Deck History
So this deck came about when I needed new inspiration for my Nin the Pain Artist deck. Combos and Maniacs of the Laboratory variety are all well and good but I was looking for something a little more on the wacky Izzet side. So while skimming through my extras I happened upon Skill Borrower. After doing some research I found that there are lots of cool artifacts with activated abilities worth abusing and so the deck was born. Of course I'm not biased and I chose to extend my theme into activated abilities in general. This is the second iteration of this theme and I am of course looking to tighten up this list even more
So without further ado
Now that that is out of the way I will explain all of my card choices and continue to glorify that wonderful that we all know and love.
CREATURES
Archeomancer- With my spell count low and most of them being pretty impactful this can retrieve a card and serve as a body for Nin. Aura Thief - This card is a pure meta choice as I have few ways to deal with pesky enchantments Body Double - Mostly here as filler but in a pinch can copy some sweet activated abilities in the grave. Burnished Hart - Ramp is hard for the Izzet so this land deer is just what the doctor ordered. Dack's Duplicate - Another card that might get cut. Haste on a clone is pretty good though. Goblin Welder - This card can single handedly win games. One of the more powerful activated abilities in this deck especially when I've dumped something like Memnarch or Myr Battlesphere Hellkite Tyrant - An alternate win - con which sometimes can steal some nin fodder. Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker - Another great activated ability with haste no less! Copies all sorts of good creatures in this deck and gives them haste so I can use the copies A.A. Kuldotha Forgemaster - I hear tutoring is good in this game. Trading some of my early game for a real threat is never a bad idea. Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient - Hoo boy this creature has been a godsend. He enables so many shenanigans with this deck it is not even funny. I have been expecially fond of copying Basalt Monolith, Kuldotha Forgemaster, Memnarch. and Had I not been so enamored with skill borrower this would've become a Captain Kurk deck. Memnarch- Speaking of which this guy has also been quite the one (crab?) man wrecking crew. His first ability synergizes with Kurkesh for double activated abilities on any permanent (sans lands) and can enable Dack Fayden or Hellkite Tyrant to steal them away. Mercurial Chemister - A goofy card that has been great in a pinch when you need gas or a way to shoot an opponent with Stuffy Doll in play. Myr Battlesphere - I absolutely love this card. It is a solid beater which brings its own army to be sacrificed to the great machine (or Goblin Welder). Myr Welder - This welder is not as great as the Goblin but still serviceable as a second copy of an activated ability. Phyrexian Metamorph - Such a great clone that can copy almost every non-legendary permanent in this deck. Psychosis Crawler - Pretty much here for the Ninyrgy. Bonus points if you use him with Strionic Resonator Scarecrone - The card draw is nice but the reanimation is the primary use. Serves as a great target for Body Double and Myr Welder Skill Borrower - Ah what can I say, she is my muse and without her this monstrosity would not have come together. She isn't the centerpiece anymore but is still one of the M.V.P.'s. She allows you to use abilities attached to much more expensive cards on a much more affordable body. Solemn Simulacrum - Ramp is the primary function of the sad robot but draw doesn't hurt either. Steel Hellkite - Another way to deal with pesky permanents and gives that activated ability to others. Stuffy Doll - Nynergy part deux. He does have an activated ability of pinging can sometimes be helpful for shooting utility dorks. Thada Adel, Acquisitor - Artifac theft at its finest. Thopter Assembly - Another big beater that leaves plenty of fodder behind. Soul of New Phyrexia - Protecting the team is great but sharing that ability with others is even better. Not to mention in a pinch he can exile for the one shot.
PLANESWALKERS
Dack Fayden - His first ability can fill my yard with juicy activated abilities to copy or artifacts to recur. His second is great for extra artifacts or in conjunction with Memnarch and Liquimetal Coating. I'm never too worried about the ultimate tbh. Ral Zarek - The tapping and untapping is his primary function as activated abilities are even better a second time. The -3 isn't so bad either when you're in a pinch. Tezzeret the Seeker - The O.G. artifact planeswalker his first ability has been so clutch in this deck with everything from mana rocks to Abilities. He also tutors which is great and his ultimate has actually won me a game once.
