(Article and updated Primer) How to play control slaver now.

[MoxMonkey]

After playing Slaver so much I have never been in a spot that DSC would have won me a game 1 if i had him mainboard.  I think its if you like him use him but he doesn't need to be main to win games. 

[cryolyte]

I think the colossus main issue is probably a metagame call. If there is random aggro and fish-type decks in your metagame, then maindeck colossus probably would be great. In my meta, however, stax is prevalent, so I would never cut the bus. In fact, I run duplicant main to deal with other welders, shamans, and evil evil karn. I do run colossus in the board for any aggro/aggro-control matchups I run across, but they are few and far between. Against stax, I would much rather tinker up pentavus than colossus, because it negates smokestack.

[kras2005]

I like the artikel forcefieldyou wrote for us. I agree with him for many things. But I have some questions myself.

Why does no one play Blood Moon? I haven't seen that name anywhere. IMHO, I think this is a great card. It is great versus Stax, and versus GiftsOath.

Greetings Kras

[MoxMonkey]

Gifts Oath is not a big deck right now.  Blood Moon is good vs stax and 5C dragon but everything Brassman Gifts / Meandeck Gifts runs 4-5 Basics and so does CS.  Every deck that does not run a 5C mana base runs 3-5 basic lands.  This in turn makes blood moon a very poor main deck slot.  I would put 2 SB if I were going to Chicago but I dont even think they are going to be that great.

[cryolyte]

If I were going to Chicago I would run it. I'm going to start playing it main. But of course it depends on your meta as to how effective it would be. In my meta I am thinking good, because I see a lot of workshops, 5-color decks, and few basic lands. 

Question: Under a Blood Moon, is Darksteel Citadel still indestructable? Do lands lose all abilities and just read: Mountain, tap for R?

[MoxMonkey]

Im 99% sure its Indestrutible but it taps for red which makes it even better.  Also theres some good list that use Blood Moon in the Old Primer that The Atog Lord wrote up a while ago.
http://www.themanadrain.com/forums/index.php?topic=15444.0  Heres a link for the old Primer by The Atog Lord he ran Blood Moon SB in that build.  It also has  alot of little things a lot of people might not of thought of.

[Komatteru]

No, the keyword indestructible is lost when it becomes a mountain.  Anything in the textbox ceases to matter once Blood Moon is in play.  However, Citadel does remain an Artifact though.  With Blood Moon out, DSC reads

Darksteel Citadel
Artifact Land - Mountain
[No text]

[Jacob Orlove]

JDizzle is correct, except Indestructible is not a keyword. Basically Blood Moon erases all subtypes (including regular dual land subtypes like island or swamp), and the text box, but doesn't change types or supertypes (or lack thereof). Thus, legendary lands stay legendary, nonbasics stay nonbasic, and artifact lands stay artifacts.

[forests failed you]

The trick with Slaver right now is "How do you beat Gifts?"  It is a bad match up without savage tech.  I walked all over it at Gencon because I was playing multiple Shamans and nobody was expecting it.  The Shamans made their "Pithing Needle" tech, awful.  But now that they know about the Shamans, and have ways to deal.... What is a Slaver player to do?

In order to beat Gifts you have to make changes to the maindeck that weaken you against Stax and Fish.  The way my list was during this article, it had great game against Stax, great game against aggro, and a decent match up against Gifts.  However, the way that Gifts has evolved, the list currently posted is a poor match up.  They have gotten faster, they can protect their bombs better, and they are ready for your Shamans.

Two to three slots have to change.... and that is all that there is too it.  You need either Duress, Shadow of a Doubt, Mana Leak, LoA, Sundering Titan, or Tormod's Crypt in those slots.

In some combination.  I am all about cutting the foruth Welder.  Drawing two Welders between turn four usually means you lose most match ups;  it is the equivalent to making three pair in Texas hold em.  You just lose any Mana Drain related match up with that play. 

