Here's my original list. There's a lot of 0-cost guys that don't do much on their own, but it works out alright since I run so much equipment. I'd often do something like Land -> Thopter/Walker -> Drum -> Skirge/Frogmite on T1, then play and equip Plating/Bonesplitter to swing on turn 2 for upwards of 14 life swing. If I couldn't run Plating I'd be more into Auriok Sunchaser/Carapace Forger lists, but dumping 0-power guys still boosts Plating, taps for Drum without affecting attack power, and clogs the field with blockers. Having 9 0-drops along with artifact land made Affinity build at a satisfying speed.
So if I love it so much why don't I marry it? Despite the combo-esque nature working pretty smoothly, I'd rather not rely on all-in strategies. This is one of the reasons I'm not running Atog. I was also having trouble getting the right mana at times, despite running such a low curve. I decided to give Forger a try, in part because he can help enable Temur Battle Rage's Trample. I've been goldfishing this list:
Cutting over half of the 0-drops and almost half of the Drum targets has slowed the deck down quite a bit, and it might even seem a little less consistent if we can consider the original deck only having UR required mana costs (now I need G as well). So I'm considering two paths:
From the original list:
-1 Shimmering Grotto
-1 Lotus Petal
+2 Swiftwater Cliffs
-2 Somber Hoverguard
+1 Phyrexian Walker
+1 Bonesplitter
+1 Galvanic Blast
-2 Fling
+2 Temur Battle Rage
I reduce 1 net required mana cost, make more consistent RU mana-fixers via the Cliffs, and go all in on the "free guys and equipment" plan. I still have 8 fliers for evasion, get combat tricks via Temur Battle Rage, and increase Blasts to the appropriate 4.
From the second list:
-3 Bonesplitter
+3 Bone Saw
-3 Prophetic Prism
+3 ???
The main goal here will be to decrease casting costs again and make it easier to fix mana. I hope to replace Prism with something that can do three of: (1) fixes mana, (2) costs less, (3) provides net mana, and (4) sticks around for multiple uses, but such a thing might not exist. I know people use Chromatic Star/Sphere a lot, but I'd rather run Petal and keep my 2 instead of getting a card.
Any thoughts on one plan vs the other, or an entirely different third direction? TIA!
Why wouldn't you run Atog in an affinity list? It's what makes the deck tick, much like Arcbound Ravager in every format he's legal. You don't need to play all-in with Tog for it to be effective, just complicate enough the combat math for the opponent to be in a lose-lose situation, and use it as a sac outlet to blank opposing removal and still hit hard. It's only a blowout if you just go all-in into it and get screwed by a kill spell. Otherwise it's just a guy that just threatens to end the game at any moment, and affinity really loses a lot of it's potential and explosiveness (which are it's key traits and the main reasons to play it) without him. I would run something like this:
It's colored cards are U and R to minimize the strain in the manabase. Spell Pierce in Legacy often acts like a Time Walk, granting you an extra turn by countering one of the many noncreature spells that run rampant in legacy, or simply saving your creature from removal to go into the red zone one more time. This is especially important in your last turn when you're trying to connect with Plating, do some Temur Battle Rage shenanigans or just sacrificing one or two Artifacts to Atog. Do NOT sacrifice your entire board unless you're completely sure you're going to win and / or have Spell Pierce backup if you suspect removal on Tog. A few basics and one Darksteel Citadel could be swapped with some Vault of Whispers to increase artifact count, equip Plating at instant speed thus making combat math even harder, splash some sideboard options like Duress, and hardcasting Skirge when you can't afford to pay 2 life for it.
I used to play Atog with Disciple, and it didn't work as smoothly as my current equipment plan, perhaps in part because it adds 6-8 non-artifacts with colored mana requirements to the deck. That might have just left a bad taste in my mouth, but even without Disciple Atog is a bit of a nonbo with Plating. That said, I do see some benefit in forcing the opponent to make difficult blocking decisions and complicating removal. And I picked up some Antiquities 'togs for cheap a few years ago.
So re: your list's lands, any thoughts on -5 basics, -1 Citadel, +4 Vault, +2 Swiftwater Cliffs (or 3 each Vault/Cliffs)? I'm sensitive to colored mana needs, which this list is really pushing, and am wondering if flexibility is worth more than a turn. After all, if I don't draw the right land, I'll likely be missing that needed color for more than 1 turn!
