Losheel, Clockwork ScholarLosheel, Clockwork Scholar | art by Daniel Zrom

Build Your own Precon - Mono-white Artifacts

Hello! I’m Alastor Guzman, a new voice at EDHREC. I’m a game designer and writer with experience working on several Magic sets and D&D books for Wizards of the Coast. I also create content in Spanish for TCG Land.

I love playing and teaching Commander, but unfortunately, it can be an overwhelming experience for new players. There are a ton of things to keep track of such as cards, effects, creatures, and players.

You might think buying a precon at your LGS might solve the issue, but even those are hardly balanced when it comes to power level, or include confusing mechanics for new players. I’m looking at you and your weird combos, Ulalek Fused AtrocityUlalek Fused Atrocity.

So a friend and I started building our precons. They are beginner-friendly decks meant to be cheap and easy to play, focused on a single strategy so new players can learn the ropes.

You can keep them around for new players, build them yourself to get started, or use them to explore new themes and colors.

Rules for the decks:

• They are 1 to 2 colors max.
• Buying all the cards should cost the same as buying a sealed precon + $20 USD of upgrades.
• Each deck is focused on teaching rules common to its colors or archetype.
• The commander should be simple and helpful to avoid common beginner mistakes.

What are we building?

Losheel, Clockwork ScholarLosheel, Clockwork Scholar, are at the helm of this mono-white artifacts deck.

You’re going to be playing with lots of small artifact creatures that benefit each other, while your commander keeps them alive and refuels your hand.

What’s our strategy?

This deck is built around a “Go Wide” strategy: You’re going to create a large army of creatures to overwhelm your opponents.

Artifact creatures are the heart of the deck. You’ll support them with cards that make them stronger or help get them back from the graveyard

You should be attacking every turn to put pressure on your opponents from the beginning of the game.

The commander - Tech support elephant

Losheel, Clockwork ScholarLosheel, Clockwork Scholar has two key effects.

The first effect prevents all combat damage that would be dealt to attacking artifact creatures you control. You can attack without worrying about blockers. Even if your opponents block, your artifacts will come out in one piece.

Losheel’s second ability triggers when an artifact creature enters under your control.Whether it’s a token or a creature card—as long as it’s an artifact creature—you get to draw a card. This ability only triggers once each turn, so dumping 10 artifacts in one turn gives you no extra advantage.

But we can be sneaky about it and create artifacts during our opponents turns as well.

The deck in detail

1. Mana Ramp and Cost Reduction

Nothing feels worse than a hand full of cool spells and no mana in sight. So, how are we making sure we can play our exciting artifacts?

Mana Creatures

Play artifact creatures that can produce mana like Alloy MyrAlloy Myr, Gold MyrGold Myr, and Ornithopter of ParadiseOrnithopter of Paradise. If you have enough lands, you can use your buff effects to make them into active combatants.

Cost Reducers

Cards like Jhoira’s FamiliarJhoira’s Familiar and Foundry InspectorFoundry Inspector lower the mana cost of your artifact spells, making it easier to play multiple cards each turn.

Planeswalkers

Karn, Living LegacyKarn, Living Legacy generates Powerstone tokens, which provide mana specifically for artifact spells. It’s considered by many as the worst Karn, but in this deck its abilities are actually useful - and it’s a great way to show new players how planeswalkers work.

2. Card Advantage

Drawing extra cards ensures you can always do something on your turn. Losheel gives you a card the first time an artifact enters the battlefield, but we want more.

We’re playing multiple draw effects to ensure we’ll find at least one in each game. Redundancy is key to making your deck consistent.

Platoon DispenserPlatoon Dispenser: Draw a card at the end of your turn if you control two or more creatures. This artifact also lets you create a soldier artifact token, so activate it to make sure you get to draw.

Thopter ShopThopter Shop: Draw cards when one of your artifact creatures dies.You can also use it to create Thopters to trigger Losheel, Clockwork ScholarLosheel, Clockwork Scholar.

Karn, Living LegacyKarn, Living Legacy (again!): Its second ability lets you pay mana to see the top X cards of your library and put one into your hand. The effect only nets you one card but you get to choose the best one to keep.

3. Artifact Creatures and Buffers

Your creatures aren’t just bodies, they have effects to help your strategy. You’re running artifact creatures that enable Losheel’s effect and support creatures that help artifacts in general.

What effects are we using?

Regeneration

Jhoira’s ToolboxJhoira’s Toolbox allows you to protect artifact creatures from dying by paying a small cost.

Token Generators

Cards like Digsite EngineerDigsite Engineer and MyrsmithMyrsmith create artifact creature tokens. If you have extra mana when you cast your artifact, you can pay for their effect to expand your army. Oltec MatterweaverOltec Matterweaver even does it for free!

Buff Effects

Cards like Chief of the FoundryChief of the Foundry make your artifacts stronger, while Steel OverseerSteel Overseer can be tapped to give a +1/+1 counter to each of your creatures.

Flash Effects

Since Losheel, Clockwork ScholarLosheel, Clockwork Scholar’s effect only triggers once per turn, casting them on your opponent's turns gets around the limitation. Shimmer MyrShimmer Myr and Liberator, Urza’s BattlethopterLiberator, Urza’s Battlethopter - allow you to cast artifacts whenever you want.

4. Interaction and Removal

Every deck needs ways to interact with the other players beyond combat. Some examples include exiling creatures, destroying key permanents, or removing cards from opponents’ graveyards so they can’t bring them back.

• Targeted Removal: Cards like DispatchDispatch, Generous GiftGenerous Gift, and Swords to PlowsharesSwords to Plowshares eliminate problematic creatures or permanents.
• Graveyard Hate: Lion SashLion Sash exiles cards from opponents’ graveyards while growing stronger.

5. Protection and recovery

A common problem with Go Wide strategies is their vulnerability to board wipes. We have two choices: protecting our creatures or getting them back from the graveyard. However, we can actually do both.

Indestructible Effects

Cards like Unbreakable FormationUnbreakable Formation and Paladin Danse, Steel MaverickPaladin Danse, Steel Maverickprotect your creatures from board wipes.

Protection

Rebbec, Architect of AscensionRebbec, Architect of Ascension protects your artifacts from each converted mana cost among artifacts cards you control. For example, if you have artifacts that cost 2, 3, and 4, your artifacts have protection from any spell, card, or ability with those same mana costs.

Recovery

Teshar, Ancestor’s ApostleTeshar, Ancestor’s Apostle, Scrap TrawlerScrap Trawler, and Ironsoul EnforcerIronsoul Enforcer have effects that let you get cards back from your graveyard.

Mass Recovery

Brilliant RestorationBrilliant Restoration returns all your artifacts from your graveyard to the battlefield. If you get boardwiped, you can just bring everything back in one go. It’s a powerful effect that can turn the tide of a game.

6. Mass Destruction

While getting your creatures destroyed is painful, there are few things as satisfactory as cleaning up your opponent’s boards, especially if they have an overwhelming board state. Below are a couple of cards that can wreak havoc on your opponent.

Austere CommandAustere Command: A versatile card that can destroy specific types of creatures, artifacts, or enchantments.

Organic ExtinctionOrganic Extinction: Destroys all non-artifact creatures, leaving your army untouched.

7. Finishers

All decks need a way to finish the game. Losheel, Clockwork ScholarLosheel, Clockwork Scholar uses the artifact creatures to close the game using combat damage by attacking every turn to slowly chip away at your opponent's life. For a faster closing we have:

Tempered SteelTempered Steel: Boosts all artifact creatures by giving them +2/+2.

NettlecystNettlecyst: Turns any creature, including Losheel, into a massive threat based on your artifact count.

Step-by-Step Game Plan

Early Game

In the early turns, set up your board state by getting your key pieces out. Your first priority is getting your mana rocks and Losheel, Clockwork ScholarLosheel, Clockwork Scholar on the battlefield. This ensures you have enough mana to cast multiple spells per turn cycle and get your advantage engine going.

The next cards you want to play are Oltec MatterweaverOltec Matterweaver, Digsite EngineerDigsite Engineer, or MyrsmithMyrsmith. By having them in the battlefield you’ll multiply your army with every new artifact you cast.

Here are some tips for early game:

Small attacks build up

Once Losheel, Clockwork ScholarLosheel, Clockwork Scholar hits the battlefield, start attacking with your artifact creatures. Even if you only manage to get 1 or 2 hits in, the damage adds up throughout the game.

Enough pressure with fast attacks can even force your opponents to block with valuable creatures. If you've played Starcraft, you know this as a Zerg rush, hit them before they can build up their defenses.

Blocking and defending

In case of emergency, your non-attacking creatures can be used as blockers. Losheel, Clockwork ScholarLosheel, Clockwork Scholar, being a 2/4, is a solid blocker. Use him to block early attacks as you should (almost) never be attacking with him.

Flash

If you can get your flash enablers early in the game, you can start using Losheel to draw 4 cards per turn cycle. Surprise blockers are also a way to throw your opponent off-balance.

Mid-Game and threat assessment

Mid-game happens when most players have their commanders, advantage engines, and some key pieces in place.

For you, mid-game is when you have Losheel, three to five artifact creatures that are attacking each turn, and at least one token producer in play.

At this point you need to assess the threat level other players pose to your strategy.

If a player is using a graveyard strategy, Lion SashLion Sash will deal with them by exiling their best cards out of the game.

Annex SentryAnnex Sentry, Generous GiftGenerous Gift, andDispatchDispatch let you remove any problematic creatures or commanders on the field.

Commanders that force you to sacrifice creatures or that are key for your opponents’ strategy, like typal commanders, need to be targeted.

The main threats against you are tokens, lifegain, and decks that keep removing Losheel from the battlefield.

Token decks

Remove your opponent’s token doublers. Cards like Parallel LivesParallel Lives, or Anointed ProcessionAnointed Procession are central to those decks. In the same vein, removing their token producers and attacking them makes them waste their tokens blocking you. Outlast them in order to win.

Lifegain decks

Lifegain decks can recover life faster than you can damage them. To win against them, you need NettlecystNettlecyst. It’s an equipment that grows with the number of artifacts or enchantments on the battlefield. Attaching it to Losheel allows you to win with Commander damage. You can also use it on a flyer to deal heavy damage before they can recover.

Protection and recursion

At this point your opponents will have seen your strategy and start using their removal. Worry not! You have ways to defend yourself.

• Rebbec, Architect of AscensionRebbec, Architect of Ascension, gives your artifacts protection.
• Unbreakable FormationUnbreakable Formation makes your creatures indestructible.

Nevertheless, even the best-laid plans can fail, and that's when cards like Brilliant RestorationBrilliant Restoration come into play. Nearly all your cards are artifacts, so use Brilliant Restoration to bring back everything that has been destroyed.

Other options include Teshar, Ancestor’s ApostleTeshar, Ancestor’s Apostle, Scrap TrawlerScrap Trawler, and Ironsoul EnforcerIronsoul Enforcer to bring your artifact cards from the graveyard and back onto the battlefield. Although they are slower, they can help you rebuild after a boardwipe.

Late game and finishers

Time to wrap up. This deck doesn’t have an “I win” card, instead it slowly wears down opponents as the game progresses. There are also several bombs like Darksteel JuggernautDarksteel Juggernaut, Metalwork ColossusMetalwork Colossus, or Stonecoil SerpentStonecoil Serpent that work as mana outlets. After that, drop a big creature to finish off opponents on their last leg.

Having 6 to 10 artifact creatures and using Tempered SteelTempered Steel, allows you to take out huge chunks of life from other players in a single attack.

Finally, when your army is ready, use Organic ExtinctionOrganic Extinction to remove all blockers and finish them off in one final attack.

Upgrades

This deck is designed to work against other precons or slightly upgraded precon decks. If you like how it plays, consider adding some of these cards:

Untap Effects

Unwinding ClockUnwinding Clock and Lita, Mechanical EngineerLita, Mechanical Engineer let you untap your creatures, allowing you to have a pseudo-vigilance. Alternatively, untapping your mana artifacts lets you use your token producers more often.

Premium Cards

Swap budget draw options for powerful upgrades like Esper SentinelEsper Sentinel or add the best protection there is:Teferi’s ProtectionTeferi’s Protection.

Taxes

If you'd like, use Smothering TitheSmothering Tithe or Ethersworn CanonistEthersworn Canonist slow down your opponents. Ethersworn CanonistEthersworn Canonist synergizes especially well with this deck. You’ll be playing multiple artifacts per turn while your opponents move slowly.

Game-Winning Finishers

Add powerful “I win” cards. Creatures like Blightsteel ColossusBlightsteel Colossus or Moonshaker CavalryMoonshaker Cavalry let you close the game in one hit. Cybermen SquadronCybermen Squadron multiplies your attacking army.

That sums up our precon list on a budget. You’ve also got the guide to teach someone how to play with it, or pilot it yourself!

Remember to test the deck and get a feel for it before committing to any expensive upgrades. The decklist was made with help from Sergio, AKA a deck brewer that makes strategic lists focused on combat.

Alastor Guzman

Alastor Guzman is a writer and game designer. He has worked for Magic the Gathering in Lost Caverns of Ixalan, Dungeons & Dragons in Radiant Citadel, and other projects at Axostories. He has been playing Commander since 2013 and now has 25 commander decks. You can find him in most socials as @alastorgv in bluesky and twitter.