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23-02-2001
 The Mono-Artifact Cascade Deck Extended I have written this article in response to several e-mails with Kahana Chin via several close friends, concerning Artifact decks. A few months ago I decided to construct a powerful early kill creature deck and found that Processors and Karn, Silver Golem were the most efficient way of doing this. I chucked in a few Tinkers and Tutors for whipability and thought I had a pretty decent deck. But then the value of certain artifacts slowly dawned on me. The value of fast mana and the power of draw. It dawned on me that I could cast mana-producing artifacts to draw and cast more mana producing artifacts. Slowly but surely, myself and three friends constructed what must be the first mono artifact deck and one of the most deadliest I have ever seen. I will give a deck list of it and a run through. Land 4 city of traitors 4 crystal veins 3 ancient tombs (yes, there is only 11 land) The Theme 4 mana crypts 4 grim monoliths 4 mana vaults 4 thran dynamos 4 metal workers 4 voltaic keys 4 well of knowledge 3 horns of plenty 3 storm cauldrons 4 storage matrix 2 jhoira's toolbox 2 citanul Flutes 3 Rocket Launcher 4 Karn, Silver Golem sideboard 4 processors (against permission) 4 jester's masks (to remove shutdown cards) 4 null brooches (again, against permission) 4 Iron maidens (alternative teeth) 2 puppet strings 1 Rocket Launchernote: Rocket launchers may be substituted for magma mines (my decision is pending the legality of the Rocket launcher) Straight away we can notice two things which although obvious have severe implications. There is no colour and hardly any land. All anti-colour cards are useless and all land destruction is obsolete, it doesn't need land. The deck is designed to work off just a single land and switch to artifact mana. Once done, the mana is spent on more mana production and if possible drawing potential. You are looking at about 30 mana on your third turn on average. Then finish off your opponent with a mass artifact/golem attack and/or a rocket launcher. The deck revolves around a central theme of a cascade attack. Using, say, a metal worker and every monolith available, crank as many draws as possible which will fill your hand full of artifacts, which you can then voltaic key/puppet strings to repeat the process. The record is 206 mana on a fourth turn and 90 mana off a third turn. Flutes whip up more golems/metalworkers whilst the toolboxes not only give you reusable rocket launchers but make any artifact invulnerable, all when a golem is in play. The storage matrixes mess up any opponents game plan whilst leaving yours untouched, plus the added benefit that it untaps all your vaults and grim monoliths for free. The storm cauldron again messes with any plan and messes up any direct damage deck whilst turning your land into one that produces four mana!! A horn of plenty will always keep your hand full and is a solid 6/6 weenie. Try and get out a metal worker/well of knowledge/voltaic key and watch it cascade. The essence is speed. You are looking for, on average, a fourth turn kill and at most a fifth turn kill. Don't worry about damage, concentrate on a cascade attack as this will kill or badly maim in one go. If you're vulnerable in one area like draw or metal worker then double up that card. Remember the opponent has no time, unless you give it to him and don't panic if he knocks out a golem/metal worker as you have more and your shutdown will force him to pay a heavy price. Anti-artifact and counterspell are no problem, as he'll be forced to knockout your shutdown or counterspell something which you have umpteen spells to replace. The only problem may be very rare shutdown or global anti-artifact which you can easily sideboard against (I have never seen a deck which can shut it down). Not only does this deck make a mockery of those who claim that artifacts are expensive, but there are so many combos and every card has a multiple use, that I truly think combos should not be written off straight away.
Steve Tate |