[MoxMonkey]

The trick with Slaver right now is "How do you beat Gifts?"  It is a bad match up without savage tech.  I walked all over it at Gencon because I was playing multiple Shamans and nobody was expecting it.  The Shamans made their "Pithing Needle" tech, awful.  But now that they know about the Shamans, and have ways to deal.... What is a Slaver player to do?

In order to beat Gifts you have to make changes to the maindeck that weaken you against Stax and Fish.  The way my list was during this article, it had great game against Stax, great game against aggro, and a decent match up against Gifts.  However, the way that Gifts has evolved, the list currently posted is a poor match up.  They have gotten faster, they can protect their bombs better, and they are ready for your Shamans.

Two to three slots have to change.... and that is all that there is too it.  You need either Duress, Shadow of a Doubt, Mana Leak, LoA, Sundering Titan, or Tormod's Crypt in those slots.

In some combination.  I am all about cutting the foruth Welder.  Drawing two Welders between turn four usually means you lose most match ups;  it is the equivalent to making three pair in Texas hold em.  You just lose any Mana Drain related match up with that play. 

This is very true.  This matchup is not one of the matchups I'm happy to play vs.  I have been testing around with a build and its testing fairly well.  I am going to be doing some heavy testing but this is what I have come up with so far after Waterbury and some Minor Testing.

4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
2 Mana Leak / Duress / if you want Shadow of a Doubt
1 Gorilla Shaman
3 Goblin Welders
1 Sundering Titan
1 Triskelion
4 Brainstorm
4 Thirst for knowledge
1 Mind's Eye -  I really like this card and its been testing very well for me but it might get cut
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Tinker
1 Cunning Wish
1 Fire/Ice
2 Mindslaver
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Time Walk
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Black Lotus
5 Moxen
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Tolarian Acedemy
1 Darksteel Citadel
1 LOA
3 Islands
4 Fetch
4 Volcanic Island
2 Underground Sea

SB
2 REB
2 BEB
1 Lava Dart
1 Coffin Purge
1 DSC
1 Vampiric Tutor
2 Rack and Ruin
1 Echoing Truth
1 Gorilla Shaman
1 Stifle
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Skeletal Scrying

My SB is a Wish Toolbox and some cards that I want MB at times and that DSC guy.  The main board has been testing fairly well but I want to get more testing in.  I thought I would show what I have so far as to help out others who are working on Slaver in these Dark times. 

[forests failed you]

I really like this list a lot.  It is farily similar to what I have been testing lately.  The only comment I have to make is that you have cut Pentavus.  If you are going to weaken the match up against Stax by playing duress or leak, I think that it is worth consideration to move the Titan to the board and play the bus in the main.  Mind's Eye is a fucking house... That was in our list ages ago and I've tought about brining it back.  Definatly worth another look.

I also think that cutting mystial tutor has to be a mistake.  Especially if you choose to keep the Fire/ Ice and situational blue cards main.  I think that FOF is a prime candidate for cutting.  I don't like cunning wish at all in this deck, because it is slow and clunk.  It doesn't answer the threats you need it too fast enough, the way that turn one mystical does.  However, if you are dead set on keeping Wish main you could always move FOF to the board and use it as your card drawer wish target. 

Another thought is that if cutting welder and bus is the way to go for control mirrors.  I could also see moving one rack and ruin back into the maindeck to ensure a strong game v stax first time around.  You usually don't have to worry about enchantments game one, and this ensures you only have to worry about welder and shaman.  Even with Loa in the main, I would still run dubs Citadel.

Also, if you are playing no M tutor, you could probably play Pyrite Spellbomb main instead of a fire/ice.  They do the same thing but one pitches to Force and the other pitches to Thirst.  Especially if FOF gets cut the extra card to thirst seems really really good.

Have you also considered misdirection in the board.  I think it might be good.  Especially since Gifts almost always searches for Recall turn one.  Or, possibly even Divert. 

