The focus is on artifact creatures because they tend to permanently die a little less often when you have Marchesa, the Black Rose out. Abuse ETBs and death triggers by looping and repeatably recurring stuff. Very important when Vandalblast is a card.
Arcbound Ravager is insanely overpowered in this list and should be tutored up whenever possible.
Everyone in my group calls this deck "Grixis EDH Affinity". While there are no actual cards with affinity for artifacts that could make the list, the deck nonetheless carries roleplayers from both past and present Affinity builds. The deck plays very differently from real affinity decks (with one exception), but it is amusing to see how these cards are still among some of the most powerful cards in this build. However, it isn't uncommon to win games from sacrificing all of your artifacts with Arcbound Ravager to power Marionette Master to close out games, which doesn't help dispel the comparison to affinity decks.
Past Affinity cards:
Artifact lands (Great Furnace, Seat of the Synod, Vault of Whispers)
Skullclamp
Marionette Master playing the role of Disciple of the Vault.
Sometimes you saw Genesis Chamber.
Current Affinity cards:
Arcbound Ravager
Cranial Plating
Spellskite
Inkmoth Nexus
Spire of Industry
Arcbound Worker (Hardened Scales ver)
Metallic Mimic (Hardened Scales ver)
The Ozolith
Mox Opal
Urza's Saga
Thought Monitor
Other cards seen in Ravager Shops:
Lodestone Golem
Phyrexian Revoker (when needed)
Precursor Golem
Wurmcoil Engine
Sol Ring
Phyrexian Metamorph
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Why play this over other Marchesa, the Black Rose builds?
Pros:
- A lot of good artifact recursion exists
- You get access to artifact tutors
- You have the means to loop etb/death triggers more than once per turn cycle because you have more ways to add counters at instant speed. Also you get the best Marchesa enabler in the game in Arcbound Ravager.
- Your one-use sacrifice outlets provide more overall value
- The deck's design works very well with non-infinite combo engines.
- Overall faster than almost any aggro variant
- Additional weaknesses to artifact hate
- Mana curve is higher due to lack of available variety in artifact creatures.
- Lower creature density than other variants. Your aggro game is weaker.
- Less space for the insane typical engine creatures in typical builds
- Small incompatibilities between artifact and creature sacrifice outlets.
Decklist
Approximate Total Cost:
Easy way to start the robot chain listed below:
Sphinx Summoner > get Arcbound Ravager> play and sac ravager to itself to put a counter on Sphinx Summoner, sac Sphinx Summoner to get Spellskite.
LIST OF ADDITIONAL REALLY GOOD/INSANE CARDS TO RUN IN HERE
Transmute Artifact (my god this one is expensive)
A basic HOW TO PLAY
The first turns of your game should be setting up your engine. Play cheap creatures or manarocks and then drop Marchesa. You can make your first few attacks about getting the dethrone triggers, especially if you have sac outlets to get a bit more value.
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The real fun begins if you can set up what I call "the modular engine". This is where you have or tutor up Arcbound Ravager OR a modular creature + a sac outlet to go with an artifact creature of your choice, preferably one that generates value. Alternately, you have Metallic Mimic naming that card's creature type. However, by far the best plan is to get ravager because it is basically a one card engine in this deck which allows you to loop an effect every 2 turns. Not as efficient as the other options mentioned, but far more durable and far easier to grab. Now you grab stupid tons of value while potentially getting in some damage, but unlike most Marchesa lists this is not the stage in which you get the most damage in.
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Finally, you'll need to acquire one of the win conditions to truly close out the game in a timely fashion. It can happen from old-fashioned beatdown but it is more likely one of the following options-
Marionette Master - 4 life per artifact allows very rapid focus fire on an opponent, and is also extra durable to boot. If you can increase its power via an attack, a clone, or say... a Cranial Plating, everyone will melt in very short order. Best wincon and reminiscent of old affinity kills.
Time Sieve: With the modular engine, you realistically sacrifice only two artifacts while gaining value and somewhat acting as your sacrifice outlet with some limitations. With enough resources it goes infinite, but even if it doesn't it provides so much time that beatdown becomes a far more viable option, especially as you GAIN value through each turn. The fact that it costs 2 mana is riduculous. Pair with Genesis Chamber for quick concessions.
Inkmoth Nexus - This land is legitimately scary with the modular engine, Cranial Plating, or just plain attacking with it enough times. Usually you'll want a plating to go with this for maximum effect. This is a Modern Affinity kill condition
Purphoros, God of the Forge: It goes with your engine cards to pile on the damage quite quickly. It is efficient, but its weakness is not being able to focus down threatening players and therefore it is a weaker option than the others on this list. Still potent.
And early game 5/4 Flying blocker is a pretty nice deterrent from aggressive decks, too!
