Architect has been getting a lot of hype as a sleeper rare, and has been seeing some standard play lately. People are buying these up cheap and saving them in hopes of the deck exploding with NPH, but now that we have the whole spoiler, I'm unsure of how much help its getting. So, which of these cards are going to improve the deck?
Hex Parasite - plainswalker killer. Treasure is the mage of choice in most decks, but this might cause Trinket Mage to be a mainboard choice, because of parasite's 1 mana cost. Architect mana makes it easy to use its ability as well.
Spellskite - saves your architect from spot removal. This card seems like a really useful sleeper right now, as it has a pretty low presale price.
Torpor Orb - might be good in the sideboard. This hits a lot of relevant abilities.
Phyrexian Metamorph - this is almost a definite for me. 3 or 4 mana artifact clone+sculpting steel in one.
Spined Thopter - kind of a disappointing colored artifact, I was hoping for another Etherium Sculptor/Master Transmuter. However, with architect out this is a 3 power flying beater that can tap for mana, so it might be worth running.
Myr Superion - comes out from a single blue creature being tapped, but is useless without architect out. Might not be a great fit.
Caged Sun - searchable with treasure, and pretty much standard's mirari's wake. Not sure if its that helpful for the deck though.
Blighted Agent - a two-drop unblockable blue creature with infect. This could be a wincon with Architect out and some help from Inkmoth, but Thrummingbird is a similar two-drop that also helps magnets and chalices.
There are probably a few other cards worth considering for the deck I overlooked, and even more if splashing either white or black. Anyone playing/building Architect have thoughts on the new choices?
You can also cast Myr Superion off of Paladium Myr, which isn't the best fit for the deck, but it means that you can be ramped into T4 Engine without Architect and that 8 cards can cast your Superion. How about in a Ug shell to run Fauna Shaman and better artifact destruction?
The Blighted Agent route also unlocks more ways to cast Superion as two animated Inkmoth Nexuses will do the trick. Also, it unlocks a neat counterspell!
The deck needs ways to deal with planeswalkers. We were told there would be versatile ways to deal with them in the set. There are not. Hex parasite is just not good enough. This is very disappointing. And by this, I mean the set as a whole. It's one of the weakest I've ever seen.
Seconded, NPH is rediculous. Hands down the most fun set I have seen in a while. IMO, M11 is still far superior in card quality, but in terms of this weak-sauce scars block, NPH adds new tricks to this weak, old dog of a block.
Okay, dumb suggestion, but do you suppose SOWAP could do the trick? I'm not too familiar with this archetype, but it does provide hawk evasion, and is an excellent PW killer... if you can connect.
Cards that will be considered and tested:
Artifacts -
Caged Sun (into Blightsteel? I hate accelerating into an accelerator. The buff is cool though.),
Hex Parasite (probably sideboarded, but maybe a toolbox will bop up),
Myr Superion (big, cheap beater, but like you said, worthless without Architect),
Soul Conduit? (if you're infect, maybe you can get to 20 life every turn. It's meh...),
Torpor Orb (great sideboard tech, at least in the current meta),
Blue cards -
Blighted Agent (solid 2-drop, especially since Thrummingbird will lose hype after the Chalice is gone)
Corrupted Resolve (Counterspell...sorta)
Gitaxian Probe (god, I love this card)
Mental Misstep (amazing card, period)
Phyrexian Metamorph (wow, very cool colored artifact. It's usefulness will be determined)
Psychic Barrier (I like this card quite a bit too. Looks decent at best, and isn't probably right for this deck in particular)
Very disappointed that we didn't see a new, usable 1-drop though.
I play tested Myr Superion today with a few friends. Its a powerhouse to say the least. In my version of the Mindslaver Lock deck, I use prototype portal. This one a prototype portal negates its draw backs and still keeps relevance till about turn 5. Even more so when you're pumping these out so easily with the portal. I don't think it's risky at that point, just advantage all day.
I see plenty of potential in Caged Sun as singleton. You don't need more than one for my deck. 2-3 creatures, 5 land, I've got enough to lock the game out and some counter magic to spare.
