Hey
Final point - the forum / page should be called Blue Steel. It's what people know the deck as, and I tried to do a search for it. Obviously, I didn't find it! Was lucky to spot Grand Architect post at all!
I figured I'd weigh in here on this as a modern mod and active reader/semiactive poster of the thread. While Blue steel maybe more iconic the thread it self isn't focused just on blue steel but rather focuses on many grand architect builds thus will probably stay just grand architect for now.
I play kira in my heartless build ( the U/b version) and i love kira especially when paired with spellskite but then again my deck is midranged where you guys are more aggro so take my experience with a grain of salt.
Its a bit of a subpar list of the Monoblue version but its publicity. I already posted a comments to check here for better lists, along with my plug for my heartless version :p.
I feel like the Thalia could be changed to a ethersworn canonist or something else like the Thorn of Ameyst as it comes down easier or be upgraded to GAAIV
A common theme of most Grand Architect decks seems to be the mana disruption via Lodestone Golem.
To expand on this theme, I added Mausleum Wanderer and Thalia, Guardian of Thraben (main reason for the white splash) to the list.
Not only do these cards disrupt, they can also help to protect the Grand Architect and also fit nicely in the curve. Mausleum Wanderer works very well with both Grand Architect and the equipments, since his power increases with both of them (excluding Mortarpod), making actually relevant in the late game (a big upgrade to Jugde's Familiar).
Thalia does not have the best synergies with the deck (non-blue creature for Grand Architect, increasing equipment mana cost), the drawbacks are not that bad, since we gain more than enough mana to cast our artifacts with our engine. So far, her disruption is effective enough to earn a spot in a U/w list, since she buys us a lot of time against very fast decks.
I mainly used the swords as equipment, since they allow our creatures to be protected from certain colors and make any creature a threat, especially the flying ones.
This can be particullary useful in a grindy match, though the Sword of Feast and Famine has been the least impressive one.
I think the swords are more playable compared to the past, where Kolaghan's Command and/or Abrupt Decay were more popular.
Batterskull has also been performing well.
Glint-Nest Crane has been amazing so far, whether on turn 2 or t7, it has been overperforming so far. This creature helps us to find our equipment, disruption, blocks, attacks with/without a sword, it has been almost always fantastic. I think every list can play at least 3 copies of it.
Myr Superion has not been added to the list, since I don't like it being stuck in my hand. I don't really like running Etherium Sculptor and using only Grand Architect and Chief Engineer as a possible mana source seems to risky for me. Even in Ulka's U/B version, it got stuck in my hand multiple times. (Though casting multiple copies on T2 with Heartless Summoning feels great)
So far, the list has been great. The matches I lost always felt winnable, or at least not completely hopeless, which motivated to write this post. Hope it can be of some use.
P.S.: During my testing, I noticed in a match against a Doran/Assault Formation deck that a U/g version can actually make good use of the enchantment, since most creatures are x/3.
Here is a quick decklist with the idea:
In the only test match against Mardu Nahiri (2-0 win), Assault Formation has been great. I would like to include Sidisi's Faithful and another Assault Formation in the list, but I don't know what to change. Maybe drop Lodestone Golem for a more aggressive approach?
Hey Gunford,
Im glad to hear you are trying this out. A couple notes I have that are more pertenant to the U/B list are with 10 sources of discounting for the Myr Superion which makes him viable. Sure he might seem to be stuck in hand at some points in the game but he makes for that lousy topdeck of a etherium Sculptor or Heartless summoning to turn into a very explosive play which can close out a game very quickly.
Im sad to see in your Assault formation list that you cut Lodestone golem. While the deck inst named after him, I feel he is the 2nd most important card after Grand Architect.
Sorry for the late tournament report. So I ended placing 9th by .2 points so I was mildly salty by the end of the tournament but it gave our deck very strong publicity. This was a $1.1K tournament at a new store in the Cities in Minnesota called Lodestone Coffee and Games. So its very aptly named that Lodestone Golem was probably #1 performer in my games. The tournament had 68 players so we played 6 rounds of swiss.
I did change up my decklist right before the games and i also messed with the sidebaord prior. here is what I ran:
Game two:
I don’t remember what happened game two other than he slammed a doubling season turn 3 via dorks and then dropped a nahri, the Harbinger which ulted into an Emerkul on turn 4.
