Voltaic Construct

Artifact Creature — Golem Construct

(2): Untap target artifact creature.

TheBestMagicCard on Emrakul, the Promised End

1 year ago

Oh, Manifold Key doesn't untap it's self, not a combo piece...

Hm, interesting point about the Twig and Amulet... Yeah, I guess it is mostly for the getting an artifact in the graveyard... They do act very similar to just a land, but they have that potential to count for . They're kind of like artifact versions of Blasted Landscape. I think Burnished Hart and Kuldotha Forgemaster are the only other cards included that put artifacts in the graveyard? I don't really want to rely on my artifacts getting destroyed by someone else to get that cost reduction...

Codex Shredder is also on my short list of cards to include. I'm always surprised at how useful this card is. It can mill an opponent's Vampiric Tutor or Sensei's Divining Top away, and can also help fill my graveyard with card types, although it's hit or miss with that, it usually flips a land or artifact, and worst case a cool creature... I think I don't actually have any cards that can get something back from the graveyard right now...

I have considered Karn, the Great Creator, especially because it can be a Planeswalker in the graveyard, but I ultimately don't really want my Planeswalkers in the graveyard though... The +1 ability works with Voltaic Construct to make infinite mana with Basalt Monolith, Mana Vault, Grim Monolith, Thran Dynamo, and potentially Everflowing Chalice, just like Karn, Silver Golem, which I think is p cool. The -2 is kind of technically useless in EDH, as tournament rules actually say you can get a card out of your sideboard, not actually any card you own, and in EDH you don't have a sideboard... Casually, sure, if your playgroup is into getting any card that's cool, Ring of Ma'ruf also does this, but I guess I've just opted not to use that ability... The Null Rod effect is obviously very powerful, but yeah, I guess at least in my meta, I'm not as concerned with other people's artifacts, and ultimately I want to be more fast and aggro, rather than defensive and like staxy with the deck. There's a lot of removal in the deck, to me a surprising amount for colorless, and I guess I can rely on that to get rid of a problem artifact, or whatever someone ramps into if need be. So yeah, I guess despite the Null Rod effect and the Voltaic Construct synergy, it still just seems a little clunky, or something? I also play with way more mana rocks in most of my decks then most people in my meta. If more of my opponents played more mana rocks, that would make it much more relevant, but until they catch on, I guess I think it's just not quite there for me...

I might rather put Karn, Silver Golem in, because it's a good blocker, and can turn multiple of my expensive artifacts into an alpha strike...

Karn, Silver Golem was my first commander for this deck way back in the day, and Voltaic Construct was a key part of the deck. It also included Mycosynth Lattice, to destroy opponent's lands, and Darksteel Forge and Nevinyrral's Disk. These cards were really fun to play, and basically a hard lock when they were together, but without Karn, Silver Golem as the commander, I've steered away from that style I guess because it was just so expensive to pull off, and requires multiple high mana-value cards. I think the combos I have in now are cheaper and have more general synergy with other cards, and at this point, just ramping into Emrakrul as fast as possible is pretty devastating. In my heart though, I still want to include them...

TheBestMagicCard on Emrakul, the Promised End

1 year ago

Hey Profet93, thanks for the comment!

I do think Rings of Brighthearth is a great card, but I've excluded it mostly because, on it's own, it doesn't do anything...

Forsaken Monument, for example, = infinite mana with Basalt Monolith, but is also an incredible ramp card on it's own. This is basically the same reason that I've also excluded it from my Atraxa - Planeswalkers-Poison-Proliferate-Turns, even though it seems like an auto-include in that deck as well, in my opinion. I like Rings of Brighthearth a lot, but I really don't like looking at it on the battlefield without a combo piece, it's just a dead card then.

Aside from infinite mana, there are a bunch of other abilities that it could copy, like Planar Bridge, etc... However, the Rings only copies activated abilities, and I would sooner include cards like Lithoform Engine or Abstruse Archaic, as these cards also copy triggered abilities, like the cast triggers on Eldrazi, specifically Ulamog and Emrakrul, or Unwinding Clock's untap. Lithoform Engine and Abtruse Archaic both have somewhat more utility than the Rings, but as of yet, I still haven't squeezed them in either, again because I still feel like they just aren't good enough on their own without another combo piece.

