This deck looks like a lot of fun to play, and a challenge to play against. I love it.
Do you ever use the food and clue tokens from Academy Manufactor, or do they just sit around and buff Akiri?
Doesn't Bennie Bracks, Zoologist work the same way as Idol of Oblivion, which you removed? Or do you have enough ways to make treasures on your opponents' turns that he gives more card draw?
Are the recruiters in the deck just to get Stoneforge Mystic and then Sunforger, or are there other creatures that you like to search for?
Do the elves from Nadier give any value besides being attackers and blockers?
Lastly, Would you consider using cards like Ruthless Knave and Ghirapur Aether Grid?
Hey - thank you, I appreciate it.
To answer the first question about
Academy Manufactor - I may have used the Clues a handful of times. I don't
recall ever actually using the Food. Usually if the Manufactor is left alone long enough Akiri quickly snowballs into a
nightmare, and with a form of evasion starts deleting opponents in short order.
Bennie Bracks, Zoologist has two huge things going for him - Convoke and his synergy with things like
Smuggler's Share and
Smothering Tithe. So, at worst he might function like an
Idol of Oblivion, but there are times you might get him out for free, and times where he's drawing a card every turn. I still contend
Idol of Oblivion is a great card and it might find a way back into the deck. People compare it to
Phyrexian Arena but that's not really fair, it typically can get value the turn it comes down, it's two colorless, there's no loss of life, and there's a late game use for it. It's also an artifact for Akiri.
The recruiters can grab nearly every creature in the deck. Looking over the list,
Goldspan Dragon and
Mayhem Devil are the only creatures that can't be grabbed between the two of them. If you get a
Sword of Hearth and Home out, you can blink them and start grabbing every engine creature in your deck. I added
Skyclave Apparition specifically because it can be grabbed by either recruiter, for example, and the Apparition can deal with any treasure hate I can think of off the top of my head (
Collector Ouphe,
Stony Silence,
Null Rod,
Yasharn, Implacable Earth).
This deck intentionally leans harder towards Akiri. Nadier's primary goal is to be a big fat body that collects value off you sac'ing your treasures. He can become a big beater with the right evasion. Secondarily, he's a great target for
Disciple of Bolas or
Ruthless Technomancer when he's big and ripe. The real reason he's so neat though, is because you retain board presence after removal. A
Farewell might scrub the board clean, but you'll be left with a large quantity of elves who can carry Sword of X/Y to get triggers. You can
Skullclamp them for cards. They can be killed or sacrificed to continue draining under
Mayhem Devil,
Nadier's Nightblade, or
Agent of the Iron Throne.
I've used
Ruthless Knave in a
Korvold, Fae-Cursed King build. If the deck leaned more heavily towards Nadier (More sac outlets and aristocrats type effects),
Ruthless Knave might be a good include. I left out most effects that benefit from Nadier interactions such as
Cathars' Crusade. When making cuts, the mantra was "let's not rely on our 6CMC commander being out." Other than the elves that Nadier produces, I don't want to simply be sacrificing creatures.
Disciple of Bolas /
Ruthless Technomancer /
Deadly Dispute are great, because they're sac outlets, but
Deadly Dispute can simply sac a treasure, and because Disciple and Technomancer see power, they're great with Akiri /
Cranial Plating.
Inspiring Statuary is probably a good inclusion, which allows you to stockpile treasures and still use them -
Ghirapur Aether Grid is probably worth thinking about due to the same logic. I (currently) feel that the effect is rather small, it requires 2 treasures for every one ping, compared to a single sac for
Disciple of the Vault or
Mayhem Devil. It's something I'll definitely
consider.