In my last “Mana Clash” article, I talked all about aristocrat strategies in Oathbreaker (linked here). This week’s article is focused more on artifact strategies, though I have actually already done an article on this topic. In addition to discussing the archetype in general, I went over three different artifact-themed Oathbreaker decklists a while back (also linked here).
Instead of simply repeating what I said in my first artifacts article, I’ll be skipping the usual “archetype discussion” section that I’d normally lead off with in this series. There are many different flavors of artifact-centric decks, and the amount of variety within the archetype is largely why it’s the first archetype to receive a second installment in this series. My first article went over three different two-color builds, but for this second go-around I’ll be looking at one colorless list and two three-color lists instead.
Build #1: Ugin’s Ineffable Ramp
Decklist: Ugin’s Artifacts
This first deck is a prime example of a “go big or go home” strategy. Most of the artifact lists I’ve previously covered have been fairly low-to-the-ground, but this deck looks to go over the top of its opponents with a slough of artifact-based ramp. Ugin, the Ineffable is a natural fit for an Oathbreaker with this type of gameplan for his static ability alone, though his two activated abilities certainly come in handy as well. As far as this list’s Signature Spell, I’ve opted to go with good-old All Is Dust. There aren’t that many Signature Spells to choose from for a colorless deck, but you can’t do much better than a (usually) one-sided board wipe.
- The Ramp: This deck is running plenty of ways to ramp in the early game so we can quickly build up to our Oathbreaker. Guardian Idol, Mind Stone and Thought Vessel are this list’s cheapest mana rocks, and they’ll cost zero mana if we end up playing any after resolving Ugin. At the three-drop slot we’ve got Worn Powerstone and Manascape Refractor, the latter of which pairs excellently with this deck’s abundance of utility lands. If that isn’t enough extra mana, we also have Hedron Archive and Thran Dynamo at the four-drop slot to really help skyrocket our mana ahead. We can even reduce the costs of some of our cards with Foundry Inspector and Jhoira’s Familiar, an effect that works very well in a list running so many artifacts.
- The Payoffs: Even when limited to colorless options, there are plenty of powerful payoffs for playing this kind of archetype. Forsaken Monument is probably this list’s biggest payoff since the value it offers is really maximized in a colorless deck. Mystic Forge is a pretty strong card advantage engine, and it can even be used to draw and/or play our entire deck with the help of our Oathbreaker and Sensei’s Divining Top. As far as artifact-themed threats go, we’ve got our friend Traxos, Scourge of Kroog to trample past any blockers. We can also go similarly tall with tokens created by Karn, Scion of Urza. If we’re trying to avoid removal, we can flash in our threats with Shimmer Myr or Vedalken Orrery, and Scrap Trawler will help us recur any artifacts that do get hit by removal. Mirage Mirror isn’t specifically themed around artifacts, but it can still copy our most powerful non-legendary artifacts while in play.
- Other Goodstuff: Not all of the artifacts in this list are “artifact-centric” in nature, but they’re powerful nonetheless. Heart of Kiran and Sparkhunter Masticore are both colorless Oathbreaker staples that easily fit in here, but the fun doesn’t end there. Skysovereign, Consul Flagship may not be as universally played as Heart of Kiran, but it is still a very effective means of keeping opposing Oathbreakers in check. Myr Battlesphere and Wurmcoil Engine are two other top-of-the-curve classics that are significant threats on their own, but oddly enough, this deck can go even bigger. Myriad Construct can go ridiculously tall in a multiplayer format like Oathbreaker, and its triggered ability will give you a bit of insurance against targeted removal spells. Along a similar vein, Soul of New Phyrexia can be used to protect all of our permanents from removal at once. Last, but certainly not least, is the bombastic Lithoform Engine, an engine of value that has plenty of sweet copy targets in this list.
Build #2: Aminatou’s Blinking Artifacts
Decklist: Enlightened Aminatou
Esper is a fairly common color combination for an artifacts-based strategy, though there aren’t any Esper Oathbreakers themed specifically around artifacts; however, what there is an Esper Oathbreaker themed around is blink-based value, and that’s close enough for me! There are plenty of different enter-the-battlefield triggers that work well in an artifact shell, and Aminatou, the Fateshifter is the perfect planeswalker to capitalize on those effects. I also never mind a bit of toolkit tutoring in my value-based decks, so I decided to run Enlightened Tutor as this list’s Signature Spell. On top of having a plethora of powerful individual threats to choose from, this one-mana instant can search up a variety of handy effects including (but not limited to) mana acceleration, board wipes, and combo pieces.
- The Blink Machine: This list is running plenty of value-packed blink targets for both Aminatou and our other blink enablers. Arcum’s Astrolabe and Ichor Wellspring can each provide a solid amount of card advantage over the course of a game, and Baleful Strix can do the same while being an excellent chump blocker. Most of our other ETB value comes in the form of creature tokens, such as with Cogworker’s Puzzleknot and Servo Schematic. If that isn’t enough, we’ve also got Blade Splicer and Weaponcraft Enthusiast to join in on the fun. We’ve even got Marionette Master and Whirler Rogue around to turn these tokens into extra damage or provide a little unblockability! And of course we’re running Sad Robot, aka Solemn Simulacrum, to provide a little extra mana ramp/fixing.
