Transmuter Elixir

aboveusonlysky · 02-11-2009, 01:33 AM

Being a fan of Elvish Piper and Vedalken Mastermind, you can bet I was pleased when they combined both of these abilities into one card! I've been working on a list using the Transmuter and wanted to get some feedback. I'm not sure if it has tier 1 potential but I want to make it as competitive as possible.

Deck
4 Tidehollow Sculler 4 Master Transmuter 4 Sphinx Summoner 1 Sharuum the Hegemon 1 Magister Sphinx 1 Platinum Angel 1 Grim Poppet 3 Mind Stone 4 Thousand-Year Elixir 4 Negate 3 Condemn 3 Oblivion Ring 3 Jace Beleren	4 Arcane Sanctum 4 Vivid Creek 4 Reflecting Pool 2 Underground River 2 Adarkar Wastes 3 Fetid Heaths 3 Island 2 Plains	Sideboard 3 Remove Soul 1 Ethersworn Adjudicator 3 Path to Exile 4 Bottle Gnomes 4 Burrenton Forge-Tender

* Jace can be replaced by Elsewhere Flask depending on preference and budget.
* Condemn can be swapped for Path to Exile depending on preference and metagame.

This deck can pull some really funny stunts, like tutoring for and dropping a Platinum Angel into play at instant speed, stripping the opponent's hand with the Sculler Transmuter combo, or resetting your life total with the Magister. You need to play smart and try not to walk your Transmuter into removal. Ideally, wait until you have an elixir in play along with 5 mana, so the transmuter can bounce itself in response to removal, or wait until you can keep mana open for Negate.

Good Matchups: Kithkin, RGx Mana Ramp, Elf-Ball, Doran, 5c Control? (close matchup, needs more testing)
Bad Matchups: Fae, Lark, RDW? (close matchup, better after SB)

(matchup evaluations are based on limited testing, I need more testing to estimate exact win ratios)

Edit: This updated decklist is probably close to completed. Further testing and the metagame will determine minor differences in the maindeck and sideboard.

Alternate Builds

Tanthalas' Build (Lark Hybrid):

intense · 02-11-2009, 03:30 AM

U absolutely need sculptors, transmuter turn 3 is really helpful.

LaharlRules · 02-11-2009, 05:41 AM

take out the gnomes and canonist and wait... no inkwell?

Floyd · 02-11-2009, 06:32 AM

Protomatter Powder likes this deck. Late game recurrsion in artifacts is a must.

aboveusonlysky · 02-11-2009, 09:21 AM

I tested Etherium Sculptor, but he didn't make the cut and I can explain why. You don't want to play Transmuter on turn 3 anyway, you will just walk him right into removal. The idea is to wait until you can get the transmuter into play, and protect him either with Negate or with Elixir so he can bounce himself. Yes, Etherium Sculptor does help you play Transmuter a turn earlier, but thats all he does. Once the Transmuter is online you are hardly casting spells anymore, so the Sculptor becomes a dead card, and a terrible topdeck. It doesn't seem worth 4 slots just to sometimes get Transmuter out one turn sooner. Based on my testing, I often ended up being forced to chump block with Sculptor before I played my Transmuter anyway. Thats why I switched them for Bottle Gnomes. The other advantage of the Gnomes is that, if you are at zero life and someone targets the Platinum Angel, you can sac a Gnome to allow yourself to bounce and replay the Angel without dying to state-based effects.

I should probably explain how the deck plays to understand the card choices. This is a lock deck. The idea is to stall in the early game until you can lock your opponent out of winning with the Platinum Angel, then use removal to eliminate flying blockers, take the opponent down to 10 with the Magister, and attack with flyers for the win. Inkwell Leviathan is alright, but doesn't really contribute to this plan in anyway other than serving as a really big blocker. The time when you really need blockers is before you get a Transmuter online, not afterwards. Hence the Bottle Gnomes.

Inkwell is fun though, you could definitely run one of him just for the fun of it. I first picked one in my Conflux release draft, then got passed a second pick Transmuter!

Oh, in regards to Protomatter Powder, the activation cost is just way way too expensive. I already have Sanctum Gargoyle and Sharuum for recursion.

Posts merged. You've been here long enough to realise double posting isn't allowed. Infracted.

Atog Ed · 02-11-2009, 09:37 AM

Wow what a great deck. I've been trying my hand at reviving my old esper artifacts deck as well, utilizing the power of master transmuter. This deck looks quite interesting and with a lot more devastating bounce powers than I originally thought of.

