MTG Salvation

I've enjoyed playing artifact decks since I started playing magic. My first experience with the archetype was a kitchen table affinity deck my friend used to ruin everyone's fun. I built my first artifact deck for commander in 2012 which featured Bosh, Iron Golem. Ever since then I've been building and dismantling different artifact decks. This year with the release of Commander 2018 I toyed around with Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer. I was not in love with this commander. I did have a very fun game where I had an early Sai, Master Thopterist which is part of the reason why I wanted to build this deck.

This deck is a work in progress. It aims to create artifact based synergy, use creatures as a source of mana and cards, and then hopefully win with big combo turns or large flying tokens.

Change Log:
9/12/18
Removed:

Sky Diamond
Coral Atoll
4 Island

Added:

Grim Monolith
Mana Crypt
Polluted Delta
Flooded Strand
Scalding Tarn
Misty Rainforest

These changes are an attempt to add some velocity to the deck. I removed some of the weaker mana stuff for two of the best. Sai can sacrifice artifacts once they have lived past their usefulness so both of these cards are better here than elsewhere.

I think the card I'd be most likely to include is Smokestack. With all the flying tokens you can output, the Stack will probably have no effect on you while devastating your opponent's board development. Then, when you're done killing their stuff, sac it to Sai's ability. In general, Stax effects are pretty powerful in Sai since he can sac them at will and he generates board presence just for casting spells. I too had the same experience with Brudiclad and gave the pieces of my deck to my brother.

A random combo that could be easy to assemble is Sai, Spine of Ish Sah, mana rocks, and Paradox Engine. Since casting the Spine will generate a Thopter token, you will have two artifacts to sac with Sai's ability to tcause the Spine to go back to your hand. With enough mana rocks to cast and sac the Spine, you can blow up everyone's board state while drawing a ton of cards.

I like the idea of some stax elements as most people are generally unprepared for them.

I don't really want to become a Paradox Engine deck as that card becomes the go to win every game. The deck already has the potential to do some pretty samey stuff. It would be very powerful, that is for sure.

I did some tuning to the deck. Not too much but it should be fairly good. I will try to test the deck this Friday but with the hurricane the shop might be closed.

how does your Deck win though?

Battered Golem/Traxos, Scourge of Kroog/Mirran Spy + Banishing Knack/Retraction Helix + 0 CMC artifact (from cost reduction or otherwise) or Sol Ring type rocks= Infinite mana

Add Sai to the above list and you get infinite thopters as well. Or use the infinite mana with Retrofitter Foundry for infinite thopters/constructs.

Some wincons that is easily achievable using the above combo:

Laboratory Maniac via Vedalken Archmage
Altar of the Brood mill your opponents
Mechanized Production note: you only need 8 thopters, it doesn't matter what is enchanted.
Blasting Station outright kills the entire table

Or turn cards sideways after generating massive amounts of thopters:
Broodstar
Master of Etherium
Darksteel Juggernaut
Equip a thopter with Stoneforge Masterwork

Honestly, I played this deck once or twice. It was fun and I was excited to build it, but it ended up being kinda whatever.

The list in the first post was accurate to the paper deck I played. It could win via the classic combo of Darksteel Forge and Nevinyrral's Disk. It could facilitate this combo with Kuldotha Forgemaster. It also had the backup wincon of flying tokens, which was less effective.

There are many infinite combos a deck like this could use. Bathsalt Monolith + Rings of Brighthearth is the easiest one to add.