Welcome to my primer! This deck is optimized for lightning fast combo and aggro kills, it's tuned for tournament play, and you won't find a faster or stronger Arcum list anywhere. It's also tons of fun when you're blowing up stuff and swinging with a blightsteel colossus or two. Or three. Thanks for stopping by and please feel free to ask questions, offer suggestions, or add comments.
Arcum is a top tier general that is fast, consistent, and powerful. This deck is tuned to kill so if you came here looking for a mediocre deck to play long sociable games, you came to the wrong place.
This is NOT a resource-denial style of deck that prevents people from playing (including yourself) and grinds the game down to a halt, resulting in a long and painful gaming experience that earns you the hatred of everyone you're playing against. This deck is fast, consistent, and it either blows up your opponents' permanents or smashes them with aggro.
Why not some other blue general?
To put it quite simply, there is no other general that does what Arcum can do. I have always had an affinity for artifacts (pardon the pun, heh heh) and the ability to seek out any artifact in a 100-card singleton format and put it directly onto the battlefield is right up my alley. The only thing I might like more is a red/blue general that does the kinds of things that goblin welder does.
Is Arcum right for you?
---------------
You might be an Arcum player if...
You like explosive, powerful decks.
You have a tournament coming up.
You like beating aggro decks at their own game.
You like decks that make you think.
You like decks with variety.
You like being ganged up on and winning anyway.
Stay away from Arcum if...
You don't like tier 1 decks because people gang up on you.
You like long, slow games.
You don't like combos or shuffling.
You like simple decks that don't require a lot of thinking.
You think it is lame to play top-tier generals.
Your playgroup hates people that play monoblue generals.
Background
Arcum Dagsson was a researcher in the Kjeldoran city of Soldev during the Ice Age. He and the other Soldevi machinists studied ancient artifacts, particularly those from the Brothers' War, and used their designs to create their own versions. He intended to use the artifacts to aid Soldev and Kjeldor, but the excavated Phyrexian war beasts, as well as his own steam beasts, went out of control due to the meddling of the Soldevi Adnates and destroyed the city. Following this catastrophe, Dagsson devoted his life to making amends for the damage he had caused and played a significant role in stopping Heidar's Ice Phyrexians.
According to lore, Arcum focused on using his abilities to take menacing creatures and turn them into harmless artifacts. In EDH he does the opposite - he takes harmless creatures and turns them into menacing artifacts.
Deck history & Personal bio
I have played mtg since 1997. About five years ago, after not having played mtg for a year or two, I went to a local card shop with some vintage/casual decks because I heard they played mtg there. The only thing that people were playing there was edh, a format that I had never heard of before. So I went home and checked out various generals to see what piqued my interest.
I had a vintage deck called 'utility belt' that abused cards like tinker and goblin welder to put nasty artifacts on the battlefield. I loved the synergies and interactions in the deck and I was discouraged to find that I wasn't allowed to play tinker in edh, but I was allowed to play a tinker general, which is even better. I quickly made a basic deck using what cards I had available, and went back to the shop to see how it fared against other decks. To my surprise, this unfinished build pretty much thrashed every deck it went against. I still saw great room for improvement though and I have been tweaking it ever since. This decklist is the product of 5 years of playing and playtesting. I eventually pimped it out as well.
Deck pics
And here's the islands I used to use:
Q&A
Q: How fast is this deck? A: It typically kills or gets a nevinyrral's disk/darksteel forge lock on turn 3-5. It can win on turn 1 and I have killed on turn 2 before. Like any deck, how fast it goes off is largely dependent on how much disruption it has to deal with.
Q: Mishra's workshop is expensive. Is it necessary? A: Nope. But it can provide a HUGE boost and speed up the deck considerably.
Q: Have you ever played this deck in a tournament? A: Yes. There was a local edh tournament with about 20 players. I played 4 tables of people and it killed every person at every table. I've tweaked it since then so its actually better now than it was then.
How is this deck different from some other decklists?
When building and tweaking your arcum deck I recommend that you check multiple arcum decklists on mtgs, all of which have great ideas to help you decide on how to build your deck.
Competitiveness. This deck is optimized to be as fast and strong as possible. If you see a decklist that lacks a force of will, or uses weird things like dross scorpion or null brooch (that countermagic isn't even good enough for nonblue decks, let alone a blue one), that's not a competitive deck. Which is fine for playing friendly games with your buddies, but if you want to be able to compete with tier 1 decks like hermit druid, ad nauseum, and other decks that typically win around turn 3 or sooner, then this decklist is the one for you. My meta are all experienced players who use a lot of removal and they save it all for me when I play this deck. This list is the result of 6 years of tweaking and tuning to make it as cutthroat as possible in order to survive tons of hate from ruthless players.
Politics. I have read elsewhere how some people ignore politics and just focus on winning. This makes no sense - why would ignoring tactics help you to win? I employ every tactical advantage I've learned in the last 16 years of playing this game to make this deck as cutthroat as possible. I explain some of the political strategies in the politics section. Politics isn't about making people feel better or trying not to hurt their feelings, its about getting people to do what you want them to do. EDH is interactive - player politics matter.
Aggro. Although I only added one beefy creature - blightsteel colossus - in a toolbox deck like this he comes out regularly and always makes his presence felt. With all the copy/clone-type cards he often comes out in pairs or triplets.
Speed. This primer puts great emphasis on killing your opponents quickly and on giving your opponents very little time to stop you once you are able to combo out. I read on other arcum lists that they often use arcum to fetch myr turbine first (a wasted arcum activation if you ask me), then nevinyrral's disk, then darksteel forge and then mycosynth lattice on following turns. That takes a long time so ask yourself this question - what is more likely to work in your meta: laying a bunch of combo pieces over multiple turns and giving your opponents that much time to disrupt you, or winning the game in one turn? If you chose the latter, then this primer is for you. My playgroup certainly won't durdle around for 3-4 turns and idly watch as I combo out. Plus, most of the disruption is 1cmc or less.
Fun. Despite how powerful this deck is, it does not sacrifice fun to gain this competitive edge. Being able to destroy everybody else's stuff and turning 1-3 blighsteels sideways is a blast.
By this time you want to cast arcum and have enough left over for a counterspell, you want to have fodder for him to use his ability on, and you want to be able to give him haste. If you don't have all these things and your meta plays a lot of removal, you might want to delay casting him for a round or two. Sometimes I'll cast arcum without haste if I can protect him well (counterspells, spellskite, etc) but against competitive players, you don't want to be the first person to drop bombs unless you can defend them. Holding back is often wise - people hold back counterspells/removal for the first person to threaten them and letting your opponents use up their resources on others is a strong tactical move.
Once you have arcum in play and he is able to use his ability, there are two paths to winning:
1) Blow stuff up. At the end of the previous player's turn, use arcum to put nevinyrral's disk in play, then start your turn, put darksteel forge in play and blow the disk (the disk stays on the battlefield because of the forge). After this point, you can blow the disk every turn and your artifacts will remain. Most people concede at this point but they're welcome to wait until you get mycosynth lattice in play so you can destroy their lands too.
*Note: If you put disk in play, and then mycosynth lattice instead of darksteel forge, and you think that next turn you'll still have them and be able to put darksteel forge in play to crush your opponents...think again. Only a weak meta will let you get away with something like that. In competitive play, its better to put disk and forge in at once and use the disk to slow down your opponents, and then bring the lattice in after.
2) Make an infinite mana engine (such as rings of brighthearth + basalt monolith, or metalworker + staff of domination, or grim monolith + power artifact) and then abuse it with things like ring of three wishes or staff of domination to win the game, often with a blightsteel colossus or three (phyrexian metamorph and sculpting steel are great clones) delivering the final blow.
Before you decide which path to victory, consider the wincons and determine what would enable the easiest and quickest win. Sometimes I go for disk + forge, other times I tutor for rings of brighthearth first then use the rings to tutor away 2 mana dorks for 2 more combo pieces for the win. With all the win options though, I often don't need to tutor away 2 creatures since the last part of the combo I need is often in my hand. Essentially you should consider all the ways to win, decide which one is easiest to accomplish, then make it happen. Check out the wincons section to see what your options are.
Wincons
There are typically 3 pieces required to kill people, and the first two are for making mana. The third piece kills the person or gets me the card(s) I need to kill them. There are many ways that this deck can kill and in order to pilot the deck well you want to be familiar with all of them:
I typically kill my opponents by making an infinite mana combo and drawing/tutoring into blightsteel colossus and something to clone it with (phyrexian metamorph/copy artifact/sculpting steel), and I can usually equip them with lightning greaves and swiftfoot boots and attack. Another option once you have infinite mana is to make an infinitely big hangarback walker or better yet, sack it to arcum's ability for infinite thopter tokens.
EDH is a social game where the primary goal is not winning, but in having fu… oh who am I kidding – of course winning is everything. Lets talk about how to kill people.
There are two aspects that I consider when I want to win:
1) My tactical game.
2) My political game.
Tactics
This deck has 6 counterspells that cost 1cmc or less to play. And 2 creature removal that cost U as well. That's about more than just speed and efficiency too because smart players always look at what mana the blue players have untapped before they play their important spells; if two islands are untapped, they tend to hold back the important cards. It's a good idea to intentionally leave only one island untapped to lure them into playing important spells.