Game three:
Game three was fantastic for me. Turn 1 Serum visioned a Crane to the top and then dropped the Chalice of the Void onto the field for X=1 killing his dorks and Nissa’s oath. I then Proceeded to drop a crane to grab a lodestone. Then I dropped an architect next turn and slowly beat him down with my crane as he had plant tokens to block for days.
Game 3: He ended up mulling to 4 as he said he didn’t get lands. I proceeded to land a turn 2 Heartless Summoning into 2 Myr Superions and a Spellskite. I proceeded to land a lodestone and that secured the win.
Round 3: Grixis Delver 2-0
Game 1: So I don’t remember these games very well so I apologize. All I remember was getting a sphinx chain going via Grand Architect wrecking his insectile aberration.
Game 2: Had to mull to 4 but couldn’t deal with a turn 3 lodestone golem into metamorph copy of golem. He scooped on turn 3.
Round 5: Infect: 1-2
Game 1: He landed a forest into Glistener elf. I follow up with a visions into a 3rd land for hand and then got to put a crand and architect on top. I dropped a heartless summoning into Spellskite. He dropped a Noble Hierarch and a Inkmoth Nexus. I blocked his glistener with skite bringing him to a 0/1. Next turn I was able to drop the architect and pump out a Myr Superion. He dropped a blighted agent and hit me for 2 infect from the Inkmoth Nexus. I followed that up with a Tezzeret turning my skite into 2/2 rather than the 0/1. And I beat in for 5 which was surprising to me. I got slammed with more infect next turn putting me to 4 infect. Next turn I got to use Tezz’s +1 putting a lodestone into my hand. I dropped a heartless summoningand then landed Crane into a metamorph into 2 lodestones via the metamorph and beat in for more damage and ended taking the game from there.
Game 3: I drew all lands but my opener was 3 lands 2 skites, myr superion, and heartless summoning. He had both his nature’s claims and his Viridian corrupter to clean me out on turn 5.
Round 6: American Delver 0-2
Started with the hand of 2 lands, heartless summoning, spellskite, 1 superion and a tezzeret. I proceed watch my opponent bolt my spell skite and hit me with 3 flipped delvers while I drew no lands.
Round 2: So when I get mana screwed you’d think after shuffling Id get a decent time. Nope and ended up drawing all lands while he used 3 Path to exiles to clean out my Myr Superions and then I proceeded to just draw lands.
So I ended the tournament with 13 points with a 60% win rate and got 9th by a .2% winrate… That means I lost by one match in game 1…
Anywho my overall notes:
Glint-Nest Crane: I love this card. I think I’m going to try getting 4 in the main deck and keep 3 serum visons as I wound they both helped my consistency but I rathered seeing a glint-nest crane in my hand turn 1 than a serum visions as it allowed me to save some life or play a come into play tapped land turn 1 so I could stay on curve.
I felt that the manabase was reliable but I didn’t shuffle enough towards the end. I should have been pile shuffling between each game. The last few games were an issue with the mana base but the rest of the tourney was fantastic.
The sideboard was decent. I missed having my thorn of Amethysts for delver matchups but Chalice of the Void has been very strong replacement. I feel like I may add a 3rd Trinket Mage to the sideboard so I can search out the 1 cmc or less artifacts that clean up the opposing decks.
So this is my sideboard and the full deck is in the spoiler for reference but I'm really trying to figure out how to deal with the standard Modern meta. Do you guys think it hits most of the meta that we have issues with?
As variousboots and I have been playing this deck for a few years together , I figure I can show you my list which lands lodestone golems turn 3. While lodestone is fragile, he still makes them use more resources on removing him rather which then leaves them with less resources to be removing other things such as Myr Superion. While yes all the removal options are things that we worry about, knowing something might get removed doesn't mean we shouldn't run it. Hell Goyf gets removed by several spells in the format but it doesn't mean you shouldn't run it. Lodestone golem is at the aggressive level of goyf for us as we can slam them and then copy them for 2 mana a piece with eitherHeartless summoning or Grand architect. Sure them removing it hurts but it cost them more mana and they are one less awnser away while we invested very little into the golem. I like to think of golem as our midgame plan, slowing our opponents down and forcing removal, while we set up for a Wurmcoil Engine or Batterskull which then typically will sweep the game for us.
I respect your thoughts on Golem and we can agree to disagree but please do it respectfully. Many on here this deck has been their baby for many years and based on your salvation history, you haven't been playing the deck as long. Now this doesn't mean you don't have valid points but please just remember many of us have played this deck through varying metas, times, and continue to play it for a reason. There are many gameplans for a Grand Architect Deck such as the weenie 1 drops into architect or Various boots and My Heartless version, and just because a card is great for ours doesn't mean its great for your and vice versa and I just want to remind you of that.
