Any thoughts on how to fight the rise of artifact hate thanks to Abrade maindeck?
This card makes me unreasonably angry aha. Its a great card and I'll be running it in my SB in place of Smash, but I may be moving a dispel or two into the MB as well. I'll probably cut 2/4 Built to Smash for 2 Dispel and test from there.
Thats worst case scenario though. a lot of decks already play kommand which hasnt effected how i built my deck.
Here's a Grixis Ensoul deck tech with some interesting inclusions, it seems to be quite well tuned.
I saw the list, and I've been meaning to comment on how it looks.
It seems a bit scattered? The manabase looks fine, but the spells and creatures could use some work.
1 Scrap Trawler - Seems a bit random as a one of, but the inclusion of Scrounger makes it seem worth it. Better of as a K-command maybe?
3 Hope of Ghirapur - I used to run 3, but found that it works better @ 2
3 Ornithopter - Way too many if you ask me. dead on empty board, easy push target, can't crew anything without blade.
1 Jace, Vryn's Prodigy - Better later in the game, which should have been won or lost by then. You go turn 1 Citadel + Blade/Bomat/Hope/ nothing. would you rather your turn 2 be dropping Ensoul or JVP? Turn 3, sure if you have nothing better to do. It warrants a spot in this list because of all the spells OP is playing but that in itself seems odd.
2 Stubborn Denial - Personal preference of in main or in side. I flip flop between the two.
2 Collective Brutality - I like this
1 Wild Slash - playing fetches, why not push, or make more room for push?
1 Unlicensed Disintegration - also a good inclusion in UBR
I think the issue with HoK is the crew cost. Three is a lot, and even though it can be achieved with Scrounger or equipping a Blade onto one of our creatures, its not worth it. Of course when it gets ensouled its good, but until something with 3 power comes along it'll be doing nothing.
Restoration specialist is reaaaaally interesting. I would love to do some testing with it, but I can't at the moment. I do think that it'd be a good one of in WUR or WUBR ensoul.
Hi! Thanks for your help. For an unknown meta game I would probably take vanilla UR Ensoul. Grixis is another good idea if you're expecting higher costing creatures with bigger bodies, and can be easily transformed into. Unlicensed disintegration is an amazing card, and cut//ribbons has been proving to be useful in many decks.
I don't agree with Rending Volley being in the sideboard. Shocks and Wild Slashes kill Saheeli when she starts the combo and can be brought in against things other than cat, such as Humans, elves, goblins, etc.
Artifact decks have always been popular no matter the format. Pauper has True Affinity, Modern has Robots, Vintage has Shops, and Legacy has MUD. The smaller and thoroughly debated frontier has Ensoul Aggro. Ensoul is a deck that uses Ensoul Artifact to boost up small creatures to get in obscene amounts of damage, and finish of the opponent with Shrapnel Blast. Ever since the format’s inception, Ensoul Aggro has been a widely discussed and experimented archetype, with many ways of building it. This primer will discuss key cards, techs, and sideboard choices
Before we begin to discuss card choices, we should highlight the decks strengths and weaknesses.
Ensoul excels at fast kills - sometimes as early as turn 3, but usually on turn 4 or 5. By playing cards like Bomat Courier, you are able to quickly dump your hand, and refill it with a couple cards. One of the strongest plays this deck has is Ensouling Darksteel Citadel. In game one, most decks are not equipped to deal with a 5/5 indestructible, which gains trample from Temur Battle-Rage or Built to Smash (a card that is seldom used but I highly recommend). Hangarback Walker is an all-star in the deck, since they dodge common sweepers like Languish and Crux of Fate (people haven’t caught on to Flaying Tendrils).
However, Ensoul is easily hated out. this is common for most artifact decks, but frontier has some very good tools to deal with the deck, such as Dromoka’s Command, Reclamation Sage, Reality Shift, Manglehorn, and Kolaghan’s Command. Thopter heavy decks fold to early sweepers, like the ones discussed above, and the creature being Ensouled can be killed while Ensoul is on the stack, creating some unfavorable trades for the pilot.
Despite all this, the deck remains Tier 1, falling short of Atarka Red and Abzan.
