I think metalworker will earn his spot over another mana rock. I could easily replace Darksteel Ingot in my build with him. And having to survive one turn isn't that big of a deal when-if he survives-you're going to have an explosive, potentially game winning next turn.
On Alter of the Brood:
This will be a great card if you run Leyline of the Void. I find it similar to the Helm of Obedience+Leyline of the void combo I actually ran not long ago, albeit much easier to tutor for.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Thanks, Heroes of The Planes! You guys are great!
Actual Truth:
"You heard it here folks:
Anyone who disagrees with "Jack from NC" is an idiot."-The Dead Weatherman
Hmm. Will have to pick up a Metal Worker now apparently.
Not sure on Alter of the Brood; pluses and minuses. It's basically an extra win-con element which attaches to one or two of our current engines. It's easier to tutor and manipulate, but doesnt do anything on it's own.
Honestly, I like Blasting Station as an alternate win-con more.
I actually like Lens of Clarity. I'm not sure if there is a spot, but being able to peek at the top card can let your fetches and other shufflers turn into scry effects.
Blasting station also enables us to "dredge" our own win conditions. There's been an engine that used the white spellbomb from New Phyrexia (or whichever set it is), Krak Clan Ironworks, Salvaging Station AND this to somehow fill the graveyard until we grab what we need. I dunno though, I think I like Dampening Sphere (mill card for each tapped permanent?) more.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Thanks, Heroes of The Planes! You guys are great!
Actual Truth:
"You heard it here folks:
Anyone who disagrees with "Jack from NC" is an idiot."-The Dead Weatherman
The reason why I would run Altar is that I often found myself with a access to combo pieces ready to go off, but no Bitter Ordeal in hand. Like I said, being able to tutor for Altar seems more consistent than Ordeal, and an extra way to win seems worth a slot.
Is Metalworker really worth a slot? It seems being unable tap on the same turn it citp seems a major drawback and being a creatures makes it vulnerable. Anyone ne have reports from games yet with Metalworker?
Yeah, I dropped 'Worker once today. Sadly, he *only* produced 6. He interacts really well with Memory Jar, allowing him to be relevant even in stage 3. However, he still suffers from the problem of being a horrid, horrid topdeck, but that's true of most acceleration.
Tested Altar (proxy) and Codex Shredder as well. Shredder was insane. It turns out that buying back Fact or Fiction is pretty relevant. Didn't get to drop Altar, however.
Alright, everyone. Hopefully, your sealed pools have been full of Deltas!
One of my acquisitions at my event was a Grim Tutor (for ANT), and it got me thinking. Do we want a 3 CMC sorcery speed tutor that fetches Karns and Artificer's Intuitions?
Probably unneeded, but of course it depends on your specific list and what slot you're willing to let go of.
Prerelease was awesome for me, I pulled back to back Flooded strands in the same pack, one in foil. The foil copy is going into Sharuum and I'm hoping to trade the other for a Polluted Delta.
So, I've ended up playing a list very similar to this over the past year or so, and I only recently found about this thread. I've got a few questions and whatnot, and I'd love an explanation or two. Mostly, I'm super exciting to have come across this, since Jostin and Jack have decks that look very similar to mine, yet they seem to have been somewhat independently developed.
First of all, Codex Shredder is better than it seems, and its something that more people should catch onto; if you are a graveyard deck, the dredging is almost worth card advantage, and the regrowth effect is absurdly powerful. Combine that with the fact that this dumb little trinket can be a combo piece that *also* screws up your opponents tutors, and I don't see a good reason not to run it. You guys talking about it are spot on; its the real deal. Plus, since there is a Momir player in my meta, its even better.
Counterspells and Spot Removal; how do you guys get by on such light decks? Is your meta really removal saturated? I, for example, play against Derevi Combo, Nin Combo/Control, Momir Vig/Prophet Control, Jarad Buried Alive (the guy who made the primer on reddit, if any of you go there), Edric Aggro, Skittles Infect, Teysa Control, and a few other random decks. Almost regardless of the table, having a Path to Exile for Jarad's Mike+Trike combo or a Swan Song to keep Deglamer off my Sharuum combo is required in order to win. I'm interested how the deck plays without any of the removal that Esper is known for.
Third, why is any flicker package in that doesn't include Deadeye? Him plus Sharuum is insane value, him plus Salvaging Station is insane value, he make Trinket Mage into something that isnt terrible, he turns Battlepshere Beats into a terrifying force, goes infinite in about a hundred ways, and doesnt need the terrible Palinchron plus Venser/Ewit/Archaeomancer package to be good. He is one of the most powerful creatures in the format, and it seems wrong to not test him, at the very least. Meanwhile, I wish I had thought of Voyager Staff or Tawnos's Coffin on my own. Those cards are clever and a half.
Jack, would you be willing to update your list on the OP whenever you get a chance? It may be up to date, but having just read through the whole thread, I get the impression that it isn't.
Hope all is well. Just wanted to ask, if you had to cut something from your list to make room for Codex Shredder, what would it be? Also, haven't seen your thoughts on Altar of the Brood. Being tutorable is pretty sweet, but I can see how the versatility behind aggressively using a Bitter Ordeal in the early game can make a game (plus exiling is relevant, milling opponents graveyards not always optimal). Hope to hear from you soon!
I get by on so little countermagic because most decks in our group don't win via combo, so having stack interaction is minimal, and even more so because I don't want dead counterspells drawn later in game. Every form of removal aside from Exile can be handled by this decks recursion power or via indestructibility granted by Darksteel Forge or shroud/hexproof by lightning greaves/swiftboots or even Hanna's Custody if you are so inclined. Personally, I never play Sharuum as control, ever. I find it much more powerful to simply jam powerful threats and threaten some crazy board state or combo wins and let them figure it out.
I've had tons of success playing the Shops strategy of "threat, threat,threat,threat until they're out of Forces" with this deck. If you're worried about combos, set up a 4-5 copy Ordeal, and just Extract the problem cards. Barring that, we can always do things like Strip+Crucible, or Dispeller's Capsule to keep them off mana for their combos.
On Deadeye Navigator:
He lacks synergy with the deck. Yes, there are a few targets that he could blink, but with less than a dozen creatures, Deadeye Navigator doesn't interact with enough cards. Unlike our other blink engines, Voyager Staff and Tawnos' Coffin (which have uses besides just reusing etb effects), the Navigator is hard to recur and tutor up. Without a relevant target, he does nothing, while the artifact blink cards can act as a pseudo Maze of Ith/ Oblivion Ring.
