This an attempt to build a budget Tezzeret deck which functions more like a typical control deck rather than the current Whir versions that sees play as I don't have: Mox Opal, Ensnaring Bridge and Mishra's Bauble (mainly the first two are the issue).
#I have Signet over Talisman here to filter the mana of Citadel and Stone and not paying life is good as well as the manabase is painful enough as it is.
Another option could be Pentad Prism but it is a one-time use and worse without Whir.
#I have some trouble against aggro decks, does the deck need more removal or should I mulligan more aggressively for it ?
(the deck does have some good card selection with 4x Serum + 4x Thirst)
Another idea is maybe to find room (by cutting the flex-slot cards) for Whirler Rogue (Blue P&K, almost) which can be used to stabilize against creature decks providing 3x blockers.
I tried War in the deck and it wasn't good enough as most of my artifacts cost 2-mana (besides Capsule) and for War I need a bigger maass of 0-1 cmc artifacts.
Having 4x Tezzeret isn't too bad actually as it doesn't have a very high loyalty and can be pretty easy to kill and also can freely minus it if I have a backup copy.
Between Fabricate and Whir the latter seems much better (unless I want to get something big like Wurmcoil) though I would need the 0-cost artifacts for consistency with this spell.
Adding both would mean cutting back on the ramp or interaction and focusing more on the combo which might not be the best idea.
Maindeck Wraths are probably a reasonably idea though I do like having Bomb for random tokens or hard to kill permanents (enchantments).
I want to revisit the deck and see how it can be improved as it seems potentially playable in a slower meta.
A card which I want to slot in is Arcum's Astrolabe but that would probably require trimming some mana rocks (or Serum Visions ?) and focusing the mana more on fetches and basic lands so I'm not sure if it really improves the deck.
The snow manabase can also help by the addition of Dead of Winter as an efficient sweeper for the deck.
4x Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
Enchantment (1)
1x Thopter Spy Network
Artifact (14)
1x Executioner's Capsule
4x Mind Stone
4x Dimir Signet
2x Sword of the Meek
2x Thopter Foundry
1x Ratchet Bomb
Sorcery (10)
4x Serum Visions
3x Thoughtseize
3x Inquisition of Kozilek
4x Fatal Push
1x Cast Down
4x Thirst for Knowledge
Land (22)
4x Polluted Delta
2x Marsh Flats
2x Flooded Strand
3x Watery Grave
2x Creeping Tar Pit
1x Drowned Catacomb
4x Darksteel Citadel
2x Island
2x Swamp
2x Pithing Needle
2x Nihil Spellbomb
1x Damping Sphere
1x Witchbane Orb
1x Wurmcoil Engine
4x Countersquall
3x Damnation
1x Thopter Spy Network
#I have Signet over Talisman here to filter the mana of Citadel and Stone and not paying life is good as well as the manabase is painful enough as it is.
Another option could be Pentad Prism but it is a one-time use and worse without Whir.
#Mind Stone is a filler artifact here (for Thirst and Tezz), is there a better option for this ?
(Welding Jar, Treasure Map, Chromatic Star/Ichor Wellspring or maindeck hate like: Nihil/Needle/Spyglass/Sphere/Cage/Grid/Orb)
# Some value flex-spots in the deck are: 2x Thopter Spy Network main/side (an expensive Bitterblossom that can draw cards) and SB Wurmcoil Engine.
Not sure if those are the best options so maybe these would be better used for: Batterskull, The Antiquities War
or maybe more PW's like: Tezzeret the Schemer, Tezzeret the Seeker, Liliana of the Veil, Karn, Scion of Urza or Jace, the Mind Sculptor.
#I have some trouble against aggro decks, does the deck need more removal or should I mulligan more aggressively for it ?
(the deck does have some good card selection with 4x Serum + 4x Thirst)
Another idea is maybe to find room (by cutting the flex-slot cards) for Whirler Rogue (Blue P&K, almost) which can be used to stabilize against creature decks providing 3x blockers.
What do you think ?
Having 4x Tezzeret isn't too bad actually as it doesn't have a very high loyalty and can be pretty easy to kill and also can freely minus it if I have a backup copy.
Between Fabricate and Whir the latter seems much better (unless I want to get something big like Wurmcoil) though I would need the 0-cost artifacts for consistency with this spell.
Adding both would mean cutting back on the ramp or interaction and focusing more on the combo which might not be the best idea.
Maindeck Wraths are probably a reasonably idea though I do like having Bomb for random tokens or hard to kill permanents (enchantments).
A card which I want to slot in is Arcum's Astrolabe but that would probably require trimming some mana rocks (or Serum Visions ?) and focusing the mana more on fetches and basic lands so I'm not sure if it really improves the deck.
The snow manabase can also help by the addition of Dead of Winter as an efficient sweeper for the deck.
Some of the flex slots like: Ratchet Bomb and Executioner's Capsule can probably be trimmed as well or moved to the SB.
Some more PW's could work well here, like: Karn, Scion of Urza and maybe even Tezzeret, Artifice Master
(a bit slow, but potentially better than Thopter Spy Network).
The changes I consider so far are:
-4x Serum Visions, -1x Thopter Spy Network, -1x Ratchet Bomb, -1x Executioner's Capsule, -1x Cast Down
+4x Arcum's Astrolabe, +1x Tezzeret, Artifice Master (or Karn), +3x Dead of Winter
And the mana:
-1x Watery Grave, -1x Drowned Catacomb, -2x Marsh Flats, -2x Flooded Strand
+4x Prismatic Vista, +2x basic snow lands (and turn the other basics into snow)
Any other ideas on how to tweak the deck (and the manabase) ?