Arcum is a great tactical general because he can go from having very little in play to an all-powerful board-state in a single turn. The ability to put the deadliest artifacts into play at instant speed for zero mana makes him a killing machine. There are two things that I consider when I want to kill someone: what win condition to use and timing.
Timing is everything. I first played arcum by using him to put a new powerful artifact on the battlefield every turn and after a few turns I should be able to combo out and kill people. I have since learned that in a competitive meta you cannot expect flashy artifacts to remain for more than a turn or two. This deck strives to leave only the smallest window of opportunity for your opponents to stop you - 1 turn only. If I don't have what I need to win in one turn I tend to hold off until I can. I don't risk leaving essential combo pieces on the board unless my death is imminent.
Once arcum is in play, it is best to keep him dormant until the last player’s EOT step. That is when you activate arcum to get a combo piece. Then you start your turn, untap and draw, then activate him again and win on your turn. If your opponents don't have removal, they are tapped out, or their removal spells are sorceries (revoke existence and dust to dust are common in my meta) then you win.
An example of the one turn win:
This isn't about winning on turn 1. That's possible, but unlikely--I have killed on turn 2 before though.
This is about winning the turn after you have arcum in play and are able to activate him.
Lets say that you have Arcum in play, some lands (including a mishra's factory), a tapped mana vault, and a palladium myr and no cards in hand and that's it because your opponents have been mercilessly countering your spells, destroying your artifacts, and making you discard. You have a frustrated look on your face to show everyone that you're screwed...
....but inside you're smiling because this is actually a pretty strong board position. At the previous player's EoT you can sack your factory for nevinyrral's disk then start your turn, sack the palladium myr for a darksteel forge, and blow stuff up. Arcum dies too but that's okay because you now dominate the board - you can blow the disk every turn and your artifacts will remain.
Or if you draw one of the ~20 cards that are artifact creatures or can become an artifact creature, you can instead use rings of brighthearth to sack 2 artifact creatures and grab 2 combo pieces for the win. Or perhaps you drew a fact or fiction, memory jar, thirst for knowledge, impulse, ponder, preordain, brainstorm, or other search/draw spell - there's a good chance that any of these cards will find you what you need.
In total there are about 30 different cards which would have ensured victory instantly, and numerous others which could tutor/search for one of those 30 cards. This is the power of Arcum - he goes from being totally harmless to being all-powerful in seconds.
What about exile effects and mass-removal?
Sometimes I will have every artifact I cast or put into play destroyed or exiled, and this is when Arcum struggles. This is when it is good to lay low, avoid putting anything threatening on the battlefield, and quietly draw and tutor for something to kill people with.
The fact that this deck is so geared to win in one turn helps to avoid mass-removal and exile effects because those cards are usually sorceries and they don't generally want to waste a boardwipe on their turn when you have nothing threatening in play. The best way to withstand mass-removal is to make your permanents indestructible using mycosynth lattice and darksteel forge.
There are also counterspells to prevent board wipes and exile effects but if they do manage to get through, Arcum rolls with the punches very well by rebuilding with the help of tutoring and card draw. Keep in mind there are also ways of getting artifacts back out of the graveyard after a mass-removal: buried ruin, academy ruins, myr retriever, and junk diver.
Politics
Politics is not about keeping others happy, it's about getting them to do what you want them to do. Appearing harmless while emphasizing how dangerous your opponents are is an example of a political play and this is important when you are using a top-tier general. Arcum is a good political general because the moment before he creates infinite combos, he looks harmless (assuming you’re following my advice about timing). This makes it easy to minimize how threatening you appear and emphasizing how threatening other players are.
I avoid bad political cards such as possessed portal. This card is fine in 1vs1 (so long as its part of a stax package with smokestack, tangle wire, etc) but in multiplayer games, it does 2 things: it hurts you as well as your opponents, and it makes the game archenemy against you.
Other political plays include forming temporary alliances, mentioning deadly cards that might lurk in your opponents' hands, asking 'innocent' questions about how powerful a player's creatures are to remind others of the threat they pose, offering helpful suggestions to others (that don't interfere with your own gameplan of course), and offering to accept a minor attack in the hope that the attacker will aim future (and more powerful) attacks elsewhere.
Weaknesses
One weakness of the deck is that it is very reliant on Arcum and it suffers if someone else takes control of him. If this happens this can make it very difficult to get the cards you need to defeat your opponents. Even so, with all the card draw and tutoring in this deck, he is often not needed. If I don't need him I might still cast him to absorb spot removal and make my opponents think that I have been slowed down.
Hellkite tyrant is nasty. Fear this creature. If someone is playing Kaalia and they cast a tutor before they attack you, expect to be introduced to this beast.
Although cards like null rod and stony silence would be very disruptive to Arcum, I never encounter them in my meta. One card that I do encounter though is humility. Fortunately, everyone else seems to hate humility as much as I do and if I don't kill it with something, somebody else probably will. Arcum has a lot of tutoring and card draw so if he is shut down with a card like this, the deck still has a lot of options and can usually find what it needs to recover.
Jester's cap can strip away key combo pieces, but being capped once should still leave Arcum with other options. If, for example, they took rings of brighthearth/power artifact/nevinyrral's disk from your deck, that would hurt but you can still beat them down with colossus. The various clone-type cards (sculpting steel, copy artifact, phyrexian metamorph) can copy the colossus or your opponents' creatures if you have mycosynth lattice in play. And with lattice in play, you can copy anything with those.
Stranglehold is difficult to deal with as well. When I see this I counter it if I can, or hope to find spine of ish sah or karn liberated to take care of it. Other times I manage to find the cards I need to win without using Arcum so it becomes irrelevant.
Wrath of god and their ilk can wipe the board of Arcum (and his myr friends if you can't get darksteel forge on the battlefield in time) but I'm pretty used to Arcum dying and being recasted so this slows you down, but it typically slows down your opponents too so its not so bad.
Blightsteel colossus is all the beatdown you need in a deck that is so good at tutoring and cloning creatures. His ability to enter the library after hitting the graveyard can be used to your advantage as well - I once won a game after having my library wiped out by vendillion clique + tunnel vision by using Arcum to sack the colossus (finding nothing in the library), which shuffled the colossus into my library so I didnt die on my draw step, and recasting it and attacking with it repeatedly. That was a fun game.
master transmuter is a versatile card that does the jobs that Arcum doesn't. I love using her to return a tapped mana vault or mana crypt to my hand and drop a combo piece or high-cost artifact into play. Sometimes she's the ultimate blocker, that puts herself in my hand and returns it to play. Or she removes spine of ish sah and returns it to play. With rings of brighthearth in play you can return 1 artifact and put 2 more on the battlefield.
Phyrexian metamorph is amazing. It can kill your enemy's legendary creature when it enters play, or copy your own colossus or an enemy creature such as a primordial. You might copy one of your own or someone else's utility artifacts. Its extremely versatile.
Spellskite is fodder for arcum and provides protection for him and other permanents you control. Usually when this guy is on the board I'm redirecting an opponent's spell or ability to him then sacking him in response. And its always fun when someone tries to cast a big enchantment on their creature and it goes on spellskite instead.
Ornithopter. Sometimes you just want free fodder for arcum, or a flying blocker, or both. It's fetchable by tolaria west and trinket mage, reshape only costs UU to get it, and tezzeret doesn't use up any counters to fetch it.
All is dust are great removal options for blue. All is dust typically does nothing or nearly nothing to hurt this deck, but is often crippling to every other deck - plus its a pretty sweet-looking foil. It comes in handy, especially if you are unable to cast spells because of cards like contamination or iona, shield of emeria.
Cyclonic rift is so good I almost have a hard time believing its a real card. It clears the board of all your enemies non-land permanents - really?! It pains me when I have to cast it without overload to save myself.
Pongify and rapid hybridization can disable top tier decks like hermit druid and animar for only one mana.
Nevinyrral's disk is the signature board wipe of the deck. It is brutal when darksteel forge in play (since the disk doesn't die to its own effect) and if you manage to have forge and mycosynth lattice in play, it transcends from brutal and becomes obscene. When everyone's lands and other permanents are blown up, that's game over. It is also often used on its own to reset the board if needed.
Mana
My favorite games are the ones where I have mana crypt in my opening hand. Your opponents will have a very hard time trying to catch up when you begin the game with a big head start like that.
Grim monolith is a good stand-alone card for giving you the mana you need. It also combos with power artifact to make infinite mana.
guardian idol is a mana rock that can become an artifact creature if Arcum needs one.
Utility cards
Clock of omens can create a lot of mana by tapping artifacts that don't normally tap (rings, forge, lattice, etc) to untap mana artifacts like mana vault, thran dynamo, etc. When mycosynth lattice is in play it becomes really good - for example you can tap 2 lands to untap any permanent you control.
Darksteel forge is fantastic with nevinyrral's disk and it protects your stuff. There have been countless times where someone has casted something to destroy an artifact (or all artifacts) and I respond by putting the forge in play. And when someone casts armageddon and you can respond by getting forge and mycosynth lattice in play, then your lands are safe.
mycosynth lattice goes nicely with forge and disk to ruin your opponents day, but it also works nicely with clock of omens. Tapping any two artifacts to untap cards like thran dynamo, mana vault, mishra's workshop, etc can produce plenty of mana for things, and it can also untap arcum or other utility permanents you have on the board. With lattice in play, I often have Arcum sacrifice himself to his own ability.
