Introduction
| Howdy, and welcome to the PostBordem Blog. For those unfamilar with my site, each quarter I give myself a challenge then, after completing that challenge, I write about it. So what do I have cooked up this time around?
My current challenge has been to play some competitve Magic, a trading card game that has been going strong since the 90’s. For those of you not already familiar with the game and it’s rules, you may want to skip this article as it will be rather technical one but for the initiated bear with me while I clarify a few things.
Today I will be sharing a competitive Brawl deck I constructed. Originally, the Brawl format would use only Standard legal cards, but since then the perferred card pool and ban list has shifted to that of Commander’s. This change makes this version of Brawl quite similar to Commander, for instance both formats require the selection of a legendary creature or planeswalker for their ‘commander’ whom determines the deck’s color identity. Also, there can only be one copy of each card unless the card itself specifies otherwise. Still there are a few differences. Primarily, each deck contains exactly 60 cards, including the commander(s), instead of 100 and your starting life total is either 25 or 30 depending on the number of opponents you have instead of 40. With that out of the way, let’s dive into the most powerful brawl deck that I have ever brewed up using the first archetype that I ever fell in love with, artifact combo.
The Commander
In a combo deck like this one, it is imperative to find your combo pieces as quickly as possible. The objective is to win the game by turns 3 or 4. That is where Oswald, Fiddlebender comes into play. As a commander he will be at your disposal every game, he can easily find your combo pieces, and oftentimes he will hit the battlefield on your first turn. That cheap casting cost makes him a powerful option even compared to similar commanders such as Arcum Dagsson.
The Combo Pieces
I went for several two card combos in this deck such as the following:
Painter’s Servant & Grinderstone
This is the primary combo I go for. The 1 and 2 mana cost make these two artifacts make them the easiest pieces to grab with Oswald. Painter’s Servant makes every card everywhere the same color allowing you to mill out your opponent with Grindstone. The biggest downside to this combo is the three mana needed to activate Grindstone. That is why I included serval cards that can produce three mana to kick things into gear such a Diamond Lion, Mana Vault, or Metalworker.
Another three mana producer that could be used in a deck like this one is Basalt Monolith. It has the added benit of tiggering Crackdown Construct as well but I ultimately left it out of this version of the deck.
Crackdown Construct, Shuko, & Any Other Creature
With Crackdown Construct and another creature on your side of the battlefield, you can repeatively pay the 0 equip cost and infinitely equip Shuko between Crackdown Construct and another creature making Crackdown Construct infinitely large allowing you to swing in for lethal. Umbral mantle, also in the deck, will work as well, and for clarity’s sake it isn’t necessary to target Crackdown Construct as his ability will trigger anytime an activated ability of a creature or artifact is activated.
Between Umbral Mantle and Shuko the fact that Shuko only cost 1 mana makes it the easier target to grab by sacrificing any 0 mana vaule token or land with Oswald to search the deck for it. That is why I ultimately did not include Basalt Monolith in this deck.
To get through blockers, Shadowspear can give Crackdown Construction trample and Gilded Pinions can give him flying.
Metalworker & Umbral Mantle
A later addition to the deck. As long as you keep at least two artifacts in your hand, Metalworker can be tapped for 4 mana and untapped for 3 mana repeatively producing infinite mana as well as making Metalworker infinitely large. The fact that Umbral Mantle also works with Crackdown Construct is a plus. Since both of these artifacts have a mana value of three it can be a slightly harder to fish out these combo pieces so I often consider this combo after the other two options depending on my setup.
After checking out the deck list, be sure to check out the included pointers for piloting the deck as well as the community discussion.
Simplified List
Commander (1)
MV(2) – Oswald Fiddlebender
Creatures (13)
MV(4) – Crackdown Construct
MV(4) – Rebbec, Architect of Ascension
MV(3) – Annex Sentry
MV(3) – Lurrus of the Dream-Den
MV(3) – Reidane, God of the Worthy*
MV(3) – Metalworker
MV(3) – Scrap Trawler
MV(2) – Diamomd Lion
MV(2) – Gleaming Barrier
MV(2) – Painter’s Servant
MV(2) – Phyrexian Revoker
MV(2) – Stoneforge Mystic
MV(1) – Esper Sentinel
Artifacts (26)
MV(4) – Valkmira, Protector’s Shield*
MV(3) – Serum Powder
MV(3) – Thousand-Year Elixir
MV(3) – Transmogrifying Wand
MV(3) – Umbral Mantle
MV(2) – Barbed Spike
MV(2) – Cogworker’s Puzzleknot
MV(2) – Gilded Pinions
MV(2) – Magewright’s Stone
MV(2) – Nimblewright Schematic
MV(2) – Prized Statue
MV(2) – Servo Schematic
MV(2) – Swiftfoot Boots
MV(1) – Dispeller’s Capsule
MV(1) – Expedition Map
MV(1) – Grindstone
MV(1) – Immovable Rod
MV(1) – Mana Vault
MV(1) – Origin Spellbomb
MV(1) – Portable Hole
MV(1) – Shadowspear
MV(1) – Shuko
MV(1) – Sol Ring
MV(1) – The Underworld Cookbook
MV(0) – Lotus Petal
MV(0) – Jeweled Amulet
Instants (2)
MV(2) – Sejiri Shelter*
MV(1) – Enlightened Tutor
Sorceries (2)
MV(5) – Dawn*
MV(4) – Dusk*
Enchantment (1)
x1 – Urza’s Saga
Lands (16)
Artifact Lands
MV(0) – Ancient Den
MV(0) – Power Depot
MV(0) – Treasure Vault
Nonbasic Nonartifact Lands
x1 – Buried Ruin
x1 – Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
x1 – Glacial Chasm
x1 – Kor Haven
x1 – Sejire Glacier*
x1 – Wasteland
Basic Plains
x9 – Basic Plains
*(60 Cards with 3 Double Sided Cards)
Expanded List
Creatures (14)
| Crackdown Construct [Cost: 4 Generic] | Artifact Creature – Construct (Uncommon) Whenever you activate an ability of an artifact or creature that isn’t a mana ability, Crackdown Construct gets +1/+1 until end of turn. 2/2 |
| Rebbec, Architect of Ascension [Cost: 3 Generic, 1 White Mana] | Legendary Creature – Human Artificer (Uncommon) Artifacts you control have protection from each mana value among artifacts you control. Partner (You can have two commanders if both have partner.) 3/4 |
| Annex Sentry [Cost: 2 Generic, 1 White Mana] | Artifact Creature – Phyrexian Cleric (Uncommon) Toxic 1 (Players dealt combat damage by this creature also get a poison counter.) When Annex Sentry enters, exile target artifact or creature an opponent controls with mana value 3 or less until Annex Sentry leaves the battlefield. 1/4 |
| Lurrus of the Dream-Den [Cost: 1 Generic, 2 White Mana] | Legendary Creature – Cat Nightmare (Rare) Companion — Each permanent card in your starting deck has mana value 2 or less. (If this card is your chosen companion, you may put it into your hand from outside the game for 3 Generic Mana as a sorcery.) Lifelink Once during each of your turns, you may cast a permanent spell with mana value 2 or less from your graveyard. 3/2 |
| Reidane, God of the Worthy [Cost: 2 Generic, 1 White Mana] | Legendary Creature – God (Rare) Flying, Vigilance Snow lands your opponents control enter tapped. Noncreature spells your opponents cast with mana value 4 or greater cost 2 more to cast. 2/3 |
| Metalworker [Cost: 3 Generic Mana] | Artifact Creature – Construct (Rare) Tap: Reveal any number of artifact cards in your hand. Add a colorless mana for each card revealed this way. 1/2 |
| Scrap Trawler [Cost: 3 Generic Mana] | Artifact Creature – Construct (Rare) Whenever Scrap Trawler or another artifact you control is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, return to your hand target artifact card in your graveyard with lesser mana value. 3/2 |
| Diamond Lion [Cost: 2 Generic Mana] | Artifact Creature – Cat (Rare) Tap, Discard your hand, Sacrifice Diamond Lion: Add three mana of any one color. Activate only as an instant. 2/2 |
| Oswald Fiddlebender [Cost: 1 Generic, 1 White Mana] | Legendary Creature – Gnome Artificer (Rare) Magical Tinkering — Pay 1 White Mana, Tap, Sacrifice an artifact: Search your library for an artifact card with mana value equal to 1 plus the sacrificed artifact’s mana value, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle. Activate only as a sorcery. 2/2 |
| Gleaming Barrier [Cost: 2 Generic Mana] | Artifact Creature – Wall (Common) Defender When this creature dies, create a Treasure token. (It’s an artifact with “Tap, Sacrifice this token: Add one mana of any color.”) 0/4 |
| Painter’s Servant [Cost: 2 Generic Mana] | Artifact Creature – Scarecrow (Rare) As Painter’s Servant enters, choose a color. All cards that aren’t on the battlefield, spells, and permanents are the chosen color in addition to their other colors. 1/3 |
| Phyrexian Revoker [Cost: 2 Generic Mana] | Artifact Creature – Phyrexian Horror (Rare) As Phyrexian Revoker enters, choose a nonland card name. Activated abilities of sources with the chosen name can’t be activated. 2/1 |
| Stoneforge Mystic [Cost: 1 Generic, 1 White Mana] | Creature – Kor Artificer (Rare) When Stoneforge Mystic enters, you may search your library for an Equipment card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle. Pay 1 White Mana, Tap: You may put an Equipment card from your hand onto the battlefield. 1/2 |
| Esper Sentinel [Cost: 1 White Mana} | Artifact Creature – Human Solider (Rare) Whenever an opponent casts their first noncreature spell each turn, draw a card unless that player pays X, where X is Esper Sentinel’s power. 1/1 |
Artifacts (26)
| Valkmira, Protector’s Shield [Cost: 3 Generic, 1 White Mana] | Legendary Artifact (Rare) If a source an opponent controls would deal damage to you or a permanent you control, prevent 1 of that damage. Whenever you or another permanent you control becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter that spell or ability unless its controller pays 1 Generic Mana. |
| Serum Powder [Cost: 3 Generic Mana] | Artifact (Rare) Tap: Add 1 Colorless Mana. Any time you could mulligan and Serum Powder is in your hand, you may exile all the cards from your hand, then draw that many cards. (You can do this in addition to taking mulligans.) |
| Thousand-Year Elixir [Cost: 3 Generic Mana] | Artifact (Rare) You may activate abilities of creatures you control as though those creatures had haste. Pay 1 Generic Mana, Tap: Untap target creature. |
| Transmogrifying Wand [Cost: 3 Generic Mana] | Artifact (Rare) Transmogrifying Wand enters with three charge counters on it. Pay 1 Generic Mana, Tap, Remove a charge counter from Transmogrifying Wand: Destroy target creature. Its controller creates a 2/4 white Ox creature token. Activate only as a sorcery. |
| Umbral Mantle [Cost: 3 Generic Mana] | Artifact – Equipment (Uncommon) Equipped creature has “Pay 3 Generic Mana, Untap: This creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn.” Equip – Pay 0 Generic Mana. |
| Barbed Spike [Cost: 1 Generic, 1 White Mana] | Artifact – Equipment (Uncommon) When Barbed Spike enters, create a 1/1 colorless Thopter artifact creature token with flying, then attach Barbed Spike to it. Equipped creature gets +1/+0. Equip – Pay 2 Generic Mana. |
| Cogworker’s Puzzleknot [Cost: 2 Generic Mana] | Artifact (Common) When Cogworker’s Puzzleknot enters, create a 1/1 colorless Servo artifact creature token. Pay 1 Generic Mana, 1 White Mana, Sacrifice Cogworker’s Puzzleknot: Create a 1/1 colorless Servo artifact creature token. |
| Gilded Pinions [Cost: 2 Generic Mana] | Artifact – Equipment (Common) When Gilded Pinions enters, create a Treasure token. (It’s an artifact with “Tap, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color.”) Equipped creature has flying. Equip – Pay 2 Generic Mana. |
| Magewright’s Stone [Cost: 2 Generic Mana] | Artifact (Uncommon) Pay 1 Generic Mana, Tap: Untap target creature that has an activated ability with a tap symbol in its cost. |
| Nimblewright Schematic [Cost: 2 Generic Mana] | Artifact (Common) When Nimblewright Schematic enters or is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, create a 1/1 colorless Construct artifact creature token. |
| Prized Statue [Cost: 2 Generic Mana] | Artifact (Common) When Prized Statue enters or is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, create a Treasure token. (It’s an artifact with “Tap, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color.”) |
| Servo Schematic [Cost: 2 Generic Mana] | Artifact (Uncommon) When Servo Schematic enters or is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, create a 1/1 colorless Servo artifact creature token. |
| Swiftfoot Boots [Cost: 2 Generic Mana] | Artifact – Equipment (Uncommon) Equipped creature has hexproof and haste. (It can’t be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control. It can attack and Tap no matter when it came under your control.) Equip – Pay 1 Generic Mana. |
| Dispeller’s Capsule [Cost: 1 White Mana] | Artifact (Common) Pay 2 Generic Mana, 1 White Mana, Tap, Sacrifice Dispeller’s Capsule: Destroy target artifact or enchantment. |
| Expedition Map [Cost: 1 Generic Mana] | Artifact (Common) Pay 2 Generic Mana, Tap, Sacrifice this artifact: Search your library for a land card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle. |
| Grindstone [Cost: 1 Generic Mana] | Artifact (Mystic) Pay 3 Generic Mana, Tap: Target player mills two cards. If two cards that share a color were milled this way, repeat this process. |
| Immovable Rod [Cost: 1 White Mana] | Artifact (Rare) You may choose not to untap Immovable Rod during your untap step. Whenever Immovable Rod becomes untapped, venture into the dungeon. Pay 3 Generic Mana, 1 White Mana, Tap: For as long as Immovable Rod remains tapped, another target permanent loses all abilities and can’t attack or block. |
| Mana Vault [Cost: 1 Generic Mana] | Artifact (Mystic) Mana Vault doesn’t untap during your untap step. At the beginning of your upkeep, you may pay 4 Mana. If you do, untap Mana Vault. At the beginning of your draw step, if Mana Vault is tapped, it deals 1 damage to you. Tap: Add 3 Colorless Mana. |
| Origin Spellbomb [Cost: 1 Generic Mana] | Artifact (Uncommon) Pay 1 Generic Man, Tap, Sacrifice Origin Spellbomb: Create a 1/1 colorless Myr artifact creature token. When Origin Spellbomb is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you may pay 1 White Mana. If you do, draw a card. |
| Portable Hole [Cost: 1 White Mana] | Artifact (Uncommon) When Portable Hole enters, exile target nonland permanent an opponent controls with mana value 2 or less until Portable Hole leaves the battlefield. |
| Shadowspear [Cost: 1 Generic Mana] | Legendary Artifact – Equipment (Rare) Equipped creature gets +1/+1 and has trample and lifelink. Pay 1 Generic Mana: Permanents your opponents control lose hexproof and indestructible until end of turn. Equip – Pay 2 Generic Mana. |
| Shuko [Cost: 1 Generic Mana] | Artifact – Equipment (Uncommon) Equipped creature gets +1/+0. Equip – Pay 0 Generic Mana. |
| Sol Ring [Cost: 1 Generic Mana] | Artifact (Rare) Tap: Add 2 Colorless Mana. |
| The Underworld Cookbook [Cost: 1 Generic Mana] | Artifact (Uncommon) Tap, Discard a card: Create a Food token. (It’s an artifact with “Pay 2 Generic Mana, Tap, Sacrifice this artifact: You gain 3 life.”) Pay 4 Generic Mana, Tap, Sacrifice The Underworld Cookbook: Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand. |
| Lotus Petal [Cost: 0 Mana] | Artifact (Common) Tap, Sacrifice Lotus Petal: Add one mana of any color. |
| Jeweled Amulet [Cost: 0 Mana] | Artifact (Uncommon) Pay 1 Generic Mana, Tap: Put a charge counter on Jeweled Amulet. Note the type of mana spent to pay this activation cost. Activate only if there are no charge counters on Jeweled Amulet. Tap, Remove a charge counter from Jeweled Amulet: Add one mana of Jeweled Amulet’s last noted type. |
Instants (2)
| Sejiri Shelter [Cost: 1 Generic, 1 White Mana] | Instant (Uncommon) Target creature you control gains protection from the color of your choice until end of turn. |
| Enlightened Tutor [Cost: 1 White Mana] | Instant (Rare) Search your library for an artifact or enchantment card, reveal it, then shuffle and put that card on top. |
Sorceries (2)
| Dawn [Cost: 3 Generic, 2 White Mana] | Sorcery (Rare) Aftermath (Cast this spell only from your graveyard. Then exile it.) Return all creature cards with power 2 or less from your graveyard to your hand. |
| Dusk [Cost: 2 Generic, 2 White Mana] | Sorcery (Rare) Destroy all creatures with power 3 or greater. |
Enchantment (1)
| Urza’s Saga | Enchantment Land – Urza’s Saga (Rare) (As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter. Sacrifice after III.) I — Urza’s Saga gains “Tap: Add Colorless.” II — Urza’s Saga gains “2, Tap: Create a 0/0 colorless Construct artifact creature token with ‘This creature gets +1/+1 for each artifact you control.'” III — Search your library for an artifact card with mana cost 0 or 1, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle. |
Lands (16)
| Ancient Den | Artifact Land (Common) Tap: Add 1 White Mana. |
| Power Depot | Artifact Land (Uncommon) Power Depot enters tapped. Tap: Add Colorless. Tap: Add one mana of any color. Spend this mana only to cast artifact spells or activate abilities of artifacts. Modular 1 (This land enters the battlefield with one +1/+1 counter on it. When this card is put into the graveyard, you may put its +1/+1 counters on target artifact creature.) |
| Treasure Vault | Artifact Land (Rare) Tap: Add 1 Colorless Mana. Pay X, X, Tap, Sacrifice Treasure Vault: Create X Treasure tokens. |
| Buried Ruin | Land (Uncommon) Tap: Add 1 Colorless Mana. Pay 2 Generic Mana, Tap, Sacrifice Buried Ruin: Return target artifact card from your graveyard to your hand. |
| Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire | Legendary Land (Rare) Tap: Add 1 White Mana. Channel – Pay 2 Generic Mana, 1 White Mana, Discard Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire: It deals 4 damage to target attacking or blocking creature. This ability costs 1 less to activate for each legendary creature you control. |
| Glacial Chasm | Land (Rare) Cumulative upkeep – Pay 2 life. (At the beginning of your upkeep, put an age counter on this permanent, then sacrifice it unless you pay its upkeep cost for each age counter on it.) When Glacial Chasm enters, sacrifice a land. Creatures you control can’t attack. Prevent all damage that would be dealt to you. |
| Kor Haven | Legendary Land (Rare) Tap: Add 1 Colorless Mana. Pay 1 Generic Mana, 1 White Mana, Tap: Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt by target attacking creature this turn. |
| Sejire Glacier | Land (Uncommon) Sejiri Glacier enters tapped. Tap: Add 1 White Mana. |
| Wasteland | Land (Rare) Tap: Add Colorless. Tap, Sacrifice Wasteland: Destroy target nonbasic land. |
| x9 – Plains | Basic Land – Plains (Common) Tap: Add 1 White Mana. |
Tips for Piloting the Deck
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, your main objective while piloting this deck is to get your combo pieces onto the battlefield as quickly as possible. Besides the commander, Stoneforge Mystic, Enlightened Tutor, and Urza’s Saga can be used to grab some of your combo pieces and Expedition Map can be used to grab Glacial Chasm in case you need to turtle up or in a pinch it can grab a zero mana value artifact land for sac fonder. Lotus Petal and Jeweled Amulet also serve as zero mana value sac fonder (to make grabing Shuko or Grindstone easier) or they can be used to accelerate your game plan. Also, Lurrus of the Dream-Den, Scrap Trawler, Dawn, The Underworld Cookbook, and Buried Ruin serve as a backup plan in case your combo pieces are put into the graveyard.
Then there are the disruptors to mess up your opponent’s game plan with cards like Annex Sentry, Transmogrifying Wand, Eiganjo Seat of the Empire, Dispeller’s Capsule, Immovable Rod, Phyrexian Revoker, Portable Hole, Dusk, and sometimes Wasteland as well as several options when turtling up is neccessary such as the aforementioned Glacial Chasm as well as Kor Haven, Sejiri Shelter, Swiftfoot Boots, Reidane God of the Worthy, Valkmira Protector’s Shield, and sometimes Rebbec Architect of Ascension.
If you have anything to add feel free to leave a comment.
— TBryantS
No links in the comments please.