• STORE
  • EVENTS
  • ARTICLES
  • DECKS
  • BUYLIST
  • HELP
  • GAME CENTER
  • NEWSLETTER
Advanced Search
Deck Builder
  • LOGIN /
     REGISTER
  • CART
    #
  • WISH
    LIST
  • Magic Singles
    • English
    • Foil English
    • Non-English
    • Foil Non-English
    • Scanned & Graded Cards
    • Rarities & Misprints
    • Wholesale Lots
  • Magic Sealed Product
    • Booster Boxes
    • Booster Packs
    • Box Sets
    • Bundles & Fat Packs
    • Duel Decks
    • Introductory Products
    • Multiplayer Products
    • Non-English Products
    • Tournament/Starter Packs
  • Gaming Supplies
    • Ultimate Guard®
    • Apparel & Accessories
    • Binders
    • Books
    • Collectibles
    • Deck Boxes & Cases
    • Life Counters & Dice
    • Playmats
    • Sleeves
  • Specialty Items
    • Creature Collection
    • Gift Cards
    • Lithographs
    • Next Level Library
  • Digital Products
    • Complete Commander
    • Next Level Library
    • OMG: Official Miser's Guide
    • Tha Gatherin'
  • We Buy

Video Daily Digest: Nobody Does It Better

Ross Merriam
10/04/17
#Select  #Standard  #SCGDFW  #DailyDigest 
  •  

Zac Elsik is at it again. Everyone is out here trying to decide between taking a risk on a tribal deck from Ixalan or staying with an old standby from the previous season, and Zac hops in the wayback machine with yet another artifact-centric deck. The man definitely has a type.

I myself am no stranger to the improvise mechanic, having tried hard to make it work for Pro Tour Aether Revolt and briefly revisiting its potential last week. Thraben Inspector was good enough to dominate Spire of Industry for the last year, but without the consistency it enables, the aggressive artifact decks have taken a huge hit, and Spire of Industry is too powerful not to see play.

For the most part, Zac and I identified the same cards to build around. Maverick Thopterist and Herald of Anguish are simply the most powerful improvise cards available and not particularly hard on the mana once you have Spire of Industry, Prophetic Prism, and Renegade Map. Metallic Rebuke is also close enough to Mana Leak here that I can't imagine playing fewer than four copies.

Tezzeret the Schemer is another payoff, although not quite as powerful as I'd like. Still, all of its abilities are relevant here and its high loyalty makes it difficult to answer in combat. The Etherium Cells it creates are also excellent enablers for Fatal Push, so you get to play one of the best removal spells in the format at peak form.

The main difference is that I filled out the deck with more traditional midrange cards: more removal and some value from Treasure Map and Walking Ballista. Zac opts for better improvise enablers in Cogworker's Puzzleknot (which isn't too hard to sacrifice) and Servo Schematic. These cards are underpowered on their own, yet let you accelerate much more quickly and provide ample fodder for Herald of Anguish to dominate the battlefield.

I've been trying to avoid my tendency to play underpowered cards as enablers, but in the case of this deck, I think it's appropriate. This is clearly a deck where the synergies take center stage and you want to maximize the power of improvise, so I'll happily defer to the rogue artifact connoisseur. Keep doing your thing, Zac…you sure make my job easy.

Grixis Improvise
Zac Elsik
1st Place at Star City Games Classic on 10/1/2017
Standard
 

Creatures (14)

  • 3 Contraband Kingpin
  • 4 Herald of Anguish
  • 4 Maverick Thopterist
  • 2 Pia Nalaar
  • 1 The Scarab God

Planeswalkers (3)

  • 3 Tezzeret the Schemer

Lands (21)

  • 1 Island
  • 1 Mountain
  • 3 Swamp
  • 1 Dragonskull Summit
  • 3 Drowned Catacomb
  • 3 Fetid Pools
  • 4 Spire of Industry
  • 4 Spirebluff Canal
  • 1 Inventors' Fair

Spells (22)

  • 1 Aethersphere Harvester
  • 3 Cogworker's Puzzleknot
  • 4 Prophetic Prism
  • 4 Renegade Map
  • 1 Servo Schematic
  • 1 Sorcerous Spyglass
  • 4 Fatal Push
  • 4 Metallic Rebuke

    Sideboard

  • 1 Aethersphere Harvester
  • 1 Sorcerous Spyglass
  • 3 Scrapheap Scrounger
  • 3 Tezzeret's Touch
  • 4 Negate
  • 3 Battle at the Bridge
 
 


  •  
#Select  #Standard  #SCGDFW  #DailyDigest 
« Previous Article
Booster Box Game & Magic World Championship Preview!
Next Article »
Well, I've Got Some Bad News And Some Good News

About Ross Merriam

Ross Merriam has been a fixture on the SCG Tour since 2012 and is one of its most decorated players with over twenty top 8s. He currently serves as the beardliest member of Team BCW and a content creator for StarCityGames.com, focusing on the Modern format as well as Magic fundamentals and theory designed to help you elevate your game.

