Voltron-with-a-Senior-Edificer (Sram Equipment)

Commander / EDH PartyJ

SCORE: 90 | 115 COMMENTS | 19830 VIEWS | IN 34 FOLDERS


A first set of changes after the commander switch —Nov. 9, 2017

Hello dear players,

not too long ago we had a new legendary enter the magic scene, which stirred up mono white voltron quite abit; Balan, Wandering Knight. Many players felt that this commander is the right choice for these kind of decks. Although I do have mixed feelings over what seems to be the better choice, I think there is no real obvious choice. It's a balance between flavour: Card draw vs. sheer Voltron (equipment) power. We all know that card draw is something white is lacking. But this new knight brings immense power and acceleration to your Voltron strategy. I believe it all comes together in the margin; what suits your style of play best...

Ofcource Balan, Wandering Knight deserves a spot in the 99.

Now that I played many games with this new setup, where I twisted and moved cards in and out as games went by. I am pretty confident that todays changes are a thorough result of enough games trying to feel the 'weight' of all the cards..

OUT:

  • Paradox Engine : While it is a great card, I felt that it didn't gave the edge that I was hoping from it in the mayority of the games. For a hefty cmc of 5 I prefer to cast/draw something else mid/endgame most of the time. He is gone for now...

  • Basalt Monolith : Now that the engine is gone, this rock is on the chopping block too. I am a huge fan of accelerated play. But in this build I need fast mana. On turn 2/3 I prefer to cast my first or second equipment. Especially now that I know it will never cantrip again with the engine back in the binder.

  • Land Tax : Although I do this with a nostalgic pain in the heart I felt that it was inevitable. In your opening hand it's a sweet sweet card, but later in the game it does so much less. And it doesnt cantrip with your commander as well. Too many times its just a lost draw, so eventually I had to say goodbye to the man with the bag :s

Adding three cards for a new round of testing: Auriok Steelshaper, Armory Automaton and good old Sun Titan.

Special notice: Gonti's Aether Heart is a card that I added at the end of the testing period. So I didn't have a game yet where I played this. I am curious how you feel about this card in here. Should it stay or go eventually?

PartyJ says... #1

A big update is incoming for this deck.

See the update that will show up on top later this day...

February 26, 2017 4:56 p.m.

Daedalus19876 says... #2

I wish you all the luck in the world with your new commander! He seems powerful, though my flagship Voltron deck can't shift commanders as easily (since I'd lose a whole color).

Since you changed commanders, though, it's time for a new round of suggestions!

I'm not a fan of Diviner's Wand - it seems far too conditional here. Do you have enough mana floating around to pay its draw cost repeatedly? It's expensive to play and equip - do you find the conditional benefit powerful enough? I just don't generally like 3-and-3 equipment that only give a minor and conditional benefit.

Careful with the Sword of Light and Shadow...now that you're playing more auras, it can't be equipped to an enchanted Sram.

Mangara of Corondor seems odd, since he has summoning sickness and can't be used as a surprise. Perhaps Oblation in his place?

You desperately need an Extraplanar Lens here; the card is amazing. Consequently, a shift to Snow-Covered Plains might benefit you, though generally I don't bother because it's such a corner case.

I don't like Terminus in general, even though you have Scroll Rack to set it up as your draw. When not cast for the Miracle cost I find it disappointing.

The deck could use Hyena Umbra and Gift of Immortality now that your commander makes them cantrip. Possibly a Heliod's Pilgrim too. Depending on how it works out, Helm of the Gods could be handy too.

Hope that's helpful! :)

February 26, 2017 6:12 p.m.

PartyJ says... #3

Thansk for the solid advise Daedalus19876.

Diviner's Wand is an equipment I had in mind because the carddraw should be more consistent with Sram. Giving it +2 +2 in several turns seems reasonable, knowing that all other equipemnt is here already, or just not good enough. Lategame the 4 mana for a card can act as a manasink. But I have to agree that it's on the chopping block already.... perhaps even sooner than anticipated.

Sword of Light and Shadow is indeed abit tricky now. But I do not plan to add lots of auras, as I prefer to stick mainly with equipment.

Mangara of Corondor is mainly in since it hits everyhing and acts as a decoy. Lategame it can make the difference when something tough gets cast. And it can be tutored when I seriously need it. Oblation has just 1 out and the carddraw it gives away is something I do not enjoy at all.

Extraplanar Lens is a card I should try when I update this soon again. I played it in the past, but went out of sight. Nice catch. But I do need the snow-covered plains. Too many white in my meta. I won't be playing santa for sure!

