Just remember to float that Mox Opal / Springleaf Drum mana in response, then let Stony Silence resolve, then cast your Wear / Tear ;) im sure you knew, but thats a little sequence of events that a strict player will call you out on.

Moving forward with the suggestions. I would drop the Steel Overseer to 3, and +1 Welding Jar . this does two things, it helps you achieve and maintain metalcraft, and it helps your Steel Overseer that your already have in play survive so that you can start pumping your other artifacts. Steel Overseer is the slowest card in the deck imo, he is also really powerful. You're call, but you have my recommendation.

LittleLeaf, yeah you're right that I didn't notice that you were respecting my decision, I apologize about that although I would have typed similar things to answer your question as to my reasoning. I haven't noticed actual mind games happen but they probably have without me noticing and I have surprised the crap out of someone with my Spell Pierce before.

in addition, I'm never trying to make you feel like you're wrong and I'm not trying to criticize anything you say; I have no clue if I come off like that but I sincerely don't mean to. I merely respond to your statements with my opinions or with evidence I've noticed that make just be incidental.

I do appreciate your constructive criticism, thanks a bunch for it!

konawolv, yeah I know how it works but it was good that you commented that anyway considering other people can use your advice to their advantage.

I've seen Welding Jar in lists and I own one in the chance that I ever decide to use it but I feel like as good as it is at times, I don't think it is necessary to the deck. It's a really bad top-deck and in some match-ups it does little to nothing. Not saying it's a bad card considering it definitely sees play but I just prefer my particular list without it.

I could kiss you my friend!! I run a mono blue version of this deck with vault skirge and I just always pay with life. I have been loving my deck but looking for ways to improve it and incorporate galvanic blast. You have answered my prayers and here is the deck I have been dancing around. I run counters in my current deck. What is your answer to board wipes as I find them to be my Achilles heel. My deck is called sharpest tool on the shed

Glad to hear that you like it. I don't think counters are all that necessary in the mainboard but if you do run them, I like Unified Will more than Familiar's Ruse in affinity. Board wipes can really screw this deck but that's what Thoughtseize from the sideboard is for. Also you run 2 Welding Jar so board wipes shouldn't be THAT bad unless they are Wrath of God , Damnation , and Shatterstorm which get around regeneration.

Wow great suggestion thanks man I've never seen that counter. Ill be ordering some cards and making some changes over the next couple days. You'll definately find your name in the source once I do but I don't want to copy you exactly I want some orgininality.

I can't take all the credit for this deck (or even a little) considering it's heavily based off of affinity lists I've seen online. That being said I appreciate originality and you don't have to mention my name unless you really want to haha.

Not you in particular but why don't people ever use cards with affinity for artifacts in affinity decks? I have Ann affinity deck with lots of affinity cards...

It's a funny thing but people don't add cards with affinity because they aren't good enough to be played in Modern. Frogmite is the closest card with affinity that has a chance at being playable but in the end it isn't run simply because sometimes you are going to be paying two mana for a 2/2 which isn't bad but simply isn't good enough to be modern playable. However things are much different in modern because the colored artifact lands are legal therefore making it rather easy to smash down a turn two Frogmite for literally no mana at all.

It's been quite awhile since I saw your deck and changed mine around a bit. My deck now is loosely based around vipin charkonals from go Richmond. I came back because I wanted to discuss a card with someone else who plays affinity. I've been experimenting with Ensoul Artifact . I'm thinking of taking out one overseer and one thoughtcast to run two of them. Any thoughts?

I've been testing the card as well and as you can see I am running it as a one-of. Ensoul Artifact can be really great but at times I don't like to draw it. I think cutting one Steel Overseer and one Thoughtcast is a great idea and you should probably go about doing that. Personally I'm sticking with just one Ensoul Artifact for now (I cut one Thoughtcast for it) simply because there are certain matchups where a turn two Steel Overseer basically wins me the game and I like increasing those odds. I do like cutting one Thoughtcast but I like having some late-game draw to give some gas and sometimes a risky hand can't work without the help of drawing two cards. That being said some lists are running two (and even three) Ensoul Artifact s so I understand your decision.

Great SB notes. +1

Thanks for the +1, the sideboarding guide is slightly outdated considering I haven't made changes following the addition of Ensoul Artifact but I will make those changes soon. The main reason I haven't made the changes yet is because I put a lot of time into testing to make sure my sideboarding guide for this deck is perfect so I don't want to change anything until I'm 100% confident in my decisions.

Why Tear vs America control?

Wear / Tear is played against American Control because it nails an important card that really hurts our deck, Stony Silence.

It's there almost exclusively for Stony Silence because of how good that card is against us but keep in mind that Wear / Tear can still help against other cards in the matchup such as Batterskull, Engineered Explosives, and occasionally Spellskite if they run it.

Engineered Explosives sees a lot of play yes, but Stony Silence is a loose card to just instantly side against, as it has been seeing less and less play lately. But you are right, it is still a much played sideboard card.

Most white decks have played Stony Silence and most still do although you are right that it has seen a decline with the presence of Delver and other powerful blue decks. That being said I still expect to see it and worst case scenario I can try to hit some other card like the aforementioned Batterskull and Engineered Explosives.

But since you so rarely are gonna hit two targets at a time, maybe use Revoke Existence instead. It can kill Keranos, God of Storms, (which see much more play than Batterskull in USA control) and doesn't fuel Treasure Cruise.

Aslo Grafdigger's Cage should definately be added against Living End.

Kjartan, I used to run Deglamer for the capability of fighting Keranos, God of Storms and Wurmcoil Engine (I like it better than Revoke Existence because of the instant speed factor) but I cut it for Wear / Tear for two reasons.

You are right that it isn't common that I will be able to hit two cards with Wear / Tear but when it does happen it makes a huge difference.

Wear / Tear means I only need to keep one mana open to hit enchantments such as Stony Silence. If I have a Mox Opal as my only colored source and my opponent lands a Stony Silence then I take huge losses because now I can't make the mana necessary to rid myself of it. With Wear / Tear I can keep the Mox Opal open to stop Stony Silence right as it resolves, if I ran Deglamer instead I would have to keep two mana open which restricts my plays a lot more.

Next you mention that I should side Grafdigger's Cage against Living End, I used to do side it in but ends up you really shouldn't. If you read Living End carefully, the creatures in their graveyard are put into exile and then put onto the battlefield so Grafdigger's Cage does nothing against them because their creatures are being put into play from exile instead of from the graveyard.

parasitian You are absolutely right about Revoke Existence I just thought it was instant speed, (just read it wrong), but your choice makes sense then :)

Grafgigger's cage counters, not Living End, but his cascade cards Seeing he can't stall you for 4 turns, the fact that he can't cas't cards from his library is going to kill him.

Actually Grafdigger's Cage doesn't affect cascade either.

702.83a Cascade is a triggered ability that functions only while the spell with cascade is on the stack. "Cascade" means "When you cast this spell, exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card whose converted mana cost is less than this spell's converted mana cost. You may cast that card without paying its mana cost. Then put all cards exiled this way that weren't cast on the bottom of your library in a random order."

When you cascade you exile the spell and then cast it, so it is being cast from exile instead of being cast from their library.

It's a real shame too because I used to think Grafdigger's Cage was perfect against Living End.

Lol, i've never actully read cascasde, just played against it. You are right again then.

u will never top an iq

u will never top 8 an iq

Could you update your sideboarding guide? I like it, but Ensoul artifact (for example) isn't even in the deck anymore. I'm trying to decide what deck I want to play in Modern by playtesting a bunch of decks online and I was using yours as the Affinity deck.Thanks!