Really looking to build a deck that revolves around playing powerful (without paying their casting costs) permanents via Tezzeret, Artifice Master's -9 ult and Omniscience. Nicol Bolas, The Ravager is a DFC that looks to be a brutal finisher once flipped. I envision the deck beings predominately U with splashes of other colors for various powerful effects:
UPDATE: Trying out a more "Superfriends" style version of the deck. I was noticing how BOTH Tezzerets have abilities that puts out artifacts, with said abilities feeding the check abilities of the other. I sought to capitalize on this by throwing Anointed Procession into the mix. Jace, Cunning Castaway came as an after-thought, providing more card draw and tokens that can survive a Goblin Chainwhirler. Implement of Improvement replaces Prophetic Prism because it provides life and card draw, and the deck really doesn't have too much need for mana filtering.
Honestly I'm not sure how this deck can survive to get to the mid-late game with pretty much no interaction and a small handful of blockers.
Also, you've mentioned Omniscience but it isn't in the decklist.
It seems pretty bad anyway to just hope to cast it and it'll often be a win-more card anyway.
Honestly I'm not sure how this deck can survive to get to the mid-late game with pretty much no interaction and a small handful of blockers.
Also, you've mentioned Omniscience but it isn't in the decklist.
It seems pretty bad anyway to just hope to cast it and it'll often be a win-more card anyway.
I wrote this primer out right before bed, hence forgetting Omniscience. Whoops! Will make the appropriate correction momentarily. As to if the deck can survive til the late game? I thought about that. Originally, I had more removal in the mainboard, but decided on a more "all in" approach instead. Again, no testing has been done so its hard to to say just yet. I'm reserving the sideboard for more removal/interaction at this point Game 2.
You might need to go creatureless, and use red removals to make it to late game.
I've considered this approach as well. As I stated above, I initially drew up the deck as a control/midrange deck. Either UWB or URB. I'm gonna test the creature build first, because I like the idea of powering new Tezz via more artifacts, and having built in card draw via creatures that can also attack/block. We'll just have to wait and see.
Well if you use the sweeper that does 3 to everything (blanking on the name but you can find it) you can still use 4 toughness creatures. Something to consider.
So I got a little bit of testing in and you guys were right. The deck definitely needs more early interaction. Turn 3 in particular is crucial for us. Many times I found myself getting nuked by Sweltering Suns and Goblin Chainwhirler. Think I'm gonna ex-nae the fluff that is Hidden Stockpile and Djinn of Wishes. And since these cards are no longer in the deck, there's no reason to really run Omniscience anymore either. What the deck really wants/needs is protection from removal. Figure I'll be adding some counter spells moving forward. Nicol Bolas, the Ravager has been hit or miss. It still dies/exiles to cards like Fatal Push, Vraska's Contempt, Seal Away, Cast Out, etc, so even if you cast him on curve, he's more likely not getting any hits in. It's more of Turn 6 play than anything else, when you can leave two mana up to counter an opponent's removal.
Is Sage pulling its weight ?
It seems rather weak and worse than Divination unless you're pretty far ahead in the game already. Reverse Engineer is probably the better card draw option for an artifacts' deck.
Is Sage pulling its weight ?
It seems rather weak and worse than Divination unless you're pretty far ahead in the game already. Reverse Engineer is probably the better card draw option for an artifacts' deck.
Also, there are probably not nearly enough artifacts here to trigger Sai, is be here just for the 2nd ability then ?
Sage and Sai are working ok so far. Usually I'm able to get a few draws (1 or 2) before they're targeted for removal. With Anointed Procession, Sai is decent. But I do need more artifacts in the deck. Since the deck is not really based on being a token strategy deck (per se) I may be able to get away with taking them out. HOWEVER, where does that leave us? Aside from the Bolas cards and embleming Tezzeret the Schemer, what other possible win cons do we have? With Procession, I've been able to steamroll a few games, which is why I'm so keen on keeping it in right now. But I'll test Treasure Map in place of Procession (and maybe even Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh) just to see how it works out.
The card that I looked at that makes Tezzeret, Artifice Master attractive isn't actually Sai, Master Thopterist, but Mentor of the meek. It sounds like mixing strawberry jam with mustard, but the two work well together off of the +1, and Tezzeret actually fuels his own second ability for card draw, so it's not so much about having a lot of artifacts out as much as having at least one artifact out. There just aren't a lot of really strong artifacts in standard at the moment outside of vehicles. There's also OmenSpeaker making a comeback, which can block most things in the early game and still potentially kill a lot of x/1 creatures.
Private Mod Note
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1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
The card that I looked at that makes Tezzeret, Artifice Master attractive isn't actually Sai, Master Thopterist, but Mentor of the meek. It sounds like mixing strawberry jam with mustard, but the two work well together off of the +1, and Tezzeret actually fuels his own second ability for card draw, so it's not so much about having a lot of artifacts out as much as having at least one artifact out. There just aren't a lot of really strong artifacts in standard at the moment outside of vehicles. There's also OmenSpeaker making a comeback, which can block most things in the early game and still potentially kill a lot of x/1 creatures.
That's an interesting analogy... I like it! So I did test with Mentor of the Meek a couple of days ago. The problem is that it wants more creatures in the deck, and my current build simply can't support it with only 10. It's the exact opposite problem I've hand when running Hidden Stockpile in the deck without Anointed Procession. In order to scry, I need artifacts to sacrifice. But the build wants artifacts to be sacked for card draw, which is a stronger, more valuable effect. Honestly, I think the deck needs more artifact cantrips. So far I've been testing with/looking at Merchant's Dockhand, Prophetic Prism, and Renegade Map in place of Servo Exhibition. The reason being, that I can dig into the deck even faster, either thru card draw or deck thinning.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I think it may be because some of your card choices are sub-optimal. Fountain of Renewal is an awful card draw spell, and requires too much mana for it's draw affect. Pitiless Plunderer is a decent card, but paying four mana for a 1/4 is hella bad, especially for an effect that is conditional. It looks like you're looking at building an "aristocrats" style, where creatures ETB/LTB gains you life and makes your opponent lose life. This could work in a deck dedicated to such a strategy, but I don't believe it would work here.
I think it may be because some of your card choices are sub-optimal. Fountain of Renewal is an awful card draw spell, and requires too much mana for it's draw affect. Pitiless Plunderer is a decent card, but paying four mana for a 1/4 is hella bad, especially for an effect that is conditional. It looks like you're looking at building an "aristocrats" style, where creatures ETB/LTB gains you life and makes your opponent lose life. This could work in a deck dedicated to such a strategy, but I don't believe it would work here.
Yeah, I've been finding that it depends too heavily on the discount from Bontu's monument to really work as the pirates are all balanced on this idea of sacrificing treasures to offset their higher costs. I'm probably going back to Salvager Chains again and just reworking that deck.
The real restriction right now is how to be competitive due to control and aggro being really good. There is a very vibrant selection of mid-range options to enable strategies, but it goes down the toilet quickly if mono-red is able to disrupt it and put you on a tight clock. The other restriction is control, which will punish depending on a single enabler too much as well.
The meta right now as a whole appears to be dominant in three areas:
1) Red aggressive decks that put people on a tight clock, but are somewhat easy to disrupt.
2) Attrition decks (The Scarab God) that can pull creatures from the graveyard and play a decent control game.
3) Classic control spam. (Counter, bounce, counter, kill, counter, I got a BOMB! No wait, need to kill that first...)
There aren't a lot of traditional mid-range beaters out there, lately. I have seen knights and my local meta has the one die-hard merfolk player that has been trying to make it work since Dominaria dropped.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
EDIT: I've cleaned up the mana base to where the deck has become even more consistent. I hesitated to edit this post because people haven't been commenting recently on the tread. But I see people have still been looking at the deck, so I'm editing this post for deck posterity:
So, the deck has been thru a few iterations since I first posted it. Currently, I've been running:
I've been having a lot of fun playing the deck competitively here and there, winning about 5-7 out of 16 matches (or somewhere close to this, I forget the exact number) FNM's I've played (on different days of the week). Not the best results, I admit, but not super bad either. What I really like about the deck is how much card draw is built into it. Before, (before I last edited the deck that is), I spoke of adding in Reliquary Tower because of the overflowing amount of cards in hand you're able to draw into once the deck gets going. The problem has been, and continues to be, the mana base. Do I run one Tower? Two? Four? While pondering this, I've been following the Standard meta game. Grixis Midrange has been been putting up great numbers on the pro circuit, and I think there's just enough removal/exile in those colors to consider heading that direction, splashing W for Anointed Procession, Oath of Teferi, (and Fumigate, SB) exclusively.
EDIT: I've given up on the Grixis build for now. Grixis Midrange is just a better deck, and plays with more power than my build is able to offer.
Added Omniscience back into the mix. One thing I haven't really talked about too much in depth, is how fast this deck is able to generate mana. Not "ramp-centric" fast, but fast enough to outpace other midrange decks, and providing just enough removal/resilience against aggro. I love the idea of being able to cast a Bolas+Tezz, or a Tezz+Tezz, or a Tezz+Procession, etc, etc on the same turn!
and Omniscience. Nicol Bolas, The Ravager is a DFC that looks to be a brutal finisher once flipped. I envision the deck beings predominately U with splashes of other colors for various powerful effects:4 Spire of Industry
4 Irrigated Farmland
4 Glacial Fortress
3 Drowned Catacomb
1 Dragonskull Summit
5 Island
2 Swamp
1 Plains
CREATURES 6
3 Sai, Master Thopterist
3 Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
3 Jace, Cunning Castaway
3 Tezzeret the Schemer
2 Tezzeret, Artifice Master
INSTANTS AND SORCERIES 4
3 Negate
1 Reverse Engineer
ENCHANTMENTS 8
2 Seal Away
4 Cast Out
2 Anointed Procession
ARTIFACTS 10
3 Implement of Improvement
4 Servo Schematic
3 Treasure Map
2 Fatal Push
2 Vraska's Contempt
1 Negate
3 Essence Scatter
3 Sorcerous Spyglass
3 Fumigate
1 Baral's Expertise
UPDATE: Trying out a more "Superfriends" style version of the deck. I was noticing how BOTH Tezzerets have abilities that puts out artifacts, with said abilities feeding the check abilities of the other. I sought to capitalize on this by throwing Anointed Procession into the mix. Jace, Cunning Castaway came as an after-thought, providing more card draw and tokens that can survive a Goblin Chainwhirler. Implement of Improvement replaces Prophetic Prism because it provides life and card draw, and the deck really doesn't have too much need for mana filtering.
Also, you've mentioned Omniscience but it isn't in the decklist.
It seems pretty bad anyway to just hope to cast it and it'll often be a win-more card anyway.
I wrote this primer out right before bed, hence forgetting Omniscience. Whoops! Will make the appropriate correction momentarily. As to if the deck can survive til the late game? I thought about that. Originally, I had more removal in the mainboard, but decided on a more "all in" approach instead. Again, no testing has been done so its hard to to say just yet. I'm reserving the sideboard for more removal/interaction at this point Game 2.
I've considered this approach as well. As I stated above, I initially drew up the deck as a control/midrange deck. Either UWB or URB. I'm gonna test the creature build first, because I like the idea of powering new Tezz via more artifacts, and having built in card draw via creatures that can also attack/block. We'll just have to wait and see.
It seems rather weak and worse than Divination unless you're pretty far ahead in the game already.
Reverse Engineer is probably the better card draw option for an artifacts' deck.
Treasure Map would probably be good in this deck.
Battle at the Bridge is a good removal + lifegain option.
Also, there are probably not nearly enough artifacts here to trigger Sai, is be here just for the 2nd ability then ?
Sage and Sai are working ok so far. Usually I'm able to get a few draws (1 or 2) before they're targeted for removal. With Anointed Procession, Sai is decent. But I do need more artifacts in the deck. Since the deck is not really based on being a token strategy deck (per se) I may be able to get away with taking them out. HOWEVER, where does that leave us? Aside from the Bolas cards and embleming Tezzeret the Schemer, what other possible win cons do we have? With Procession, I've been able to steamroll a few games, which is why I'm so keen on keeping it in right now. But I'll test Treasure Map in place of Procession (and maybe even Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh) just to see how it works out.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
That's an interesting analogy... I like it! So I did test with Mentor of the Meek a couple of days ago. The problem is that it wants more creatures in the deck, and my current build simply can't support it with only 10. It's the exact opposite problem I've hand when running Hidden Stockpile in the deck without Anointed Procession. In order to scry, I need artifacts to sacrifice. But the build wants artifacts to be sacked for card draw, which is a stronger, more valuable effect. Honestly, I think the deck needs more artifact cantrips. So far I've been testing with/looking at Merchant's Dockhand, Prophetic Prism, and Renegade Map in place of Servo Exhibition. The reason being, that I can dig into the deck even faster, either thru card draw or deck thinning.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I think it may be because some of your card choices are sub-optimal. Fountain of Renewal is an awful card draw spell, and requires too much mana for it's draw affect. Pitiless Plunderer is a decent card, but paying four mana for a 1/4 is hella bad, especially for an effect that is conditional. It looks like you're looking at building an "aristocrats" style, where creatures ETB/LTB gains you life and makes your opponent lose life. This could work in a deck dedicated to such a strategy, but I don't believe it would work here.
