Spellskite should probably be 4x in the maindeck, actually. The card does everything for you. It's great.
Sideboard for now... there are cards that do more than act a 1 time removal blocker. Not to say that the card isn't awesome, but in testing it didn't really get as much use as I thought it would.
Maybe drop the Mystifying Mazes, and Contagion Clasps. You're running a lot of colorless lands and Clasp isn't exactly awesome since we can't tutor it. I stopped using Enclave Cryptologist because I just didn't like it... now I'm testing Cosi's Trickster for a slight more aggro start which forces the opponent to deal with it or pay for it.
Spellskite is so much more than just a one time removal eater. It takes lightning bolts like a champ, blocks goblins all day long, absorbs Jace bounces, grabs Splinter Twin, absorbs Inferno Titan pings, etc. Doom Blade is really the only single card that gets rid of it permanently.
Woah, for some reason I had it in my head that it was an 0/2... weird. Makes the thought of mainboarding it feel a lot better. What are you dropping for it though? Your blue 1 drop? That's about the only thing I could see being dropped.
Instead of going for the infect, i was wanting to play with the charge counters and the blue artifact fetchers. So this is what i came up with. I haven't thought of a SB for now. Comments, critiques?
Woah, for some reason I had it in my head that it was an 0/2... weird. Makes the thought of mainboarding it feel a lot better. What are you dropping for it though? Your blue 1 drop? That's about the only thing I could see being dropped.
Phyrexian Metamorph IS a must, but not a 4 of as I've seen in a few lists. 2-3 seems like a much better number.
Woah, for some reason I had it in my head that it was an 0/2... weird. Makes the thought of mainboarding it feel a lot better. What are you dropping for it though? Your blue 1 drop? That's about the only thing I could see being dropped.
Yes, the Kraken Hatchlings. I still have a 0/4 blocker, and the utility is fantastic. You lose the t3 Wurmcoil possibility, but t4 is still very possible. It's a trade off, but I think it's worth it.
Edit: Metamorph has been working out well so far. I agree tho, that you only want 2-3. Nothing worse than a hand with multiple metamorphs and no bomb-ey copy targets.
Edit: Metamorph has been working out well so far. I agree tho, that you only want 2-3. Nothing worse than a hand with multiple metamorphs and no bomb-ey copy targets.
Nothing worse? If there's nothing to target, then you're probably winning!
NPH actually didn't give anything that's exclusively good in an Architect deck. Both Spellskite and Phyrexian Metamorph can be played with any color so it's not like architect gets any crazy advantage from them. They are both pretty good cards... I would have loved some kind of awesome 6cc+ bomb...
Viral Drake and Spellskite might be switched depending on how the metagame pans out. Combo seems like the new cheap deck that everyone wants to play and Spellskite is good for that, but Viral Drake helps with Caw-Blade quite a bit.
Is preordain vital for this deck? I think that a lot of people are of the mentality that Blue deck= 4x Preordain. I havn't tested, so take my words with a pinch of salt lol
How well do you think these lists would do at say, a ptq?
Well, unfortunately one hasn't made any top 8's or 16's since Ali Aintrazi... could be from lack of play or just get's beat out. It has a pretty decent matchup against Caw.
Preordain is pretty useful, it's definitely saved my ass before. If you need space it could be cut to 3 especially if you play Tezzeret's Gambit alongside it.
For those testing with the new NPH cards, what is the thought on Caged Sun? At first glance it seemed like a good fit for this type of deck, it can be tutored for by Treasure Mage and casted with GA and other blues and pumps your army of blue guys while doubling your mana.
For those testing with the new NPH cards, what is the thought on Caged Sun? At first glance it seemed like a good fit for this type of deck, it can be tutored for by Treasure Mage and casted with GA and other blues and pumps your army of blue guys while doubling your mana.
Has it not tested well? Just curious.
Might as well be tutoring a Wurmcoil Engine or Steel Hellkite and beating face instead of +1/+1 and mana ramping.
I hardly ever wanted to tutor for Caged Sun and when I did I was usually losing and it was kind of a last ditch effort to try and get some creatures out. Triskelion shouldn't replace Steel Hellkite, but could be included as another defense against combo, caw, and aggro if you can get it out that early.
Well, don't really play control, but if you're using Caged Sun, you might as well make the most of big mana. Because playing a caged sun is just that, BIG mana. In my Mindslaver Lock deck, getting caged sun means I am at 14 mana (2 creatures, five land). With a Prototype Portal and Mindslaver, you lock them out of the game in one turn.
This enables those sort of interactions. It's also not a bad lord and gives you the ability to play some finishers that might not be artifacts like the blue praetor. Just from my experience, its always been useful to have double your mana.
Also, in pure proliferate, I wouldn't really want to play Steel Hellkite. It does nothing for the deck that, if you're playing Ratchet Bomb, doesn't already do without having to deal with the combat damage interaction. You could use Triskelion, which is a great proliferate target, to remove a lot of threats and handle'em. Steel Hellkite, specifically against Cawblade or Rug, won't do anything even when it comes down in proliferate.
Usually when I want to search for my first fattie to drop on say T4 with Architect, I want it doe be something that I can start smashing face with.... not more mana. The Mindslaver lock is null since I don't play Prototype Portal as do most U Architect players. Personally, I consider the Mindslaver Lock version of this deck to require a completely different set up in which Caged Sun would be great.
As for Steel Hellkite, it often comes in very handy when you're opponent has no flyers and you don't want to destroy your own stuff with a Ratchet Bomb. The is especially true when tokens are involved because I really hate blowing up my own Chalices just to take out some annoying tokens. The best part is when I'm playing against Caw or RUG, I just don't tutor it... as simple as that.