ENCHANTMENTS
Braid of Fire - Great for fueling all of the abilities and can lead to some serous draw with NIN. Goblin Bombardment - A backup sac outlet for stolen things that might get returned. (Looking to cut)
ARTIFACTS
Basalt Monolith - Ramp is ramp and this has the added ability of untap which can be great with Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient Darksteel Ingot - Indestructable Ramp ftw Darksteel Plate - Helps keep the important creatures around or give Nin a repeatable target. Gilded Lotus - Skill Borrower and Myr Welder's best buddy Journeyer's Kite - Ensures land drops and works well with the aforementioned duo. Lightning Greaves - Haste and moveable protection are great Liquimetal Coating - Allows for all sorts of fun. You can turn your stuff into artifacts to be abused with all of the abilities or Kurkesh for double the fun. You can also turn it on opponents making artifact destruction into pseudo - Vindicates. Mimic Vat - Creating hasty tokens is pretty sweet Oblivion Stone - A reset button and away to deal with problem permanents. Perilous Vault - Oblivion stones bigger brother. This is used exclusively for cards like Avacyn and other such indestructable nonsense Scroll Rack - A great way to dig deep into the deck or stack it for Skill Borrower Sensei's Divining Top - Same. Sol Ring - Hurp derp Spine of Ish Sah - The solo shot that never dies. Great when recurred early Strionic Resonator - This is another of those crazy enablers that can be back breaking with such hits as Myr Battlesphere, Spine of Ish Sah, Kurkesh, and Psychosis Crawler. Swiftfoot Boots - Haste and Protection ftw. Thousand-Year Elixir - So much synergy with many cards in the deck. Also the untap is great Thran Dynamo - Ramp Trading Post - This card is criminally underplayed in commander and should be in lots of artifact decks. All of the abilities are relevant in this build with the draw and artifact recursion being the best.
INSTANTS
Brainstorm - Digging for card and sets up the Borrower of Skills Counterflux - Uncounterable protection from dreaded spells such as Vandalblast. Counterspell - Again protection against big spells. Cyclonic Rift - This card is too good not to run. Forbid - Pretty good recurrable counter post - Nin Hinder - For those generals you don't like to see Shattering Pulse - Re-usable artifact destruction that works as a worse vindicate with Memnarch and Liquimetal coating Thirst for Knowledge - Card draw and artifact dump
SORCERIES
All Is Dust - Great wrath that your artifacts can safely enjoy Blasphemous Act - A wrath on the cheap that works well with stuffy doll Fabricate - Tutoring for any artifact is pretty good Recurring Insight - A big draw spell that can double up Rite of Replication - Cloning is pretty good with all sorts of creatures in this deck Vandalblast - Artifact wrath
GAMEPLAN
Under construction
Overall this list is definitely still rough around the edges but it is an absolute blast to play. I love all of the crazy synergies between my activated abilities and my artifacts. Hopefully the community will be able to help me focus the deck more or maybe enlighten me on some crazy artifact or activated ability I may have missed. Thank you for reading!
What are you using your Braid of Fire mana on? The mana pool empties between steps. All I see to use the mana on is activated abilities and I personally feel it's a bad idea to use activated abilities up in your upkeep phase.
Looks like a really entertaining list. Some of the more typical control ones are just so cookie-cutter and oppressive. I really like the activated ability theme without sacrificing the Izzet control feel that defines Nin. Are there other activated ability creatures available?