Tanthalas Half-Elven · 02-11-2009, 10:52 AM

I like this idea. One suggestion I have- Run 2 Plat angels so that you can bounce SOMETHING ELSE in response to removal and put the 2nd one into play. This way you never fail to have an Angel in play, and it becomes irrelevant how low your life becomes. (The Bottle Gnome trick only works if you are not lower than -2 when they remove the angel.) Also Mind Stones instead of Courier's Capsules. I have a feeling this deck needs the speed boost they would provide. I have a similar deck that I was working on, without the Angels (great idea, not sure why I failed to think of it) and bottle gnomes (also very helpful). I will post an updated decklist in a few minutes.

OK Here it is:

Platinum Transmuter
4 Sphinx Summoner 3 Tidehollow Sculler 3 Bottle Gnomes 2 Master Transmuter 2 Sanctum Gargoyle 1 Platinum Angel 1 Ethersworn Canonist 1 Ethersworn Adjudicator 1 Sharuum the Hegemon 1 Magister Sphinx (Not sure this is needed with 2nd Angel) 4 Wrath of God 3 Executioner's Capsule 4 Mind Stone 4 Thousand-Year Elixir 4 Cryptic Command	4 Arcane Sanctum 4 Terramorphic Expanse 1 Reflecting Pool 8 Island 3 Plains 3 Swamp	Sideboard 3 Heap Doll 3 Mark of Asylum 4 Wrath of God 4 Flashfreeze 1 Bottle Gnomes

aboveusonlysky · 02-11-2009, 12:47 PM

Atog Ed, thanks for the feedback! What this deck really needs now is testing so if you build it, please share your results. Because it is a lock deck, the games take a long time, especially when some people don't realize they can't break the lock and insist on playing it out. So I haven't been able to get enough testing done yet.

Tanthalas, thanks for the suggestions. At first I didn't realize you could go to negative life, so you're right, that Bottle Gnome trick will not work if you're lower than -2. Luckily the Magister Sphinx can solve that problem. Magister can also play the role of "second Angel" in that example you gave, but he can also be used against your opponent, so I think I prefer one of each to 2 Angels. I might test this though. I really really like your suggestion to switch out the Courier's Capsules for Mind Stones. Mind Stones are much better acceleration than Sculptors, and I wanted to fit them in but couldn't see how. Now that you mention it, many times I am using a Capsule I'm attempting to dig for land, so Mind Stone would likely be more effective and less clunky. I will test this out.

In regards to your list, I really think you need all 4 Transmuters. Having multiples in play just makes them way harder to deal with, and having 4 gives you inevitability even if they manage to force through some removal.

Slivortal · 02-11-2009, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aboveusonlysky

Atog Ed, thanks for the feedback! What this deck really needs now is testing so if you build it, please share your results. Because it is a lock deck, the games take a long time, especially when some people don't realize they can't break the lock and insist on playing it out. So I haven't been able to get enough testing done yet.

Tanthalas, thanks for the suggestions. At first I didn't realize you could go to negative life, so you're right, that Bottle Gnome trick will not work if you're lower than -2. Luckily the Magister Sphinx can solve that problem. Magister can also play the role of "second Angel" in that example you gave, but he can also be used against your opponent, so I think I prefer one of each to 2 Angels. I might test this though. I really really like your suggestion to switch out the Courier's Capsules for Mind Stones. Mind Stones are much better acceleration than Sculptors, and I wanted to fit them in but couldn't see how. Now that you mention it, many times I am using a Capsule I'm attempting to dig for land, so Mind Stone would likely be more effective and less clunky. I will test this out.

In regards to your list, I really think you need all 4 Transmuters. Having multiples in play just makes them way harder to deal with, and having 4 gives you inevitability even if they manage to force through some removal.

4 Master Transmuter are way too many. You definitely don't want to see this thing in multiples. As is, I have no idea how your build is doing as well as it is with your extremely high mana curve. Also, your original deck does absolutely nothing until turn 5, except maybe play a Sculler or a Thousand-Year Elixir. I have absolutely no idea how you can do anything to Kithkin. Match summaries would be appreciated to this point. Because if your opponent goes something like:
T1 Harrier
T2 Meadowgrain
T3 Cenn
T4 SpecProc
I have no idea how you'd make the game long enough to do anything. And Bottle Gnomes doesn't help that much in those sorts of situations... And also, I'd say 3 Transmuter/3 Elixir along with 4-6 creature targets and 2 Scourglass sound about right. Some early drops for you to think about:
Tidehollow Strix
Oblivion Ring
Path to Exile

Floyd · 02-11-2009, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aboveusonlysky

Oh, in regards to Protomatter Powder, the activation cost is just way way too expensive. I already have Sanctum Gargoyle and Sharuum for recursion.

