- Illusionist's Bracers

[MaximumCDawg]

So here's a nifty new piece of equipment.  

Illusionist's Bracers

Artifact - Equipment - 2
Whenever an ability of equipped creature is activated, if it isn't a mana ability, copy that ability. You may choose new targets for the copy.
Equip - 3

See it at http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=475021

This is potentially cheap enough for Vintage if it can pair with a creature that will immediately win the game once equipped.  So, is there such a combo?

Well, there's the obvious one: Aphetto Alchemist + this + artifact mana = unlimited mana.  That's not bad, but it doesn't win without a third card (Azami, Cracklebur, Drowner of Secrets, any artifact / creature that can ping, Stroke of Genius).  Note that Alcphemist isn't terrible on his own.  He's usually gonna be a mana dork, and he can combo with Time Vault just like Voltaic Key can.  Of course, if you're searching out an artifact when you have Alchemist on board, why on earth would you get the Bracers when you could just get Vault...?

Seeker of Skybreak lets you untap creatures as much as you like, but is even more limited than Alchemist and in the wrong colors.

Various mana filter creatures (like Orochi Leafcaller, Skyshroud Elf) all give you infinite mana with Bracers without artifact mana, but they're terrible on their own.  Worse than Alchemist, even.

Fatesticher might be a step in a better direction from Alchemist.  Sticher can be milled to get him online, rather than played.  Get Bracers on the field, him in the yard, and it's 3U to go off to the races.  If he has to get into play without Bracers, at least he can tap down a Blightsteel in the meantime.  He has the same power and drawback as Alchemist once he's equipped, though: he needs something to do with infinite mana or infinite untaps to win.  

EDIT - Reading is Pro.  Fatestitcher can't target itself.  Howevers; does the copy have this restriction too?  I imagine it does, but perhaps there's a rule loophole here.

I can't think of anything else good to do with this.  Any thoughts?

[serracollector]

Arcum Dagsson/Kuldotha >get tv and key or get Lightning Greaves and Blightsteel.

Mindless Automaton> If you have enough mana, I think this leads to infinite draws.

Seems pretty ridiculous with a Goblin Welder.  Obv tons of scenerios there.

Make's Triskelion and Serrated Biskelion board swipers/killing machines.

Any critter with Firebreathing gets Ridiculously big for rather cheap.

How exactly does this work with cards like Merieke/Preacher/Old Man of the Sea/Seasinger/Rubania Soulsinger?  Do you get to steal 2 creatures as long as it/he/she stays tapped?

This card makes Army Ants interesting  

Interesting with Rebels/Mercenaries....

Bonus cookie with Stoneforge Mystic/Stonehewer Giant! Get your Bracers, equip, then drop 2 batterskull at once!

others off the top of my head:

Fauna Shaman
Knight of the Reliquary
Moggcatcher (u could get 2 goblin ringleaders for some MASSIVE CA)
Seahunter (so many merfolk lords....)
Skyshroud Poacher (Like you said get Seeker of Skybreak and Preist of Titania for infinite mana)
Magus of the Library/Magus of the Bazaar

The top ones in bold are probably the only realistic ones for Vintage, but hey, Im willing to try anything for fun.
I think this card is gonna be fun to say the least.

[MaximumCDawg]

Serracollector - Yeah, there's alot of cards that just get better when you double the ability, but most of them don't win or are not worth the trouble.  That's why I went to the combos that actually do go arbitrarily large, since they have the best chance of making a 5 cc effect worth it.  I'm hoping to find other infinite combos using playable cards.  Or, if not infinite, something that lets you essentially win the game, like drawing a fresh hand every turn, destroying any number of permanents a turn, etc.

I believe Preacher, Old Man, and Seasinger get to steal two creatures at once, since they tap as part of the effect and then two thefts occur.  But why not just run a second stealer if that's your intention?  Cheaper than an artifact that ultimately costs 5 for its effect.  Many cards you mentioned are like this.  Doubling your refreshment is great, but if it doesnt win the game at 5 mana, who is going to run it?

The double artifact search from Arcum or Kuldoth is nice and all... but is it worth it?  Seems inferior to Tezz at the same mana cost.  However, I grant that grabbing two pieces at once lets you immediately win without passing a turn.

Welder seems really interesting if he had some synergy with something else happening with Bracers.  Okay, so you might Weld in your bracers turn 2 if you set it up right, and then you slap those suckers on Welder the same turn.  Now you get to return two artifacts per artifact you sacrifice. 

Or you just bring the one back you sacrificed, making Welder into "T: Return an artifact from the yard to play."  I believe this works, right?  You choose targets when the ability is activited, meaning you normally need a different artifact in the yard to target when you sacrifice as part of the cost.  But, here the stack does this:

Welder ability (targeting artifact in yard)
Pay cost, saccing another artifact
Bracer ability (you may copy Welder ability)

Then you let Bracer resolve and choose to copy, and by that time, the sacced artifact is in the yard and ready to be targeted.  I believe.  So, as long as you can keep getting an artifact into your yard each turn (trivial with Lotus / Spellbomb / Crypt / etc) then you have an artifact bounce engine.

Seems powerful.  What can you do with that?  Lock opponent out of land by recurring Sundering Titan after each land drop?

[rmn]

Welder doesn't work like that.  It reads "tap: exchange target artifact for a target artifact in its controllers graveyard."  So doubling the ability means that two artifacts go to the graveyard, and two come back.

Mana filters like Skyshroud Elf don't work either, because the equipment states it doesn't work on mana abilities.

[MaximumCDawg]

Welder doesn't work like that.  It reads "tap: exchange target artifact for a target artifact in its controllers graveyard."  So doubling the ability means that two artifacts go to the graveyard, and two come back.

Mana filters like Skyshroud Elf don't work either, because the equipment states it doesn't work on mana abilities.

Geez, this card is more limited than I thought.  Still, since there are two exchange effects on the stack, you can still "blink" artifacts by swapping the same two, right?  Target my Sundering Titan in play and Lotus in the yard with the first ability, swap em, then do the reverse with the second ability.

So it's pretty much just Alchemist for infinite combos, huh?  Way to keep it out of Modern, Wizards.