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By: Elvish_Dragon, Kevin Ly
Jan 21 2007 1:00am
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Hi! I suppose the last article was not very... satisfying, and after a motivational kick in the backside from a talented writer, I'd like to start reworking the deck.
Here is our original decklist from where we left off.
                           
4x Storage Matrix

4x Seat of the Synod                        

4x Vault of Whispers                       

4x Ancient Den                               

4x Great Furnace                            

3x Fellwar Stone                              

3x Spectral Searchlight                    

4x Leaden Myr                               

4x Nim Replica                                 

4x Frogmite                                      

3x Myr Enforcer                               

2x Fabricate

4x Arcbound Slith                             

4x Arcbound Crusher           

3x Skeleton Shard    

    I would love to point at some weaknesses in this decks fabric. It has a bit of a waffling issue when it comes to its strategy. Does it want to control the game? Or does it want to lay on the fast beats with a soft lock on the opponents resources? After taking a closer look, I decided to go with the fast beatdown strategy with the soft lock, as it seemed a bit more obvious within the decklist, and easier to work with. I began by dismantling parts that just didn't fit with the theme.
-2 Fabricate -  Why Removed: The ability to fetch a creature for 2U from my deck just didn't seem to fit the fact that it wanted to be smashing face, not fetching combo parts.
-4 Leaden Myr- Why Removed: Its mana ability is a bit underwhelming for its 1/1 body.
-3 Spectral Searchlight- Why Removed: Its mana ability comes too late to be more then a little useful, although I do like its ability to deal 1 damage at odd moments.

After this, I decided the deck needed some new cards to pop into its empty holes that -9 cards leave.
+4 Welding Jar - Why Added: What can I say? It doesn't slow down my hand, and it guards my crucial creatures.
+3 Vulshok Morningstar - Why Added: I'm not quite sure, but I've seen this be successful in budget beats, so I might as well try it out for a spin.
+2 Cranial Plating - Why Added: Yes you can punch me for being a little unoriginal, but if it's an article about artifact attackers and beats (Say that 5 times fast!) then Cranial has a home here.
After totalling up the costs, it comes out to 6.34 Event Tickets (Which all my articles are written in for monetary measurements).
I cut a little fat, but is this .dec skinny enough to slip into the victory suit in the casual room? Read on and find out :)

Match 1       Elvish_Dragon vs. franknitty12002    Playing: Orzhova Bleeder
    Frank wins the dice roll here and mulligans to 6. I keep a nice opening hand that gives me some options. Our first turns are land laying, until I pop out a turn 2 Arcbound Slith. While he builds up mana with an Orzhov Basilica, I hit him for a point, and also boosts my Slith to a 2/2. I also play Nim Replica, shortening his clock while providing weenie removal. On his turn, a swamp and Martyr of Sands come out to block. I choose to play Arcbound Crusher and then attack with only the Slith. He doesn't block, and opts to play Curtain of Light instead to keep my damage away. On his turn, Agent of Masks comes out to shorten my clock and deal some damage, and then he passes. I play Vault of Whispers (+1/+1 to Arcbound Crusher) and sacrifice my Nim Replica to remove the Martyr. He plays Ray of Distortion on his next turn, so I shift my counters to the Slith. Then on my turn, another Nim Replica and a Skeleton Shard hit the field. I swing with the Slith and he blocks, removing the life drainer (how I hate it) from the field. Blind Hunter is his play on his turn, and he Castigates my second Skeleton Shard out of my hand. I play Fellwar Stone, fetch back my Crusher via Skeleton Shard then swing for 7, while the Slith grows. On his turn he searches for a card via Demonic Tutor and swings for two. I play Storage Matrix, fetch back and play my Nim and then swing in with the Crusher (3/3 as of now), the Nim Replica and the Slith. My Arcbound Slith is stopped with Curtain of Light. Frank chooses not to untap his lands next turn, but I swing over on my next turn for a crushing win.
Record (Continuing with the old one) 3-2-0   (Props and Kudos to Frank for testing with me)
Good- The power heavy creatures and Storage Matrix being able to force him to make a difficult choice.
Bad- Nothing! Hooray!

