Sludge Strider Pauper Commander (EDH / Commander)

Background: my friends and I are building Pauper Commander decks with the following rules:

1. Any uncommon can be your Commander
2. Any card that was a common in any set can be used

I wanted to build a three-color deck, because that would offer me the greatest selection of commons when building around the commander's theme. There wasn't a lot to choose from among the three-color uncommons, but one stuck out for its ability to deal direct damage to opponents- the Sludge Strider.

Sludge Strider allows you to pay 1 colorless anytime an artifact you control leaves or enters the battlefield and deal 1 damage to a single opponent + you gain 1 life. The Strider was relatively low cost, meaning it could come out early and, potentially, often, if it became the target of opponent removal. White, Black, and Blue was a nice trifecta that gave me access to the best removal/denial and a fair assortment of useful creatures. Obviously the idea would be to get artifacts on the field and then remove them, so with this in mind I set out to create the rest of the deck.

Immediately the idea of creating Treasure- artifacts created by many cards from the Ixalan block- came to mind, but only a few common cards fit the bill. Why Treasure? Because you can spend 1, with the Sludge Strider in play, to deal one damage when a Treasure appears, then you can tap and sacrifice said Treasure, gain a mana, then use that mana to pay for the Sludge Striders ability to deal another damage (because the Treasure left play). That means you need only 10 mana and ten Treasures to eliminate an opponent in Commander.

Cards like Dire Fleet Hoarder, Sailor of Means, and Prosperous Pirates allow you to gain Treasure either when they enter the battlefield, or when they leave it. Pirate's Prize allows for card draw and Treasure creation. Depths of Desire allow you to unsummon creatures (useful to temporarily eliminate opponent threats, better when you use it on your own Treasure-producing Pirates) and gain a Treasure. Contract Killing removes a creature and produces two Treasure artifacts. Prying Blade lets your creatures create Treasure on their own, if they can hit an opponent directly for damage.

Cards that produce a Clue artifact through the Investigate ability are also here, but because a Clue doesn't produce a mana on its own, it's not as directly useful for the Sludge Strider. But an artifact is an artifact, and a Clue is worth it alone for its easy to sacrifice ability.

Artifacts selected for the deck also reinforce the overall theme (beyond their own, inherent artifact-ness). Cogworker's Puzzleknot allows for the potential of 5 damage via Sludge Strider with its summoning, introduction of a 1/1 servo, and sacrifice ability that brings in two additional 1/1 servos. Cranial Plating allows for an instant speed equip, via two black mana, that can augment creatures for each artifact you control (including itself). Whispersilk Cloak allows for your creatures to become unblockable, helpful for any number of countless situations.

Artifact Creatures make up the bulk of the deck, with stalwarts such as Etherium Sculptor (reducing the cost of all artifact spells by 1), Glassdusk Hulk (gets bigger and unblockable with each artifact you summon in one turn), and even Watchwing Scarecrow (reduces opponent flyers -1/-0 when they attack you). Razorfield Rhino and Myr Enforcer become cheap, powerful creatures with artifacts in play. The Mana Myr friends make an appearance here as well. Each allows your Sludge Strider to ping an opponent when they appear on the field, and another if they happen to perish in the service of a capricious plainswalker.

White//Black/Blue creatures also back up the overall theme. For White, Aurok Sunchaser and Ghalma's Warden gain power with artifacts on the field, while Glint Hawk/Salvage Scout/Sanctum Gargoyle allow you to bring artifacts back from the graveyard to your hand. For Black, both Defiant Salvager and Disciple of the Vault gain power and damage an opponent, respectfully. Fen Hauler becomes easier to cast with more artifacts. Dukhara Scavenger and Moriok Scavenger both allow you to bring artifacts from the graveyard back to the top of the deck/hand. For Blue, Prosperous Pirates and Sailor of Means bring Treasure into play when they enter the battlefield, while Havengul Skaab allows you to bring creatures (like the Prosperous Pirates or Sailor of Means) back into your hand every time it attacks. Gearseaker Serpent not only becomes cheaper to cast with artifacts in play, but also can become unblockalbe.

There are seven removal cards and five ‘delay’ cards. Ashes to Ashes, a common card in The Dark expansion, is the clear winner here, with other cards allowing you to create treasure (Contact Killing) or an artifact creature (Parasitic Implant) with removal. Crippling Fatigue can be recast from the graveyard with Flashback, and Echoing Decay can take care of pesky clones/tokens. Ghostly Flicker allows you to remove creatures from the battlefield, and then instantly bring them back again, allowing your Sludge Strider to inflict some hefty damage in one strike if artifacts are involved.

There is some minor buff and ramp, but the other cards to mention are Frantic Salvage and Undying Evil. Frantic Salvage allows you to put any number of artifacts from your graveyard on top of your library, a helpful ability given what will often be available. Undying Evil allows you to sac an artifact creature with the knowledge that it will return even more powerful. Again, the theme is to take advantage of the Sludge Strider ability and chip away at opponent’s life totals in pursuit of victory.

Comments and suggestions welcomed.

For cards listed as ‘uncommon’ by DeckStats, here are their ‘common’ origins:

Azorius Chancery - C - Commander 2013 (and others)
Cranial Plating - C - Planechase, Fifth Dawn
Darksteel Citadel - C - Darksteel, Modern Masters 2015
Dimir Aqueduct - C - Ravnica, Plancechase Anthology
Glassdust Hulk - C - Alara Reborn
Myriad Landscape - C - Commander 2016
Orzhov Basilica - C - Guildpact (and others)
Whispersilk Cloak - C - Darksteel