advent

Updated for Summer 2023

[[Mycosynth lattice]] is banned in modern.

I've made some changes based off this discussion.
-4 myr servitor
-3 scrapyard mongrel
-1 bonesplitter
-2 faithless looting

+4 experimental synthesizer
+2 gearseeker serpent
+1 sylvok lifestaff
+1 scrapyard steelbreaker
+2 thoughtcast

Next tournament is Sunday. I will post results

My observations are based on the decks I played. A lot of times I would use kenku artificer on a spell bomb because I was playing against chainers edict and grasp of darkness. Facing different removal, I would animate the bridges.

I had myr enforcer in the original build (linked in the description) but I found I felt the same about it in that build as I currently do about scrapyard mongrel.

Thoughtcast and ponder do 2 different things in my opinion. Typically I want to ponder early (turn 1 or turn 2) to set up my next couple plays. But replacing faithless looting with thoughtcast may be a good idea. Especially if I am pulling myr servitor.

Fiery cannonade is exactly what I'm looking for in a sweeper. I also saw breath weapon. I'm not sure which would be better. I would think I would see more pirates in pauper than dragons but I could be way off about that.

I think I am going to replace myr servitor with experimental synthesizer. Losing the synergy with faithless looting, but gaining more synergy with ponder is good I think and opens up a slot for thoughtcast.
I'll have to give more thought to adding a color. Trinket mage mana fixing could make it viable. My concern is I feel like that's all I would use trinket mage for

Myr servitor under performed for sure. There was a lot of graveyard hate and I hardly got them back from the graveyard. And with the bridges, it's much easier to maintain metalcraft.
I never played scrapyard mongrel and it was the first to be sideboarded out. I think I'm going to replace them with gearseeker serpent.
Kenku artificer worked very well turning spellbombs into flyers.
Sylvok lifestaff will be going in the main. The life gain was more beneficial than the 1 power bonesplitter provided.
Blade-tribe berserkers still just end games. 6/6 haste is very hard for people to deal with.
Scrapyard steelbreaker was a star. I never got to use it with Fling though.
Trinket mage is still great, mana fixing or finding removal.
I have found I do need mass removal. I have used eletrickery before, but it now has the same problem as myr servitor in that 1 damage just isn't enough anymore.
I didn't sideboard armguard familiar in any of the matches. But I am going to keep them in and see how they do against more aggro decks.

Loss 1-2 green/black control
Won 2-1 mono black control
Won 2-0 tortured existence

I am using Equation over mirrorweave because of the creature side and forgot to use all of the utility of the creature side! That seems good to pact for equation.

I always forget about summoner's pact. I do have a question. Many times the deck achieves 4 [[Biovisionary]] but copying one that is on the battlefield with [[Echoing Equation]]. If I want to use summoner's pact to play Biovisionary without paying the extra cost, I would need to play both spells on the same turn. Is that correct?

Combo:
Version 1 (V1)
[[Cleaver Skaab]] + [[Intruder Alarm]] + [[priest of gix]] + [[Arcane Adaptation]] or [[Maskwood Nexus]]

Or
Version 2 (V2)
[[Cleaver Skaab]] + [[Intruder Alarm]] + [[priest of gix]] on the battlefield + [[vizier of many faces]] using enbalm

If we label them combo piece 1-4, respectively, the card counts should look like -

Combi Piece Card Counts:
Combo Piece 1 (cp1): 4
Combo Piece 2 (cp2): 4
Combo Piece 3 (cp3): 4
Combo Piece 4 (cp4): 12
Total cards: 24/60

Converted Mana Costs of Combo Pieces:

CP1 [[Cleaver Skaab]]: 4
CP2 [[Intruder Alarm]]: 3
CP3 [[Priest of Gix]]: 3*
CP4.V1 [[Arcane Adaptation]]: 3
CP4.V1 [[Maskwood Nexus]]: 4
CP4.V2 [[vizier of many faces]]: 4 // Enbalmed: 5
*there are only 3 cards [[Unmarked Grave]] and 2 conditionally [[Deadly Dispute]](to use [[Body Double]] to copy [[Priest of Gix]] later on) that can be cast from the ritual of [[Priest of Gix]] on turn 3 to make the [[Priest of Gix]] ritual most efficient. I did not include other copies of [[Priest of Gix]] because at some point a mana ritual will be wasted on turn 3 unless you cast one of the mentioned 5 cards.

