General How to execute a minimalist Artifact theme

[FlowerSunRain]

I don't know if I actually want to do this, but I'd like to know what doing so would require.

1) I guess an artifact theme needs artifacts, but since artifacts are colorless they already have an increased range of decks they fit in. Therefore, the artifacts chosen need to be either somewhat narrow or intrinsically less powerful effects, but they can't be so narrow that they only fit into the artifact deck (that's what incentive cards are for) and they can't be so weak that there is no reason to play them. Its a tough balance. I wonder if I run a decent set

2) A lot of the artifact incentive cards either involve the graveyard or give you a discount on an artifact (sometimes both!). This means that some of the artifacts need to kill themselves, it needs to be able to overlap with graveyard themes and the effects can't be too splashy that it turns into haymakerville.

3) Basically all the support for this theme is in red and blue, which is also the primary "spell" colors which has minimal overlap with artifacts, prowess not withstanding. It might be better to focus on one or the other.

Artifact lands give minimal cost support out of the utility draft, that's a super simple support angle.

If I want my incentive cards to consist of, for example, Goblin Welder and Daretti, does anything need to be added? Do you NEED to have mana rocks and a top end artifact to "cheat" for these cards to have demand? A mind stone? A staff of nin or scuttling doom engine, perhaps? What other incentive cards have minimal cost that could get slipped in?

 

[Rasmus Källqvist]

I think id be easier to know how to set up the theme with the key cards. Do you want to run some of the red cards from cmd14 together with welder?

 

[FlowerSunRain]

I like the goblin walker because of the insane crossover with graveyard themes. Welder seems to be a straightfoward incentive card that also overlaps with graveyard themes. To this I'm having a little trouble. I've got good support for black/red sacrifice stuff, so Disciple of the Vault could work, but is probably terrible. The main stumbling block in my cube is a lack of a raw number of artifacts. Does goblin welder, daretti, academy ruins, trading post and a handful of artifacts that are decent with them make it enough of a theme to justify the more narrow cards in that group, or are stronger incentives required?

 

[FlowerSunRain]

Or more succinctly, is Goblin Welder sweet enough to just throw in a cube that doesn't have giant robots, mana rocks and tons of brown cards?

 

[Rasmus Källqvist]

I think that largely depends on what the other decks on the cube are doing. Maybe build a dream list for a pretend-drafted list and play it vs some 3-0 decks too see how the cards play out? Like if the cards play out really well there can be ab incentive to draft the deck.

 

[Jason Waddell]

I don't really have any concrete ideas, but I'd ask:
1) what do you want the draft dynamics to be
2) what do you want the gameplay dynamics to be

I'm also not a great person to ask because for some reason Goblin Welder is a completely unappealing card to me.

 

[FlowerSunRain]

My everpresent hope for drafting mechanics is increasing potential deck diversity by opening up thematic angles to build decks around and brewing space with interesting cards that might have unintended consequences. I avoid draft tension like the plague and don't mind having a relatively large amount of narrow cards in order to achieve the above.

As for gameplay, I'm not 100% sure, but some kind of controlly thing with using the welder/ruins to get important cards that were looted or to recur them..

Actually, now they I think about it, Triskellion 100% belongs here doesn't it? Not oppressively powerful, but uses +1/+1 counter, great with recursion, etc?

As for a dream list, maybe something like this could be the main components:

Goblin Welder
New Goblin Planeswalker
Faithless Looting

Perilous Myr
Triskelion
Nevinyrral's Disk

I guess my main concern is if a sheer volume of artifacts is needed to make it work, with so few in my cube it seems that brewing opportunities are lacking and it would fall apart easily with a poor split of cards.

 

[GenericZero]

Scuttling Doom Engine is definitely a good idea. Just make sure to balance it out by having powerful bomb options in other colors. Like almost strictly more powerful. People tend to take good artifacts frequently due to the lack of color commitment they have. Like you said, the artifacts supporting the theme can't be too weak, but also can't be too strong. I'd lean towards weaker alone, better with synergy. Doom Engine is fine alone. Outstanding with TfT, Welder, & Daretti. There's also cards like Ichor Wellspring or Sphere of the Suns. Heck, you could probably loosely throw in some sunburst artifacts & tie artifacts together with 5 colors. There's even a decent board wipe you can use w/ sunburst.

 

[Onderzeeboot]

I've had a few "artifact light" decks come together in my cube with the following package.



And some other artifact creatures like Epochrasite, Perilous Myr, Phyrexian Revoker, Porcelain Legionnaire, etc.