Terminus is just something that fits me. I had great results with it. Which reminds me that I should add another personal staple; Sensei's Divining Top. Perfect in here now!

I have doubts about the other aura's, as I stil prefer the equipemnt support in here. If an aura should be added, it should bring something really powerfull to the board, which helps getting to the 21 damage asap.

February 27, 2017 8:24 p.m.

PartyJ says... #4

The recent big update received a minor update:

Diviner's Wand - - - > Extraplanar Lens (thanks to Daedalus19876 for reminding me to try this again)

Emeria Shepherd - - > Alhammarret's Archive (I saw this interesting card, which has good synergy with Sram)

Looking forward to a new round of playtesting.

February 28, 2017 5:48 p.m.

PartyJ says... #5

Another big update incoming. It's something that is part of my plan to try something out of the ordinary with white: a storm win!

I wil explain this playtest using the card changes:

OUT:

IN:

As you can see, this first update - a new alternate gameplan - might need some more improvements while we start testing. If you have any suggestions, knowing that I want to keep it voltron, but with a storm twist. Then let me know!

March 5, 2017 7:05 p.m.

SFCD says... #6

I love this deck.Just wanted to put that out there.I'll offer something more constructive soon.

March 9, 2017 4:17 p.m.

Triton says... #7

Have you ever considered Open the Vaults? Just in case an artifact boardwipe is cast, you can get all your equipment back. There's also Second Sunrise and I remember a few others that do similar things. Hope this helps!

March 10, 2017 12:19 p.m.

SFCD says... #8

Really like this list. Unlike the other Sram lists I've seen, this can just be a basic Voltron deck with the potential to go infinite with Reservoir.How often have you lived the dream with Paradox/Sram/Reservoir/draw and play your whole deck?List seems tight. I am not saying these suggestions should be taken too seriously but these are just my thoughts:-33 lands enough? Also, why not run Ancient Den to help with Opal?-Thalia's Lancers seems a little weak. I guess it's good to get Sly Fox?-Gearhulk: I feel that you'd be nuking your own equipment pretty hard.-I feel like Shakiri and Abunis are just auto-includes that never seem to do anything for me.Again, just thoughts, not criticisms. I really like this list.:)

March 11, 2017 7:45 p.m.

MegaMatt13 says... #9

Love this deck. It helped inspire my own: Sram's Workshop

A few suggestions on cards that are working great for me:

Armory Automaton: Cheating equip costs is busted in this deck. He gets massive very quickly with the added bonus of equipping opponents' stuff they may have out.

Sword of Kaldra: Even if you don't run any of the other "kaldra" equipment, the sword is great. Huge voltron buff that can exile blockers.

Smuggler's Copter: Since being banned in Standard, this card's price has tanked. It's incredibly efficient card draw that will draw you a card upon entering the battlefield and then filter cards as it attacks.

I agree with the previous commenter about Cataclysmic Gearhulk. I think with this deck you would just be blowing up a ton of your equipment.

March 13, 2017 8:56 p.m.

musicman3310 says... #10

March 17, 2017 8:11 a.m.

recalde says... #11

Thank you PartyJ, love the build and got a lot of ideas from it, but now I'm up to 106 cards, want to help me decide what to get rid of? Sram Equipment & Aura

March 17, 2017 1:57 p.m.

PartyJ says... #12

It was time for yet another pretty big update after many runs I had with this build.

I have reviewed all suggestions since then, if you need explanation of how I came to my choices, then please speak up in here.

I am happy to answer your questions. I believe this is a pretty tuned Voltron deck for Sram.

One card that I still have on my wishlist: Mishra's Workshop

July 2, 2017 2:27 p.m.

Gleeock says... #13

Well, for my 2 cents (I'm not the master judge of all things Sram, but I have solidly won a few games with mine):1. You have a SOLID amount of voltron support/draw trigger (& not just ineffectual garbage), Kudos! In my experience Sram requires some dedication to his ability to be truly effective, I've won the most games when my deck includes 30 (or greater), trigger cards in the deck - a good amount of which should be relatively effectual & not just garbage.2. While some of the Kaldra equipment is CMC costly, I've found the REDUNDANCY of their particular abilities to be a boon personally.3. Of your cards Conviction is the one I like the least, it always seems to be good in theory...but whenever I tried to play it I had enough card draw already in effect (usually at the price of 3 cmc) that there was no reason to cast a (3cmc) repeating card draw engine with the ineffective +1/3 ability... IN PRACTICE I always draw in to way better voltron options for a similar CMC & was never wanting for more recurring draw engine.4. Flat out Strata Scythe-like effects really hammered my opponents. The underwhelming looking Empyrial Armor, & Armored Ascension are generally ridiculous commander dmg engines.5. You went for more "destroy all creatures" spells than me which is fine. I have had good results with Divine Reckoning or Cataclysm & MLD -- Probably more of a meta-specific choice; my opponents rarely have a SINGLE keep on the board more threatening than Sram; & are so often swinging 3+ colors that MLD bottlenecks them much worse6. My own Sram deck undergoes many unrecorded changes so if you have any suggestions feel free to post, there's a good chance I already tried something that I just haven't updated on there yet :)

September 7, 2017 5:26 p.m.