But what if you had both? I haven't walked through the lines of play yet but I feel like it could be good
I think the card is ok but in the end won't make the cut. The effect is good but another 3 mana enabler isn't what we are looking for. Grand architect gives 2 mana right away instead of one AND acts as a lord. For 3 mana i would expect a lot more utility. The thing is if we play that guy we have to cut something. It isn't better than any of our current enabler, meaning we'd have to cut some threats. Doing this would dilute our threat density and we don't want to be doing that.
I think the difference is Various Boots and I play a heartless version of the deck so he comes down for 1 mana rather than 3 most often which I feel adjusts his worth for us compared to your guy's monoblue
Personally in the heartless version I run I feel like the black hulk may be a sideboard card along with duplicant. It may finally make me put a treasure mage package back in.
Our little fox however is getting 3 slots in the sideboard replacing bottle gnome.
There is. Its what I play. However the issue here is that the combo is too ineffective in the deck to be worth it. From Architect boost and the -1/-1 boost you end up with 2/2 thopters or 0/0 thopters and it makes for just inconsistent sub-par pieces.
I figured I'd weigh in here on this as a modern mod and active reader/semiactive poster of the thread. While Blue steel maybe more iconic the thread it self isn't focused just on blue steel but rather focuses on many grand architect builds thus will probably stay just grand architect for now.
Ulka
Its a bit of a subpar list of the Monoblue version but its publicity. I already posted a comments to check here for better lists, along with my plug for my heartless version :p.
I'm not. they have been slightly too slow in testing even if I resolve them turn 3
Hey Gunford,
Im glad to hear you are trying this out. A couple notes I have that are more pertenant to the U/B list are with 10 sources of discounting for the Myr Superion which makes him viable. Sure he might seem to be stuck in hand at some points in the game but he makes for that lousy topdeck of a etherium Sculptor or Heartless summoning to turn into a very explosive play which can close out a game very quickly.
Im sad to see in your Assault formation list that you cut Lodestone golem. While the deck inst named after him, I feel he is the 2nd most important card after Grand Architect.
If you were to keep white and blue a few cards that might help are Ethersworn canonist and Glassdust Hulk.
I did change up my decklist right before the games and i also messed with the sidebaord prior. here is what I ran:
3 Etherium Sculptor
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Myr Superion
1 Noxious Gearhulk
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
3 Spellskite
1 Sphinx Summoner
2 Wurmcoil Engine
Creature (6)
2 Glint-Nest Crane
4 Grand Architect
Enchantment (3)
3 Heartless Summoning
Instant (2)
2 Dismember
2 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
Sorcery (3)
3 Serum Visions
Land (22)
1 Academy Ruins
1 Darksteel Citadel
2 Flooded Strand
3 Ghost Quarter
1 Hallowed Fountain
5 Island
3 Polluted Delta
2 Sunken Hollow
1 Swamp
3 Watery Grave
1 Chalice of the Void
2 Dodecapod
1 Elixir of Immortality
2 Filigree Familiar
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Pithing Needle
2 Trinket Mage
2 Vedalken Shackles
Round 1: Naya (Bant?) Walkers 2-1
Game one:
So the first few turns were him spamming Arbor elf, Noble Hierarch, and Birds of paradise while I just got my colors by turn 2 and dropped a Glint-nest Crane. The crane ended up hitting a Lodestone. I then on turn 3 slammed Grand Architect followed by a Lodestone Golem . Next turn he landed Tamiyo, field Researcher and started to beat in with a 3/3 Arbor elf that drew him cards when it hit. I finally landed 2 more lodestones via Phyrexian metamorphs and then took the game from there.
Game two:
I don’t remember what happened game two other than he slammed a doubling season turn 3 via dorks and then dropped a nahri, the Harbinger which ulted into an Emerkul on turn 4.
Game three:
Game three was fantastic for me. Turn 1 Serum visioned a Crane to the top and then dropped the Chalice of the Void onto the field for X=1 killing his dorks and Nissa’s oath. I then Proceeded to drop a crane to grab a lodestone. Then I dropped an architect next turn and slowly beat him down with my crane as he had plant tokens to block for days.
