What started out as a simple Esperzoa/Glaze Fiend combo deck turned into quite possibly the best deck that I have ever constructed. As the story goes, when I first got some cards from Shards of Alara I really liked Glaze Fiend’s ability and wanted to build a deck around it; as I knew it had potential, but the cards to build what I wanted wasn’t quite there yet. Then came the next release in the block set, Conflux.
When Conflux was released and I saw Esperzoa and Sludge Strider I knew that I could make the deck that I was looking for. I threw in a Master of Etherium as well as a couple other cards, and it rocked!
… Kind of…
The deck was really good, but doing all my combos and playing my cards every turn cost A LOT of mana. To top it off Glaze Fiend wasn’t really as great a card as I thought it was, and it was rarely my "Kill card." He was hard to "Pump" and again the deck/combos were just really too expensive to pull off every turn. In order to cheapen the mana use in the deck and make the combos in it more effective, I tossed in a Master Transmuter that I opened from a pack… and the deck was never the same again…
With this addition to the deck, I saw a new prime candidate to build a deck around, and completely gutted the deck and remade it. This is the result…
This deck has a 98% win rate (especially in multi-player games) IF I can make it to turn 6! =)
Because this deck is my “Baby,” I want to do it justice and go card by card in the description here, so people know/understand how it’s played.
By the way, this deck is best played “Defensively.” Meaning that you should save as much mana as you can and use Master Transmuter’s abilities at the end of an opponent’s turn (just before it comes back to you) in case they try to destroy it, mess with you/your creatures, ect.
*CREATURES*
Enigma Sphinx: Although I rarely see it in play, this card is really good; especially if you play it and get the Cascade off. It can be expensive, but with a Master Transmuter in play, he should be easy to get into play (although you won’t get the Cascade ability).
Etherium Sculptor: This guy might seem like a lackey, but he’s really good and speeds my deck up by a turn for each one played. If I have both Etherium Sculptors in play I can play Kaleidostone for free, draw a card, and then combo it into Master Transmuter’s ability, getting a creature in play and then playing Kaleidostone again for free and drawing another card! Awesome craziness going on here when I get that going!
Ethersworn Adjudicator: Pretty expensive to play, but this bad boy has saved me from defeat many a time. I shouldn’t have won many games that I did, but because of getting him out at the right moment and having a Thousand-Year Elixir in play, I worked my way out of the hole I was in. He’s great for destroying creatures, enchantments and also good at swinging on your opponent.
Ethersworn Shieldmage: He’s a great defensive “Gambit!” Save him for when your opponent attacks, block with everything and then flash him in (or use Master Transmuter’s ability). What’s great about him is that unless your opponent is playing with artifact creatures (highly unlikely) you damage his creatures, however yours take no damage at all!
Filigree Angel: This card is really expensive, but beyond awesome! I have hard casted her before (in times of need), but she works best in a Master Transmuter/Etherium Sculptor/Kaleidostone combo, or with just a Master Transmuter…
Magister Sphinx: This is one of the most “Overlooked” cards in this deck. Its ability is awesome and has a lot of utility use in it. I have used it as much on another player (to reduce their life total) as I have on myself (to bring me back up to 10 life). What’s cool about Magister Sphinx’s ability is that if you use it on an opponent when you “Set” their life total to 10, if it was previously above 10, it counts as loss of life (meaning it’s beautiful to combo with Wound Reflection) and if you use it on yourself it counts as gaining life (meaning it’s beautiful to combo with Sanguine Bond). The dual nature of Magister Sphinx has saved me countless times especially with a Master Transmuter in play. I distinctly remember one game where a guy was boasting about how he had over 200 life and I was at 3, at the end of his turn I used a Master Transmuter to bring him to 10 and then promptly killed him with 11 flying (I had another creature out).
Master Transmuter: Here it is the “Workhorse” of the deck, Master Transmuter. Although she isn’t vital to winning; she sure does make it run a LOT smoother and quicker. This card is way beyond BROKEN. Transmuter works well with any card in the deck and has a virtually unlimited supply of combos that it can pull off. For instance, I could play a Kaleidostone, draw a card, tap a blue mana returning it to my hand to play a huge creature… and then play the Kaleidostone again, and draw another card. And here’s the best part, if any of my opponents’ target Master Transmuter I can return her to my hand and play her with her own ability… and the creature she comes in as is considered a new creature and therefore whatever targeted her previously fizzles! Just remember if you do this, unless you have a Thousand-Year Elixir out, she will have “Summoning Sickness” until your next turn.
Parasitic Strix: A cool flying creature to get out; especially if you have a black permanent in play.
Sharuum the Hegemon: Another one of my “Power players” in this deck; especially if people have killed off your Master Transmuters or the card that you need is just sitting in your graveyard. Very powerful and again works wonders when comboed with Master Transmuter.
Sphinx of the Steel Wind: This guy is a game saver; as he has won me several games! He’s basically an Akroma, Angel of Wrath with a little twist. A great and powerful creature, but again costs a lot of mana unless you bring him in with a Master Transmuter.