Thanks!
p.s. your list is at 52 and doesn't have Drum and Plating. Just double checking that those are the missing pieces.
You should definitely run Atog. That creature is just so good. It's basically unstoppable in combat, and is one of the major strengths of Affinity lists online (giving the ability to win in one single swing, or just Flinging for the win out of nowhere). It doesn't matter much that it doesn't interact well with Plating if you're going to win anyways.
If you're going to move away from the 0-drops, I would recommend taking out the Bonesplitters.
This is the initial Affinity list I brewed for my very first Pauper Event.
I've been playing forever and I still remembered my old Affinity deck from Standard 2006.
Pretty much used Atog to replace Ravager. Cranial is banned so I dealt with it.
Fling won me the Event vs Burn, flinging Atog over top of my opponent's blocker, when it was down to "if he untaps, he wins".
Star is a fixer as well as food for Atog, drawing a card where Chromatic Sphere has to activated to draw.
Etherium Sculptor was a last minute epic find when I was digging through my Modern Masters commons for Frogmites and Workers.
The speed is nearly comparable to Modern's Robots - I've dumped 5-6 cards on Turn 1 several games.
I finally had time to make changes to this deck recently, after having this exact list for a bit over year.
I'm going to hold off on showing that list until I get to play it myself, at the next Pauper Event that comes around.
EDIT: After seeing this Pauper Affinity topic, I didn't notice and realize what the "togless" was until posting this list.
"Togless" just didn't register as 'Atog-less' when I first seen this topic...
Thanks for the thoughts, ki! Here's the latest list I'm testing. Like a hybrid of Zephyr's latest and mine. The Bonesplitters could easily be Spell Pierces, and I could make Citadel 3 into Cliffs 3 if I need more fixing. Still not sure on these come-in-tapped lands.
Am I the only one here having trouble with the mana base? I run a peasant list, but the mana base is almost exactly the same as Ixrixis and Curby. Current version is:
15 artifact lands
2 basics
2 lotus petal
4 drums
I think it's extremely shaky. In contrast, proven on-line pauper lists always run 17 artifact lands AND a combination of 10-12 Springleaf Drum, Prophetic Prism and Chromatic Star and maybe Terrarion. So how are we thinking we could manage with such a mana base? And it doesn't work in practice either, for me at least.
Also AFAIK, Lotus Petal is legal in on-line pauper yet doesn't make it into affinity lists. Having access to a power card in the form of cranial plating in paper pauper should make "+1 card -1 mana" options like Chromatic Star even better compared to petal. I think petal needs to go, and then I need to work on the mana base.
EDIT: Another thing. Isn't 2x Welding Jar a better option than Apostle's Blessing? Yes, it's slightly more narrow but it's one mana less AND it helps the early artifact count.
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Yes, I've cut Petal from my list. The problem is it can't simultaneously provide/fix mana and help Affinity. This is also why I've traditionally been resistant to Spheres and Stars, as you spend 2 mana to get a single colored mana and a cantrip. I want something that can do its job without killing itself (see artifact lands, Drum, and Prism, all of which can help mana, boost affinity, and not destroy themselves in the process).
More generally I'm rethinking the philosophy of paper pauper Affinity.
Online, it seems people have moved towards consistency with more 4/4s (Carapace Forger) and away from all-in moves with Atog-Disciple combos. (They still Atog-Fling.) The slower online build with more big beaters is also due to not having Plating. If you can't be explosive, you might as well be consistent. Note that non-artifact critters like Carapace Forger aren't as big of a deal when Plating's banned, as non-artifact permanents don't directly take away from your Plating power. Anyway, what if you can use Plating, but you also value consistency? You want to take advantage of Plating's explosive "free wins" but you don't want to be entirely dependent on Plating to support a bunch of weak, 0- and 1-mana artifacts?
So I started years ago with the 4-Thopter, 3-Phyrexian Walker build I posted before. It was amazingly explosive, maximizing the chances of first turn land, Drum, Thopter/Walker, Frogmite. It could play and equip plating for a 6-point turn two swing. However, it also lacked the consistency that I crave, and it was silly enough to only run 3 Galvanic Blasts.
I replaced Somber Hoverguard with Atog and Walkers with Bone Saws. My latest attempt is a mix between the online lists and my Plating designs
Stars and Germs feed Research to minimize card disadvantage, I've got the ~10 mana rocks urdjur mentioned, and am up to 12 cards that draw more cards.