Deck History
So this deck came about when I needed new inspiration for my Nin the Pain Artist deck. Combos and Maniacs of the Laboratory variety are all well and good but I was looking for something a little more on the wacky Izzet side. So while skimming through my extras I happened upon Skill Borrower. After doing some research I found that there are lots of cool artifacts with activated abilities worth abusing and so the deck was born. Of course I'm not biased and I chose to extend my theme into activated abilities in general. This is the second iteration of this theme and I am of course looking to tighten up this list even more
So without further ado
The Deck
1x Nin, the Pain Artist
Creature (24)
1x Archaeomancer
1x Aura Thief
1x Body Double
1x Burnished Hart
1x Dack's Duplicate
1x Goblin Welder
1x Hellkite Tyrant
1x Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
1x Kuldotha Forgemaster
1x Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient
1x Memnarch
1x Mercurial Chemister
1x Myr Battlesphere
1x Myr Welder
1x Phyrexian Metamorph
1x Psychosis Crawler
1x Scarecrone
1x Skill Borrower
1x Solemn Simulacrum
1x Steel Hellkite
1x Stuffy Doll
1x Thada Adel, Acquisitor
1x Thopter Assembly
1x Soul of New Phyrexia
Planeswalker (3)
1x Dack Fayden
1x Ral Zarek
1x Tezzeret the Seeker
1x Braid of Fire
1x Goblin Bombardment
Artifact (19)
1x Basalt Monolith
1x Darksteel Ingot
1x Darksteel Plate
1x Gilded Lotus
1x Journeyer's Kite
1x Lightning Greaves
1x Liquimetal Coating
1x Mimic Vat
1x Oblivion Stone
1x Perilous Vault
1x Scroll Rack
1x Sensei's Divining Top
1x Sol Ring
1x Spine of Ish Sah
1x Strionic Resonator
1x Swiftfoot Boots
1x Thousand-Year Elixir
1x Thran Dynamo
1x Trading Post
Sorcery (6)
1x All Is Dust
1x Blasphemous Act
1x Fabricate
1x Recurring Insight
1x Rite of Replication
1x Vandalblast
1x Brainstorm
1x Counterflux
1x Counterspell
1x Cyclonic Rift
1x Forbid
1x Hinder
1x Shattering Pulse
1x Thirst for Knowledge
Land (37)
1x Academy Ruins
1x Buried Ruin
1x Cascade Bluffs
1x Command Tower
1x Homeward Path
14x Island
1x Minamo, School at Water's Edge
10x Mountain
1x Phyrexia's Core
1x Reliquary Tower
1x Shivan Reef
1x Steam Vents
1x Sulfur Falls
1x Temple of Epiphany
1x Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
and for those who prefer it by cmc
1x Brainstorm
1x Goblin Welder
1x Sensei's Divining Top
1x Sol Ring
1x Vandalblast
2 drop (11)
1x Braid of Fire
1x Counterspell
1x Cyclonic Rift
1x Goblin Bombardment
1x Journeyer's Kite
1x Lightning Greaves
1x Liquimetal Coating
1x Scroll Rack
1x Shattering Pulse
1x Strionic Resonator
1x Swiftfoot Boots
3 drop (17)
1x Basalt Monolith
1x Burnished Hart
1x Counterflux
1x Dack Fayden
1x Darksteel Ingot
1x Darksteel Plate
1x Fabricate
1x Forbid
1x Hinder
1x Mimic Vat
1x Myr Welder
1x Oblivion Stone
1x Scarecrone
1x Skill Borrower
1x Thada Adel, Acquisitor
1x Thirst for Knowledge
1x Thousand-Year Elixir
1x Archaeomancer
1x Aura Thief
1x Dack's Duplicate
1x Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient
1x Phyrexian Metamorph
1x Ral Zarek
1x Rite of Replication
1x Solemn Simulacrum
1x Thran Dynamo
1x Trading Post
1x Perilous Vault
5 drop (9)
1x Body Double
1x Gilded Lotus
1x Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
1x Kuldotha Forgemaster
1x Mercurial Chemister
1x Psychosis Crawler
1x Stuffy Doll
1x Tezzeret the Seeker
1x Soul of New Phyrexia
6 drop (4)
1x Hellkite Tyrant
1x Recurring Insight
1x Steel Hellkite
1x Thopter Assembly
7 drop (4)
1x All Is Dust
1x Memnarch
1x Myr Battlesphere
1x Spine of Ish Sah
1x Blasphemous Act
1x Academy Ruins
1x Buried Ruin
1x Cascade Bluffs
1x Command Tower
1x Homeward Path
14x Island
1x Minamo, School at Water's Edge
10x Mountain
1x Phyrexia's Core
1x Reliquary Tower
1x Shivan Reef
1x Steam Vents
1x Sulfur Falls
1x Temple of Epiphany
1x Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
Now that that is out of the way I will explain all of my card choices and continue to glorify that wonderful that we all know and love.