With all this in mind, I agree with you that a combo should be as simple as possible. Simple for me is how can I get this combo out the earliest using the least cards and activate it. from this set of cards, how I am understanding the combo, I think the absolute earliest the combo can be achieved using the least amount of cards is -

Combo V1
Total Cards: 8
Total Lands: 4
Total Turns:6

Turn 1: play land
Turn 2: play land
Turn 3: play land; cast [[Intruder Alarm]](cp2)
Turn 4: play land; cast [[priest of gix]](cp3) etb triggers; cast [[Cleaver Skaab]](cp1)
Turn 5: cast [[Arcane Adaptation]](cp4) or [[Maskwood Nexus]](cp4)
Turn 6: (combo pieces 1-4 are on the battlefield) activate [[Cleaver Skaab]] for infinite zombies.

Combo V2
Total Cards: 9
Total Lands: 5
Total Turns: 5

Turn 1: play land
Turn 2: play land; cast [[Unmarked Grave]] putting [[vizier of many faces](cp4)] into the graveyard
Turn 3: play land; cast [[Intruder Alarm]](cp2)
Turn 4: play land; cast [[priest of gix]](cp3) etb triggers; cast [[Cleaver Skaab]](cp1)
Turn 5: play land; enbalm [[vizier of many faces]](cp4) as a copy of [[Priest of Gix]] on the battlefield etb triggers; (combo pieces 1-4 are on the battlefield) activate [[Cleaver Skaab]] for infinite zombies

A high card count to both pay for the combo pieces and activate the combo, relatively late in the game, is not working in the decks favor. To combat this redundancy is built in. [[Priest of Gix]] and [[Cleaver Skaab]] have no real redundancy in this color pairing, so all of your redundancy is built into cp4. And while one of your redundant cp4 pieces needs a different board state than the others, you have utility cards to help meet this requirement.

Utility Card Counts and Converted Mana Cost
[[Wash Away]] Card Count: 2 CMC: 1
[[Unmarked Grave]] Card Count: 4 CMC: 2
[[Deadly Dispute]] Card Count: 2 CMC: 2
[[Final Parting]] Card Count: 2 CMC: 5
[[Body double]] Card Count: 4 CMC: 5

[[Wash Away]] - this is the only card in the deck that seems to interact with the opponent. It is a fine counter spell for its cleave cost with added utility of stopping other combos from going off at 1 Mana.

[[Unmarked Grave]] - this card helps [[vizier of many faces]] get into the graveyard. Once [[vizier of many faces]] is in the graveyard, this card essentially becomes a dead draw. It can tutor [priest of gix]] or [[Cleaver Skaab]] for a [[Body double]] target, if you are using [[Arcane Adaptation]] or [[Maskwood Nexus]] for cp4. While maybe the most efficient way to get [[vizier of many faces]] in the graveyard, this card soes not have much synergy with the rest of the deck.

[[Deadly dispute]] - this card can get [[vizier of many faces]] into the graveyard and ramp with a treasure token. Once [[vizier of many faces]] is in the graveyard, this card loses much of its utility and essentially becomes a dead draw. It can sacrifice [[priest of gix]] to ramp if you are planning to target them with [[Body double]] and are using [Arcane Adaptation]] as cp4. Beyond that, this card does not have much synergy with the deck.

[[Final parting]] - this card is used to get [[vizier of many faces]] into the graveyard and has the ability to find any other combo pieces you may be missing. Unfortunately it's utility is limited as a tutor, because if you are planning on using [[vizier of many faces]] as cp4, [[Maskwood Nexus]] and [Arcane Adaptation]] are not needed.

[[Body double]] - this card has limited uses as redundancy for combo pieces 1 and 3. [[Body double]] does not give the zombie type to [[priest of gix]] and would still need [[Maskwood Nexus]], [[Arcane Adaptation]], or [[vizier of many faces]]. [Body double]] can copy [[Cleaver Skaab]] and use any combination of other pieces to complete the combo.

