"Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated" - The Borg
Assimilation is a deck geared towards absorbing the permanents of your opponents and using those against them. The deck is quite costly, and while the majority of the cards are very useful, only a few are critical, leaving the others replaceable.
In this description I will try and guide you through all of the most important combo's as well as strategies.
CRITICAL COMBOS
The critical combos in this deck are all geared towards getting your general out there and gaining control of all your opponents permanents in as little as a single turn. This is done through a number of combos that net you an infinite supply of mana in which to use Memnarch's abilities.
Until you can pull the combos off, your main priority is survival. Also don't be afraid to pull Memnarch out even before you pull infinite mana, taking one or two critical permanents can make the difference. I find that Memnarch gets killed at least 3-4 times before I finally get my combo off, there is plenty of mana in this deck to handle a few tax costs and once you pull an infinite mana combo there is no need to care about those taxes.
The first few combos will give you an infinite supply of colorless mana which is good for casting your general as well as artifact spells you may need, but you will still need blue mana to use Memnarch's abilities so that is where Mycosynth Lattice comes into play. Also, the last two combos will net you infinite blue mana.
Step 1: Tap Basalt Monolith for (3) and then use that (3) to untap it or just pay (3) to untap it.
Step 2: While the untap ability is on the stack, use Rings of Brighthearth to copy the ability by spending an additional (2).
Step 3: Resolve the copied ability and untap Basalt Monolith.
Step 4: Before the original untap ability resolves, tap Basalt Monolith for (3) [now (3) mana is floating].
Step 5: Resolve the original ability and untap Basalt Monolith.
This will leave you with an untapped Basalt Monolith and (3) mana floating. Since you had to pay (2) originally to pay for Ring of Brighthearth's ability, this means you actually gained (1) mana in that process. Repeat the process again using (2) mana you already have floating and you will gain (1) for each iteration netting you an infinite supply of colorless mana in the end.
This combo is very similar to the first, except it will net you (2) free colorless mana every time because it taps for (3) and it only costs (1) to untap it.
Same as the previous, but it taps for (3) and untaps for (2) instead only netting you (1) each time.
This one is a bit tough to get out on the field, but I have done it.
Step 1: Tap Gilded Lotus for 3 blue mana.
Step 2: Spend one blue mana with
Filigree Sages
if he is enchanted by Power Artifact to untap Gilded Lotus netting you 2 blue mana each iteration.
Tap the Gilded Lotus for 3 blue mana and then use
Filigree Sages
ability at a cost of one blue to untap it again. Note that even without this combo, Training Grounds still improves the cost of Memnarch's abilities as well.
There are a few other combinations using these same few spells, but I am sure you can figure them out as they come.
GETTING THE COMBOS OUT
Now let's talk about how you will be getting these combos out in the first place! There is, of course, the luck of the draw and you may end up just drawing the cards you need right from the start which will be amazing, but for those times that you don't... here are your best strategies:
First, there are the artifact fetches. These cards, if you are lucky enough to draw them, will allow you to search your library for the artifacts you need and either put them into your hand or directly into play: Arcum Dagsson, Fabricate, Tezzeret the Seeker , Kuldotha Forgemaster, and Transmute Artifact. You can also use Mystical Tutor or Snapcaster Mage to fetch your Fabricate or Transmute Artifact if necessary.
Second, there is an assortment of ways to draw more cards which include Arcanis the Omnipotent, Consecrated Sphinx, Cryptic Command, Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Jace, Architect of Thought, Mikokoro, Center of the Sea, Sensei's Divining Top, and Staff of Nin. Most of these can be copied with the various cloning spells such as Phantasmal Image, Phyrexian Metamorph, Rite of Replication, Cackling Counterpart, and Sculpting Steel.
Third, many of the staples for EDH style decks consist of mana ramps like Gilded Lotus. So spells like Acquire may also be the key to pulling out your combo's as well. If the cards you need are already out in play under your opponents control, copy them with the various copy cards as listed above or steal them with things like Volition Reins.
And finally, if your opponent has the audacity to destroy your key cards, pulling them from the graveyard is possible with Academy Ruins, Buried Ruin and even
Myr Welder
in a round-about way.
ASSERTING CONTROL
For the end result, you will ultimately want to pull out Memnarch and take your opponents stuff, once this is pulled off there is very little your opponent will be able to do about it. But, before you can take their stuff, you will need their stuff to be artifacts. The easy solution is to have Mycosynth Lattice in play, but there is also
Neurok Transmuter
as well as just paying for Memnarch's ability.
Until you can get those, however, you will still have spells like Blatant Thievery, Bribery,
Commandeer
, Desertion,
Roil Elemental
, Spelljack,
Treachery
, and Volition Reins as backup control. It would be harder, these can still win you the game in a pitch in case they happen to tuck your general.
DEFENSIVE MANEUVERS
When your enemy plays things like Damping Matrix or Pithing Needle against you, taking control of these will not help you since their effects will still block you no matter who controls them. For these, there are the removals like Capsize, Cryptic Command, Cyclonic Rift, Devastation Tide, Dissipate, Hinder, Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Karn Liberated, Oblivion Stone, Spell Crumple, Spelljack, and Spine of Ish Sah. In the cases where you are still able to use your creatures abilities, you may be able to gain control of it and sac it through Kuldotha Forgemaster or Arcum Dagsson, or even bounce it with Master Transmuter.
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir: Pretty nice to flash all your creatures in but it also doubles as a pretty good defense against an opponents counter-spells. Just be careful that your opponent doesn't steal it and turn it against you.
Snow-Covered Island
: I am using these for two reasons instead of using the regular Island's. The first is that they are still a basic land type so you can fetch them with Thawing Glaciers etc. And second, unless your opponent is also using them, they gain no benefit from your Extraplanar Lens even if they are also playing blue. Basic Island's can be used in its' place without causing any real harm to the deck though.
OTHER COMBOS
SIDEBOARD
CONSIDERATIONS
Honden of Seeing Winds
: I used Staff of Nin instead of this because it's easier to fetch an artifact if necessary and the great number of infinite colorless mana combo's just make the artifacts an easier choice, but you can just as easily have both if you want.
Mana Vault: This one also brings about an infinite mana combo but it is more limited. It will not work with Rings of Brighthearth at all, and if you use Power Artifact then it will only combo at the end of your upkeep leaving you limited on what you can spend the mana for. The only real combo is with this +
Filigree Sages
+ either Power Artifact, Rings of Brighthearth, or Training Grounds and that by itself I think is just too limited to make the cut.
Gilded Drake: Just picked this one up and I think it would make a great addition to this deck, once I decide what is worth replacing.