The same can be said about counter spells and removal. When we include instants and sorceries we're reducing the number of slots available for synergistic artifact in the deck. Of course it's up to the individual pilot to decide how many slots dedicated to their game plan they're willing to sacrifice, but I personally find counterspells and removal spells unnecessary and as wasted slots.
That all makes sense to me; Ive never actually played Deadeye myself, and was mostly curious what other people thought of it, and I can definitely see its weaknesses. I will probably still test it out, but I'm not particularly excited.
On the topic of other cards I've only seen mentioned in Passing: Krark-Clan Ironworks. Gets infinite colorless off of a Sharuum+Artifact Clone, turns Myr Battlesphere into sick ramp, is an extremely good sac outlet, and enables some of (in my opinion) the decks most degenerate lines, like giving Karn+Salvaging Station the ability to combo with *every* trinket for infinite mana and infinite trinket activations. Anybody else tried it out?
I can't agree with the opinions on counterspells and removal, especially in my combo-heavy meta. What do you do about T1 Swamp, Mana Crypt, Buried Alive (Necrotic Ooze Combo), followed by T2 reanimate? I get that playing around obnoxious nut draws isn't exactly fair, but the Jarad deck I play against can almost always get the Ooze combo by turn 4 or 5. Sure, tutor up grave hate. Then the Nin player is resolving Power Artifact on Grim Monolith, what do I do? Just happen to have Dispeller's Capsule already on board? I havent found the deck to be nearly good enough to jam threats through my opponents, since everybody else is usually able to advance their board state *and* hold up removal for other people's gameplan, thanks to the biggest threats actually being the cheap removal and not their eventual combos.
The usually recommended strategy of Bitter for 5-6 doesnt work, because these decks aren't neutered by that. Jarad, example, I have to hit Greater Good, Lord of Extinction, Necrotic Ooze, Quillspike, Mikaeus, Triskellion, Crucible of Worlds, Terrastadon, Woodfall Primus, Phyrexian Devourer, Riftsweeper, Living Death, Necromancy, and at least one other reanimate spell before he is neutered. Not only is getting the count up to that number incredibly hard, he still has the ability to get massive card advantage and win by flinging things with Jarad. Not to mention the fact that there are two other players at the table who are easily as good as us two, which leaves me with a massive resource investment in stopping a single player. Do any of you guys play in combo-heavy metas? Sharuum can be easily built for it, but I feel she *must* dedicate some slots to protecting her combos and disrupting other peoples'.
I believe ajacobik runs counterspells and removal on his decklist successfully, so it is possible to make it work. Can you post a decklist so we know what we're working with?
In dealing with combo decks I think the best play is to resolve Tezzeret the Seeker/Artificers Intuition early because they then let you tutor for relevant trinkets. Having taken care of immediate problems, go for Salvaging Station to recur your trinkets and control people's board states. Just make sure you use your tutors carefully.
It's not that we don't have ways of disrupting people either: things like Aether Spellbomb, the capsules, Voyager Staff, GY exile trinkets, Tawnos Coffin are easily tutorable, recurrable and slots into the engines of the deck. Memory Jar can be used to temporarily exile a threatening opponents hand. Windfall can get rid of sandbagged cards. Karn acts as a threat and repeated removal. All is Dust destroys most of the board but leaves our artifacts intact. By running these cards, I'm able to both disrupt opponents and also use them as utility cards for myself.
Sorry I've been drifting in and out of the boards. Things have been a little busy for me. I'm getting ready for my fiance to give birth to my first child. She has kids whom I love dearly, but I've been preparing to bring one of my own into the fold. We're expecting in the next few weeks. I know there's been a ton of points that have been brought up so I'm going to try to get to them in all.
So, I've ended up playing a list very similar to this over the past year or so, and I only recently found about this thread. I've got a few questions and whatnot, and I'd love an explanation or two. Mostly, I'm super exciting to have come across this, since Jostin and Jack have decks that look very similar to mine, yet they seem to have been somewhat independently developed.....
...Counterspells and Spot Removal; how do you guys get by on such light decks? Is your meta really removal saturated? I, for example, play against Derevi Combo, Nin Combo/Control, Momir Vig/Prophet Control, Jarad Buried Alive (the guy who made the primer on reddit, if any of you go there), Edric Aggro, Skittles Infect, Teysa Control, and a few other random decks. Almost regardless of the table, having a Path to Exile for Jarad's Mike+Trike combo or a Swan Song to keep Deglamer off my Sharuum combo is required in order to win. I'm interested how the deck plays without any of the removal that Esper is known for.
Third, why is any flicker package in that doesn't include Deadeye? Him plus Sharuum is insane value, him plus Salvaging Station is insane value, he make Trinket Mage into something that isnt terrible, he turns Battlepshere Beats into a terrifying force, goes infinite in about a hundred ways, and doesnt need the terrible Palinchron plus Venser/Ewit/Archaeomancer package to be good. He is one of the most powerful creatures in the format, and it seems wrong to not test him, at the very least. Meanwhile, I wish I had thought of Voyager Staff or Tawnos's Coffin on my own. Those cards are clever and a half.
I think the fact that you're build is similar yet independently developed is interesting. I'd like to know what your MTG background is/ play experience is like, especially since I had a discussion talking about the what ifs of this just last week with a few friends. I'd like to see who was spot on :).
With regards to codex shredder:
The most vicious and consistently powerful strategies between all my playgroups are graveyard based. Someone earlier refered to the graveyard as the "handyard" and they are not wrong. With this in mind, it would be reckless in my playgroup to run a card that mills cards off the top callously, exposing them to the threat of exile or theft. I like the card in theory, but across playing any permutation of the 20-24 EDH players in (what is now) 4 groups, I can't justify it. Sharuum already comes with a bull's-eye aimed at the lower right side portion of my playmat: there isn't a need to paint it any brighter. I do agree it can be powerful, but the rewards for me personally aren't worth the risks. I may try it when I travell to Jersey and visit the local shop out there for their Saturday EDH games, might be successful in a different meta. With that said, I already run a slot for when I do want to be dredging cards (or have the window of opportunity to without disruption): Bazaar of Baghdad. It's been really awesome for me, and the pitching from hand and off the top of the deck would seem more useful than tapping to do one card at a time.
