Affinity. It’s been around forever.
It dominated Standard over a decade ago and since then has been a consistent presence in Extended and now Modern with occasional appearances in Legacy. The deck doesn’t include many cards with the actual mechanic Affinity these days, but they can’t fool us. It’s the same deck every time.
Or is it?
It seems like you can teach an old dog new tricks, because Kaladesh has brought it some new toys that players are exploring.
The first, Smuggler’s Copter, needs little introduction. Once you get banned in Standard, entrance into Modern is of little surprise, and the stats here are competitive with the format. The multitude of cheap creatures Affinity plays can crew it, with exception of Signal Pest, and the looting ability is great for a deck that has a small set of very powerful cards enabled by a swath of underpowered cards.
The first wave of Arcbound Ravagers and Cranial Platings should allow Smuggler’s Copter to connect unscathed at least a couple times, at which point you will have found another such threat to continue the pressure.
Walking Ballista, another Standard standout, is the next addition. Much like Hangarback Walker, which has seen occasional play in the deck, its synergy with Arcbound Ravager is the primary draw. The reach that synergy provides is unmatched, and I’m sure is why this list leans toward Galvanic Blast as its nonartifact spell of choice so very few life totals are safe for the opponent.
Finally, there’s Glint-Nest Crane. An unassuming value card seems a little out of place, but the body is fine for a deck that relies on cheap fliers for its early attacks, and digging toward your best cards is always going to be valuable.
What worries me about this list is the curve. All of the added cards cost two or more mana, while the cards they replace cost mostly zero or one. More Memnites especially could help the deck cast these two-drops on turn 1 more often, while the often-irrelevant body can find a new calling as a helicopter pilot.
After all, even Memnites have dreams.
Creatures (25)
- 4 Arcbound Ravager
- 4 Ornithopter
- 3 Master of Etherium
- 2 Etched Champion
- 3 Signal Pest
- 2 Vault Skirge
- 3 Glint-Nest Crane
- 4 Walking Ballista
Lands (17)
Spells (18)
