Tezzeret's Torture Tools

Modern* Artifact Competitive Control

jackanukealty

Land (23)

• 1x Academy Ruins
• 2x Creeping Tar Pit
• 4x Darkslick Shores
• 4x Darksteel Citadel
• 2x Ghost Quarter
• 2x Island
• 3x Polluted Delta
• 3x Swamp
• 2x Watery Grave

Sorcery (7)

• 2x Damnation
• 3x Inquisition of Kozilek
• 2x Thoughtseize

Artifact (16)

• 1x Chalice of the Void
• 1x Engineered Explosives
• 1x Executioner's Capsule
• 1x Nihil Spellbomb
• 1x Pithing Needle
• 3x Sword of the Meek
• 4x Talisman of Dominance
• 4x Thopter Foundry

Planeswalker (4)

• 4x Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas

Instant (5)

• 1x Dismember
• 1x Go for the Throat
• 1x Murderous Cut
• 2x Whir of Invention

Creature (4)

• 1x Hangarback Walker
• 2x Spellskite
• 1x Trinket Mage

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Sideboard

Artifact (5)

• 1x Chalice of the Void
• 1x Pithing Needle
• 1x Relic of Progenitus
• 2x Welding Jar

Enchantment (2)

• 2x Ensoul Artifact

Sorcery (5)

• 1x Cruel Edict
• 1x Duress
• 1x Flaying Tendrils
• 2x Memoricide

Instant (3)

• 1x Disfigure
• 2x Dispel

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Tezzeret Control

"As long as I pull the strings, yolu will dance."

-Tezzeret

What does this Deck do?

This is a (now with a bit of ) artifact control deck centered around Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas . It runs no Counterspells, instead choosing to focus on hate artifacts, removal, and disruption. While not the most powerful deck in modern, it is a whole heap of fun, and can hold it's own against most top tier Modern decks. While I know a lot about this deck, my knowledge pales in comparison to the folks over at MTGSalvation's, if you want to brew your own version, I'd suggest taking a look there first www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/developing-competitive-modern/558912-ub-tezzeret-agent-of-bolas-control

Who is this Deck for?

Horrible People. I'm serious. You need to be able to understand your opponent's deck to play this effectively, and if they play a rogue deck, you need to be able to think and adapt on your metaphorical feet quickly.

Card Choices

Lands

Darkslick Shores and Blackcleave Cliffs: I love the Fastlands because the come in untapped early with no pain. They are great.

Creeping Tar Pit: Manland. Unblockable. Makes Blue and Black. Decent power. Relatively low activation cost. Great on the grind, or for surprise swing-ins.

Darksteel Citadel: An artifact land, it counts toward your artifact count for Tezzeret's -4, and if targeted with Tezzeret's -1, it becomes a 5/5 Indestructible, and only 2 things will really kill it, Dismember or Path to Exile.

Island, Mountain and Swamp : Basic lands for Path to Exile and fetching from Ghost Quarters and Polluted Delta/Bloodstained Mire. Also provides resiliency to Blood Moon

Polluted Delta and Bloodstained Mire: GO FETCH!!!! Seriously though, can grab Steam Vents, Blood Crypt and basics. Powers Murderous Cut, and deck thinning.

Steam Vents: Fetchable source for my weaker colors

Blood Crypt: Fetchable source for my Double Colors

Ghost Quarter: A utility land, quite simply hoses Tron and Manlands. Can also target Darksteel Citadel, fetching a basic and bringing it in untapped.

Artifacts

Talisman of Dominance and Talisman of Indulgence: Can fix our mana, or accelerate us in to a turn 3 Tezzeret, Parents or Board Wipe. Preferred over Signets, as I would rather cast a Trinket, or take a point of pain, and hit their hand, than wait a turn.

Chalice of the Void: I love this thing. It completely ruins some decks, but can never hurt you too terribly. Watch Naya, Infect and Burn fail with it on 1. Watch Storm, Merfolk, Jund and Junk struggle on 2. Play it on 0 against Affinity and Living End. I am only running 1 because, while, when it's good, it's amazing, when it's bad, it's useless, and can hurt you more so than your opponent

Ensnaring Bridge: The role of Ensnaring Bridge is to protect you from bigger creatures, but can also be used to create a lock, where you can build with Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas , and then land a 1-2 shot from his -4 or kill with Pia and Kiran Nalaar

Pithing Needle: Works against Karn Liberated, and Tasigur, the Golden Fang, as well as Elspeth, Knight-Errant, and Sorin, Solemn Visitor, and any number of fetchlands.