I also agree with what's been said about deadeye: It's a great card, but if it only works with 3-4 other cards, it's dead weight.
Hope all is well. Just wanted to ask, if you had to cut something from your list to make room for Codex Shredder, what would it be? Also, haven't seen your thoughts on Altar of the Brood. Being tutorable is pretty sweet, but I can see how the versatility behind aggressively using a Bitter Ordeal in the early game can make a game (plus exiling is relevant, milling opponents graveyards not always optimal). Hope to hear from you soon!
It is another efficient win-con which is awesome, but most deck run eldrazi for "infi-mill protection" so this won't work in more competitive metas by itself. I do think that this card could justify a slot for Leyline of the Void, and help produce the fastest goldfish this deck can boast (turn 1 win). I think the card works better in lists that aren't as artifact heavy, like those with counters to protect the LoTV from removal, which don't have as much deckspace because they run non-artifacts like counters and removal. something to think about...
On the topic of other cards I've only seen mentioned in Passing: Krark-Clan Ironworks. Gets infinite colorless off of a Sharuum+Artifact Clone, turns Myr Battlesphere into sick ramp, is an extremely good sac outlet, and enables some of (in my opinion) the decks most degenerate lines, like giving Karn+Salvaging Station the ability to combo with *every* trinket for infinite mana and infinite trinket activations. Anybody else tried it out?
I can't agree with the opinions on counterspells and removal, especially in my combo-heavy meta. What do you do about T1 Swamp, Mana Crypt, Buried Alive (Necrotic Ooze Combo), followed by T2 reanimate? I get that playing around obnoxious nut draws isn't exactly fair, but the Jarad deck I play against can almost always get the Ooze combo by turn 4 or 5. Sure, tutor up grave hate. Then the Nin player is resolving Power Artifact on Grim Monolith, what do I do? Just happen to have Dispeller's Capsule already on board? I havent found the deck to be nearly good enough to jam threats through my opponents, since everybody else is usually able to advance their board state *and* hold up removal for other people's gameplan, thanks to the biggest threats actually being the cheap removal and not their eventual combos.
The usually recommended strategy of Bitter for 5-6 doesnt work, because these decks aren't neutered by that. Jarad, example, I have to hit Greater Good, Lord of Extinction, Necrotic Ooze, Quillspike, Mikaeus, Triskellion, Crucible of Worlds, Terrastadon, Woodfall Primus, Phyrexian Devourer, Riftsweeper, Living Death, Necromancy, and at least one other reanimate spell before he is neutered. Not only is getting the count up to that number incredibly hard, he still has the ability to get massive card advantage and win by flinging things with Jarad. Not to mention the fact that there are two other players at the table who are easily as good as us two, which leaves me with a massive resource investment in stopping a single player. Do any of you guys play in combo-heavy metas? Sharuum can be easily built for it, but I feel she *must* dedicate some slots to protecting her combos and disrupting other peoples'.
Krak-Clan Ironworks: I do not run it because Mindslaver is a real thing and I do not rub anything in this deck that can make my deck lose to itself. Because i run my own Mindslaver, getting it Bribery'ed out of my deck (by any of it's ilk) gives opponents the real possibily to dismantle my deck from the inside out.
Your second point really described where theory on "the best build" diverges in these Sharuum boards. Some feel that removal is needed and eschew artifatcs and resiliency for answers, at the cost of watering down the number of bombs in the deck. My personal approach is to play bombs that are not only disruptive, but also further your game plan. The only true "answer" my deck runs is All is Dust" and due to the fact that my deck is 75% colorless, it leave my board mostly intact while wrecking everyone else. This is where my years of crafting my deck has led me to my list. Cards like Tawnos's Coffin, Salvaging Station, Karn, Myr Battlesphere, Metamorph, LED, timetwister, Memory Jar, my planeswalkers, time sieve, and more all multitask and full multiple roles and purposes in the deck to push me ahead while slowing my opponents down. As an example,
Karn put in major work, giving summoning sickness to freshly played artifacts (if not outright destroying them), making equipment fall off creatures, being a decent blocker, and threatening to wipe major boards if someone casts a creature sweeper. Many of the cards in my deck do more than 1, 2, or 3 things, and it is stretching the utility of those slots, or creating new utility effects through combining effects of your existing slots that will let you deal with a ridiculous table.
To your third point, neutering a deck isn't taking away all major angles of attack, its taking away one or two so that the deck operated on a more linear strategy (hopefully a strategy that you can then deal with). With Jarad, the biggest offenders come with the OTK in Lord of Extinction (aptly named "Boom tube" in my group) and in the degeneracy of Greater Good. Cutting those two cards off means that Jarad has to now work to put other cards in the yard to "go off" and invest more time to kill the table. You leave your opponent with the bike: just take the training wheels, which are really all that infinites are in EDH decks; training wheels. Just simply making them work the extra turn will also turn on your opponent's answers to deal with them, which also puts you farther ahead.
Expect metalworker to blow up in price. Glad I got my 2 playsets.
How goes the Duel Commander Sharuum testing? Or did you already talk about it earlier in the thread?
Testing has stopped since one of the guys I was doing Duel commander testing with git a new job and his hours chnaged as a result. Sharuum was doing okay, but there are definately better commanders than her for the French list 1v1s. She was tier 1.5. One interesting thing to note is that when she went up against Oloro, Oloro's lifegain meant absolutely nothing. When the deck goes big, it hits harder than anything else, and within a shorter time. That turn 3-4 is really the chokepoint in most matchups. If your mana rock aren't amazing, they just drop a decent threat while you sit back needing one extra turn to play yours, and can possibly be playing from a 1/3 turn behind the rest of the game. The banned list hurts Sharuum pretty bad. Sharuum really is a multi EDH deck.
I think metalworker will earn his spot over another mana rock. I could easily replace Darksteel Ingot in my build with him. And having to survive one turn isn't that big of a deal when-if he survives-you're going to have an explosive, potentially game winning next turn.
On Alter of the Brood:
This will be a great card if you run Leyline of the Void. I find it similar to the Helm of Obedience+Leyline of the void combo I actually ran not long ago, albeit much easier to tutor for.
Hope all is well. Just wanted to ask, if you had to cut something from your list to make room for Codex Shredder, what would it be? Also, haven't seen your thoughts on Altar of the Brood. Being tutorable is pretty sweet, but I can see how the versatility behind aggressively using a Bitter Ordeal in the early game can make a game (plus exiling is relevant, milling opponents graveyards not always optimal). Hope to hear from you soon!