Yeah, I've been finding that it depends too heavily on the discount from Bontu's monument to really work as the pirates are all balanced on this idea of sacrificing treasures to offset their higher costs. I'm probably going back to Salvager Chains again and just reworking that deck.
The real restriction right now is how to be competitive due to control and aggro being really good. There is a very vibrant selection of mid-range options to enable strategies, but it goes down the toilet quickly if mono-red is able to disrupt it and put you on a tight clock. The other restriction is control, which will punish depending on a single enabler too much as well.
The meta right now as a whole appears to be dominant in three areas:
1) Red aggressive decks that put people on a tight clock, but are somewhat easy to disrupt.
2) Attrition decks (The Scarab God) that can pull creatures from the graveyard and play a decent control game.
3) Classic control spam. (Counter, bounce, counter, kill, counter, I got a BOMB! No wait, need to kill that first...)
There aren't a lot of traditional mid-range beaters out there, lately. I have seen knights and my local meta has the one die-hard merfolk player that has been trying to make it work since Dominaria dropped.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
So, the deck has been thru a few iterations since I first posted it. Currently, I've been running:
4 Spire of Industry
4 Aether Hub
2 Reliquary Tower
4 Irrigated Farmland
4 Drowned Catacomb
1 Sulfur Falls
4 Island
1 Swamp
CREATURES 7
3 Sai, Master Thopterist
2 Glint-Sleeve Siphoner
2 Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
2 Tezzeret the Schemer
2 Tezzeret, Artifice Master
1 Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh
INSTANTS AND SORCERIES 2
2 Negate
ENCHANTMENTS 11
2 Seal Away
4 Cast Out
2 Anointed Procession
2 Oath of Teferi
1 Omniscience
ARTIFACTS 11
4 Implement of Improvement
4 Servo Schematic
3 Treasure Map
2 Fatal Push
2 Vraska's Contempt
2 Metallic Rebuke
2 Essence Scatter
1 Cast Down
2 Sorcerous Spyglass
3 Fumigate
1 Baral's Expertise
I've been having a lot of fun playing the deck competitively here and there, winning about 5-7 out of 16 matches (or somewhere close to this, I forget the exact number) FNM's I've played (on different days of the week). Not the best results, I admit, but not super bad either.What I really like about the deck is how much card draw is built into it. Before, (before I last edited the deck that is), I spoke of adding in Reliquary Tower because of the overflowing amount of cards in hand you're able to draw into once the deck gets going.The problem has been, and continues to be, the mana base. Do I run one Tower? Two? Four?While pondering this, I've been following the Standard meta game. Grixis Midrange has been been putting up great numbers on the pro circuit, and I think there's just enough removal/exile in those colors to consider heading that direction, splashing W for Anointed Procession, Oath of Teferi, (and Fumigate, SB) exclusively.EDIT: I've given up on the Grixis build for now. Grixis Midrange is just a better deck, and plays with more power than my build is able to offer.
4 Spire of Industry
4 Aether Hub
2 Reliquary Tower
4 Sulfur Falls
4 Drowned Catacomb
1 Glacial Fortress
4 Island
1 Swamp
CREATURES 8
3 Sai, Master Thopterist
3 Glint-Sleeve Siphoner
2 Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
2 Tezzeret the Schemer
2 Tezzeret, Artifice Master
INSTANTS AND SORCERIES 8
2 Negate
2 Abrade
4 Harnessed Lightning
ENCHANTMENTS 5
2 Anointed Procession
2 Oath of Teferi
1 Omniscience
ARTIFACTS 11
4 Implement of Improvement
4 Servo Schematic
3 Treasure Map
2 Fatal Push
2 Vraska's Contempt
1 Negate
3 Essence Scatter
3 Sorcerous Spyglass
3 Fumigate
1 Baral's Expertise
Added Omniscience back into the mix. One thing I haven't really talked about too much in depth, is how fast this deck is able to generate mana. Not "ramp-centric" fast, but fast enough to outpace other midrange decks, and providing just enough removal/resilience against aggro. I love the idea of being able to cast a Bolas+Tezz, or a Tezz+Tezz, or a Tezz+Procession, etc, etc on the same turn!