Step 1: Throw down lots of junk.
Step 2: Make giant smashy robot from junk.
Step 3: Play giant smashy robots friends.
Step 4: Profit.
Main idea is to play kind of like affinity in throwing out as many cheap artifacts as you can afford to with the twist of sacrificing them to create a Titan and throwing out other fairly imposing threats on turn 1 leaving subsequent turns to making them bigger, unblockable or killing enemy things (and ideally after boarding to protect them from removal). Even without a turn 1 Salvage Titan the deck can generate enough creatures and artifacts to make one of them big with a cranial plating.
Update 6/29/15: Been a long time. Deck looks different now. Years of playtesting have shown that the decks threat density has been far too low. Added Tasigur, the Golden Fang, Faithless Looting, and Claws of Gix to further the Graveyard startegy. Tasigur competes with Slag Fiend but more often than not one or the other shows up not both. Also added in Ensoul Artifact because a 5/5 indestructible land swinging on turn 2 with a 6/4 is pretty good. These changes give me a greater threat density and more lines of play that can stabilize the gameplan as well as give me a lot more viable hands. Cranial plating still stays in the build as it is invaluable in the cases where the big turn 1 threats do now show up. Vault Skirge may come into the sb or md somewhere between a 2-of and a 4-of. The continues to become more stable as each new iteration comes through. Will be attending a modern event with the deck this coming Thursday. Contemplating Shrapnel Blast maindeck, along with Lightning Bolt so help give the deck reach and close out games. The deck is excellent at dealing 12-15 damage by turn 3. Often has trouble closing out games. Update 1/1/13: Been fiddling around and looking for new options. Testing City of Brass in place of Glimmervoid and Chromatic Star. I have also added in Vault Skirge. Deck is looking slightly more like affinity as time goes on. Removed Storm Entity. Was cute but largely fell flat on it's face and wound up being like Serum Powder.
Artifact and misc cards for consideration/testing: Mishra's Bauble, Tormod's Crypt (mainboard), Myr Servitor, Buried Ruin, Claws of Gix, Thopter Foundry, Bonesaw, Chimeric Mass, Engineered Explosives, Welding Jar, Sigil of Distinction, Gemstone Cavern, Bonesplitter, Conjurer's Bauble, Flayer Husk, Infiltration Lens, Myr Moonvessel, O-Naginata, Signal Pest, Defense Grid, Basilisk Collar, Atog,
Artifact cards that have not made it and why:
Spellbook- My hand will never be large enough for it to matter.
Darksteel Relic- Does nothing and my deck cannot make terribly good use of Phylactery Lich. Triple black is too difficult.
Spidersilk Net- It is nice to have the option to equip it but 3 mana to equip is a lot for the deck.
Kite Shield-
Accorder's Shield-
Everflowing Chalice- Simply cannot get enough benefit out of it because my turn 1's are my most productive turn.
Aether Vial- Cheap but otherwise no reason to use it
Shuko- Nice but my mana usually needs to go into slightly more important things. Has had decent results in past but works similarly to bonesaw.
Serum Powder- Worked incredibly well initially but often screwed me into worse hands. Dead draw anywhere except opening hand and even then it could be wasting a slot, sadly.
Conjurer's Bauble- in initial build it proved too slow but might change.
Salvage Slasher- Originally a mainstay in the deck but after a long time using him he just continued to get more and more lackluster with his 1 toughness despite his often escalating p/t and winning lots of trades. Replaced by Cranial Plating
Glaze Fiend- Can't play him soon enough without blowing an entire hand of artifacts. Will largely sit useless or only as a 2/3. Porcelain Legionnaire- Functioned rather well. Definitely an option, can easily drop it turn 1 alongside a titan but I feel like there are better options. May revisit in the future.
Currently testing: Faithless Looting + Thoughtcast in Mainboard. Update 1/1/13- Sideboard still a mess, moved thoughtcast to board and dropped looting altogether.
