Keen Engineering Precon Upgrade Guide: Sai, Master Thopterist
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Keen Engineering
- Commander
- Sai, Master Thopterist
- Colors
- Blue
- Released
- 2 October
- Card value
- ≈ $48.88
- Key cards
- Misleading Signpost, Forsaken Monument, Scrawling Crawler
Keen Engineering is the mono-blue artifact deck from the Foundations Commander precons. Sai, Master Thopterist creates a flying Thopter every time you cast an artifact and turns spare artifacts into cards, so cheap artifacts are the fuel.
Below you’ll find the full interactive decklist, what the deck does well, where it struggles and our recommended upgrades, split into budget ($4.00), mid-range ($20.87) and premium ($84.68). Start with the cheapest swaps and work your way up.
The decklist
Commander (1)
Creatures (29)
- 1Broodstar$0.32
- 1Chief of the Foundry$0.32
- 1Darksteel Juggernaut$0.55
- 1Duplicant$0.26
- 1Etherium Sculptor$0.38
- 1Foundry Inspector$0.26
- 1Graaz, Unstoppable Juggernaut$0.31
- 1Kappa Cannoneer$0.22
- 1Master of Etherium$0.29
- 1Master Transmuter$1.39
- 1Memory Guardian$0.28
- 1Meteor Golem$0.24
- 1Myr Battlesphere$0.26
- 1Myr Retriever$0.86
- 1Ornithopter of Paradise$0.35
- 1Padeem, Consul of Innovation$0.57
- 1Palladium Myr$0.33
- 1Psychosis Crawler$0.67
- 1Research Thief$0.33
- 1Scrawling Crawler$3.23
- 1Shimmer Dragon$0.28
- 1Shimmer Myr$0.24
- 1Silver Myr$0.24
- 1Spire Golem$0.24
- 1Steel Hellkite$0.27
- 1Steel Overseer$0.24
- 1Thought Monitor$0.26
- 1Vedalken Archmage$2.37
- 1Whirler Rogue$0.28
Instants (6)
- 1Aetherize$0.28
- 1Counterspell$2.21
- 1Launch Mishap$0.24
- 1Negate$0.22
- 1Pull from Tomorrow$0.28
- 1Thirst for Knowledge$0.16
Sorceries (2)
- 1All Is Dust$2.19
- 1Thoughtcast$0.61
Artifacts (19)
- 1Adaptive Omnitool$1.15
- 1Aether Spellbomb$0.20
- 1Arcane Signet$0.38
- 1Cultivator’s Caravan$0.24
- 1Forsaken Monument$3.23
- 1Hedron Archive$0.26
- 1Ichor Wellspring$0.28
- 1Mazemind Tome$0.26
- 1Mind Stone$0.21
- 1Mind’s Eye$0.53
- 1Misleading Signpost$3.83
- 1Nettlecyst$1.11
- 1Nevinyrral’s Disk$0.35
- 1Skysovereign, Consul Flagship$0.50
- 1Sol Ring$1.09
- 1Soul-Guide Lantern$0.26
- 1Tamiyo’s Logbook$0.27
- 1Thopter Fabricator$0.28
- 1Thought Vessel$2.30
Enchantments (3)
- 1Fall from Favor$0.21
- 1Propaganda$1.90
- 1Thopter Spy Network$0.28
Lands (40)
- 1Buried Ruin$0.36
- 1Darksteel Citadel$0.45
- 1Foundry of the Consuls$0.34
- 17Island$0.14
- 17Island$0.17
- 1Lonely Sandbar$0.21
- 1Remote Isle$0.28
- 1War Room$0.82
Hover a card to see it (tap on mobile). Prices are for the precon printing, via Scryfall.
What the deck does well
- Lots of artifact synergy like Thopter Spy Network and Master of Etherium
- Strong card draw such as Thirst for Knowledge
- Big finishers like Myr Battlesphere and Steel Hellkite
Where it struggles
- Some expensive, clunky artifacts that don’t trigger Sai often enough
- Narrow counterspells and soft removal
- Tapped lands that slow the early game
Recommended upgrades
Pick a budget tab. Every row tells you which card to take out and what to put in.
Cheap swaps (under $2 each): more Thopter makers and cheaper artifacts.
| Cut | Add | From | Why | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spire Golem | Efficient Construction | $0.44 €0.37 | A Thopter every time you cast an artifact, on top of Sai’s own | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Memory Guardian | Emry, Lurker of the Loch | $0.66 €0.95 | Costs almost nothing and lets you replay key artifacts from your graveyard | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Mazemind Tome | Geist of Saint Thalia | $1.28 €0.53 | Makes all your noncreature artifacts and spells cost 1 less | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Launch Mishap | Cryogen Relic | $0.22 €0.47 | Draws a card going in and out, and is perfect fodder for Sai | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Aetherize | Rapid Hybridization | $0.83 €1.24 | Cheap instant removal that lets you keep tapping out on your own turn | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Fall from Favor | Sharding Sphinx | $0.24 €0.21 | Your artifact creatures make even more Thopters when they connect | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Cultivator’s Caravan | Retrofitter Foundry | $0.33 €0.74 | Turns spare mana into more tokens and upgrades Thopters into bigger Constructs | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Total | $4.00 | |||
Stronger synergy pieces ($2–$8 each) that turn Thopters into cards and power.
| Cut | Add | From | Why | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steel Hellkite | Skullclamp | $4.69 €4.43 | Turns every Thopter that dies into two cards | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Darksteel Juggernaut | Stridehangar Automaton | $2.22 €3.38 | Doubles your Thopters and gives them +1/+1 | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Tamiyo’s Logbook | Forensic Gadgeteer | $2.01 €1.23 | Makes Clues on each artifact spell and cheapens their abilities | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Shimmer Myr | Phyrexian Metamorph | $2.32 €2.17 | Copies your best artifact or creature, or the opponents’ best one | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Thirst for Knowledge | Idol of Oblivion | $2.38 €1.24 | Draws a card every turn you made a token, which is almost every turn | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Nevinyrral’s Disk | Desynchronization | $4.55 €5.39 | A board reset that leaves your own artifacts on the table | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Propaganda | Mystic Forge | $2.70 €1.75 | Lets you cast artifacts straight from the top of your library | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Total | $20.87 | |||
Premium upgrades for the strongest version of the deck. None of these are on the official Game Changers list, so the deck stays friendly for most casual tables.
| Cut | Add | From | Why | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broodstar | Urza, Lord High Artificer | $15.40 €14.73 | Taps your Thopters for mana and builds a huge Construct | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Whirler Rogue | Ashnod’s Altar | $14.30 €10.14 | Sacrifice spare Thopters for mana to chain more artifact spells | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Pull from Tomorrow | Unwinding Clock | $18.42 €13.96 | Untaps all your artifacts on every opponent’s turn, doubling your mana rocks | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Chief of the Foundry | Tezzeret the Seeker | $25.76 €11.99 | Tutors any artifact and can turn your whole board into 5/5s | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Misleading Signpost | Mystic Remora | $10.80 €9.02 | Draws a card nearly every time an opponent casts a noncreature spell | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Total | $84.68 | |||
Where to buy the precon
Don’t own the deck yet? Find Keen Engineering on TCGplayer or on Cardmarket.
Verdict
With the budget swaps alone, Keen Engineering goes from a fun precon to a focused blue deck that does what Sai wants every game. Add the pricier picks over time and it will hold its own at most casual tables.