Stefouch says... #14

I really like your take on this deck! Way more equipment pieces than my own Sram. You gave me ideas to reforge my list!!

Few questions:

September 8, 2017 3:47 a.m.

PartyJ says... #15

Hi Gleeock. Thanks for your indepth comment. I had the exact same feeling the last 2 games when I had Conviction in my hand. So this card is surely on the chopping block. The other options I will review for my next update. Thanks! I will be at your deck soon too...

Hey Stefouch. Darksteel Axe is surely on the bottom of the list when it comes to effective equipment. After many games I felt that the amount of equipment/auras feels pretty well tuned. So this card, along with a few others like the one above, now function as a placeholder for when new equipment has been spoiled.

Paradox Engine untaps 10 targets. But with so much carddraw going on, I usually get a few out during a game. Only ones I had the engine on the board yet and that time it was bonkers, as I made a streak of casting 6 cards in a turn. Preferably I should even add a few extra rocks to get the most out of it. You got any suggestions regarding this?

Myth Realized : This is a short story. Usually we have games here with 4 or 5 players involved. Since Voltron is pretty lacking in multiplayer, I needed some sort of backup plan to last longer. Because doing the 21 damage to one player is pretty easy. But doing this 4 times to grab the win is a whole other story. When my playgroup sees me with this deck, they figured by now that I am dangerous if not dealt with after I whack the first player. And as a result they start gangraping me as soon as things turn dire for them. If you commander does not have vigilance, they overrun me... if they manage to tap my commander, they overrun me... But this is where Myth Realized can help me alot. Because its an enchantment, its harder to deal with. And when I need him as creature I can instantly 'activate' him. Because I am casting and drawing many spells, the counters on this enchantment fly high, which will deter most players of attacking me, since I can potentially have a huge critter to defend. So it's more of a big wall. In one game I was facing the last 2 opponents. I attacked one for the 21 commander damage and the other got a 19/19 critter on his roof simultaneously, which I gave some protection with equipment too. Solid win as you can imagine.... so in the end. It does not synergize at all.... but the first experiences did gave me more survivability in a multiplayer game..... ofcource if you are lucky enough to find it.

Alhammarret's Archive : I share your opinion after a few games with it. It's on the chopping block as of now.

I will be reviewing yor deck too. Thanks for your thoughts!

September 8, 2017 8:43 a.m.

Gleeock says... #16

Yeah, Alhammarret's Archive is good (I'm not completely knocking it), but most games tended to be just a bit slow -- a dead drop for a turn. EVEN in Sisay I was usually finding better, "stormier" options :)

I've started dabbling with Gonti's Aether Heart of all things as my dead drop turn item. Seems so non-synergistic but one HUGE shutdown for me with Sram was things like recurring fog-frog with Meren for "prevent all dmg this turn". The extra turn from Gonti's was either 2 players simultaneously getting wiped out or getting around "prevent all dmg" recursion. I'm not sure if I like the heart better or Ugin's Nexus - Nexus is cool as a preventative measure & making players think twice about wiping artifacts... But I think I like the higher control of 2x turn on the heart.

September 8, 2017 8:57 a.m.

PartyJ says... #17

September 8, 2017 9:34 a.m.

mastermew says... #18

September 8, 2017 4:52 p.m.

MegaMatt13 says... #19

Hi, just saw your message on my wall :)

Yes, I have the deck in paper form and play it a lot. It's very effective. The main difference between our decks is that you have fast mana cards that are banned in my playgroup (Sol ring, mana crypt, etc.) if they weren't banned in my group I would totally play them.

My main suggestion to you would be to increase slightly the number of Sram triggers you have to keep the card draw engine humming. Trailblazer's Boots and Unquestioned Authority are two cards I find very helpful for getting damage through. I would also add some of the 0 cost equipment. These are great at powering through the deck, making it more consistent.

In terms of cuts: perhaps Mind Stone, Thought Vessel, and Fellwar Stone. Great rocks in most decks. Sram is so low to the ground they really aren't necessary.

Also I recently cut Argentum Armor. Very powerful but so mana intensive for this fast deck.

