Ascent of the Artificial

Commander / EDH

flyinginovals

Creature (27)

• 1x Arcbound Crusher
• 1x Arcbound Ravager
• 1x Archangel of Thune
• 1x Bringer of the White Dawn
• 1x Darksteel Juggernaut
• 1x Etherium Sculptor
• 1x Ethersworn Shieldmage
• 1x Faerie Mechanist
• 1x Filigree Angel
• 1x Grand Architect
• 1x Hanna, Ship's Navigator
• 1x Master of Etherium
• 1x Master Transmuter
• 1x Memnarch
• 1x Muzzio, Visionary Architect
• 1x Myr Battlesphere
• 1x Phyrexian Metamorph
• 1x Razor Hippogriff
• 1x Sanctum Gargoyle
• 1x Sharding Sphinx
• 1x Sharuum the Hegemon
• 1x Sludge Strider
• 1x Solemn Simulacrum
• 1x Steel Overseer
• 1x Treasury Thrull
• 1x Triskelavus
• 1x Vedalken Archmage

Planeswalker (1)

• 1x Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas

Land (38)

• 1x Academy Ruins
• 1x Ancient Den
• 1x Arcane Sanctum
• 1x Blinkmoth Nexus
• 1x Buried Ruin
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Darksteel Citadel
• 1x Dread Statuary
• 1x Exotic Orchard
• 1x Glimmervoid
• 1x Grand Coliseum
• 1x Hall of the Bandit Lord
• 1x Inkmoth Nexus
• 9x Island
• 1x Mirrodin's Core
• 1x Mishra's Factory
• 1x Phyrexia's Core
• 6x Plains
• 1x Reflecting Pool
• 1x Seat of the Synod
• 3x Swamp
• 1x Urza's Factory
• 1x Vault of Whispers

Enchantment (1)

• 1x Inexorable Tide

Artifact (29)

• 1x Akroma's Memorial
• 1x Astral Cornucopia
• 1x Blinkmoth Urn
• 1x Clock of Omens
• 1x Conjurer's Closet
• 1x Contagion Engine
• 1x Courier's Capsule
• 1x Cranial Plating
• 1x Darksteel Forge
• 1x Darksteel Ingot
• 1x Dispeller's Capsule
• 1x Etherium Astrolabe
• 1x Everflowing Chalice
• 1x Executioner's Capsule
• 1x Krark-Clan Ironworks
• 1x Lux Cannon
• 1x Mind's Eye
• 1x Mirrorworks
• 1x Mox Opal
• 1x Mycosynth Lattice
• 1x Prototype Portal
• 1x Scourglass
• 1x Spine of Ish Sah
• 1x Staff of Nin
• 1x Thopter Foundry
• 1x Throne of Geth
• 1x Titan Forge
• 1x Vedalken Orrery
• 1x Wayfarer's Bauble

Sorcery (3)

• 1x Phyrexian Rebirth
• 1x Roar of Reclamation
• 1x Stolen Identity

Commander (1)

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Maybeboard

Creature (4)

• 1x Indomitable Archangel
• 1x Sage of Lat-Nam
• 1x Treasure Mage
• 1x Viral Drake

Artifact (5)

• 1x Book of Rass
• 1x Golem Foundry
• 1x Ichor Wellspring
• 1x Liquimetal Coating
• 1x Mycosynth Wellspring

Instant (3)

• 1x Assert Authority
• 1x Desertion
• 1x Fuel for the Cause

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When I started playing EDH/Commander maybe five years ago, I said to myself, "I like artifacts. If I build a Commander Deck, I want it to be an artifact-based deck." So I played around with different ideas-- first I had an Arcum Dagsson- based combo build, and that was no fun. I tried a Karn, Silver Golem, and it was ok, but the commander was narrower than I would have liked. Eventually I stumbled across Rosheen Meanderer, loved the concept of building a deck around her, and tabled the artifact deck concept indefinitely.

Fast forward to a few months ago, and wizards prints Sydri, Galvanic Genius. I knew that this was the versatile artifact-based general that I had been waiting for. She does not demand to be cast in order for the deck to function, but enhances its play whenever she is on the board. I wanted this deck to have many different angles of attack, and that's what Sydri best supports. Here are the main functional groups of cards in the deck:

Her first ability led me to a certain set of high-cmc noncreature artifacts with useful effects to animate:
Spine of Ish Sah
Darksteel Forge
Akroma's Memorial (a note: unfortunately, because it gives my creatures pro black, it prevents the use of Sydri's second ability. A small price to pay for the bevy of effects I get from the memorial, though)
Blinkmoth Urn
Staff of Nin
Mirrorworks
Mind's Eye

Some artifact recursion was important to me as well:

Sanctum Gargoyle
Sharuum the Hegemon
Hanna, Ship's Navigator
Scarecrone
Remember the Fallen
Roar of Reclamation
Skeleton Shard
Protomatter Powder
Academy Ruins

Accompanied by some artifact sacrifice, of course:

Etherium Astrolabe
Krark-Clan Ironworks
Courier's Capsule, Executioner's Capsule, Dispeller's Capsule
Thopter Foundry
Sage of Lat-Nam
Phyrexia's Core

Some artifact-based card draw is also important:

Vedalken Archmage
Staff of Nin
Courier's Capsule
Mind's Eye
Faerie Mechanist
Solemn Simulacrum

Some cards that allow my few nonartifact permanents to become like their fellows:

Silverskin Armor
Liquimetal Coating (one of my favorite little tricks is to turn my opponent's planeswalker into an artifact, then copy it with Phyrexian Metamorph, or destroy it with Dispeller's Capsule)
Mycosynth Lattice (I'm aware that this combos with Sydri to destroy people's lands. I'm not sure that I would use it for this. I don't like land destruction.)
Memnarch (ok, he does more than just make things into artifacts)

And, finally, some cards that are simply synergistic with a lot of artifacts:

Sharding Sphinx (I finally found a home for one of my favorite cards!)
Sludge Strider (one of the cards that inspired the deck to begin with)
Ethersworn Canonist
Clock of Omens
Cranial Plating
Scourglass
Myr Incubator
Steel Overseer
Indomitable Archangel
Arcbound Crusher
Tezzeret the Seeker
Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
Darksteel Juggernaut (can you say fun times?)

It's still pretty rough, so I'd appreciate any feedback I can get. I'm considering all of the cards in the maybeboard, so any feedback concerning that is useful to me. All other suggestions, criticism, enthusiasm, and +1s are welcome as well.

Thanks for all your help!

Date added	11 years
Last updated	10 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	7 - 0 Mythic Rares 45 - 0 Rares 15 - 0 Uncommons 15 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	4.21
Tokens	Assembly-Worker 2/2 C, Copy Clone, Golem 9/9 C, Myr 1/1 C, Phyrexian Horror X/X C, Thopter 1/1 U, Triskelavite 1/1 C