[MoxMonkey]

Ya, I always have problems showing my list cause I like playing the deck like this.  I would like Mystical in the main but I'm not going out of my way to find room.  As I said in my Waterbury Report I hate Pentavus.  I know hes awesome and if you want him Titan can do a change with DSC and Bus goes main but I wanna get some more testing in.  Like you said Mind's Eye is some really old tech that JuggernautGo just used and it reminded me of the random stuff that we tested back in the day.  It is a real house and is unexpected to many players exp now since im posting on themanadrain ;p 
If you want the changes I had the list you want before but I changed it cause of my wierd playstyle
From my other List the 7 change around cards are
Titan - PentaBus
Cunning Wish - Rack and Ruin
Fact or Fiction - Echoing Truth
Fire/Ice - Mystical tutor
Minds Eye - I like it
2 Mana Leak - Ya

Those changes can help you if your in a Stax heavy metagame.  Minds Eye can be a nice house also Titan should go SB with DSC or in place of him depending on metagame.

I gave in and changed my list back to how it was before with "good" cards
SB
DSC is now Titan
Skeletal Scrying is now Fact
Main
Fact is now Mystical tutor
Titan is Pentabus

I hate Stax and I know you need Bus to get anywhere in the matchup and its getting big at my local store now.  I want wish and fire/Ice to stay cause they allow for more anwsers to random stuff.  If you dont like Wish make it a Rack since you tend to see more stax than me.

[forests failed you]

No, seriously I like the list.  It is very similar to what I have been testing.  Slaver beats everything except for Gifts, so changes need be made to help improve that match up. 

Have you also considered top and Darkblast?  It is pretty savage and great for killing welders and Shamans..  If you go the Duress route it is an auto include MD.

[MoxMonkey]

I have been looking at Darkblast as a better way to deal with Welders and Shamans.  Also Mind's Eye is not the house I want it to be so it has been cut to make room for better spells like the second Shaman comming Main.  There are better cards that we are missing Im not sure on what though.  Anyone have any other ideas for CS?   
New Testing list
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
2 Mana Leak / Duress
2 Gorilla Shaman
3 Goblin Welders
1 Pentavus
1 Triskelion
1 MysticalTutor
4 Brainstorm
4 Thirst for knowledge
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Tinker
1 Fire/Ice / Darkblast
2 Mindslaver
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Time Walk
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Black Lotus
5 Moxen
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Tolarian Acedemy
1 Darksteel Citadel
1 LOA
3/2 Islands
4 Fetch
4 Volcanic Island
2/3 Underground Sea

The mana base needs to be redone if your running Darkblast and Duress but they are very good cards and should be looked at.  2 Shamans cause they are needed.  This is doing fairly well sadly Mind's Eye was only ok and not worth lowering threat count and having dead cards vs aggro.

[forests failed you]

Pyroclasm or Pyrite SB?  I'm leaning toward Pyrite because it is better against control decks and cycles and kills multiple one drop threats.  However, Clasm is a house against Goblins.  Is BEB enough or does Slaver need a board sweeper in Pyroclasm?

[cryolyte]

I have been playing your slaver list ever since the article on SCG came out. I like it a lot, and even won some money with it. Thank you.

About the gifts matchup: I think adding duress puts too much pressure on the mana-base, and running darkblast would add to that pressure. The thing I really like about your deck, Brian, is that it is very resilient against stax and workshop prison decks in general. While adding more black cards would help for the gifts matchup, it would hurt you against workshop prison. I suppose it depends on your metagame (man, I find myself saying that a lot). One card I brought up before, Blood Moon, was dismissed to because most decks in the format are playing around 3-5 basic lands. I think with a reworked mana base, blood moon would be very good against gifts (especially Meandeck Gifts-Oath, henceforth called "Goat") AND also would be good against shop prison. Vroman commented before on this, saying that it hurts control slaver more because it's harder to keep drain up, but I think the answer is to add more basic islands. Here is the list I will be testing next week in K-Zoo (keep in mind that my metagame is mostly workshop prison/uba/metalworker, slaver, tog, gifts, and random aggro):

