Memnarch

[Checkbox]

This is my current decklist along with a list of cards I've identified as things I want to be able to play in this deck.

Commander: Memnarch

[deck]Memnarch[/deck]

More cards I'd like to be able to include:
[cards]Darksteel Juggernaut
Etched Champion
Heartstone
Karn, Silver Golem
Lodestone Myr
Mycosynth Golem
Myr Landshaper
nScarecrone
Shimmer Myr
Wurmcoil Engine

Arcum Dagsson
Broodstar
Copy Artifact
Etherium Sculptor
Fabricate
Filigree Sages
March of the Machines
Master Transmuter
Neurok Transmuter
Power Artifact
Rebuild
Riddlesmith
Sage of Lat-Nam
Saprazzan Bailiff
Sharding Sphinx
Soldevi Machinist
Synod Artificer
Transmute Artifact

Academy Ruins
Cephalid Coliseum
Coral Atoll
Halimar Depths
Minamo, School at Water's Edge
Riptide Laboratory
Soldevi Excavations
Tolaria

Expedition Map

Blue Sun's Zenith
Spell Crumple
Hinder
Worn Powerstone
Apprentice Wizard
Palladium Myr
Thada Adel, Acquisitor
Strip Mine
Tectonic Edge
(Crucible of Worlds?)
Pathrazer of Ulamog
Steal Artifact
Compulsive Research[/cards]

Possible cuts for the cards I want to include? The "generic blue" section is probably where I'll turn for most of the initial cuts when I put together some of the cards I have listed here. Anything I've missed?

[Azrael]

I'd definitely get away from some of the little dorks that don't do much besides add a few points of damage, like Steel Overseer, Argent Sphinx, Master of Etherium, etc. They just don't make enough of a difference versus 40 life opponents.

Training Grounds and Liquimetal coating are pretty sweet in here.

Some of the cards just don't seem to be making a very heavy impact. Like, Mulldrifter. Vedalken Archmage. Thoughtcast. A simple Braingeyser or Mind Spring is very likely to outstrip those in effectiveness. If you eventually get Power Artifact, then Geyser and Stroke Of Geninus/Blue Sun's Zenith become insta-kills.

Energy Chamber? With the Chalice? Probably not good enough.

Almost zero countermagic here, because of the theme I expect, but at least a modest sprinkling can make a huge difference. At the least, Spell Crumple and Hinder are hard to make an argument against. And 2 mana counters like Counterspell and
Negate are always tech. Memnarch takes a while to come down, and people hate him heavily when he arrives, so not being able to protect him and protect yourself leaves you pretty wide open.

Fabricate, Worn Powerstone, Apprentice Wizard, Palladium Myr, and Thada Adel would all help ramp up to Memnarch.

I'd also recommend retooling the mana towards more basics, and running Extraplanar Lens and Gauntlets of Power. Much better at helping Memnarch be broken. Some of the nonbasics you picked could potentially be swapped out, too. Out of the lands you're running and that you mentioned, Academy Ruins (maybe), Soldevi Excavations (maybe), Temple of the False God (maybe), Reliquary Tower (maybe), Strip Mine, Tectonic Edge, Tolaria West - I'd gravitate towards those, and nothing else beyond basics. I guess maybe Seat of the Synod?Darksteel Citadel if you're sticking with Prototype Portal. Also, 38 lands is usually the right number - equates to about 23 lands in a 60 card deck. 35 is more like running 20-21 -
in a mana-hungry control deck.

I'd especially recommend Strip Mine and Tectonic Edge, maybe some similar effects, since Homeward Path pretty much destroys you.

Pretty sure Metalworker is banned, right?

Trench Gorger/Pathrazer of Ulamog/Artisan of Kozilek for win cons? Much less expensive than the bigger Eldrazi, but still good ways to cut people down to size in a hurry.

Glen Elendra Archmage, Kaho, Minamo Historian, Rapid Hybridization, and Pongify are other good cards to consider. Phyrexian Processor, if you're feeling ballsy. Steal Artifact. Control Magic. Knowledge Exploitation. If your mana gets good enough, Time Warp effects. Tidespout Tyrant for infi with your mana rocks and board control. Concentrate. Tidings. Compulsive Research.

[Checkbox]

I'd definitely get away from some of the little dorks that don't do much besides add a few points of damage, like Steel Overseer, Argent Sphinx, Master of Etherium, etc. They just don't make enough of a difference versus 40 life opponents.

This is a very preliminary build - mostly thrown together with cards I own currently. I can get behind those cuts, though I do like the Master of Etherium, since I don't want the deck to rely on Memnarch, and big dudes are always good (and my metagame of EDH is more casual-themed, rather than cutthroat).

Some of the cards just don't seem to be making a very
heavy impact. Like, Mulldrifter. Vedalken Archmage. Thoughtcast. A simple Braingeyser or Mind Spring is very likely to outstrip those in effectiveness. If you eventually get Power Artifact, then Geyser and Stroke Of Geninus/Blue Sun's Zenith become insta-kills.

Mulldrifter can go, I like Vedalken Archmage though, and Thoughtcast is eventually just a U: Draw Two (and mine is foil!). I can go for a Braingeyser, though. And how does Power Artifact make those insta-kills?

Energy Chamber? With the Chalice? Probably not good enough.

Again, preliminary build. It will be cut for some of the cards I have on that list up there.

Almost zero countermagic here, because of
the theme I expect, but at least a modest sprinkling can make a huge difference. At the least, Spell Crumple and Hinder are hard to make an argument against. And 2 mana counters like Counterspell and Negate are always tech. Memnarch takes a while to come down, and people hate him heavily when he arrives, so not being able to protect him and protect yourself leaves you pretty wide open.

Spell Crumple and Hinder definitely need to go in, though I'd rather have more artifact stuff than Counterspell and Negate.

Fabricate, Worn Powerstone, Apprentice Wizard, Palladium Myr, and Thada Adel would all help ramp up to Memnarch.

Fabricate is on my list I think, though I do like Worn Powerstone, Apprentice Wizard and Palladium Myr. And Thada Adel, Acquisitor is sweet for a million reasons, she's going in.

I'd also recommend retooling the mana towards more basics, and running Extraplanar Lens and Gauntlets of Power. Much better at helping Memnarch be broken. Some of the nonbasics you picked could potentially be swapped out, too. Out of the lands you're running and that you mentioned, Academy Ruins (maybe), Soldevi Excavations (maybe), Temple of the False God (maybe), Reliquary Tower (maybe), Strip Mine, Tectonic Edge, Tolaria West - I'd gravitate towards those, and nothing else beyond basics. I guess maybe Seat of the Synod?Darksteel Citadel if you're sticking with Prototype Portal. Also, 38 lands is usually the right number - equates to about 23 lands in a 60 card deck. 35 is more like running 20-21 - in a mana-hungry control deck.

I'm not sure how I feel about the basics/Extraplanar Lens plan. Like its obviously very powerful, but I try to shy
away from those obvious strategies in my mono-colored decks, though I guess out of the 5 I have, this is the one that wants it the most. And also, that seems like it would either eat removal quickly or lead to me taking over the game quickly, neither of which I'm interested in. Strip Mine and Tectonic Edge definitely are things I will put on the list.

Pretty sure Metalworker is banned, right?

Yes, he will be removed from the list.

Trench Gorger/Pathrazer of Ulamog/Artisan of Kozilek for win cons? Much less expensive than the bigger Eldrazi, but still good ways to cut people down to size in a hurry.

Never liked Trench Gorger much, but I can throw a Pathrazer in
here. I have a bunch of chinese foil copies.

Glen Elendra Archmage, Kaho, Minamo Historian, Rapid Hybridization, and Pongify are other good cards to consider. Phyrexian Processor, if you're feeling ballsy. Steal Artifact. Control Magic. Knowledge Exploitation. If your mana gets good enough, Time Warp effects. Tidespout Tyrant for infi with your mana rocks and board control. Concentrate. Tidings. Compulsive Research.

I'm trying to shy away from "good stuff blue cards" in the final build. Steal Artifact is quite flavorful though. Compulsive Research can probably go in, too.

Cards to add:
[cards]Blue Sun's Zenith
Spell Crumple
Hinder
Worn Powerstone
Apprentice Wizard
Palladium Myr
Thada Adel, Acquisitor
Strip Mine
nTectonic Edge
(Crucible of Worlds?)
Pathrazer of Ulamog
Steal Artifact
Compulsive Research[/cards]