I. Introduction
Overview
Metalworks is an engine built to present multiple resilient Metalwork Colossi while simultaneously executing a beat-down plan and assembling a variety of game winning combos. The deck often produces 20+ power on turn 3, alpha strikes on turn 4, and threatens a combo kill in the second main. Presenting multiple strategies makes this deck difficult to answer, and the forward-moving nature of this deck gives a certain inevitability. Lastly, the deck has combos which are able to execute through side-boarded hate strategies.
II. Card Explanations
The Beater
Metalwork Colossus x4
This is our first game plan. The goal is to cast some number of these on turn 3 by committing 11+ total CMC of artifacts to the board. Our lands (specified later) help us find multiple copies, and the ability to return Colossus from the graveyard to our hand gives this card staying power. Many of our lines involve sacrificing 1 Metalwork Colossus + 1 Cantrip Artifact to buy back a Metalwork Colossus that is already in our graveyard. This position is the bread and butter of our deck: it allows the deck to protect Colossus from exile/terminus by always having a sac outlet in our graveyard, and is a strategy to give Colossus pseudo-vigilance. I will go into more details when I discuss play patterns.
The Engine
Semblance Anvil x4
This card is at the center of our explosive starts. It alleviates our need to spend mana when committing artifacts to the board, and it allows us to instead use mana to begin loops and tutor for cards. It also enables us to chain multiple free (2 mana) cantrips and play out our colossi on turn 3. Having Semblance Anvil in play, with an artifact imprinted, contributes 5 mana reduction to Colossus.
Cloud Key x4
This is the sidekick of Semblance Anvil. While not as powerful as the Anvil, copies 5-8 of a mana-reducer contributes heavily to the stability of this deck. Cloud Key shines in matches of attrition where leading on an Anvil will likely get you 2-for-1'd. It is yet another spell that must be countered, and it allows us to accelerate our ability to commit devotion to our Colossi; a Cloud Key in play contributes 4 mana reduction to Colossus.
Enablers/Combo Pieces
Scrap Trawler x2
This is the keystone that allows our deck to go infinite. We can tutor for this off of Sanctum of Ugin or Inventors’ Fair. Anytime an artifact hits the graveyard, we are able to return an artifact with lesser CMC from our graveyard to hand. If we sacrifice a 2cmc egg, we get back Conjurer’s Bauble, a Cloud Key/Anvil gets back any egg, and a Colossus gets back any other artifact.
Grinding Station x2
This is one of our win conditions where we can mill our opponent, and it also lets us self mill and search for a Metalwork Colossus. In the case that we mill both Scrap Trawlers, we are able to put them back in the deck using Conjurer’s Bauble.
Mortarpod x1
My favorite win condition. Executing a Colossus Loop with a Scrap Trawler in play allows us to deal infinite damage with our germ. The best part of this card is that the germ has the ability to sacrifice for damage, so we can use this through Collector Ouphe or Stony Silence.
Arcbound Ravager x1
This is our tutorable sac outlet. It’s rarely better than Grinding Station, but many turn 3 combo kills involve grabbing this card from a Sanctum of Ugin trigger. The artifact count is generally more important than Arcbound Ravager being large, so sacrificing cards to pump the ravager is rarely worth it.
Eggs
Ichor Wellspring x4
All hail Ichor Wellspring. This gives us two devotion to colossus, draws us a card when it enters, and draws us a card when we sacrifice it to buyback a Metalwork Colossus from the graveyard.
Alchemist's Vial x4
This is the sleeper cantrip in this deck. We get two devotion to Metalwork Colossus, draw a card, and have a useful ability in combat. It often takes only the threat of preventing blockers to allow us to stabilize against a developed opposing board. The threat can be leveraged to allow our Colossus attacks to chip away at creature counts until they get through.
Elsewhere Flask x4
Two devotion to Metalwork Colossus, draw a card, and occasionally use it to generate green/red through a Blood Moon or to get our second color for Firespout. Lastly, it can sacrifice itself to buy back Conjurer’s Bauble while a Scrap Trawler is in play.
Mind Stone x4
This is simply the best mana rock for this deck. It helps accelerate our mana in early turns and cantrips when our need for mana has dwindled. This is a useful piece for speeding up the deck to the occasional turn 3 win, however this is one of my first cards to cut in post-sideboard games.