Round 2: Eldrazi Death and Taxes 2-1
Game one: As I am typing this up I remember losing this game to the fact he landed an Aether vial turn one and a Eldrazi Displacer turn 2 which lead to a Path to exile to clean Myr superion of the field leaving only my Grand Architect which ate a Wasteland Stranger . He proceeded to just overvalue me to defeat.
Game 2: What I can say about this game was Phyrexian metamorphing both his Thought-knot seer and his Flickerwisp I proceeded to turn them blue and wreck the opposing originals. I then just wrecked in with a Wurmcoil Engine.
Game 3: He ended up mulling to 4 as he said he didn’t get lands. I proceeded to land a turn 2 Heartless Summoning into 2 Myr Superions and a Spellskite. I proceeded to land a lodestone and that secured the win.
Round 3: Grixis Delver 2-0
Game 1: So I don’t remember these games very well so I apologize. All I remember was getting a sphinx chain going via Grand Architect wrecking his insectile aberration.
Game 2: So I landed a turn 2 Chalice for 1 after he dropped 2 Delver of secrets and Gitaxian Probed. I then landed a turn 3 Grand Architect into a Myr superion. I slowed his grind with the delvers and proceeded to win via beating with the myr and the 5/5 Darksteel citadel via a tezzeret, agent of bolas’s -1.
Round 4: Dredge 2-0
Game 1: a very typical turn 2 Glint-nest Crane facing down a Narcomeba and Prized Amalgam. I proceeded to block the narc and took 3. But then turn 3 landed a Heartless Summoning and a Myr Superion. The dredge player wiffed on a Cathartic Reunion with dredging a Life from the Loam and a Golgari-Grave troll . I then dropped a Wurmcoil engine and then took the game very quickly from there.
Game 2: Had to mull to 4 but couldn’t deal with a turn 3 lodestone golem into metamorph copy of golem. He scooped on turn 3.
Round 5: Infect: 1-2
Game 1: He landed a forest into Glistener elf. I follow up with a visions into a 3rd land for hand and then got to put a crand and architect on top. I dropped a heartless summoning into Spellskite. He dropped a Noble Hierarch and a Inkmoth Nexus. I blocked his glistener with skite bringing him to a 0/1. Next turn I was able to drop the architect and pump out a Myr Superion. He dropped a blighted agent and hit me for 2 infect from the Inkmoth Nexus. I followed that up with a Tezzeret turning my skite into 2/2 rather than the 0/1. And I beat in for 5 which was surprising to me. I got slammed with more infect next turn putting me to 4 infect. Next turn I got to use Tezz’s +1 putting a lodestone into my hand. I dropped a heartless summoningand then landed Crane into a metamorph into 2 lodestones via the metamorph and beat in for more damage and ended taking the game from there.
Game 2: the infect player landed a turn 1 glissener and slammed my for 1 infect before I land my Grand Architect into spellskite. He Nature’s Claimed the skite and then used the mutagenic growth into become immense on the turn 2 Blighted agent to clean up game 2.
Game 3: I drew all lands but my opener was 3 lands 2 skites, myr superion, and heartless summoning. He had both his nature’s claims and his Viridian corrupter to clean me out on turn 5.
Round 6: American Delver 0-2
Started with the hand of 2 lands, heartless summoning, spellskite, 1 superion and a tezzeret. I proceed watch my opponent bolt my spell skite and hit me with 3 flipped delvers while I drew no lands.
Round 2: So when I get mana screwed you’d think after shuffling Id get a decent time. Nope and ended up drawing all lands while he used 3 Path to exiles to clean out my Myr Superions and then I proceeded to just draw lands.
So I ended the tournament with 13 points with a 60% win rate and got 9th by a .2% winrate… That means I lost by one match in game 1…
Anywho my overall notes:
Glint-Nest Crane: I love this card. I think I’m going to try getting 4 in the main deck and keep 3 serum visons as I wound they both helped my consistency but I rathered seeing a glint-nest crane in my hand turn 1 than a serum visions as it allowed me to save some life or play a come into play tapped land turn 1 so I could stay on curve.
I felt that the manabase was reliable but I didn’t shuffle enough towards the end. I should have been pile shuffling between each game. The last few games were an issue with the mana base but the rest of the tourney was fantastic.
The sideboard was decent. I missed having my thorn of Amethysts for delver matchups but Chalice of the Void has been very strong replacement. I feel like I may add a 3rd Trinket Mage to the sideboard so I can search out the 1 cmc or less artifacts that clean up the opposing decks.