Ensoul Aggro a couple key cards that are used in all versions of the deck:
The namesake of the deck has been discussed above. This enchantment has multiple targets in the deck, and is also supported by cards that generate Thopter tokens which function as additional targets. Early targets, such as Darksteel Citadel, Bomat Courier and Hope of Ghirapur (in a pinch, Ghostfire Blade) gives you a fast clock.
Shrapnel Blast gives the deck explosive finishes. The 5 to the face on top of the 5 from the Ensouled artifact will drop your opponent very quickly. If you ever find yourself pointing Shrapnel Blast at an opponent’s creature, you’re probably in a really bad spot.
Ghostfire Blade turns our weak 1-drops into substantial bodies. Though they still die to a Spell-Mastered Fiery Temper and Lightning Strike, Ghostfire blade is an incredible buff to our deck since it can go on anything with ease.
The infamous Looter Scooter joins the table as MVP of the deck. Ensouling Smuggler’s Copter makes it so that you don’t have to crew it to attack or block. The evasion and relevant ability make it a reliable creature, but with the +2/+2 it gets from Ensoul and Blade, Copter is an incredible addition to the deck.
After including these cards in your list, you have an important decision to make. What flavour of Ensoul do I want to play? The below sections will discuss known versions of Ensoul Aggro. Following the four flavours will be a section discussing individual cards and their strengths.
Flavour One: Regular UR Ensoul Aggro
My personal favorite and the most consistent version of Ensoul Aggro. This deck includes the above cards, and curves out with Aethersphere Harvester, Thopter Engineer, and Pia and Kiran Nalaar. This is a very Thopter heavy deck type, which gives the pilot many notable inclusions such as Hangarback Walker and Tomb of the Spirit Dragon. Out of the other flavors, this one has the best mana, average recovery, and average speed. An example can be found below.
Flavour Two: Turbo UR Ensoul Aggro
An incredible deck that has scarcely popped up in tournaments, this variant is the fastest version of Ensoul Aggro. The deck caps out at 2-drops, and plays a wide array of spells that pump the bots to deal massive amounts of damage. Aggressive creatures like Scrapheap Scrounger and combo kill spells like Built to Smash and Temur Battle-Rage allow your 1-drops and 2-drops to steamroll anything your opponent throws at you. This deck type has poor recovery, since you dump your hand very quickly to make your creatures huge.
Flavour Three: Grixis 8Soul Aggro
Highly favored since it can run Unlicensed Disintegration, Tezzeret’s Touch (as Ensoul 5-8), Fatal Push, and several sideboard cards, Grixis Ensoul is incredibly consistent on turning artifacts into 5/5s while removing threats and fat blockers like Siege Rhino and Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet. This version is slightly slower with the manabase available in frontier, but still able to put up great results.
Flavour Four: 4C 8Soul Aggro
A very wild and surprisingly effective deck, this flavor plays fewer 1-drop artifacts in favor of humans and artificers: Inventor’s Apprentice/Thraben Inspector/Toolcraft Exemplar. This deck does manage to play the cards mentioned in Grixis 8Soul Aggro. If the deck manages to assemble its manabase, it has slightly above average speed and moderate recover, thanks to Thraben inspector and the extra Ensouls.
0-drop Card Choices
Ornithopter - Evasive creature that carries Ghostfire Blade and Ensoul well. Can’t crew copter and bad in multiples. Hangarback Walker - Excellent at every point in the game. Leaves bodies behind when chumping or after a board wipe.
(SB) Tormod’s Crypt - A must have to combat Rally Combo. Can also be pitched to Shrapnel, or Ensouled.
1-drop Card Choices
Bomat Courier - 1/1 Haste on the play, which can turn into a 3/3 or 5/5 the turn after allows for large amounts of damage to accumulate quickly. Ghostfire Blade - A core card that should never be excluded from the deck. Can boost artifacts into very large creatures very quickly. Inventor’s Apprentice - A good creature to play since it dodges artifact removal. In a pinch can be boosted with Blade or Smash. Toolcraft Exemplar - Another good creature to play that dodges artifact removal. 3/2 on turn 2, which can also get first strike, can be a great offensive creature. It loses its buffs outside of combat, which becomes incredibly unfavorable in a stalling game. Thraben Inspector - A creature relevant at every point in the game. Creates a token that can be Ensouled or blasted. Not many people want to waste their removal on a vanilla Clue Token. Stubborn Denial - Played MB in some decks (preference), an excellent counterspell that hits a lot of relevant cards like Copter, Lili, Cast Out, etc. Collateral Damage - A bolt-like card with the condition of sacking an artifact. Warrants a spot in some builds, generally unfavorable. Lightning Strike does the same job and doesn’t put you an artifact under. Hope of Ghirapur - I would never imagine playing a deck without three of these. If it weren’t legendary, I would be running 4. The evasion and relevant ability vs many decks is too great to pass up.