Problems:
1) Slow as hell. No 0-drop creatures and only six 1-drops. This in turn weakens Drum, which was always great to turn summoning-sick creatures into mana.
2) No Fling or Temur Battle Rage.
3) Possibly insufficient support for Research.
4) Research less necessary when I'm not as explosive.
The deck looks to play Plating "for value" and get a ~4 power boost instead of trying to ramp to 11 artifacts and the attack-Fling kill. Despite that, the list just seems so slow. I'd love to add Thopters to abuse Plating and early Drums. If Research turns out to be a bust, I wonder if I can add more Stars and Germs or just drop them entirely.
If the slow and steady build above is too slow, I might switch gears and try "combo affinity" again with more Germs, Stars, Research, etc. I do think the deck could use more draw power than I used to run (only 4 Thoughtcast) especially if it's trying to be explosive. In a more combo-oriented design, you really want to find your Platings, Togs, and evasion (either via flying, Fling, or Battle Rage).
Any thoughts on the consistency vs explosiveness continuum?
As always you cut through the bs Curby and get to the heart of the matter! These are the fundamental questions for affinity in any format it seems.
It's easy to get caught up in the affinity mechanic, but when all is said and done, I think this deck wants the same mana sources as Burn. That is, hands with 2-3 sources are the most keepable, and this means 21 sources. Now, unless we're running legacy-like builds with at least 8 0-drop creatures, I don't think we can support double Drums and that means 3 is the correct number of Drums. So that's 18 lands and 3 drums.
Next then is the number of colored sources. You're running two Swiftwater Cliffs and I can see the appeal, but I think it's a bad idea. Not only are they non-artifacts, but you miss the opportunity of dropping a t1 artifact, making them doubly slow. I use 1 Mountain and 1 Island instead, playing in a casual legacy meta with a peasant build. This makes me more apt to take advantage of Path to Exile and a bit more resistant to Wasteland. To compensate for the loss of sources, you can play 1 more Prophetic Prism, which I think is the way to go. I think you need 12 permanent sources minimum of U and R mana, but you can cut it to 11 for every 3 single-shot mana launderers you use (as a rule of thumb).
For my build this means:
16 artifact lands
2 basics
3 drums
= 8 red and 8 blue sources (7 black sources)
+3 Prism
+3 Chromatic Star
This mana base takes up 27 slots in the deck and seems stable to me. Especially since the main deck will only be running 6 blue and 6 red cards, with optional black requirements in Vault Skirge and Plating.
I don't think Perilous Research is that good with Plating honestly, and already running 6 cantrips + 4 Thoughtcast gives pretty good odds for getting at least one of Cranial Plating/Atog (running Atog as a 2-of seems optimal to me). I don't think Temur/Fling is needed for the main deck, but I would put 2-3 Fling in the SB against TurboFog and similar "red zone control" decks.
My colored spells then are
4 Thoughtcast
4 Galvanic Blast
2 Atog
2 Spell Pierce (with 2 more in the SB)
This leaves 21 slots for artifacts in my peasant build. I think the best is:
4 Signal Pest
1 Memnite
4 Ornithopter
4 Cranial Plating
4 Frogmite
4 Vault Skirge
So the "bombs" in my list are Atogs and platings, with quite a bit of draw to get them, or a critical mass of evasive flyers supported with 1-2 signal pests. No 4/4s or other equipment. Without access to Signal Pest, I would probably drop Ornithopter too in favor of bigger beats.
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1) My sig. For example, I'd rather run Bonesplitter, and there's no room for Bonesplitter.
2) It doesn't do much, does it? See my post above about Lotus Petal. I think we can do better than Unsummon for 2 or Cantrip for 2.
3) Yes it helps build affinity or can sac to Atog, but the same is true of Bonesplitter, see (1) above.
I see what you're saying, I think I was talking more toward the build I'd posted than your wildly different, perhaps slower version. But you drive a hard bargain. I now think the only reliable auxiliary cantrip is Chromatic Star as it doesn't cost for the draw and I suppose the cantrips would enable tougher to cast spells like Vines of Vastwood. Why wouldn't you run more instead of those Prophetic Prisms? I don't see the need to run a slower, more utility-esq build when the tools to windmill slam your hand t1-t2 and turn out are available. Maybe it's just me
Hey, sorry if my response was too aggro. I just honestly don't see a lot of merit in the unsummon-bomb but I'd be interested in hearing if your testing shows otherwise.
