Energy flux.

[Raakam]

First off, let me start by saying that English is not my native language, so expect a certain amount of errors.

With the ever-increasing popularity of welder based decks the introduction of Energy flux has been mentioned as a possibly devastating board solution. I've tried playing it myself, and it has often stalled the opponent enough to where I could manage to recover or gain tempo and finish the game off. However, it has rarely been enough on its own. Players play around it, maintain threats, and generally manage to keep pressure on control decks, while flux is in play. I've had to combine it with B2B and/or Null Rod to prevent the players from managing to use artifacts to pay for themselves, or keep a pesky Academy from nullifying EF's effect.

My query is two-fold:

- Are there certain guidelines to follow on when to drop energy flux? Too early, and the oponent can play around it and change their game plan to incorporate the threat, and keep up. Too late in the game, and its effect seems to be minimal, and lacks that game-beaking consequences I would hope for.

- Are there any better answers than Energy Flux for blue-based control decks?

[M.Solymossy]

the problem with energy flux is the same problem ANY card in Magic: the Gathering...

you need to know your opponent's deck well enough to know how/when the energy flux is going to rip off his scrote versus when it's just going to stall him.   A null rod into an energy flux is the BEST play i've EVER done... because you shut down their Moxen, which shuts down them paying for something else.  For example, i saw a game where the fish player had null rod/flux on board.  the other guy had a workshop, 1 land, a juggy, a S.Titan and 4 moxen.  he could have paid for his juggy AND the titan, but instead, he lost all his artifacts.

so basically like any other sideboard card, you just need to know when it will hurt most.

[Razvan]

Essentially, it's a hate sideboard which will only work if you play mostly against Workshop decks.

Only do this if:

1) Your meta is 50%+ workshop.
2) Your deck is strong vs. anything else anyhow. (which fish isn't really anymore)

One of the reasons why fish is doing as badly as it is right now is that it is concentrating on killing one deck, and leaves itself open to the rest of the field. This might be a bit simplistic, but that's what it bores down to.

Use sparingly, and using 4 Rod / 4 Flux / 8 Something else as artifact hate is too much.

[Malhavoc]

On the other hand, a single metalworker can easily pay the upkeep of most ot the artifacts in play, so having a way to kill him could be a good idea if you want to run the flux.

[Komatteru]

On the other hand, a single metalworker can easily pay the upkeep of most ot the artifacts in play, so having a way to kill him could be a good idea if you want to run the flux.

And Metalworker is played in what deck exactly?

Anyway, you generally cannot put Energy Flux out unless your opponent has a decent number of artifacts on the table.  For example, if you're playing against Stax, you would never go turn 1 Energy Flux off Lotus.  The Stax player will simply chill for a bit and play a Joblin Welder or two, and play around the Flux, saving Moxes to be Welded in and out of play.  If you opponent has one mox on the table, you wouldn't play Energy Flux.  What you need to do is wait until there is a significant amount on the table (and therefore out of your opponent's deck) before you can play it.  Change that situation I just mentioned: Stax goes first and plays 2 moxes, Joblin Welder, and City of Brass.  You have Lotus and Energy Flux in hand.  Here, it makes sense to bust out the Flux because your opponent's hand is decently drained and there are no artifacts in his graveyard.  He will need to draw some artifact mana and find a way to get that Trinisphere/Crucible/Tangle Wire into his graveyard, since he can't play artifact mana and then have it for the next turn.

That's what you're trying to do.  The thing to remember is that Joblin Welder is the best creature in the game right now, and he has plans that can foil your Energy Flux (remember it only triggers for artifacts in play at the beginning of the upkeep), and that Moxes can be used to pay the upkeep for other stuff before letting them go.

Hurkyl's Recall on your opponent's end step can be pretty devestating.  Putting artifacts into the place where they cannot be Welded back is pretty solid.  That, however, only buys you a turn, so you need to have something pretty amazing to follow it up.  It's not too good if you follow that Recall with draw, land, go.  That doesn't accomplish much at all.  If you followed that play with Windfall, Wheel, or Timetwiser, that would be amazing.

[DEA]

i'm not sure how experienced you are with stax, but there are 2 cards which i hate more than rack and ruin, and 1 of them is energy flux
1 welder saves ONE artifact and all your time and energy is spent on keeping your stuff alive
i don't think you appreciate how difficult it is to keep your stuff on the table, with or without a welder in play
i can see tnt, control slaver or 7/10 killing through the flux, but stax, no

and yes, if i am playing against stax i will go lotus -> flux if i can every single time
remember, metalworker doesn't stop flux 100%
you might think he's great for paying upkeep costs, but what flux is doing is basically nullifying the worker by forcing it to tap during upkeep
if he can't go broken you have a MUCH easier game
i have not played matches when i have an active worker on turn 2 and lost
unless of course the opponent resolves flux on turn 1

[Dr_Tongue]

I'm a huge fan of Energy Flux.I run 3x myself in my U/R deck.The upkeep cost is too much for Stax/Affinity based decs to keep out multiple artifacts.
I also like to run a couple copies of Annul SB as it hits irritating Enchantments (Oath,B2B,Blood Moon,Necro possibly too) or counters Trinispheres/Crucible etc. that would devaste you turn 1 with a Workshop.Very situational though I'll admit, as drawing it after the initial penetration(threat) hit the board is quite irritating.