4 Goblin Welder
2 Gorilla Shaman
1 Trike
1 Bus
1 Duplicant
1 Mindslaver

4 Thirst
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
4 Brainstorm

1 Ancestral Recall
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Tinker
1 Yawg Will
1 Time Walk
1 Fact or Fiction

1 Rushing River
2 Blood Moon
1 Rack and Ruin

1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
5 Moxen

4 Volcanic Island
2 Underground Sea
4 Fetches
6 Island

SB:
2 Pyrite Spellbomb
2 Tormod's Crypt
3 Red Elemental Blast
1 Blood Moon
2 Pyroclasm
1 Blue Elemental Blast
1 Platinum Angel
1 Darksteel Colossus
2 Rack and Ruin

I find that those pesky shop decks like to set chalices for 2, so I replaced Echoing Truth with Rushing River. It pained me to do so, but I cut the mana vault and the tolarian academy (I almost cried) for basic lands. The academy just gets wasted or stripped most of the time anyway, and if I have a blood moon out it doesn't do me any good anyways. My concern is that I may not have enough artifacts (12) to successfully be running TFK as a four-of.

As for your question about Pyroclasm, Brian, you may notice that I am running them instead of stifle. I assume that stifle was included to deal with dragon, or maybe with tendrils, but I cut them because usually I find that dragon will duress you before going off most times, as will tendrils combo (which I haven't seen in some time btw). I have included the Platinum Angel in my board for dragon and tendrils; it seems like the best answer even though everyone and their dog has bounce these days. Pyroclasm I think is necessary to deal with goblins. Blue blast only hits one goblin at a time, and you can't hit a resolved piledriver with it.

cryolyte

[MoxMonkey]

4 Goblin Welder - I think 3s the right number for right now, you end up seeing 2 in your opening a lot more than you think
2 Gorilla Shaman
1 Trike
1 Bus
1 Duplicant - Id rather have a second Slaver but if you like him
1 Mindslaver

4 Thirst
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
4 Brainstorm

1 Ancestral Recall
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Tinker
1 Yawg Will
1 Time Walk
1 Fact or Fiction - I dont know if its needed it might be to slow

1 Rushing River
2 Blood Moon
1 Rack and Ruin

1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
5 Moxen

4 Volcanic Island
2 Underground Sea
4 Fetches
6 Island

I think you need 2 Mana Leaks and or Duress to stay with Gifts.  Gifts isn't hurt by Blood Moon they have 5 basics.  I would cut a welder and the fact for 2 Mana Leaks.  If your gifts Matchup is fine then Stay with other wise nice list.

[Disburden]

I agree with Mox Monkey 100% about having three goblin welders. I have had many games where I wished that I had drawn something else, like thirst, or another bomb in slaver over a second welder within the opening of the game. I Think drawings two Welders in your opening hand sucks, and can sometimes affect your mulligan decision. I'm actually surprised moving to three hasn't been done all that often in the past.

Regarding the slaver count itself I think it is essential to have two Slavers in the deck. It isn't some tool you add to a list to compliment the deck, it IS the deck, so you want to get one in the yard as soon as possible to achieve your lock. I Tried using one Slaver before to add more metagame slots and it just sucked big time. I even had games where I couldn't find the Slaver lock easily enough and lost because of it.

I know I am just repeating what everyone is saying, but I feel it helps show that these ideas about the deck are probably more "optimal" in showing the majority opinion.

I also think that running Mana Leak is better than Duress. I've been loving Leak personally. Also to add Duress you need more seas and the deck runs about 3 basics usually by most lists. To me, cutting down another basic for a third sea could really suck.