- The Payoffs: This list is running a few of the classic blink payoffs/enablers, such as Brago, King Eternal and Yorion, Sky Nomad; however, we have plenty of artifact-specific payoffs as well. Sai, Master Thopterist will add to artifact-count even further, an effect that will make it much easier to pay for Herald of Anguish. Other threats like Glaze Fiend and Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge can end the game particularly quickly as we continue adding to our board. Alternatively, we can use our Signature Spell to tutor for Tempered Steel or The Antiquities War to make our entire board huge and swing in for the win.
- Other Tutor Targets: I wouldn’t call this list an all-in toolkit deck, but it does have its fair share of handy tutor targets. Smothering Tithe is usually a pretty solid multiplayer card, and it’s especially synergistic in this type of artifact-based deck. Phyrexian Scriptures also shares some incidental synergy with the rest of the list, though it’s primarily functioning here as a board wipe. Recurring Nightmare doesn’t technically “blink” our creatures, but its ability is the same for the purposes of capitalizing on enter-the-battlefield triggers. I also decided to run the classic Thopter Foundry + Sword of the Meek combo here as an alternative win condition, though it can also just be used to gain a lot of life and create a ton of blockers. To top it all off, we can even use Enlightened Tutor to search for any card in our deck by the extension of utilizing Wishclaw Talisman.
Build #3: Temur Artifacts?!
Decklist: Sarkhan’s Unbroken Thoughts
Sarkhan Unbroken certainly isn’t the first planeswalker anyone would think of when talking about artifact-based decks, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t still a fine Oathbreaker for this kind of strategy. Blue and red come with plenty of artifact support, even if green is a bit lacking in that area. The Signature Spell for this list, Thoughtcast, is much more familiar territory for an artifact deck. Although Thoughtcast could rightly be considered a generically strong choice of Signature Spell, I did have a specific reason for this choice for this particular list; if you have enough artifacts to reduce Thoughtcast‘s cost to one mana then you can use Sarkhan’s +1 ability to draw a card, add a blue mana, and use the blue mana to play Thoughtcast. In other words, Sarkhan’s +1 ability and Thoughtcast will combine to make a weird sort of Ancestral Recall, and who doesn’t love that?
- The Enablers: This deck is running plenty of ways to keep its artifact-count high and its affinity costs low. As far as mana acceleration is concerned, we’re running classic mana rocks like Talisman of Creativity, Talisman of Curiosity, and Talisman of Impulse (which all pair very well with Forsaken Monument). We can also generate gold tokens with Curse of Opulence or turn our food into fuel with Gilded Goose. Oko, Thief of Crowns can join in on the food-making fun, whereas Tireless Tracker will be supplying us with several clue tokens. Loyal Apprentice won’t add much to board right away, but those hasty thopters will come in very handy once Sarkhan hits the board. Last, but certainly not least, is the Queen of Affinity herself, Saheeli, Sublime Artificer (which we’re running for pretty obvious reasons).
- The Payoffs: Thoughtcast is nice and all, but we do actually need to try to win the game at some point. I’m not sure I would call Ghirapur Aether Grid a “win condition” per se, but it will at least come in handy for keeping opposing Oathbreakers in check. As far as actual threats, Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge seems perfectly at home in this kind of build. Our assortment of artifacts will also lower the cost on Gearseeker Serpent and grow the size of our Master of Etherium. The token created by Urza, Lord High Artificer is another perfectly fine attacker (similar to the tokens from Karn, Scion of Urza), and Urza himself will make it even easier to repeatedly cast our Signature Spell. If our Oathbreaker/Signature Spell aren’t enough to keep our hand full, we can use Shimmer Dragon and Tezzeret, Artifice Master to help pick up the slack.
- The Other Goodies: Heart of Kiran and Smuggler’s Copter are two artifact staples that will help us keep the skies covered (as long as we’re able to crew them, of course). Batterskull can act as a threat all on its own when necessary, or we could always use it to buff one of Sarkhan’s dragons. Shadowspear, Umezawa’s Jitte and Sword of Sinew and Steel are a handful of other powerful equipment options that can also get the job done. Even still, my favorite way to buff a creature in this list is by mutating Sawtusk Demolisher onto something. Removal and a big stompy threat all in one? I’d take two if I could!
Shared Cards
Here’s a quick overview of what notable cards each of the lists share with each other.
- Ugin & Aminatou: Skullclamp
- Aminatou & Sarkhan: Arcane Signet, Arcum’s Astrolabe, Brainstorm, The Antiquities War, and Urza, Lord High Artificer
- Ugin & Sarkhan: Forsaken Monument, Heart of Kiran, Shadowspear, Sparkhunter Masticore, Steel Hellkite, and Traxos, Scourge of Kroog
- Ugin, Aminatou & Sarkhan: Wurmcoil Engine and Karn, Scion of Urza
A Bauble For Your Thoughts?
Ever since I published my first “Mana Clash” on artifacts, I knew I would eventually make a second installment. The sheer amount of variety of artifact-based strategies is very vast, and I’m sure there’s still plenty of room left to cover for it in Oathbreaker. I found brewing around with Temur artifacts to be especially enjoyable, and oddly effective, on this go-around. I’ve covered artifact lists built around Saheel and Oko individually before, so I suppose I shouldn’t have been so surprised!
Have you played any artifact decks in Oathbreaker? What planeswalker do you/would you play and build an artifact deck around? Make sure to share your thoughts and brews with me in the comments or on Twitter!
About the author: My name is Alex Enders. I am a college student that’s been playing MTG for almost eight years, though I only recently began experimenting with writing content. My personal formats of choice are Oathbreaker, EDH, and draft. My other interests include music, education, and most things nerdy. You can find me on Twitter (@AAAEnders) or email me at aenders2112@gmail.com