A take at a new Makeshift Mannequin deck, featuring the unlikely “Opt” Architects of Will! Will this deck grow up into a “good enough for PTQ play” build? I think yes 🙂
Architects of Will Deck
4 Makeshift Mannequin
4 Shriekmaw
4 Cryptic Command
4 Mulldrifter
4 Soul Manipulation
4 Architects of Will
4 Bituminous Blast
3 Cruel Ultimatum
4 Murderous Redcap
4 Crumbling Necropolis
3 Island
1 Mountain
4 Reflecting Pool
4 Sunken Ruins
2 Swamp
4 Vivid Creek
3 Vivid Marsh
sideboard:
4 Anathemancer
3 Caldera Hellion
4 Lighting Bolt
4 Volcanic Fallout
Inspired by the Conley Woods Deck (B/u/G/R Makeshift Mannequin) I decided to try to make a Makeshift Mannequin deck based around Grixis colors. The Woods deck is reminiscent of my Jund Mana Ramp deck… but with no Ramp. I feel like if you are not going to play Borderland Ranger then you don’t have to play Green. There are just great cards in the other colors to play that can also contribute to the deck’s velocity. When building with these colors you get the core Mannequin creatures — being Shriekmaw and Mulldrifter, which both have evoke, and therefore can be set up for Makeshift Mannequin more readily — and also a better overall suite of powerful cards. Yes, you lose Broodmate Dragon and Cloudthresher, but you gain Cruel Ultimatum. Black, Blue, and Red have no shortage of suitable threats, and if you want, you can play something along the lines of a Demigod of Revenge; but I chose to play with Architects of Will instead 🙂
While there are a fair number of cards that you play on your own turn, most of them can be played at a discount, which allows you to leave up mana for Cryptic Command or Soul Manipulation; speaking of Soul Manipulation, it is very good… essentially a Dismiss when combined with the aforementioned Architects of Will. While not as flexible as a Cryptic Command + Broken Ambitions package, Cryptic Command + Soul Manipulation has its own incentives, particularly as the chief threats in the format are all creatures. You are quite happy to trade one-for-one against the opponent’s Boggart Ram-Gangs, for instance; if you can get two-for-one, great… But the deck has so much card advantage you are often discarding during Stage Two anyway.
So.
Architects of Will!
Obviously that is an unusual choice. It is in this deck almost purely for Opt duty. I cheated on land by at least one land, but four Architects of Will let me get away with that choice. Subtly, Architects of Will is just another creature card that you can bin before turn three so as to get greater value out of your Soul Manipulations or even Makeshift Mannequins.
I played this deck for about four hours tonight, mostly in the Tournament Practice room, but capping it off with a couple of queues (which I won over a Sedraxis Specter-style B/U/R/ deck and Blightning Beatdown). I won considerably more than I lost in the Tournament Practice Room, with most of the losses coming off decisions like “I have an Architects of Will… I guess I can keep one Swamp” (it turns out that I couldn’t). The deck is flexible and powerful, though I wonder about Bituminous Blast. I feel like it is very powerful but it also makes you a bit wary and warps both deck design and in-game decisions somewhat… I don’t usually play it unless I have a clear option with Soul Manipulation or Makeshift Mannequin (you don’t want to be stranded with no incremental value, not in a deck that can two-for-one kill a creature with Makeshift Mannequin or answer one with Soul Manipulation at lower cost if not card advantage value). That said, you will sometimes find yourself Blasting a creature with another creature on the stack… You might accidentally just hit Soul Manipulation or Cryptic Command. I feel very “Jon Sonne” every time I do this.
Some cards I didn’t play but want to:
- Puppeteer Clique
- Plumeveil
- Sedraxis Specter
The Clique is awesome — and awesome against this deck — but I currently prefer the inevitability of Anathemancer. One option would be to cut Bituminous Blast (which would simultaneously make the deck stronger against especially main deck Great Sable Stags) for Banefire; the deck would then pack the Banefire + Anathemancer combo in a format where Reflecting Pool Control looks to be one of the most popular opponents; I think I just think that Bituminous Blast is cool or something.
Plumeveil seems like it could help solve some problems… After all lots of the really good decks play it, even when they don’t have the full four Mulldrifters. I have not had a huge problem with attackers due to my extreme number of point elimination creatures (I was acutally surprised at how effortlessly I could kill Gaddock Teeg). But Plumeveil might be a useful addition.
I only thought of Sedraxis Specter because someone played it against me in a queue and it seemed a bit scary.
As you can tell, most of the sideboard is devoted to killing Great Sable Stag. The colors of the Mannequin core make it potentially quite vulnerable to Great Sable Stag… But Lightning Bolts and Hellions should be very helpful against the otherwise unremarkable 3/3 spoiler.
LOVE
MIKE
11 comments ↓
I admit I’m in a bad way when it comes to wanting to play Blue-based decks like this one — I don’t own any Cryptic Commands. So I sez to myself, “Hmm, every single creature has a CIP ability … yay, Familar’s Ruse!” I’m thinking for budget purposes, -4 Cryptic, +2 Familar’s Ruse, +2 Broken Ambitions. I gotta try this out.
The deck is interesting. I’m unsure about the architects of will though. Looking for a replacement I came upon Fleshbag Marauder. It’s basically a 3 mana edict, but is reusable with mannequin and actually has a shot at taking out Stags. Caldera Helion and Lightning Bolt are probably better options for Stag deterence so my mind may just be wandering.
As promised in response to your tweet about Broodmate vs Baneslayer Angel in 5CC. I would maindeck Broodmates. They are the harder threat to deal with. 5cc already is favored in an aggro matchup, which is where the angel shines. However I would want some combination of Baneslayer Angels/ Karrthus in my sideboard for the mirror. If you can get the drop on your opponent with them they could easily put you into a winning position.
I like it. Do you ever decline the option with Soul Manipulation to have a Mannequin target the next turn? Seems like a little tension there, but probably the good kind of tension. I’ll be sad when evoke guys rotate.
Yeah, the Blasts … I hate “ass-cading” into something inappropriate. Banefire might be better, but how ’bout a couple Profane Commands?
The Fleshbags have a bit of synergy with Murderous Redcaps too. I recently was using a River Kelpie deck with a lot of this same stuff and was always happy to see the Marauders and Redcaps.
Is Murderous Redcap good?
I don’t know how relevant architects of will is in this deck… hmm must try out!
btw, have you considered torrent of souls? Torrenting a murderous redcap is like a flametongue kavu on steroids.
I also like Sedraxis Specter here. It will be something like a reverse shadowmage infiltrator.
Cruel, Cryptic, Soul Manipulation.
Then, Torrent of Souls gets mentioned above.
Perhaps this could use a Nucklavee.
I like this deck a lot, and I’ll probably end up playing it even though it seems likely to be kind of terrible.
Bit Blast can hit Mannequin, Soul Manip, Cryptic, Architects, or Redcap. Architects are lackluster, and everything else except redcap is kind of conditional. Really don’t think Bit Blast is good here.
Siege-gang commander is great with mannequin, great with redcap, and is at least a passable solution to Stag.
The Answer Is… Architects of Will…
Your story has been summoned to the battlefield – Trackback from MTGBattlefield…
I like the deck alot, first instincts are to add demigod or broodmate and anathamancer, not sure this deck can beat jund though so I probably won’t be playing it, but I love the idea of Demigod, mannequin control. I might try something a little more traditional 5 color with demigod.
hey just read ur article. just a few comments. hope u respond to them.
quick note w/ random thoughts, i think u have too many of several 4 of’s– i’m sure u know this though. i personally much rather have lightning bolt main over redcap. redcap isnt bad but it doesnt have “flash” on it it. this deck will have to worry more about gettin run down early. so mayb infest or terminate or jund or agony warp. i think plume would b sexy in this deck.
yeah, i like the architects for casual games(mind u i just play mtgo)… i’m not sure why no1 else noted it or cared to it seems… since it has synergy w/ bituminous blast can fix your draw (though w/ all the mulldrifter recursion…) along w/ it gives u something to do early on etc… however i think its a tad bit overpriced(err cost-ed) for its abilities. i do like the fact that the blasts hit cryptics/mannes/soul manip and company oh also another reason to take out redcap 🙂
i think u need to b a tad more active early on w/ this deck. i agree a siege gang would b cute as a finisher but i think u should consider a singleton or 2 of bog hellkite (im a johnny so i say that not to b a timmy).
all in all the deck isnt bad. seems to me like it wishes it had some faeries in it or was born w/ some white in it for various cards(tidehollow/punish ignorance/zealous/plumeveilhelp/etc.)
oh and silence in that list. it’d love to cast it too
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