Research Thief

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Legality

Format Legality
1v1 Commander Legal
Archenemy Legal
Canadian Highlander Legal
Casual Legal
Commander / EDH Legal
Commander: Rule 0 Legal
Custom Legal
Duel Commander Legal
Highlander Legal
Legacy Legal
Leviathan Legal
Limited Legal
Oathbreaker Legal
Planar Constructed Legal
Planechase Legal
Quest Magic Legal
Vanguard Legal
Vintage Legal

Research Thief

Artifact Creature — Moonfolk Wizard

Flash

Flying

Whenever an artifact creature you control deals combat damage to a player, draw a card.

dnthymamai on tivit of blinkets

6 months ago

Nice artifact deck!

I would suggest you think about some of these cards:


  • Super winning condition: Masterful Replication! Its second mode can turn all your artifacts (pesky 1/1 fliers and artifact lands included) into your best creature. That can be a Construct that Urza makes (or Bronze Guardian, etc). This way all of your "useless" artifacts can turn into death machines of extreme power or double strike. Plus, you can also save your whole board when the enemy casts Wrath of God by turning every one of your creatures into a Darksteel Citadel if you are lucky to have it on board.

Maccano1 on Urza's Artifact Buddies

1 year ago

2ND ROUND OF CHANGES:

REMOVED: Temple of Deceit, Temple of Enlightenment, Temple of Silence, Tempered Steel, Liquimetal Torque, Scholar of New Horizons, Thopter Shop, Sphinx's Revelation, Bident of Thassa, Alela, Artful Provocateur, Etched Champion, Armix, Filigree Thrasher, Myr Battlesphere, Filigree Attendant, Vedalken Humiliator, Tawnos, Solemn Survivor, Losheel, Clockwork Scholar, Marionette Master, Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Ethersworn Adjudicator, Indomitable Archangel

ADDED: Glimmervoid, Power Depot, Forsaken Monument, Mind Stone, Darksteel Ingot, Hedron Archive, Dance of the Mance, Thoughtcast, Thirst for Knowledge, Master Transmuter, Lodestone Golem, Research Thief, Treasure Keeper, Mycosynth Golem, Myr Retriever, Sculpting Steel, Mechtitan Core, Mystic Forge, Dispeller's Capsule, Dispatch, Burnished Hart

COMMENTS: Deck feels powerful, but one dimensional in that it's just trying to pump out big dumb creatures asap; kinda cool. I've played 3-4 times with the current iteration and I'm looking to speed the deck up a little bit; lands coming in tapped, not quite enough draw, and too many non-artifact creatures being the two major areas of focus. I've actually reduced the amount of creatures with this round of changes so I need to check that this is OK.

Lands probably need more work, still too many tapped lands by far. Scholar of New horisons is fine, just doesn't fit in the deck, same with Tawnos (who likely needs his own deck, but I have done a few cool things with him). Tempered Steel, Indomitably Archangel and Ethersworn Adjudicator were hard cuts. But I've added removal, ramp in so I want to see if that's better. Tempered Steel with the thopters was particularly good and may get added in.

multimedia on Urza's Legacy

1 year ago

Hey, some interesting card choices for upgrades to the precon. I can tell your deck is based on the precon because I see Darksteel Juggernaut.

A kink here to work on is the avg. CMC. The mana curve is very high at 4.3 not including Organic Extinction and Mycosynth Golem. The precon mana curve is already high at 3.5 not including Thought Monitor. A higher mana curve would be fine if supported with lots more low mana cost ramp, but you cut most of the low mana cost ramp (Signets, Liquimetal, Vessel) from the precon. There's only 6 ramp sources here 3 CMC or less which is low.

You could have a difficult time casting Urza using artifact creature affinity with only 7 artifact creatures 3 CMC or less. You really can't count on Urza's artifact affinity to first cast him and having not many ramp sources, ramp can't be counted on either. Master Transmuter is a great upgrade, she helps a lot when playing a lower amount of ramp. To improve the mana curve which will help gameplay consider choosing a few of the better high mana cost cards and cutting the others? Most 4 drops here are much better than the 5-7+ drops and that's good for the mana curve.

Research Thief, The Mightstone and Weakstone  Meld, Blightsteel Colossus, Mycosynth Golem, Thopter Assembly, Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge, Organic Extinction, Darksteel Forge, Mycosynth Lattice, Kuldotha Forgemaster, Cyberdrive Awakener these are the better 5-7 CMC cards here. The others could be cut to lower the mana curve because they're simply not as good as these.

  • Thief, it's repeatable draw effect is good when you want to be attacking with Constructs.
  • Weakstone because you have Urza, Lord Protector  Meld.
  • Blightsteel, best secondary attacker and because you have Master Transmuter.
  • Golem because Urza is a consistent way to create artifacts.
  • Assembly because you have Time Sieve.
  • Tezzeret because of Constructs.
  • Extinction because of Constructs.
  • Forge, best protection for all artifacts and because you have Lattice, Transmuter and Padeem.
  • Awakener flying for Constructs.

