Efficient, versatile interaction is crucial to succeeding in competitive MTG. To show this, few tools are better than Engineered Explosives, which is now getting a reprint in MTG Star Trek. Appearing in Standard for the first time in 22 years, this artifact is bound to have a big impact.
MTG Engineered Explosives
Engineered Explosives
Engineered Explosives
Sunburst (This artifact enters with a charge counter on it for each color of mana spent to cast it.)
{2}, Sacrifice this artifact: Destroy each nonland permanent with mana value equal to the number of charge counters on this artifact.
has long been a Modern staple with tons of applications. Thanks to its Sunburst ability, multi-color archetypes get access to a disruptive tool that scales over the course of the game. Of course, the more cards you can answer with this artifact, the further you’ll pull ahead on resources.
With this in mind, Explosives should be an incredible answer to go-wide decks in Standard. Obviously, this includes answering token armies generated by
Sapling Nursery
Sapling Nursery
Affinity for Forests (This spell costs {1} less to cast for each Forest you control.)
Landfall — Whenever a land you control enters, create a 3/4 green Treefolk creature token with reach.
{1}{G}, Exile this enchantment: Treefolk and Forests you control gain indestructible until end of turn.
out of Landfall or
Simulacrum Synthesizer
Simulacrum Synthesizer
When this artifact enters, scry 2.
Whenever another artifact you control with mana value 3 or greater enters, create a 0/0 colorless Construct artifact creature token with "This token gets +1/+1 for each artifact you control."
out of Jeskai Artifacts. On top of that, though, decks that rely on a specific point in the curve get wrecked. Rakdos Lizards, for example, plays tons of two-drops to maximize
Flamecache Gecko
Flamecache Gecko
When this creature enters, if an opponent lost life this turn, add {B}{R}.
{1}{R}, Discard a card: Draw a card.
‘s mana production, and Explosives punishes them for overextending.
Notably, Explosives isn’t limited to just hitting creatures, which is a huge deal in the current Standard environment. Jund Sacrifice, one of the format’s best decks, leans on
Obsessive Pursuit
Obsessive Pursuit
When this enchantment enters and at the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 1 life and create a Clue token. (It's an artifact with "{2}, Sacrifice this token: Draw a card.")
Whenever you attack, put X +1/+1 counters on target attacking creature, where X is the number of permanents you've sacrificed this turn. If X is three or more, that creature gains lifelink until end of turn.
to generate artifact sacrifice fodder and
Biotech Specialist
Biotech Specialist
When this creature enters, create a Lander token. (It's an artifact with "{2}, {T}, Sacrifice this token: Search your library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.")
Whenever you sacrifice an artifact, this creature deals 2 damage to target opponent.
to convert those Clues into damage, and Explosives kills both with one card. Similarly, Lifegain shells play a ton of one-drop Soul Sisters effects, including
Case of the Uneaten Feast
Case of the Uneaten Feast
Whenever a creature you control enters, you gain 1 life.
To solve — You've gained 5 or more life this turn. (If unsolved, solve at the beginning of your end step.)
Solved — Sacrifice this Case: Creature cards in your graveyard gain "You may cast this card from your graveyard" until end of turn.
, and Explosives cleans them all up.
These use cases make Explosives a very appealing sideboard card at minimum. Decks like Dimir Midrange and Dimir Reanimator that lack good answers to artifacts or enchantments should use this tool particularly well.
Interestingly, Explosives’ impact will likely be even higher in Pioneer, mainly because threats are more efficient. Both Izzet Prowess and Mono-Red Aggro play tons of one-drops like
Monastery Swiftspear
Monastery Swiftspear
Haste
Prowess (Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
and
Soul-Scar Mage
Soul-Scar Mage
Prowess
If a source you control would deal noncombat damage to a creature an opponent controls, put that many -1/-1 counters on that creature instead.
that Explosives can sweep. Sacrifice decks are on the rise thanks to the printing of
The Sackville-Bagginses
The Sackville-Bagginses
When The Sackville-Bagginses enter, you may sacrifice another creature or artifact. If you do, draw a card and create a Treasure token.
Whenever you sacrifice a token, target opponent loses 1 life.
, too, so having clean answers to
Witch’s Oven
Witch’s Oven
{T}, Sacrifice a creature: Create a Food token. If the sacrificed creature's toughness was 4 or greater, create two Food tokens instead. (They're artifacts with "{2}, {T}, Sacrifice this token: You gain 3 life.")
is a priority.
Notably, this will also be the first time Explosives is legal in Arena-only formats, and boy does it looked poised to make a splash in Historic Affinity. This card joins
Urza’s Bauble
Urza’s Bauble
{T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Look at a card at random in target player's hand. You draw a card at the beginning of the next turn's upkeep.
as an elite zero-drop artifact that triggers
Pinnacle Emissary
Pinnacle Emissary
Whenever you cast an artifact spell, create a 1/1 colorless Drone artifact creature token with flying and "This token can block only creatures with flying."
Warp {U/R} (You may cast this card from your hand for its warp cost. Exile this creature at the beginning of the next end step, then you may cast it from exile on a later turn.)
and reduces
Kappa Cannoneer
Kappa Cannoneer
Improvise (Your artifacts can help cast this spell. Each artifact you tap after you're done activating mana abilities pays for {1}.)
Ward {4}
Whenever this creature or another artifact you control enters, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. It can't be blocked this turn.
‘s cost. You can also rebuy Explosives with
Emry, Lurker of the Loch
Emry, Lurker of the Loch
Affinity for artifacts (This spell costs {1} less to cast for each artifact you control.)
When Emry enters, mill four cards.
{T}: Choose target artifact card in your graveyard. You may cast that card this turn. (You still pay its costs. Timing rules still apply.)
for continuous disruption.
Affinity could also emerge as a new Standard deck thanks to this zero-drop. While you miss out on Cannoneer as a big finisher, Emissary and
Ravenous Robots
Ravenous Robots
Whenever you cast an artifact spell, create a 1/1 colorless Robot artifact creature token.
{R}, {T}: Creature tokens you control gain haste until end of turn.
can create a wide board state in a heartbeat.
Weapons Manufacturing
Weapons Manufacturing
Whenever a nontoken artifact you control enters, create a colorless artifact token named Munitions with "When this token leaves the battlefield, it deals 2 damage to any target."
also provides plenty of extra reach, and the fact that Explosives for X=0 can destroy and trigger all of your Munitions tokens on a whim is quite powerful. You also have
Krang, Master Mind
Krang, Master Mind
Affinity for artifacts (This spell costs {1} less to cast for each artifact you control.)
When Krang enters, if you have fewer than four cards in hand, draw cards equal to the difference.
Krang gets +1/+0 for each other artifact you control.
as an extremely powerful Affinity payoff to build towards.
Of course, the card also includes Pinnacle Emissary and answers Manufacturing, so it could easily be a decent anti-Affinity sideboard card.
With MTG Star Trek’s Engineered Explosives reprint introducing the card to Standard, Pioneer, and MTG Arena as a whole, we may be seeing a lot of this card soon.
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