I'm also a deck that doesn't run the proliferate Grand Architect deck so infect doesn't interest me. However, with enough drawing effects in the deck, I get my threats. Specifically, I'm looking at Phyrexian Metamorph as another testing target. That card is amazing. Tutor or not, it's a way of dealing with answers by getting one of your own at the cost of 3 mana and two life. In my opinion, it's exactly the kind of card that's needed to interact with other player's decks. Abusing another player's stuff for a lower mana cost is a huge advantage, especially when that can be accelerated into by Grand Architect.
The greatest addition I feel to the arsenal is Spellskrite. After testing it against RUG, Valakut, and Cawblade today, I've found something truly worth consideration. Its fat behind stops damage from something not a bird. There's also the Grand Architect protection. Without paying a single mana if I don't need to, I can protect my Grand Architect and soak up a burn spell, a destroy spell, an oust. If the spell tries to hit the artifact I power out, I can also put it on there. No more will a turn 4 Jace The Mind Sculptor get the better of my Steel Hellkite or my Wurmcoil Engine. I'll not see Journey to Nowhere rain on my parade or a Doom Blade. Beast Within or Dispatch also get the boot before they see play. This card gives the deck an extra bit of survivability it needs to overextend safely. It basically makes those thoughts that you can't play it early because it'll die to removal before you get use out of it a memory as long as this is in play.
Lets look at this way. Turn 2, you can drop the 0/4 Spellskrite and tap out turn 3 for a Grand Architect. If you went first, they have only 3 land. They'd have to spend two removal spells in order to do it. Not always likely on turn 3 unless its R/W. This means your fourth turn could see a 6-7 mana creature or threat hit the board unfettered.
The greatest addition I feel to the arsenal is Spellskrite. After testing it against RUG, Valakut, and Cawblade today, I've found something truly worth consideration. Its fat behind stops damage from something not a bird. There's also the Grand Architect protection. Without paying a single mana if I don't need to, I can protect my Grand Architect and soak up a burn spell, a destroy spell, an oust. If the spell tries to hit the artifact I power out, I can also put it on there. No more will a turn 4 Jace The Mind Sculptor get the better of my Steel Hellkite or my Wurmcoil Engine. I'll not see Journey to Nowhere rain on my parade or a Doom Blade. Beast Within or Dispatch also get the boot before they see play. This card gives the deck an extra bit of survivability it needs to overextend safely. It basically makes those thoughts that you can't play it early because it'll die to removal before you get use out of it a memory as long as this is in play.
Lets look at this way. Turn 2, you can drop the 0/4 Spellskrite and tap out turn 3 for a Grand Architect. If you went first, they have only 3 land. They'd have to spend two removal spells in order to do it. Not always likely on turn 3 unless its R/W. This means your fourth turn could see a 6-7 mana creature or threat hit the board unfettered.
I like the idea of it too, but in order to run it, you may have to drop a blue creature to make room. In that case, you could have just turn 1 Enclave/Kraken/whatever, turn 2 blue 2-drop, turn 3 GA into a 6 mana artifact regardless of what removal for GA your opponent has. I was building my deck for the current standard today though and had enough room to test 4x Lodestone Golem, so those might just become the Spellskrites if they prove to be good enough. It's definitely going to be tough fitting in the new stuff for testing.
I'm going to morph my treasuremage / architect build into a trinket/architect build, using trinkets for mana ramp or chimeric masses, with the proliferate drake to clog the board and provide an ender, since it very quickly goes totally bonkers with chalices/masses on the board.
Chimeric mass isn't quite wurmcoil, but it's just fine as a game ender or a midgame dude.
Spellskite is high value here since it blanks spot removal and can help with ramp after Archy is out. This way trinket mage can pull parasite, and with architect out you can trinket, parasite, activate for 3 in response to tapout/jace or tapout/koth.
I don't know, I think the trinket / parasite mix is pretty high value, and the 1cc counterspell will help a great deal against bolts and guides. Parasite is also good in a deck that frequently will finish with chalices with craptons of counters on them.
That said, I kind of expect red decks to become lower tier because of batterskull/mystic. Essentially u/w now has a play that blows out aggro much worse than SoFF ever did.
Metamorph is amazing for architect decks. Why? Well, aside from how can play it AND mystic t3 if you have another blue guy out, think about this:
Add swords to your deck. They're good with architect anyhow. Watch them play mystic. Now clone their mystic. Fetch your SoWP out and beat their face with it a pro-white dude. Feel vindicated for the months of abuse you felt at the hands of Stoneforge Mystic. Alternatively, copy batterskull and recur your clone later. Good times. Uses abound, but copying mystics is ultra-relevant.
