This is a Budget Modern Mono Black fabricate deck that includes the Animation Module + Syndicate Trafficker synergy along with using the Decoction Module and Ever After as poor man flicker effects.
It also Uses Gonti, Lord of Luxury for fun times in casual multiplayer. The main goal of the deck is to drain away it's opponent's life totals. It does this via generating a swarm of servos and clues and then when they die or get sacrificed using multiple card triggers that drain the life of your enemies away.
The main source for this is, of course, the Marionette Master. Whenever one of your artifacts is put into the graveyard you get to drain an opponent for an amount equal to the Marionette Master's power. And the card brings servos into play with itself if it needs to.
Then nestled in the deck is a small servo production engine using the Animation Module in conjunction with the Syndicate Trafficker. The way they work is you sacrifice an artifact to the trafficker's activated ability. This puts a +1/+1 counter on it. This then triggers your Animation Module letting you spend to put a 1/1 servo artifact token into play. You can then repeat the cycle until you run out of mana. All this can be done as a fast effect at any time you could play an instant. And every time you sacrifice an artifact to the trafficker you also trigger any of your Marionette Masters that you may have in play.
Then the rest of the deck piles redundancy or additional triggers on top of these cards. Things can go wrong very quickly for your foes once you get this little deck up and running. Here is the card breakdown:
The Creatures:
Aetherborn Marauder: This card is perfect for this deck. When it comes into play you can move any number of +1/+1 counters from other creatures you control and put them on this card. Who flies. And has lifelink. And there are 16 cards in the deck that can directly place +1/+1 counters. It is an immediate threat that puts a lot of pressure on an opponent if they do not address it immediately.
Gonti, Lord of Luxury: If you are going to fill your deck with rogues then this card has a place in the deck. Besides being thematic, Gonti is also extremely useful at disrupting your opponent's game plan. Whenever he comes into play, you get to go 4 cards deep into your opponent's library. Then you pick a card you like from those 4 and exile it. The rest get put on the bottom of their library hopefully never to be seen again. Then you can cast the exiled card and use your mana as any colors needed to cast the card. This can destroy your opponents plans by letting you exile or tuck at the bottom cards that can interfere with your game plan. And then you can use your Decoction Module to send Gonti back to your hand to do it all over again.
Marionette Master: This card should be the main source of death to your foes. Get it into play with as many +1/+1 counters as you can. Keep putting counters on it with your Animation Modules or Fabrication Modules. Then just start getting your artifacts killed. It should not be hard, just attack with your servos every turn until your opponent dies via beatdown or life loss. Remember as well that you can send the master back to your hand if you need it to produce servo tokens. Cast it, make servos, bounce it back, cast it again and this time give it the counters. It should not take long to defeat your enemy this way.
Syndicate Trafficker: This card is part of the servo production engine with the Animation Module. So it will be a source of many counters and servos for the deck. But this card is also no slouch combat-wise. Whenever you do sacrifice an artifact it gains a +1/+1 counter and becomes indestructible until end of turn. Very useful for blocking or trying to destroy defenders when on the attack. And you can always move his counters onto the Aetherborn Marauders if you need evasion.
Weaponcraft Enthusiast: Another source of fabricate for the deck to make tokens or get counters. The deck thrives either way you choose to fabricate.
Zulaport Cutthroat: Whereas the Marionette Master drains your opponent for any artifact going to your graveyard, this card will only do it when your servos die. But, on the other hand, it also gains you a life point each time it happens. A nice additional source of life loss for your enemy with a little gain tucked into it.
The Artifacts:
Animation Module: For just this artifact produces a servo token creature whenever you put 1 or more +1/+1 counters on any permanent you control. Then it's second ability lets you add counters onto players or permanents. This card is amazing and in this deck it is part of it's core. In this deck it combines with your Syndicate Trafficker to make an engine that interacts with all of the other cards in this deck. You have modules with triggers when creatures come into play. You also have creatures with fabricate. All of this adds up to a tight machine that will win games. You can even use it's second ability to pump up your Marionette Master making it almost guaranteed that your enemy will lose the game.
Decoction Module: Whenever a creature comes into play under your control this module gives you an energy counter . Then it's second ability lets you return creatures you control to their owner's hand. So whenever you cast creatures, fabricate servo tokens or create them with your module + trafficker engine this card gives you energy. This works in conjuction with your Fabrication Module. That one lets you place a +1/+1 counter on a creature whenever you get energy. So what happens is you spend and sacrifice something to the Syndicate Trafficker putting a counter on him. If you have a Marionette Master in play then your opponent loses life equal to the master's power. Then because of the +1/+1 counter getting placed on your trafficker you trigger your Animation Module. So you spend and put a 1/1 servo into play. This triggers your Decoction Module so you get an . This then triggers your Fabrication Module and you get to place a +1/+1 counter on a creature. Then no matter where you place this counter,(preferably on your Marionette Master or a creature you are attacking with), you trigger your Animation Module all over again! So before the cycle repeats you;
1 Spent colorless mana.
2 just put into play a 1/1 Servo token.
3 Had your opponent lose life equal to your Marionette Master's power of 1.
4 just put a +1/+1 counter on your Syndicate Trafficker whose power is now 4.
5 just put a +1/+1 counter on your Marionette Master whose power is now 2.
6 just gained an counter.
Then you keep re[eating this cycle until you run out of mana. Or run out of opponents.
Fabrication Module: We already covered what happens with this card. But it also has an activated ability to give you an counter which will trigger itself!
Tamiyo's Journal: This artifact also produces more artifacts which you can use with your Syndicate Trafficker and card:Marionett Master. Even better, the artifacts it creates are Clue tokens so you can sacrifice them to draw cards or trigger your master. Or wait until you get 3 of them and use the Journal's activated ability to tutor for whatever you need out of your library.
The Other Spells:
Underhanded Designs: Yet another trigger card. Whenever an artifact comes into play under your control, this card lets you spend to make all of your opponents lose 1 life and you gain 1 life. Then at any time you control 2 artifacts you can sacrifice this card to destroy any target creature. Very useful.
Ever After: This card lets you re-animate 2 creatures from your graveyard and then tucks itself back into your library. Which means you can tutor for it with your Tamiyo's Journal and cast it again and again. This makes your deck very resilient as well as inevitable.
The Lands:
Blighted Fen: This is here to increase the amount of creature removal in the deck. And it is an alternate form of removal if you cannot target enemy creatures because of hexproof or similar.
Mortuary Mire: These lands let you put a creature card on top of your library when they come into play. Nice early game or late game backup for your Ever Afters.
The rest of the land base is filled with Swamps. Important to any mono black deck. And cool to look at.
That is it for this deck. Feel free to post any comments or suggestions here.