Match 2       Elvish_Dragon vs.  piro_siki             Playing: White/Blue/Black/Green?
    I win the dice roll (Huzzah!) and open a great hand of- Great Furnace, Fellwar Stone, Frogmite, Ancient Den, Great Furnace, Storage Matrix and Welding Jar. I spend my first turn just playing a Furnace and my jar. He plays out a Boreal Shelf and passes. On my second turn I draw Cranial Plating and play out Fellwar Stone into Frogmite. He plays and island and swampcycles with Twisted Abomination for an Overgrown Tomb and passes the rest. I play Cranial Plating, equip and swing. On his next turn he concedes.
Record- 4-2-0
Good- The fast start, along with having a Matrix for my peace of mind...
Bad- Absolutely nothing so far ^^ I hope it stays this way.

Match 3     Elvish_Dragon vs.  leonablancke       Playing: 1500 Card Mishmash
    I lose the dice roll here and am forced to mulligan my first hand. However, he chooses to go second, so I go first laying out Ancient Den. For the next two turns I have no mana and he has a Forest, Island and Swamp out. On my fourth turn I draw a Seat of the Synod and play out Fellwar Stone into Frogmite. His response is an island and a Fledgling Mawcor. Another turn for me allows me to play a topdecked land and play out Cranial Plating along with another Myr Enforcer. I equip my Frogmite with Plating and swing. He blocks with the Mawcor and I regenerate with Welding Jar. He plays Ascending Aven and passes. On my next turn, Storage Matrix hits, but I forget to attack. He chooses to pass his turn, and I swing in for the win.
5-2-0
Good- Fast start with heavy damage.
Bad- Manascrewed for a short term.

    After testing a little, I found this build was strong, but I wanted to try the controllish version. I started out by stripping the deck to its bare bones. It looked something like this.
4x Ancient Denhttp://www.mtgotraders.com/store/MRD_Welding_Jar.html
4x Arcbound Crusher
4x Great Furnace
3x Myr Enforcer
4x Seat of the Synod
4x Storage Matrix
6x Swamp
4x Vault of Whispers
4x Welding Jar
    I took at look at this and decided right away what I wanted. I wanted to lock down the game with Storage Matrix and Icy Manipulator (which I had recently picked up a set of) and end the game with a synergistic fattie like Myr Enforcer and Arcbound Crusher. I had to trim a little fat here and there, so I started to snip away.
-1 Arcbound Crusher- Why Removed: I just had to trim the creature count to 6.
-6 Swamp- Why Removed: Just not synergistic.
    After clipping out 7 cards, I had plenty of room for a new build. I started adding cards right away!
+4 Darksteel Citadel- Why Added: With a more flexible mana base, I was able to use this indestructible land right away.
+4 Icy Manipulator- Why Added: I mean come on! It's the BONE CRANK! It stops people! It taps anything! A 4-of-must-Add!
+1 Prismatic Lens- Why Added: I only had one copy, but I do like this mana fixing ability for a card I'm about to add...
+3 Fabricate- Why Added: It fetches the Matrix, the Manipulator, the Clock... The whole deck!
+3 Clock of Omens- Why Added: It untaps almost any artifact I have! That includes Manipulator...
+4 Thunderstaff- Why Added: It stops weenie rushes, and adds a lil' UMPH to my punches :)
+4 Chromatic Sphere- Why Added: For cycling, as well as mana fixing.
+3 Serum Tank- Why Added: It's just so synergistic, I couldn't resist!
+4 Mishra's Bauble- Why Added: It cycles for free :)
    And with that, I completed my 60 Card attempt at a Storage Matrix control deck. Here we go.....

