The Case For Making Artifacts Work in the Current Meta

This is the signal, the MASTERshake signal, coming through to you on a sunny Wednesday afternoon with not much to do other than wait for the new season to arrive on Arena in a couple hours and the current - color specific - Meta got me really thinking - can artifacts work right now? G/U flash is dominating, the only way to beat G/U flash is to be faster or protection from blue, and there are all kinds of alternate paths to success with a very balanced Meta that includes Jeskai (Hurray!), Esper (In its many forms), Vamps, Scapeshift, and (shameless plug alert

Tutor TroNiscience - Possible Infinite

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Main 60 cards (18 distinct)

Lands - 24

Side 15 cards (15 distinct)

Main 60 cards (18 distinct)

Lands - 24

Side 15 cards (15 distinct)

$€Tix

Main 60 cards (18 distinct)

Creature (12)
4 Arboreal Grazer			$0.25€0.180.03
4 Llanowar Elves			$0.61€0.592.50
4 Paradise Druid			$0.25€0.170.03
Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (12)
3 Guild Globe			$0.18€0.110.03
3 Mastermind's Acquisition			$1.65€0.790.02
3 Flood of Tears			$0.90€0.440.02
3 Omniscience			$7.58€5.370.07
Planeswalker (12)
3 Tamiyo, Collector of Tales			$0.50€0.360.02
2 Karn, Scion of Urza			$5.79€5.690.17
2 Karn, the Great Creator			$6.52€7.004.89
3 Nissa, Who Shakes the World			$4.37€2.680.03
2 Ugin, the Ineffable			$2.14€1.310.02
Land (24)
1 Swamp			$0.24€0.080.05
6 Forest			$0.15€0.020.03
4 Overgrown Tomb			$11.60€9.870.11
4 Breeding Pool			$17.75€15.120.19
4 Watery Grave			$13.00€11.590.26
5 Island			$0.15€0.040.03

Side 15 cards (15 distinct)

1 Massacre Girl			$0.65€0.300.02
1 Muldrotha, the Gravetide			$11.19€3.150.02
1 Drakuseth, Maw of Flames			$1.00€0.670.02
1 Pelakka Wurm			$0.30€0.150.02
1 Meteor Golem			$0.24€0.060.03
1 Grafdigger's Cage			$2.49€1.810.30
1 Sorcerous Spyglass			$0.35€0.210.02
1 Fall of the Thran			$0.400.02
1 Casualties of War			$0.99€0.520.02
1 God-Pharaoh's Statue			$0.57€0.240.03
1 The Immortal Sun			$12.46€10.700.07
1 Apex of Power			$0.63€0.450.02
1 Liliana, Dreadhorde General			$15.57€9.340.02
1 Chandra, Awakened Inferno			$3.17€2.870.30
1 Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge			$20.01€11.600.03

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Karn, Scion of Urza

Karn, the Great Creator

Tezzeret, Artifice Master

Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge

Dovin, Grand Arbiter

Ugin, the Ineffable

Tezzeret Artifacts

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Main 61 cards (21 distinct)

Lands - 24

Side 15 cards (9 distinct)

Main 61 cards (21 distinct)

Lands - 24

Side 15 cards (9 distinct)

$€Tix

Main 61 cards (21 distinct)

Instant, Sorcery, Enchantment, Artifact (14)
2 Mox Amber			$33.54€23.542.74
3 Bag of Holding			$0.30€0.130.03
1 Fountain of Renewal			$0.51€0.590.03
2 Depose // Deploy			$0.20€0.100.03
3 Guild Globe			$0.18€0.110.03
3 Treasure Map // Treasure Cove			$0.99€1.050.02
Creature (9)
3 Fblthp, the Lost			$0.40€0.190.02
3 Steel Overseer			$2.01€0.670.02
3 Sai, Master Thopterist			$1.26€0.770.02
Planeswalker (14)
4 Dovin, Grand Arbiter			$0.71€0.700.02
2 Karn, Scion of Urza			$5.79€5.690.17
2 Karn, the Great Creator			$6.52€7.004.89
2 Tezzeret, Artifice Master			$2.31€2.090.02
2 Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge			$20.01€11.600.03
2 Ugin, the Ineffable			$2.14€1.310.02
Land (24)
4 Island			$0.15€0.040.03
4 Swamp			$0.24€0.080.05
4 Glacial Fortress			$1.90€1.660.02
4 Hallowed Fountain			$9.00€9.570.33
4 Drowned Catacomb			$2.99€2.390.02
4 Watery Grave			$13.00€11.590.26

Side 15 cards (9 distinct)

4 Meteor Golem			$0.24€0.060.03
1 Grafdigger's Cage			$2.49€1.810.30
1 Silent Gravestone			$0.41€0.320.02
1 Blackblade Reforged			$0.80€0.360.02
3 Sorcerous Spyglass			$0.35€0.210.02
1 Thaumatic Compass			$2.57€1.770.02
1 Chaos Wand			$0.50€0.260.02
1 Helm of the Host			$13.44€4.660.02
2 God-Pharaoh's Statue			$0.57€0.240.03

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MTG Arena Format MTG Online File download Text List Registration PDF

I started with the idea of drawing as this was originally another version of my Tutor TroNiscience deck. I knew I needed cards in hand and artifacts on the table, so I immediately put Bag of Holding and Guild Globe into the deck. Mono red is sticking around like an annoying fly you can't swat, so I put Fountain of Renewal in to buy time to establish the board. I wanted to control my draw so I put in Treasure Map // Treasure Cove - especially since it can help get your artifact engines out a lot sooner one you flip it and get your treasures. I wasn't satisfied with the draw power, so I put Fblthp, the Lost in as a way to draw and activate the Mox Amber. Sai, Master Thopterist is a natural in this deck as it not only survives lightning bolt and shock, but also serves as a mini engine to get thopters out on the board turn 4 or later. 

With the core established, I set about working through my bombs. Dovin is a great early card for creating blockers that also helps itself survive to turn 4 - not to mention is also an engine for Thopers. The Karns are great, with Scion helping find things in the deck and creating your secondary win condition - its token that has p/t equal to the number of artifacts on the board. The Great Creator works to both create blockers (by turn 4/5, the original artifacts are superfluous, feel free to chump it up while you prepare to blot out the sun with your Thopters), and Tutor your awesome artifacts from your sideboard. The Tezzerets have great abilities with this deck, with the Artifice Master serving to create thopters and draw cards, while the Bridge is your win condition (not to mention helps to bring some artifacts back from the graveyard. Ugin seems extra here - doesn't create artifacts and the 2/2 tokens aren't that useful by the time he gets into play - BUT you get to play him for free (or near to) by the time you have the bridge out! It was clutch it playtesting. 

After these cards - I still didn't feel right somehow. I was running a solid deck - but it wasn't any different, really, than the thopter deck I tried Pre-M20 and that didn't run that great. Then I remembered Steel Overseer, a quaint little card that supercharges your thopters like roids AND serves to activate Sai turn 4. 

Now, I included 61 cards here - but only because Mox Amber is zero casting cost. If you're nit-picky and NEED 60 cards - like OCD about it or something - I suggest looking at Depose // Deploy, not any of the artifacts. It hasn't been that useful, but it did save me in a matchup with Mono Red today. 

The sideboard is basically the Mono-Green tron sideboard, so if you are familiar with that, this is a breeze. Blackblade Reforged, Chaos Wand, God-Pharaoh's Statue, Grafdigger's Cage, Helm of the Host, Silent Gravestone, Sorcerous Spyglass, and Thaumatic Compass // Spires of Orazca. I love that you can fetch these during the game. I don't have a solution yet for Scapeshift other than - win faster? So any suggestions there would be extremely helpful. 

Update: In playtesting Diamond, this deck went about .500 with terrible matchups against Elementals and Scapeshift. Everything else it was really competitive with, or at least as competitive as everything else I have played.