clamp as a draw engine in WS.dec

[nataz]

I've been dithering with WS decks for a couple of months now and one of the perennial problems is the lack of a draw engine.

I realize that there are a non-significant number of WS players who don't care about this issue, but its become a bit of a pet project of mine.

Mostly because while decks like espresso stax (which has seen considerable success in the US) and cat stax (which is still dominating monster euro events) won't deal well with the inevitable correction to MD artifact hate. Both are incredibly consistent, but still dependent on good draws to recover from opponent interaction. An early FOW followed by a timely natures claim/trygon predator/pridemage whatever is essentially gg if you the WS player draws into additional mana or inappropriate threats.

This can be solved by adding a draw engine, but that generally requires adding a color, which in turn adds its own challenges (see my previous thread on multi color stax).

Option two is skullclamp. Now obv adding clamp adds a number if significant design constraints to the deck. That said, I think its an interesting enough project to pursue. below is my first take on the deck. It's technically 5 color, but i'm only running blue and white right now.

Its a dog to null rod/stoney. An alt. build runs master of etherlium(sp?) which is U2 and has power/toughness = to # of artifacts in play.

Has anyone else tried something similar?

4 Skullclamp
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
3 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Ethersworn Canonist
3 Etherium Sculptor

4 Chalice of the Void
1 Maze of Ith
4 Thorn of Amethyst
4 Lodestone Golem

3 Kuldotha Forgemaster
1 Blightsteel Colossus
1 Sundering Titan

4 Mishra's Workshop
3 Ancient Tomb
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Sapphire
4 City of Brass
3 Gemstone Mine
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland

[Meddling Mike]

Well, I'm not sure how much value you'd be getting out of what Skullclamp is doing for you here. I see 7 cards that can immediately be cashed in for cards here. Living the dream is having another Thalia in your hand that you can't cast because you have on in play, cashing in the in play Thalia with clamp and then replaying another one from hand. At that point we've paid 3 mana, played a card from our hand and not changed the board state at all. Nice Counsel of the Soratami! Now there's a bit more at play here since it evens out the risk of drawing multiple Thalias when we run 4 in the deck and clearly something like Counsel of the Soratami would never work in this deck with all it's sphere effects and such, but what I'm getting at is that even under ideal conditions I don't feel like you're getting value that's appropriate to a vintage game there. Would you be better off with something like a Dark Confidant at that point if you really feel your deck has to have a draw engine? I'd also love to see a Phyrexian Metamorph in a deck like this as it's got plenty of good targets to copy and it synergizes perfectly with your sphere effects/Etherium Sculptor.

[TheWhiteDragon]

Metamorph is a definite need.

As far as a draw engine, I don't see the plus of clamp over something like SoFI.  With sofi, your weenies get huge (rather than dying - clamp on thalia/revoker sucks when you want them in play).  You draw while doing massive damage, get targeted removal, trump fish, get pro blue and red....SoFI is just a beatstick.  Considering a single shop can get either in play and the attach cost is only 2, I see no reason to go with clamp.