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Myr Superion might be interesting for Architect, especially considering the fact that Grand Architect can produce the necessary mana for the Superion the moment that he hits the field.
Torpor Orb shuts down certain creatures ETB abilities, like Squadron Hawk, Stoneforge Mystic, etc. It also significantly weakens cards like Primeval Titan, enabling you to remove the creature on their turn or yours before your opponent can make significant gains from the card. Possible sideboard card.
I honestly don't know about Spellskite, but there may be applications for this card in the near future. We'll see.
Phyrexian Metamorph seems to be a perfect fit for a deck. Works well with everything and, in a pinch, can be used to clone an opponent's Titan or other valuable creature.
Mental Misstep is a powerful card, but whether or not it will be useful enough to the deck as to merit inclusion in the sideboard, I cannot say.
Caged Sun feels like a win-more card in this deck.
Gitaxian Probe is magical because it can cost no mana and replaces itself, but I still don't think that it should take up room in this deck, considering that what it does is fairly minor.
Spined Thopter is not a card that I'd recommend playing. Yes, it can be a 2/1 flyer for 2. But Grand Architect seems to prefer winning by ramping into more powerful and stable mid-game creatures, and the skies are too cluttered with Squadron Hawks wielding swords.
Hex Parasite - plainswalker killer. Treasure is the mage of choice in most decks, but this might cause Trinket Mage to be a mainboard choice, because of parasite's 1 mana cost. Architect mana makes it easy to use its ability as well.
Spellskite - saves your architect from spot removal. This card seems like a really useful sleeper right now, as it has a pretty low presale price.
Torpor Orb - might be good in the sideboard. This hits a lot of relevant abilities.
Phyrexian Metamorph - this is almost a definite for me. 3 or 4 mana artifact clone+sculpting steel in one.
Spined Thopter - kind of a disappointing colored artifact, I was hoping for another Etherium Sculptor/Master Transmuter. However, with architect out this is a 3 power flying beater that can tap for mana, so it might be worth running.
Myr Superion - comes out from a single blue creature being tapped, but is useless without architect out. Might not be a great fit.
Caged Sun - searchable with treasure, and pretty much standard's mirari's wake. Not sure if its that helpful for the deck though.
Blighted Agent - a two-drop unblockable blue creature with infect. This could be a wincon with Architect out and some help from Inkmoth, but Thrummingbird is a similar two-drop that also helps magnets and chalices.
There are probably a few other cards worth considering for the deck I overlooked, and even more if splashing either white or black. Anyone playing/building Architect have thoughts on the new choices?
The Blighted Agent route also unlocks more ways to cast Superion as two animated Inkmoth Nexuses will do the trick. Also, it unlocks a neat counterspell!
Are you high? This is looking to be the strongest set released in over a year, easy.
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Artifacts -
Caged Sun (into Blightsteel? I hate accelerating into an accelerator. The buff is cool though.),
Hex Parasite (probably sideboarded, but maybe a toolbox will bop up),
Myr Superion (big, cheap beater, but like you said, worthless without Architect),
Soul Conduit? (if you're infect, maybe you can get to 20 life every turn. It's meh...),
Torpor Orb (great sideboard tech, at least in the current meta),
Blue cards -
Blighted Agent (solid 2-drop, especially since Thrummingbird will lose hype after the Chalice is gone)
Corrupted Resolve (Counterspell...sorta)
Gitaxian Probe (god, I love this card)
Mental Misstep (amazing card, period)
Phyrexian Metamorph (wow, very cool colored artifact. It's usefulness will be determined)
Psychic Barrier (I like this card quite a bit too. Looks decent at best, and isn't probably right for this deck in particular)
Very disappointed that we didn't see a new, usable 1-drop though.
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I see plenty of potential in Caged Sun as singleton. You don't need more than one for my deck. 2-3 creatures, 5 land, I've got enough to lock the game out and some counter magic to spare.
