Everyone says that Stoneforge Mystic just isn't as good as it used to be... After all, it was unbanned, right? Well you see, Stoneforge Mystic? She just had to find a new group of friends. That group of friends is Sigarda's Hammerskull.
Le pièce de résistance is actually a lovely little turn 2 KO combo: Colossus Hammer + Kor Duelist + Sigarda's Aid
in that order. It goes a little like this:
Turn 1: Cavern of Souls, name "Kor", tap and play Kor Duelist
Turn 2: Plains (Or any white mana of your choice) into a Sigarda's Aid, move to combat, declare Kor Duelist as attacker, before damage whip out Colossus Hammer at instant speed, and attach to Kor Duelist on ETB thanks to Sigarda's Aid. Kor Duelist is now an 11/11 BUT it also has Double Strike due to being equipped. Isn't that f***ing great or what??
But see, we can't always rely on this combo, however much it is absolutely amazing ;) We have to include Stoneforge Mystic into the group! ESPECIALLY because she can get you that nice Colossus Hammer if you don't get it right away OR you can play a disgusting turn 3 Batterskull. Mix it all together, and you get Sigarda's Batterskull!
Now you know the basic idea of the deck, but we need a couple more friends to fully flesh things out...
Puresteel Paladin is the next important staple card. If you can't quickly kill off your opponent you're going to need a bit more value now that the "surprise" advantage that Sigarda's Aid gave you has worn off. By running so many equipment cards, a couple of Aether Vials and even Darksteel Citadels we can ensure that Puresteel Paladin's metalcraft activates ASAP. Even if it doesn't activate right away, we can still get that card draw every time we play an equipment card, making Puresteel Paladin one of, if not your most important card in the deck. This is why cards like Giver of Runes and Lightning Greaves are thrown in, so as to protect your Puresteel Paladin.
Aether Vial and Cavern of Souls are added in to keep those pesky control decks from countering your deck. If you manage to get out a Stoneforge Mystic and activate her ability to cast all of your equipment, chances are that control players are going to have a really hard time dealing with you.
Kor Bladewhirl and Captain's Claws are added in for those more creature-heavy decks, and if you're becoming overwhelmed by a more aggro deck, there is always the lovely Godsend. Nothing quite like just exiling your problems away...
If the enemy's defenses are especially tough and Godsend isn't quite doing it for you, there is always Quietus Spike
+
Shadowspear
. +1/+1, Trample, Lifelink, Deathtouch, Opponent loses half their life, AND ignore hexproof/indestructable?? If you can't get cut through with all of THAT, then you might as well play your concede card... Oh and Sword of Fire and Ice? Well just go look up the modern meta on MTGGoldFish and COUNT the number of Red and Blue decks there are. Go on. I'll wait. Oh, you're back? Yea, f*** those decks. Of course, if it changes and I just made myself look like a complete idiot, you can easily replace in any of the other lovely swords, some of which you'll notice are already in the sideboard!