It would be one of my two crypt effects, most likely Tormod's Crypt. However, due to my meta, I would much faster cut it for metal worker.
I've had tons of success playing the Shops strategy of "threat, threat,threat,threat until they're out of Forces" with this deck. If you're worried about combos, set up a 4-5 copy Ordeal, and just Extract the problem cards. Barring that, we can always do things like Strip+Crucible, or Dispeller's Capsule to keep them off mana for their combos.
The mana denial route is a lot harder to accomplish if you're playing heavy artifacts because spells do those effects more efficiently. This deck definitely rewards proper threat assessment and baiting. Knowing when to play what is definitely an important skill, as you want it to be cool if your spells resolve, but not a big deal if they don't. As the game evolves into stage 3, your opponent will have less "dispensible" answers, as now everyone is trying to race the inevitable nuke that's going to win the table, and that 's when your deck just takes over, either to superior recursion, or because your stuff needs to resolve to keep the table from losing to "that guy", and you seem to be the lesser of two evils.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Blue: teaching Magic players manners since 1995
Shops: Teaching blue players manners since 2009
I wouldn't hold my breath on Tolarian Academy becoming playable. If it did come off the ban-list than expect it to rocket up to triple digits in line with Gaea's Cradle over night.
Thanks for the replies, Jostin. Does anyone here think Tolarian Academy will be unbanned at some point?
I don't think that Tolarian Academy will be unbanned in EDH. Ever. The card is a very powerful card that has a higher upside than Cradle and a fewer low points. Specifically, artifacts help fuel academy, much like creatures help fuel cradle. The difference is, the best artifacts in EDH also tend to be the cheapest, where as that not as true with creatures. Look at all the "staples" of green in the format:
Eternal Witness,
Oracle of Mul Daya,
Primeval Titan, S
ylvan Primordial,
Woodfall Primus,
Rofellos (until the banning),
Fauna Shaman,
reclamation Sage
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Terastadon
All the 3 drop land searchers:
Many of these creatures have similar creatures that are cheaper, but aren't as commonly used due to the efficiency of the above creatures. That efficiency comes with a slightly higher mana cost. That's not true of artifacts, and being how EDH is a magic variant where mana advantage = game advantage, Tolarian would generate too much advantage to keep most EDH games balanced, without them becoming cutthroat, and violating the "spirit of the game". Metalworker was unbanned because, as I've argued on other threads here, Metalworker works best only at phase I of the game, when you have the most resources that turn him on: a large hand loaded with artifacts. Metalworker is a terrible turn 4+ topdeck, and for this reason was unbanned. With Tolarian, the longer the game pregresses, the better it gets. Unlike cradle, the only way to deal with Tolarian is by intentional means: running out a sweeper. Cradle is kept in check by both intentianal (targeted removal and sweepers) and incidental (combat damage, a threshold of stray and random, unintentional effects, like a sewer nemesis after a resolved Tormod's crypt) effects. Artifacts don't die on their own, 99%of the time, someone played something to destroy them to get them to the graveyard (with such and exception being tangle wire). Until this changes, Tolarian will be too powerful a card to allow to come off the ban list.
I wouldn't hold my breath on Tolarian Academy becoming playable. If it did come off the ban-list than expect it to rocket up to triple digits in line with Gaea's Cradle over night.
Cradle jumped to rediculous prices overnight due to the change to the legendary rule. If cradle was to be banned in legacy and vintage restricted in vintage, it's price would plummet overnight.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Blue: teaching Magic players manners since 1995
Shops: Teaching blue players manners since 2009
Anyone had success with Alter of the Brood yet as a combo piece? I picked up a nice foil copy that I plan on socking away in the hopes that it will become a "thing" in EDH combo.
@ Jostin,
We're all still waiting on your own Sharuum primer man. I understand how busy one can become with other non-MtG stuff (work, family, life, etc.). In particular, I'd be fascinated to know your suggestions for the less expensive replacements to the 'Shop, Twister and other pricey bits. Just a suggestion for when you get around to it.
I'd have to second this. I love my current build, and it's great. But I've always wanted Twister so bad, haha. Thanks for all the work you've done for the primer by the way, Jostin.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Currently Playing: R8whackR WUBGAtraxa Stax-Superfriends *Under Construction*WUBG
Anyone had success with Alter of the Brood yet as a combo piece? I picked up a nice foil copy that I plan on socking away in the hopes that it will become a "thing" in EDH combo.
@ Jostin,
We're all still waiting on your own Sharuum primer man. I understand how busy one can become with other non-MtG stuff (work, family, life, etc.). In particular, I'd be fascinated to know your suggestions for the less expensive replacements to the 'Shop, Twister and other pricey bits. Just a suggestion for when you get around to it.
I'm currently hunting down a foil one myself. I was reading back a reply to a friend of mine when it struck me like lightning. I think Altar definately can have a home in My barium build, possibly moreso than metal worker. I'll edit and explain when I get home. Now leaving my job.
*Edit: Reversal of opinion
The biggest theory issue that I was confronted with, with regards to Altar of the Brood, is that Eldrazi make the mill-kill null and void. The other issue is that we have a compact mill-kill in Bitter Ordeal, that is useful outside of the combo. I had issues with both cards fighting over the same niche. However, those two cards actually compliment each other, as Bitter Ordeal can fish out Eldrazi while Altar decks the entire table.
I have issues with Altar inadvertently loading up graveyards for opponents to go infinite with. That threat exists for lots of different decks. However, there is a lot of utility to be gained using Altar due to it being a 1 drop. It can also make playing top deck tutors difficult for opponents. In my list, I can literally make a 1 for 1 swap for Tormod's crypt, since it's a second crypt effect. The counter arguement is that, when you go infinite and the opponent hits and Eldrazi, you could crypt it away in response to the trigger and still win, so replacing it with a crypt effect would still be a difficult cut. The point is, the Salvaging Station engine is highly synergistic with 1 drops, so Altar has more utility with the deck naturally just based on that fact. It feeds into all the feedback loops that any 1 drop can. There are inadvertent risks when playing this card without an infi-loop, but no more than any other piece.
