Here's a brief write up of this complex deck for if anyone else in the group wants to pick it up. I say complex because, while this deck may seem like a straight-forward energy deck and there are only 4 instants and 2 flash enchantments, there are a total of 31 (!) cards in the deck with instant speed utility through a staggering 12 unique activated abilities spanning 25 total cards. Most of the cards synergize, so card interactions are complex.
Lands
Basics can come in whenever, but the rest of lands need to be sequenced. Spirebluff Canal is best in the first 3 turns. After the third land, it needs to be played on off-curve turns (these happen often). The same goes for Wandering Fumarole, except it's best turn 1.
Remember Wandering Fumarole is a creature sometimes, so it can carry Fabricate Module (Fab Mod) counters, is a good blocker, and can be activated BEFORE a Aetherworks Marvel (Marvel) activation to have it as a creature target for a potential Saheeli's Artistry.
Aether Hub should commonly be played last. It should be held if you anticipate being able to play it with a creature and a Fab Mod in play. Otherwise, it can be played to act as an energy toward another effect. Only use it as fixing as a last result. While it can produce all colors and is great fixing in a pinch, this deck can use all of its energy at the drop of a hat one Whirler Virtuoso (Virtuoso) is in play.
Inventors' Fair can get Marvel or one of the Modules when you need them, otherwise it sits around gaining one life a turn in a board stall (which happen often with this deck). Don't be afraid to crack it early though, as getting a Fab Mod or a second Dec Mod can break games wide open and getting an active Marvel in hand on an opponent's end step can win the game on the spot occasionally. REMEMBER, THOPTERS ARE ARTIFACTS.
Sorcery-Speed effects
Thriving Turtle
is a great early drop which covers the ground and makes some energy. It's important to recognize when it will be worth attacking with it once to get up to and X/4 for blocking (usually against R/W Vehicles). Additionally, Turtle is a fine creature to hold Fab mod counters and is part of an end game plan with Aethersquall Ancient.
Gearseeker Serpent is a big blocker which eventually will kill your opponent with Fab mod, and they need to respect it. It's important to know when to just cast it, when to make more Thopters to make it cheaper, and when to hold it until you can at least softcore combo. The card is surprisingly difficult to play well in this deck.
Saheeli's Artistry is like the Gifts Ungiven of this deck. It's either a value (1) Art or a Combo (2) art. What these look like are (1) copying a sick opponent creature plus one of the combo artifacts or (2) getting the last combo artifact and an energy creature to start going off. The card is a haymaker and is a way to get way ahead on cards as well as a way to lessen the burden of wanting multiples of some of the deck's combo enablers. It doesn't get much more confusing with instant-speed casting off Marvel unless you want to copy a Gideon or something strange.
Confiscation Coup is pretty straight forward, just remember it takes animated lands for 0 mana, if you take a Nissa, Vital Force animated land they kept back on defense you can pressure the Nissa or an opponent the turn you get it, and if you play it at instant speed off Marvel you can take Gideon (which can be used as a blocker and is why you should activate Marvel before attacks are declared if they plus Gideon), activated Manlands (which they can tap for mana), and Crewed Vehicles (though a smart opponent can Crew itself to keep you from having a blocker). REMEMBER, THIS CAN BE AN ENERGY RITUAL IF NEEDED.
Aethersquall Ancient adds an additional end game plan against some decks. It's a giant flying threat which give you energy every turn. The new plan of attack is a "combo" of sorts, where-in you can chain multiple
Thriving Turtle
s or other energy producing creatures with Decoction Module (Dec Mod) out to reset the board every turn or, with Fab Mod, to grow Ancient to absurd proportions before resetting the board.
Instant-Speed Effects
Harnessed Lightning/Aether Meltdown are both energy producing removal. You know how to use these. The only minor tech is how Meltdown is a permanent, so it leaving the battlefield produces energy with Marvel. So, for instance, if you need to kill with a Fab mod and Marvel out, you can Meltdown your own Thopter to get two energy then either sac or kill (we'll get to those) the token, which adds a Marvel trigger for the Thopter AND the Meltdown, leading to a total of 3 Fab Mod triggers. Lightning can be an energy ritual, but that's obvious.