[forests failed you]

I moved the Slaver count down to one, and added Gifts to the deck at Clown of Tresserhorn's insistence that it would be broken for me in Chicago.  He was right, it was pretty damn good. 

The main reason I like Gifts is that it sets up Slaver lock comming out of a Yawgmoths Will where you have walk in the yard.  You mystical for Gifts and then Walk and on the next turn Gifts for Pentavus and Slaver. GG

Also, Mind's Eye was one of the best cards in my deck yesterday.  I scrubbed out due to mulliganing into oblivion and drinking too much because I was pissed about mulliganing into oblivion.  However, I still maintain that my list was good!

Mind's Eye needs further testing but it beats the shit out of GIfts and anything else that plays Drain,

[Prometheon]

This is a very interesting discussion and I think the crucial question right now is Duress vs. Mana Leak.

Personally, I'm hugly biased towards Duress, as it takes exactly what you need exactly when you need it gone, but Mana Leak might be the beter card in this deck. If you drop an Island and a Mox, first turn Mana Leak is a good feeling, and better against Stax if you're on the play (instead of Duressing one lock piece away and them just droping their second one.)

Any thoughts?

[Disburden]

This is a very interesting discussion and I think the crucial question right now is Duress vs. Mana Leak.

Personally, I'm hugly biased towards Duress, as it takes exactly what you need exactly when you need it gone, but Mana Leak might be the beter card in this deck. If you drop an Island and a Mox, first turn Mana Leak is a good feeling, and better against Stax if you're on the play (instead of Duressing one lock piece away and them just droping their second one.)

Any thoughts?

Like I said earlier, to add Duress over Leak you would need more black mana in Underground sea. This is going to screw up the manabase, imo. mana leak can be pitched also and you can still use the same land configuration, which I think, is great right now.

[MoxMonkey]

Duress weakens the deck to much because you then need to fetch out black early and not red.  This tends to lead to mana screwing yourself all for a Duress.  There are a TON of possible cards that can be tossed into Slaver to help the Gifts matchup.  look back into your binders and see different cards there is tech everywhere.  Keep testing and you can make Slaver a power house for your metagame.

[Prometheon]

Honestly though, my metagame is mostly Gifts and Fish, which sucks now that I've gone and bought most of the cards for Slaver.

[Clown of Tresserhorn]

I think mana leak is unnecessary, but it might be worth testing.

One thing nobody has failed to mention is the presence of portal. Now we have potentially 4 tutors for will/tinker. If anything, this deck needs to be more focused towards that goal. Beyond the 55 card base, I recommend testing:

1 Imperial Seal
1 Vampiric tutor
2 Shaman
1 Merchant scroll

The fourth welder can be dropped for the trisk. The deck is EXTREMELY SAVAGE and can easily be tuned to beat Gifts/the best deck atm. Between shamans and 4-5 REBs in the board, you drag Gifts into the late game where you shine. They simply cannot keep up, as they need to resolve 2cc sorceries or 4cc instants in the face of your 4-5 REBS. Plus, they can't protect their threats with their REBs.

-Bob

[forests failed you]

agreed-

seal, vamp, dt, mystical gets will with the md gifts

not to mention with all of those tutors you can set up absolutely busted wills at the same speed that gifts can. 

The only difference is that you don't necessarily need to give them a big drain target in Gifts in order to go off.  I prefer to cast gifts comming out of Yawg will, on my next time walk turn as a way of setting up Slaver lock.  (Pentavus and Slaver).

[forests failed you]

I have a completely new list for Slaver.  And it is absolutely savage.  I will put in another tourney worth of testing tonight and then post a list and some observations later on tomorrow afternoon.

It is called Burning Slavery.

Cheers Guys

FFY

[Prometheon]

Awesome, I look forward to seeing it, as burning wish is something I've wanted to test for awhile (if not only for easy access to preboard Pyroclasm.)

