Deck Rating: 6 out of 10
Deck Strategy: Combo, Stompy, Artifacts
Not every deck I make has its general as the centerpiece. While Sydri, Galvanic Genius is a fine Esper commander, she is in this deck to do only two things:
- Facilitate a three-color identity. To get the most mileage out of this deck, I determined there was no substitute for the full Esper gamut. With only a cost, Sydri accomplishes this in the most economical fashion.
- Enhance the deck's staying power. Both of Sydri's activated abilities facilitate this deck's endurance. Giving artifact creatures deathtouch and lifelink makes them doubly effective blockers, and she can turn any non-creature artifact into a blocker in a pinch.
So, who is the actual star of this deck? Why, it's no one other than Memnarch! Ever since I pulled this fellow from a Mirrodin booster way back in the day, I've been fascinated by his design. Since then, he's floated around a number of my Historic decks, though he never truly got to shine there. When I began playing EDH, I was excited to give him a general's seat at long last. Unfortunately, Mono-Blue offers only limited options in the niche this deck seeks to occupy. Yet, while I chose to build in Esper, this is still very much Memnarch's deck...
So, how will we go about making this deck work as intended? A number of essential pillars keep our plan heading in the right direction:
- Tutors allow us to find Memnarch and other combo pieces when we need them. Cards like Reshape, Fabricate, Treasure Mage and Sphinx Summoner serve this purpose excellently.
- Recursion effects make sure our combos aren't undone by a single removal spell. Considering the prevalence of artifact removal in EDH, this deck features a wealth of ways to get them back. Academy Ruins, Argivian Find, Reconstruction, Ritual of Restoration, Myr Retriever, Fortuitous Find and Treasury Thrull return to topdeck or hand. The pricier Argivian Restoration, Refurbish, Beacon of Unrest and Sharuum the Hegemon return straight to the battlefield.
- Conversion effects allow us to extend the reach of our central combo. Cards like Ashnod's Transmogrant, Liquimetal Coating, Liquimetal Torque, Transmogrifying Licid and Neurok Transmuter allow us to turn other cards into artifacts, making them legal targets for a variety of effects and spells. The granddaddy of this concept is Mycosynth Lattice, which sets up most of the game-winning combos of this deck.
So, let's talk game-winning. How does this deck beat out the competition? Various options exist:
- The Grind. This relies on incremental value, recursion and stealing our opponents' stuff. Depending on the pod and the decks played, you may be forced into this role. Still, this deck can battlecruise with the very best of them - a bit of removal is no cause for concern.
- The Steal. A stratagem that is somewhat more dramatic, it has Tezzeret, Master of Metal as its core component. If you can keep him alive until he can use his -8 ability, and you have Mycosynth Lattice out, you can steal an opponent's entire board right then and there. This frequently causes that opponent to scoop; while this loses you the cards you gained, the KO is worth the setup. If the player is not sensible enough to give up, even better for you!
- The Bounce. This is a cruel, cruel combo that's childishly simple to pull off. If you have Mycosynth Lattice out, hit the most powerful player with Hurkyl's Recall. That's right: for , they scoop their entire board. For obvious reasons, getting hit with this combo also frequently causes players to forfeit.
- March of the Mechs. If all your fancy stealy shenanigans come to nothing, there is always the old-fashioned beatdown to fall back on. This deck has tons of ways to make and steal artifacts; it also runs some very big ones like Darksteel Colossus and Metalwork Colossus. If you have either of these out, dropping Masterful Replication flash-forges you an enormous army of stompies on the spot. Naturally, this can be combined with permanent-stealing (as you need to have turned them into artifacts first!).
Winning the game is fantastic, of course. But how are we going to pay our way there? A brief overview of the various resources required to let this deck pop off in earnest.
- Card Draw. In a deck like this, getting answers in hand is more important than ever. We run Rhystic Study for its incredible card-drawing powers, Thopter Spy Network for its synergy with our artifact creatures, and Sage of Lat-Nam as a convenient sac outlet for artifacts - both our own and ones that we steal.
- Spot Removal and Boardwipes. People tend to get somewhat ornery if you steal their stuff. You'll find yourself the subject of aggression frequently; use the removal spells with care, and only destroy that which you cannot dispose of through other means. In a pinch, Reality Shift, Utter End and Path to Exile will get rid of most single threats. If you need to wipe the board, Supreme Verdict can't be easily stopped, Devastation Tide is your last-minute panic button, and Phyrexian Scriptures is a slow but asymmetric way to get ahead.
- Protective tax effects, intended to slow your opponents down so you can prepare for their inevitable assault. Blind Obedience is a fantastic card that not only shuts down many fast combos, but also gives you incremental value through its Extort trigger. Meanwhile, Ghostly Prison and Propaganda are color-flipped copies of the same card which work best when stacked together. With these on the board, any opponent fielding a large army is going to be hard-pressed to muster it against you.
Combos and Interactions
As should be abundantly clear by now, most of the deck's combos have MycoLattice as their centerpiece. Its effects can be replicated in miniature with other cards, but it is definitely the keystone to making Memnarch and Friends work:
- Mycosynth Lattice - that is all. Turning the entire board into artifacts supercharges this deck's interactions tremendously. Hurkyl's Recall and Tezzeret, Master of Metal are big and flashy, but casually enabling Memnarch's ability is no slouch either. Playing Leonin Abunas in combination with it also turns your entire board hexproof. Fun times.
