I haven't done much sealed outside of pre-releases and this Kaladesh-Aether Revolt sealed environment has given me problems from the beginning. I seem to always be in a creature-famine and barely have enough playable critters for my deck. Today I played in a sealed and was able to go 4-1 (the 4th win was very tough) with it having only 11 creatures. I was constantly fiddling with my pool trying to find which color pairings were better in between rounds. In the end I ended up with a U/G energy deck. However, I also tried several other combinations that were successful too. One of which was U/W with a splash of green and liked it a lot more due to having more flyers.
I'd like to get your take on this pool and critique my deck. I'm hear to learn so any advice is appreciated!
Great job going 4-1 with limited sealed experience.
In KLD-AER artifact creatures and vehicles help increase your creature count (for decks of any color!). Cheap cantrips also make it easier to run only 13-14 creatures without feeling a creature shortage in games. I notice you're not playing some great colorless bodies like Daredevil Dragster, Irontread Crusher, and Chief of the Foundry (average filler with no other artifacts but great with any Servos or Vehicles). Even Night Market Guard seems like reasonable filler if you're low on creatures. Artifacts are there to help fill out your deck.
You were able to make spell-heavy UG energy work. I normally wouldn't play a deck like that without more value for energy, but I guess it worked for you. Dynavolt Tower is normally too inconsistent to play in Limited, Negate is not usually maindeck material (although with Vehicles and filler artifacts people are running more noncreature spells than usual), and cards like Woodweaver Puzzleknot and Reservoir Walker are weak filler meant for only when you have big energy payoffs. Your deck has many energy generators but little to spend energy on. It looks heavily reliant on drawing Dynavolt Tower (or Trophy Mage into Tower) and not getting killed before getting shots off with Tower.
What else could be done with your pool? It looks alright. You don't need to have a creature shortage. Just be careful with color pairings, since your whole pool has a conspicuous lack of 2-drops: none in Blue and Red, only Verdant Automatons and gold cards in Green, and only one playable one in White.
Black has the most 2 drops and your best removal. So if you play black, you won't have a creature drought. You also have a lot of synergy including Winding Constrictor + Walking Ballista.
I'd like to get your take on this pool and critique my deck. I'm hear to learn so any advice is appreciated!
Card Pool:
1 Countless Gears Renegade
1 Implement of Improvement
1 Ninth Bridge Patrol
2 Bastion Enforcer
1 Acrobatic Maneuver
1 Aether Inspector
1 Aegis Automaton
2 Ghirapur Osprey
1 Consulate Crackdown
1 Aeronaut Admiral
Blue:
1 Reverse Engineer
1 Select for Inspection
1 Hinterland Drake
1 Disappearing Act
1 Negate
1 Malfunction
1 Ice Over
1 Revolutionary Rebuff
2 Watchful Automaton
1 Shipwreck Moray
1 Janjeet Sentry
1 Trophy Mage
1 Take into Custody
1 Baral's Expertise
1 Dispersal Technician
1 Bastion Inventor
1 Fourth Bridge Prowler
1 Aether Poisoner
1 Die Young
1 Thriving Rats
1 Lawless Broker
1 Renegade's Getaway
1 Daring Demolition
1 Tidy Conclusion
1 Implement of Malice
Red:
1 Precise Strike
1 Wrangle
1 Destructive Tampering
1 Embraal Gear-Smasher
1 Frontline Rebel
1 Hungry Flames
1 Lathnu Hellion
1 Pia Nalaar
1 Spireside Infiltrator
1 Demolish
1 Spontaneous Artist
1 Fireforger's Puzzleknot
Green:
1 Prey Upon
1 Unbridled Growth
1 Wily Bandar
2 Highspire Artisan
1 Maulfist Revolutionary
1 Aether Herder
1 Peema Aether-Seer
1 Aid from the Cowl
1 Ridgescale Tusker
1 Elegant Edgecrafters
1 Woodweaver's Puzzleknot
2 Verdant Automaton
1 Implement of Ferocity
1 Winding Constrictor
1 Voltaic Brawler
1 Renegade Wheelsmith
1 Empyreal Voyager
Artifact:
1 Ornithopter
1 Daredevil Dragster
1 Irontread Crusher
2 Renegade Map
1 Chief of the Foundry
2 Night Market Guard
1 Workshop Assistant
1 Prizefighter Construct
1 Reservoir Walker
1 Self-Assembler
1 Barricade Breaker
1 Walking Ballista
1 Dynavolt Tower
My final deck:
9 Island
8 Forest
Creatures (11):
1 Walking Ballista
1 Hinterland Drake
1 Janjeet Sentry
1 Empyreal Voyager
1 Peema Aether-Seer
1 Reservoir Walker
1 Ridgescale Tusker
1 Aether Herder
1 Trophy Mage
1 Workshop Assistant
1 Maulfist Revolutionary
1 Dynavolt Tower
1 Implement of Ferocity
1 Woodweaver's Puzzleknot
Enchantments (2):
1 Malfunction
1 Ice Over
Instants (5):
1 Reverse Engineer
1 Disappearing Act
1 Negate
1 Select for Inspection
1 Revolutionary Rebuff
1 Prey Upon
1 Baral's Expertise
In KLD-AER artifact creatures and vehicles help increase your creature count (for decks of any color!). Cheap cantrips also make it easier to run only 13-14 creatures without feeling a creature shortage in games. I notice you're not playing some great colorless bodies like Daredevil Dragster, Irontread Crusher, and Chief of the Foundry (average filler with no other artifacts but great with any Servos or Vehicles). Even Night Market Guard seems like reasonable filler if you're low on creatures. Artifacts are there to help fill out your deck.
You were able to make spell-heavy UG energy work. I normally wouldn't play a deck like that without more value for energy, but I guess it worked for you. Dynavolt Tower is normally too inconsistent to play in Limited, Negate is not usually maindeck material (although with Vehicles and filler artifacts people are running more noncreature spells than usual), and cards like Woodweaver Puzzleknot and Reservoir Walker are weak filler meant for only when you have big energy payoffs. Your deck has many energy generators but little to spend energy on. It looks heavily reliant on drawing Dynavolt Tower (or Trophy Mage into Tower) and not getting killed before getting shots off with Tower.
What else could be done with your pool? It looks alright. You don't need to have a creature shortage. Just be careful with color pairings, since your whole pool has a conspicuous lack of 2-drops: none in Blue and Red, only Verdant Automatons and gold cards in Green, and only one playable one in White.
Black has the most 2 drops and your best removal. So if you play black, you won't have a creature drought. You also have a lot of synergy including Winding Constrictor + Walking Ballista.
1 Walking Ballista
1 Thriving Rats
1 Aether Poisoner
1 Winding Constrictor
1 Verdant Automaton
2 Highspire Artisan
1 Maulfist Revolutionary
1 Lawless Broker
1 Chief of the Foundry
1 Peema Aether-Seer
1 Aether Herder
1 Ridgescale Tusker
1 Elegant Edgecrafters
1 Daredevil Dragster
1 Irontread Crusher
//Spells: 8
2 Renegade Map
1 Unbridled Growth
1 Implement of Ferocity
1 Prey Upon
1 Die Young
1 Daring Demolition
1 Tidy Conclusion
8 Forest
8 Swamp
That deck seems good, even if it lacks evasion.
You do have enough mana fixing that you could easily play 3 colors. You could splash red for Hungry Flames, Pia Nalaar, Destructive Tampering and maybe Voltaic Brawler. Or splash blue for Empyreal Voyager, Hinterland Drake,Malfunction and maybe Ice Over.