CREATURES
Archeomancer- With my spell count low and most of them being pretty impactful this can retrieve a card and serve as a body for Nin.
Aura Thief - This card is a pure meta choice as I have few ways to deal with pesky enchantments
Body Double - Mostly here as filler but in a pinch can copy some sweet activated abilities in the grave.
Burnished Hart - Ramp is hard for the Izzet so this land deer is just what the doctor ordered.
Dack's Duplicate - Another card that might get cut. Haste on a clone is pretty good though.
Goblin Welder - This card can single handedly win games. One of the more powerful activated abilities in this deck especially when I've dumped something like Memnarch or Myr Battlesphere
Hellkite Tyrant - An alternate win - con which sometimes can steal some nin fodder.
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker - Another great activated ability with haste no less! Copies all sorts of good creatures in this deck and gives them haste so I can use the copies A.A.
Kuldotha Forgemaster - I hear tutoring is good in this game. Trading some of my early game for a real threat is never a bad idea.
Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient - Hoo boy this creature has been a godsend. He enables so many shenanigans with this deck it is not even funny. I have been expecially fond of copying Basalt Monolith, Kuldotha Forgemaster, Memnarch. and Had I not been so enamored with skill borrower this would've become a Captain Kurk deck.
Memnarch- Speaking of which this guy has also been quite the one (crab?) man wrecking crew. His first ability synergizes with Kurkesh for double activated abilities on any permanent (sans lands) and can enable Dack Fayden or Hellkite Tyrant to steal them away.
Mercurial Chemister - A goofy card that has been great in a pinch when you need gas or a way to shoot an opponent with Stuffy Doll in play.
Myr Battlesphere - I absolutely love this card. It is a solid beater which brings its own army to be sacrificed to the great machine (or Goblin Welder).
Myr Welder - This welder is not as great as the Goblin but still serviceable as a second copy of an activated ability.
Phyrexian Metamorph - Such a great clone that can copy almost every non-legendary permanent in this deck.
Psychosis Crawler - Pretty much here for the Ninyrgy. Bonus points if you use him with Strionic Resonator
Scarecrone - The card draw is nice but the reanimation is the primary use. Serves as a great target for Body Double and Myr Welder
Skill Borrower - Ah what can I say, she is my muse and without her this monstrosity would not have come together. She isn't the centerpiece anymore but is still one of the M.V.P.'s. She allows you to use abilities attached to much more expensive cards on a much more affordable body.
Solemn Simulacrum - Ramp is the primary function of the sad robot but draw doesn't hurt either.
Steel Hellkite - Another way to deal with pesky permanents and gives that activated ability to others.
Stuffy Doll - Nynergy part deux. He does have an activated ability of pinging can sometimes be helpful for shooting utility dorks.
Thada Adel, Acquisitor - Artifac theft at its finest.
Thopter Assembly - Another big beater that leaves plenty of fodder behind.
Soul of New Phyrexia - Protecting the team is great but sharing that ability with others is even better. Not to mention in a pinch he can exile for the one shot.
PLANESWALKERS
Dack Fayden - His first ability can fill my yard with juicy activated abilities to copy or artifacts to recur. His second is great for extra artifacts or in conjunction with Memnarch and Liquimetal Coating. I'm never too worried about the ultimate tbh.
Ral Zarek - The tapping and untapping is his primary function as activated abilities are even better a second time. The -3 isn't so bad either when you're in a pinch.
Tezzeret the Seeker - The O.G. artifact planeswalker his first ability has been so clutch in this deck with everything from mana rocks to Abilities. He also tutors which is great and his ultimate has actually won me a game once.