[MoxMonkey]

Oh no.  I hate burning Wish this thing better have alike a 70-30 matchup with Gifts or else im not going to bother with it.  I like the Tutor Friendly Slaver a lot and its been good to me.  I hope these changes you make are for the best.  anyway I hate Burning Wish but I think it would most likly be very good in Slaver.  Cannot wait to see what you came up with. 
(Hope you have a Deep Analysis in your board too its mighty good in control mirrors to wish for)
(Deep, 2 Pyro, Echoing Ruin) <-If I run Burning Wish I would kill the board and add these.

[MaxxMatt]

I think that Darkblast can change A LOT the perspective of playing with Red 1/1 with nasty abilities.
When playing C-Slavery you HAVE to think about it.
You can counter once, switch one time with Welder or eat things once with Shaman and then having them killed another time by those nasty Black Card.

I'm SURE that a lot of Graveyard cards would do some sort of comeback in any good deck.
I can suggest you playing with Crypts/Furnaces maindeck.
You can definitively kill their recursions and then focus on countering their C. Wishes.

A lot of decks rise the number of C.Wishes for that porpouse: Let your opponent kill your grave BUT let me easily replay the good instant spells twice.

At not C-Slavery CANNOT play without a "4of" of those cards.

4 Welders
4 TFK
4 Brainstorm
4 Drain
4 FoWs

IMHO, it must play 2-3 C-Wishes and Gifts/Intuitions to enanche recursions and find solutions WHILE it have to play with a metagamized amount of Shamans, Bouncers, Artifact's Grave Hate, trying not to exaggerate with them: The deck itself can simply pull out the "I, WIN" combination of cards with ease and sometimes the augmentation of the metagamed slots lowered his raw power.

The fat artifacts that I usually play are:
1 Titan
1 Triskelion
1 Pentavus
1 Mindslaver
1 Jester's Cap

ALL those targets are really worth their use and are the only ones that I UNIVERSALLY find interesting.

I'll hope it can help.



MaxxMatt

[forests failed you]

Alright fellas, here it is:  Burning Slavery

I was thinking about starting a separate thread, but since this appears to be the Slaver thread on the Drain right now I decided to just continue the discussion but take it in a different direction.

Basically, in Chicago I did a lot of talking with Clown of Tresserhorn about Slaver theory and he convinced me to give Gifts another shot in Slaver.  I actually played a Gifted version of Slaver in one of the past SCG Chicago tournaments and narrowly missed out on top eight.  However, I put the idea aside for a more conventional-control style deck with maindeck answers to key threats in the format.  However, after additional testing I am convinced that Slaver is a powerful enough deck to try and 'just win,' and is in fact capable, if build correctly, of being extremely non interactive with an oppenent.  Even against decks that play cards like Chalice of the Void and and other disruptive cards.

The key concept of this list was to base the deck much more around being a Yawgmoth's Will combo deck than Slaver has up until this point been.  For the most part, the Slaver list I wrote up in my article is a board and card control deck that doesn't actively try and win the game, but rather keeps its opponent in a perpetual state of check, while building up its resources and eventually overwhelming an opponent.  This build is much more aggressive, and plays similar to Gifts control in many ways.  However, the advantages of playing with Welders and extremely potent and powerful artifact threats is a concept that gives the deck an added edge in any match up; and in my opinion makes it an all around stronger deck than Gifts.  You guys don't have to agree with me just yet, but here is the list that I have put together at the moment, and it has been treating me especially sweetly.

