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Mar 2, 2012 -- 10:41PM, QuietK wrote:

I'm a standard player normally, though I'm also a big fan of EDH so I have some familiarity with a larger card pool. With the rotation of my favorite deck with Innistrad coming in plus time constraints of late, I want to take my old Tempered Steel deck and bring it to some Legacy nights at my local shops.

So here's what I have:

4x Mox Opal
4x Glimmervoid
4x Ancient Den
4x Seat of the Synod

4x Tempered Steel

4x Cranial Plating

4x Thoughtcast
4x Dispatch

4x Master of Etherium
4x Frogmite
2x Arcbound Ravager
4x Vault Skirge
4x Signal Pest
4x Memnite
4x Ornithopter

Of course I don't have intimate knowledge of the card pool that's out there to draw from, though what I can speak from playing with this list thus far. Two slots do need to be filled, and I do have two Aether Vial in my binder. My only other meaningful observations are that 1) Arcbound Ravager doesn't seem to be as good as he ought to be. Not bad, more that he doesn't seem to be at full potential. 2) Tempered Steel as well seems to be somewhat lacking when compared to Master of Etherium and Cranial Plating ; especiallly plating.

So all of that in mind, I'm looking for any critiques and other help with the deck you may be able to offer.

First of all, I think the Decks to Beat section might be the wrong place to post this.  This is especially because there is already a thread for Affinity in the Decks to Beat section.

Moving onto your deck...


Do you really need four Mox Opals?  While I could justify three, they are legendary.  Your opponent really isn't going to pop three Mox Opals with artifact destruction--there'll be more important things to deal with.  So drawing into extra is going to be very dangerous, because each is a wasted card.  If you were playing a playset of Shrapnel Blast then there might be justification.  Might take out the playset of  Dispatch to do this--honestly, the card is a very dead draw if your opponent is playing a Combo or Control deck.  Zoo, Fish, and Goblins are pretty much the only thing it'll help with, so sideboard it at most.

Also, your analysis of Arcbound Ravager seems...premature.  I assume you know of Disciple of the Vault , and if you don't then you've missed why Arcbound Ravager is so powerful.  While is seems counterproductive to decimate your own forces, nearly every single card in your deck can become "Sacrifice this permanent:  target player loses 1 (maybe 2, 3, 4?) life."  Nothing like last second damage to win the game.

Might start testing out your deck and post how effective Tempered Steel is.  I have some doubts it can act faster than  Arbound Ravager plus Disciple of the Vault.  I'm interested though, very interested.

Some other cards I'd also be curious about is Inkmoth Nexus/Blinkmoth Nexus and also Etched Champion.  Etched Champion plus Cranial Plating equals win.  Both the Nexus lands sub in for additional flying artifacts, which is also useful.