Engineered Explosives: If your opponent is running a lot of 0, 1, 2, or 3 CMC permanents, this is comedic. Ruins Tokens, completely and utterly. It can also hurt you, but it is a Trinket Mage target, making it extremely useful

Relic of Progenitus:Cantripping goyf/reanimator fighting trinket

Executioner's Capsule : A Kill Spell tutorable by Trinket Mage, and can be grabbed by Tezzeret's +1

Planeswalkers

Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas : The key card of our deck, and easily the strongest. The +1 digs for hate, or more threats, or really whatever is necessary. The -1 is for laying into a beatdown, and can create blockers, that are almost always profitable to use. The -4 ends games or can recover you from burn. Usually people don't realize that this says twice the amount of artifacts you control, nor that you gain the lost life, often causing them to more carelessly attack you and not him.

Liliana of the Veil: Recently decided to reinclude the badass walker, as I feel twin's banning makes her thatmuch stronger. Super utilitous, can really take over a game if used correctly. Side note: She feeds Ensnaring Bridge too

Instants

Dismember : Dismember is some of my favourite removal. It can be paid with life, or cast at full price. It gets around Indestructible in Ensoul Artifact Affinity and the Mirror Match. It kills almost anything from those pesky Siege Rhinos, to Tasigur, the Golden Fang, to a mid-game Tarmogoyf.

Thirst for Knowledge: Hand Refill and Card Digging. Instant speed too, so you can play around with removal. Also, if you need to keep an empty hand to turtle around with Ensnaring Bridge, you can discard 2, should you choose, even if one or both are artifacts.

Kolaghan's Command: Straight utility. Recurs creatures, breaks artifacts, can make opponents discard. We can discard to it too to feed Ensnaring Bridge

Go for the Throat: An unSpellskiteable kill spell.

Murderous Cut: Usually a 1-2 mana Murder, that can lower a Goyf a bit too

Sorceries

Inquisition of Kozilek: Hand disruption. I run more Inquisition than Thoughtseize, because my life total is quite valuable in here.

Thoughtseize: Same idea as Inquisition, but more flexible. More painful too. So only one.

Damnation: Wrath of God in our colours. Clears the board of creatures, but ignores 5/5 Darksteel Citadels.

Languish: A 4 mana board swipe that will leave any of our 5/5s unharmed.

Creatures

Spellskite: Skite is great against burn, anything running Path to Exile, or any form of targeted artifact hate (Think Vandalblast and Kolaghan's Command)

Trinket Mage : Can tutor up most of our hate, and leaves a 2/2 on the field. In addition, the Fifth Dawn printing has kick ass art. If you can get that version, it's awesome. I have the Fifth Dawn Version Personally, and I love it.

Pia and Kiran Nalaar: A great addition from Origins, and the Primary Reason to be in at all. Can swing under Bridge, and can break the Bridge if Necessary. Also turns late game Mana Rocks into Shocks

Hangarback Walker: Mini Wurmcoil that can be tutored as a Trinket, makes flying dudes, recurrable with Kolaghan's Command, and Sackable to Pia and Nalaar

Sideboard

Dispel:Control and Burn Matchups

Welding Jar: Targeted artifact hate? Well we wouldn't want that, would we?

Crumble to Dust: So Tron can neck itself.

Nihil Spellbomb: Prevents Grixis and Living End from pulling much value out of their yard. Also great against Snapcaster Mage. Cantrips too

Ensoul Artifact: Instant 5/5, but opens you up to a potential 2-for-1

Pyroclasm: Affinity, Tokens, Hatebears, any weenie strategy

Duress: Extra Disruption

Memoricide :Scapeshift.

How to use Chalice and Needles

These 2 are tricky to use, and they require some insight against rogue decks. I will list how I use them against metagamey decksChalice of the VoidBurn: 1,Affinity: 0,Living End: 0,Jund: 2,Junk: 1 or 2,Zoo: 1,Merfolk: 2,Grixis Control/Delver: 1,8 Rack: 1Tron: 1,Infect: 1,Twin: 1Jeskai Control/Counterburn: 2Pithing NeedleLiving End: Fulminator MageTwin: Deceiver Exarch/PestermiteAffinity: Arcbound Ravager ,Cranial Plating, Inkmoth Nexus,RG Tron: Karn Liberated, Ugin, the Spirit Dragon U Tron: MindslaverMerfolk: Aether Vial, MutavaultGrixis: Tasigur, the Golden Fang or fetchesJund/Junk: Raging Ravine or fetchesElves: Ezuri, Renegade Leader

Top Ranked	Achieved #12 position overall 9 years ago
Date added	9 years
Last updated	7 years
Exclude colors	W
Splash colors	R
Legality	This deck is not Modern legal.
Rarity (main - side)	7 - 1 Mythic Rares 24 - 3 Rares 20 - 5 Uncommons 3 - 6 Commons
Cards	59
Avg. CMC	2.14
Tokens	Thopter 1/1 C, Thopter 1/1 U
Folders	Modern Decks, 5. Inspirations, Interesting Decks, New Deck Ideas, asdf, Cool Decks, Untap, Others Great Decks, Combos, Decks I could own.