The artifact deck that could take T2 by storm (help wanted)

RavensEffect · Joined: 07 Apr 2009 Posts: 35

Hey, I've been messing around with an artifact deck recently in league games and a trial, and it seems very good in today's meta. It's not quite as fast as GW or other aggro decks, but it can get the job done very quickly if everything falls into place. I would like some suggestions, so maybe I could playtest them and get this deck going. Thanks.

// Lands- 23

4 Ancient Ziggurat
4 Arcane Sanctum
4 Underground River
4 Island
3 Adarkar Wastes
2 Reflecting Pool
1 Sunken Ruins
1 Mystic Gate

// Creatures- 22

4 Master of Etherium
4 Etherium Sculptor
4 Tidehollow Sculler
3 Esperzoa
3 Parasitic Strix
2 Sludge Strider
2 Sharuum the Hegemon
2 Tezzeret the Seeker

// Spells- 15

4 Kaleidostone
4 Terror
3 Path to Exile
2 Loxodon Warhammer

// Sideboard

4 Remove Soul
3 Wrath of God
3 Dragon's Claw
3 Cryptic Command
2 Punish Ignorance

As you can see, it still needs a little work, especially the sideboard. I don't know if I like Parasitic Strix and Sludge Strider, so if any of you can see a better alternative then let me know. Esperzoa works amazingly well with Kaleidostone Smile

. Give some suggestions, thanks.

Tird_Ape · Joined: 09 Dec 2006 Posts: 224

Nice limited deck! Who the hell was passing to you.

RavensEffect · Joined: 07 Apr 2009 Posts: 35

I don't really understand that criticism, I understand that the deck is mostly Shards of Alara block, but based on the idea of the deck, most of the great artifact cards are from that block. I do have lands, Terror, Loxodon Warhammer, and a number of sideboard cards from other sets. Anyway, I was just playtesting the deck, and I realized how amazing Ethersworn Canonist is for the deck. So I tweaked the deck a little bit, let me know if you like this version or the original better.

// Lands- 23

4 Ancient Ziggurat
4 Arcane Sanctum
4 Underground River
4 Island
3 Adarkar Wastes
2 Reflecting Pool
1 Sunken Ruins
1 Mystic Gate

// Creatures- 24

4 Master of Etherium
4 Etherium Sculptor
4 Tidehollow Sculler
4 Ethersworn Canonist
3 Esperzoa
3 Sphinx Summoner
2 Sharuum the Hegemon

// Spells- 13

4 Kaleidostone
4 Terror
3 Path to Exile
2 Loxodon Warhammer

// Sideboard

4 Remove Soul
3 Wrath of God
3 Dragon's Claw
3 Cryptic Command
2 Punish Ignorance

ILikeBananas · Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 194

4x cryptic command main. Any deck with blue needs to run cryptic command. Cards like sludge strider and parasitic strix aren't that great. Kaleidostone is also not a good card for tourney level decks.

Aside from that, esper aggro has been tested extensively and it's not tier 1 for sure. It lacks the speed and reach of mono red aggro and it lacks the body size of any aggro deck with green. It also lacks any inherent card advantage powerhouses like ranger of Eos or seige gang commander or Reveillark. It also lacks the big turn 4 punch of bant decks have that can win the game.

The only way I see a dedicated esper deck working is a more control/midrange version that creates card advantage using Sanctum Gargoyle, Sharuum, courier capsule, profane command. Hope ARB will give you some new cards to work with.

weehood · Joined: 10 Jun 2008 Posts: 77

this should be an Alara Block deck

seriously just take out the T2 crap and go esperzoa control in block!

Sorak · Joined: 09 Sep 2004 Posts: 10

RavensEffect · Joined: 07 Apr 2009 Posts: 35

Well I don't have much time to playtest the deck right now since I'm in top 6 of today's t2 trial(with a different deck lol), but yesterday when I was playtesting I added 3 Cryptic Commands and the deck seemed to run a little smoother with more control. Any more suggestions to add to the deck?

eroseninSama · Joined: 10 Mar 2008 Posts: 9

try master transmuter and esper charm both more powerful than respected cards esperoza and kaleidostone also with the master transmuter ppl have used thousand year elixer to abuse the more control side of it

bubba5 · Joined: 01 Mar 2008 Posts: 33

Sparx7494 · Joined: 28 Dec 2008 Posts: 21

lol...agreed...trolled

RavensEffect · Joined: 07 Apr 2009 Posts: 35

Stop leaving pointless comments you idiots lol, I thought about Master Transmuter but I don't have enough high powered/high mana cost artifacts to really abuse it. But I might try it out, btw: I made finals in the trial today Wink

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Pluto · Joined: 03 Sep 2004 Posts: 10

Trying out a similar deck. I call it Poor mans affinity

4 Esperosa
4 Master of Ethrium
4 Ornithoptor
4 TideHollow Sculler
4 Cryptic Command
4 Broken Ambitions
4 Court Homonculus
4 Tower Gargoyle
3 Sigal of Distinction
3 Elsewhere Flasks

6 Islands
4 Plains
4 Adakar Wastes
4 Undergroud Wastes
2 Mystic Gates
2 Fetid Heaths

I put more zero drops in so that the draw backs of esperoza are less painful. Sigal can also be a zero cast and then pop it back when you have more mana and recast to make it huge.

Elsewhere flask is better then Kalidascope - since you can draw off it when it comes into play and also after you add mana to your pool - pop it to turn the lands to the right color to cast a tidehollow sculler or a tower gargoyle. The Kalidastone thing can't be used early as you need 5 mana.

Blazing starts of HOmonculus + Ornithoptor then tidehollow then Esperoza/Master then a sigal are quite beat-like.

You have to play it as a Aggro Control and the Ornithops + sigials can stop you from having to tap out. If you are safe , then recur the elsewhere and build up cards.

Needs a reallly good two-drop to tie it all together besides the tidehollow - can't think of one right now and the 1/2 guy that makes artifacts easier to cast is not going to cut it.
I had the canoist guy in there but I moved him to the sideboard

SB ideas??

Messyah · Joined: 30 Apr 2008 Posts: 22

There's actually a deck in the same fashion on the official MTG site under the budget decks. Runs Master Trans instead of Esperzoa to bounce out blockers and bring in Sharuum, Sphinx Summoner and Grim Poppet. Gives you some nifty tricks with the Transmuter.

r3wind · Joined: 24 Jul 2006 Posts: 1251

Well I am not sure why no one is playing a few Bone Saw in this deck. It gives you some more explosive starts. Also it make Esperzoa a 4 turn clock vs a 5 turn clock and lowers the upkeep to 1 colorless mana.
If you are not playing Esper Charm, Cryptic Command, and Courier's Capsule you are going to have some really rough games.

Esper is really the Aggro-Control or True Control deck. It can not be a true aggro deck at this time.

You could drop the Artifact stuff and play everything that is good in the colors.

Figure of Destiny, Path to Exile, Tidehollow Sculler, Esper Charm, Thoughtsieze, Bitterblossom, Negate, Elspeth, and so on. When you get done with it, it will look a lot like BW Tokens with Esper Charm and Negate. This is pretty much what my play test group has figured out.