Magic 2014 Warsmith deck guide: I heart artifacts!

After an unexplained delay of Valve proportions, Warsmith has finally arrived on non-Pad platforms. And all things were well forever. It’s not the new format definer, but it packs significant punch using a lovely strategy with tons of synergy that renders no topdeck useless. As a first in the history of about every Duels game ever, it also features appropriate support spells from both of its colours that help it get to the midgame where it dominates. Heavy metal, efficient creatures, and gratuitous amounts of burn, what could go wrong?

Trust in tin daddy

Well, the entire deck is built around the Metalcraft mechanic, rewarding you for controlling three artifacts at the same time. Goodness, does it reward you. Thus, it can be a bit weak to drawing the wrong ratio of spells, but artifact creatures help ease the pain of establishing both Metalcraft and a board position. They’re also far more fragile than noncreature artifacts though, so make sure to count your artifacts each time you rely on Metalcraft.

Once the deck gets into motion, it’s very hard to stop when half your artifacts have protection from everything and the other half can’t be targeted by regular removal. So this is why we got four artifact answers in every deck back when they could only hit Staves. Huh. Thanks, Wizards, I guess. This deck also lends itself to a lot of strategies and colour combinations, including technically colourless builds. An example of such a build is included below. However, it is very much advised to use both colours to get the best of both.

Warsmith red/white deck list (by mana cost)

60 cards, 14 Plains, 10 Mountain

1 CMC

• 2 Ardent Recruit
• 1 Infiltration Lens
• 2 Bonesplitter
• 3 Dispatch
• 3 Galvanic Blast

2 CMC

• 2 Myr Sire
• 2 Auriok Edgewright
• 1 Dolmen Gate
• 2 Leonin Sun Standard

3 CMC

• 2 Etched Champion
• 2 Sculpting Steel
• 4 Master’s Call

4 CMC

• 4 Rusted Relic
• 3 Warleader’s Helix

5+ CMC

• 1 Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer
• 2 Duplicant

Warsmith colourless deck list (by mana cost)

60 cards, 24 Mountain (Charbelcher)

1 CMC

• 1 Infiltration Lens
• 2 Bonesplitter

2 CMC

• 4 Myr Sire
• 1 Livewire Lash
• 1 Dolmen Gate

3 CMC

• 2 Etched Champion
• 2 Scarecrone
• 2 Snapsail Glider
• 2 Lightning Coils
• 1 Druidic Satchel
• 2 Veilstone Amulet
• 2 Sculpting Steel

4 CMC

• 3 Chrome Steed
• 1 Moonsilver Spear
• 1 Goblin Charbelcher
• 4  Rusted Relic

5+ CMC

• 2 Duplicant
• 1 Razorfield Rhino
• 2 Pentavus

Warsmith card-by-card analysis

Ardent Recruit: 3.5

Wee when you need something to start, facepunchy when it’s wielding two Bonesplitters in one hand and an Infiltration Lens in the other. You just can’t argue with a one mana 3/3.

Infiltration Lens: 4.0

Just that we only get one of these should say something. It’s as good as unblockable, except that every block provides you with more fuel to finish off your opponent. (Or just kill her blockers and keep swinging.)

Bonesplitter: 3.5

Cheap fodder for Metalcraft, with some serious punch attached to it.

Dispatch: 5.0

One mana exile that does enough in an emergency. Do you really need further motivation?

Galvanic Blast: 4.0

I’ll say it time and again, Shock is fair and Lightning Bolt is overpowered. Oh, and if you aren’t in serious trouble already, this card will hit for four damage at instant speed to any target at a practically free price.

Banefire: 3.0

“But it’s rare, that means it has to be strictly better than that stinky common!” Except that I’d prefer to pay one mana at instant speed than five at sorcery.

Myr Sire: 3.5

And that’s how baby metal birds are made. Just don’t question it. Don’t treat this as a tiny creature, rather as an artifact for the count that your opponent won’t even bother killing and that can chump twice in addition to wielding a Bonesplitter. Important tip though: If this is the third artifact you control and it dies, you will momentarily be left without Metalcraft so that, for instance, your Champion could get burned.

Auriok Edgewright: 4.5

I’ve seen what Fabled Hero can do, and this is no different. Direct power boosting isn’t the most central theme in this deck, but even without it he will hit for four damage. Two mana. That being said, he is rather fragile and more of a mid game card for when you already have Metalcraft. Two should do.

Dolmen Gate: 4.0

As if this deck didn’t manipulate combat enough already, this little beauty will make your creatures completely invulnerable to trades while they whack your opponent. Sure she can just take the damage… but for how long? Sound overpowered? Well, that’s a Storm Crow sitting on the gate if it tells you anything.

Auriok Sunchaser: 3.0

Eh. You have to watch how many nonartifacts you take into the deck, and it feels like this card could pay off more for the investment. That being said, you could probably switch out a Recruit or two for this if you don’t mind slowing your deck down.(Significantly when you’d otherwise drop an artifact on 2!)

Livewire Lash: 2.5

Expensive Bonsplitter with a highly irrelevant clause in the environment of DotP.

Leonin Sun Standard: 3.0

Can eat mana, but that’s the point: Can, doesn’t have to. Attack with four mana open and murder your opponent’s creatures if they dare block or play a Relic if they don’t. Also fits nice and snuggly into the curve of dropping artifacts every now and then.

Vulshok Morningstar: 2.0

The Vulshok are bad and they should feel bad and should know that I blame New Phyrexia solely on them. Yes, especially you, Koth. Your duel deck sucks.

Etched Champion: 3.5

Literally impossible to kill. Blocks like a true brother or lays on an inevitable clock since all your buffs are untargeted or colourless. The only downside is that it’s a very bad target for Infiltration Lens.

Sculpting Steel: 4.5

So I get another of whatever I happen to need and can yoink my opponent’s Jitte if the opportunity arises? Where do I sign?

Scarecrone: 2.5

Fragile body with an ability that hits nothing but itself and Champions. It’s best quality is that it gets rid of itself so that you can draw better cards.

Snapsail Glider: 2.0

All but far worse than the Champion. It sucks to leave yourself open to fliers, but this would not ward them off either way.

Lightning Coils: 2.5

Hell, I’ve gone many games without even drawing five creatures, so why should you play a mandatory ability that your opponent sees coming kilometers ahead?

Master’s Call: 4.5

Literally instant Metalcraft: Just add Myr.

Druidic Satchel: 1.0

Would’ve been fine without a mana cost for the tap. Would have been meh if you could choose an effect. Would be at least slightly less terrible if it didn’t show your opponent what you will draw with almost no benefit to it.

Veilstone Amulet: 3.0

Funny interaction: It isn’t hexproof but a static shield that protects all creatures you control. Thus, it protects the creature that you cast to activate it. That being said, it just doesn’t seem to fit into the deck for hosing too few strategies and instant speed is still faster than it. Still, it forces your opponent to act now or not and you will have several instants, so you be the judge.

Unwilling Recruit: 2.5

Triple red cost! Weee… no. It would be hard to meet in an even mana base and you will want to tilt yours towards white to more easily meet Edgewright’s WW.

Chrome Steed: 1.5

Well look who’s trying so very hard to be:

Rusted Relic: 4.5

Tried a game with two. Then stocked up to four. How many other decks put down a fourth turn 5/5? This provides the main beef of the deck while being almost impossible to kill itself, so that your Metalcraft will stay active.

Spiraling Duelist: 2.0

Tally ho, gut those rotters then come back for tea! Assuming, of course, that you haven’t died to Electrolyse on the way home.

Moonsilver Spear: 3.0

The fabled weapon of Emo Angel Girl. Huge benefits if you can pull it off, but also enormous costs. You decide whether it’s worth it.

Goblin Charbelcher: 2.5

I can imagine better ways to spend 7 mana than a Rod of Ruin, thank you. It’s unpredictable and you won’t hit a Mountain when you need to. Maybe I’m just personally biased against this since I like playing lands.

Warleader’s Helix: 3.0

One thing this deck sorely lacks is speed and lifegain to make up for the lack of speed. This little beauty sets your opponent back to equal terms by killing just about everything in the game while giving you the life needed to keep yourself from rushdown. Four mana isn’t too expensive, stop complaining.

Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer: 5.0

If you need help deciding whether or not to run this, we cannot help you.

Gratuitous Violence: 2.5

What did I say about triple red for an effect that has less of an impact than you would expect?

Concussive Bolt: 2.5

Shock and… aww, they stole my pun. Well, practically it’s more like Flame Slash and awe. Anyway, this can end games very quickly. It can, but often won’t. This isn’t the deck to burn out by turn 5.

Razorfield Rhino: 2.0

It’s like a titan with no abilities and without the beef.

Duplicant: 3.5

Playing it a few times really makes you realise how much tribal buffing there is in this game: It uses exactly and only the printed values the card has outside of the battlefield and “is equal to” values will be zero.* That being said, it’s a conditionless exile that puts the lard to better use on your side without the usual returning clause. What is this new “legendary rule change”, anyway?

Pentavus: 3.0

Horrifically expensive for a 5/5 that needs mana to disassemble into squishy and tiny flier. I suppose there’s a sick combo with Coils, but that’s about it.

*Someone with better rules knowledge confirm that this is supposed to happen. I thought power setting abilities now worked in every zone so that it would still have the strength of a Heedless one?