Re: performance, the question is how often you can drop your hand on turn 2. In playtesting I've gotten a little disillusioned with the capabilities of "fast affinity," so I'm testing a slower, more consistent build that makes an endless stream of 4/4s (with the occasional "accidental" flying double-Plating monstrosity). There's actually not a ton more utility in my list than in most. I actually have less library manipulation than in a lot of online lists, for example. Anyway, I'm still tuning. I'm definitely not claiming to have it all figured out.
It's all gravy! You make a good point that none of the spellbombs are worth it. I really do think that the Chromatic Stars are most useful because they still draw off sacrifices and destroy removal.
I just like suggesting possibilities. Now, what about Assault Strobe? Get 5 artifacts on the field and win the game? IMO it can be done by t2 with the right build (and right hand)
I'm with Ixrixis on Chromatic Star - it is probably the best mana rock out there and the only one I like in multiples. With all the cantrips I had to cut a land, which enabled me to fit 2 enforcers. This is the build I'm testing right now and it feels pretty good so far:
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4 Myr Enforcer
4 Ornithopter
4 Vault Skirge
3 Phyrexian Walker
2 Somber Hoverguard
4 Springleaf Drum
4 Thoughtcast
3 Bonesplitter
3 Galvanic Blast
2 Fling
4 Great Furnace
4 Seat of the Synod
4 Vault of Whispers
2 Lotus Petal
1 Shimmering Grotto
So if I love it so much why don't I marry it? Despite the combo-esque nature working pretty smoothly, I'd rather not rely on all-in strategies. This is one of the reasons I'm not running Atog. I was also having trouble getting the right mana at times, despite running such a low curve. I decided to give Forger a try, in part because he can help enable Temur Battle Rage's Trample. I've been goldfishing this list:
4 Myr Enforcer
4 Ornithopter
4 Vault Skirge
2 Carapace Forger
4 Galvanic Blast
4 Springleaf Drum
4 Thoughtcast
3 Bonesplitter
3 Prophetic Prism
2 Temur Battle Rage
4 Great Furnace
4 Seat of the Synod
4 Tree of Tales
2 Vault of Whispers
Cutting over half of the 0-drops and almost half of the Drum targets has slowed the deck down quite a bit, and it might even seem a little less consistent if we can consider the original deck only having UR required mana costs (now I need G as well). So I'm considering two paths:
From the original list:
-1 Shimmering Grotto
-1 Lotus Petal
+2 Swiftwater Cliffs
-2 Somber Hoverguard
+1 Phyrexian Walker
+1 Bonesplitter
+1 Galvanic Blast
-2 Fling
+2 Temur Battle Rage
I reduce 1 net required mana cost, make more consistent RU mana-fixers via the Cliffs, and go all in on the "free guys and equipment" plan. I still have 8 fliers for evasion, get combat tricks via Temur Battle Rage, and increase Blasts to the appropriate 4.
From the second list:
-3 Bonesplitter
+3 Bone Saw
-3 Prophetic Prism
+3 ???
The main goal here will be to decrease casting costs again and make it easier to fix mana. I hope to replace Prism with something that can do three of: (1) fixes mana, (2) costs less, (3) provides net mana, and (4) sticks around for multiple uses, but such a thing might not exist. I know people use Chromatic Star/Sphere a lot, but I'd rather run Petal and keep my 2 instead of getting a card.
Any thoughts on one plan vs the other, or an entirely different third direction? TIA!
2) Use the right number of each card.
3) Know your probabilities.
4) Print your deck lists; make yourself and your judges happier.
4 Ornithopter
2 Phyrexian Walker
4 Frogmite
4 Myr Enforcer
4 Atog
4 Vault Skirge
4 Galvanic Blast
3 Spell Pierce
2 Temur Battle Rage
Sorcery (4)
4 Thoughtcast
Land (17)
4 Darksteel Citadel
4 Seat of the Synod
4 Great Furnace
3 Island
2 Mountain
It's colored cards are U and R to minimize the strain in the manabase. Spell Pierce in Legacy often acts like a Time Walk, granting you an extra turn by countering one of the many noncreature spells that run rampant in legacy, or simply saving your creature from removal to go into the red zone one more time. This is especially important in your last turn when you're trying to connect with Plating, do some Temur Battle Rage shenanigans or just sacrificing one or two Artifacts to Atog. Do NOT sacrifice your entire board unless you're completely sure you're going to win and / or have Spell Pierce backup if you suspect removal on Tog. A few basics and one Darksteel Citadel could be swapped with some Vault of Whispers to increase artifact count, equip Plating at instant speed thus making combat math even harder, splash some sideboard options like Duress, and hardcasting Skirge when you can't afford to pay 2 life for it.