(SB) Dispel - I prefer this over Stubborn. Hits Coco, Droko, Koko, Dig, etc. when Ensoul isn’t online
(SB) Fiery Impulse/Wild Slash/Magma Spray - Great against low to the ground decks. In my opinion, Wild Slash is the best since it stops Copy Cat, but the extra damage from Impulse and exile clause from Spray can be relevant to your meta.
(SB) Cartouche of Zeal - A very effective card against GW decks, letting you dodge Droko. The +1/+1 and haste is great early, and the unblockable ability becomes great late game on a clogged board.
2-drop Card Choices
Ensoul Artifact - See entire first section. Shrapnel Blast - See Ensoul Artifact. Temur Battle Rage - An amazing card that can close out games when cast on any pumped creature. Fling - Can be seen as Shrapnel Blast 5-8. If you do choose to include this in your deck, beware that this card is never exactly Shrapnel Blast. Sure, you can fling for 7, but you can also fling for 1, 3, or 5. You also can’t Fling Darksteel Citadel for 5. Scrapheap Scrounger - I cannot imagine why a recursive 3/2 artifact would not be played. It holds Blade very well. Phyrexian Revoker - Another body that wears blade well. It can lock out cycling cards, planeswalkers, and Smuggler’s Copter from the match. Smuggler’s Copter - See Ensoul Artifact.
(SB) Disdainful Stroke - Hits cards that create problems, like GAoZ, Torrential, Dig, Languish, Crux, Fumigate, Walker/Ballista. I generally bring this in to every control match I play.
(SB) Reality Shift - A really weird card that deals with problems effectively.
(SB) Smash to Smithereens - Great in the mirror or against decks that generate a lot of clues.
(SB) Aven Mindcensor - Good against Elves and greedy mana bases, but you’re probably better off playing sweepers in your sideboard and just let them play their lands.
3-drop Card Choices
Tezzert’s Touch - Ensoul 5-8 with the added bonus of returning the creature to your hand when it dies. Incredible when paired with Hope of Ghirapur. Unlicensed Disintegration - The only spot removal played maindeck in UBR versions. Heliod’s Pilgrim - An obscure tech for WUR/WUBR versions. Able to search out the Ensouls and provide a body to chump. Open the Armory - Same as above only no body to chump. Thopter Engineer - A great creature that generates a Thopter. Anthems haste to all our artifacts. Personally closed out games on many occasions and should definitely be included when possible. Aethersphere Harvester - Another vehicle sometimes included. The lifelink is a relevant ability further amplified by blade and Ensoul.
(SB) Kari Zev’s Expertise - A shameless and personal sideboard card brought in during grindy matchups. Stealing a huge Tireless Tracker and casting Battle Rage on it is more of a problem than your own Ensouled creatures sometimes.
(SB) Hushwing Gryff - Played in WUR/WUBR versions. Stops Scales and Tracker decks, along with other relevant creatures like Siege Rhino.
(SB) Metallic Rebuke - A counterspell that can use Summoning Sick artifact creatures or blades to decrease the mana cost.
4-drop Card Choices
Pia and Kiran Nalaar - Super grindy card, great against Mossy Mardu for providing blockers, and blowing things up when you need gas.
5-drop Card Choices
Maverick Thopterist - An alternative to Pia and Kiran with the upside of being able to be cast for UR, but with no relevant late game ability.
"It's my first time playing Frontier and I want to play ensoul! What should I do? What should I Play?
The friendliest version to play is regular UR ensoul. It can perform really well against most decks in the format, racing atarka red, out pacing control, mowing through other creature decks, etc. However, the deck has serious problems going against abzan and scale decks. Abzan Charm hits our citadel when ensouled, and we all know what droko does. An example list can be found below.
This card makes me unreasonably angry aha. Its a great card and I'll be running it in my SB in place of Smash, but I may be moving a dispel or two into the MB as well. I'll probably cut 2/4 Built to Smash for 2 Dispel and test from there.
Thats worst case scenario though. a lot of decks already play kommand which hasnt effected how i built my deck.
I saw the list, and I've been meaning to comment on how it looks.
It seems a bit scattered? The manabase looks fine, but the spells and creatures could use some work.
1 Scrap Trawler - Seems a bit random as a one of, but the inclusion of Scrounger makes it seem worth it. Better of as a K-command maybe?
3 Hope of Ghirapur - I used to run 3, but found that it works better @ 2
3 Ornithopter - Way too many if you ask me. dead on empty board, easy push target, can't crew anything without blade.
1 Jace, Vryn's Prodigy - Better later in the game, which should have been won or lost by then. You go turn 1 Citadel + Blade/Bomat/Hope/ nothing. would you rather your turn 2 be dropping Ensoul or JVP? Turn 3, sure if you have nothing better to do. It warrants a spot in this list because of all the spells OP is playing but that in itself seems odd.
2 Stubborn Denial - Personal preference of in main or in side. I flip flop between the two.
2 Collective Brutality - I like this
1 Wild Slash - playing fetches, why not push, or make more room for push?
1 Unlicensed Disintegration - also a good inclusion in UBR
I think the issue with HoK is the crew cost. Three is a lot, and even though it can be achieved with Scrounger or equipping a Blade onto one of our creatures, its not worth it. Of course when it gets ensouled its good, but until something with 3 power comes along it'll be doing nothing.
Restoration specialist is reaaaaally interesting. I would love to do some testing with it, but I can't at the moment. I do think that it'd be a good one of in WUR or WUBR ensoul.
Artifact decks have always been popular no matter the format. Pauper has True Affinity, Modern has Robots, Vintage has Shops, and Legacy has MUD. The smaller and thoroughly debated frontier has Ensoul Aggro. Ensoul is a deck that uses Ensoul Artifact to boost up small creatures to get in obscene amounts of damage, and finish of the opponent with Shrapnel Blast. Ever since the format’s inception, Ensoul Aggro has been a widely discussed and experimented archetype, with many ways of building it. This primer will discuss key cards, techs, and sideboard choices
Before we begin to discuss card choices, we should highlight the decks strengths and weaknesses.
Ensoul excels at fast kills - sometimes as early as turn 3, but usually on turn 4 or 5. By playing cards like Bomat Courier, you are able to quickly dump your hand, and refill it with a couple cards. One of the strongest plays this deck has is Ensouling Darksteel Citadel. In game one, most decks are not equipped to deal with a 5/5 indestructible, which gains trample from Temur Battle-Rage or Built to Smash (a card that is seldom used but I highly recommend). Hangarback Walker is an all-star in the deck, since they dodge common sweepers like Languish and Crux of Fate (people haven’t caught on to Flaying Tendrils).
However, Ensoul is easily hated out. this is common for most artifact decks, but frontier has some very good tools to deal with the deck, such as Dromoka’s Command, Reclamation Sage, Reality Shift, Manglehorn, and Kolaghan’s Command. Thopter heavy decks fold to early sweepers, like the ones discussed above, and the creature being Ensouled can be killed while Ensoul is on the stack, creating some unfavorable trades for the pilot.
Despite all this, the deck remains Tier 1, falling short of Atarka Red and Abzan.
Ensoul Aggro a couple key cards that are used in all versions of the deck:
4x Ensoul Artifact
4x Shrapnel Blast
3x Ghostfire Blade
4x Smuggler’s Copter
The namesake of the deck has been discussed above. This enchantment has multiple targets in the deck, and is also supported by cards that generate Thopter tokens which function as additional targets. Early targets, such as Darksteel Citadel, Bomat Courier and Hope of Ghirapur (in a pinch, Ghostfire Blade) gives you a fast clock.
Shrapnel Blast gives the deck explosive finishes. The 5 to the face on top of the 5 from the Ensouled artifact will drop your opponent very quickly. If you ever find yourself pointing Shrapnel Blast at an opponent’s creature, you’re probably in a really bad spot.
Ghostfire Blade turns our weak 1-drops into substantial bodies. Though they still die to a Spell-Mastered Fiery Temper and Lightning Strike, Ghostfire blade is an incredible buff to our deck since it can go on anything with ease.
The infamous Looter Scooter joins the table as MVP of the deck. Ensouling Smuggler’s Copter makes it so that you don’t have to crew it to attack or block. The evasion and relevant ability make it a reliable creature, but with the +2/+2 it gets from Ensoul and Blade, Copter is an incredible addition to the deck.
After including these cards in your list, you have an important decision to make. What flavour of Ensoul do I want to play? The below sections will discuss known versions of Ensoul Aggro. Following the four flavours will be a section discussing individual cards and their strengths.
My personal favorite and the most consistent version of Ensoul Aggro. This deck includes the above cards, and curves out with Aethersphere Harvester, Thopter Engineer, and Pia and Kiran Nalaar. This is a very Thopter heavy deck type, which gives the pilot many notable inclusions such as Hangarback Walker and Tomb of the Spirit Dragon. Out of the other flavors, this one has the best mana, average recovery, and average speed. An example can be found below.
An incredible deck that has scarcely popped up in tournaments, this variant is the fastest version of Ensoul Aggro. The deck caps out at 2-drops, and plays a wide array of spells that pump the bots to deal massive amounts of damage. Aggressive creatures like Scrapheap Scrounger and combo kill spells like Built to Smash and Temur Battle-Rage allow your 1-drops and 2-drops to steamroll anything your opponent throws at you. This deck type has poor recovery, since you dump your hand very quickly to make your creatures huge.
Highly favored since it can run Unlicensed Disintegration, Tezzeret’s Touch (as Ensoul 5-8), Fatal Push, and several sideboard cards, Grixis Ensoul is incredibly consistent on turning artifacts into 5/5s while removing threats and fat blockers like Siege Rhino and Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet. This version is slightly slower with the manabase available in frontier, but still able to put up great results.
A very wild and surprisingly effective deck, this flavor plays fewer 1-drop artifacts in favor of humans and artificers: Inventor’s Apprentice/Thraben Inspector/Toolcraft Exemplar. This deck does manage to play the cards mentioned in Grixis 8Soul Aggro. If the deck manages to assemble its manabase, it has slightly above average speed and moderate recover, thanks to Thraben inspector and the extra Ensouls.
Ornithopter - Evasive creature that carries Ghostfire Blade and Ensoul well. Can’t crew copter and bad in multiples.
Hangarback Walker - Excellent at every point in the game. Leaves bodies behind when chumping or after a board wipe.
(SB) Tormod’s Crypt - A must have to combat Rally Combo. Can also be pitched to Shrapnel, or Ensouled.
Bomat Courier - 1/1 Haste on the play, which can turn into a 3/3 or 5/5 the turn after allows for large amounts of damage to accumulate quickly.
Ghostfire Blade - A core card that should never be excluded from the deck. Can boost artifacts into very large creatures very quickly.
Inventor’s Apprentice - A good creature to play since it dodges artifact removal. In a pinch can be boosted with Blade or Smash.
Toolcraft Exemplar - Another good creature to play that dodges artifact removal. 3/2 on turn 2, which can also get first strike, can be a great offensive creature. It loses its buffs outside of combat, which becomes incredibly unfavorable in a stalling game.
Thraben Inspector - A creature relevant at every point in the game. Creates a token that can be Ensouled or blasted. Not many people want to waste their removal on a vanilla Clue Token.
Stubborn Denial - Played MB in some decks (preference), an excellent counterspell that hits a lot of relevant cards like Copter, Lili, Cast Out, etc.
Collateral Damage - A bolt-like card with the condition of sacking an artifact. Warrants a spot in some builds, generally unfavorable. Lightning Strike does the same job and doesn’t put you an artifact under.
Hope of Ghirapur - I would never imagine playing a deck without three of these. If it weren’t legendary, I would be running 4. The evasion and relevant ability vs many decks is too great to pass up.
(SB) Dispel - I prefer this over Stubborn. Hits Coco, Droko, Koko, Dig, etc. when Ensoul isn’t online
(SB) Fiery Impulse/Wild Slash/Magma Spray - Great against low to the ground decks. In my opinion, Wild Slash is the best since it stops Copy Cat, but the extra damage from Impulse and exile clause from Spray can be relevant to your meta.
(SB) Cartouche of Zeal - A very effective card against GW decks, letting you dodge Droko. The +1/+1 and haste is great early, and the unblockable ability becomes great late game on a clogged board.
Ensoul Artifact - See entire first section.
Shrapnel Blast - See Ensoul Artifact.
Temur Battle Rage - An amazing card that can close out games when cast on any pumped creature.
Fling - Can be seen as Shrapnel Blast 5-8. If you do choose to include this in your deck, beware that this card is never exactly Shrapnel Blast. Sure, you can fling for 7, but you can also fling for 1, 3, or 5. You also can’t Fling Darksteel Citadel for 5.
Scrapheap Scrounger - I cannot imagine why a recursive 3/2 artifact would not be played. It holds Blade very well.
Phyrexian Revoker - Another body that wears blade well. It can lock out cycling cards, planeswalkers, and Smuggler’s Copter from the match.
Smuggler’s Copter - See Ensoul Artifact.
(SB) Disdainful Stroke - Hits cards that create problems, like GAoZ, Torrential, Dig, Languish, Crux, Fumigate, Walker/Ballista. I generally bring this in to every control match I play.
(SB) Reality Shift - A really weird card that deals with problems effectively.
(SB) Smash to Smithereens - Great in the mirror or against decks that generate a lot of clues.
(SB) Aven Mindcensor - Good against Elves and greedy mana bases, but you’re probably better off playing sweepers in your sideboard and just let them play their lands.
Tezzert’s Touch - Ensoul 5-8 with the added bonus of returning the creature to your hand when it dies. Incredible when paired with Hope of Ghirapur.
Unlicensed Disintegration - The only spot removal played maindeck in UBR versions.
Heliod’s Pilgrim - An obscure tech for WUR/WUBR versions. Able to search out the Ensouls and provide a body to chump.
Open the Armory - Same as above only no body to chump.
Thopter Engineer - A great creature that generates a Thopter. Anthems haste to all our artifacts. Personally closed out games on many occasions and should definitely be included when possible.
Aethersphere Harvester - Another vehicle sometimes included. The lifelink is a relevant ability further amplified by blade and Ensoul.
(SB) Kari Zev’s Expertise - A shameless and personal sideboard card brought in during grindy matchups. Stealing a huge Tireless Tracker and casting Battle Rage on it is more of a problem than your own Ensouled creatures sometimes.
(SB) Hushwing Gryff - Played in WUR/WUBR versions. Stops Scales and Tracker decks, along with other relevant creatures like Siege Rhino.
(SB) Metallic Rebuke - A counterspell that can use Summoning Sick artifact creatures or blades to decrease the mana cost.
Pia and Kiran Nalaar - Super grindy card, great against Mossy Mardu for providing blockers, and blowing things up when you need gas.
Maverick Thopterist - An alternative to Pia and Kiran with the upside of being able to be cast for UR, but with no relevant late game ability.
The friendliest version to play is regular UR ensoul. It can perform really well against most decks in the format, racing atarka red, out pacing control, mowing through other creature decks, etc. However, the deck has serious problems going against abzan and scale decks. Abzan Charm hits our citadel when ensouled, and we all know what droko does. An example list can be found below.
4 Bomat Courier
3 Hope of Ghirapur
3 Hangarback Walker
3 Scrapheap Scrounger
4 Thopter Engineer
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
Spells
4 Ensoul Artifact
4 Shrapnel Blast
3 Smuggler's Copter
3 Ghostfire Blade
4 Wild Slash
2 Built to Smash
4 Shivan Reef
4 Spirebluff Canal
1 Wandering Fumarole
4 Darksteel Citadel
4 Spire of Industry
4 Mountain
2 Tormod's Crypt
3 Dispel
2 Disdainful Stroke
2 Smash to Smithereens
3 Kari Zev's Expertise
1 Twin Bolt
2 Phyrexian Revoker