Before we begin today's deck fix, I've got another story to tell you all; an interesting bit of Magic: the Gathering news.
 
A Czech film studio, Digt4l Dreams Films, is producing a feature length movie based on Magic: the Gathering. Tap: Max's Game is a story of a Magic player whose local card shop has gone out of business and whose gaming circle of friends has disbanded-- a sad situation I'm sure we can all relate to. But when he tries to get back in the game, he discovers something about second chances, and himself.
 
No word yet from Wizards of the Coast regarding their stance on the movie, but given Wizards' recent endorsement deal with The Sorceror's Apprentice, I'm sure they'd approve. You can find more information on the movie at:  [http://maxovahra.com/?lang=en] and watch the trailer here: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5osjyDSnnLA]
 
My only question is whether or not the movie will get a screening near me! We don't get many Czech movies here in America, what with being under Hollywood's shadow, but I already know who I want to bring to this movie: everyone I know!
 
More on that later. Today, we've got metallic clockwork creatures in need of a tune-up.

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Hi bmoor sorry bout all the emails here's my new new decklist and ideas
Land (22)
-6 forest
-9 island
-4 terramorphic expanse
-3 buried ruin
Creatures
-4 silver myr
-3 copper myr
-3 palladium myr
-2 myr battlesphere
-2 fangren marauder
-4 myr galvanizer
-2 maul splicer
-2 platinum emperion
-2 master transmuter
-3 kuldotha forgemaster
-2 golem artisan
-1 solemn simulacrum
-2 vedalken certarch
Artifacts
-2 Strider harnesses
Other
-3 xenograft

the combo is to use kuldotha to bring out myr battlesphere then sacrifice 3 of the 4 myr brought out by the battlesphere to get master transmuter so I can build an army while searching for any other artifacts I want like golem artisan and galvanizers to enable the mana loop giving any creature +100/+100 trample or build an army with xenograft the transmuter and the battlesphere for unlimited myr using the artisan for haste and trample with the battlesphere. Other combos I included were the creatarch, xenograft, and the mana loop to tap all creatures they control and repeat attacking with 1 creature. I removed the white because it was just pointless other than the myrs. I added the fangren to combo with the forgemaster so I can last through the mid to late game while building combos. Also adding the strider harnesses to achieve my combos quicker and easier than before. Question after I give a creature haste do I have to activate his ability with it on or can I attach it to another creature first? Anyway, its the ultimate loop or loops. So suggestions from u and a name for my deck would be much appreciated.
 
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 Just for the record, this is the most recent of several E-mails that Cole here has sent, to reflect the modifications that he's made himself. At one point, this deck was three colors.

Now, regular readers know one of my pet peeves is a deck that's too "fragmented", with too many singletons. You just can't get the cards you need with any degree of reliability if you're not running enough copies of them. Cole has partially mitigated that through use of Kuldotha Forgemaster, but I still think that the bulk of my revisions are going to involve streamlining the decklist.

So, step one is identifying what's not pulling its weight around here. First on the chopping block is Platinum Empirion. It's neither a Golem nor a Myr, so it's not really contributing, and its ability is a curiosity more than a strategic necessity. Beyond that, the Empirion is really just an 8/8 that doesn't even have trample. Fangren Marauder, similarly, is a neat trick but not really neat enough. Sure, having it in play when the Forgemaster starts forging means a 15-point gain in life, but life gain isn't really powerful enough to play a card that does so little else for you, and the Marauder does barely anything for you while you're not Forgemastering. Finally, Vedalken Certarch can come out. I appreciate you recognizing the need to hold your opponent off while you set up the combo, and tap abilities are a fine way to do that, but the Certarch only works if you've got metalcraft, and most of your artifacts cost at least two mana, so it'll take several turns before the Certarch comes online.

In answer to your earlier question, Cole, removing Strider Harness from a creature to equip it to someone else means the first creature loses haste, and is once again afflicted with summoning sickness and unable to use its tap abilities. The "good" news is, I'm also pulling Strider Harness. I just don't think you need haste as much as you think you do, especially since the Forgemaster and Transmuter can use their abilities at the end of your opponent's turn. Just Forge your Transmuter at end of turn and she'll be ready to Transmute on your upkeep.

That gives us eight slots to play with. First of all, since this is a combo deck, I'm going to recommend what I end up recommending for all combo decks-- a way to sift through your deck faster. Fortunately, you've already got a copy of the card I think is the best way for you to do it-- Solemn Simulacrum. The first ability will fix your mana and pull a card out of your deck, increasing the odds of you drawing what you need. By a small margin, yes, but don't underestimate it-- Magic is a game of statistical likelihoods and everything you can do to push the odds in your favor is worth doing. And when the Simulacrum dies, as it likely will by blocking an attacker so you can stay alive long enough to draw the combo, you get to draw a card. At four mana, it may seem a bit pricey, but it's worth running a full set of. Especially since Solemn Simulacrum is a Golem, and works well with Maul Splicer and Golem Artisan.

If you'd like some more deck digging, or just can't afford more copies of the Simulacrum, I'd say this is a perfect deck for Ancient Stirrings. Since most of your nonland cards are artifacts, Ancient Stirrings will let you get just about everthing in here except Xenograft or a Splicer. I understand you want Xenograft, and it's probably the most important card you can't get with the Forgemaster, but still, with so many artifacts, Ancient Stirrings basically says, "Scry 5 and draw a card". Compare that to Preordain, which everybody loves! Ancient Stirrings also has the advantage of being able to put extra Battlespheres on the bottom, where you won't draw them until you're ready to cheat them out.

Maul Splicer can also be bumped up a few more copies, seeing as how it's actually three creatures for one card. I'm not quite sure if you plan to name "Golem" or "Myr" with Xenograft-- I would hope to draw two copies just so I could name both-- but since you included the Artisan, you must believe that trample is worth having, especially since you plan to give your creature +100/+100. Similarly, Wing Splicer could help your Golems get their damage through. I think what you really want, though, is Vital Splicer. You only get one Golem token, but your deck rolls over and dies to any sort of board wipe. You need something to protect you from the inevitable Day of Judgment. Heck, even Pyroclasm pretty much destroys your Myr combo, though it would at least let you keep the Battlesphere that now has no Myr to tap. Vital Splicer will let you save your creatures from the Judgment, and give you a means of holding off attackers in the form of regenerating blockers. Drudge Skeletons kept getting reprinted all those years for a reason, you know!

That pretty much covers my assessment of the deck. The idea of using Xenograft to help power the Myr Galvanizer combo, or to make Maul Splicer give itself trample (as useless as that would be) amuses me greatly. I'm not sure if it's a tournament-caliber idea, but I can tell that Cole is going to have a lot of fun playing this one.

Good luck!

~BMoor