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
So re: your list's lands, any thoughts on -5 basics, -1 Citadel, +4 Vault, +2 Swiftwater Cliffs (or 3 each Vault/Cliffs)? I'm sensitive to colored mana needs, which this list is really pushing, and am wondering if flexibility is worth more than a turn. After all, if I don't draw the right land, I'll likely be missing that needed color for more than 1 turn!
Thanks!
p.s. your list is at 52 and doesn't have Drum and Plating. Just double checking that those are the missing pieces.
2) Use the right number of each card.
3) Know your probabilities.
4) Print your deck lists; make yourself and your judges happier.
If you're going to move away from the 0-drops, I would recommend taking out the Bonesplitters.
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
I've been playing forever and I still remembered my old Affinity deck from Standard 2006.
Pretty much used Atog to replace Ravager. Cranial is banned so I dealt with it.
Fling won me the Event vs Burn, flinging Atog over top of my opponent's blocker, when it was down to "if he untaps, he wins".
Star is a fixer as well as food for Atog, drawing a card where Chromatic Sphere has to activated to draw.
Etherium Sculptor was a last minute epic find when I was digging through my Modern Masters commons for Frogmites and Workers.
The speed is nearly comparable to Modern's Robots - I've dumped 5-6 cards on Turn 1 several games.
3x Springleaf Drum
4x Atog
4x Disciple Of The Vault
4x Frogmite
4x Arcbound worker
4x Ornithopter
4x Etherium Sculptor
4x Vault Skirge
4x Thoughtcast
4x Lotus Petal
4x Great Furnace
4x Seat Of The Synod
4x Darksteel Citadel
4x Vault Of Whispers
I finally had time to make changes to this deck recently, after having this exact list for a bit over year.
I'm going to hold off on showing that list until I get to play it myself, at the next Pauper Event that comes around.
EDIT: After seeing this Pauper Affinity topic, I didn't notice and realize what the "togless" was until posting this list.
"Togless" just didn't register as 'Atog-less' when I first seen this topic...
4 Myr Enforcer
4 Ornithopter
4 Vault Skirge
4 Somber Hoverguard
4 Chromatic Sphere - or Star
3 Bonesplitter
4 Galvanic Blast
4 Thoughtcast
2 Mirran Mettle
4 Great Furnace
4 Seat of the Synod
4 Vault of Whispers or Ancient Den - colored mana is way better than colorless and can be for SB options like CoP:Red, which I use
3 Lotus Petal - or 2:1 using an Island
This is about the best I'm going to do on the fly, without testing and tweaking.
4 Frogmite
4 Galvanic Blast
4 Myr Enforcer
4 Ornithopter
4 Vault Skirge
3 Atog
3 Phyrexian Walker
4 Thoughtcast
3 Bonesplitter
2 Temur Battle Rage
4 Great Furnace
4 Seat of the Synod
4 Vault of Whispers
3 Darksteel Citadel
2 Swiftwater Cliffs
1 Bone Saw
1 Spell Pierce
1 Chromatic Star
1 Etherium Sculptor
1 Lotus Petal
1 Porcelain Legionnaire
2) Use the right number of each card.
3) Know your probabilities.
4) Print your deck lists; make yourself and your judges happier.
3 bonesplitter
4 springleaf drum
2 lotus petal
2 apostle's blessing
4 galvanic blast
4 thoughtcast
2 fling
4 frogmite
4 myr enforcer
4 ornithopter
4 vault skirge
4 great furnace
4 vault of whispers
4 darksteel citadel
I sort of want to make a SB because I'm not totally sold on Apostle's Blessing in every MU. I kind of like Brainstorm or maybe Lightning Bolt in its place.
Maybe I could manage 2x Vines of Vastwood or even Sheltering Word, which is easier to muster with that GG on Vines. Though, I guess I can just take out Darksteel Citadels for the Tree of Tales.