When analyzing other lists that aren't as artifact heavy, and have a more limited number of slots de to the use of counter magic and / or budget-driven use of sweepers, the kill of Altar/ Leyline is also useful together and half of it is useful independent of the other, much like Thopter/ sword combo. This lists often run Trinket Mage (which I utterly disagree with) which 99% of the time will still fetch a top or Sol Ring despite first, despite this potentially being game over if one waits patiently to cast it later in the game. In my previous post about it, I liked how compact it could make the kill in Sharuum decks, but after a re-examination of perspectives previously unexplored, I think this card is more suited for my list than metalworker.
Tormod's crypt defends the mill-kill through Eldrazi
Bitter ordeal defends and doubles as the mill-kill through Eldrazi
Nihil Spellbomb defends the mill-kill through Eldrazi.
Altar of the Brood exposes huge swaths of opposing libraries to exile effects.
Altar helps make the infi-kill more consistent. The last card to make an info-kill more consistent was Phyrexian Metamorph, and although the number of games where I infi-killed a table since it's inclusion has actually halved, it has substantially increased the number of games I've won since it's inclusion overall. This card warrants lots of testing to discover those unintended consequences, but if my suspicions are right, this card will literally be the best thing for the deck since Metamorph itself. The manner by which the deck is played may change, but that's a problem with its pilot, not the slot.
** - A primer
As for writing a primer, I feel it wouldn't be my place to. The reason I came to share my viewpoints on this thread (and Jack_from_NC can vouch for our communications on this) is because of the high-level in-depth discussions that were taking place on this thread. For year prior to writing here, I had been roaming the web looking for places where I could share my insights on the deck with other Sharuum players without having to explain in detail why Sculpting Steel was in my 99. I wanted to be able to talk about step D without going over A, B, and C, and know that it would be understood by other pilots. This thread has been that place.
If you search through the Multiplayer EDH boards, Sharuum it is among the highest rehashed-discussion threads on the whole site, and for EDH across the web in general. So many people post up primers and threads on this general, that if all that energy of discussion was channeled into one thread and not splintered into the 10+ threads that are on here, real and genuine progress could be on this archetype as a whole. Everyone knows why 66% of the generic slots in the deck belong there. It doesn't has to be said 10 different ways by 15 different players. The discussion and analysis of the other 33 however, could be game-changing (no pun intended). Everyone has a general idea as to what effects should go in a Sharuum list, but higher level discussion can get into the nuts and bolts of how, the consequences those decisions, optimum lists, and even optimum styles of play. This thread has even given direction to discussions on variations by region and metagame. All of this is because people have decided to unite to further the discussion instead of fragmenting it with multiple threads. This is no disrespect to those who have created their own threads, I applaud your dedication and personal accomplishments in growing your 99. But when you look and see that a thread like this one looks more like a legacy primer than an EDH one, one can see how far tech can go when we collectively stop trying to reinvent the wheel.
Because of this, you will see me write mini-primers on strategies, card slots, deck synergies and card advantage engines, but not my own thread. It would be hypocritical of me to want to consolidate high level discussion in one place and undermine that goal by creating one more thread to divide the attention and forum for that discussion.
I'd have to second this. I love my current build, and it's great. But I've always wanted Twister so bad, haha. Thanks for all the work you've done for the primer by the way, Jostin.
.
No problem. I love the high level discussion here.
[quote from="rigo009 »"
Cradle jumped to rediculous prices overnight due to the change to the legendary rule. If cradle was to be banned in legacy and vintage restricted in vintage, it's price would plummet overnight.
I don't disagree with anything you've said here, but EDH is starting to become more of a market force than ever. Look at Metal Worker's jump in value purely because of EDH. If Academy came off the ban list, then it would enjoy a pretty significant increase in market demand. It's moot however, because I think Karakas will come off the ban list long before Academy.
Regarding Metal Worker: I tried Master Transmuter again recently and have already pulled her back out. The summoning sickness and vulnerability to creature removal undermine it's power too much and I would consider it before Metal Worker. Lots of mana is nice, playing for free at instant speed is better; especially when it can double as a flicker effect.
Regarding Alter of the Brood: There is a lot to like about the artifact with Sharuum, but it's function means needing to consider exile effects. Granted, we already run some, but those aren't currently needed to win. I can see it being good in some decks and meta's and weaker in others. Personally, I still prefer Blasting Station as an alternate kill with the Sharuum/Clone loop. It's still an artifact, but it performs the kill with another mechanic other than decking. That gives a bit of extra tactical diversity.
On Alter of the Brood:
This will be a great card if you run Leyline of the Void. I find it similar to the Helm of Obedience+Leyline of the void combo I actually ran not long ago, albeit much easier to tutor for.
Thanks, Heroes of The Planes! You guys are great!
Actual Truth:
Not sure on Alter of the Brood; pluses and minuses. It's basically an extra win-con element which attaches to one or two of our current engines. It's easier to tutor and manipulate, but doesnt do anything on it's own.
Honestly, I like Blasting Station as an alternate win-con more.
I actually like Lens of Clarity. I'm not sure if there is a spot, but being able to peek at the top card can let your fetches and other shufflers turn into scry effects.
This happened to me the other day, off of an Ancient Tomb, Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, second land drop start. People conceded pretty quickly.
Thanks, Heroes of The Planes! You guys are great!
Actual Truth:
The reason why I would run Altar is that I often found myself with a access to combo pieces ready to go off, but no Bitter Ordeal in hand. Like I said, being able to tutor for Altar seems more consistent than Ordeal, and an extra way to win seems worth a slot.
Is Metalworker really worth a slot? It seems being unable tap on the same turn it citp seems a major drawback and being a creatures makes it vulnerable. Anyone ne have reports from games yet with Metalworker?
Xira Arien Lands EDH List
Marchesa Recursion EDH List
Oloro Reanimator EDH List
Tested Altar (proxy) and Codex Shredder as well. Shredder was insane. It turns out that buying back Fact or Fiction is pretty relevant. Didn't get to drop Altar, however.
One of my acquisitions at my event was a Grim Tutor (for ANT), and it got me thinking. Do we want a 3 CMC sorcery speed tutor that fetches Karns and Artificer's Intuitions?
Prerelease was awesome for me, I pulled back to back Flooded strands in the same pack, one in foil. The foil copy is going into Sharuum and I'm hoping to trade the other for a Polluted Delta.