Voltaic Construct fits into this "doesn't really do anything on it's own" category as well, and arguably is an even worse include than the Rings, Engine, or Archaic, but it's a lot easier to tutor up with cards like Eye of Ugin, Sanctum of Ugin, and especially Scrapyard Recombiner. Voltaic Construct + Metalworker and two artifacts in hand = infinite mana, which is pretty easy to assemble, and Metalworker is just a house on it's own. Voltaic Construct can also count for towards Emrakrul's casting cost in the graveyard...

Ultimately, I would like to include any of these copy-an-ability cards, if not all of them, but when I have, it just feels bad to have them sitting around doing nothing. Also, I kind of don't really need to copy abilities like that, as it turns out. I've found this deck to be pretty strong, and copying abilities often seems kind of win-more and win-less at the same time. Copying doesn't always make as big of an effect as it might seem... although copying a Planar Bridge ability could put two combo pieces in, the Bridge can also chain out anyways that with Clock of Omens, which is also a really powerful card, even though it also fits into the "doesn't really do anything on it's own" category, but I think is still better than any of the afore mentioned cards ...

I haven't included Voltaic Key either, for the same reasons basically, although I think this is really a card that should be in here. I guess I've also partly not included Rings of Brighthearth because I haven't included Voltaic Key either. I would put the Key in before the Rings, but I'm still not sure about the Rings. I think I decided to include Unwinding Clock instead of Voltaic Key, because, even though it's more expensive, it is really really REALLY powerful!!! With Liberator, Urza's Battlethopter and mana rocks, this mimics Prophet of Kruphix, which I think is rightfully banned becuase it's way too powerful for one card...

The Top trick with the Rings is cool, and more card draw is definitely welcome in this deck. This combo ultimately reads, ": Draw a card", but... I guess I've just come to the conclusion that there are already kind of a lot of "doesn't do anything on it's own" cards in here, so I've had to really pick the most powerful ones, and I guess I feel like the Rings just aren't powerful enough even when they do work, as they can only be activated once per ability. Clock of Omens, for example, can untap something a bunch of times, effectively "copying" abilities by just untapping something and activating it again. Also, Sensei's Divining Top + Jhoira's Familiar and Mystic Forge combo to draw the deck out for no mana once assembled, and these two cards are powerful on their own.

I like Wayfarer's Bauble a lot, and still want to include it. I think it is ultimately much better than Wanderer's Twig and Traveler's Amulet, which are both admittedly kind of bad cards.
The only reason I really include these at all is to get an artifact in the graveyard for Emrakrul's mana cost reduction, and to ensure land drops. Notably, multiple cards of one type still only count for , so often times it's redundant anyways. I think the reason I kept the Twig and Amulet in instead of Wayfarer's Bauble, is I kind of see the Bauble as a mana rock that adds but costs, which I do not think is acceptable. The only rock that cost and makes which is included is The Celestus because it also has card draw attached to it, and it can be tutored for with Moonsilver Key, for the card draw.

Even though the Twig and Bauble aren't technically ramp, they do help ensure a land drop every turn, which is think is important. There's already 36 lands in the deck, which is a lot for how many mana rocks are included, but I really want a land drop every turn if I can help it. I've tried to minimize high mana cost cards, even though there's so much mana in here, because it's still possible to get mana screwed if you have just a bunch of expensive cards in hand and not enought mana! Technically there's 38 lands in here currently, but I've put Eye of Ugin and City of Traitors in their own "Special" category, as I consider them to act more like artifacts then lands, as they don't always do what just a land that taps for mana does. They're unreliable for just basic mana, I guess. I'm thinking of putting Temple of the False God in, and I would also include this in the "Special" category for the same reason, being that it can't always be relied upon for mana like a regular land...

The most recent addition has been The Irencrag, which I myself think is funny to fit in over any of these other cards, but the consistency of early ramp is too important. Assuming that mana rocks will continued to be printed, I wonder what the limit to include will be! I actually took out Foundry Inspector to do this, which I don't like doing, and I might try to fit the Inspector in again first. But I think Karn, Legacy Reforged is on the top of the list for inclusions. Even though the mana he makes can't be used to cast Eldrazi, he'll be a huge beater, and will help cast and activate all those expensive artifacts.