The utility cards are rather limited. With 8 geared toward getting [[vizier of many faces]] to work. Making 20/60 cards of the deck dedicated to cp4.

Summary

While the deck can combo off, i think in its current state it is clunky. I think all of the redundancy built in, especially in cp4, slows down the deck and will lead to dead draws. I think the deck is trying to go in two different directions with the combo needing 4 pieces and sometimes in different board states. I also agree with you that the deck is unconcerned with death triggers so cards like [[Carrion Feeder]] and [[Nim Deathmantle]] are not beneficial. I like the idea and I think it could become more viable in 2 different versions.

Suggestions

Both versions

[[Faces of the past]](cp2) - this card can add redundancy for [[Intruder alarm]] and alleviate the decks reliance of redundant cp4. [[Faces of the past]] should untap [[Cleaver Skaab]] just as well as [[Intruder alarm]]

[[Grim tutor]] - while not as efficient as [[Unmarked Grave]] at getting [[vizier of many faces]] online as cp4, [[grim tutor]] can search for any remaining combo piece you are missing.

Version 1

[[Cleaver Skaab]] + [[Intruder Alarm]] + [[priest of gix]] + [[Maskwood nexus]] or [[Arcane Adaptation]]

This version of the deck has to recognize that up to half of the combo pieces used are not well supported by these colors in the pie. [[Intruder alarm]] and [[Arcane Adaptation]] are both enchantments. I think the color pie for enchantments gives you a 1-5 of 1. White 2. Green 3. Blue 4. Black 5. Red. Blue and Black, at 3 and 4 respectively, does not give you much support for enchantments. Without adding another color, White, this version of the deck would benefit from cards on turn 1 and turn 2 that make permanent untargetable or disrupts the opponent. Also any cards that can make use of multiple copies of [[Intruder Alarm]] or [[arcane Adaptation]]. Even though Blue and Black are high on the color pie, I am having a hard time finding a card on curve that interacts well with [[Maskwood Nexus]]. Because [[Maskwood Nexus]] is 4 cmc, it sits at a spot where I can't find a card like [[trinket mage]], [[trophy mage]], or [[treasure mage]] to help speed up the combo. Committing to this combo frees up 12-16* spots in the deck. Replacing [[vizier of many faces]], [[Unmarked Grave]], [[Deadly Dispute]], [[final parting]], and maybe [[body double]].With this in mind, these are the cards or cards like them I would suggest to go this route. Other than the previous suggested [[Faces of the past]] and [[grim tutor]]:

Narset's Reversal (no link because of ' ) - this card can stop any plan to discard your combo pieces before you play them. It can also stymie ramp while advancing your agenda by copying the ramp spell to hit the 4 necessary mana to play your combo pieces. UU is not as big of a barrier because for the most efficient mana usage for the combo pieces, [[Intruder Alarm]] or [[Arcane Adaptation]] should be played on turn 3 needing at least one U anyway and land counts should reflect that.

[[Ghostly Pilferer]] - [[Ghostly Pilferer]] gives you a 2 turn play that can get rid of multiple copies of Combo Pieces you already have while also digging for the remaining combo pieces you need. At its worst, [[Ghostly Pilferer]] is a 10 turn clock against an opponent with 20 life. There may be another card that you prefer that allows you to discard multiple copies of combo pieces you no longer need.

*Note that [[Body double]] is still playable in this version because without interaction with the opponent, it is needed if either [[priest of gix]] or [[Cleaver Skaab]] hit the graveyard.


Version 2

[[Cleaver Skaab]] + [[Intruder alarm]] + [[priest of gix]] + [[vizier of many faces]] enbalmed

This version of the deck has to recognize that 1 of the 4 combo pieces has to be in the graveyard to be viable. Including [[vizier of many faces]] 3 of the 4 combo pieces are creatures. Because of this, the deck can 7s the graveyard to "sneak" combo pieces in at the right time to combo off. [[Unmarked Grave]] can still work in this build, but may benefit of a mix with [[grim tutor]] because [[Intruder Alarm]] is necessary. Committing to this combo frees up 15-17* spots in the deck. With this in mind, these are the cards or cards like them that I would suggest other than the previous suggested [[Faces of the past]] and [[grim tutor]]:

*Note that [[Deadly Dispute]] could still be used in this version.