Xira Arien Lands EDH List
Marchesa Recursion EDH List
Oloro Reanimator EDH List
First of all, Codex Shredder is better than it seems, and its something that more people should catch onto; if you are a graveyard deck, the dredging is almost worth card advantage, and the regrowth effect is absurdly powerful. Combine that with the fact that this dumb little trinket can be a combo piece that *also* screws up your opponents tutors, and I don't see a good reason not to run it. You guys talking about it are spot on; its the real deal. Plus, since there is a Momir player in my meta, its even better.
Counterspells and Spot Removal; how do you guys get by on such light decks? Is your meta really removal saturated? I, for example, play against Derevi Combo, Nin Combo/Control, Momir Vig/Prophet Control, Jarad Buried Alive (the guy who made the primer on reddit, if any of you go there), Edric Aggro, Skittles Infect, Teysa Control, and a few other random decks. Almost regardless of the table, having a Path to Exile for Jarad's Mike+Trike combo or a Swan Song to keep Deglamer off my Sharuum combo is required in order to win. I'm interested how the deck plays without any of the removal that Esper is known for.
Third, why is any flicker package in that doesn't include Deadeye? Him plus Sharuum is insane value, him plus Salvaging Station is insane value, he make Trinket Mage into something that isnt terrible, he turns Battlepshere Beats into a terrifying force, goes infinite in about a hundred ways, and doesnt need the terrible Palinchron plus Venser/Ewit/Archaeomancer package to be good. He is one of the most powerful creatures in the format, and it seems wrong to not test him, at the very least. Meanwhile, I wish I had thought of Voyager Staff or Tawnos's Coffin on my own. Those cards are clever and a half.
Jack, would you be willing to update your list on the OP whenever you get a chance? It may be up to date, but having just read through the whole thread, I get the impression that it isn't.
#moneypile
BUG Tasigur GUB
#buglyfe
Hope all is well. Just wanted to ask, if you had to cut something from your list to make room for Codex Shredder, what would it be? Also, haven't seen your thoughts on Altar of the Brood. Being tutorable is pretty sweet, but I can see how the versatility behind aggressively using a Bitter Ordeal in the early game can make a game (plus exiling is relevant, milling opponents graveyards not always optimal). Hope to hear from you soon!
He lacks synergy with the deck. Yes, there are a few targets that he could blink, but with less than a dozen creatures, Deadeye Navigator doesn't interact with enough cards. Unlike our other blink engines, Voyager Staff and Tawnos' Coffin (which have uses besides just reusing etb effects), the Navigator is hard to recur and tutor up. Without a relevant target, he does nothing, while the artifact blink cards can act as a pseudo Maze of Ith/ Oblivion Ring.
The same can be said about counter spells and removal. When we include instants and sorceries we're reducing the number of slots available for synergistic artifact in the deck. Of course it's up to the individual pilot to decide how many slots dedicated to their game plan they're willing to sacrifice, but I personally find counterspells and removal spells unnecessary and as wasted slots.
Xira Arien Lands EDH List
Marchesa Recursion EDH List
Oloro Reanimator EDH List
On the topic of other cards I've only seen mentioned in Passing: Krark-Clan Ironworks. Gets infinite colorless off of a Sharuum+Artifact Clone, turns Myr Battlesphere into sick ramp, is an extremely good sac outlet, and enables some of (in my opinion) the decks most degenerate lines, like giving Karn+Salvaging Station the ability to combo with *every* trinket for infinite mana and infinite trinket activations. Anybody else tried it out?
I can't agree with the opinions on counterspells and removal, especially in my combo-heavy meta. What do you do about T1 Swamp, Mana Crypt, Buried Alive (Necrotic Ooze Combo), followed by T2 reanimate? I get that playing around obnoxious nut draws isn't exactly fair, but the Jarad deck I play against can almost always get the Ooze combo by turn 4 or 5. Sure, tutor up grave hate. Then the Nin player is resolving Power Artifact on Grim Monolith, what do I do? Just happen to have Dispeller's Capsule already on board? I havent found the deck to be nearly good enough to jam threats through my opponents, since everybody else is usually able to advance their board state *and* hold up removal for other people's gameplan, thanks to the biggest threats actually being the cheap removal and not their eventual combos.
The usually recommended strategy of Bitter for 5-6 doesnt work, because these decks aren't neutered by that. Jarad, example, I have to hit Greater Good, Lord of Extinction, Necrotic Ooze, Quillspike, Mikaeus, Triskellion, Crucible of Worlds, Terrastadon, Woodfall Primus, Phyrexian Devourer, Riftsweeper, Living Death, Necromancy, and at least one other reanimate spell before he is neutered. Not only is getting the count up to that number incredibly hard, he still has the ability to get massive card advantage and win by flinging things with Jarad. Not to mention the fact that there are two other players at the table who are easily as good as us two, which leaves me with a massive resource investment in stopping a single player. Do any of you guys play in combo-heavy metas? Sharuum can be easily built for it, but I feel she *must* dedicate some slots to protecting her combos and disrupting other peoples'.
#moneypile
BUG Tasigur GUB
#buglyfe
In dealing with combo decks I think the best play is to resolve Tezzeret the Seeker/Artificers Intuition early because they then let you tutor for relevant trinkets. Having taken care of immediate problems, go for Salvaging Station to recur your trinkets and control people's board states. Just make sure you use your tutors carefully.
It's not that we don't have ways of disrupting people either: things like Aether Spellbomb, the capsules, Voyager Staff, GY exile trinkets, Tawnos Coffin are easily tutorable, recurrable and slots into the engines of the deck. Memory Jar can be used to temporarily exile a threatening opponents hand. Windfall can get rid of sandbagged cards. Karn acts as a threat and repeated removal. All is Dust destroys most of the board but leaves our artifacts intact. By running these cards, I'm able to both disrupt opponents and also use them as utility cards for myself.
Xira Arien Lands EDH List
Marchesa Recursion EDH List
Oloro Reanimator EDH List
Sorry I've been drifting in and out of the boards. Things have been a little busy for me. I'm getting ready for my fiance to give birth to my first child. She has kids whom I love dearly, but I've been preparing to bring one of my own into the fold. We're expecting in the next few weeks. I know there's been a ton of points that have been brought up so I'm going to try to get to them in all.
I think the fact that you're build is similar yet independently developed is interesting. I'd like to know what your MTG background is/ play experience is like, especially since I had a discussion talking about the what ifs of this just last week with a few friends. I'd like to see who was spot on :).
