Overview

Built from Scratch is a mono-red artifact deck led by a planeswalker. Daretti, Scrap Savant can be your commander and enters with three loyalty. Its +2 discards up to two cards and draws that many, its -2 sacrifices an artifact and returns target artifact card from your graveyard to the battlefield, and its -10 gives you an emblem that returns artifacts to the battlefield when they die. Cheap artifacts feed the -2 and expensive ones come back.

The 99 cards are 26 creatures, 20 artifacts, one enchantment, 6 instants, 5 sorceries and 41 lands. A lot of the creatures are artifact creatures with death or enter effects, such as Wurmcoil Engine, Myr Battlesphere, Pentavus, Myr Sire, Junk Diver and Myr Retriever, and the red creatures include Dragons such as Bogardan Hellkite, Hoard-Smelter Dragon and Warmonger Hellkite. Recursion cards such as Goblin Welder, Feldon of the Third Path, Scrap Mastery and Spine of Ish Sah keep your artifacts coming back.

Key Cards

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Wurmcoil Engine
Value · Lifelink
A 6/6 for {6}. It has deathtouch and lifelink, and when it dies you create a 3/3 Phyrexian Wurm with deathtouch and a 3/3 Phyrexian Wurm with lifelink. Daretti or Goblin Welder bring it back again.
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Goblin Welder
Recursion · Artifact Combo
A 1/1 for {R}. For a tap it swaps target artifact for an artifact card in a graveyard. With an expensive artifact in the graveyard, it can cheat a huge creature out.
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Pentavus
Token Maker · Flying
A creature for {7}. It enters with five +1/+1 counters, and for {1} you remove a counter to create a 1/1 flying Pentavite, or sacrifice a Pentavite to add a counter. It makes flyers or grows on demand.
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Spine of Ish Sah
Removal · Recursion
An artifact for {7}. When it enters, it destroys target permanent, and when it is put into a graveyard from the battlefield it returns to its owner's hand. Daretti or a sacrifice outlet can reuse it.

Playing the Deck

The early game is about mana and cheap artifacts. Sol Ring, Mind Stone, Fire Diamond, Everflowing Chalice, Palladium Myr and Wayfarer's Bauble ramp you, and Myr Sire, Myr Retriever, Epochrasite and Junk Diver give early value. Ruby Medallion makes red spells cheaper.

The middle of the game is about value and removal. Daretti, Scrap Savant recurs artifacts, Flametongue Kavu, Spitebellows and Ingot Chewer remove things, Beetleback Chief and Tuktuk the Explorer make bodies, and Goblin Welder and Feldon of the Third Path make recursion loops. Trading Post and Ichor Wellspring draw cards.

The late game is about huge artifacts and burn. Wurmcoil Engine, Myr Battlesphere, Steel Hellkite and Bosh, Iron Golem dominate the board, Bogardan Hellkite flashes in to deal 5 damage, Blasphemous Act, Starstorm and Incite Rebellion clear creatures, and Bitter Feud doubles damage between two players. Scrap Mastery sacrifices every artifact, then returns the artifact cards that were in graveyards.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths: The deck has a huge amount of ramp and card advantage for a mono-coloured deck, and its mana is perfectly consistent. It also has plenty of interaction, including Chaos Warp, Impact Resonance, Volcanic Offering, Word of Seizing, Unstable Obelisk and Panic Spellbomb.

Weaknesses: The deck is mono-red, so it lacks card draw beyond Daretti and a few artifacts, and artifact removal slows it down. Several effects, such as Scrap Mastery, help your opponents' artifacts as much as yours, and Warmonger Hellkite forces every creature to attack.

Want to improve it? See the Built from Scratch upgrade guide: twelve swaps with the data behind each one.

Verdict
Built from Scratch is a flexible mono-red artifact deck with a lot of recursion and a few very strong finishers. It is a good choice for players who like cheap artifacts, big machines and a commander that brings everything back.

Want to see what a fully optimised Daretti, Scrap Savant build looks like? Try the Oracle.

✦ Build with The Oracle

Frequently Asked Questions

What cards are in the Built from Scratch decklist?
The Built from Scratch precon is a 100-card Commander deck led by Daretti, Scrap Savant. The full Built from Scratch decklist, with every card, current prices and a button to copy the list into your deck builder, is on this page.

When was Built from Scratch released?
Built from Scratch was released on November 7, 2014 as part of Commander 2014.

Who is the commander of Built from Scratch?
Built from Scratch is led by Daretti, Scrap Savant, a Mono-red (R) legendary planeswalker.

How many creatures are in Built from Scratch?
The 99 cards besides Daretti, Scrap Savant include 26 creatures.

How many lands does Built from Scratch have?
Built from Scratch has 41 lands in the 99 cards besides Daretti, Scrap Savant, including basic lands.

Full Decklist

All 100 cards from the out-of-the-box Built from Scratch precon, with current prices. Click any card to expand it.

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