Some upgrades at your price point to consider:

Good luck with your deck.

multimedia on Urza upgrade

1 year ago

Hey, some nice upgrades to the precon so far. Good additions of wincon combos: Sword + Foundry + Altar and Urza, PoK + Altar + Battlesphere.

Consider cutting a few of the lesser unnecessary higher mana cost creatures for some more draw? Constructs have an easy time if they can attack at doing combat damage to an opponent thanks to menace from Urza. If you can draw a card each time a Construct does combat damage to an opponent then you're getting great value from Constructs and a good reason to want to attack. Bident of Thassa is in the precon and it's repeatable draw with Constructs. Research Thief is more repeatable draw with Constructs that's also a flying artifact creature. More repeatable draw from Constructs can help to draw combo pieces.

Skullclamp is in the precon and it's excellent with Sword + Foundry combo since it creates 1/1 Thopters that can then each be saced for 1 mana to draw two cards. Because Urza's artifact creature affinity can pay for his Commander tax then Skullclamp with Urza is another way for repeatable draw.

Grim Hireling doesn't draw with Constructs it makes ramp, treasures which can help with Revel in Riches since the only reliable source of treasures here is Tithe. Hireling's effect is like Thopter Spy Network where you can trigger it more than once if you have creatures do combat damage to more than one opponent.


When deciding to add a card, it can help deck building and the mana curve to cut a card that's more mana cost. Wire Surgeons is a lesser 6 drop here than the rest and it's effect is only artifact creature not artifact. Having to pay the mana cost of an artifact creature in your graveyard to then exile that artifact is not good. Sharuum the Hegemon another 6 drop here who reanimates an artifact which is much better than what Surgeons does. Marionette Master can be a wincon with combos: Sword + Foundry + Altar and Urza, PoK + Altar + Battlesphere, but this is adding a fourth card, 6 drop, to the combos which is a lot and is really not needed because these combos create infinite artifact tokens which gives Constructs infinite power/toughness.

If you want to combo with Sword + Foundry then you can't control any effect that increases p/t of artifact creatures. Thankfully, Foundry can sac any nontoken artifact, before you want to combo with Sword + Foundry sac the artifact anthem effect. This makes anthem effects that increase p/t that are artifacts better than anthem nonartifact cards. Urza, Prince of Kroog is the exception since it's part of another combo. Since playing Sword + Foundry consider cutting Tempered Steel?

You want to avoid artifact exile effects as much as possible because you have no way of getting back a card in exile. Playing some more Counterspells is a mana efficent way to counter opponent exile effects. Urza's Ruinous Blast hurts you too much since it exiles all Constructs and all combo pieces here except Urza, Prince of Kroog. All the 4 drops here have effects either when ETB or repeatable except Filigree Attendant doesn't, making it a much lesser card that could be cut?

Steel Seraph is a reasonable priced upgrade for Hexavus. Seraph can be cast with prototype for 3 mana giving you a 3/3 artifact creature flier to help artifact creature affinity for Urza and it can on your turn at combat give a creature you control flying including Urza. Wonder is another better option then Hexavus for flying, Unctus, Grand Metatect or Armix, Filigree Thrasher can discard it while in combat. Discard Wonder when you have to discard down to 7 card hand size because you drew so many cards.

Good luck with your deck.

multimedia on Urza, Chief Artificer 2023 Upgraded Precon for LGS

1 year ago

Hey, well done so far on a budget casual upgrading the precon.

If attacking with Constructs is what you want to be doing then here's some budget upgrades to consider:

When you can draw cards from Constructs doing combat damage to opponents thanks to menace from Urza then you're getting much value from Constructs. Bident of Thassa is in the precon. Vault of the Archangel is tech from a land, menace with deathtouch is a nasty combination because opponents are not going to block Constructs and lose all their creatures. Just having Vault untapped with enough mana to activate it is enough to make your Constructs essentially unblockable. You can also gain a ton of life with Constructs.

Some other budget upgrades to consider:

Good luck with your deck.

multimedia on Urza's Engines of Armageddon

1 year ago

Hey, +1 for the deck name! I really like the concept of using Vehicles to crew each other to help to pay for Urza's artifact creature affinity. One creature who can crew a single Vehicle can create a chain that essentially bypasses having to pay for Urza's Commander tax.

You have 10 playable Vehicles here, that's not many if you want a Vehicle strategy. Consider more Vehicles and interactions with Vehicles?

Anchor to Reality is a Vehicle Tinker.

