The idea of the deck is to ramp quickly in order to cast Polymorph or Proteus Staff on a token which will go filter through your deck until you hit emrakul, because the deck doesn't actually run any real "creatures". Running affinity allows the deck explosive draws with artifact ramp, cheap polymorph targets, and powerful dig effects.
This deck has the power to land an emrakul as quick as turn 2, and can pretty consistently hit one by turn 4. The deck has some resiliency in that it has 4 welding jars and once you have a proteus staff out you can keep casting polymorph and they have to have answers. The deck has a great amount of redundancy as well, with 8 polymorph effects (4 of which are repeatable), 13 artifact creatures, and 11 of the most powerful digging effects modern has to offer...
The deck has access to some very powerful looting spells thanks to the affinity mechanic. Thoughtcast will almost always be U: draw 2 and ancient stirring can find everything in this deck except polymorph.
Cards like chimeric mass and welding jar serve double purpose by allowing us to activate mox opal quickly as well as being creature/protection.
There are very many ways this deck can go as well and many cards that are worth considering, as I doubt that my list is perfect as is.
simic keyrune: I've reduced this down to a 1 of, and i'm not sure if its the right number. This card will never be part of the deck's most explosive draws, but at the same time it protects itself with hexproof, which is incredible against certain decks. Even as a 1 of, it's not that difficult to find when you need it with thoughtcasts and ancient stirrings. rusted relic: 4 mana 5/5, we can get this out as on turn 3 and start playing a beat down role. Its out of bolt range as well. stoic rebuttal and other counterpspells could be used in a more combo-control version see beyond: for when we draw emrakul and need to shuffle him back khalni garden: free target for polymorph but comes into play tapped and can't regen with welding jar.
not sure choices: lotus bloom This deck usually doesn't need more then 4 mana and should already have emrakul out by turn 3
Weaknesses of the deck are that it suffers from all the same hate that affinity does, so our sideboard will have to be able to deal with stony silence and such. Anyways, i'd love to see what you guys think and I could write a primer if this deck picks up any steam.
The appeal of forbidding with tower is it's out of bolt range but you are right, the tapped portion can slow the deck.
I like the idea of beat down as a plan b, when I tested out rusted relics I was able to beat uwr control with hex proof key runes, 5/5s and nexus all while having the threat of polymorph.
I might try some thirst for knowledge, it would be better in a control build as it is amazing instant speed draw.
Play tested a few games on cockatrice. Beat goryos vengeance 2-0, uwr control 2-1, lost to 1 drop zoo 0-2 even though I got out emrakul both times, and lost to merfolk1-2.
The deck definitely needs a bit of work, but I dont think in the ways you mentioned. Thoughtcast (1 mana draw 2), Mox opal (Basically power 9 in this deck), Welding Jar, Ancient Stirrings (dig 5), are all extremely powerful cards that playing artifacts enables. Maybe the manabase can use a little bit of fixing, but it's very rare that we don't have the colors we need, especially since most cards have colorless casting cost.
The problem I find with token generators is that you want an emrakul by turn 3 and 4 not to be producing tokens, and realistically this deck is never going to win by attacking with 1/1s. ( though the concept of polymorph/bitterblossom/zombie infestation build is pretty unexplored and could have some potential.)
been playtesting a bit and turn found out all you need for a turn 2 emrakul is a 2 charge pentad prism on turn one (through mox). Unfortunately getting 2 charges on a pentad prism is pretty awkward because turning on mox on turn one often requires darksteel citadel which is colorless.
I am personally a fan of using esper colors with lingering souls and other token generation
The problem that those token decks + polymorph tend to run into is that it's neither a good agro deck or a good combo. Polymorph raises the curve of the deck from just b/w tokens and turn's on what is usually dead removal in the opponents, and drawing emrakul can make some hands really bad. This deck instead just focuses on getting polymorph as fast as possible (usually turn 3) with some protection.
I'd put in Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas as an alternate win condition. You already have ramp, so his 4 cmc isn't awful. It does a lot for your deck - it draws artifacts, and it makes creature tokens. I'd run it over Ancient Stirrings, which does the same thing only once, then you wouldn't need green mana for anything.
Also, why not use Mishra's Bauble instead of welding jar. How often are you really regenerating stuff anyway?
Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas is certainly an interesting card. He gives a good way to attack from a different angle, and we can consistently get him out on turn 3 which can be very hard to deal with. On the other hand, he can be a bit slow and we arent great at protecting him.
I'd say welding jar is very important to the deck, and regeneration comes up very often when you try to go off. The problem with mishra's bauble is that you want all the information you can get on your turn, and it doesn't stay on the field to keep on metalcraft.
4 Mox Opal
4 Pentad Prism
Lands
4 Blinkmoth Nexus
1 Breeding Pool
1 Hallowed Fountain
4 Darksteel Citadel
4 Glimmervoid
3 Misty Rainforest
1 Island
1 Inkmoth Nexus
3 Origin Spellbomb
4 Chimeric Mass
1 Simic Keyrune
Protection
4 Welding Jar
Deck Manipulation
4 Serum Visions
4 Ancient Stirrings
4 Thoughtcast
Win Condition
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
Enablers
4 Polymorph
4 Proteus Staff
1 Veilstone amulet
2 Rest In Peace
3 Sun Droplet
2 Firespout
2 Spell Pierce
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Echoing Truth
4 Thoughtseize
This deck has the power to land an emrakul as quick as turn 2, and can pretty consistently hit one by turn 4. The deck has some resiliency in that it has 4 welding jars and once you have a proteus staff out you can keep casting polymorph and they have to have answers. The deck has a great amount of redundancy as well, with 8 polymorph effects (4 of which are repeatable), 13 artifact creatures, and 11 of the most powerful digging effects modern has to offer...
The deck has access to some very powerful looting spells thanks to the affinity mechanic. Thoughtcast will almost always be U: draw 2 and ancient stirring can find everything in this deck except polymorph.
Cards like chimeric mass and welding jar serve double purpose by allowing us to activate mox opal quickly as well as being creature/protection.
There are very many ways this deck can go as well and many cards that are worth considering, as I doubt that my list is perfect as is.
simic keyrune: I've reduced this down to a 1 of, and i'm not sure if its the right number. This card will never be part of the deck's most explosive draws, but at the same time it protects itself with hexproof, which is incredible against certain decks. Even as a 1 of, it's not that difficult to find when you need it with thoughtcasts and ancient stirrings.
rusted relic: 4 mana 5/5, we can get this out as on turn 3 and start playing a beat down role. Its out of bolt range as well.
stoic rebuttal and other counterpspells could be used in a more combo-control version
see beyond: for when we draw emrakul and need to shuffle him back
khalni garden: free target for polymorph but comes into play tapped and can't regen with welding jar.
not sure choices:
lotus bloom This deck usually doesn't need more then 4 mana and should already have emrakul out by turn 3
Weaknesses of the deck are that it suffers from all the same hate that affinity does, so our sideboard will have to be able to deal with stony silence and such. Anyways, i'd love to see what you guys think and I could write a primer if this deck picks up any steam.
I like the idea of beat down as a plan b, when I tested out rusted relics I was able to beat uwr control with hex proof key runes, 5/5s and nexus all while having the threat of polymorph.
I might try some thirst for knowledge, it would be better in a control build as it is amazing instant speed draw.
Play tested a few games on cockatrice. Beat goryos vengeance 2-0, uwr control 2-1, lost to 1 drop zoo 0-2 even though I got out emrakul both times, and lost to merfolk1-2.
The problem I find with token generators is that you want an emrakul by turn 3 and 4 not to be producing tokens, and realistically this deck is never going to win by attacking with 1/1s. ( though the concept of polymorph/bitterblossom/zombie infestation build is pretty unexplored and could have some potential.)
The problem that those token decks + polymorph tend to run into is that it's neither a good agro deck or a good combo. Polymorph raises the curve of the deck from just b/w tokens and turn's on what is usually dead removal in the opponents, and drawing emrakul can make some hands really bad. This deck instead just focuses on getting polymorph as fast as possible (usually turn 3) with some protection.
Also, why not use Mishra's Bauble instead of welding jar. How often are you really regenerating stuff anyway?
I'd say welding jar is very important to the deck, and regeneration comes up very often when you try to go off. The problem with mishra's bauble is that you want all the information you can get on your turn, and it doesn't stay on the field to keep on metalcraft.