Conjurer’s Bauble x3
This protects us self milling all of our Scrap Trawlers. We are also able to protect ourselves from surgical extraction. Lastly, this is our 1 CMC target for Scrap Trawler triggers while looping.
Card Selection
Ancient Stirrings x4
This is our only one drop in the mainboard. While it's not technically a tutor, I think anybody reading this primer knows of the power of Ancient Stirrings in Modern. Very rarely do you not find one of the pieces that you are explicitly looking for, and it is a stabilizing force for consistency in any artifact based deck. Early on it can dig for your turn three Anvil, get your second land, or find the Colossus that you need to get things going. This is the primary reason the deck slants toward green.
Inventors' Fair x2
Inventors’ Fair generally gains a couple points of life over the course of a game, but we run it because it tutors for nearly any card in the deck. It most frequently tutors for a 0 mana Metalwork Colossus.
Sanctum of Ugin x4
This is my favorite land in the deck. It turns any free Metalwork Colossus into multiple free Metalwork Colossus. It is also able to tutor up our 1-of Scrap Trawler when the opponent has their shields down and assemble an infinite loop to win on the spot.
Other Lands
Forest x5
We need to be able to cast Ancient Stirrings early when we have it, and there are enough copies of Field of Ruin and Assassin’s Trophy that I wouldn't feel comfortable running any fewer than 4 basics. I recommend getting pretty ones.
Grove of the Burnwillows x4
Having a painless mana base is important due to our weakness to aggressive decks. This gives us color fixing for Firespout from the sideboard and additional green sources for Ancient Stirrings. Also, it’s sneaky good against Shadow.
Phyrexia's Core x3
This is our initial sacrifice outlet. This is used to protect a Metalwork Colossus from being exiled or bottomed by Terminus. This can convert an Ichor Wellspring into another card if the deck needs to dig. Lastly, it can kick off a Colossus loop when trying to combo.
Blast Zone x2
The simple mana requirements allow us to play utility lands like this. This is good against Ashiok/Narset, as well as other potential hate pieces. Don’t rely on this against aggro decks.
III. Tricks
Colossus Looping
Metalwork Colossus has the ability to sacrifice two artifacts to return it from your graveyard to your hand. One of the most fundamental moves in this deck is trading a Metalwork Colossus in play with a Metalwork Colossus in the graveyard. By sacrificing a Colossus and a cantrip to this ability, you are able to re-buy a Colossus from your graveyard at the cost of a free cantrip artifact. This technique allows us to create both mana and card advantage as our opponents expend resources on our free rebuilding.
Trawler Loops
Two Colossus Loop
For this loop you need to have enough artifacts for a free colossus, mana reduction of 2, Scrap Trawler, and a colossus in the graveyard and in play.
Activate Metalwork Colossus in the graveyard by sacrificing Metalwork Colossus + Alchemist’s Vial (or any artifact). You have two triggers from Scrap Trawler. This re-buys Metalwork
Colossus + Alchemist’s Vial (or any artifact in your graveyard).
Executing this with an Egg allows us to draw an arbitrary number of cards. Executing this with Mortarpod does arbitrary damage. Arbitrary mana rarely matters in this deck, however you can do this with Mind Stone.
Bonus, you can rebuy a Conjurer’s Bauble off of a 2CMC card if available. Execute this loop with 3 mana reduction by sacrificing Metalwork Colossus + Scrap Trawler to play around removal on Scrap Trawler.
One Colossus Loop
For this loop you need to have enough artifacts/reduction for a free colossus, recurrable sac outlet, Scrap Trawler, Metalwork Colossus, 2 mana reduction, Conjurer’s Bauble and any other artifact.
Activate Metalwork Colossus from the Graveyard by sacrificing Alchemist’s Vial and Conjurer’s Bauble. You will get a Trawler trigger from Alchemist’s Vial. Use this to buy back the Conjurer’s Bauble. Cast the Metalwork Colossus. Sacrifice Metalwork Colossus to the sac outlet. This gives a Trawler trigger to re-buy the Alchemist’s Vial. Play the vial to draw. This is repeatable. Eventually you will find additional colossi to loop more easily, or repeat with Grinding Station or Mortarpod for a win. If the sac outlet is grinding station, self mill to dig more quickly for pieces.