I'm also a deck that doesn't run the proliferate Grand Architect deck so infect doesn't interest me. However, with enough drawing effects in the deck, I get my threats. Specifically, I'm looking at Phyrexian Metamorph as another testing target. That card is amazing. Tutor or not, it's a way of dealing with answers by getting one of your own at the cost of 3 mana and two life. In my opinion, it's exactly the kind of card that's needed to interact with other player's decks. Abusing another player's stuff for a lower mana cost is a huge advantage, especially when that can be accelerated into by Grand Architect.
The greatest addition I feel to the arsenal is Spellskrite. After testing it against RUG, Valakut, and Cawblade today, I've found something truly worth consideration. Its fat behind stops damage from something not a bird. There's also the Grand Architect protection. Without paying a single mana if I don't need to, I can protect my Grand Architect and soak up a burn spell, a destroy spell, an oust. If the spell tries to hit the artifact I power out, I can also put it on there. No more will a turn 4 Jace The Mind Sculptor get the better of my Steel Hellkite or my Wurmcoil Engine. I'll not see Journey to Nowhere rain on my parade or a Doom Blade. Beast Within or Dispatch also get the boot before they see play. This card gives the deck an extra bit of survivability it needs to overextend safely. It basically makes those thoughts that you can't play it early because it'll die to removal before you get use out of it a memory as long as this is in play.
Lets look at this way. Turn 2, you can drop the 0/4 Spellskrite and tap out turn 3 for a Grand Architect. If you went first, they have only 3 land. They'd have to spend two removal spells in order to do it. Not always likely on turn 3 unless its R/W. This means your fourth turn could see a 6-7 mana creature or threat hit the board unfettered.
I like the idea of it too, but in order to run it, you may have to drop a blue creature to make room. In that case, you could have just turn 1 Enclave/Kraken/whatever, turn 2 blue 2-drop, turn 3 GA into a 6 mana artifact regardless of what removal for GA your opponent has. I was building my deck for the current standard today though and had enough room to test 4x Lodestone Golem, so those might just become the Spellskrites if they prove to be good enough. It's definitely going to be tough fitting in the new stuff for testing.
Chimeric mass isn't quite wurmcoil, but it's just fine as a game ender or a midgame dude.
Spellskite is high value here since it blanks spot removal and can help with ramp after Archy is out. This way trinket mage can pull parasite, and with architect out you can trinket, parasite, activate for 3 in response to tapout/jace or tapout/koth.
I don't know, I think the trinket / parasite mix is pretty high value, and the 1cc counterspell will help a great deal against bolts and guides. Parasite is also good in a deck that frequently will finish with chalices with craptons of counters on them.
That said, I kind of expect red decks to become lower tier because of batterskull/mystic. Essentially u/w now has a play that blows out aggro much worse than SoFF ever did.
Metamorph is amazing for architect decks. Why? Well, aside from how can play it AND mystic t3 if you have another blue guy out, think about this:
Add swords to your deck. They're good with architect anyhow. Watch them play mystic. Now clone their mystic. Fetch your SoWP out and beat their face with it a pro-white dude. Feel vindicated for the months of abuse you felt at the hands of Stoneforge Mystic. Alternatively, copy batterskull and recur your clone later. Good times. Uses abound, but copying mystics is ultra-relevant.
Myr Superion might be interesting for Architect, especially considering the fact that Grand Architect can produce the necessary mana for the Superion the moment that he hits the field.
Torpor Orb shuts down certain creatures ETB abilities, like Squadron Hawk, Stoneforge Mystic, etc. It also significantly weakens cards like Primeval Titan, enabling you to remove the creature on their turn or yours before your opponent can make significant gains from the card. Possible sideboard card.
I honestly don't know about Spellskite, but there may be applications for this card in the near future. We'll see.
Phyrexian Metamorph seems to be a perfect fit for a deck. Works well with everything and, in a pinch, can be used to clone an opponent's Titan or other valuable creature.
Mental Misstep is a powerful card, but whether or not it will be useful enough to the deck as to merit inclusion in the sideboard, I cannot say.
Caged Sun feels like a win-more card in this deck.
Gitaxian Probe is magical because it can cost no mana and replaces itself, but I still don't think that it should take up room in this deck, considering that what it does is fairly minor.
Spined Thopter is not a card that I'd recommend playing. Yes, it can be a 2/1 flyer for 2. But Grand Architect seems to prefer winning by ramping into more powerful and stable mid-game creatures, and the skies are too cluttered with Squadron Hawks wielding swords.
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