Hope this helps!

September 9, 2017 10:05 p.m.

Gleeock says... #20

I think the Armored Ascension substitution was a good one. Sram is pretty short on flight enabling & that plains bonus does get beefy quickly. Just keep in mind with Conqueror's Flail that recurrent damage prevention ABILITIES can still screw you over in a big way **Shakes fist at: Meren of Clan Nel Toth + Spore Frog

September 9, 2017 10:38 p.m.

Gleeock says... #21

I forgot to recommend: Scorched Ruins, That 4 colorless ramp gets ridiculous with Sram fast.

September 9, 2017 10:44 p.m.

As requested, Throwing my 2 cents in for your build.

Short version: Having 30 equipments feels like it's too dense when you have so few actual creatures, for support or otherwise. If anyone manages to remove/kill Sram more than 3 times, you're probably dead in the water. You have enough ramp to potentially get there, but if Sram isn't on the field, you're probably getting killed within a few turns as their recovery potential should be greater than yours without one of the major 3+ mana producing artifacts.

Long version:

Cultivator's Caravan - To be honest, I feel this should just be a land. It's ramp that you have to pay mana to play, when it's crew ability is for worst case scenario and you have to equip it at an inefficient rate. This should at the very least be Pearl Medallion for cost reduction.

Myth Realized - The successive equip cost makes this prohibitive in my mind. having to continually reequip this after board wipes and such is possible, but it's investment of casting spells/equipments, activating the enchantment to be a monk, equipping, etc. seems highly inefficient when your mana ratio is as thin as it is.

Opal Palace - I don't believe that you'll have the mana necessary to use the 2nd ability and equip with protection with the limited mana base you have.

Darksteel Axe - Indestructible is great, cheap cost is great too, but it's not an effective deterrent. Basilisk Collar seems a better option, and would improve your longevity vs attacks against you when you don't have much in the way of attackers/blockers.

Empyrial Plate - I understand that you will be drawing with Sram, but with your low cmc average, shouldn't it be relatively easy to drop more equipments quickly?

Strata Scythe - I feel like exiling a plains when your mana base is already so thin is dangerous and unreliable. If there were more plains to pull it would be more consistent.

September 18, 2017 7:36 p.m.

Gleeock says... #23

Mana base is a little thin, but he does have 14 ramp options. The bottom 2 have a ridiculous value in my Scram deck so I wouldn't recommend removing them, but that deck does have a 38ish land base. Keep in mind that more draw but more ineffective, cheap equips are also useless if you just draw them for the sake of drawing. (filling up the 99 with ineffective junk for 1-2 less cmc does not make your turns more impactful). I've played against the Sram decks (with the junk 0cmc crap) with my own Sram deck & I have a pretty good win ratio. If you are talking about 1v1 then yes, Sram can be taxed out easier...

  • but I've rarely played a game where:
  • a) Sram isn't protected
  • b) Sram is the ONLY fish to fry with repeated removal
  • c) Voltron spearhead doesn't need much more than a few creatures (entire deck). I kill players off/have sram so protected; if Sram is locked out earlier kudos to whoever does it, but it is more rare than you would think.

  • I don't completely disagree with the top 1/2 of your list, I personally don't agree that the deck requires more creature density or less equipment though

September 18, 2017 8:05 p.m.

MegaMatt13 says... #24

Gleeock, what you say about 0 mana equipment is interesting. The way I see it is they read with Sram "draw a card for 0 mana". I would play a spell that says that any day. I run 5 of them in my deck, essentially making the deck 94 instead of 99 cards. I get that it isnt hugely impactful but increasing deck consistency by effectively shrinking deck size does help. I get where you are coming from though

September 18, 2017 9:39 p.m.

Gleeock says... #25

  • It's a balancing act for sure, I've seen games where people aim for SO MUCH draw that they are pinning on sweeping through their decks & hope to find a tutor for that impact equipment (it works sometimes), but often they just keep finding more +0/+3 vigilance junk (that still has an equip cost). Seems to me that it is just a different philosophy, but from personal experience with both forms of Sram deck I've personally had better luck with low/mid cmc high impact cards throughout my deck I may get only 1-2 additional draws (accounting for lands ending that storm) but it is off of a much stronger play on average.

  • Also, impact equipment serves me well in those "Sramhate" situations you talk about, if he is removed, I still have useful setup plays for dead turns (blow that mana on a spendier equipment). Someone humbles, overwhelming splendors, Darksteel Mutation Sram?? Take away his ability I'm not concerned if the equipment are not COMPLETELY reliant on his ability to be decent.

September 18, 2017 10:13 p.m.