Deadlock Trap
has all the same applications as a normal tapper does, just remember it enters with energy (which can be relevant for Fab Mod) and uses energy. Also, make sure to not use it until beginning of combat in case of a haste dude (Fleetwheel Cruiser namely), though it can be used on upkeep against problem Planeswalkers.
Glimmer of Genius should be played when able when you don't feel too pressured or when you need to dig. Remember the energy from it can help enable your Fab Mods or get an extra activation or so from one of your permanents.
Now to the complicated stuff. ;)
Aetherworks Marvel requires constant energy management. It should prioritize combo pieces and big energy cards. Timing the activation is too complicated to explain and requires playing the deck, knowing what an opponent's deck can do and acting accordingly. JUST DON'T FORGET THE STATIC ABILITY. Thopters dies? Get an energy. Creature with Aether Meltdown on it dies? Get an energy. Sacrifice an
Era of Innovation
? Get an energy. etc.
Era of Innovation
is a powerful mana sink with Virtuoso, turning it's activation cost into 1, pay an energy on its own. With this card, remember you have the option of paying on all artifacts and artificers (Pia and Virtuoso). Make extra energy early and often, remember to play around other instant speed effects you may want to keep up (specifically to keep up some protection abilities coming up). Knowing when to crack Era for cards is more art than science, just make sure to do it when you are more than stable, as it's a big hit to your energy.
Fabrication Module is straight-forward itself, but its ability goes on the stack as soon as you gain ANY energy, so it takes creative management of trigger timing and priority to play with this and Virtuoso specifically. Additionally, its activated ability isn't irrelevant and acts as energy ramp, a combat trick, AND a way to work back toward workable energy levels if you needed to go low to stay alive or to pressure a planeswalker.
Decoction Mod makes the deck work. It can lead to turn 5 (!) wins with Virtuoso (I've done it in tournament), it can turn a losing position into a winning one, and it can absolutely go off with Virtuoso plus Fab Mod. Most of its complexity comes from making other cards have more play to them, just remember IT'S A SEPARATE ENERGY TRIGGER FROM WHATEVER YOU PLAYED TO TRIGGER IT AND MULTIPLE DEC MODS MAKE MULTIPLE TRIGGERS, ALL OF WHICH TRIGGER FAB MOD. Additionally, its activated ability can be used to save a creature, bounce a thopter in response to a Declaration in Stone (comes up often), and can bounce your creatures at will for value, most often to increase your energy.
Whirler Virtuoso is why this deck exists. It makes instant speed artifact fliers in exchange for energy. My rule of thumb is to always sandbag activations until necessary and try to have some way to get energy back on activations while always keeping enough mana to activate once or twice if necessary. With Marvel, you can make more Thopters as when they die from blocking you get back energy. Virtuoso itself doesn't necessarily need to be sandbagged, but if Fab Mod + Dec Mod looks to be coming together or the 3x Dec Mod combo is going to come online, feel free to. There are a wide array of minutia to when to activate Virtuoso, how many times to do so, when to pressure with tokens, when to hold back, etc. so being familiar with the deck and knowing objectives is important.
Pia Nalaar enters the battlefield with two triggers on Dec Mod and Era and has two activated abilities. The power increase on artifacts doesn't do anything too flash, just helps pressure or kill and threatens high power blocks through threat of activation. The second ability can be used to get around blockers, but more interestingly it can produce energy with Marvel in play, can eat a thopter in response to Declaration in Stone, can stop the threat of flash blockers, and can eat your own blocker to stop opposing lifelink. Knowing when to eat non-thopter artifacts to use some of these abilities is an important skill to work on while playtesting.
Aethertorch Renegade
obviously acts as an energy sink to kill opponents and small creatures, but less obviously it can kill almost any planeswalker in the format AFTER they plus (exceptions with 6 mana sorin, worst Chandra, and worst Nissa), can get energy triggers with Marvel by killing thopters to trigger Fab mod, and can kill a thopter in response to Declaration in Stone to fizzle the spell.
Sideboard is in flux but everything there should be relatively obvious.