With regards to codex shredder:
The most vicious and consistently powerful strategies between all my playgroups are graveyard based. Someone earlier refered to the graveyard as the "handyard" and they are not wrong. With this in mind, it would be reckless in my playgroup to run a card that mills cards off the top callously, exposing them to the threat of exile or theft. I like the card in theory, but across playing any permutation of the 20-24 EDH players in (what is now) 4 groups, I can't justify it. Sharuum already comes with a bull's-eye aimed at the lower right side portion of my playmat: there isn't a need to paint it any brighter. I do agree it can be powerful, but the rewards for me personally aren't worth the risks. I may try it when I travell to Jersey and visit the local shop out there for their Saturday EDH games, might be successful in a different meta. With that said, I already run a slot for when I do want to be dredging cards (or have the window of opportunity to without disruption): Bazaar of Baghdad. It's been really awesome for me, and the pitching from hand and off the top of the deck would seem more useful than tapping to do one card at a time.
I also agree with what's been said about deadeye: It's a great card, but if it only works with 3-4 other cards, it's dead weight.
It is another efficient win-con which is awesome, but most deck run eldrazi for "infi-mill protection" so this won't work in more competitive metas by itself. I do think that this card could justify a slot for Leyline of the Void, and help produce the fastest goldfish this deck can boast (turn 1 win). I think the card works better in lists that aren't as artifact heavy, like those with counters to protect the LoTV from removal, which don't have as much deckspace because they run non-artifacts like counters and removal. something to think about...
Krak-Clan Ironworks: I do not run it because Mindslaver is a real thing and I do not rub anything in this deck that can make my deck lose to itself. Because i run my own Mindslaver, getting it Bribery'ed out of my deck (by any of it's ilk) gives opponents the real possibily to dismantle my deck from the inside out.
Your second point really described where theory on "the best build" diverges in these Sharuum boards. Some feel that removal is needed and eschew artifatcs and resiliency for answers, at the cost of watering down the number of bombs in the deck. My personal approach is to play bombs that are not only disruptive, but also further your game plan. The only true "answer" my deck runs is All is Dust" and due to the fact that my deck is 75% colorless, it leave my board mostly intact while wrecking everyone else. This is where my years of crafting my deck has led me to my list. Cards like Tawnos's Coffin, Salvaging Station, Karn, Myr Battlesphere, Metamorph, LED, timetwister, Memory Jar, my planeswalkers, time sieve, and more all multitask and full multiple roles and purposes in the deck to push me ahead while slowing my opponents down. As an example,
Karn put in major work, giving summoning sickness to freshly played artifacts (if not outright destroying them), making equipment fall off creatures, being a decent blocker, and threatening to wipe major boards if someone casts a creature sweeper. Many of the cards in my deck do more than 1, 2, or 3 things, and it is stretching the utility of those slots, or creating new utility effects through combining effects of your existing slots that will let you deal with a ridiculous table.
To your third point, neutering a deck isn't taking away all major angles of attack, its taking away one or two so that the deck operated on a more linear strategy (hopefully a strategy that you can then deal with). With Jarad, the biggest offenders come with the OTK in Lord of Extinction (aptly named "Boom tube" in my group) and in the degeneracy of Greater Good. Cutting those two cards off means that Jarad has to now work to put other cards in the yard to "go off" and invest more time to kill the table. You leave your opponent with the bike: just take the training wheels, which are really all that infinites are in EDH decks; training wheels. Just simply making them work the extra turn will also turn on your opponent's answers to deal with them, which also puts you farther ahead.
Testing has stopped since one of the guys I was doing Duel commander testing with git a new job and his hours chnaged as a result. Sharuum was doing okay, but there are definately better commanders than her for the French list 1v1s. She was tier 1.5. One interesting thing to note is that when she went up against Oloro, Oloro's lifegain meant absolutely nothing. When the deck goes big, it hits harder than anything else, and within a shorter time. That turn 3-4 is really the chokepoint in most matchups. If your mana rock aren't amazing, they just drop a decent threat while you sit back needing one extra turn to play yours, and can possibly be playing from a 1/3 turn behind the rest of the game. The banned list hurts Sharuum pretty bad. Sharuum really is a multi EDH deck.
I agree with this.
It would be one of my two crypt effects, most likely Tormod's Crypt. However, due to my meta, I would much faster cut it for metal worker.
The mana denial route is a lot harder to accomplish if you're playing heavy artifacts because spells do those effects more efficiently. This deck definitely rewards proper threat assessment and baiting. Knowing when to play what is definitely an important skill, as you want it to be cool if your spells resolve, but not a big deal if they don't. As the game evolves into stage 3, your opponent will have less "dispensible" answers, as now everyone is trying to race the inevitable nuke that's going to win the table, and that 's when your deck just takes over, either to superior recursion, or because your stuff needs to resolve to keep the table from losing to "that guy", and you seem to be the lesser of two evils.
Blue: teaching Magic players manners since 1995Shops: Teaching blue players manners since 2009
I don't think that Tolarian Academy will be unbanned in EDH. Ever. The card is a very powerful card that has a higher upside than Cradle and a fewer low points. Specifically, artifacts help fuel academy, much like creatures help fuel cradle. The difference is, the best artifacts in EDH also tend to be the cheapest, where as that not as true with creatures. Look at all the "staples" of green in the format:
Eternal Witness,
Oracle of Mul Daya,
Primeval Titan, S
ylvan Primordial,
Woodfall Primus,
Rofellos (until the banning),
Fauna Shaman,
reclamation Sage
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Terastadon
All the 3 drop land searchers:
Many of these creatures have similar creatures that are cheaper, but aren't as commonly used due to the efficiency of the above creatures. That efficiency comes with a slightly higher mana cost. That's not true of artifacts, and being how EDH is a magic variant where mana advantage = game advantage, Tolarian would generate too much advantage to keep most EDH games balanced, without them becoming cutthroat, and violating the "spirit of the game". Metalworker was unbanned because, as I've argued on other threads here, Metalworker works best only at phase I of the game, when you have the most resources that turn him on: a large hand loaded with artifacts. Metalworker is a terrible turn 4+ topdeck, and for this reason was unbanned. With Tolarian, the longer the game pregresses, the better it gets. Unlike cradle, the only way to deal with Tolarian is by intentional means: running out a sweeper. Cradle is kept in check by both intentianal (targeted removal and sweepers) and incidental (combat damage, a threshold of stray and random, unintentional effects, like a sewer nemesis after a resolved Tormod's crypt) effects. Artifacts don't die on their own, 99%of the time, someone played something to destroy them to get them to the graveyard (with such and exception being tangle wire). Until this changes, Tolarian will be too powerful a card to allow to come off the ban list.
