Transmute-Long

[fog]

So, as I was going through ravnica cards I noticed something that seemed rather good. The name of the card is Dimir Machinations and is useless in itself(some random library manip I think). This was one of the three cards that met my specifications of being a three casting cost card with transmute. This is the one that was castable of a dark ritual. So, did Grim tutor just get printed several months early and without the annoying life loss or rarity? Maybe. The restrictions on casting cost are annoying to say the least, but it is uncounterable(which is some good?) Also, with deathlong the draw sevens are a three casting cost, as is will, so there isn't much you can't go for with this(the two notable exceptions being tendrils and Desire)
as such I began thinking of a deck to play at a tournament in a few weeks, and this is what I came up with

//land(10)
4 Orchard/City/Mine/Sea
4''
2''
//artifact acceleration(13)
5 powermox
1 Black Lotus
1 Lotus Petal
1 Chrome Mox
1 Mox Diamond
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Lions Eye Diamond
//Other acceleration(7)
4 Dark Ritual
3/2 Cabal Ritual
2/3 Elvish Spirit Guide
//30 acceleration/mana

//Tutor(7)
4 Dimir Machinations
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
//Draw Sevens(4)
1 Timetwister
1 Wheel of fortune
1 Tinker
1 Memory Jar
//b|20|<3|\|  (4)
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Minds Desire
1 Necropotence
1 Yawgmoth's Bargain
//Protection(6)
4 Duress
1 Hurkyls Recall
1 3cc Disenchant
//Consistency(5)
4 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
//Kill(2)
2 Tendrils of Agony

Card Choices
Lands- the 5c lands were best for old Death long since the deck really was 5 colors. This deck may prefer/handle something a little more elegant(i.e. dual lands).
Artifact acceleration- should look pretty ordinary, with the excpetion of no Tolarian Academy. This is because I don't think I have th room for a crop rotation, and since this deck is designed to go off in the first three turns, I don't like the total randomness of it.
Other acceleration- ESG's and Cabals, these may be bad or good, I don't honestly know. I think some combination may be necessary since the deck needs to have more rituals for Dimir machinations, and the Green is really useful for a 3cc naturalize(there's one in Ravnica).
Tutor- nothing much to say here other than "why no consultation" that would be because it was the weakest of the tutors, if someone with more experience than me tells me "play it or the deck is bad" I'll cut something for it, otherwise, I really personally hate it.
Draw sevens- no windfall, the classically worst draw seven. Didn't really have room for it is all.
Broken- The 1337 part of the deck. Random insanely powerful cards that you can go for and just win. Again this is really ordinary, the ability to just draw a Yawgmoth's will would be awesome
Protection- I really like hurkyl's recall, although I know that this really should be a chain of vapor. The 3cc Naturalize is there because I can easily fetch it and cast it.
Consistency- Nothing out of order here, no walk because I didn't really have room for it
Kill-2 tendrils, I might need more than one for some reason(duress or such) but I really would like to find a three casting cost win. A brain freeze over the second Tendrils may be in order so we can fear no cranial extraction.

That's about it. I am not convinced that this is the right way to break Machinations, I think Hulk or TPS may be better, this is simply what I have some experience with.

[islanderboi10]

Just a question,what does this have on Grim Long? Grim Long is better and stuff. I'm not trying to flame, and I am not trying to be rude. But isn't Grim Tutor legal when Ravnica comes out??

O well...

[fog]

Ehh, well, for one thing these are commons and grim tutor is not. Also, this is uncounterable, whereas grim tutor is not. The life thing is kind of neat. One of the points that I am asking is why is grim tutor better than this? it's versatility? as in, what, you can fetch a grand total of 2, maybe three cards that this can't.(desire, bargain, jar)
I don't honestly know, this is just an idea, is it bad? probably, is there something better? probably, does it need to be considered? yes.
I also mentioned that his probably wasn't the right place for this card. I really think hulk or maybe doomsday could benefit from the uncounterability of this card best.
Hmm, Hulk? it can get deed, tog, intuition, cunning wish, will...that's an idea.

[Bulls on Parade]

I like that you're trying this, and I'm sure a lot of us had this inclination when we saw this card originally. However, Grim Tutor fetches Lotus. Fetching Lotus sets up Wills that win the game. I can't see the Transmute card being better than Grim, since Tutors aren't the cards that get countered anyhow.

[Jacob Orlove]

The advantages of Grim Tutor are:
1. Counts towards Storm.
2. Can be replayed when you cast Yawgwill.
3. What Bulls said about Lotus.

[policehq]

Why don't you play Rebuild over Hurkyl's Recall, since it adds to your storm count and is at the 3cc slot, transmutable by Dimir Machinations?

[sampling_percus]

I thought the grim tutor was amazing because if you get 2 in hand the combo - w00t - costs only six again, even the mighty 5 of original long if you replace one with demonic tutor. I love it and would like a slightly crap looking judge foil to be released.

[Anusien]

No the reason Grim Tutor is awesome is because it's replayable under Will.  With Burning and Death Wish, once you tutor out Will with them they are RFG so you have to find a second card to tutor out Tendrils with.  With Grim Tutor, you can replay it, meaning you don't need to find a second card to get Tendrils with.

[Clown of Tresserhorn]

1) You're missing academy...

2) Transmute, while cute, is no better than Tutor. Transmute might be uncounterbale, but it doesn't make will/tinker/etc. uncounterable. It also gives your opponent information (small point).

3) What everyone else said.

I'm not saying tranmute doesn't belong in the deck. You should try 4 Grim tutor, and if some reason you need more tutors, then start adding transmute spells.

[freakish777]

1) You're missing academy...

This is the single biggest reason to run Grim instead of an uncounterable, life-lossless tutor that only gets converted mana cost 3 spells.

If you already have Yawg's Win in hand, you're going to want to be able to go absolutely nuts the turn you cast it.  Academy + Win should equal your opponent extending their hand and saying "Good game" just about all the time.