Spellskite should probably be 4x in the maindeck, actually. The card does everything for you. It's great.
EDH:
RWU Zedruu, the Greathearted
BUG Damia, Sage of Stone
3 Treasure Mage
4 Grand Architect
3 Phyrexian Metamorph
3 Thrummingbird
2 Wurmcoil Engine
2 Enclave Cryptologist
1 Contagion Engine
2 Mindslaver
3 Everflowing Chalice
3 Contagion Clasp
3 Tumble Magnet
2 Ratchet Bomb
3 Preordain
3 Tezzeret's Gambit
Lands
4 Inkmoth Nexus
2 Tectonic Edge
2 Mystifying Maze
15 Island
4 Necropede
3 Spell Pierce
3 Flashfreeze
3 Into the Roil
Modern: B/W Tokens
I am a DCI rules advisor.
Sideboard for now... there are cards that do more than act a 1 time removal blocker. Not to say that the card isn't awesome, but in testing it didn't really get as much use as I thought it would.
Maybe drop the Mystifying Mazes, and Contagion Clasps. You're running a lot of colorless lands and Clasp isn't exactly awesome since we can't tutor it. I stopped using Enclave Cryptologist because I just didn't like it... now I'm testing Cosi's Trickster for a slight more aggro start which forces the opponent to deal with it or pay for it.
Pauper - 450
EDH
B Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker
Pauper - 450
EDH
B Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker
4 Grand Architect
4 Kraken Hatchling
2 Treasure Mage
4 Trinket Mage
2 spellskite
Planeswalkers (3)
2 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
Spells (17)
1 Mindslaver
1 Argentum Armor
1 Chimeric Mass
2 Contagion Clasp
1 Contagion Engine
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Elixir of Immortality
2 Lux Cannon
4 Mana Leak
2 Mental Misstep
1 Surge Node
1 Voltaic Key
2 Creeping Tar Pit
2 Drowned Catacomb
4 Halimar Depths
14 Island
2 Tectonic Edge
Instead of going for the infect, i was wanting to play with the charge counters and the blue artifact fetchers. So this is what i came up with. I haven't thought of a SB for now. Comments, critiques?
Phyrexian Metamorph IS a must, but not a 4 of as I've seen in a few lists. 2-3 seems like a much better number.
Pauper - 450
EDH
B Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker
-1 trinket mage
+2 phyrexian metamorph?
Yes, the Kraken Hatchlings. I still have a 0/4 blocker, and the utility is fantastic. You lose the t3 Wurmcoil possibility, but t4 is still very possible. It's a trade off, but I think it's worth it.
Edit: Metamorph has been working out well so far. I agree tho, that you only want 2-3. Nothing worse than a hand with multiple metamorphs and no bomb-ey copy targets.
Nothing worse? If there's nothing to target, then you're probably winning!
At first glance, New Phyrexia provided nothing truly groundbreaking for the Architect. I'm still sobbing. Haha.
Ballin' signature from Heroes of the Planes
spellskite, and phrexian metamorph
Ballin' signature from Heroes of the Planes
It's an artifact AND a blue creature. It copies almost anything. Not sure what else this deck could have asked for.
At the very least your copying something your opponent has. Even better if you are copying something of yours like a wurmcoil.
Hell, even copying a Grand architect isn't that bad either.
Also, I'm sure if you are being sarcastic about spellskite, but the card is amazing.
Ballin' signature from Heroes of the Planes
If you're interested, here's my current list.
4 Grand Architect
3 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Steel Hellkite
4 Thrummingbird
3 Treasure Mage
3 Viral Drake
2 Wurmcoil Engine
Spells:
1 Contagion Engine
4 Everflowing Chalice
1 Mindslaver
4 Preordain
2 Ratchet Bomb
3 Tezzeret's Gambit
3 Tumble Magnet
4 Inkmoth Nexus
15 Island
3 Tectonic Edge
1 Contagion Engine
2 Deprive
4 Flashfreeze
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
2 Ratchet Bomb
4 Spellskite
1 Tumble Magnet
Viral Drake and Spellskite might be switched depending on how the metagame pans out. Combo seems like the new cheap deck that everyone wants to play and Spellskite is good for that, but Viral Drake helps with Caw-Blade quite a bit.
Pauper - 450
EDH
B Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker
How well do you think these lists would do at say, a ptq?
Preordain is pretty useful, it's definitely saved my ass before. If you need space it could be cut to 3 especially if you play Tezzeret's Gambit alongside it.
Pauper - 450
EDH
B Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker
Has it not tested well? Just curious.
Might as well be tutoring a Wurmcoil Engine or Steel Hellkite and beating face instead of +1/+1 and mana ramping.
Pauper - 450
EDH
B Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker
This enables those sort of interactions. It's also not a bad lord and gives you the ability to play some finishers that might not be artifacts like the blue praetor. Just from my experience, its always been useful to have double your mana.
Also, in pure proliferate, I wouldn't really want to play Steel Hellkite. It does nothing for the deck that, if you're playing Ratchet Bomb, doesn't already do without having to deal with the combat damage interaction. You could use Triskelion, which is a great proliferate target, to remove a lot of threats and handle'em. Steel Hellkite, specifically against Cawblade or Rug, won't do anything even when it comes down in proliferate.
As for Steel Hellkite, it often comes in very handy when you're opponent has no flyers and you don't want to destroy your own stuff with a Ratchet Bomb. The is especially true when tokens are involved because I really hate blowing up my own Chalices just to take out some annoying tokens. The best part is when I'm playing against Caw or RUG, I just don't tutor it... as simple as that.
Pauper - 450
EDH
B Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker