I've been considering adding back in the 5 moxen after depowering my cube to help out the artifact deck a little, does that seems like a good idea? Moxen are certainly powerful but in cube I don't feel that they are "unfun" as some of the other cards I banned going unpowered.
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In an unpowered cube, what do you think of adding some artifact lands? Especially Seat of the Synod and Vault of Whispers? Sure they are destroyed by artifact hate, but they may support the artifact deck well enough to be worth a try.
- Can be searched by Tezz 1.0
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- Support the Academy
- Trinket Mage target
- can be discarded with Thirst for Knowledge
Again we are speaking of an unpowered cube.
I don't really like it, but part of it is because in my unpowered cube I eventually decided that Academy and Trinket Mage couldn't hold up.
They're fine, and all, but what are you cutting to fit them in? Black cards? Colorless cards?
Nothing as I will expand, so cutting isnt a problem.
It doesn't matter if you're expanding or not. You're still cutting a card for it.
If you didn't include it, what would go in its place? You're essentially cutting that card for it.
..........
Seat of the Synod is a maybe because it can be useful with a lot of cards. I wouldn't add in the Red or Black ones until Grixis gets a deeper artifact support network in the cube. Blue has enough if you really push the artifact theme, but the other colors don't yet. I mean, Vault is good with what? Tezz 2.0 and that's it for black? Furnace is good with Goblin Welder and that's all? I'd pass on all except maybe the Synod ...and probably not even that one unless the cube was really big with a huge artifact theme; 720 or more probably.
1) I can't really answer this directly because it's hard to gauge how many 2 mana stones you need. I think I'd play with it and see. I think the deck really suffers with the loss of Sol Ring and Grim Monolith, and I don't know that playing more mana rocks will solve the problem. If you do play more mana rocks, I like Coldsteel Heart better than either of the two you mentioned.
2) Yes, although I don't think either is really good enough. The color production doesn't seem as relevant as the ability to have an indestructible toy for Tezz 2.0
3) No. I'm unpowered but I run fast mana (Sol Ring, Grim Monolith, Mana Vault, Mana Crypt), and Tolarian Academy wasn't good enough for us. It's definitely not going to be good enough without those.
Tolarian Academy was very bad in my Cube, and I tried to support artifacts heavily. Granted, I have an unpowered Cube. It's unfortunate, because it's such an iconic card.
I think you need Moxen and Fast Mana to play Academy. It's quite easy in a powered artifact deck to have it tap for UU with regularity. And that's pretty bonkers in itself.
I think you need Moxen and Fast Mana to play Academy. It's quite easy in a powered artifact deck to have it tap for UU with regularity. And that's pretty bonkers in itself.
I can definitely see Tolarian Academy being very good in a small, powered Cube.
I am moving towards powering my cube and fully supporting the artifact deck. How does a deck like this usually win? By artifact deck, do people mean basically fast mana stones into normal control finishers? Does the artifact need a Tezzeret or two in order to win? I'm just trying to imagine the deck. A UB control shell with artifacts just sounds like a UB ramp deck to me. What sets this deck apart from green ramp strategies or normal control strategies?
The basic strategy is to spend the early turns of the game playing manafacts, and removal, and either playing an early planeswalker or artifact creature (Sundering Titan, Wurmcoil Engine, etc.). Other options include Upheaval and Wildfire. Pick the manafacts and kill conditions above all other cards. You don't necessarily need draw spells or even a lot of removal if you're fast enough. Hopefully that gets you started in the right direction.
Tolarian Academy was very bad in my Cube, and I tried to support artifacts heavily. Granted, I have an unpowered Cube. It's unfortunate, because it's such an iconic card.
Tolarian Academy was the best late game land in magic at the time
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What percentage of your cube was mana rocks before? And did the deck work with that percentage? If so, if the new percentage is the same or higher, it will work. If it's lower, it might not.
Seems on the slow side. He is not key for the archetype. You need mana rocks, key cards like Tezzeret and Tinker and some high end finishers. The rest you fill up with quality artifacts.
Master Transmuter is not as powerful as Tinker or one of the Tezzerets and is too fragile to be strong enough outside an all-in artifact deck.
Sorry if I missed this, but I didn't see any mention of Lodestone Golem
This card seem incredible in the artifact decks, especially if he comes down on turn 3 with artifact acceleration (or sooner in powered lists). He and Ethersworn Canonist can team up to deny resources. This is also viable with a Tangle Wire + Winter Orb plan. This may not be the artifact deck direction people are thinking, but I think it's worth consideration.
I like Chrome Mox, but it is card disadvantage and it does need a deck with actual coloured spells to work as far as I know. Mindstone is cool as it can draw you a card when you don't need the mana, and Clodsteel does a really good job at fixing while still ramping unlike Chromatic.
Anyway, I've been thinking of adding more support for an Artifact archtype. How necessary do you find the Tezzerets to be? Do any of you find that one is consistently better than the other??
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I don't really like it, but part of it is because in my unpowered cube I eventually decided that Academy and Trinket Mage couldn't hold up.
They're fine, and all, but what are you cutting to fit them in? Black cards? Colorless cards?
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It doesn't matter if you're expanding or not. You're still cutting a card for it.
If you didn't include it, what would go in its place? You're essentially cutting that card for it.
..........
Seat of the Synod is a maybe because it can be useful with a lot of cards. I wouldn't add in the Red or Black ones until Grixis gets a deeper artifact support network in the cube. Blue has enough if you really push the artifact theme, but the other colors don't yet. I mean, Vault is good with what? Tezz 2.0 and that's it for black? Furnace is good with Goblin Welder and that's all? I'd pass on all except maybe the Synod ...and probably not even that one unless the cube was really big with a huge artifact theme; 720 or more probably.
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Now this; this is an option I can get behind. Seat of the Synod looks a lot worse when compared to Mox Sapphire.
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2) Yes, although I don't think either is really good enough. The color production doesn't seem as relevant as the ability to have an indestructible toy for Tezz 2.0
3) No. I'm unpowered but I run fast mana (Sol Ring, Grim Monolith, Mana Vault, Mana Crypt), and Tolarian Academy wasn't good enough for us. It's definitely not going to be good enough without those.
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I can definitely see Tolarian Academy being very good in a small, powered Cube.
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Master Transmuter is not as powerful as Tinker or one of the Tezzerets and is too fragile to be strong enough outside an all-in artifact deck.
I feel compelled to repeat everything I hear
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This card seem incredible in the artifact decks, especially if he comes down on turn 3 with artifact acceleration (or sooner in powered lists). He and Ethersworn Canonist can team up to deny resources. This is also viable with a Tangle Wire + Winter Orb plan. This may not be the artifact deck direction people are thinking, but I think it's worth consideration.
Thoughts?
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==== Bellow this line be cards I wouldn't play ====
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I like Chrome Mox, but it is card disadvantage and it does need a deck with actual coloured spells to work as far as I know. Mindstone is cool as it can draw you a card when you don't need the mana, and Clodsteel does a really good job at fixing while still ramping unlike Chromatic.
Anyway, I've been thinking of adding more support for an Artifact archtype. How necessary do you find the Tezzerets to be? Do any of you find that one is consistently better than the other??
Any other new advice in the last six months?
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We use Tezz 1.0 and not Tezz 2.0 and artifact decks come together all the time. I think you can support it without both if you need space in Dimir.
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