BURNING SLAVERY

4 Thirst for Knowledge
4 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Mystical Tutor


1 Demonic Tutor
1 Imperial Seal
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Dark Blast

1 Burning Wish
3 Goblin Welder
2 Gorilla Shaman

4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain

1 Triskellion
1 Pentavus
1 Mindslaver
1 Mind's Eye

1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Emerald

1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Sol Ring

1 Tolerian Academy
1 Darksteel Citadel
2 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
2 Island
1 Snow Covered Island

3 Underground Sea
3 Volcanic Island

SIDEBOARD

2 Stiff
2 REB
1 Recoup
1 Pyroclasm
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Echoing Ruin / Meltdown
2 Tormod's Crypt
2 Echoing Truth
2 Rack and Ruin
1 Merchant Scroll

So, that is the list.  Basically I have added a lot of tutoring power to the Slaver Maindeck, and cut underpowered but situationally techy cards ... E Truth, Fire/ Ice, et cetera from the maindeck. 

Imperial Seal, Vamp Tutor, and Gifts are insane.  Those three together allow you to go broken extremely quickly, much faster than you may think.  I had a game at my local type one where I actually pulled off a turn two Tendrils kill with this deck against a powered and competently played two land belcher deck.  I'm not joking when I say this:  This list is fucking nuts.

Mind's Eye has proved to be extremely powerful and it gives you a very solid gameplan against gifts.  Basically, it makes your tinker good against other control decks where it is usually awful unless you have the seven Mana up for a Tinker for SLaver.  Against Gifts a Mind's Eye in play is as good as GG.  It makes their Brainstorms awful, and it allows you to simply out draw them and combo out much faster than they can.  It is also extremely well costed at five, and is a great Mana Drain sink on turns two and three. 

Darkblast has also been insane.  The fact that you can devote one slot to a card that can potentially kill infinite fishes is just great.  This is pretty obvious though, and I'm pretty sure than anybody who saw Darkblast at the Ravnica prerelese was pretty keen to the fact that "wow this kills infi welders, Shamans, and fishes.  Enough Said.

I cut the Echoing Truth from the maindeck, because after extensive testing the only thing I really needed it to do was remove Chalice of the Void.  Burning Wish gets E Ruin, or Meltdown (both are great cards and I haven't decided which is better for myself yet), and also serves as an alternate win condition, fetching out Tendrils of Agony.  It can also get Pyroclasm to kill a bunch of Goblins, Welders, Fishes, et cetera.   I'm also playing with Recoup in the board to Wish for game one.  I've won several games just recouping Time Walk, DT, Tinker, and Imp Seal for broken cards.  IT just depends upon what your board position looks like at the time.

Three Welders in definitely more than enough.  Most of the time I feel like he is far and away the WORST card in the deck.  Don't get me wrong I love Welder and rocking my foil Asian ones, but in the early game Welder is absolute garbage.  However, he does lots of broken things later on in the match.  Mainly, one of the huge advantages Slaver has over gifts is that Welder can Recur Black Lotus going into a Yaw Will, netting you huge amounts of Mana as well as Storm count making it easy to Tendrils off.  Not to mention all of the other broken Slaver stuff.  At worst, Burning Wish is a useful utility card, at best it allows you to just win the game.  Another thing I dislike about running four Welders is that if you draw two early there is a very good chance that you lose the game against anything playing Drains or Rituals.

I don't think that adding the Tendrils Kill to Slaver confuses the gameplan of this deck whatsoever.  If anything it allows the Slaver player more versatility over his or her deck.  It doubles as utility and win condition, and it makes Slaver much less vulnerable to Darkblast and Shamans (as you can just win out of the Yard game one.)

Anyways hope you guys enjoy the deck, and let me know what you think.  I'd be very interested to hear what you think of this list, and also if you have any suggestions for maximizing the list.  If you are interested in playing this deck, first a few quick notes.  It is difficult at first to figure out whether or not you should be trying to Tendrils or Slaver.  It is something that after several test games becomes easier to figure out.  Basically, the Slaver route gives you inevitability against other control decks.  The fact that you have Welders and robots allows you to win long contested matches, by allowing you to cheat mana costs and gain slight advantage over time.  However, many times you can just win with a fast Will.  It is something that you just have to feel out.  Especially against Fish and aggro, the combo kill is just savage.

cheers
ffy