In the temporarily legal format of Un-Commander, contraptions are allowed and encouraged, requiring a minimum of fifteen contraptions with the jocular recommendation of running a pile containing one of each contraption for as much chaotic fun as possible.
Are you going to run contraptions and their requisite assemblers, or are you ignoring them entirely?
If you're playing with them, which ones and why?
My pet contraption is already, ironically, Pet Project as that's just fun, but there are a lot of subtle (and not-so-subtle) synergies waiting to be assembled in the coming months.
I'm considering a Mary O'Kill deck, so mostly just the +N/+M contraptions would be useful to me, for getting there with commander damage, maybe Refibrillator as well.
Is your contraption deck subject to color identity rules? Can you run Sap Sucker in a nongreen deck?
I had started working on a five color contraption list even before the legality announcement dropped. The main list isn't quite done, and I'll post in in the multiplayer decklist subforum once it is, but I'm using all 23 cards in the set that assemble or otherwise interact with your own contraptions. As for the contraptions themselves, I'm only using these 20, because many of them are only good in limited, and the assembly cards would be really underwhelming otherwise.
While as luck would have it is a fun card, I prefer Helix Pinnacle. More likely to go off. (As you can just pump all your excess mana at the end of turn.) Luck requires you to roll dice and there are not a lot of cards that do that. You almost need to dedicate a part of your deck to recursion of you dice rolling cards.
While as luck would have it is a fun card, I prefer Helix Pinnacle. More likely to go off. (As you can just pump all your excess mana at the end of turn.) Luck requires you to roll dice and there are not a lot of cards that do that. You almost need to dedicate a part of your deck to recursion of you dice rolling cards.
Well there is synergy amongst the three factors.
4/15 or 26.67% of the contraptions roll dice, each roll s two dice. Hard Hat Area assembles contraptions (rolls two dice). Gift Horse makes goblins (rolls two dice). Boomflinger can potentially deal between 0-4 damage to players (rolls two dice). Thuds-For-Duds can act as creature removal (rolls two dice). Steamfloggery rolls dice and creates contraptions. Steamflogger Service Rep assembles contraptions when goblins enterplay by paying excess mana. Box of Free-Range Goblins rolls dice and makes goblins based on the result. Ground Pounder is a goblin and rolls dice. Joyride Rigger is a goblin that assembles a contraption. Steamflogger of the Month helps you get your contraptions out quicker based on progress already made, also is a goblin. Ol' Buzzbark is a goblin that has the potential to roll, on a 1:1 basis, an obscene amount of dice. Lobe Lobber can be used to expend unused mana, on a 2:1 basis, for dice rolls and minor pinging. Chittering Doom gives a secondary benefit to all the dice rolling by spawning tokens. Krark's Other Thumb allows better probability rolls. Mad Science Fair Project rolls dice and is a mana rock. Ricochet is cheap and allows more dice rolling. Painiac may not be a goblin or assemble contraptions but its a passive dice roller even if you don't swing with it often. Goblin Bookie can act as a safety net of sorts for important dice rolls (Steamfloggery) and is a goblin. Sword of Dungeons & Dragons has a higher maximum than just rolling one or two six-sided dice and can be carried by tokens. Steel Squirrel has the potential to end an opponent or put them very low based on all the dice you are rolling, also can be activated to roll dice if extremely needed. Hammer Jammer is a goblin that initially rolls dice and has synergy with a particular sword. Hammer Helper can steal an opponent's creature and also rolls dice. Goblin Bowling Team is a goblin that rolls dice. Elvish Impersonators rolls 2d6 and can either be a joke or a monster. Chicken Egg is like a cheaper Painiac except it has more toughness and can potentially have a static attack. Widget Contraption is like Hard Hat Area but more consistent. Cogmentor can be used to push contraptions contentiously to get the most use out of them each turn, also is a rigger. Goblin Tutor best to avoid 1s or 2s but everything else is golden. Work A Double assembles two contraptions. Steamflogger Temp Its a goblin rigger and it can assemble contraptions if need be later in the game. Wrench-Rigger Another goblin rigger but its extremely cheap to cast and automatically makes a contraption. Clock of DOOOOOOOOOOOOM! allows for more contraption activations and later in the game can work well with Cogmentor. Steamflogger Boss helps expedite the contraption process. First Pick is not the most cost efficient artifact/enchantment removal however it being able to assemble a contraption in addition is worth at least consideration. Urza's Science Fair Project allows for a mana sink for dice rolling.
I've also done the calculations and...
I still have 72 slots for lands, other cards, etc by staying in . Basically only 26.73% of the space is taken.
I also still have 10 slots in the contraption deck for other contraptions. Basically only 33.3% of the space is taken.
If I expanded into black and took dice rollers and contraption makers, I would have now only have 60 slots remaining.
If I were to combine 35 lands with the expansion of black I would now only have 25 slots remaining (not counting commander).
Meaning I can stuff the remaining 25 slots with answers, ramp, tutoring, rocks, other silver bordered cards, etc.
If this were 60 or 75 card commander, I wouldn't need to expand to a third color and still have so many left over slots for options.
As luck would have it As Luck Would Have It is very viable in commander. There are many cards in RG to work around it (even BRG if you want to also include The Big Idea, Temp of the Damned, and other cards that require die rolls). I'm also considering a build based on As Luck Would Have It. I'm still not sure on the commander, though. Ol' Buzzbark seems too messy and like too much of a hassle to use...