You don't see it do you? The Powder is easier to cast and pull off thean Sharum and it's not leaving the field anytime soon. If you get hit with WoG or a field removal it sits there until you need it. Pop it off during the opponents turn bring back the Sharum if it died or the Transmuter. The Gargoyle is good and I'm not saying take it out or anything. It's just late game by 6th or 7th turn you shouldn't care and if you really want your deck to kick off again from a field removal thats what you use.

Slivortal · 02-11-2009, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Floyd

You don't see it do you? The Powder is easier to cast and pull off thean Sharum and it's not leaving the field anytime soon. If you get hit with WoG or a field removal it sits there until you need it. Pop it off during the opponents turn bring back the Sharum if it died or the Transmuter. The Gargoyle is good and I'm not saying take it out or anything. It's just late game by 6th or 7th turn you shouldn't care and if you really want your deck to kick off again from a field removal thats what you use.

Powder really isn't that good. Let's look at why. It's 5 mana, and costs 2 to activate, without doing anything else. I'd run a playset of Sharuum before I'd run it... and what good would playing it and letting it sit there do, rather than not overextending with Sharuum?

aboveusonlysky · 02-11-2009, 02:28 PM

Slivortal, thanks for the feedback. Like I said in the OP, I'm really not sure how competitive this deck can be against tier 1 decks and haven't completed enough testing to be sure. I'm looking for help testing it. I'm certainly not making wild claims regarding its performance, and the games I did play could have been luck or bad opponents.

However, regarding your example, that seems an ideal hand for Kithkin. Assuming a similar ideal hand for me... here is what could happen (assuming they are playing first).

T1 - Executioner's Capsule
take 1 damage
T2 - Sculler (take any removal like PtE)
take 5 damage
T3 - Mind Stone, cap the Cenn
take 5 damage
T4 - Transmuter
take 5 damage (now at 4 life)
T5 - Elixir, with enough mana to use Transmuter twice on their turn. If you have a Summoner in your hand you can then put an Angel into play.

I understand that this is really close, but its a bit better if you go first. However, if the plan of action to stay alive vs fast aggro is to get the angel in play as soon as possible, why would you want to reduce those chances by reducing the number of Transmuters in the deck?? This part is what I don't understand. Furthermore, why are duplicates of Transmuter bad? With an Elixir in play, you can use one Transmuter to play the other, and still have an available Transmuter. This just means you can pull twice as many stunts the following turn!

That said, Tidehollow Strix is a good suggestion, it will probably discourage attacks more than the Gnomes, however.... it trades with a single Spectral token, so it wouldn't help much in this situation. Needs testing. I will get some more testing done as soon as I can and post further results. Slivortal, aside from Transmuter, what would you cut to make more room? Cut Executioner's Capsules for the Strix maybe? (less cost intensive removal).

Remus Shepherd · 02-11-2009, 02:28 PM

If you're going to over-extend with a Sharuum or Sanctum Gargoyle in play, then don't rely on powder to save you. Cauldron Haze is better insurance against wrath. All your creatures pop back into play, and some of them bring back their previously deceased kin.

Atog Ed · 02-11-2009, 02:36 PM

Sure np Above, prolly gonna proxy it up tonight and try it against my buddy's faeries if possible.

aboveusonlysky · 02-12-2009, 09:21 AM

So I had a bit of time to test last night, hopped onto Workstation and faced... a Kederekt/Howling Mine/Spiteful Visions deck.

I won 2-0, however his deck did have Figure of Destinies, Mogg Fanatics, and a lot of burn, and his combo put me on a fast clock, so it was somewhat useful testing. The Mind Stones worked nice, happy about that change. I also tried out the Tidehollow Strix. One game it really helped a lot, holding back a 4/4 Figure from attacking. The other game it died to a Mogg Fanatic. So... I'm still undecided on whether it deserves a slot.

I updated the decklist in the OP.

02-11-2009, 03:30 AM	#2
intense Experienced Mage Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 129	U absolutely need sculptors, transmuter turn 3 is really helpful. __________________

02-11-2009, 05:41 AM	#3
LaharlRules Ascended Mage Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 373	take out the gnomes and canonist and wait... no inkwell? __________________ Spoiler: why dont you try this game? http://captaingoldmane.mybrute.com just click the link and create a character then enjoy!