ENCHANTMENTS
Braid of Fire - Great for fueling all of the abilities and can lead to some serous draw with NIN.
Goblin Bombardment - A backup sac outlet for stolen things that might get returned. (Looking to cut)
ARTIFACTS
Basalt Monolith - Ramp is ramp and this has the added ability of untap which can be great with Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient
Darksteel Ingot - Indestructable Ramp ftw
Darksteel Plate - Helps keep the important creatures around or give Nin a repeatable target.
Gilded Lotus - Skill Borrower and Myr Welder's best buddy
Journeyer's Kite - Ensures land drops and works well with the aforementioned duo.
Lightning Greaves - Haste and moveable protection are great
Liquimetal Coating - Allows for all sorts of fun. You can turn your stuff into artifacts to be abused with all of the abilities or Kurkesh for double the fun. You can also turn it on opponents making artifact destruction into pseudo - Vindicates.
Mimic Vat - Creating hasty tokens is pretty sweet
Oblivion Stone - A reset button and away to deal with problem permanents.
Perilous Vault - Oblivion stones bigger brother. This is used exclusively for cards like Avacyn and other such indestructable nonsense
Scroll Rack - A great way to dig deep into the deck or stack it for Skill Borrower
Sensei's Divining Top - Same.
Sol Ring - Hurp derp
Spine of Ish Sah - The solo shot that never dies. Great when recurred early
Strionic Resonator - This is another of those crazy enablers that can be back breaking with such hits as Myr Battlesphere, Spine of Ish Sah, Kurkesh, and Psychosis Crawler.
Swiftfoot Boots - Haste and Protection ftw.
Thousand-Year Elixir - So much synergy with many cards in the deck. Also the untap is great
Thran Dynamo - Ramp
Trading Post - This card is criminally underplayed in commander and should be in lots of artifact decks. All of the abilities are relevant in this build with the draw and artifact recursion being the best.
INSTANTS
Brainstorm - Digging for card and sets up the Borrower of Skills
Counterflux - Uncounterable protection from dreaded spells such as Vandalblast.
Counterspell - Again protection against big spells.
Cyclonic Rift - This card is too good not to run.
Forbid - Pretty good recurrable counter post - Nin
Hinder - For those generals you don't like to see
Shattering Pulse - Re-usable artifact destruction that works as a worse vindicate with Memnarch and Liquimetal coating
Thirst for Knowledge - Card draw and artifact dump
SORCERIES
Blasphemous Act - A wrath on the cheap that works well with stuffy doll
Fabricate - Tutoring for any artifact is pretty good
Recurring Insight - A big draw spell that can double up
Rite of Replication - Cloning is pretty good with all sorts of creatures in this deck
Vandalblast - Artifact wrath
GAMEPLAN
Under construction
Overall this list is definitely still rough around the edges but it is an absolute blast to play. I love all of the crazy synergies between my activated abilities and my artifacts. Hopefully the community will be able to help me focus the deck more or maybe enlighten me on some crazy artifact or activated ability I may have missed. Thank you for reading!
EDH Decks:
WUBOloro, Combo ControlWUB
UBOona Reanimator ComboUB
BRGProssh, Eater of the Blue MageBRG
UBRGrixis StormUBR
Rebuilding Jenara (stealyourstuff.dec)
Pauper Deck:
UBInspired SirenUB
EDH Decks:
WUBOloro, Combo ControlWUB
UBOona Reanimator ComboUB
BRGProssh, Eater of the Blue MageBRG
UBRGrixis StormUBR
Rebuilding Jenara (stealyourstuff.dec)
Pauper Deck:
UBInspired SirenUB
EDH:
G[cEDH] Selvala, Heart of the StormG
URW[cEDH] Narset, the Last AirmericanURW
GWUSt. Jenara, the ArchangelGWU
UBGrimgrin, Chaos MarineUB
GOmnath, Mana BaronG
URWNarset, Justice League AmericaURW
GWUBAtraxa, Countess of CountersGWUB
GWUEstrid, Enbantress PrimeGWU