15 artifact lands
2 basics
2 lotus petal
4 drums
I think it's extremely shaky. In contrast, proven on-line pauper lists always run 17 artifact lands AND a combination of 10-12 Springleaf Drum, Prophetic Prism and Chromatic Star and maybe Terrarion. So how are we thinking we could manage with such a mana base? And it doesn't work in practice either, for me at least.
Also AFAIK, Lotus Petal is legal in on-line pauper yet doesn't make it into affinity lists. Having access to a power card in the form of cranial plating in paper pauper should make "+1 card -1 mana" options like Chromatic Star even better compared to petal. I think petal needs to go, and then I need to work on the mana base.
EDIT: Another thing. Isn't 2x Welding Jar a better option than Apostle's Blessing? Yes, it's slightly more narrow but it's one mana less AND it helps the early artifact count.
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"At least for those who can play cards, their present incarnation is not quite wasted."
[Click here for the articles!]
Yes, I've cut Petal from my list. The problem is it can't simultaneously provide/fix mana and help Affinity. This is also why I've traditionally been resistant to Spheres and Stars, as you spend 2 mana to get a single colored mana and a cantrip. I want something that can do its job without killing itself (see artifact lands, Drum, and Prism, all of which can help mana, boost affinity, and not destroy themselves in the process).
More generally I'm rethinking the philosophy of paper pauper Affinity.
Online, it seems people have moved towards consistency with more 4/4s (Carapace Forger) and away from all-in moves with Atog-Disciple combos. (They still Atog-Fling.) The slower online build with more big beaters is also due to not having Plating. If you can't be explosive, you might as well be consistent. Note that non-artifact critters like Carapace Forger aren't as big of a deal when Plating's banned, as non-artifact permanents don't directly take away from your Plating power. Anyway, what if you can use Plating, but you also value consistency? You want to take advantage of Plating's explosive "free wins" but you don't want to be entirely dependent on Plating to support a bunch of weak, 0- and 1-mana artifacts?
So I started years ago with the 4-Thopter, 3-Phyrexian Walker build I posted before. It was amazingly explosive, maximizing the chances of first turn land, Drum, Thopter/Walker, Frogmite. It could play and equip plating for a 6-point turn two swing. However, it also lacked the consistency that I crave, and it was silly enough to only run 3 Galvanic Blasts.
I replaced Somber Hoverguard with Atog and Walkers with Bone Saws. My latest attempt is a mix between the online lists and my Plating designs
4 Darksteel Citadel
4 Great Furnace
4 Tree of Tales
4 Seat of the Synod
2 Swiftwater Cliffs
// Mana 2
4 Prophetic Prism
4 Springleaf Drum
2 Chromatic Star
4 Vault Skirge
4 Frogmite
4 Carapace Forger
4 Myr Enforcer
2 Atog
2 Flayer Husk
4 Galvanic Blast
4 Cranial Plating
4 Thoughtcast
2 Perilous Research
Stars and Germs feed Research to minimize card disadvantage, I've got the ~10 mana rocks urdjur mentioned, and am up to 12 cards that draw more cards.
Problems:
1) Slow as hell. No 0-drop creatures and only six 1-drops. This in turn weakens Drum, which was always great to turn summoning-sick creatures into mana.
2) No Fling or Temur Battle Rage.
3) Possibly insufficient support for Research.
4) Research less necessary when I'm not as explosive.
The deck looks to play Plating "for value" and get a ~4 power boost instead of trying to ramp to 11 artifacts and the attack-Fling kill. Despite that, the list just seems so slow. I'd love to add Thopters to abuse Plating and early Drums. If Research turns out to be a bust, I wonder if I can add more Stars and Germs or just drop them entirely.
If the slow and steady build above is too slow, I might switch gears and try "combo affinity" again with more Germs, Stars, Research, etc. I do think the deck could use more draw power than I used to run (only 4 Thoughtcast) especially if it's trying to be explosive. In a more combo-oriented design, you really want to find your Platings, Togs, and evasion (either via flying, Fling, or Battle Rage).
Any thoughts on the consistency vs explosiveness continuum?
2) Use the right number of each card.
3) Know your probabilities.
4) Print your deck lists; make yourself and your judges happier.
It's easy to get caught up in the affinity mechanic, but when all is said and done, I think this deck wants the same mana sources as Burn. That is, hands with 2-3 sources are the most keepable, and this means 21 sources. Now, unless we're running legacy-like builds with at least 8 0-drop creatures, I don't think we can support double Drums and that means 3 is the correct number of Drums. So that's 18 lands and 3 drums.