02-11-2009, 09:21 AM	#5
aboveusonlysky Experienced Mage Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 92	I tested Etherium Sculptor, but he didn't make the cut and I can explain why. You don't want to play Transmuter on turn 3 anyway, you will just walk him right into removal. The idea is to wait until you can get the transmuter into play, and protect him either with Negate or with Elixir so he can bounce himself. Yes, Etherium Sculptor does help you play Transmuter a turn earlier, but thats all he does. Once the Transmuter is online you are hardly casting spells anymore, so the Sculptor becomes a dead card, and a terrible topdeck. It doesn't seem worth 4 slots just to sometimes get Transmuter out one turn sooner. Based on my testing, I often ended up being forced to chump block with Sculptor before I played my Transmuter anyway. Thats why I switched them for Bottle Gnomes. The other advantage of the Gnomes is that, if you are at zero life and someone targets the Platinum Angel, you can sac a Gnome to allow yourself to bounce and replay the Angel without dying to state-based effects. I should probably explain how the deck plays to understand the card choices. This is a lock deck. The idea is to stall in the early game until you can lock your opponent out of winning with the Platinum Angel, then use removal to eliminate flying blockers, take the opponent down to 10 with the Magister, and attack with flyers for the win. Inkwell Leviathan is alright, but doesn't really contribute to this plan in anyway other than serving as a really big blocker. The time when you really need blockers is before you get a Transmuter online, not afterwards. Hence the Bottle Gnomes. Inkwell is fun though, you could definitely run one of him just for the fun of it. I first picked one in my Conflux release draft, then got passed a second pick Transmuter! Oh, in regards to Protomatter Powder, the activation cost is just way way too expensive. I already have Sanctum Gargoyle and Sharuum for recursion. Posts merged. You've been here long enough to realise double posting isn't allowed. Infracted. Last edited by iRebel : 03-05-2009 at 07:40 AM.

02-11-2009, 02:28 PM	#13
Remus Shepherd Wizard Mentor Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 589	If you're going to over-extend with a Sharuum or Sanctum Gargoyle in play, then don't rely on powder to save you. Cauldron Haze is better insurance against wrath. All your creatures pop back into play, and some of them bring back their previously deceased kin. __________________

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02-11-2009, 09:37 AM	#6
Atog Ed Just Getting Started Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 18	Wow what a great deck. I've been trying my hand at reviving my old esper artifacts deck as well, utilizing the power of master transmuter. This deck looks quite interesting and with a lot more devastating bounce powers than I originally thought of.

02-11-2009, 12:47 PM	#8
aboveusonlysky Experienced Mage Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 92	Atog Ed, thanks for the feedback! What this deck really needs now is testing so if you build it, please share your results. Because it is a lock deck, the games take a long time, especially when some people don't realize they can't break the lock and insist on playing it out. So I haven't been able to get enough testing done yet. Tanthalas, thanks for the suggestions. At first I didn't realize you could go to negative life, so you're right, that Bottle Gnome trick will not work if you're lower than -2. Luckily the Magister Sphinx can solve that problem. Magister can also play the role of "second Angel" in that example you gave, but he can also be used against your opponent, so I think I prefer one of each to 2 Angels. I might test this though. I really really like your suggestion to switch out the Courier's Capsules for Mind Stones. Mind Stones are much better acceleration than Sculptors, and I wanted to fit them in but couldn't see how. Now that you mention it, many times I am using a Capsule I'm attempting to dig for land, so Mind Stone would likely be more effective and less clunky. I will test this out. In regards to your list, I really think you need all 4 Transmuters. Having multiples in play just makes them way harder to deal with, and having 4 gives you inevitability even if they manage to force through some removal.

02-11-2009, 02:36 PM	#14
Atog Ed Just Getting Started Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 18	Sure np Above, prolly gonna proxy it up tonight and try it against my buddy's faeries if possible.

02-12-2009, 09:21 AM	#15
aboveusonlysky Experienced Mage Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 92	So I had a bit of time to test last night, hopped onto Workstation and faced... a Kederekt/Howling Mine/Spiteful Visions deck. I won 2-0, however his deck did have Figure of Destinies, Mogg Fanatics, and a lot of burn, and his combo put me on a fast clock, so it was somewhat useful testing. The Mind Stones worked nice, happy about that change. I also tried out the Tidehollow Strix. One game it really helped a lot, holding back a 4/4 Figure from attacking. The other game it died to a Mogg Fanatic. So... I'm still undecided on whether it deserves a slot. I updated the decklist in the OP.