Power artifact is used to make infinite mana when put on grim monolith or basalt monolith. Or mana vault, if you're desperate. You don't generally want to cast this unless you have one of the monoliths in play. It does not work on mana vault and it is usually not worth using on staff of domination. It might be worthwhile on ring of three wishes, however.
Rings of brighthearth is insanely good in this deck. It is the workhorse that helps to make infite mana, enable various combos, and is also great without a combo pieces as it doubles abilities of numerous other cards in the deck. You will want to know everything it doubles; for example ring of three wishes tutors for 2 cards, tezzeret fetches 2 things or untaps twice, muddle the mixture transmutes for 2 cards, arcum can sack 2 creatures to fetch 2 artifacts, minamo untaps arcum twice, master transmuter puts 2 artifacts in play, the list goes on and on.
Sculpting steel often copies a blightsteel colossus or spine of ish sah. If mycosynth lattice in play, it can copy anything such as your opponent's best creature - such as legendary eldrazi (with the upcoming legend rule that allows different players to have the same legendary creature in play).
Staff of domination is terrific in this deck. This deck can generate a lot of mana so it is great utility even when cast on its own without an infinite mana engine - it untaps creatures, gives you cards, gains you life, etc. But usually it is used to end the game after you make infinite mana.
lightning greaves, swiftfoot boots, thousand-year elixir, give Arcum haste which essentially speeds up everything one round. Speed is crucial. You do not want Arcum sitting on the battlefield and unable to use his ability if you can avoid it.
Memory jar is outstanding card draw that is always one-sided. My opponents rarely cast anything they draw from it. If I have rings + basalt in play, I hope to have either sensei's top, staff of domination, planar portal or something to tutor one of those in my hand. But if I don't, memory jar usually does the trick to find me the card I need.
Tezzeret the seeker might be the best planeswalker in edh and he shines brightest in Arcum. He always finds you what you need and with rings of brighthearth in play, he fetches 2 artifacts - which of course is game over. Or he can untap your mana vault/gilded lotus/etc for a big mana boost. I love Tezzy.
Transmute artifact is a terrific old-school card that finds you the artifact you need.
Lands
Lands that can become artifact creatures are essential for Arcum - not only to mishra's factory, inkmoth nexus, and blinkmoth nexus make great targets for Arcum, they are subtle enough to make it look like you're defenseless when actually you can tap a few things and create an unbeatable board position.
Academy ruins and buried ruin return that lost combo piece or artifact creature you need. With rings of brighthearth these lands move 2 artifacts from the graveyard. As awesome as academy ruins is, I would say buried ruin is even better in this deck.
Cavern of souls is great to get Arcum in play against other blue decks.
Oboro, palace in the clouds has an ability that isn't useful very often. Occasionally its good against land destruction or sometimes I'll have lots of colorless mana but not enough blue mana - so I'll tap it for blue, use colorless mana to return it, then lay it again for another blue mana.
I cut some really great cards, but there is method to my madness.
Until recently, I had lifeline in the deck. It was such a great card and so much fun to abuse. Arcum would often get destroyed by something and respond by fetching lifeline. Not only did this bring arcum back, it also brought back every artifact creature he sacked from then on. But, it's a little janky and it got cut in order to make the deck as quick as possible.
Karn, silver golem is another great card that works well in the deck. He can turn any artifact into fodder for arcum and he has great synergy with mycosynth lattice (together they become 1, destroy target land) but ultimately I felt that spending 5 mana to cast him slowed me down too much.
Memnarch was kind of a win-more card that usually died before I could use him effectively and he didn't really fit well in the deck. Plus he made everyone angry.
Future sight combos beautifully with sensei's divining top (together they create: 1, draw a card. And with etherium sculptor it is: 0, draw a card) but I ended up hating future sight's casting cost and it rarely worked as well as I hoped.
Mind's eye is great card draw in a lot of decks, but blue has better options.
Jace, the mind sculptor ended up being a 4cmc brainstorm every time. This deck doesn't have much for blockers so as soon as jace hit the field, all the aggro came my way to kill it.
cryptic command is a fantastic card but I just can't keep 4 mana open without holding myself back a turn. Also, smart players notice when the monoblue deck has 4 mana open and they hold back key spells accordingly.
Mindslaver has saved me a few times but most of the time all it does is tap my opponent's mana.
Rhystic study is a great card and I'd like to make room for it again. Maybe one day.
Relic of progenitus might merit a spot in this deck, I just haven't found room for it.
I had a nice foil Tamiyo, the moon sage in there for a while. It looked pretty.....but it didn't really do anything. And if I was able to use her ultimate then I probably should have won already.
Notable omissions
Epochrasite can be sacked and return a few turns later, after the game is already over, which is useless.
Myr battlesphere was in the deck for a brief time. But it was expensive to cast and did not synergize well.
Karn, silver golem is a great card and has great synergy with mycosynth lattice for destroying lands. But I found that his casting cost made him too slow for the deck.
Snapcaster mage is an incredible creature. If there was an artifact version of him that would be amazing. I`m not convinced he is good enough to merit inclusion in the deck though.
Rhystic study was in before and I often wonder if I should put it back in. I cut it when I began making the deck more focused toward achieving its win conditions. Admittedly, card advantage and slowing your opponents down mana-wise was a way of achieving that, but I took it out for something that would dig through my library for answers faster.
Myr moonvessel is 'free' but it is better to have artifact creatures that make mana before they die. If I am already to the point where I am sacking it with arcum's ability, I usually don't need the mana anymore.
Cryptic command is such a fantastic card and I had it in there for a long time and it worked great. The problem was holding back four mana usually held me back a turn.
Scarecrone was in my deck for a while but her ability was very rarely used.
Spell crumple has a 3 cmc and is too slow for this deck.
arcane denial, delay, and remand are fast and easy to cast, but there just isn`t room for them in the deck.
Elixir of immortality would usually be a dead draw. I would much rather draw a tutor or combo piece. If there was a lot of mill decks in my meta I might have considered it.
Future sight was nice card advantage, especially if sensei`s top is in play, but I cut it because of the casting cost.
Null brooch is mediocre countermagic for nonblue decks that don't have access to counterspells. Even in those decks I don't see null brooch being played. In a monoblue deck it seems silly to me.
Ensnaring bridge is definitely interesting. Combo typically beats aggro and arcum is no exception - I am more concerned with disruption and control than I am with creatures so I haven't put this in. Also, I have pongify and rapid hybridization to deal with troublesome creatures.
Possessed portal is political suicide. Everyone would probably gang up on you for the rest of the game. And if you are lucky enough to pull off a win, you probably won't win the next game because this is the kind of card that people remember and hate. You can't expect to win a multiplayer game when people are saying "oh look out guys, this is the deck with possessed portal in it."
Mindslaver can occasionally crush your opponent but usually all it really does is tap their stuff.
Unwinding clock is interesting but I prefer clock of omens for untapping things - especially since that way I can untap the same artifact more than once which plays into infinite combos with rings of brighthearth.
Explanations of combos and synergies
When you use nevinyrral's disk and you have darksteel forge in play, the disk is no longer destroyed by its own effect. So you can use it repeatedly to clear the board of nearly everything but your own artifacts. If you also have mycosynth lattice in play, you destroy everything but your own stuff, including everybody else's lands and planeswalkers.
rings of brighthearth and basalt monolith are a key part of this deck. Rings can NOT copy the mana ability of the monolith, but it can copy its untap ability. So it works like this:
1. Tap the monolith for 3.
2. Activate the monolith's untap ability, rings trigger.
3. Pay 2 for the rings' triggered ability, coyping the untap ability. There are now two untap actvations on the stack.
4. Let the first untap (the copy) resolve. Monolith untaps.
5. Tap the monolith for 3.
6. Let the second untap (the original) resolve.
At this point you have spent 5 and produced 6 and your monolith is untapped again. You repeat this process millions of times and you'll have millions of mana.
rings of brighthearth and basalt monolith and sensei's divining top. After putting infinite mana in your pool with rings and monolith,
1. Activate the top's draw ability, rings trigger.
2. Pay 2 for the rings' triggered ability, copying the draw abilitity. There are now two 'put sensei's top on top of the library and draw a card' abilities on the stack.
3. The first one resolves (the copy) - you draw a card and put sensei's top on top of the library.
4. The second one resolves - draw a card (which will be sensei's top) and since sensei's top is no longer there to be placed on the library, this part of the ability doesn't happen.
The end result is you pay 3, draw a card. Repeat as many times as you like.
rings of brighthearth + basalt monolith + planar portal (if you use the portal over the ring of three wishes). After making infinite mana you activate the portal and copy it with rings to fetch 2 cards. If one of them is a voltaic key, you can tutor infinitely quite easily.
1. Cast voltaic key. Activate voltaic key, rings trigger.
2. Pay 2 for the rings' triggered ability, copying the untap ability. There are now two 'untap target artifact' abilities on the stack.
3. The first one resolves (the copy) targeting the planar portal.
4. The second one resolves, targeting the voltaic key.
At this point, the portal and key are both untapped again and the end result is 9, tap planar portal and voltaic key, search your library for a card and put it in your hand, untap planar portal and voltaic key. Or if you choose to copy the portal's tutor ability as well the result is 11, search your library for any 2 cards and put them in your hand.
Another way to untap planar portal (and any other artifact) is by using clock of omens.
rings of brighthearth + basalt monolith + clock of omens is a good engine for untapping artifacts.
1. Activate clock of omens to tap rings of brighthearth and basalt monolith to untap target artifact. Rings triggers.
2. Pay 2 for the rings' triggered ability, copying the untap ability. There are now two 'untap target artifact' abilities on the stack.
3. The first one resolves (the copy) targeting the clock.
4. The second one resolves, targeting an artifact of your choosing.
5. Pay 3 to untap the monolith.
The end result is 5, untap target artifact.
rings of brighthearth and basalt monolith and staff of domination. This is pretty straightforward. You create infinite mana with rings and monolith then use staff of domination repeatedly, paying 1 to untap it between each activation.
power artifact + grim monolith (or basalt monolith) + ring of three wishes can provide multiple uses of ring of three wishes. Power artifact + a grim monolith (or basalt monolith) enables you to make infinite mana. At this point what I often do is:
1. Use portal to tutor for clock of omens.
2. Activate clock of omens to tap itself and basalt monolith to untap ring of three wishes.
3. Pay 2 to untap the monolith.
4. Use the portal to tutor for rings of brighthearth.
5. Cast rings of brighthearth.
6. Activate clock of omens to tap rings of brighthearth and basalt monolith to untap target artifact. Rings triggers.
7. Pay 2 for the rings' triggered ability, copying the untap ability. There are now two 'untap target artifact' abilities on the stack.
8. The first one resolves (the copy) targeting the clock.
9. The second one resolves, targeting an artifact of your choosing.
10. Pay 2 to untap the monolith.
The end result is you have 4, untap target artifact. This allows you to use ring of three wishes multiple times.
power artifact + grim monolith + staff of domination is pretty straightforward. You make infinite mana then use the staff repeatedly to gain infinite life, draw cards, tap creatures, etc.
Change log
2011
+ spellskite (fodder for Arcum that also protects him. Occasionally steals other players creature enchantments too)
+ lifeline (I swapped myr turbine for this and never looked back).
+ brainstorm (I wanted more consistency).
+ impulse (I wanted more consistency).
+ possessed portal (I thought I'd try it out)
- possessed portal (Terrible against strong players. It makes the game archenemy against you and prevents you from drawing something that might help you survive that.)
- memnarch (Bad synergy. Always got killed before it did anything)
- myr turbine. (Good card, but I like lifeline better).
- future sight (casting cost was too high)
- kuldotha forgemaster (kinda slow and klunky)
2012
- mind's eye (Blue has better options for card draw)
- mind stone (If it was a creature too, I'd love this card in here)
- karn, silver golem (Too high of a casting cost. I wanted to speed up the deck)
- voltaic construct (He was only in here because Karn was)
- jace, the mind sculptor (I got sick of casting brainstorm for 4 mana)
- tamiyo, the moon sage (This card didn't really do anything)
- ghostly flicker (I love how he protects and untaps things - but not quite good enough)
- mindslaver (Usually all this did was tap out my opponents lands. Not good enough).
- raven familiar (Man I wish this was an artifact creature)
- scarecrone (Usually a dead draw other than being fodder for Arcum. Rarely used its ability)
- neurok stealthsuit (I'd rather have haste than shroud)
- into the roil (doesn't do enough)[/CARD])
+ mystical tutor (I wanted more consistency).
+ clock of omens (I learned about this after reading forums. Great synergy).
+ mox opal (I want more speed)
+ master transmuter (Great utility. At worst, its fodder for Arcum).
+ all is dust (The damage is always one-sided and its a sexy foil).
+ reshape (This is kind of the ugly cousin of transmute artifact, but it is still worth it)
+ pact of negation (I was reluctant at first because I feared dying from not being able to pay it, but this card is great)
+ scuttlemutt (I decided that 3 cmc artifact creatures that produce mana were worth it).
+ alloy myr (I decided that 3 cmc artifact creatures that produce mana were worth it).
+ phyrexian revoker (A pithing needle that is also fodder for Arcum).
+ etherium sculptor (It speeds up the deck and is fodder for Arcum).
+ ponder (More consistency for the deck).
2013
- rhystic study (Great card, I'd like to include it. Just can't find the room)
- citanul flute (If I'm using arcum for a tutor artifact, it will be planar portal, not this).
- remand (Great card, I wish I had the room for it).
- cryptic command (Great card but I wish I didn't have to hold back 4 mana).
- arcane denial (I love the 2cmc counters but I just don't have room for it).
- vedalken shackles (I love this card, but it doesn't have great synergy with the deck).
- junk diver (Great card. I hope I can find room for it one day).
- flusterstorm (took this out for swan song)
- copy artifact (took this out for curse of the swine)
+ cavern of souls (Because I'm not the only one playing blue).
+ cyclonic rift (Because....its awesome!)
+ cunning wish (I should have had this earlier. great utility).
+ karn liberated (I hate the casting cost but love the ability. Sometimes I get shut down and need to exile something).
+ timetwister (I would have gotten one earlier if it wasn't for the price. I found a cheap beta one).
+ staff of domination (Boy was I happy when this was taken off the ban list).
+ copy artifact (A great utility card. Cheap to cast and has tons of uses).
+ swan song (great cheap counterspell for protecting my combos)
+ curse of the swine (good removal)
2014
- ponder (great card but everyone targets me so I need countermagic more than card search)
- alloy myr (OMG they unbanned metalworker!)
+ flusterstorm (great countermagic for 1 mana)
+ metalworker (OMG they unbanned this!)
2015
-1 scuttlemutt (slow creature mana)
-1 duplicant (too slow)
-1 counterspell (too slow)
-1 cunning wish (too slow)
-1 lifeline (not essential for combo/tutoring/etc)
-1 timetwister (it helped my opponents too much)
-1 curse of the swine (too slow)
-1 karn liberated (too slow)
-1 time warp (too slow)
-1 gilded lotus (thran dynamo is faster)
-1 solemn simulacrum (too slow)
- island (gonna give gemstone caverns a try)
+1 gemstone caverns (early ramp and its drawback is not too bad in an artifact deck)
+1 kuldotha forgemaster (another sneaky creature for cheating artifacts into play)
+1 preordain (cheap card draw)
+1 ponder (cheap card draw)
+1 mental misstep (cheap counterspell)
+1 spell pierce (cheap counterspell)
+1 pongify (cheap removal)
+1 rapid hybridization (cheap removal)
+1 mind stone (fast mana)
+1 crucible of worlds (reuse fetch lands/strip mine, MLD protection)
+1 mox diamond (fast mana)
+1 hangarback walker (multiple fodder in the early game, and a potential late game wincon.)
2016
+1 hedron crawler
+1 lion's eye diamond (I'm finding the mana boost from this is worth losing a card or two, if any)
-1 crucible of worlds (this just didn't do enough)
-1 clock of omens (nifty, but too slow)
2017
+1 whir of invention (Wow. Just, wow.)
-1 impulse (making room for whir of invention)
Cards I wish I had room for
Ugin, the spirit dragon is so awesome but by the time I have 8 mana the game is probably over and I know it would just be a win more card.
Vedalken shackles was in the deck until recently. The most troublesome generals for me also happened to have low power - kaalia, azami, azusa, zur, etc.
Crucible of worlds might actually be worth including. Might try it out again one day.
Jester's cap can not only ruin other combo decks, but it has flavor text from Arcum himself.
I could see you switching one of your two haste enablers (Greaves/Boots) for it. You wouldn't technically be removing a haste enabler, because you could just search up Hall. You lose a redundant shroud/hexproof effect, too, but gain some flexibility.
I think you need something in there to combat Mesmeric Orb. I know from experience the blue players in my play group gets trashed by that card being on the field.
I could see you switching one of your two haste enablers (Greaves/Boots) for it. You wouldn't technically be removing a haste enabler, because you could just search up Hall. You lose a redundant shroud/hexproof effect, too, but gain some flexibility.
thanks for your input!
But I can't rationalize cutting greaves or boots. Giving arcum haste and shroud is so strong in a deck like this that cutting it is out of the question. They protect arcum AND speed up his shenanigans a turn - that's huge!
I think you need something in there to combat Mesmeric Orb. I know from experience the blue players in my play group gets trashed by that card being on the field.
it's a funny thing - one of the guys in my playgroup plays mesmeric orb in his mimeoplasm deck...and not only that, he has the word "Ratel" tattooed on his arm - how...coincidental *cough *cough.
You raise a valid point though. Mesmeric orb interferes with the deck since it shuts down my infinite mana combos and can mill combo pieces away. There's a handful of ways to destroy it though. Plus it is another reason to consider another card I've been thinking of putting in lately - echoing truth. With all the cloning going on, and with the new legend rule, it would be good for clearing threats so I can combo out.
Congrats on Primer Status Man, I didn't know they let one general have two primers
Thanks man.
I didn't really think they'd let me either when I asked if I could apply for primer status. But I was feeling optimistic and I figured since this deck plays a lot differently from the other one it couldn't hurt to ask.
I'm really glad they did let it be a primer. If there was only one primer per general that would imply that there is only one right way to play that general and that could not be farther from the truth.
No matter how many times I edit this primer, I'm still not completely happy with it. It seems too wordy to me.
But anyway, if anyone finds it to be of use when deciding on building their own arcum deck then all the work I put toward writing it is worth it.
