Puschkin

* I don't see why you are running the Anvil/Chains combo here. Myr Retriever only works when it is put into the graveyard from play!

* On the other hand you are missing Thopter Foundry. I'd replace the Chains with that, maybe the Anvils, too.

* And if we have the Foundry, we might as well make the thing complete and replace some of those equipments with Sword of the Meek.

* Serenity!? Isn't that suicidal?

* I'd replace one of the Damnations with Balance. With Ravager (or Foundry) you can manipulate the number of creatures each player will have, so it's much more flexible, but it can also act as a Mind Twist.

* Talking of that, you should probably run more artifact lands since they are all potential fodder for Foundry and Ravager (and with Balance this means you can manipulate the amount of lands each player will have, too).

* Academy Ruins is missing, too (pu them where the Serenitys were)

* Time Twister is risky in a non-combo deck.

* Arcbound Worker is probably not needed anymore because we'll have so many thopter tokens.

* Skullclamp is painfully missing (especially with the Foundry now). Replaces the Time Twister and makes up for the card draw.

Sum up:

-2 Anvils
-2 Chains
+ 4 Thopter Foundry
-2 Serenity
+2 Sword of the Meek
-2 Arbound Worker
-1 Time Twister
+2 Skullclamp
+1 Academy Ruins
-1 Damnation
+1 Balance

And then some mana base adjustments with an eye on as many artifact lands as possible.

Here it is, you can copy it and work from there:
http://www.mtgvault.com/puschkin/decks/masknought-resource-denial/

Ugh, this is a mess! I can't even figure out what this deck tries to do. Oath of Druids works for both players, so why do you destroy lands and force your opponent to sacrifice stuff and then give him an opportunity to get his creatures out for free? On the other hand Oath does not work with Ulamog's ability because it only triggers when you *cast* him. Survival of the Fittest also doesn't work well with Oath since Oath wants creatures in the library while Survival gets them out of the library and into your graveyard (and Genesis and Witness get them from the graveyard back to your hand - so where are you going to oath!?).

Since we already using Colossus, Survival and other tricks to get fatties into play in two of the other decks and since the 4th one will be a "tribal" (affinity) deck, I think we can ditch Oath, Survival and the fatties this time and rework this to a control/lock deck. But there are many possibilities. I'd go creatureless but I guess that's not what you want to do for players that never played Vintage before, right? My suggestion would be to use and expand the land destruction and resource denial elements you have, keep the Braids, remove the chaff and add the Illusionary Mask/Phyrexian Dreadnought combo. I will create one and link it here because these would be major changes.

You blended several decks, I will focus on that Sneak Attack and try to keep the Scepter sub-theme.

* Sylvan Library + Abundance is a nice combo but hard to piece together if you have only 2 copies each and no tutors. The library is useful on it's own - I would replace the Abundance with Survival of the Fittest since:
- It allows you to fetch the right creature for Sneak Attack
- It allows you to make use of extra Pipers you might not need anymore
- It shuffles your deck which is good for Sylvan
- Way cheaper than Abundance

* You run Scepters, you run white and the deck bases on an Enchantment: Enlightened Tutor should be in!

* Serra Avatar isn't the prime choice - yeah, you could kill with one attack if you sneaked him in but this requires your opponent to have zero blocker and you still being on 20 life. Again, Darksteel Colossus is a better kill option here. But if you do the replacement above and run Survival, you could keep one Avatar and replace the other with Colossus (Colossus can also be fetched by Enlightened Tutor, BTW)

* Swords to Plowshares should be Path to Exile in this: Giving your opponent extra life might mean you lose because then you might need one more creature to sneak attack with. Path to Exile on the other hand has virtually no drawback in Vintage because the opponent can only get basic lands.

* Winter Orb!? I don't see the use in this (or generally in Vintage), you will hurt yourself as much as the opponent. This is what to cut for Enlightened Tutor.

* With only one Serra Avatar still in the mix you can put in fetchlands (they also add extra shuffles for Sylvan Library)

* In case you are also planning to add sideboards: Put 4 Abeyance in the SB (to be swapped for the Chants against creatureless decks)

* Oracle of Mul Daya? Could be Squees, now that we have Survival of the Fittest. Another consideration would be Elvish Spirit Guide (or Simic Spirit Guide) - they add extra speed and if you don't need that you can use Survival to get your fatties.

Well, I don't play 1-on-1 :)

Hive Mind? I am working on a Hive Mind deck - more accurately I stopped working on one because I got stuck in the middle of it. The plan was to to have Hive Mind + Witchbane Orb so you won't get targetted yourself and then go bonkers with targetted sorceries and instants:
http://www.mtgvault.com/puschkin/decks/dont-mind-the-hive/
But I somehow doubt that merging these two ideas would smoothen out the mana curve :) Actually I fail to see how that (or Curse of Echoes for that matter) would help my cause ... I play their spells from their library and then give them copies of those spells?

You know what? I'll just cut some of the more expensive spells, add some mana ramp and call it a day.

We are either 4 people wich means we play 2 vs 2 or 5 players which means we play Pentagram or French Emperor. No free-for-alls.
But yes, I'll lose permanents I stole if the owning player is killed. However, this may come in handy because it means I am less of a target. It could even encourage other players to oust the one I was stealing from so that I lose specific permanents :)
Besides, I made this deck more for the lols ...

You are right, I forgot about Mindleech Mass, however, as you said, that doesn't help with the mana curve at all and would add a spell with double-black mana.

One Ashiok is all I have and I don't think I'll trade for more, that isn't exactly card I would put in other decks after this. Him requiring black is no problem though - I actually run 8 black mana sources (the Vivid Creeks and the Chromatic Stars) plus potentially two more in Thespian Stage. IF I would go with a build that has more black I could also add those Fiend of the Shadows even though they technically don't mess with the libraby.

EDIT: I could "upgrade" Chromatic Star to Terrarion to support a few double-off-colour splashs.

Okay then, I am in :)
And when we have finished those other three decks you might begin to realize why Sundering Titan isn't that good in Vintage :)

Looks good now. Happy playtesting :)

Could you gentlemen please have a look at this one:
http://www.mtgvault.com/puschkin/decks/library-assholes/

It needs some work. Thanks in advance and tell me if one of your decks needs attention, too.

Still don't understand why you run Urborg instead of Tolarian Academy. And you are hellbent on Sundering Titans, yes? You could at least swap one of them for a Darksteel Colossus or Inkwell Leviathan. You run tutors and Tinker, so, that way, you have more options when fetching.

And Tinker is also restricted ;)

* Thirst for Knowledge is restricted in Vintage - remove 3 copies.

* Sundering Titan is a weak choice for the kill card in such a deck. I guess this wasn't made to stomp on casual budget decks, right? You'll play against opponents that are powered, too, yes? That'll mean they will have lots of artifact mana and non-basics that aren't affected by the Titan as well. Thus, he will just be a non-hasting 7/10 without any evasion. You could have a Darksteel Colossus in play instead.

* Why this deck runs no Tinker is beyond me. You probably also want to run Transmute Artifact.

* And not running Tolarian Academy is criminal!

* Show and Tell is very dangerous in powered environments. If you use it, you should be able to kill when you play it. But in this, all you will do is putting a Titan in play (see above). So, you either really need to change your win condition or, if you insist on something as slow and fragile as the Titan, get rid of Show and Tell.

* The deck is missing Time Twister. I am not saying it would make the deck better, but the deck is called "PowerNiner", so if this is some sort of theme deck, Time Twister should be in it (since it is 1 of the so called "Power Nine").

* Since you run 4 Welders and 2 Voltaic Keys already, you could run Time Vault, especially if you take my advice adding Tinker and Transmute Artifact. With a Key this means unlimited extra turns for you. Then it doesn't really matter anymore what you kill with.

* Electrolyze seems a very odd choice. It probably wants to be Fire/Ice instead.

* Depending on the changes you make you might be able to drop those Metalworkers.

* Those Spell Snares should probably be Mana Drains.

On a sidenote, Chromatic Star more than 2 dollars, WTF!?

I'd like to introduce you my new troupe, the infamous "Library Assholes"! They will enter the Thespian's Stage this August but to be honest I am nervous about their premier. I might have to make some last call changes regarding the cast. That's why I decided to invite you lovely critics to a sneak preview. Here is the synopsis of the play:

My actors are a band of mischiefs and outcasts that formed a gang of anarchists, the library assholes, that seeks to overthrow the establishment. It's a bunch of thieves, slackers and vagabonds, however, don't make the mistake thinking they are all proletarian. Among them are academics, too: Geralf who didn't find any supporters for his experiments, Thada Adel whose acquisition methods were deemed "too creative" for the government and that Sphinx that is now the spokesman of this organization.
And the mastermind behind all of them is Ashiok. He once had a dream where he turned all those oppressive methods of the superiors against themselves. Now he is trying to gather enough folk to make this dream become a true nightmare.

Well, Cockatrice doesn't support multiplayer and certainly not Pentagram. And playtesting against the typical multiplayer decks of random dudes will say nothing about how it would fare against my usual play buddies ... that's an observation I made on this very site. The typical deck here is vastly different from what we play. Not only because of the budget craze and focus on newer cards, also in style and punch.

And I don't really need playtesting - I just wanted to report how it did. Next Magic weekend will happen sooner or later :)

Magic Marathon is over. Played this deck only once and it was a team game (2vs2) so not exactly what was planned (we were one guy short). Had a wonderful start with Myriad Landscape, Sol Ring, 2 different basic lands, an Oath, Beast Within and Blind Obediance. So by turn 4 I had 4 different basic lands, and active Oath and Obediance and the Beast Within as backup, also an active Deceiver that I drew meanwhile. The opponents were beating us a little but I advised my partner to block recklessly (because that would help when I drop the Oath). So, when it was Oath time both of our opponents couldn't oath, my partner oathed into a Predator Ooze which grew quickly thanks to his 3 Hardened Scales he had meanwhile. Opponents managed to kill the Oath before I could use it but it didn't matter, they didn't have anything worthwhile to steal anyway and the Ooze steamrolled them.