Non-Obvious Standouts:
Grand Architect - it's also a fine blue anthem, even if you run only a minimum of artifacts.
Vault Skirge - Awesome in agressive strategies, often in tandem with equipment, but also an artifact creature and thus super with Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas.
Goblin Welder - Recurring Smokestack. Need I say more? I played some tense and highly enjoyable games against a deck using this combo.
Covetous Dragon - 6/5 flying for five is fricking huge, even by today's standard. I love how he doesn't and does warp your draft and deck building antics.

 

[FlowerSunRain]

Engineered Explosives is in my cube right now. While its usually not good to grab with welder, being able to cast it for zero is good to feed welder. I don't think any of the other sunburst cards are very enticing, but I could have missed one of them.

Getting the right pool of "not as powerful as the color cards, but still useful" artifacts is the main trick. I'll hit the binder tonight and see what I can find.

 

[GenericZero]

Are there any mana dudes besides the myrs for artifact creatures that make colored mana? Recurring sunburst cards, cards reliant on counters, & contagion engine sounds like it could be amusing & flexible.

Really, someone help me look into this, I WANT TO BELIEVE!

 

[Onderzeeboot]

 

[GenericZero]

Oh yea....sunburst cards don't "recur" well.


DISREGARD EVERYTHING INVOLVING SUNBURST.

As for five color artifacts. Let's look into that? Transguild golem guy wants a civic saber & who are we to say no?

 

[CML]

artifacts that are good regardless of being colorless but not so good they make drafting and building decisions boring



artifact-themed cards that can function well with a small amount of artifacts



and there you have a themeless theme

 

[FlowerSunRain]

Yeah, I think this is completely doable. Kind wish there were a few more colored artifacts, but what are you going to do.

 

[Diakonov]

 

[FlowerSunRain]

Yeah, I think artifact creatures are the right direction in that you don't need specific cards to kill them. I'm not stuffing Keldon Vandals and company into this cube. Eldrazi Monument, for example, would be the wrong direction.

God, why is origin spellbomb so bad? I guess it triggered stuff in Scars draft?

 

[Diakonov]

What percent of your cube is artifacts? Mine is currently about 10%.

 

[FlowerSunRain]

Just under 5%, including the 4 artifact/enchantments. The utility draft gives access to the lands. If this is going to work, I'm going to have to tinker it a little bit.

Some artifacts I'm considering adding are:

Epochrasite, Triskelion, Bident of Thassa, Shrine of Loyal LegionsTumble Magnet, Sylvok Lifestaff, Scuttling Doom Engine, Godsend, Bonehoard, Iron Myr, Myr Sire, Baleful Strix (though I kinda hate that card)

The "theme" cards:

Goblin Welder, New Planeswalker Guy, Academy Ruins in the Land draft actually gets picked once in a while currently, Mystical Tutor, maybe U/B tezz, tinker

 

[FlowerSunRain]

Also, Unstable Obelisk might be a mana rock that I'd actually run.

 

[Jason Waddell]

My favorite part about this thread is how, from the front page it says "How to execute a..." and cuts off, and my mind always thinks it's a guidebook for Texas prison operators.

 

[Eric Chan]

Also, Unstable Obelisk might be a mana rock that I'd actually run.

I'm definitely gonna give it a shot over here. Best three mana colourless rock since Pristine Talisman!

 

[CML]

Yeah, I think this is completely doable. Kind wish there were a few more colored artifacts, but what are you going to do.

phyrexian metamorph is just such a high pick in everyone's cube, i think -- it's a lot better than phantasmal image

i dunno about pentavus that card sucks. myr battlesphere is about as bad as i will include for an artifact creature. scuttling doom engine also seems appropriately bad for being colorless. steel hellkite is in the ballpark. cards with unique functions like spellskite are what i'm looking for but somewhat crappy artifact fatties are certainly a genre you should dip into. it is hard to find the right balance for artifact creatures. too many people want them and want them too much unless they suck

the obelisk is super sweet

 

[Alfonzo Bonzo]

?

Edit

 

[FlowerSunRain]

Some of the cards don't work because they more support an "artifacts matter them" that requires a critical mass. Karn and Chief Engineer. Steel Overseer is pretty bad without mass, but provides +1/+1s for that theme and has extra synergy with triskelion and Mindless Automaton, so its something to consider.

Myr Sire is the right idea, but he gets crushed by similar cards Young Wolf, Mogg War Marshal and Doomed Traveler, her probably too far below the curve. Chromatic star is a nice piece of tech whose only strike is being low impact. I've run contagion clasp before and it always seems to do too little.

This is much to ponder, thanks for your help.