The historical roots of this deck are in Scars of Mirrodin/Innistrad Standard. The redundancy in both Grand Architect and Heartless Summoning being able to cast Myr Superion very early in the game sparked an artifact ramp deck that either aggro'd the opponent with these myrs and Wurmcoil Engines or Mindslaver locked its opponents. The interaction was powerful enough that it has been able to be adapted for Modern with all of the fun tools that the eternal format provides for us to improve both consistency and raw power.
The Modern version of Heartless Architect is a midrange synergy based deck that uses its namesake cards, Heartless Summoning and Grand Architect, and their similar analogs (Etherium Sculptor, Chief Engineer, etc.) to overwhelm the opponent with powerful artifacts. It has a variety of different ways to win whether that is straight beatdown using Wurmcoil Engine and Myr Superion, going wide by swarming the opponent with clones of Sphinx Summoner, or controlling the game with Lodestone Golem and Spellskite
Heartless Architect
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Individual Card Discussion
Note: I haven't updated this recently and this is a work in progress.
Engine
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Heartless Summoning: It makes up 50% of the deck's name and is one the core pieces of the deck's engine. You could say it's the heart of the deck but that would be too cheesy. It is the fastest of our engine pieces and leads to some of the most explosive lines of play. It helps us ramp out large threats by reducing their cost and even makes some of our smaller creatures free. The -1/-1 it adds to all of our creatures can be seen as a lot but a turn 3 or 4 5/5 Wurmcoil Engine or double 4/2 Lodestone Golem is still hard for a most decks to deal with. We can even take advantage of this drawback if we have Vedalken Shackles on this field as it allows us to just use shackles as a pseudo kill spell every turn. Yes it is amazing but you almost never want to see it in pairs. Run 2-3
Grand Architect: The card that makes up the other half of the name, this piece of the engine not only accelerates out artifacts but has 2 more relevant abilities. This Vedalken Artificer allows us to tap down our blue creature to generate for our artifact spells while also proving a lord effect for our blue creatures which helps us with our game plan of beatdown. Further he has a neat little ability to turn our artifact creature blue which can in turn negate the downsides of a Heartless Summoning. Run 4
Etherium Sculptor: A cheap turn 2 artifact creature that shares a role with Heartless Summoning in enabling for turn 3 Lodestone Golem. It helps us crank our artifact creatures while also not dying to a Heartless Summoning. Also can be tapped by Grand Architect to help produce mana for our larger artifact creatures. Run 0-2
Chief Engineer: In many cases this guy sums up to mini copies of Grand Architect that comes down on turn 2 and can help cast a turn 3 Lodestone Golem. But it is those times when blue mana is unavailable to paint other artifacts blue or black mana is needed to cast Noxious Gearhulk off of a Sphinx Summoner that Chief Engineer really shines. If Wizards ever gives us a good 1 drop, this card will be a pro. Run 0-2
Foundry Inspector/Renowned Weaponsmith/Vedalken Engineer
Grand Architect: The card that makes up the other half of the name, this piece of the engine not only accelerates out artifacts but has 2 more relevant abilities. This Vedalken Artificer allows us to tap down our blue creature to generate for our artifact spells while also proving a lord effect for our blue creatures which helps us with our game plan of beatdown. Further he has a neat little ability to turn our artifact creature blue which can in turn negate the downsides of a Heartless Summoning. Run 4
Etherium Sculptor: A cheap turn 2 artifact creature that shares a role with Heartless Summoning in enabling for turn 3 Lodestone Golem. It helps us crank our artifact creatures while also not dying to a Heartless Summoning. Also can be tapped by Grand Architect to help produce mana for our larger artifact creatures. Run 0-2
Chief Engineer: In many cases this guy sums up to mini copies of Grand Architect that comes down on turn 2 and can help cast a turn 3 Lodestone Golem. But it is those times when blue mana is unavailable to paint other artifacts blue or black mana is needed to cast Noxious Gearhulk off of a Sphinx Summoner that Chief Engineer really shines. If Wizards ever gives us a good 1 drop, this card will be a pro. Run 0-2
Foundry Inspector/Renowned Weaponsmith/Vedalken Engineer
The Muscle
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Lodestone Golem: While he may be relatively unused in Modern, this Golem is restricted in Vintage for doing exactly what this deck does best: making him come down too early and taxing everyone else too hard. The non-artifact tax will slow down every non-affinity deck in the format while his 5/3 will continue applying pressure. Slamming down multiples is almost always an autowin. Golem is MVP: Run 4
Wurmcoil Engine: A very notable beater from the original deck, this wurm is incredibly hard to remove as it passes the Bolt test, Dismember and forces opponents to either 2 for 1 themselves in getting rid of it. Its only weakness is Path to exile. Run 1-3
Myr Superion: Everyone else plays goyf? We play Super Myr! Run 0-4
Phyrexian Metamorph: The ability to with any of the main 3 enablers come down for 2 life and clone the best thing on the field is nuts. From Wurmcoil Engine to Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, this versatility allows us to adjust our game plan on the fly and often seems to seem like we have a sideboard in game 1. Run 2-4
Sphinx Summoner: Our creature tutor that doubles as a wincon. When paired with any of a few permutations of our engine, you can chain Phyrexian Metamorphs copying Sphinx Summoner filling the battlefield with flyers. This chain often threatens lethal damage and can protect itself by following up the chain with a Spellskite or a Lodestone Golem. Untapping with a board full of sphinxes can be a turn 4 kill against unsuspecting opponents. Run 0-2
Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas: This planeswalker has his own dedicated control thread which can be found here. The ability to dig for a threat or turn a Spellskite or Darksteel Citadel into a 5/5 is huge. Further, his ultimately can usually be used the turn after he is played and wins games. All 3 abilities are huge for our deck and he is really irreplaceable. Run 2-3
Wurmcoil Engine: A very notable beater from the original deck, this wurm is incredibly hard to remove as it passes the Bolt test, Dismember and forces opponents to either 2 for 1 themselves in getting rid of it. Its only weakness is Path to exile. Run 1-3
Myr Superion: Everyone else plays goyf? We play Super Myr! Run 0-4
Phyrexian Metamorph: The ability to with any of the main 3 enablers come down for 2 life and clone the best thing on the field is nuts. From Wurmcoil Engine to Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, this versatility allows us to adjust our game plan on the fly and often seems to seem like we have a sideboard in game 1. Run 2-4
Sphinx Summoner: Our creature tutor that doubles as a wincon. When paired with any of a few permutations of our engine, you can chain Phyrexian Metamorphs copying Sphinx Summoner filling the battlefield with flyers. This chain often threatens lethal damage and can protect itself by following up the chain with a Spellskite or a Lodestone Golem. Untapping with a board full of sphinxes can be a turn 4 kill against unsuspecting opponents. Run 0-2
Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas: This planeswalker has his own dedicated control thread which can be found here. The ability to dig for a threat or turn a Spellskite or Darksteel Citadel into a 5/5 is huge. Further, his ultimately can usually be used the turn after he is played and wins games. All 3 abilities are huge for our deck and he is really irreplaceable. Run 2-3
Artificer's Tools aka Utility Artifacts and/or Creatures
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These are cards that I have personally tested and change from time to time depending on the metagame and how I want the deck to play. I will add more as there is more discussion on cards.
Spellskite: I strongly recommend having the full playset split between your mainboard and sideboard. Sure skite does not do a lot in terms of making the opponent dead, but the horror is free with our Heartless and it is both a strong protection piece and hate card. skite is powerful against Infect, Burn, BGx, Eldrazi, Zoo, Scapeshift, Knightfall, Nahiri Control, and even has a few tricks against Affinity (I'm looking at you Arcbound Ravager). Run 0-4
Noxious Gearhulk: Hulk smash! The black gearhulk is tutorable, removes blockers, brings our life total out of the danger zone, and is a 5/4 menace that is very happy to run into the red zone. Run 1
Filigree Familiar: Cute little robofox who unfortunately serves the purpose of being roadkill. Run 2-3
Vedalken Shackles: Serves as interaction with our opponent's board. Grand Architect can get these online early in the game so we can steal our opponent's creatures. Shackles also serves as repeatable removal vs 1 toughness creatures if you have a Heartless on the board. These have recently fallen out of maindeck favor for many of our pilots, but strong cases can be made for their inclusion somewhere within the 75.
Duplicant: This robot used to be our tutorable removal spell before Noxious Gearhulk but it still has a few things going for it. You may consider playing 1 in the sideboard.
Trinket Mage: Now typically a sideboard all-star for the deck, he can often can be mainboard if you want to run a package based around him. I will cover the packages later in primer.
Treasure Mage: Again another package creature who with Heartless Summoning comes down for a single and allows us to tutor up a finisher such as Wurmcoil Engine, Mindslaver, or many others. Use him if you want to play more toolboxy midrange.
Perilous Myr: a small myr who when paired with Heartless Summoning becomes a free Shock which can be used if you feel you need more removal for small creature based decks such as Death and Taxes, Delver ect.
Spellskite: I strongly recommend having the full playset split between your mainboard and sideboard. Sure skite does not do a lot in terms of making the opponent dead, but the horror is free with our Heartless and it is both a strong protection piece and hate card. skite is powerful against Infect, Burn, BGx, Eldrazi, Zoo, Scapeshift, Knightfall, Nahiri Control, and even has a few tricks against Affinity (I'm looking at you Arcbound Ravager). Run 0-4
Noxious Gearhulk: Hulk smash! The black gearhulk is tutorable, removes blockers, brings our life total out of the danger zone, and is a 5/4 menace that is very happy to run into the red zone. Run 1
Filigree Familiar: Cute little robofox who unfortunately serves the purpose of being roadkill. Run 2-3
Vedalken Shackles: Serves as interaction with our opponent's board. Grand Architect can get these online early in the game so we can steal our opponent's creatures. Shackles also serves as repeatable removal vs 1 toughness creatures if you have a Heartless on the board. These have recently fallen out of maindeck favor for many of our pilots, but strong cases can be made for their inclusion somewhere within the 75.
Duplicant: This robot used to be our tutorable removal spell before Noxious Gearhulk but it still has a few things going for it. You may consider playing 1 in the sideboard.
Trinket Mage: Now typically a sideboard all-star for the deck, he can often can be mainboard if you want to run a package based around him. I will cover the packages later in primer.
Treasure Mage: Again another package creature who with Heartless Summoning comes down for a single and allows us to tutor up a finisher such as Wurmcoil Engine, Mindslaver, or many others. Use him if you want to play more toolboxy midrange.
Perilous Myr: a small myr who when paired with Heartless Summoning becomes a free Shock which can be used if you feel you need more removal for small creature based decks such as Death and Taxes, Delver ect.
