Tier rogueprison

Tinker

Artifact Prison Combo

Featured list~$3936Spanish Premodern Supercup 2026 Qualifier VII (Premodern)

Overview

"Tinker is a mono-blue artifact prison deck that locks the opponent out with stax pieces and then cheats a bomb into play. Sphere of Resistance, Tangle Wire, Winter Orb, and Smokestack tax and strip the opponent's resources while Mind Stone and Thran Dynamo power out the deck's own artifacts. Tinker fetches Triskelion or Karn, Silver Golem, and Goblin Welder recurs key artifacts to grind out the game."

Game Plan

Establish a Sphere of Resistance and Winter Orb lock, then Tinker a Triskelion or Karn, Silver Golem into play and recur threats with Goblin Welder to close.

Key Cards

Core engine & flex

Shivan Reef

$33.84

TCG MP CK

Goblin Welder

$38.00

TCG MP CK

Tangle Wire

$36.50

TCG MP CK

Ancient Tomb

$129.54

TCG MP CK

Signature

Tinker

$4.98

TCG MP CK

Mind Stone

$2.22

TCG MP CK

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Sample Decklists

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Spanish Premodern Supercup 2026 Qualifier VII (Premodern)

1st PlaceOct 11, 2025

Lus Pedro Santos

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Lus Pedro Santos

TCG

Mainboard (60)

$3741

Creature (7)

$176

$1.725

$152R

$18.195

$3.956

Sorcery (4)

$19.92

4Tinker

$19.922U

Artifact (28)

$396

4Sphere of Resistance

$1232

$21.584

$2.802

$1463

$38.312

$8.882

$16.354

$3.455

$2.721

$33.292

Land (21)

$3149

$0.82

$518

$5.20

$374

$2116

$135

Sideboard (15)

$195

$76.152

$5.70R

$8.611

$2.041R

$13.031

$34.122

$42.634

$9.22R

$3.554

Est. Total$3936

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Premodern LeagueApril142026 (2026-04-14)

2nd PlaceApr 14, 2026

SamuraiFunn

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SamuraiFunn

TCG

Mainboard (60)

$3611

Creature (6)

$174

1Triskelion

$3.956

4Goblin Welder

$152R

1Karn, Silver Golem

$18.195

Sorcery (4)

$19.92

4Tinker

$19.922U

Artifact (29)

$497

$0.904

$76.152

$8.611

$21.584

$26.061

$1463

$51.082

2Sphere of Resistance

$61.362

$16.354

$8.882

$13.353

$66.582

Land (21)

$2920

$52.24

$5.20

$93.40

$135

$2116

$518

Sideboard (15)

$69.31

$20.041U

$26.061

$0.291R

$0.442R

$3.595

$1.531R

$9.22R

$5.70R

$2.444

Est. Total$3680

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End Turn's MTG Premodern 20/12 (Premodern)

2nd PlaceDec 20, 2025

Lus Pedro Santos

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Lus Pedro Santos

TCG

Mainboard (60)

$3794

Creature (6)

$174

4Goblin Welder

$152R

1Karn, Silver Golem

$18.195

1Triskelion

$3.956

Instant (3)

$85.17

3Meditate

$85.172U

Sorcery (4)

$19.92

4Tinker

$19.922U

Artifact (26)

$342

3Smokestack

$32.374

2Sky Diamond

$2.262

3Sphere of Resistance

$92.042

$1463

$38.312

$8.882

$16.354

$3.455

$2.041

Land (21)

$3173

$518

$3.90

$374

$2116

$26.12

$135

Sideboard (15)

$216

$76.152

$5.70R

$13.353

$2.041R

$26.061

$34.122

$42.634

$9.22R

$3.554

$3.595

Est. Total$4010

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Archetype Anatomy

Based on 16 decks with known dates2022-11-30 to 2026-05-12

Mana Base

Average21lands

Median21lands

Range21–21lands

Spells39.0avg non-land

Based on 16 decks (All-time)

core Cards(>80%)

Goblin Welder

100%

4.0x

Shivan Reef

100%

4.0x

Tangle Wire

100%

4.0x

Ancient Tomb

100%

3.9x

Tinker

100%

3.9x

City of Traitors

100%

3.9x

Mind Stone

100%

3.9x

Crosis's Catacombs

100%

3.5x

Winter Orb

100%

2.8x

Triskelion

100%

1.2x

Rishadan Port

88%

3.8x

Thran Dynamo

88%

3.3x

Karn, Silver Golem

88%

1.0x

Sphere of Resistance

81%

2.5x

flex Cards(30-80%)

Smokestack

75%

2.2x

Gemstone Mine

75%

1.6x

Ensnaring Bridge

69%

1.0x

Mishra's Helix

69%

1.0x

Chromatic Sphere

50%

3.8x

Phyrexian Furnace

50%

2.0x

Tsabo's Web

50%

1.5x

Masticore

50%

1.1x

Sky Diamond

44%

1.7x

Fact or Fiction

38%

2.5x

Citanul Flute

38%

1.0x

Phyrexian Processor

31%

1.0x

fringe Cards(<30%)