Cradle jumped to rediculous prices overnight due to the change to the legendary rule. If cradle was to be banned in legacy and vintage restricted in vintage, it's price would plummet overnight.
Blue: teaching Magic players manners since 1995Shops: Teaching blue players manners since 2009
@ Jostin,
We're all still waiting on your own Sharuum primer man. I understand how busy one can become with other non-MtG stuff (work, family, life, etc.). In particular, I'd be fascinated to know your suggestions for the less expensive replacements to the 'Shop, Twister and other pricey bits. Just a suggestion for when you get around to it.
R8whackR
WUBGAtraxa Stax-Superfriends *Under Construction*WUBG
I'm currently hunting down a foil one myself. I was reading back a reply to a friend of mine when it struck me like lightning. I think Altar definately can have a home in My barium build, possibly moreso than metal worker.
I'll edit and explain when I get home. Now leaving my job.*Edit: Reversal of opinion
The biggest theory issue that I was confronted with, with regards to Altar of the Brood, is that Eldrazi make the mill-kill null and void. The other issue is that we have a compact mill-kill in Bitter Ordeal, that is useful outside of the combo. I had issues with both cards fighting over the same niche. However, those two cards actually compliment each other, as Bitter Ordeal can fish out Eldrazi while Altar decks the entire table.
I have issues with Altar inadvertently loading up graveyards for opponents to go infinite with. That threat exists for lots of different decks. However, there is a lot of utility to be gained using Altar due to it being a 1 drop. It can also make playing top deck tutors difficult for opponents. In my list, I can literally make a 1 for 1 swap for Tormod's crypt, since it's a second crypt effect. The counter arguement is that, when you go infinite and the opponent hits and Eldrazi, you could crypt it away in response to the trigger and still win, so replacing it with a crypt effect would still be a difficult cut. The point is, the Salvaging Station engine is highly synergistic with 1 drops, so Altar has more utility with the deck naturally just based on that fact. It feeds into all the feedback loops that any 1 drop can. There are inadvertent risks when playing this card without an infi-loop, but no more than any other piece.
When analyzing other lists that aren't as artifact heavy, and have a more limited number of slots de to the use of counter magic and / or budget-driven use of sweepers, the kill of Altar/ Leyline is also useful together and half of it is useful independent of the other, much like Thopter/ sword combo. This lists often run Trinket Mage (which I utterly disagree with) which 99% of the time will still fetch a top or Sol Ring despite first, despite this potentially being game over if one waits patiently to cast it later in the game. In my previous post about it, I liked how compact it could make the kill in Sharuum decks, but after a re-examination of perspectives previously unexplored, I think this card is more suited for my list than metalworker.
Tormod's crypt defends the mill-kill through Eldrazi
Bitter ordeal defends and doubles as the mill-kill through Eldrazi
Nihil Spellbomb defends the mill-kill through Eldrazi.
Altar of the Brood exposes huge swaths of opposing libraries to exile effects.
Altar helps make the infi-kill more consistent. The last card to make an info-kill more consistent was Phyrexian Metamorph, and although the number of games where I infi-killed a table since it's inclusion has actually halved, it has substantially increased the number of games I've won since it's inclusion overall. This card warrants lots of testing to discover those unintended consequences, but if my suspicions are right, this card will literally be the best thing for the deck since Metamorph itself. The manner by which the deck is played may change, but that's a problem with its pilot, not the slot.
** - A primer
As for writing a primer, I feel it wouldn't be my place to. The reason I came to share my viewpoints on this thread (and Jack_from_NC can vouch for our communications on this) is because of the high-level in-depth discussions that were taking place on this thread. For year prior to writing here, I had been roaming the web looking for places where I could share my insights on the deck with other Sharuum players without having to explain in detail why Sculpting Steel was in my 99. I wanted to be able to talk about step D without going over A, B, and C, and know that it would be understood by other pilots. This thread has been that place.
If you search through the Multiplayer EDH boards, Sharuum it is among the highest rehashed-discussion threads on the whole site, and for EDH across the web in general. So many people post up primers and threads on this general, that if all that energy of discussion was channeled into one thread and not splintered into the 10+ threads that are on here, real and genuine progress could be on this archetype as a whole. Everyone knows why 66% of the generic slots in the deck belong there. It doesn't has to be said 10 different ways by 15 different players. The discussion and analysis of the other 33 however, could be game-changing (no pun intended). Everyone has a general idea as to what effects should go in a Sharuum list, but higher level discussion can get into the nuts and bolts of how, the consequences those decisions, optimum lists, and even optimum styles of play. This thread has even given direction to discussions on variations by region and metagame. All of this is because people have decided to unite to further the discussion instead of fragmenting it with multiple threads. This is no disrespect to those who have created their own threads, I applaud your dedication and personal accomplishments in growing your 99. But when you look and see that a thread like this one looks more like a legacy primer than an EDH one, one can see how far tech can go when we collectively stop trying to reinvent the wheel.
Because of this, you will see me write mini-primers on strategies, card slots, deck synergies and card advantage engines, but not my own thread. It would be hypocritical of me to want to consolidate high level discussion in one place and undermine that goal by creating one more thread to divide the attention and forum for that discussion.
.
No problem. I love the high level discussion here.
Blue: teaching Magic players manners since 1995Shops: Teaching blue players manners since 2009
I don't disagree with anything you've said here, but EDH is starting to become more of a market force than ever. Look at Metal Worker's jump in value purely because of EDH. If Academy came off the ban list, then it would enjoy a pretty significant increase in market demand. It's moot however, because I think Karakas will come off the ban list long before Academy.
Regarding Metal Worker: I tried Master Transmuter again recently and have already pulled her back out. The summoning sickness and vulnerability to creature removal undermine it's power too much and I would consider it before Metal Worker. Lots of mana is nice, playing for free at instant speed is better; especially when it can double as a flicker effect.
Regarding Alter of the Brood: There is a lot to like about the artifact with Sharuum, but it's function means needing to consider exile effects. Granted, we already run some, but those aren't currently needed to win. I can see it being good in some decks and meta's and weaker in others. Personally, I still prefer Blasting Station as an alternate kill with the Sharuum/Clone loop. It's still an artifact, but it performs the kill with another mechanic other than decking. That gives a bit of extra tactical diversity.