2 Vedalken Shackles
Artifact Creature (19)
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Myr Superion
1 Noxious Gearhulk
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
3 Spellskite
1 Sphinx Summoner
2 Wurmcoil Engine
Creature (6)
2 Chief Engineer
4 Grand Architect
Enchantment (3)
3 Heartless Summoning
Instant (2)
2 Dismember
2 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
Sorcery (4)
4 Serum Visions
Land (22)
1 Academy Ruins
1 Darksteel Citadel
2 Flooded Strand
2 Ghost Quarter
1 Inventors' Fair
6 Island
3 Polluted Delta
2 Sunken Hollow
1 Swamp
3 Watery Grave
1 Chalice of the Void
2 Dodecapod
2 Filigree Familiar
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Pithing Needle
2 Ratchet Bomb
2 Thorn of Amethyst
2 Trinket Mage
1 Chalice of the Void
2 Dodecapod
2 Filigree Familiar
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Pithing Needle
2 Ratchet Bomb
2 Thorn of Amethyst
2 Trinket Mage
So this is my sideboard and the full deck is in the spoiler for reference but I'm really trying to figure out how to deal with the standard Modern meta. Do you guys think it hits most of the meta that we have issues with?
I respect your thoughts on Golem and we can agree to disagree but please do it respectfully. Many on here this deck has been their baby for many years and based on your salvation history, you haven't been playing the deck as long. Now this doesn't mean you don't have valid points but please just remember many of us have played this deck through varying metas, times, and continue to play it for a reason. There are many gameplans for a Grand Architect Deck such as the weenie 1 drops into architect or Various boots and My Heartless version, and just because a card is great for ours doesn't mean its great for your and vice versa and I just want to remind you of that.
2 Vedalken Shackles
Artifact Creature (19)
2 Filigree Familiar
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Myr Superion
1 Noxious Gearhulk
3 Phyrexian Metamorph
2 Spellskite
1 Sphinx Summoner
2 Wurmcoil Engine
Creature (6)
2 Chief Engineer
4 Grand Architect
Enchantment (3)
3 Heartless Summoning
2 Dismember
Planeswalker (2)
2 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
Sorcery (4)
4 Serum Visions
Land (22)
1 Academy Ruins
1 Darksteel Citadel
2 Ghost Quarter
1 Inventors' Fair
7 Island
4 Polluted Delta
2 Sunken Hollow
1 Swamp
3 Watery Grave
1 Basilisk Collar
2 Dodecapod
1 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
2 Pithing Needle
1 Spellskite
1 Sphinx Summoner
2 Thorn of Amethyst
2 Trinket Mage
I think the difference is Various Boots and I play a heartless version of the deck so he comes down for 1 mana rather than 3 most often which I feel adjusts his worth for us compared to your guy's monoblue
3 Etherium Sculptor
4 Lodestone Golem
2 Perilous Myr
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
3 Spellskite
2 Sphinx Summoner
1 Noxious Gearhulk
2 Wurmcoil Engine
Creature (5)
4 Grand Architect
1 Treasure Mage
Enchantment (3)
3 Heartless Summoning
2 Dismember
Planeswalker (2)
2 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
Sorcery (4)
4 Serum Visions
Land (21)
1 Academy Ruins
1 Darksteel Citadel
2 Ghost Quarter
6 Island
4 Polluted Delta
2 Sunken Hollow
2 Swamp
3 Watery Grave
2 Dodecapod
1 Duplicant
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Pithing Needle
2 Filigree Familiar
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Thorn of Amethyst
2 Trinket Mage
Im still thinking of making room for a Sundering titan
Our little fox however is getting 3 slots in the sideboard replacing bottle gnome.
Here is my deck for reference:
2 Dimir Signet
2 Sculpting Steel
2 Vedalken Shackles
Artifact Creature (18)
3 Etherium Sculptor
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
3 Spellskite
2 Sphinx Summoner
2 Wurmcoil Engine
Creature (4)
4 Grand Architect
Enchantment (3)
3 Heartless Summoning
2 Dismember
Planeswalker (2)
2 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
Sorcery (4)
4 Sleight of Hand
Land (21)
1 Academy Ruins
1 Flooded Strand
2 Ghost Quarter
8 Island
1 Marsh Flats
3 Polluted Delta
2 Sunken Hollow
1 Swamp
2 Watery Grave
1 Chalice of the Void
2 Dodecapod
1 Duplicant
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Mindslaver
2 Pithing Needle
3 Thorn of Amethyst
2 Torpor Orb
2 Trinket Mage