My ideas are just what I've found to work playing the deck, and are by no means like, the way the deck should be built though!

Thanks for the comment!!! Very relevant, and totally valid. I will definitely try to fit Voltaic Key in again though, and reconsider Rings of Brighthearth, but actually I'll try Manifold Key first!

I hope that provided some interesting insight into my cards choices...

xenca on Belzenlok, Godo's Ugly Cousin

1 year ago

Hey, I love this deck idea! Today we have another line, but very similar, using Trazyn the Infinite instead of Necrotic Ooze. Argivian Avenger can give him haste for . With Voltaic Construct and Gilded Lotus we have infinite mana. Then Staff of Nin can finish for us with infinite damage in instant speed.

jek22 on Cultivator of the Unnatural (RG Urza)

2 years ago

I like it a lot! I mean I'm going to hate playing against it, but that means it's good lol

If I had to cut cards that I found confusing or didn't fit, I'd go with Eye of Vecna, Blinkmoth Urn, Ratchet Bomb, Elsewhere Flask, Wedding Invitation, Cinder Glade, and Dragon's Rage Channeler.

Mystic Forge seems a little redundant with your commander and clashes with Grafdigger's Cage. Lightning Greaves and Swiftfoot Boots aren't that necessary unless you want protection. Haste would just be for attacking since there are no creatures with activated abilities in the list, and there are only one or two creatures that I think you'd want to attack with.

I know you're looking to cut cards, but I'd recommend Voltaic Construct, put Passionate Archaeologist back in the deck especially since you'd be paying 0 to ping people for 1 or 2 in most cases, and Blood Moon would be funny but it depends on who you play against.

Overall I think it's a great deck, I'm not sure what else you could cut to get you to 100 though.

Steve_MTG on

2 years ago

I am missing Forsaken Monument as well as Mycosynth Lattice and Nevinyrral's Disk

Monument boosting your mana production, as it adds to ANY source tapping for it (which kinda everything in this deck does) and enabling more mana rocks to combo with your Voltaic Construct.

The Lattice is a real gimmick, as anyone even thinking of casting a mass artifact removal would reset the whole board (except your indestructible stuff, which might be your entire board with the Forge), so most won't do it (or get shafted in the next 100+ games in your playgroup).

And the Disk just comboes with Forge/Unwinding for a "board wipe" every turn for anyone but you.

I am also missing a mana-sink for your endless mana combo(s), so how about Myr Matrix? And you could add even more endless mana combos: Basalt Monolith + Rings of Brighthearth ; works pretty well in my own Karn-deck and is not dependant on Karn himself or the mana rock being around for more than the current turn (summoning sickness when turned into a creature).

Scud422 on Dynaheir Activated Abilities

2 years ago

You could also run a couple creatures that let you untap permanents such as: Aphetto Alchemist, Vizier of Tumbling Sands, Nimbleclaw Adept, Kelpie Guide, Voltaic Construct, Synod Artificer, Filigree Sages

Gilbobaggins on Dr. House

2 years ago

My deck Karn's Ballistic Destruction v2 uses the infinity combo of Gilded Lotus, Voltaic Construct, Walking Ballista for the win con. I'd probably swap Damnation, and Ashiok, Dream Render

ganchy on Colors Are For Suckers

2 years ago

McDuckington sweet! You already run Forsaken Monument, one of my favorite infinite mana combos is Forsaken and Basalt Monolith because its so simple. Basalt taps for four, and untaps for three. If you’re open to Rings of Brighthearth things can get even wackier, providing infinite colorless mana with just itself and Basalt. Not to mention all the copying of other valuable activated abilities. :]

Karn, Silver Golem is an incredible combo piece when combined with abilities like Voltaic Construct, allowing you to cheat the price of untap costs on mana rocks by making them into creatures! If you’re feeling evil (you always should) you can play Mycosynth Lattice and kick things up a notch by making your opponents lands into artifacts, which you turn into 0/0 artifact creatures with Karn for just one mana. Combine with infinite mana for infinite fun for the whole family!

Load more
Have (1) reikitavi
Want (0)