[[Cryptbreaker]]
Or
[[Selhoff Entomber]] - both cards allow you to utilize turns 1 and 2 while also allowing you to cheaply get [[vizier of many faces]] into the graveyard. [[Cryptbreaker]] creates a 2/2 zombie and has synergies with [[Cleaver Skaab]] or an enbalmed [[vizier of many faces]]. [[Selhoff entomber]] can also get rid of redundant combo pieces and help dig for [[Intruder alarm]]

[[Amoeboid Changeling]](cp4) - this card can act as a redundant [[vizier of many faces]] but at a lower casting cost and does not need to be in the graveyard. Because the deck already uses [[Intruder Alarm to untap [[Cleaver skaab]], we can tap [[amoeboid Changeling]] to make whichever [[priest of gix]] we are sacrificing all creature types including zombie.

[[Entomb]] - [[entomb]] works the same as [[Unmarked Grave]]. Although may not make sense monetarily. As the ability to out any card in the graveyard is not needed since there isn't a way to get [[Intruder Alarm]] from the graveyard.

[[Araumi of the Deep Tide]]
Or
[[Ludevic, Necrogenius]]* - cards like these can make use of combo pieces that are in the graveyard. Whether because of the opponent or cards like [[Unmarked Grave]] or [[selhoff entomber]], they can return necessary combo pieces needed.
*[[ludevic, necrogenius]] is not a good substitute for cp4. Eventhough the card gives [[priest of gix]] the zombie subtype, it also gives the legendary type. It is better for copying [[Cleaver skaab]] or [[priest of gix]] with [[vizier of many faces]] enbalmed.

I hope this explanation informs my card suggestions and helps you achieve combos regularly. I apologize if the formatting makes the comment needlessly long.

I spent some time thinking about it some more and was wondering about some cards. [[Carrion Feeder]] for a sac outlet that gets value as a threat. [[Nim Deathmantle]] can satisfy your zombie requirement at a lower cmc with more utility built in. [[Araumi of the Deep Tide]] does the same job as [[Body Double]]. Also at a lower cost and a high toughness to help defend until you can get the combo online.

Yeah, I definitely can see what you're saying. I wasn't saying the deck needed perplex. Just unless I missed something, the deck has few cards that interact with the opponent and are mainly focused on getting the combo. I was using perplex off the top of my head to suggest an ability that helps facilitate the combo going off and provides disruption. There may be other cards that do it better, honestly, than Damir house guard or perplex.

Ps. Is there a faq on how to link cards to comments? Thanks!

I would consider getting rid of some of the redundancy for consistency. Spells like perplex and dimir house guard both have transmute, which can be used to tutor your combo pieces from the library. They also have value in this build by themselves with counter magic and a free sac outlet if needed.

Oof you are right. I may have misread the card and missed that it redistributes life totals. I will have to rethink whether there is a card that makes Huatli viable. Biorhythm maybe

I see what you are saying. I'm just not sure if I want to change the whole concept of the deck. Later today I'll write down the thinking on each card in the how to play section. But after some more thought, under the current build kuldotha rebirth may have a spot in the sideboard for aggro or burn deck help. So thanks again!

Myr servitor also pulls copies out of the gravyad and back onto the battlefield for some recursion.

There are 24 artifact sources. 8 artifact lands. 7 artifact creatures. 4 ghirapur gear crafter (they spit out a 1/1 artifact).
And a modest tool package for tinker mage, who can also tutor out that lands. I honestly have no idea if I need more than that to keep metalcraft active, but banking on the artifact lands to do most of the heavy lifting.

Do you think adding another color will cripple me? What do you think would be the best way to color fix. I was looking to splash green for carapace forager for a 4/4 for 2cmc, but I'm open to other colors if it flows well.

Thanks for the suggestions! I added the bonesplitter and lifestaff. I'm worried that kuldotha rebirth will breakdown synergy because I want to keep metalcraft online until I try to end the game with ferrovore. Any thoughts?

Took out the mana creatures. Added a lot of the ramp you suggested. Thanks for the advice!

I have 7-8 ramp creatures plus Kruphix. Is that not enough?