- Master Transmuter can combo with any small artifact to cheat huge ones into play. As a smaller creature, it definitely draws damage spells, but if you can keep her on the field she will do tons of work for you. You can even use her ability at instant speed targeting herself, saving her from removal while putting a big threat into play.
Pet Cards
To me, Commander is a format where fun is first, and competition second. As such, almost every deck I make will have some cards that are probably not the best choice for inclusion. They're there to stay, though, for no other reason that I like their art/flavor/design.
- Rebbec, Architect of Ascension - Quite a finicky card as it makes it difficult for you to target your own permanents. Nevertheless, excellent at disrupting the board.
- Winged Boots - A very budget-friendly Equipment at only and Equip , it helps your big threats with evasion, and keeps them safe with a meaty Ward shield. What's not to love?
- Bronze Guardian - This is a hidden killer, often forgotten amid the Darksteel Colossusi of the world. In this deck, it achieves double-digit power rapidly; if you can make it evasive, it swings in for massive damage. The Ward it grants to all your artifacts is no slouch, either.
- Phyrexian Scriptures - I loved Dominaria as a set, and Sagas are one of the main reasons why. This Black Mythic does it all; pump a creature and prepare it for the coming storm, blast every non-artifact creature off the board, and as the cherry on top, hose all your opponents' graveyards to make recursion a pain. It sits in this deck as a beautiful representative of Black's contribution to Esper.
Maybeboard Musings
I'll keep adding maybeboard considerations to these decks, as they're a good place to discuss the has-beens, coulda-beens and also-rans that didn't make the cut.
- Darksteel Forge. Would be incredible in this deck, but I don't own the card and it's a pain to get a hold of. If I ever get one in a pack, though - that's going straight in.
- Cloud Key. Normally a very specific tax break, but again Mycosynth Lattice comes in clutch here. All your permanents now cheaper. Still looking for this one.
- Cyclonic Rift. I'd prefer to swap out Devastation Tide for this, to turn a reset button into a wincon. Alas, it's such a popular card that it's out of my reach.
Legacy Decklist
1x Academy Ruins (2XM)
1x Ancient Den (SLD)
1x Arcane Sanctum (AFC)
1x Arcane Signet (VOC)
1x Argivian Find (WTH)
1x Argivian Restoration (2XM)
1x Ashnod's Transmogrant (MED)
1x Baleful Strix (AFC)
1x Beacon of Unrest (2XM)
1x Blind Obedience (C17)
1x Bronze Guardian (C21)
1x Broodstar (HOP)
1x Caves of Koilos (C21)
1x Colossus of Akros (THS)
1x Command Tower (CC2)
1x Commander's Sphere (VOC)
1x Counterspell (SLD)
1x Darksteel Colossus (SLD)
1x Despark (AFC)
1x Devastation Tide (C18)
1x Dismal Backwater (ZNC)
1x Esper Panorama (AFC)
1x Ethersworn Shieldmage (ARC)
1x Ethersworn Sphinx (MH2)
1x Fabricate (SLD)
1x Filigree Familiar (CMR)
1x Fortuitous Find (KLD)
1x Ghostly Prison (VOC)
1x Goldmire Bridge (MH2)
1x Grand Architect (2XM)
1x Hurkyl's Recall (MM2)
7x Island (VOW)
1x Krark-Clan Ironworks (5DN)
1x Leonin Abunas (2XM)
1x Lightning Greaves (AFC)
1x Liquimetal Coating (CM2)
1x Liquimetal Torque (MH2)
1x Master Transmuter (2XM)
1x Masterful Replication (M20)
1x Memnarch (V16)
1x Metalwork Colossus (SLD)
1x Mistvault Bridge (MH2)
1x Mortify (TSR)
1x Mycosynth Golem (5DN)
1x Mycosynth Lattice (BBD)
1x Myr Landshaper (DST)
1x Myr Retriever (2XM)
1x Neurok Stealthsuit (5DN)
1x Neurok Transmuter (DST)
1x Path to Exile (SLD)
1x Phyrexian Scriptures (DOM)
5x Plains (VOW)
1x Propaganda (SLD)
1x Pull from Eternity (MYSTOR)
1x Razortide Bridge (MH2)
1x Reality Shift (C19)
1x Rebbec, Architect of Ascension (CMR)
1x Reconstruction (ME4)
1x Refurbish (MYS1)
1x Reshape (2XM)
1x Rhystic Study (SLD)
1x Ritual of Restoration (DST)
1x Sage of Lat-Nam (MYS1)
1x Scoured Barrens (M21)
1x Seat of the Synod (SLD)
1x Sejiri Refuge (KHC)
1x Sharuum the Hegemon (2XM)
1x Sol Ring (CC2)
1x Sphinx Summoner (2XM)
1x Supreme Verdict (MYS1)
5x Swamp (VOW)
1x Swiftfoot Boots (VOC)
1x Sydri, Galvanic Genius (C16) CMDR
1x Talisman of Dominance (MIC)
1x Talisman of Progress (MRD)
1x Tezzeret, Master of Metal (AER)
1x Thopter Spy Network (C18)
1x Thoughtcast (MYS1)
1x Tranquil Cove (KHC)
1x Transmogrifying Licid (EXO)
1x Treasure Mage (2XM)
1x Treasury Thrull (GK2)
1x Utter End (AFC)
1x Vault of Whispers (SLD)
1x Whispersilk Cloak (MYS1)
1x Winged Boots (AFC)
