With new sets, comes new ideas. The power level of Kaladesh is proving to be to Paupers’ liking, and new artifact decks are everywhere. Much like the rest of the community, I went straight into Gearseeker Serpent brews. I went through 4 or 5 decks trying to utilize the new hotness, and was consistently frustrated by my mana base. The deck I’m going to speak of today was born from these frustrations, and while it features some Kaladesh cards, there are no serpents to be found.





I promise, I really tried to stray from my pattern of black/green decks. I really did. But in the end, this is by far the best of my brews. Imagine a regular Affinity deck, shuffled in with a Stompy deck, then take out 60 cards. This is, more or less, what you get. Affinity Stompy.





This is an aggressive deck, as I’m sure you imagined based on the origins. I’ve found it to also be resilient, and capable of going long when needed. Since the Kaladesh hype is still in the air, lets start by talking about the new cards in the deck:





Fortuitous Find is just a 1-of, but has held its’ own so far. At 3 mana, it’s pretty slow for a deck like this, so it’s hard to justify multiple copies of it. Unfortunately, you can’t run more than 4 copies of Thoughtcast, but this may be the next best thing. When it draws two 4/4 creatures that cost 0 mana, you’re pretty happy with it.





Dhund Operative is a card I was surprised didn’t get more recognition in preview season. Though Carapace Forger is the ideal 2-drop, this has some upside Forger does not. It trades with everything on the ground, and has a great combo with Rancor. I’ve been very happy to have this is the deck. When you have a deck that’s light on removal like this, knowing one of your beaters can take out a Gurmag Angler or Ulamog’s Crusher when needed is a great way to keep momentum up.





Now that we’ve gotten the new cards out of the way, lets talk about the bulk of the deck. It begins like most Affinity decks, with Carapace Forger, Frogmite, and Myr Enforcer making the core nice and beefy. Then you add in Vault Skirge for a little spice, and it’s the perfect transition to a Stompy deck. Vault Skirge and Rancor is a long celebrated combination in Stompy, and it’s pretty good here too. Having the option to make a 3/1 lifelink trample flyer or 6/4 trample gives you options that are powerful and relevant is a lot of different situations.





Bleak Coven Vampires is a card that has gotten some attention in the past, but hasn’t found a real home yet. This may very well be it. One of the issues with it has always been the double black in the casting cost, and it is still an issue here. But with the natural lean to black the deck already has, it’s covered up a much as possible. The Vampires are a great option for closing the game out, and getting back some of the life lost to the six phyrexian mana spells in the deck. Imagine if Gray Merchant of Asphodel was a 4/3 instead of a 2/4, and that’s what you get a lot of the time. There are a lot of situations where they come out though, as dying to Lightning Bolt and being pretty expensive is a draw back for sure.





The removal is still evolving, as it should be when it is such a small package. It is understandable to raise an eyebrow at the Chainer’s Edicts in a deck with only 17 lands, but the low land count hasn’t been an issue so far. The front half of the spell has done enough, or I’ve hit 7 lands when I needed to. It’s possible 3 is too many, time will tell. Gut Shot is the newest addition, and I’ve been very happy with it so far. The ability to play two spells on the first turn is great, especially with a deck like this that wants to keep the board clear.





Vines of the Vastwood is a card that may seem out of place. I’ve gone back and forth between 2 and 3, but have never considered cutting it. Protecting creatures have been a huge part of my game plan, and Vines are essential to that plan. Knowing Rancor is going to resolve is huge. I think I’ve used Vines as a pump spell once so far, it really is just a green Dispel, and it’s perfect at that job.





So lets talk some matchups. I’ve played a little over 10 games so far, and I’ve lost once. Of established decks, I’ve played against Delver twice, traditional Affinity twice, Tron once, and Stompy once. The loss wasn’t against any of those.

Of those matchups, Affinity was probably the toughest. Atog can be a problem since the deck leans on Chainer’s Edict for the bulk of the removal, and the rest is damage based. The hope is that you can keep up on the board, or gain enough life that you can keep Atog under control. That hope has worked so far. Vault Skirge is extremely good in this matchup, so protect it if you can.





You might have noticed I didn’t mention Drake in the matchups I’ve faced, and it is one I’m concerned with. Traditional Affinity does have a reasonable matchup, so I’m optimistic. Game one seems the worst, as there is no way to directly kill a Drake. I wouldn’t be surprised if the removal package changes to reflect this weakness at some point. Not having the Atog kill could be a huge loss, but until I play the matchup a few times, it’s hard to say.





All in all, I’m happy with the deck, especially since it’s still new. Of all my brews, this is easily the strongest. If you’re looking for a resilient deck, capable of playing aggro or control, try it out. In the next couple of days, I’ll run the deck through a league and post the results. Until then, enjoy all the new options open to you with Kaladesh!