Magic the Gathering MTG Mirrodin Bait & Bludgeon Theme Deck The "Bait & Bludgeon" deck shows your opponents the value of affinity, one of the new Mirrodin mechanics. Cards with affinity for artifacts cost {1} less to play for each artifact you control. Affinity doesn't affect the colored mana required, but with enough artifacts in play, you'll pay close to nothing for your affinity spells. The cornerstone of the Bait & Bludgeon deck is its mana acceleration, which lets you play spells quicker than usual. Talisman of Dominance, Leaden Myr and Silver Myr fill this role nicely. With a deck full of affinity spells, the mana acceleration doesn't stop there. Each artifact you get can act like an extra land regardless of what else it does. The most efficient artifacts to play are the artifact lands. Not only can you tap them for mana but they also reduce the cost of your affinity spells. Playing lots of mana accelerators is only half the battle. You need to draw lots of cards to take advantage of your cheap affinity spells. Use cards like Serum Tank, Thirst for Knowledge, and Thoughtcast to refill your hand. Don't be afraid to use Aether Spellbomb to draw a card if you need to. While you work up your mana base and refill your hand, buy time on the ground with Steel Wall, a cheap 0/4 blocker. Slow things down by bouncing your opponent's creatures with Aether Spellbomb. If your opponent gets a really big threat out, take it down permanently with Irradiate. With the number of artifacts packed into the "Bait & Bludgeon" deck, Irradiate can take out almost any monster. Once your arsenal of artifacts is on the table, it's time to drop some killer creatures. Fly over your opponent's defenses with Somber Hoverguard. For an even bigger punch, use Nim Shrieker, which gets +1/+0 for each artifact you have in play. Want the best of both worlds? Broodstar has affinity and it gets +1/+1 for each artifact you have. And it flies, too!