Overview:

This Urza, Lord High Artificer deck is a high-octane artifact storm/combo list with stax elements. Urza serves as the engine, leveraging his mana-generating ability and token generation to fuel artifact synergies, infinite loops, and extra turns. The primary win conditions include infinite mana combos (e.g., Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter), infinite turns (via Nexus of Fate, Temporal Mastery, etc.), and Thassa's Oracle paired with library depletion. Stax pieces like Winter Orb, Static Orb, and Back to Basics disrupt opponents while Urza's artifact synergies bypass the restrictions.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Acceleration (Turns 0-2): Deploy fast mana (Mana Crypt, Mox Opal, Chrome Mox, Sol Ring) to cast Urza by Turn 2-3. Use Jeweled Lotus or Mox Diamond for explosive starts.
2. Stax Setup (Turns 2-4): Drop Winter Orb/Static Orb to lock opponents, then use Urza’s artifact-tapping ability to break parity. Back to Basics cripples nonbasic-heavy decks.
3. Combo Assembly (Turns 3-5): Tutor for Isochron Scepter (via Tribute Mage, Muddle the Mixture) to imprint Dramatic Reversal, generating infinite mana with Urza’s artifacts. Infinite mana fuels Urza’s {5} ability to exile the library and win with Thassa's Oracle. Alternatively, chain extra turns (Nexus of Fate, Capture of Jingzhou) to overwhelm opponents.
4. Alternative Lines: Use Power Artifact on Grim Monolith/Basalt Monolith for infinite mana. Transmute Artifact/Whir of Invention fetch critical pieces under stax.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 1-2 lands, fast mana, and Urza. Prioritize Mana Crypt, Sol Ring, or Jeweled Lotus.
• Acceptable to mulligan aggressively for stax pieces (Winter Orb) in slow metas or combo tutors (Mystical Tutor, Merchant Scroll) in faster pods.
• Avoid hands lacking blue sources or artifact density.

Key Tips:

• Use Force of Will, Pact of Negation, and Fierce Guardianship to protect combos.
• Academy Ruins loops key artifacts (e.g., Mystic Sanctuary for extra turns).
• Urza’s Saga fetches Mishra’s Bauble or Sol Ring early, then generates constructs.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Artifact hate (Null Rod, Stony Silence) shuts down mana generation, Urza’s ability, and combo lines.
• Graveyard hate (Rest in Peace) disrupts Academy Ruins/Mystic Sanctuary recursion.
• Speed: Lacks red’s fast interaction; struggles against T1-T2 turbo decks without a perfect hand.

Moderate

• Countermagic-heavy opponents can disrupt combo assembly.
• Nonbasic land destruction (Blood Moon-like effects) hurts the greedy mana base.

Minor

• Limited creature removal beyond Pongify/Rapid Hybridization.
• Thassa's Oracle is vulnerable to instant-speed interaction post-trigger.

Most Important Cards:

• Urza, Lord High Artificer (Engine, mana source, win con enabler)
• Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter (Infinite mana combo)
• Winter Orb/Static Orb (Stax parity breaker)
• Thassa's Oracle (Primary win condition)
• Mana Crypt/Mox Diamond (Explosive starts)
• Transmute Artifact (Tutor for combo/stax pieces)
• Force of Will (Free interaction)
• Nexus of Fate (Infinite turns)
• Academy Ruins (Artifact recursion)
• Back to Basics (Meta-dependent lockdown)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 9/10

• Capable of T2-T3 wins with ideal hands (e.g., Jeweled Lotus → Urza → Isochron combo). Stax elements can lock games by T3-4.

Resilience: 7/10

• Robust countermagic and artifact recursion mitigate disruption, but combos remain vulnerable to well-timed hate.

Consistency: 8/10

• 12 tutors (e.g., Mystical Tutor, Whir of Invention, Transmute Artifact) and ample draw (Rhystic Study, Urza’s ability) ensure combo access.

Interaction: 8/10

• 10+ free/cheap counterspells and stax pieces disrupt opponents, but lacks board wipes.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at cEDH viability with T2-3 win potential through efficient combos and stax, but its fragility to artifact hate and reliance on Urza’s survival keep it just below top-tier lists. The balance of speed, interaction, and redundancy aligns with high-power cEDH builds.

Power level: 8.5 - 9.0