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I might work contraptions into my Depala, Pilot Exemplar deck. The colors give access to solid riggers. The artifact theme works great with her. She also pairs well with bounce, which further pairs well with riggers. And it's an excuse to really make the deck gimmick themed while still being fun.
I'm working on a ridiculously janky 5-colored deck built around artifacts and ways of making tons of artifact tokens in the form of clues, treasures, servos, etc. as well as working in every possible card that assembles contraptions. Fortunately, with the reveal of 13 cards from Unstable having different versions with the same name (uh oh) there's a version of Garbage Elemental and Very Cryptic Command that assemble contraptions. In hindsight, the hints were there if you looked closely enough. For example, Everythingamajig had abilities similar to other artifacts (one of them being Giant Fan) but the art had a giant fan as well as other artifacts from Unsets in its art (Spatula of the Ages, for example).
My YouTube Channel: The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
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Are you going to run contraptions and their requisite assemblers, or are you ignoring them entirely?
If you're playing with them, which ones and why?
My pet contraption is already, ironically, Pet Project as that's just fun, but there are a lot of subtle (and not-so-subtle) synergies waiting to be assembled in the coming months.
Is your contraption deck subject to color identity rules? Can you run Sap Sucker in a nongreen deck?
Two Score, Minus Two or: A Stargate Tail
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UB Vela the Night-Clad BUDecklist
WBG Ghave, Guru of Spores GBW
WUBRGThe Ur-DragonWUBRGDecklist
While as luck would have it is a fun card, I prefer Helix Pinnacle. More likely to go off. (As you can just pump all your excess mana at the end of turn.) Luck requires you to roll dice and there are not a lot of cards that do that. You almost need to dedicate a part of your deck to recursion of you dice rolling cards.
UB Vela the Night-Clad BUDecklist
WBG Ghave, Guru of Spores GBW
WUBRGThe Ur-DragonWUBRGDecklist
Hard Hat Area assembles contraptions (rolls two dice).
Gift Horse makes goblins (rolls two dice).
Boomflinger can potentially deal between 0-4 damage to players (rolls two dice).
Thuds-For-Duds can act as creature removal (rolls two dice).
Steamfloggery rolls dice and creates contraptions.
Steamflogger Service Rep assembles contraptions when goblins enterplay by paying excess mana.
Box of Free-Range Goblins rolls dice and makes goblins based on the result.
Ground Pounder is a goblin and rolls dice.
Joyride Rigger is a goblin that assembles a contraption.
Steamflogger of the Month helps you get your contraptions out quicker based on progress already made, also is a goblin.
Ol' Buzzbark is a goblin that has the potential to roll, on a 1:1 basis, an obscene amount of dice.
Lobe Lobber can be used to expend unused mana, on a 2:1 basis, for dice rolls and minor pinging.
Chittering Doom gives a secondary benefit to all the dice rolling by spawning tokens.
Krark's Other Thumb allows better probability rolls.
Mad Science Fair Project rolls dice and is a mana rock.
Ricochet is cheap and allows more dice rolling.
Painiac may not be a goblin or assemble contraptions but its a passive dice roller even if you don't swing with it often.
Goblin Bookie can act as a safety net of sorts for important dice rolls (Steamfloggery) and is a goblin.
Sword of Dungeons & Dragons has a higher maximum than just rolling one or two six-sided dice and can be carried by tokens.
Steel Squirrel has the potential to end an opponent or put them very low based on all the dice you are rolling, also can be activated to roll dice if extremely needed.
Hammer Jammer is a goblin that initially rolls dice and has synergy with a particular sword.
Hammer Helper can steal an opponent's creature and also rolls dice.
Goblin Bowling Team is a goblin that rolls dice.
Elvish Impersonators rolls 2d6 and can either be a joke or a monster.
Chicken Egg is like a cheaper Painiac except it has more toughness and can potentially have a static attack.
Widget Contraption is like Hard Hat Area but more consistent.
Cogmentor can be used to push contraptions contentiously to get the most use out of them each turn, also is a rigger.
Goblin Tutor best to avoid 1s or 2s but everything else is golden.
Work A Double assembles two contraptions.
Steamflogger Temp Its a goblin rigger and it can assemble contraptions if need be later in the game.
Wrench-Rigger Another goblin rigger but its extremely cheap to cast and automatically makes a contraption.
Clock of DOOOOOOOOOOOOM! allows for more contraption activations and later in the game can work well with Cogmentor.
Steamflogger Boss helps expedite the contraption process.
First Pick is not the most cost efficient artifact/enchantment removal however it being able to assemble a contraption in addition is worth at least consideration.
Urza's Science Fair Project allows for a mana sink for dice rolling.
I've also done the calculations and...
I still have 72 slots for lands, other cards, etc by staying in
I also still have 10 slots in the contraption deck for other contraptions. Basically only 33.3% of the space is taken.
If I expanded into black and took dice rollers and contraption makers, I would have now only have 60 slots remaining.
If I were to combine 35 lands with the expansion of black I would now only have 25 slots remaining (not counting commander).
Meaning I can stuff the remaining 25 slots with answers, ramp, tutoring, rocks, other silver bordered cards, etc.
If this were 60 or 75 card commander, I wouldn't need to expand to a third color and still have so many left over slots for options.
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
My YouTube Channel:
The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
My YouTube Channel:
The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!