Edit: I'm wondering if I should add ring of three wishes when it comes out and still keep planar portal. I like redundant cards that make combos more consistent.
Do you use blightsteel because it is a good way to kill people or because its a weak card that keeps your opponents happy?
Anyone who thinks I only use it to keep my opponents happy did not read or comprehend my explanation on why I use it.
Sure it is a fun card but it is also a good card. I'm always swinging with multiples of this guy for the win. At one point I was considering magma mine for a wincon which, after making infinite mana, instantly kills one person (two, if you have rings of brighthearth out) and it is tutorable by arcum and trinket mage. But I like blightsteel because it is a reusable wincon that is indestructible - the fact that it is fun to smash face with it is just a bonus. In my meta there are some avacyn, angel of hopes that prevent nevinyrral's disk from doing all of its dirty work so its nice to have alternative wincons. Plus I get hit from jester's cap sometimes so its good to have alternative win cards so your deck isn't completely disabled when it is capped.
What do you think of cards that you have to sacrifice for mana like svyelunite temple, lotus petal, city of traitors, and crystal vein?
I see these in the other primer and personally, I think they're bad, especially the svyelunite temple since it enters play tapped. These cards can be good against weak players who don't use disruption, but against good players all that is going to happen is that after you have your stuff countered or destroyed you are set back even further because you wasted a land for nothing. I believe the term is 'glass cannon' when you make a deck that can pull off a quick win if left alone, but it is easily disrupted. I only see these cards being used in a weak, fragile deck in a meta of bad players.
If you had plenty of cheap counterspells to back you up (force of will, misdirection, negate, arcane denial, etc) they might almost be feasible but costly ones like spell crumple and hinder (again, in the other primer) will just sit in your hand unable to be cast.
I have to take off for a bit but I'll answer your other two questions a little later.
In my meta there are some avacyn, angel of hopes that prevent nevinyrral's disk from doing all of its dirty work so its nice to have alternative wincons. Plus I get hit from jester's cap sometimes so its good to have alternative win cards so your deck isn't completely disabled when it is capped.
If that's the case, then you can just take your infinite mana and draw from Rings/Basalt/Staff to cast Capsize infinitely for the win, or Hurkyl's Recall recurred a few times (with Lattice out), or even include both options if you want Cap redundancy. Both of those cards have overall useful applications in competitive play unlike Bribery-bait Blightsteel Colossus, and also unlike the Colossus they are never a dead draw. They pull their weight even on their own.
You can claim all you want to that you're running Blightsteel Colossus for more than just a crowd-pleaser, but my logic is that it's simply subpar in all its other uses, not to mention that it's a dead draw and that it's an outright weakness against any deck running Bribery, so the only real upside you're getting is the crowd-pleaser.
I see [extra mana saclands] in the other primer and personally, I think they're bad, especially the svyelunite temple since it enters play tapped. These cards can be good against weak players who don't use disruption, but against good players all that is going to happen is that after you have your stuff countered or destroyed you are set back even further because you wasted a land for nothing. I believe the term is 'glass cannon' when you make a deck that can pull off a quick win if left alone, but it is easily disrupted. I only see these cards being used in a weak, fragile deck in a meta of bad players.
I'll have you know my deck is neither weak nor fragile, and my meta is not full of bad players, but thanks anyway for your kind words. If you learn to use them correctly the extra mana saclands are a tremendous boon, allowing you to, for example, power out a T2 Arcum unexpectedly when your opponents are still tapping out or have only 1 mana free, which means if they don't have a free counterspell in hand they're screwed. The CIPT on some of them is barely an issue either; you can learn to play around it, just like Hall of the Bandit Lord, Halimar Depths, etc. are CIPT and you still run them for their outstanding abilities.
Hopefully that clears up my opinions on the matter.
The CIPT on some of them is barely an issue either; you can learn to play around it, just like Hall of the Bandit Lord, Halimar Depths, etc. are CIPT and you still run them for their outstanding abilities.
You are absolutely right on this. I run them because they have outstanding abilities. I just don't feel that svyelunite temple and their ilk have abilities that make it worth using them.
If that's the case, then you can just take your infinite mana and draw from Rings/Basalt/Staff to...
If we have rings, basalt and staff out the game is already over. In which case whether the tool we use to finish them off is blightsteel or something else, it doesn't really matter.
...cast Capsize infinitely for the win, or Hurkyl's Recall... recurred a few times (with Lattice out)
Speaking of this, have you considered using cunning wish so these options are available to you? It is pretty easy to put mycosynth lattice in play and wish for a hurkyl's recall to ruin an opponent's day.
Both of those cards have overall useful applications in competitive play unlike Bribery-bait Blightsteel Colossus, and also unlike the Colossus they are never a dead draw.
If someone casts bribery on the blightsteel I can simply put it back in my library by tapping arcum. My playgroup knows this so if they do cast bribery there are better targets than arcum to use it on.
Also, as it is so easy to put rings and basalt on the field and since he is all colorless mana, casting him is a good play and not that hard to do. I don't see him as a dead draw at all.
You can claim all you want to that you're running Blightsteel Colossus for more than just a crowd-pleaser, but my logic is that it's simply subpar in all its other uses...
Sigh, I guess you and I will just have to agree to disagree on this issue. Contrary to what you might think, people don't exactly throw up their arms and celebrate when one or two blightsteels are coming their way.
Incidentally, blightsteel has saved me from being milled to death a few times too.
I'll have you know my deck is neither weak nor fragile, and my meta is not full of bad players,
I'll have you know that if you brought your deck to my meta, it'd get killed. Don't get me wrong - I think your deck is good. It just looks like it would have a hard time against good players who use a lot of removal.
If you learn to use them correctly the extra mana saclands are a tremendous boon, allowing you to, for example, power out a T2 Arcum unexpectedly when your opponents are still tapping out or have only 1 mana free, which means if they don't have a free counterspell in hand they're screwed.
This is a perfect example of why some of the things you say make your meta appear weak.
You are actually saying that if you have an arcum sitting there on turn 2 that your playgroup can't get rid of it? The only disruption they have are counterspells? So there are no white spells that might exile it, black spells that might destroy it, green spells that turn it into a beast, or red spells that might burn it? If I was able to cast arcum on turn 2 the last thing I would do is cast him because there is no way that he is still going to be there when it is my turn again. The only exception to this might be if I had in my hand a force of will - a staple in blue combo decks which you inexplicably do not use.
So when you reveal that you think an unprotected arcum on turn 2 is a good play and you don't feel the need to run something like force of will to protect it, I'm sorry if I sound harsh but that speaks a lot about your meta.
Considering how easy arcum can get it, is crucible of worlds good in this deck?
In my opinion, no.
I like crucible in 3+ color decks with plenty of fetchlands to re-use and decks that have land destruction spells, but arcum is neither of those. I might have used it if my playgroup used tons of land destruction but arcum usually withstands that well due to his usage of artifact mana. Plus the odds of getting strip mine + crucible is very low and even if you did have both in play, this is not a land destruction deck.
Because null brooch is, in my opinion, a pretty bad card in arcum.
If I'm playing a blue deck and I want to counter a spell, I'd rather not lose my hand to do it. And it is worse than that since we have to spend 4 (or worse, wasting arcum's ability to fetch it) to get it on the board in the first place. We are playing blue so there are tons of better options. Why would we need to rely on costly artifacts to counter spells? I could see the brooch being useful in non-blue decks or decks that like cards in the graveyard, but in arcum I feel that it is really not a good card. I understand that it can be untapped and re-used but if you’re using it that way, its more of a win-more card to me.
If I wanted a counterspell on a stick I might have chosen isochron scepter – imprinting mana drain on that would be nasty. The scepter is easier to cast, you don’t lose your hand, and it is more versatile since you could instead imprint impulse, brainstorm, cyclonic rift, etc.
Speaking of this, have you considered using cunning wish so these options are available to you? It is pretty easy to put mycosynth lattice in play and wish for a hurkyl's recall to ruin an opponent's day.
No, I have never genuinely considered a wishboard, which, in fairness, was perhaps an oversight on my part, since I haven't even tried one and so can't make any judgment on their efficacy at this time. I'm not sure if my playgroup will permit them; I suppose I'll have to find out and do some playtesting.
If someone casts bribery on the blightsteel I can simply put it back in my library by tapping arcum. My playgroup knows this so if they do cast bribery there are better targets than arcum to use it on.
Keep in mind that you'll be giving them a free artifact tutor by doing so, which against other artifact combo decks may still be a problem.
Also, as it is so easy to put rings and basalt on the field and since he is all colorless mana, casting him is a good play and not that hard to do. I don't see him as a dead draw at all.
To clarify, my personal definition of a "dead draw" is any card which has no immediate use when it's in your hand. The point is that no matter how easy it is to put rings and basalt on the field, there are times when they won't be on the field, and during those times you can't do anything with the Colossus.
Sigh, I guess you and I will just have to agree to disagree on this issue.
I think so too. I'm not going to push it anymore for right now.
You are actually saying that if you have an arcum sitting there on turn 2 that your playgroup can't get rid of it? The only disruption they have are counterspells?
When I'm at a tournament and the table is Arcum vs Azami vs Teferi, then yes, the only disruption they have are counterspells (and the occasional bounce). It doesn't mean my meta is bad, it means my meta is very U-combo heavy, loaded with Arcum mirrors, Azamis, Teferis, etc. Mostly the spot removal/discard comes from the Sharuums, Zurs, and Hermit Druids, so when they're not at your table you don't even have to worry about it.
Obviously when there are decks with access to WB or to a lesser extent R like Hermit Druid, Sharuum, and Zur at the table, then I wouldn't burst into T2 Arcum like that, because he'd just eat Go for the Throat. The point is that the saclands give you the option for the burst mana when it's appropriate, and I'd still run them or at least some of them even if my meta weren't as heavy as it is on the "Fearsome Five" combo decks (Arcum, Azami (+Teferi), Sharuum, Hermit Druid, Zur) just to have that option.
But again, your meta's different than mine.
p.s.: it's not that I don't think I need FoW, it's that I don't think I run enough blue permanents to reliably fuel FoW.
I've had a good deal of success building off of your list in my meta. I used to play R/G Radha ramp into good stuff, and playing Arcum has taken a lot of getting used to.
My favorite part about playing the deck is knowing that I have a definite game plan and that I should never feel helpless in any situation. No matter the board state, I know I can tutor for an answer or at least protect my own combo.
I have utilized the tactic you described as to presenting a non-threatening board one turn, and dropping 2 hasty, shrouded darksteel colossi the next turn. As I play the deck more, even in solitaire mode, I find that I discover for myself the interactions that you describe in the primer and that makes them so much more real. I am becoming less bewildered with what hands to keep and the order in which to play my spells and tutor for permanents.
As far as meta discussion, I think that mine has evolved to be quite similar to what you describe: I should expect that whatever I play will be removed before the next turn cycle, if not immediately. Playing with that in mind has helped crystallize the main point of your deck, that being fast and lethal. This mindset also allows me to strike very efficiently and win on the spot if for some reason no one was holding the right amount of disruption.
Overall, I started with a list similar to the other Arcum primer and have made cuts that seemed logical to me from the games that I played. This resulted in the deck taking shape to be closer to your list.
I started with a list similar to the other Arcum primer and have made cuts that seemed logical to me from the games that I played. This resulted in the deck taking shape to be closer to your list.
That's huge praise, thank you so much!
I have had a few people message me similar things recently - most of which also mentioned that they were frustrated with how poorly their arcum deck was doing in their meta and it was because they were trying to put out one more artifact in play each turn and that was a big heat-score to everyone else and very easy to disrupt. I played that way too until I realized that the true power of arcum is his ability to do his dirty work at instant speed starting at the end of the previous player's turn.
As far as meta discussion, I think that mine has evolved to be quite similar to what you describe: I should expect that whatever I play will be removed before the next turn cycle, if not immediately. Playing with that in mind has helped crystallize the main point of your deck, that being fast and lethal. This mindset also allows me to strike very efficiently and win on the spot if for some reason no one was holding the right amount of disruption.
This is the only reason I have been able to win with this deck as often as I do. Arcum is so great at looking defenseless and when other decks at the table include other top-tier generals, people are more reluctant to use spot removal on arcum when he really has nothing threatening in play. But even if all you have is arcum, 3 islands, and a land that turns into an artifact creature, and a cheap artifact creature or man-land in your hand, that is a game-winning combination.
Would you be able to share any of the differences between your deck and mine? My list is always being revised and your ideas might help to improve my current decklist.
Sure. Most of the difference revolves around budget issues and non-basic land destruction in my group:
Creatures:
I run everything you do except Alloy Myr and Phyrexian Metamorphbecause I haven't been able to find them at the LGS yet. In their place I have Junk Diver and Myr Sire. Oddly enough, I am yet to draw either one when I am not already drawing my library due to winning so I can't say I've seen them be good or bad.
Disruption:
I don't run a Cunning Wishboard so I maindeck Negate and Capsize. Other than that I just don't own All is Dust, Karn Liberated, FoW, Mana Drain, or Pact of Negation.
All the same except for Mana Crypt and Grim Monolith for budget reasons.
Utility Cards:
All the same except for Lifeline being Myr Turbine and I don't have Copy Artifact.
Card Draw/Search:
Due to run a lot of counterspells, I run less of the cards in this section. I have Brainstorm and Ponder but not Impulse and ForF. Budget cuts: Transmute Artifact, Time Twister. No Time Warp, Mystical Tutor, or Memory Jar. I do run Expedition Map main deck to get Factory and Inkmoth Nexus.
Lands:
The only non-basic lands I run are Academy Ruins, Inkmoth Nexus, Hall of the Bandit Lord, and Mishra's Factory. The rest are luxury items that I will be saving up to buy.
I wouldn't recommend it in this deck. There isn't enough card draw to get the tutored card right away consistently. And arcum's ability shuffles the deck when you use him and you don't want to be forced to decide between using arcum or getting the card you tutored for.
I've been out of the loop for a while after having some major health issues lately. But I updated the thread in light of theros release.
Gambit - how's it going? Good to see you again.
Thanks for the input. I agree with you about the fetchlands and I included them. As for the citadel, believe it or not I do find myself wishing I had more colored mana fairly often and I don't feel the benefit outweighs the potential negative.
Jake - I edited the list to make it easier to find some replacements for cunning wish. There are tons of options and all the ones you mentioned are good ones - such as stroke of genius which is one of my favorite cards of all time. Ultimately it is up to personal preference, your meta, and playstyle. Lately I'm finding that I need more disruption to protect my spells and permanents (I get ganged up on like crazy when I play this deck) so I'd probably go with a counterspell of some kind for my meta.
Just thought I'd do a rundown of some of the blue and artifact cards from theros.
Curse of the swine is an obvious auto-include in my opinion and I'm surprised that I'm not seeing it in some updated lists. I'm excited that blue has been given such amazing creature removal. Blue has been given an answer for its biggest weakness - dealing with a bunch of creatures - and it does it in a way that bypasses indestructibility and reanimation effects. This is one of the best blue cards I've seen since cyclonic rift. I'm guessing I'll see it in more lists after people start realizing how good it is in edh.
dissolve costs too much. 3 cmc counterspells tend to sit in my hand unless the game gets dragged out a long time. Which it shouldn't because its arcum. There's no sense in using 3 cmc counterspells when 1-2 cmc counterspells are available.
Swan song counters the majority of spells that matter (the ones that counter my spells or destroy my permanents) so I swapped flusterstorm for this.
Thassa, god of the sea is interesting. Scry 1 every turn is handy and making blightsteel unblockable is handy too, but I just don't see the card as being good enough.
burnished hart is a great edh card. In arcum he could either fetch islands or be used as fodder for arcum - so its decent - but its a little slow in my opinion. Its better in multicolor decks.
opaline unicorn might be worth including. I love arcum fodder that produces mana and if it was a 2cmc artifact creature that produced mana (even 1 colorless mana) I would include it for sure. As it is I'm not sure I would take out another card for it just yet.
1x Arcum Dagsson Foil
Creatures (17)
1x Blightsteel colossus Foil
1x Etherium sculptor Foil
1x Hangarback walker Foil
1x Hedron crawler Foil
1x Kuldotha forgemaster Foil
1x Manakin Foil
1x Master transmuter Foil
1x Metalworker Foil
1x millikin Foil
1x Myr retriever
1x Palladium myr Foil
1x Phyrexian revoker Foil
1x Phyrexian metamorph Foil
1x Plague myr Foil
1x Silver myr Foil
1x Spellskite Foil
1x Trinket mage Foil
Disruption (12)
1x All is dust Foil
1x Cyclonic rift Foil
1x Flusterstorm Foil
1x Force of will
1x Mana drain
1x Mental misstep Foil
1x Nevinyrral's disk Foil
1x Pact of negation Foil
1x Pongify Foil
1x Spell pierce Foil
1x Spine of ish sah Foil
1x Swan song Foil
1x Basalt monolith Foil
1x Grim monolith Foil
1x Guardian idol Foil
1x Mind stone Foil
1x Lion's eye diamond
1x Mana crypt Foil
1x Mana vault Foil
1x Mox diamond Foil
1x Mox opal Foil
1x Sol ring Foil
Utility cards (10)
1x Darksteel forge Foil
1x Lightning greaves Foil
1x Mycosynth lattice Foil
1x Power artifact
1x Rings of brighthearth Foil
1x Sculpting steel Foil
1x Staff of domination Foil
1x Swiftfoot boots Foil
1x Thousand-year elixir Foil
1x Voltaic key Foil
Card draw/search (15)
1x Brainstorm Foil
1x Fabricate Foil
1x Fact or fiction Foil
1x Memory jar Foil
1x Muddle the mixture Foil
1x Mystical tutor Foil
1x Ponder Foil
1x Preordain Foil
1x Reshape Foil
1x Ring of three wishes Foil
1x Sensei's divining top Foil
1x Tezzeret the seeker Foil
1x Thirst for knowledge Foil
1x Transmute artifact
1x Whir of invention
1x Ancient tomb Foil
1x Blinkmoth nexus Foil
1x Buried ruin Foil
1x Cavern of souls Foil
1x Crystal vein Foil
1x Flooded strand
1x Gemstone caverns
1x Halimar depths Foil
1x Hall of the bandit lord Foil
1x Inkmoth nexus Foil
14x Island Foil
1x Minamo, school at water's edge Foil
1x Mishra's factory Foil
1x Mishra's workshop
1x Misty rainforest
1x Oboro, palace in the clouds Foil
1x Polluted delta
1x Scalding tarn
1x Seat of the synod Foil
1x Strip mine Foil
1x Tolaria west Foil
Budget Decklist
1x Arcum Dagsson
Creatures (18)
1x alloy myr
1x blightsteel colossus
1x etherium sculptor
1x hangarback walker
1x hedron crawler
1x junk diver
1x karn, silver golem
1x kuldotha forgemaster
1x manakin
1x master transmuter
1x myr retriever
1x palladium myr
1x phyrexian revoker
1x phyrexian metamorph
1x plague myr
1x silver myr
1x solemn simulacrum
1x trinket mage
Disruption (12)
1x arcane denial
1x counterspell
1x curse of the swine
1x cyclonic rift
1x dispel
1x negate
1x pongify
1x rapid hybridization
1x nevinyrral's disk
1x spell pierce
1x swan song
1x spine of ish sah
1x basalt monolith
1x grim monolith
1x guardian idol
1x expedition map
1x mana vault
1x mind stone
1x mox opal
1x sol ring
1x thran dynamo
Utility cards (11)
1x copy artifact
1x darksteel forge
1x lightning greaves
1x mycosynth lattice
1x power artifact
1x rings of brighthearth
1x sculpting steel
1x staff of domination
1x swiftfoot boots
1x thousand-year elixir
1x voltaic key
Card draw/search (14)
1x brainstorm
1x fabricate
1x fact or fiction
1x impulse
1x memory jar
1x muddle the mixture
1x mystical tutor
1x ring of three wishes
1x ponder
1x preordain
1x reshape
1x sensei's divining top
1x tezzeret the seeker
1x thirst for knowledge
1x academy ruins
1x ancient tomb
1x blinkmoth nexus
1x buried ruin
1x halimar depths
1x hall of the bandit lord
1x inkmoth nexus
24x island
1x minamo, school at water's edge
1x mishra's factory
1x seat of the synod
1x tolaria west
Any input on how I can improve it are welcome! Correcting any mistakes I made in here is welcome as well.
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.
I'm not sure what to take out for it though.
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.
I could see you switching one of your two haste enablers (Greaves/Boots) for it. You wouldn't technically be removing a haste enabler, because you could just search up Hall. You lose a redundant shroud/hexproof effect, too, but gain some flexibility.
Rafiq | Jeleva | Zedruu
Brion | Vela
Talrand | Erebos
Otherworld Atlas Collection
4 Foil/ 17 Normal/ 0 Signed
My avatar is Disappointing!
But I can't rationalize cutting greaves or boots. Giving arcum haste and shroud is so strong in a deck like this that cutting it is out of the question. They protect arcum AND speed up his shenanigans a turn - that's huge!
it's a funny thing - one of the guys in my playgroup plays mesmeric orb in his mimeoplasm deck...and not only that, he has the word "Ratel" tattooed on his arm - how...coincidental *cough *cough.
You raise a valid point though. Mesmeric orb interferes with the deck since it shuts down my infinite mana combos and can mill combo pieces away. There's a handful of ways to destroy it though. Plus it is another reason to consider another card I've been thinking of putting in lately - echoing truth. With all the cloning going on, and with the new legend rule, it would be good for clearing threats so I can combo out.
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.
I didn't really think they'd let me either when I asked if I could apply for primer status. But I was feeling optimistic and I figured since this deck plays a lot differently from the other one it couldn't hurt to ask.
I'm really glad they did let it be a primer. If there was only one primer per general that would imply that there is only one right way to play that general and that could not be farther from the truth.
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.
But anyway, if anyone finds it to be of use when deciding on building their own arcum deck then all the work I put toward writing it is worth it.
Edit: I'm wondering if I should add ring of three wishes when it comes out and still keep planar portal. I like redundant cards that make combos more consistent.
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.
Do you use blightsteel because it is a good way to kill people or because its a weak card that keeps your opponents happy?
What do you think of cards that you have to sacrifice for mana like svyelunite temple, lotus petal, city of traitors, and crystal vein?
Considering how easy arcum can get it, is crucible of worlds good in this deck?
Why don’t you use null brooch?
Numot - Retired
Anyone who thinks I only use it to keep my opponents happy did not read or comprehend my explanation on why I use it.
Sure it is a fun card but it is also a good card. I'm always swinging with multiples of this guy for the win. At one point I was considering magma mine for a wincon which, after making infinite mana, instantly kills one person (two, if you have rings of brighthearth out) and it is tutorable by arcum and trinket mage. But I like blightsteel because it is a reusable wincon that is indestructible - the fact that it is fun to smash face with it is just a bonus. In my meta there are some avacyn, angel of hopes that prevent nevinyrral's disk from doing all of its dirty work so its nice to have alternative wincons. Plus I get hit from jester's cap sometimes so its good to have alternative win cards so your deck isn't completely disabled when it is capped.
I see these in the other primer and personally, I think they're bad, especially the svyelunite temple since it enters play tapped. These cards can be good against weak players who don't use disruption, but against good players all that is going to happen is that after you have your stuff countered or destroyed you are set back even further because you wasted a land for nothing. I believe the term is 'glass cannon' when you make a deck that can pull off a quick win if left alone, but it is easily disrupted. I only see these cards being used in a weak, fragile deck in a meta of bad players.
If you had plenty of cheap counterspells to back you up (force of will, misdirection, negate, arcane denial, etc) they might almost be feasible but costly ones like spell crumple and hinder (again, in the other primer) will just sit in your hand unable to be cast.
I have to take off for a bit but I'll answer your other two questions a little later.
Infraction for flaming. - cryogen
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.
If that's the case, then you can just take your infinite mana and draw from Rings/Basalt/Staff to cast Capsize infinitely for the win, or Hurkyl's Recall recurred a few times (with Lattice out), or even include both options if you want Cap redundancy. Both of those cards have overall useful applications in competitive play unlike Bribery-bait Blightsteel Colossus, and also unlike the Colossus they are never a dead draw. They pull their weight even on their own.
You can claim all you want to that you're running Blightsteel Colossus for more than just a crowd-pleaser, but my logic is that it's simply subpar in all its other uses, not to mention that it's a dead draw and that it's an outright weakness against any deck running Bribery, so the only real upside you're getting is the crowd-pleaser.
I'll have you know my deck is neither weak nor fragile, and my meta is not full of bad players, but thanks anyway for your kind words. If you learn to use them correctly the extra mana saclands are a tremendous boon, allowing you to, for example, power out a T2 Arcum unexpectedly when your opponents are still tapping out or have only 1 mana free, which means if they don't have a free counterspell in hand they're screwed. The CIPT on some of them is barely an issue either; you can learn to play around it, just like Hall of the Bandit Lord, Halimar Depths, etc. are CIPT and you still run them for their outstanding abilities.
Hopefully that clears up my opinions on the matter.
Legacy: GWR Enchantress <--That's my banner! (lol tinypic removed it)
Casual: WB [[Primer]]Clerics Tribal; BU Affinity
EDH: ...U [[Primer]]Arcum Dagsson; BG Legal Stax; B Illegal Stax
Proxy: .WX TriniStax
Other stuff: [[Official]]Shuffling, Truth + Maths
That's cool.
You are absolutely right on this. I run them because they have outstanding abilities. I just don't feel that svyelunite temple and their ilk have abilities that make it worth using them.
If we have rings, basalt and staff out the game is already over. In which case whether the tool we use to finish them off is blightsteel or something else, it doesn't really matter.
Speaking of this, have you considered using cunning wish so these options are available to you? It is pretty easy to put mycosynth lattice in play and wish for a hurkyl's recall to ruin an opponent's day.
If someone casts bribery on the blightsteel I can simply put it back in my library by tapping arcum. My playgroup knows this so if they do cast bribery there are better targets than arcum to use it on.
Also, as it is so easy to put rings and basalt on the field and since he is all colorless mana, casting him is a good play and not that hard to do. I don't see him as a dead draw at all.
Sigh, I guess you and I will just have to agree to disagree on this issue. Contrary to what you might think, people don't exactly throw up their arms and celebrate when one or two blightsteels are coming their way.
Incidentally, blightsteel has saved me from being milled to death a few times too. I'll have you know that if you brought your deck to my meta, it'd get killed. Don't get me wrong - I think your deck is good. It just looks like it would have a hard time against good players who use a lot of removal.
This is a perfect example of why some of the things you say make your meta appear weak.
You are actually saying that if you have an arcum sitting there on turn 2 that your playgroup can't get rid of it? The only disruption they have are counterspells? So there are no white spells that might exile it, black spells that might destroy it, green spells that turn it into a beast, or red spells that might burn it? If I was able to cast arcum on turn 2 the last thing I would do is cast him because there is no way that he is still going to be there when it is my turn again. The only exception to this might be if I had in my hand a force of will - a staple in blue combo decks which you inexplicably do not use.
So when you reveal that you think an unprotected arcum on turn 2 is a good play and you don't feel the need to run something like force of will to protect it, I'm sorry if I sound harsh but that speaks a lot about your meta.
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.
I like crucible in 3+ color decks with plenty of fetchlands to re-use and decks that have land destruction spells, but arcum is neither of those. I might have used it if my playgroup used tons of land destruction but arcum usually withstands that well due to his usage of artifact mana. Plus the odds of getting strip mine + crucible is very low and even if you did have both in play, this is not a land destruction deck.
Because null brooch is, in my opinion, a pretty bad card in arcum.
If I'm playing a blue deck and I want to counter a spell, I'd rather not lose my hand to do it. And it is worse than that since we have to spend 4 (or worse, wasting arcum's ability to fetch it) to get it on the board in the first place. We are playing blue so there are tons of better options. Why would we need to rely on costly artifacts to counter spells? I could see the brooch being useful in non-blue decks or decks that like cards in the graveyard, but in arcum I feel that it is really not a good card. I understand that it can be untapped and re-used but if you’re using it that way, its more of a win-more card to me.
If I wanted a counterspell on a stick I might have chosen isochron scepter – imprinting mana drain on that would be nasty. The scepter is easier to cast, you don’t lose your hand, and it is more versatile since you could instead imprint impulse, brainstorm, cyclonic rift, etc.
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.
No, I have never genuinely considered a wishboard, which, in fairness, was perhaps an oversight on my part, since I haven't even tried one and so can't make any judgment on their efficacy at this time. I'm not sure if my playgroup will permit them; I suppose I'll have to find out and do some playtesting.
Keep in mind that you'll be giving them a free artifact tutor by doing so, which against other artifact combo decks may still be a problem.
To clarify, my personal definition of a "dead draw" is any card which has no immediate use when it's in your hand. The point is that no matter how easy it is to put rings and basalt on the field, there are times when they won't be on the field, and during those times you can't do anything with the Colossus.
I think so too. I'm not going to push it anymore for right now.
When I'm at a tournament and the table is Arcum vs Azami vs Teferi, then yes, the only disruption they have are counterspells (and the occasional bounce). It doesn't mean my meta is bad, it means my meta is very U-combo heavy, loaded with Arcum mirrors, Azamis, Teferis, etc. Mostly the spot removal/discard comes from the Sharuums, Zurs, and Hermit Druids, so when they're not at your table you don't even have to worry about it.
Obviously when there are decks with access to WB or to a lesser extent R like Hermit Druid, Sharuum, and Zur at the table, then I wouldn't burst into T2 Arcum like that, because he'd just eat Go for the Throat. The point is that the saclands give you the option for the burst mana when it's appropriate, and I'd still run them or at least some of them even if my meta weren't as heavy as it is on the "Fearsome Five" combo decks (Arcum, Azami (+Teferi), Sharuum, Hermit Druid, Zur) just to have that option.
But again, your meta's different than mine.
p.s.: it's not that I don't think I need FoW, it's that I don't think I run enough blue permanents to reliably fuel FoW.
Legacy: GWR Enchantress <--That's my banner! (lol tinypic removed it)
Casual: WB [[Primer]]Clerics Tribal; BU Affinity
EDH: ...U [[Primer]]Arcum Dagsson; BG Legal Stax; B Illegal Stax
Proxy: .WX TriniStax
Other stuff: [[Official]]Shuffling, Truth + Maths
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.
My favorite part about playing the deck is knowing that I have a definite game plan and that I should never feel helpless in any situation. No matter the board state, I know I can tutor for an answer or at least protect my own combo.
I have utilized the tactic you described as to presenting a non-threatening board one turn, and dropping 2 hasty, shrouded darksteel colossi the next turn. As I play the deck more, even in solitaire mode, I find that I discover for myself the interactions that you describe in the primer and that makes them so much more real. I am becoming less bewildered with what hands to keep and the order in which to play my spells and tutor for permanents.
As far as meta discussion, I think that mine has evolved to be quite similar to what you describe: I should expect that whatever I play will be removed before the next turn cycle, if not immediately. Playing with that in mind has helped crystallize the main point of your deck, that being fast and lethal. This mindset also allows me to strike very efficiently and win on the spot if for some reason no one was holding the right amount of disruption.
Overall, I started with a list similar to the other Arcum primer and have made cuts that seemed logical to me from the games that I played. This resulted in the deck taking shape to be closer to your list.
I have had a few people message me similar things recently - most of which also mentioned that they were frustrated with how poorly their arcum deck was doing in their meta and it was because they were trying to put out one more artifact in play each turn and that was a big heat-score to everyone else and very easy to disrupt. I played that way too until I realized that the true power of arcum is his ability to do his dirty work at instant speed starting at the end of the previous player's turn.
This is the only reason I have been able to win with this deck as often as I do. Arcum is so great at looking defenseless and when other decks at the table include other top-tier generals, people are more reluctant to use spot removal on arcum when he really has nothing threatening in play. But even if all you have is arcum, 3 islands, and a land that turns into an artifact creature, and a cheap artifact creature or man-land in your hand, that is a game-winning combination.
Would you be able to share any of the differences between your deck and mine? My list is always being revised and your ideas might help to improve my current decklist.
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.
Creatures:
I run everything you do except Alloy Myr and Phyrexian Metamorphbecause I haven't been able to find them at the LGS yet. In their place I have Junk Diver and Myr Sire. Oddly enough, I am yet to draw either one when I am not already drawing my library due to winning so I can't say I've seen them be good or bad.
Disruption:
I don't run a Cunning Wishboard so I maindeck Negate and Capsize. Other than that I just don't own All is Dust, Karn Liberated, FoW, Mana Drain, or Pact of Negation.
I main deck Tormod's Crypt, Torpor Orb, Pithing Needle, Ensnaring Bridge and Vedalken Shackles because they are necessary for my meta.
I run a hefty suite of counterspells in
Mana:
All the same except for Mana Crypt and Grim Monolith for budget reasons.
Utility Cards:
All the same except for Lifeline being Myr Turbine and I don't have Copy Artifact.
Card Draw/Search:
Due to run a lot of counterspells, I run less of the cards in this section. I have Brainstorm and Ponder but not Impulse and ForF. Budget cuts: Transmute Artifact, Time Twister. No Time Warp, Mystical Tutor, or Memory Jar. I do run Expedition Map main deck to get Factory and Inkmoth Nexus.
Lands:
The only non-basic lands I run are Academy Ruins, Inkmoth Nexus, Hall of the Bandit Lord, and Mishra's Factory. The rest are luxury items that I will be saving up to buy.
Live in Northern AZ? Lets play some Legacy! Catch me on MODO!
Awesome sig by the one and only DarkNightCavalier from Heroes of the Plane Studios
I wouldn't recommend it in this deck. There isn't enough card draw to get the tutored card right away consistently. And arcum's ability shuffles the deck when you use him and you don't want to be forced to decide between using arcum or getting the card you tutored for.
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.
A few things.
Your decklist seems to have sculpting steel twice, totaling to 98 actual cards.
Why no darksteel citadel? Seems like the extra free artifact would outweigh the colorless downfall.
I'm thinking fetches should be played if only for top/brainstorm/depths.
Man, I gotta start skipping some meals to pick up a workshop.
EDIT: Hah, just noticed your username. I definitely have a foil mountain autographed by you (and your daughter) :p.
My thoughts, just to name a few:
Stroke Of Genius Love this card!
Worn Powerstone
Thran Dynamo
Temporal Manipulation have an extra one
Illusionist's Bracers Great affect
Mimic Vat Always have artifact creatures to sacrifice.
Myr Sire Leave a creature behind
Junk Diver
Karn, Silver Golem Love this guy but he is expensive (mana wise)
Live in Northern AZ? Lets play some Legacy! Catch me on MODO!
Awesome sig by the one and only DarkNightCavalier from Heroes of the Plane Studios
Gambit - how's it going? Good to see you again.
Thanks for the input. I agree with you about the fetchlands and I included them. As for the citadel, believe it or not I do find myself wishing I had more colored mana fairly often and I don't feel the benefit outweighs the potential negative.
Jake - I edited the list to make it easier to find some replacements for cunning wish. There are tons of options and all the ones you mentioned are good ones - such as stroke of genius which is one of my favorite cards of all time. Ultimately it is up to personal preference, your meta, and playstyle. Lately I'm finding that I need more disruption to protect my spells and permanents (I get ganged up on like crazy when I play this deck) so I'd probably go with a counterspell of some kind for my meta.
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.
Curse of the swine is an obvious auto-include in my opinion and I'm surprised that I'm not seeing it in some updated lists. I'm excited that blue has been given such amazing creature removal. Blue has been given an answer for its biggest weakness - dealing with a bunch of creatures - and it does it in a way that bypasses indestructibility and reanimation effects. This is one of the best blue cards I've seen since cyclonic rift. I'm guessing I'll see it in more lists after people start realizing how good it is in edh.
dissolve costs too much. 3 cmc counterspells tend to sit in my hand unless the game gets dragged out a long time. Which it shouldn't because its arcum. There's no sense in using 3 cmc counterspells when 1-2 cmc counterspells are available.
Swan song counters the majority of spells that matter (the ones that counter my spells or destroy my permanents) so I swapped flusterstorm for this.
Thassa, god of the sea is interesting. Scry 1 every turn is handy and making blightsteel unblockable is handy too, but I just don't see the card as being good enough.
burnished hart is a great edh card. In arcum he could either fetch islands or be used as fodder for arcum - so its decent - but its a little slow in my opinion. Its better in multicolor decks.
opaline unicorn might be worth including. I love arcum fodder that produces mana and if it was a 2cmc artifact creature that produced mana (even 1 colorless mana) I would include it for sure. As it is I'm not sure I would take out another card for it just yet.
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.