I've enjoyed playing artifact decks since I started playing magic. My first experience with the archetype was a kitchen table affinity deck my friend used to ruin everyone's fun. I built my first artifact deck for commander in 2012 which featured Bosh, Iron Golem. Ever since then I've been building and dismantling different artifact decks. This year with the release of Commander 2018 I toyed around with Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer. I was not in love with this commander. I did have a very fun game where I had an early Sai, Master Thopterist which is part of the reason why I wanted to build this deck.
This deck is a work in progress. It aims to create artifact based synergy, use creatures as a source of mana and cards, and then hopefully win with big combo turns or large flying tokens.
These changes are an attempt to add some velocity to the deck. I removed some of the weaker mana stuff for two of the best. Sai can sacrifice artifacts once they have lived past their usefulness so both of these cards are better here than elsewhere.
I think the card I'd be most likely to include is Smokestack. With all the flying tokens you can output, the Stack will probably have no effect on you while devastating your opponent's board development. Then, when you're done killing their stuff, sac it to Sai's ability. In general, Stax effects are pretty powerful in Sai since he can sac them at will and he generates board presence just for casting spells. I too had the same experience with Brudiclad and gave the pieces of my deck to my brother.
A random combo that could be easy to assemble is Sai, Spine of Ish Sah, mana rocks, and Paradox Engine. Since casting the Spine will generate a Thopter token, you will have two artifacts to sac with Sai's ability to tcause the Spine to go back to your hand. With enough mana rocks to cast and sac the Spine, you can blow up everyone's board state while drawing a ton of cards.
I like the idea of some stax elements as most people are generally unprepared for them.
I don't really want to become a Paradox Engine deck as that card becomes the go to win every game. The deck already has the potential to do some pretty samey stuff. It would be very powerful, that is for sure.
I did some tuning to the deck. Not too much but it should be fairly good. I will try to test the deck this Friday but with the hurricane the shop might be closed.
Honestly, I played this deck once or twice. It was fun and I was excited to build it, but it ended up being kinda whatever.
The list in the first post was accurate to the paper deck I played. It could win via the classic combo of Darksteel Forge and Nevinyrral's Disk. It could facilitate this combo with Kuldotha Forgemaster. It also had the backup wincon of flying tokens, which was less effective.
There are many infinite combos a deck like this could use. Bathsalt Monolith + Rings of Brighthearth is the easiest one to add.
This deck is a work in progress. It aims to create artifact based synergy, use creatures as a source of mana and cards, and then hopefully win with big combo turns or large flying tokens.
1 Sai, Master Thopterist
Creatures:
1 Hangarback Walker
1 Chief Engineer
1 Etherium Sculptor
1 Myr Retriever
1 Steel Overseer
1 Chief of the Foundry
1 Foundry Inspector
1 Master of Etherium
1 Junk Diver
1 Scrap Trawler
1 Treasure Mage
1 Trinket Mage
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Vedalken Archmage
1 Kuldotha Forgemaster
1 Duplicant
1 Meteor Golem
1 Myr Battlesphere
Planeswalkers:
1 Karn, Scion of Urza
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
Enchantments:
1 Copy Artifact
1 Thopter Spy Network
Instants:
1 Pact of Negation
1 Counterspell
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Memory Lapse
1 Negate
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Fabricate
1 Thoughtcast
Artifacts:
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Mana Crypt
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Expedition Map
1 Mana Vault
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Retrofitter Foundry
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Skullclamp
1 Sol Ring
1 Voltaic Key
1 Grim Monolith
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Mind Stone
1 Thought Vessel
1 Ashnod's Altar
1 Basalt Monolith
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Phyrexian Altar
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Bident of Thassa
1 Clock of Omens
1 Hedron Archive
1 Krark-Clan Ironworks
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Unwinding Clock
1 Ur-Golem's Eye
1 Blinkmoth Urn
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Spine of Ish Sah
1 Darksteel Forge
1 Academy Ruins
1 Buried Ruin
1 Darksteel Citadel
1 Flooded Strand
1 Inventors' Fair
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Myriad Landscape
1 Polluted Delta
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Seat of the Synod
25 Island
GWUBAtraxa, Praetor's Voice PrimerGWUB
GWURoon Bant Blink WhateverGWU
BRGLord Windgrace LandsBRG
9/12/18
Removed:
Sky Diamond
Coral Atoll
4 Island
Added:
Grim Monolith
Mana Crypt
Polluted Delta
Flooded Strand
Scalding Tarn
Misty Rainforest
These changes are an attempt to add some velocity to the deck. I removed some of the weaker mana stuff for two of the best. Sai can sacrifice artifacts once they have lived past their usefulness so both of these cards are better here than elsewhere.
GWUBAtraxa, Praetor's Voice PrimerGWUB
GWURoon Bant Blink WhateverGWU
BRGLord Windgrace LandsBRG
A random combo that could be easy to assemble is Sai, Spine of Ish Sah, mana rocks, and Paradox Engine. Since casting the Spine will generate a Thopter token, you will have two artifacts to sac with Sai's ability to tcause the Spine to go back to your hand. With enough mana rocks to cast and sac the Spine, you can blow up everyone's board state while drawing a ton of cards.
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
I don't really want to become a Paradox Engine deck as that card becomes the go to win every game. The deck already has the potential to do some pretty samey stuff. It would be very powerful, that is for sure.
I did some tuning to the deck. Not too much but it should be fairly good. I will try to test the deck this Friday but with the hurricane the shop might be closed.
GWUBAtraxa, Praetor's Voice PrimerGWUB
GWURoon Bant Blink WhateverGWU
BRGLord Windgrace LandsBRG
Add Sai to the above list and you get infinite thopters as well. Or use the infinite mana with Retrofitter Foundry for infinite thopters/constructs.
Some wincons that is easily achievable using the above combo:
Laboratory Maniac via Vedalken Archmage
Altar of the Brood mill your opponents
Mechanized Production note: you only need 8 thopters, it doesn't matter what is enchanted.
Blasting Station outright kills the entire table
Or turn cards sideways after generating massive amounts of thopters:
Broodstar
Master of Etherium
Darksteel Juggernaut
Equip a thopter with Stoneforge Masterwork
The list in the first post was accurate to the paper deck I played. It could win via the classic combo of Darksteel Forge and Nevinyrral's Disk. It could facilitate this combo with Kuldotha Forgemaster. It also had the backup wincon of flying tokens, which was less effective.
There are many infinite combos a deck like this could use. Bathsalt Monolith + Rings of Brighthearth is the easiest one to add.
GWUBAtraxa, Praetor's Voice PrimerGWUB
GWURoon Bant Blink WhateverGWU
BRGLord Windgrace LandsBRG