Next then is the number of colored sources. You're running two Swiftwater Cliffs and I can see the appeal, but I think it's a bad idea. Not only are they non-artifacts, but you miss the opportunity of dropping a t1 artifact, making them doubly slow. I use 1 Mountain and 1 Island instead, playing in a casual legacy meta with a peasant build. This makes me more apt to take advantage of Path to Exile and a bit more resistant to Wasteland. To compensate for the loss of sources, you can play 1 more Prophetic Prism, which I think is the way to go. I think you need 12 permanent sources minimum of U and R mana, but you can cut it to 11 for every 3 single-shot mana launderers you use (as a rule of thumb).
For my build this means:
16 artifact lands
2 basics
3 drums
= 8 red and 8 blue sources (7 black sources)
+3 Prism
+3 Chromatic Star
This mana base takes up 27 slots in the deck and seems stable to me. Especially since the main deck will only be running 6 blue and 6 red cards, with optional black requirements in Vault Skirge and Plating.
I don't think Perilous Research is that good with Plating honestly, and already running 6 cantrips + 4 Thoughtcast gives pretty good odds for getting at least one of Cranial Plating/Atog (running Atog as a 2-of seems optimal to me). I don't think Temur/Fling is needed for the main deck, but I would put 2-3 Fling in the SB against TurboFog and similar "red zone control" decks.
My colored spells then are
4 Thoughtcast
4 Galvanic Blast
2 Atog
2 Spell Pierce (with 2 more in the SB)
This leaves 21 slots for artifacts in my peasant build. I think the best is:
4 Signal Pest
1 Memnite
4 Ornithopter
4 Cranial Plating
4 Frogmite
4 Vault Skirge
So the "bombs" in my list are Atogs and platings, with quite a bit of draw to get them, or a critical mass of evasive flyers supported with 1-2 signal pests. No 4/4s or other equipment. Without access to Signal Pest, I would probably drop Ornithopter too in favor of bigger beats.
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1) My sig. For example, I'd rather run Bonesplitter, and there's no room for Bonesplitter.
2) It doesn't do much, does it? See my post above about Lotus Petal. I think we can do better than Unsummon for 2 or Cantrip for 2.
3) Yes it helps build affinity or can sac to Atog, but the same is true of Bonesplitter, see (1) above.
2) Use the right number of each card.
3) Know your probabilities.
4) Print your deck lists; make yourself and your judges happier.
I see what you're saying, I think I was talking more toward the build I'd posted than your wildly different, perhaps slower version. But you drive a hard bargain. I now think the only reliable auxiliary cantrip is Chromatic Star as it doesn't cost for the draw and I suppose the cantrips would enable tougher to cast spells like Vines of Vastwood. Why wouldn't you run more instead of those Prophetic Prisms? I don't see the need to run a slower, more utility-esq build when the tools to windmill slam your hand t1-t2 and turn out are available. Maybe it's just me
Re: performance, the question is how often you can drop your hand on turn 2. In playtesting I've gotten a little disillusioned with the capabilities of "fast affinity," so I'm testing a slower, more consistent build that makes an endless stream of 4/4s (with the occasional "accidental" flying double-Plating monstrosity). There's actually not a ton more utility in my list than in most. I actually have less library manipulation than in a lot of online lists, for example. Anyway, I'm still tuning. I'm definitely not claiming to have it all figured out.
2) Use the right number of each card.
3) Know your probabilities.
4) Print your deck lists; make yourself and your judges happier.
I just like suggesting possibilities. Now, what about Assault Strobe? Get 5 artifacts on the field and win the game? IMO it can be done by t2 with the right build (and right hand)
4 Seat of the Synod
4 Great Furnace
4 Darksteel Citadel
3 Vault of Whispers
1 Mountain
1 Island
4 Chromatic Star
3 Springleaf Drum
2 Prophetic Prism
DUDERS (20)
4 Signal Pest (u)
1 Memnite (u)
4 Ornithopter
4 Vault Skirge
3 Frogmite
2 Myr Enforcer
2 Atog
4 Cranial Plating
4 Galvanic Blast
4 Thoughtcast
2 Spell Pierce
A series of seven articles using Magic to explore the very stuff of the Universe!
"At least for those who can play cards, their present incarnation is not quite wasted."
[Click here for the articles!]
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio