Thopter Surge

This Thopter deck centers around the ingenious Pia Nalaar, Consul of Revival, orchestrating a symphony of mechanized wonders to swarm the opponent relentlessly. The goal is to nurture these little marvels, ensuring they flourish into formidable Thopters that can strike fear into any opponent's heart.

Strategically protecting your Thopters is paramount as they mature and grow stronger with each passing turn. With a combination of clever plays and ingenious tactics, you can unleash a wave of unstoppable mechanical might upon your foes. Together, as a unified force, these tiny creations shall rise to become mighty guardians of your victory.

The Creatures:

Pia Nalaar, Consul of Revival holds the key to the success of this deck, making her protection a top priority. As the most valuable player of the deck, exercise prudent decision-making when deploying her onto the battlefield, and seize the opportunity to activate her ability promptly for maximum value.

Voltaic Visionary // Volt-Charged Berserker and Nalaar have remarkable synergy, as the former triggers her effect, offering an excellent combination. However, one must be mindful of the drawback of self-inflicted harm. Yet, the rewards are considerable, especially when it undergoes a transformation, albeit losing its tap ability in the process. Nonetheless, the advantages gained far outweigh this minor setback.

The Spells:

Surge of Salvation serves as a swift source of protection for our side of the board, effectively thwarting nasty spells and targeted removal that could harm us. Its reliability has been proven in numerous encounters, making it a valuable asset to the deck.

Voltage Surge proves its worth by clearing away bothersome creatures that our opponents deploy. We also possess the option to sacrifice artifacts willingly, readily enhancing the spell's damage output if the situation calls for it.

Reckless Impulse / Wrenn's Resolve constitute an integral part of the deck, sharing identical mechanics, in the past I’ve ran 6 of them and that does well (in place of 2 Mishra’s) but running 4 works too and I think balances the deck better. The ability to play cards from exile aligns perfectly with our strategy, and these options represent the pinnacle of their category.

Soul Partition stands as a targeted removal of any non-land permanents, a temporary yet significant maneuver that grants us precious time or clears the path to seize the upper hand. Moreover, its versatility extends to targeting our own permanents, preserving them for subsequent recasting, and ultimately aligning with the strengths of our deck.

Nahiri's Warcrafting unleashes substantial damage, effectively dealing with major threats to our life total. Additionally, it offers a clever means of drawing from exile, synergizing splendidly with the battle cards in our deck, but more on those later.

Patch Up becomes a valuable asset given the relatively low creature count in our deck (only 8!). The ability to bring creatures back into play works wonders in setting our deck in motion. Though it may prove less effective in the early game, its impact in swinging the game to our advantage once the deck is primed for production cannot be understated.

Vanquish the Horde represents our reset button, enabling us to clear the board and start anew. In our case, however, there's a little trick up our sleeve. The battle cards in our deck can render our creatures indestructible when triggered, and with the abundance of creatures we summon, the reduced cost makes this an exceptionally cost-effective option.

The Other Stuff:

Mishra's Research Desk serves as our trusty first-turn drop, aligning with our mana curve and providing us with cost-effective options to play whatever we may draw from it. As the game progresses, it grants us the opportunity to repeat this process, ensuring a steady flow of resources. Additionally, it cleverly provides us with triggers to activate if we choose to hold up our mana for a potential instant response that never materializes.

Invasion of Gobakhan // Lightshield Array emerges as a hidden gem and kind of a secret win condition within the deck. This spell acts as the icing on the cake, with Pia Nalaar masterfully setting everything up while this card delivers the decisive blow. Its initial ability hinders our opponents' plays, skillfully preparing the battlefield for our grand strike. And when that strike finally arrives, it comes at a surprisingly low cost (merely 3 damage to flip!) to grant us an enchantment that not only emerges from exile but also augments all our attacking creatures with +1/+1 at the end of the turn. The remarkable value doesn't end there; the enchantment can be sacrificed at any moment to bestow our creatures with hexproof and indestructible until the end of the turn. Such an abundance of value for a mere 2 mana places this card at the apex of our battle choices, a true masterpiece in the deck's repertoire.

The Gameplan:

This deck presents a unique challenge, given the current meta, but I've taken measures to overcome potential hurdles. As the game begins, Mishra's Research Desk often takes the lead as our first play, unless a tap land or the occasional voltage surge key target presents itself. On the second turn, while the temptation might be to cast Pia Nalaar, Consul of Revival, it's best to avoid this 90% of the time (with a possible exception against mono blue), making Voltaic Visionary // Volt-Charged Berserker the preferred choice. It not only serves as a more expendable option but also sets up a turn 3 trigger when Nalaar comes into play. Alternatively, Invasion of Gobakhan // Lightshield Array proves to be a solid choice, paving the way for future turns and providing insight into what lies ahead.

Navigating the intricacies of managing exile draws can be a bit daunting with the numerous instances in this deck. Keeping track of mana drops is crucial, as they can trigger Thopter creation, and monitoring the duration of cards in exile is equally important. For instance, Nahiri's Warcrafting exiled cards only last until the end of the turn, while Reckless Impulse extends until the end of your next turn, and Mishra's Research Desk can be triggered at endsteps. Being mindful of these factors prevents wasted opportunities to create our Thopters. The Thopters created have haste, so it's optimal to take action during the first main phase. Given the significant benefits of attacking the Battle, it's advisable to prioritize this over other actions, as units that attack will likely gain +1/+1 at the end of the turn and, in turn, be protected from removal if necessary.

Always strive to keep a white mana open for Surge of Salvation, as it can prove to be a game-saving play. This deck possesses an underdog spirit, often pulling off unexpected come-from-behind victories. Thus, staying attentive to every aspect of the game and initiating Thopter production promptly are key to success. Embrace the challenge, adapt swiftly, and let the Thopters rise to victory.

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