional grapeshot win condition, as well as the potential to port this version in adding 4 Welders and a bunch of huge artifacts such as Sundering Titan, Mindslaver. I've been thinking about it, and a potential UR list would look like:

Lands: 20
4 Polluted Delta
4 Volcanic Island
4 Seat of the Synod
3 Great Furnace
3 Island
2 Academy Ruins

Welder stuff: 8
4 Goblin Welder
1 Painter's Servant
1 Sundering Titan
1 Platinum Angel
1 Crucible of Worlds

Artificer Toolbox: 13
4 Artificer's Intuition
2 Locket of Yesterday
4 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Pithing Needle
1 Grindstone

Sorceries/Instants: 12
2 Brain Freeze
1 Grapeshot
3 Thirst for Knowledge (or for those of you with monies, 3 Strategic Planning is just AMAZING with Welder + Ruins recursion. Check out Strategic Slaver vintage decks and you'll know why :D Predict works fine too with 4 SDT for card advantage.)
3 Careful Study
3 Intuition

Others: 7
4 Lotus Petal
3 Counterbalance

Sideboard: Too lazy to write it, but you know the common drill, add in 4 Shattering Sprees.

Another possible UR list is to have less focus on Welder recursion, and focus on the Servant Stone win, packing 4 Pyroblast, 4 REB that goes nicely with Painter's Servant. But that's just another boring deck that's overplayed, and doesn't go well with the intent of this deck that's abusing Artificer's Intuition to generate 1cc-demonic-tutorable cards.

The list is really tight, and has yet to be optimized. I don't see the point of running grapeshot actually since brainfreeze's win condition is much better, requiring lesser mana, and dodges Worship and other damage prevention mechanism. However, grapeshot is required to get rid of creatures such as true believer if it ever comes up in Legacy etc.


Exactly, I found grapeshot the superior kill condition strickly because of this. Besides your going infinite so requiring a smaller or larger storm count is moot. Another point; I often found myself able to win on turn 3-4 but was one mana short of casting a brainfreeze. That's why I lowered the BF count and upped the Grapeshot count. And, this was a re-occuring trait with the deck. You were always one mana short.

Another apart, which is my little word of advice to anyone playing the deck, the greatest challenge is not burying your top. The more tutors you have in the deck the more you will likely bury your own top... Remember, don't try going off when you still need to tutor for your pieces. Unless you can AI for them again. LOL Happened twice to me.



UR seems interesting, more explosive, and has better hate against Chalice + Pithing (naming Grindstone, Artificer etc) with the Sideboard packing 4 Shattering Sprees. It allows for more flexible options with Welder + discard outlets (Artificer is great here, Intuition is more amazing).

Thanks for the feedback guys, and I realize hesitating to not run Ruins was a mistake. Even though it takes up mana for the EE + Ruins recursion, it's game winning most of the time. The only issue to run EE + Ruins more consistently, Intuition would be great in the deck, and to make playing Intuition much more compact, UR fits into the theme better, since Welder can recur artifacts dumped by Intuition for the win.

The only thing I don't like about the UR list is there isn't much resiliency, you lose Countertop consistency, and it's much more graveyard dependent. Welder, Titan, Platinum Angel all die to StP, unless you can protect him with Countertop, chances are he's dead anyway (from experience). But you gained another way to play the deck, with big fatties and synergy with Welder + Artificer's Intuition.


And for the lulz, if you notice the picture of Artificer's Intuition and Survival, both of them are holding sickles. They really ARE brothers! :D