So, while it won, it didn't do what it was supposed to do, which means I am not wiser as I was last week :)

haha, that should be 40th of course.

Yeah, I am looking for the Bringer. But Sylvan Library also fixes the problem of "what if I draw creatures", so no need anymore to circumvent mana costs of creatures with Pipers or similar.

This is all still kind of experimental. My group will meet this weekend for a Magic Marathon, I'll post results regarding this deck. We can work with more focus then.

Added 2 Sylvan Libraries for library manipulation (working so well with Oath and fecthlands, should have been in there from the beginning)

Okay, to anyone that is still reading this:
I am now assembling this deck and need a final review. Here the latest choices, problems and restrictions:

* Found out I don't own a Vedalken Shackles, moved it to the sideboard for now until I can trade for one. This encouraged me to:
* Added 2 Mass Mutiny, one to replace the Shackles, one as a substitute for the Bringer of the Red Dawn that I also still haven't been able to trade for. Problem with the Mass Mutiny is the double-red in the casting cost. Before the addition of Mass Mutiny I didn't need any red mana at all.
* For some reason I only had 3 Oaths in my binder. There must be 4, I played them in tourneys back then, but until I find the 4th one, I'll go with a Sterling Grove.
* The Blessings, Helm of Possessions and the Maze are currently occupied in other decks. I will switch them before play if needed but if you know any possible replacements ...
* Added Blind Obedience to prevent any hasters beating me senseless the opponents might Oath into. Would add a second one if I had a second one. Should I add a Kismet instead? I currently run one or two mana sources too many that I could cut to make room.
* Feel like I run not enough library manipulation, especially since I am now short on Oaths. Brainstorm is also the only card right now that allows me to put creatures I draw back on top of the library.
* Sold some cards and bought myself a Forcefield for my 4th birthday, a card I always wanted to own. This deck probably needs it the most :)

"I guess wizards really is trying to get prices down on stuff."
ROFL, Wizards is making grand money by reprinting older cards that are pricy on the secondary market, especially when putting them in irregular sets like Modern Masters, From the Vault, Conspiracy etc. They are literally printing money now. "We are releasing this special set to make those cards that are in such a high demand affordable for you guys" is just a very VERY convenient excuse for Wizards. Don't eat it up like that - all those special sets and reprints are a gigantic cash grab that currently happens with big impact on the game. While it does vitalizes formats like Modern and EDH it does long term damage to collectors and anyone that has already invested in those cards.

Personally I have no trust anymore in Wizards and their card policy. I will never again invest in any cards that cost more than 20 dollars and am very hesitant to buy any product at all because I realized that they are now at a point where they reprint at whim whatever they want. And it's not just the expensive cards. Sets like Modern Masters also include lots of cards that weren't that pricy at all but at least worth a few more than the 10 cents you get for an average card. But they all got reprinted, too, oftentimes in the common or uncommon slot. So, what actually happens: The release Modern Masters with another reprint of Tarmogoyf (a card that is essential for Modern and Legacy), a card that should have ended up banned. A card that drives up sales. But because it's so essential, the price really doesn't drop besides the reprint, so the intended goal isn't reached. Then there are all those former staples around 15 dollars that do lose in value. But alongside those, as some sort of collateral damage, the market is flooded with Cathodians, Darksteel Citadels, Electrolyzes, Expedition Maps and whatnot, preventing those cards to ever get any track. Because for each Tarmogoyf to enter circulation, dozens of packs have to be opened which contain hundreds of Cs and Us.

This is nice for someone that just began with this wonderful hobby but horrible for anyone that has been a loyal customer for years. I started collecting in 1994 and for about 15 years I was not worried about buying cards, be it singles or displays, because I always knew that -as long as I don't make idiotic trades- I will always be able to make my money back if I sold parts of my collection. Which is an important thing. Not because I like to speculate, it's important because that means some kind of insurance. There were times where I was short on money. Without that reassurance I could not have spent that much money on Magic. And indeed there was a time where selling a few cards helped me out paying the rent. But now? Now, whether I buy singles or packs, the situation is like this: Most of the cards will never crosse the 10 cent mark, the few cards that are worth a few dollars will drop in value as soon as they leave Standard and the even fewer cards that might get traction later on and become expensive will get reprinted as soon as they get pricey. I fully expect Snapcaster Mage to be reprinted at the next opportunity for example, which is why I sold mine off, even though I am not in need of money right now. I am just very unsettled and uncomfortable with the current situation and I am not alone with this.