https://deckstats.net/decks/26164/2883367-mana-thopters-manaThe main idea here is to get Sai out asap and start dropping mana rocks to create enough thopters to stall until the combos can get going.
Win Cons
Swing with flying weenies: Not my favorite strategy, but it is always a fallback in a token deck.
Aetherflux Resevoir: This is another backup strategy. In my playgroup this will just end up eating removal because several people have used it to great effect, but it is a fun win. It could get pretty silly with a lot of rocks and
Ingenuity Engine bouncing itself to recast and cascade.
Mechanized Production: Here is backup strategy three. It seems like a given in a Sai Deck. Build up 8 thopters then drop it in right before your turn if you have
Vedalken Orrery or
Leyline of Anticipation. My current playgroup will also be ready for this one
Give them a stroke!: This is my primary wincon. Use the large amounts of mana from the rocks to deck my opponents with "target player draws" spells. I suspect the first one I draw will actually target myself to help ramp up the amount of mana I have available, which is why I have five of them
Combos
The sac engine: Get
Myr Retriever and either
Junk Diver or
Workshop assistant on the field with
Ashnod's Altar or
Krark-Clan Ironworks and Sai. Sac Retriever for 2 mana. Sac the other for 2 mana returning Retriever to hand. Cast Retriever making a thopter. Sac Retriever returning the other creature to hand. Every other cycle you will have to sac a thopter for mana as well, but this will produce and arbitrarily large number of Thopers and as much colorless Mana as you want. With enough discounts or
Efficient Construction this will work with
Phyrexian Altar to produce blue mana. Combine this with
Ingenuity Engine to cascade everything onto the battlefield, and take as many extra turns as you like casting Nexus for free. Draw you entire deck if you have Veldalken Archmage,
Kindred Discovery, or
Skullclamp on the field.
Sensei's Divining Top, either a discount or a sac for mana, and one of the cards that lets you cast from the top of library. This draws the entire deck. The sac for mana requires Sai since you will be sacrificing thopters to recast top and make another thopter.
What do you guys think?
Edit: just realized
Ingenuity Engine can not cascade into
Nexus of Fate , but both are still awesome.