Match 1    Elvish_Dragon vs. seabear0   Playing: Black Artifact/Emissary of Despair
    To make a very long match short, I was able to get out my combo and start locking down his stuff with 2 Icy Manipulators and a Clock of Omens. However, a very smart play combined with Lightning Greaves and Emissary of Despair shut down my artifact deck fast.
(New version) 0-1-0
Good- The combo is fun for me to play! And I got it out!
Bad- Emissary of Despair just ran over me like a tank runs over a crippled squirrel.

Match 2 Elvish_Dragon vs. Feerich      Playing: Blue/Green/White
    This match was much more interesting. He wins the dice roll and starts off by playing an island. I reply with a Vault and a Bauble to look at the top of his deck. It reveals Leafdrake Roost. He plays a Plains and a Star Compass, while I play Great Furnace and pass. When he plays Slith Strider on his next turn, my Thunderstaff shuts it down. On his next turn, Dragon Blood hits the table vs. my next play of Storage Matrix. He untaps his Slith but doesn't attack, so I play out (after a Citadel) my Arcbound Crusher. He untaps his lands, puts a +1/+1 Counter on his Slith and swings. I don't block, take 2 and move on to my turn. A topdecked land lets me play Icy Manipulator with one open, and I swing in for 3 with the Crusher. He untaps the Strider, but I take it out with the Manipulator. I play an Ancient Den, along with another Manipulator. By now I have 2 mana open, and can lock down his board and he concedes.
1-1-0
Good- I simply love Icy Manipulator. A semi-Twiddle every turn is just too much fun!
Bad- Nothing! The deck performs beautifully in this match.

Match 3 Elvish_Dragon vs. King Manna    Playing: Blue/White Flyers
    I win the dice roll here (Yay!) and start out with a Furnace and a Sphere. He plays a plains and passes. I play an Ancient Den and pass, while he plays another Plains into Skyshroud Falcon. I play Seat of the Synod (And I just realized I played Red then White then Blue mana out haha) and pass. He plays an Island and another Falcon and swings for 1. I play another Den, sacrifice the sphere and put out an Icy Manipulator. He plays Sage Owl and Holy Strength on one of his Falcons, and swings for 3. Arcbound Crusher followed by Seat of the Synod (leaving a mana open for the Manipulator) hits my board. I tap his Falcon with Strength on it, and he plays Hundred-Talon Kami and swings for two. I play Storage Matrix and pass. I tap his Falcon again and he swings for 3. A second Crusher goes on my side, followed by Prismatic Lens and a swing for 6. On his upkeep, I tap his Falcon again, and he swings for 4. After playing Clock of Omens and swinging, I lock his next turn and swing in for the win.
2-1-0
Good- The lock combined with Crusher, my favorite card next to the Manipulator.
Bad- That I made a corny joke about Red, White and Blue.


    After redirecting the decks focuses to try out two different avenues, I found that while the Aggro Version had a better record, I definitely liked playing the Control version more. Maybe it was the Icy Manipulators, because I just loved their ability to tap almost anything and do it over again with Clock of Omens. Here are the following decklists.

Enter the Matrix.dec      Ext Legal-Aggro Version- Cost: 6.22 Event Tickets
4x Ancient Den                  .48
4x Arcbound Crusher         .32
4x Arcbound Slith              .60
2x Cranial Plating               .50
3x Fellwar Stone                .35
4x Frogmite                       .32
4x Great Furnace               .48
3x Myr Enforcer                .24
4x Nim Replica                 .12
4x Seat of the Synod         .48
3x Skeleton Shard             .15
4x Storage Matrix              1.40
6x Swamp                         FREE! (Something in life finally is.)
4x Vault of Whispers          .48
3x Vulshok Morningstar      .15
4x Welding Jar                    .15

Frozen Matrix      Ext Legal-Control Version- Cost: 12.88 (Twice the other one! Gasp!)
3x Arcbound Crusher       .24
4x Chromatic Sphere        .20
3x Clock of Omens           .15
4x Darksteel Citadel          .48
3x Fabricate                      1.50
4x Great Furnace               .48
4x Icy Manipulator             .60
4x Mishra's Bauble (This ones a doozy)  6.00  (Good thing I bought them when they were only .50)
3x Myr Enforcer                .24
1x Prismatic Lens             .08
4x Seat of the Synod         .48
3x Serum Tank                  .15
4x Storage Matrix              1.40
4x Thunderstaff                   .20
4x Vault of Whispers          .48
4x Welding Jar                     .20

For those with more money...
Aggro Version
Arcbound Ravager- If your looking for speedy damage, look no further.
Cranial Plating- Put in two more copies :)
Shrapnel Blast- Fire away! With all the artifacts, this ones a doozy in the damage department.

Directions to take the deck- Because we all know that asking for directions at a gas station is less fun.
Raffinity- Yes, you can shoot me for being unoriginal when suggesting this. But its raw speed can really smack some people around.
KrarkBall- Add a Krark Clan Ironworks(My signature card ^^) to really shorten the clock. Swing for a few hits, then drop it, sac all your stuff (you need a R here) and then Fireball for the remaining damage.
Atog Attacks!- Put in Atog to start smacking people away... Perhaps Second Sunrise as the next article?

Control Version
Broodstar- It's big, it's nasty, it's a great finisher.
Staff of Domination- I'm not sure it would fit in, but it CAN tap creatures, and it's just cool :).
Soulscour- I mean come on... A one sided obliterate! Is it fair?

Directions to take the deck- For the pilots out there :)
Staff of Domination Combo- Props to Repressed for the invention of this. It uses Urza Lands combined with Doubling Cube, Clock of Omens and the Staff to generate infinite card draw, life, creature tapping and such until you can draw Goblin Cannon.
Artifacts Hurt You More- Uses Howling Mine, Storage Matrix, Relic Barrier, Static Orb and such to make sure that your the only one drawing cards while they suffer the untapping drawbacks. Finish 'em off with Broodstar!

    At the end, I am very glad I reworked the deck in two directions. A very special thanks to Rasom aka Hans Raaf for giving me the motivational kick in the behind to keep working at this deck and slowly chip it into a statue of artifact evil.
Elvish_Dragon-Writing for www.mtgotraders.com

7 Comments

. by Anonymous (Unregistered) (not verified) at Fri, 01/26/2007 - 16:22
Anonymous (Unregistered)'s picture

It was hard to read...

Why? by Elvish_Dragon (Unregistered) (not verified) at Sat, 01/27/2007 - 13:37
Elvish_Dragon (Unregistered)'s picture

Could you please explain why it was hard to read? It could help improve the next one.

Problems reading by Mitchy at Sun, 01/28/2007 - 14:23
Mitchy's picture

Your paragraphs, aernt paragraph looking, your decklist is doublespaced, which is annoying, umm... you dont use any bolds, or anything to define any differences between top changes or whatever.

Great job Elvy by mtgotraders at Thu, 01/25/2007 - 18:34
mtgotraders's picture

You def turned things around this article and i'm glad you gave it a lot of time and thought. Can't wait to see what else you have up your sleeve.

0o by Elvish_Dragon (Unregistered) (not verified) at Thu, 01/25/2007 - 17:24
Elvish_Dragon (Unregistered)'s picture

Quiet Kitteh Mcnitteh. In your dreams haha :) Jk. Thanks for being one of my best testers and not bringing your powerhouse decks. After all, the decks are designed for casual not exactly your tournament "Bring Down the House" decks :)

Hehe by Nitti at Thu, 01/25/2007 - 16:55
Nitti's picture

Well done Elvy! a pleasurable article to read. You put alot of thought into it and even expanded on the decklist for different levels of players...nicely done! As always, I enjoy testing each of your budget decks with you and providing feedback on them :) Now for everyone else: What ED doesn't tell you is I hafta be nice and use toned down decks to play him with so I don't OWN the deck and ruin the article lol. Cya soon Elvy :)

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dungdung's picture

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