@RossHunneds Twitter
Read more by Ross Merriam

Regional Championships
ORGANIZED PLAY
  • THIS WEEK
  • NEXT WEEK
  • +
  • THIS Saturday, February 23
  • IQ Alexandria, MN - Elemental Games LLP
  • IQ Clarksville, TN - Frontline Games
  • IQ Cuernavaca, MX - Yellow Rabbit
  • IQ Enfield, CT - Most Excellent Gaming
  • IQ Freehold, NJ - Nova Games
  • IQ Roanoke, VA - Star City Game Center
  • THIS Sunday, February 24
  • IQ Adelaide, AU - Good Games Adelaide
  • IQ Cary, NC - East Coast Gaming
  • IQ+ Ciudad de Mexico, CDMX - Gamesmart
  • IQ+ New Holland, PA - Six Feet Under Games
  • Saturday, March 2
  • Syracuse Legacy OPEN
  • IQ California, MD - High Tide Games
  • IQ Cannington, AU - Good Games Cannington
  • IQ Clarksville, TN - Frontline Games
  • IQ+ Columbia, MO - Magelings
  • IQ Edmond, OK - Storm Brew Games
  • IQ Kentwood, MI - Galactic Toys
  • IQ Pensacola, FL - TBS Comics Pensacola
  • Sunday, March 3
  • Syracuse Legacy OPEN
  • Syracuse Modern CLASSIC
  • Syracuse Standard CLASSIC
  • Syracuse Legacy CLASSIC
  • IQ Sydney, AU - Good Games Town Hall

  • Complete SCG Tour® Schedule | Coverage Archive
Leaderboard
Season One SCG Points
1 Abe Corrigan 64
2 Dominic Harvey 58
3 Tariq Patel 54
4 Jonathan Hobbs 52
5 Ethan Gaieski 47
6 Ross Merriam 43
7 Matt Tumavitch 40
8 Alex Hon 39
9 Andrew L Davis 36
10 Edgar Magalhaes 36
11 Frank Skarren 36
12 Evan Whitehouse 35
13 Dylan Donegan 35
14 Drake Sasser 35
15 Kazu Negri 32
16 Danny Jessup 31
DECKLISTS
  • STANDARD
  • MODERN
  • LEGACY
  • 2/16 Grand Prix Memphis, US
  • 2/10 SCG Classic Dallas, US
  • 2/09 SCG Open Dallas, US
  • 2/03 SCG Classic Baltimore, US
  • 2/02 Invi Qualifier Fall River, US
  • 2/02 Invi Qualifier Duluth, US
  • 2/02 Invi Qualifier Niles, US
  • 2/02 SCG Team Open Baltimore, US
  • 1/27 SCG Classic Indianapolis, US
  • 1/26 SCG Open Indianapolis, US
  • 1/12 Invi Qualifier Abingdon, US
  • 1/06 SCG Classic Columbus, US
  • 12/15 Invi Qualifier Denton, US
  • 12/14 World Magic Cup Barcelona, ES
  • 12/07 SCG Invitational Roanoke, US
  • 12/02 SCG Classic Baltimore,
  • 12/01 Invi Qualifier Kingsport, US
  • 12/01 Grand Prix Shizuoka, JP
  • 11/18 SCG Classic Las Vegas, US
  • 11/17 Invi Qualifier Pensacola, US
View More Standard Decks - Search Decklists
  • 2/17 Invi Qualifier Williamsport, US
  • 2/17 Invi Qualifier Frankenmuth, US
  • 2/10 Invi Qualifier Glassboro, US
  • 2/10 Invi Qualifier Newington, US
  • 2/10 SCG Classic Dallas, US
  • 2/09 Invi Qualifier Woodbridge, US
  • 2/09 Grand Prix Toronto, CA
  • 2/09 Invi Qualifier Kingsport, US
  • 2/09 Invi Qualifier Columbia, US
  • 2/03 SCG Classic Baltimore, US
  • 2/02 Invi Qualifier Lexington, US
  • 2/02 Invi Qualifier Pensacola, US
  • 2/02 Invi Qualifier Norman, US
  • 2/02 Invi Qualifier Columbus, US
  • 2/02 Invi Qualifier Little Rock, US
  • 2/02 SCG Team Open Baltimore, US
  • 1/27 Invi Qualifier Cary, US
  • 1/27 SCG Classic Indianapolis, US
  • 1/26 Invi Qualifier Toronto, CA
  • 1/13 Invi Qualifier New Holland, US
View More Modern Decks - Search Decklists
  • 2/03 SCG Classic Baltimore, US
  • 2/02 SCG Team Open Baltimore, US
  • 1/13 SCG Classic Worcester, US
  • 1/06 SCG Classic Columbus, US
  • 11/30 Grand Prix Shizuoka, JP
  • 11/18 SCG Classic Las Vegas, US
  • 11/17 SCG Team Open Las Vegas, US
  • 10/07 SCG Classic Columbus, US
  • 10/06 SCG Team Open Columbus, US
  • 9/23 SCG Classic Baltimore, US
  • 9/22 SCG Open Baltimore, US
  • 9/16 SCG Classic Syracuse, US
  • 8/31 Grand Prix Richmond, US
  • 8/19 SCG Classic Dallas, US
  • 8/18 SCG Team Open Dallas, US
  • 8/03 Pro Tour Minneapolis, US
  • 7/22 SCG Classic Philadelphia, US
  • 7/21 SCG Team Open Philadelphia, US
  • 7/15 SCG Classic Worcester, US
  • 7/14 SCG Team Open Worcester, US
View More Legacy Decks - Search Decklists

 

Connect with us

Subscribe to our Newsletter!

Need help?
Contact Us
Help Center
Organized Play
SCG Tour
Schedule
Leaderboard
Coverage
Coverage Archives
In-Store Programs
Invitational Qualifiers
Game Night
Prerelease Playmats
Organizers
StarCityGames.com
About Us
Careers
Game Center

5728 Williamson Road NW

Roanoke, VA 24012

© 2018 StarCityGames.com®
Terms & Conditions | Privacy Statement | Refund & Return Policy