Sphinx Sovereign: This guy is an awesome attacker or blocker; and does something every turn whether or not you choose to attack with him. He’s very fun to play with once you get him out in play.
Sphinx Summoner: A tutor, that’s a 3/3 creature… that flies? Yes please! This card is unbelievably good and combos well with Master Transmuter, especially if you can work it in with a Transmuter/Etherium Sculptor/Kaleidostone combo; you can keep on bringing just what you need to your hand. Meaning that this guy is basically a mini-Batman’s Utility Belt for this deck!
Tidehollow Strix: A creature that’s easy to play and disposable. I can combo him with Master Transmuter or use him for blocking the opponent’s big creatures (he has Deathtouch). He’s also not too bad at just being annoying and flying for 2 damage every turn against the opponent. The only downside to him (if there even is one), is that if you return him to your hand with Master Transmuter and have an Etherium Sculptor out in play his cost won't be reduced since he costs U/B.
*INSTANTS*
Path to Exile: I’m all about “Utility.” I put cards in most of my decks for dual use and purposely pass cards up in my decks if I can’t see “Utility” in it. Path to Exile is a wonderful card that exemplifies this. It’s great at creature removal (targets any non-Shroud/Hexproof creature) and, if I have to, good at getting me a land that I’m in desperate need of when used on a creature of my own (usually I use it if a creature I had was about to die anyway, or if there is an extreme need).
*ARTIFACTS*
Dispeller's Capsule: This card is good to use or just throw on the board to intimidate your opponent/make them think twice. Works well early game to destroy a troublesome enchantment or artifact, and just as well late game if you bring it back with Sharuum the Hegemon. Also if its just sitting around, its a good/cheap card to use for Master Transmuter to target.
Executioner's Capsule: This card is good to use or just throw on the board to intimidate your opponent/make them think twice. Works well early game to destroy a troublesome creature, and just as well late game if you bring it back with Sharuum the Hegemon. Also if its just sitting around, its a good/cheap card to use for Master Transmuter to target. The only downside to this card is that the creature you target has to be non-black. If you need to destroy a black creature, might I suggest the Ethersworn Adjudicator.
Kaleidostone: Ahhh yes. What would this deck be without the Master Transmuter/Etherium Sculptor/Kaleidostone combo? Since I’m all about “Utility,” Kaleidostone has several uses in my deck. First of all if you have two Etherium Sculptors in play, you can play this card for free and draw a card. Second if you are short on a particular mana (usually white) you can pay 5 and sacrifice it to add WUBRG to you mana pool in order to get that color you were short. Third, it works really well with a Master Transmuter, as it’s cheap to play, you draw a card, and then it serves as something to bring to your hand in order to bring a creature out (then when you play it again you draw another card).
Protomatter Powder: A really good card and another “Game-saver” card. I have used it countless times to bring back my Master Transmuter, Sharuum the Hegemon, ect. The mana for it is extremely expensive, but well worth it if you need to use it (Not to mention you can use it at “Instant” speed, meaning use it at the end of your opponent’s turn to bring in Master Transmuter and it will only sit on the Battlefield for a couple seconds before it loses “Summoning sickness”).
Scourglass: A really good board clear (against everyone who isn’t playing artifact creatures). Too bad I didn’t have a lot of money to buy another when I got it… but one isn’t bad. It comes through in a pinch and is great for a multi-player game. This card is best to sneak in at the end of your opponent’s turn just before it comes back to you; as you can only use it during your upkeep, and putting it on the Battlefield any earlier than that (your last turn as opposed to the end of your opponent’s) puts a huge target on your forehead.
Thousand-Year Elixir: Well with the addition of this card the deck is no longer “Block” exclusive, (feel free to replace with Tidehollow Sculler or others in Sideboard if you want it to be just Alara Block) but I have no regrets. This card was tossed into the deck because people were hating on the Master Transmuter too much and killing it the second it got out and besides it just flowed well with it. For the most part I play this card when I can before I play a Master Transmuter, and when I do play a Transmuter after it I only do so if I have one blue mana open, just in case I need to return it to my hand. This card works wonders for activated abilities as well as untapping a tapped creature. I usually use it in conjunction with my Master Transmuter and Ethersworn Adjudicator.
*SIDEBOARD*
Tidehollow Sculler: Just one quick/cool note I’d like to make on this card as it relates to its ability. If Tidehollow Sculler comes into play (removing a card) and then used with the Master Transmuter, returning Tidehollow Sculler to your hand, and then playing Tidehollow Sculler again; the card originally removed from the hand is gone for good. Don’t worry or over think it, it’s a stack thing and it works like that, trust me… I know! That’s what I mean when I say that Master Transmuter is a BROKEN card. If returned to your hand with its own ability it can come back in as a new creature (fizzling anything previously put on it), but when working with the Tidehollow Sculler’s ability it somehow reorganizes the stack and “Tricks” the stack in to make it work to its advantage; almost as if it’s the same creature it was before it left play. So yes… in this instance you can have your cake and eat it too!