Imposter Mech and Weatherlight are more Vehicles with good effects. Weatherlight can repeatedly look at the top five cards of your library and put any one artifact or legendary card into your hand. The better creatures here who have Vehicle interactions are legendary and Artifact lands are historic. Imposter can become any creature an opponent controls, but it's still an artifact/Vehicle. That's really good with Master Transmuter, who can change what creature Imposer becomes.

Another reason to add more Vehicles is Greasefang, Okiba Boss, Esper, Vehicles and Greasefang go together nicely. Tezzeret, Betrayer of Flesh is an underrated Planeswalker with Vehicles and Greasefang, in fact all of his abilities are good here especially -6 emblem with crew. A Vehicle crew chain can draw a ton of cards if you have his emblem.

Crew is an activated ability thus if it's the first artifact activated ability you use on a player's turn it's 2 less to crew. His +1 is Thirst for Knowledge, draw and discard before combat for Greasefang. -2 effect doesn't end until that Vehicle leaves the battlefield which can really turn any noncreature artifact you control into a 4/4 Vehicle.

Research Thief and Bident of Thassa are consistent repeatable draw effects because of Constructs as well as with Vehicles who will most likely have just as easy time then a Construct at doing combat damage to a player. Losheel, Clockwork Scholar is nice with Constructs for combat damage + repeatable draw.

Only seven ramp sources is low amount, consider more ramp? Ornithopter of Paradise without help is not a crewer, but it's good ramp for Urza which is just as important. Liquimetal Torque, if it's not making mana it can make Urza an artifact giving him menace to have an easier time attacking and doing Commander damage. Sculpting Steel can be a mana rock or any other artifact on the battlefield. It's another Metamorph effect which is excellent in multiplayer Commander. Aerial Surveyor is a Vehicle for ramp, but it can only get basic Plains which is still fine.

Cranial Plating is powerful with artifacts and it can be used with 0 power artifacts to make them crewers or attackers.

Good luck with your deck.

multimedia on Urza, CEO of Machines

1 year ago

Hey, good upgrades to the precon, what you've done so far.

How do you want to win? Determining the main strategy you want to play can help to keep good cards for that strategy and cut unnecessary cards. If you're wanting to keep precon level budget then doing combat damage with Constructs and Commander damage with Urza are directions to consider. Research Thief and Bident of Thassa are excellent budget cards if you want to be attacking with Constructs. Making Urza an artifact makes him a reliable source of Commander damage, but this means including effects to make Urza an artifact.

You have Urza, Lord High Artificer, he's a combo wincon, but to use him as a wincon you'll want to add other cards and more ways to assemble the combo. Drawing cards from Constructs doing combat damage to opponents is a good alternative to playing expensive price tutors to get combo pieces in your hand.

You have Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge, you don't really need Mycosynth Golem especially not for it's price tag. You don't need this Tezzeret either, but if you have it might as well play it. The first cuts to consider are lands since 41 lands is a lot when the strategy here are artifacts. Consider cutting 6 lands? Lands that always ETB tapped and are worse then others that also do this. If you feel you need more mana then add mana sources (rocks, dorks) not lands.

The Bounce lands and Scry lands are worse always ETB tapped lands then Tri lands, Bridges, etc.


Some advice for more cuts is choose the top 20 creatures here, top 10 artifacts and top 10 other nonland cards. By choosing the best cards then you can cut a huge chunk away of lesser cards.

Creatures:

Artifacts:

Others:

For upgrading it's easier to get an established list that's not 99 cards then have a list that's way over 99 cards. Really any 0-3 drop artifact creature who can make some value to take advantage of Urza artifact creature affinity or any 0-2 drop mana rock for more ramp can fill unfilled deck spots.

Good luck with your deck.

multimedia on Urza Artifacts

1 year ago

Hey, good upgrades to the precon so far.

To help with Blightsteel, other high mana cost artifacts, how about adding Master Transmuter replacing Filigree Attendant? Transmuter can cheat Colossus onto the battlefield during an opponent's turn, pseudo flash. Transmuter doesn't target that way you can put the same artifact you bounced right back onto the battlefield, interact with any artifact that has ETB ability such as Mightstone.

Because you have Blightsteel you could cut Darksteel since it's much worse, not really needed, for Spellskite to protect? Especially to protect Urza + Mightstone to meld and Spellskite becomes much better when playing Teshar. Counterspell is more prevention of opponent artifact board wipe, it can do more here than Wreck Hunter who doesn't trigger for any token that dies because a token is not considered a card.

Research Thief can provide a lot more support, repeatable draw with Constructs, much more then Darksteel Juggernaut. Phyrexian Metamorph and Sculpting Steel are powerful artifacts in multiplayer Commander because they can become something an opponent controls or something you control. They are also excellent with Transmuter to change what they are. This artifact versitialy is better than Etched Champion and Chief of the Foundry.

Good luck with your deck.

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