The main problem with Alchemy is that, they are so obsessed with justifying making them only digital that they add crap to what would otherwise be a great design. Fortunately, there are some cards that not only function in paper, but have already been printed in paper:
De facto, conjure is no more of a problem than this little guy:
You can print a couple copies of the card, it's fine.
Most cards with Perpetually don't have any reasons to use it. However, you can easily prepare a piece of cardboard with the extra text that slides inside the sleeve.
As for seek...yeah it works if you rewrite it to work like cascade. The main issue is the lack of text and the fact that some of them are highly exploitable or central for a digital-only mechanic. It's also given way too easily, I think some abilities are undercosted given the ability to draw extra cards.
I currently run two Alchemy cards:
Indris is extremely valuable since it's a several archetypes payoffs at once. It replaces and improves on a series of cards many of us have considered running but that were too clunky, powerful or weak:
It's both a storm enabler and a win-condition. It's a good, unique reanimator target, allowing crossover between both archetype. It's fine in control, easy to get value from but without a backbreaking ETB or brutal locks of Niv-Mizzet, Tyrant or Horror. It can work like Griselbrand does in combo without being an I-win button. It's also a good target for
Seething Song and even a curve-topper in some tempo or midrange decks.
It's also easy to understand and remarkably simple. You only need a proxy lighting bolt with "storm" written on it. And it doesn't even have to go for the full kill, it's good backed by a single counterspell, with a small 2-spell storm as removal or what have you.
The only issue is the bad art and creature type.
This is a rebalanced card, pushing a great but weak design into one you can actually play. A 3/3 is the sweet spot for the cost and effect, allows the Sage to save itself or other creatures from removal and is just fun to play.
It also has a name that actually works, making it easy for me to include and justify.
Some other stuff I like:
I don't run this only because white is already good enough without getting access to a one-mana discard spell. I would remove the "becomes white" part, though, it adds nothing.
This is an interesting cycle. At their core, they are Thraben Inspectors that draw you an artifact, a very interesting baseline. Pearl Collector is awful and not worth mentioning, but the rest are worth a look.
Emerald Collector has the most play value as a Curiosity on legs. It has a lower power level than the rest and requires some cube tweaking to make it feasible to draw the mox, but it's otherwise fine.
Ruby Collector is also low-powered, but it pumps for 1R which is a powerful effect.
Sapphire Collector is a powerful card. While expensive, it can give you really explosive turns. Ritual, flashback the ritual, get mox, play a kill spell, attack for 7 or more. I suspect it will see more play for its flashback ability than anything else, though.
Jet Collector is a bit dumb. It's trivial to get the mox, making its baseline a 1G rampant growth, and the second ability is really, really powerful. I'm wary of this type of recursion so I've avoided it.
This looks like a riot and it's a human to boot. But, even though I've heard good things, I'm wary of giving the opponent a 5/3
This seems really interesting! The question is, what can you actually do with it? I fear it would just look for the quickest recursive loop, like a blinker, and then get another piece when it ETBs again. That's kind of nasty and not too compelling.
This is appealing as a gruul card but it's just pure value with no actual synergy.
This should have a ton of applications. It draws you cards, it creates artifacts, it gives you a slow but steady amount of flying 3/1...there must be good uses for it
Another interesting spell that opens the door for all kinds of synergies: Tokens, discarding cards for value, equipment....
A Thraben Inspector that makes Training Grounds rather than a clue. Is that useful? Perhaps for some it might be, which is why I list it here. Note that you need an actual use for Training Grounds or this will simply be a blink payoff (blink it, get two Training Grounds so you can draw cards for a single mana).
The first ability seems way too strong, since it's the best part of Sentinel of the Nameless City. I wanted this for the second ability since it seems good in a variey of decks and promotes equipment in blue, but together they seem too strong. The magpies also come into play untapped, which is a problem since they are 1/3s.
This seems like a potential competitor for Scrapheap Scrounger, but I'm unsure of the advantages and drawbacks it may have in practice. Seems more "cute" than usable, though it gives you more artifact creature triggers if you need them for any reason.
This is terrible! It sticks five lands into your deck, do not play this!
This is a Massacre Wurm that is far less backbreaking since you don't get both the kill and life loss. Interesting if you want that kind of wrath effect on a creature.
