Make It Rain Energy

Hey friends! Welcome back to EDHREC for the final precon guide for Universes Beyond: Fallout. Unfortunately, we’re ending our time on this set with a real stinker: Science! 

In case you missed it, go check out my review of the precon here. I gave Science! a failing grade, because the deck fails in every way. In particular, it fails to make Energy consistently.

So let’s see if we can, as the phrase goes, polish a turd.

What’s in the Original Deck?

Science! is led by Dr. Madison Li, a 2/3 Human Scientist that creates an Energy counter whenever you cast an artifact spell. She also has three activated abilities that require tapping her and spending Energy. For one Energy, you give a creature +1/+0, trample, and haste. For three Energy you draw a card. And for five you can return an artifact card from your grave to the battlefield tapped. 

So this deck is all about Energy and artifacts, right? 

Our backup commander is Liberty Prime, Recharged, a massive 8/8 Robot with vigilance, trample, and haste that requires you to spend two Energy whenever it attacks or blocks, or else you have to sacrifice it. You can also tap it and spend two mana to sacrifice an artifact to draw a card and get two Energy. Hey, more artifacts and Energy! (Padme/Anakin meme intensifies.)

Here’s the original deck list for Science!:

Let's tune up.

What Budget Cards Can We Add to Science!?

We’ll break our upgrade up into two parts: one budget ($5 or less per card) and one non-budget (>$5).

So you might think it would be easy to upgrade the deck to make it more energetic. Turns out - not so much. The problem with the Energy cards from Kaladesh is that very few of them were artifacts, or synergized with artifacts. Most of the cards only make Energy when they enter the battlefield, which isn’t terribly efficient. Yes, we have Panharmonicon in the deck, but I don’t want to put a bunch of cards in that are only good with Panharmonicon. I’ll also add that the Energy cards from Kaladesh were clearly not designed with Commander in mind. A lot of small creatures meant to chip away at 20 life points aren’t so great when your goal changes to 120 life points.

Still, I found a few budget Energy cards to add. Aetherstorm Roc makes an Energy whenever a creature enters your battlefield, which will be more productive than Dr. Li. Decoction Module does the same thing and even lets you bounce your own creature. Then Era of Innovation makes one when an artifact or Artificer drops, for the low cost of one mana.

Since the Kaladesh cards didn’t really pan out for Energy efficiency, I thought a better approach for getting more Energy would be Proliferate effects. For that we’ve got Filigree Vector, Flux Channeler, Karn’s Bastion, and Throne of Geth.

With so many activation costs requiring an artifact sacrifice, it felt prudent to add more artifact token-makers as well. So we’ll add Thopter Shop, Sai, Master Thopterist, and Forensic Gadgeteer, all of which are also great for card draw. The Gadgeteer even has the added bonus of reducing artifact activation costs, which will help with Liberty Prime, Recharged, Thopter Shop, Treasure Vault, the deck’s Equipment, and obviously Clues. And for a really neat trick, we’ll also bring in Cybermen Squadron. This card from Doctor Who gives our nonlegendary artifact creatures Myriad, which not only gives us more artifact tokens to sacrifice, but also gives us more Energy off creatures like Assaultron Dominator, Behemoth of Vault 0, and Robobrain War Mind who make Energy on entry.

The precon struggled with colored mana, so we’ll add Fellwar Stone and Chromatic Lantern. And to make Dr. Li better, we’ll add Illusionist’s Bracers to copy her activated abilities and Encroaching Mycosynth, which turns every permanent spell we cast into an artifact spell.

Last, we need to increase the damage output of the deck. As I mentioned in my review, this precon is a combat deck masquerading as an Energy deck. So let’s play into that and improve our combat with Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer and Kappa Cannoneer. We’ll also bring in Alibou, Ancient Witness for some extra damage and card advantage.

Throw these on the scrap heap: Curie, Emergent Intelligence, Elder Owyn Lyons, Endurance Bobblehead, Intelligence Bobblehead, James, Wandering Dad, Mechanized Production, Myriad Landscape, Nerd Rage, Nick Valentine, Private Eye, Nuka-Cola Vending Machine, Open the Vaults, Overencumbered, Panharmonicon, Red Death Shipwrecker, Sentry Bot, Shaun, Father of Synths, Thirst for Knowledge, Thought Vessel, Vault 13: Dweller’s Journey

I know, I know. Panharmonicon was a tough cut to make. But our ETB effects just aren’t plentiful enough in the deck to justify it.

Here’s the budget upgraded deck list:

And here are some other cards to consider: Battlemage’s Bracers, Braided Net, Brass’s Tunnel-Grinder, Contagion Clasp, Golem Foundry, Mirrodin Besieged, Saheeli, Sublime Artificer, Unctus, Grand Metatect

What Are Some Good Expensive Cards We Can Add to Science!?

Khajit has wares if you have coin. Oops, wrong game.

Let’s start with the two obvious best choices for an Energy deck upgrade. Both of these cards spiked in price as soon as it was revealed that there would be an Energy deck in this set. Of course, I’m talking about Aetherworks Marvel and Gonti’s Aether Heart. Sadly, we can only imagine how good this deck would be if Dr. Li made energy as efficiently as Aether Heart does. Alas...

For more Proliferate effects, we’ll toss in Inexorable Tide and Contagion Engine. Smothering Tithe makes tons of artifacts and mana. Which I think might be good? We’ll also tack some card draw onto the casting artifact triggers with Vedalken Archmage. And heck, let’s draw even more cards with Esper Sentinel. We’ll even tutor for an artifact with Inventors’ Fair. 

For a nice burst of combat damage, we can add Cyberdrive Awakener. It won’t do anything for Energy, but we’ll have plenty of noncreature artifacts on the board to awaken for an artifact onslaught.

And our last addition is for those looking to increase the deck’s salinity: Jin-Gitaxias, Progress Tyrant. I mean, two is always better than one, right?

These will be left in the wasteland: Arcade Gannon, Automated Assembly Line, T-45 Power Armor, C.A.M.P., Expert-Level Safe, Flux Channeler, Loyal Apprentice, Paladin Danse, Steel Maverick, Treasure Vault, Unexpected Windfall

Here’s our non-budget upgraded deck list:

And a couple more cards to consider: Krark-Clan Ironworks, Urza, Lord High Artificer

Born in the Vault, Die in the Vault

That’s a wrap on our precon guides for Fallout. What do you think of this Upgrade Guide? Did I make this mess any better. Any other Energy cards from Kaladesh that are worth adding? What’s your favorite Energy drink? Head to the comments below and let me know! And make sure to keep checking back for more precon guides, here on EDHREC.

More Precon Fun:

Scrappy Survivors Fallout Precon Upgrade Guide

Hail, Caesar Fallout Precon Upgrade Guide

Mutant Menace Fallout Precon Upgrade Guide