Cool deck even though Energy is dead now ;). Mainboard, as you said, looks good. Is there a payoff for the Vault of Catlacan Mana or just being able to activate Animation Module a bunch? Perhaps Nezahal, Primal Tide as a payoff to bring in against control because it's big and looks fun :). I think Maverick Thopterist could be a consideration for the sideboard or even the main. Not sure about Metallic Mimic in the sideboard. You'll already he generating plenty of counters with your combo pieces unless you wanted to go really tall and wide I suppose but not sure what that buys you. I'd consider a boardwipe for any potential unblockable/big Mana trample decks that might pop up in the new standard. This deck looks great at clogging up the ground, air and sea unless the opponent is running one of the aforementioned strategies. I've always loved the modules and all the synergies, and who doesn't love a good infinite combo!? Best of luck and happy brewing!

Maybe Era of Innovation

Cragon18,
Thanks so much! I really appreciate your inputs; you've given me a TON of things to think on and test! Here are some initial thoughts:

• In testing so far, there's almost always been something useful to do with Vault of Catlacan. Extra +1/+1 Counters and Servos from Animation Module for sure, but also huge Walking Ballistas, tutoring with Inventors' Fair, or block-then-bouncing Glint-Nest Crane or Whirler Virtuoso.
• Nezahal, Primal Tide is an intriguing option ... though The Locust God might be better in that kind of role. I'll have to check them out.
• Maverick Thopterist is worth looking at for sure ... not sure why I hadn't thought of him earlier!
• Yeah, I'm not sure about Metallic Mimic either. The card is pretty much terrible on its own, but it's just sooooo good with Animation Module (choosing Servo), Whirler Virtuoso (choosing Thopter), and especially Walking Ballista (since we can then tutor for it Whir of Invention after choosing Construct).
• The board definitely feels a little weird without some sweepers ... but so far, the deck hasn't really needed them (I found they often hurt me worse than my opp, plus it can just chump-block so effectively). But yeah, since we will almost certainly see more "can't be blocked", Trample, and Lifegain now, I probably need to just plan on it ...

Thanks again!

Marcs7,
Oh, Era of Innovation is really interesting. I'll check it out; thanks much!

Hey friend. Love this list. I'm thinking you could perhaps cut 1-2 copies of the Modules if you've got 4x Whir...maybe you've found that the stacking of the effects are worth it, but that might be a way to clear a slot or two if needed. As for the sideboard...I'm all about counterspells, personally. Spell Pierce would save your team from sweepers, spot removal, or even stop a planeswalker played on-curve, for example. I'd suggest testing it over some copies of Negate.

But that's about all I've got for now, since this is a sweet brew! I'll keep thinking on it, though. Good luck!

landofMordor,
Thanks much; I'm really loving it too :-)

That's a really good thought on trimming some Modules ... I was actually thinking about trimming a Whir (since we don't particularly want one in an opening hand), but it might make more sense to go the other way. And while Decoction Module and Fabrication Module stack very nicely, extra Animation Modules aren't really that great. I'll definitely play around with the mix!

I love Spell Pierce in general, but in this deck I've found Metallic Rebuke is almost always better. I keep going back-and-forth on conditional counters vs. hard counters though ... not sure yet where I'm going to come down on that!

Thank you again!

Great stuff! Take a look at https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/the-inspectors-schedule-izzet-artifacts-1/, made that in a very similar vein I think, you can see how good the Thopterist is there.

Ah! I hadn't noticed the Rebuke since it was in your maybeboard. Also didn't remember it because I've been brewing non-treasure Pirates, where Lookout's Dispersal is king. My bad, haha. It's been my experience that cheap counters, even though they are usually conditional, have more blowout potential. So I tend to go for that high-ceiling low-floor, when my deck is solid enough that it could win without counters, as yours seems to be. So one blowout puts you over the top of a close game, whereas a hard counter does that less often.