Fire Diamond

25%

1.3x

Icy Manipulator

25%

1.0x

Powder Keg

25%

1.0x

Meditate

19%

3.0x

Dust Bowl

19%

1.0x

Anvil of Bogardan

13%

3.5x

Squee, Goblin Nabob

13%

3.5x

City of Brass

13%

2.0x

Fire // Ice

13%

2.0x

Intuition

13%

2.0x

Phyrexian Devourer

13%

1.0x

4.0x

3.0x

3.0x

3.0x

1.0x

1.0x

1.0x

1.0x

1.0x

Sideboard Anatomy

core Sideboard Options(>80%)

Pyroclasm

100%

3.1x

flex Sideboard Options(30-80%)

Defense Grid

70.4%

1.8x

Powder Keg

63.1%

1.3x

Phyrexian Furnace

52.1%

1.8x

Chill

49%

3.2x

Rushing River

46.1%

1.8x

Masticore

40.8%

1.2x

Ensnaring Bridge

39.1%

1.0x

Crumbling Sanctuary

37.5%

1.0x

Pyroblast

35%

1.3x

Red Elemental Blast

34.9%

1.3x

Tormod'S Crypt

33.7%

1.5x

fringe Sideboard Options(<30%)

Rejuvenation Chamber

24.8%

2.3x

Sphere Of Resistance

24.8%

3.0x

Fire // Ice

16.5%

2.0x

Duress

16.5%

1.5x

Annul

16.5%

2.0x

Innocent Blood

16.5%

1.5x

Shattering Pulse

16%

1.0x

Hydroblast

14.8%

1.5x

Phyrexian Processor

14%

1.0x

Blue Elemental Blast

12.8%

1.8x

Snake Basket

8.2%

1.0x

Viashino Heretic

8.1%

1.0x

Jester'S Cap

8.1%

1.0x

Winter Orb

6.9%

1.0x

Black Vise

6.8%

3.0x

Zuran Orb

2.0x

Recent Events Featuring this Archetype

Premodern LeagueMay112026 (2026-05-11)

2026-05-11•Magic Online•53 Players

Highest Finish: 28th

VIEW EVENT

Premodern Challenge 32 (2026-05-07)

2026-05-07•Magic Online•51 Players

Highest Finish: 22th

VIEW EVENT

Premodern Unchained @ LobsterCon 2026

2026-05-02•Cambridge, MA•119 Players

Highest Finish: 13th

VIEW EVENT

Premodern LeagueApril142026 (2026-04-14)

2026-04-14•Magic Online•16 Players

Highest Finish: 1st

VIEW EVENT

Monthly event @ MagicBarcelona (Barcelona)

2026-03-28•Barcelona, Spain•23 Players

Highest Finish: 5th

VIEW EVENT

Quick Facts

Tierrogue

Styleprison

Avg Lands21

Est. Price~$3936

Colors

Deck Weaknesses

Tinker requires an artifact to sacrifice and a follow — up, so a disrupted setup can fizzle.
Artifact removal hits its Sphere of Resistance, lock pieces, and Tinkered — in threats all at once.
Its own Winter Orb and Sphere of Resistance can slow the deck if it stumbles on mana rocks.
Fast aggro can race the deck before the stax lock and big artifact are fully online.

How to win with it

Keep any opening hand with at least one mana artifact (Mind Stone, Sky Diamond, or Thran Dynamo) alongside either Tinker or a lock piece (Winter Orb, Sphere of Resistance, or Tangle Wire); a hand of only threats with no acceleration, or only lock pieces with no payoff, is a mulligan, since you need the engine online by turn two or three to matter.
The dream draw is turn-one Goblin Welder or a mana artifact, turn-two Sphere of Resistance or Tangle Wire to slow the opponent, then turn-three Tinker sacrificing a spent or redundant artifact to fetch Triskelion or Karn, Silver Golem straight into play; every turn they spend paying the Sphere of Resistance tax while Triskelion pings or Karn, Silver Golem animates an artifact to attack is a turn they fall further behind.
Hold Winter Orb until you have more mana sources in play than the opponent; drop it once Thran Dynamo or a pair of Mind Stones is down so you untap into five or six mana while they untap with one, then spend that surplus to cast Tinker or reactivate Goblin Welder every turn while they stall.
Goblin Welder is the grind plan: after a Triskelion or Masticore is destroyed or countered, keep Goblin Welder alive and weld each turn, sacrificing a spent Mind Stone or a tapped-out Tangle Wire to return the threat from a graveyard to play; this loop grinds out value even when Tinker is gone, which is why you do not sacrifice artifacts you may want to weld back later.
Tangle Wire plus Smokestack is your strand engine: lead with Tangle Wire to freeze their permanents, then add Smokestack to push them into a permanent-loss spiral while Goblin Welder recycles the artifacts you feed to Smokestack, keeping you net-positive each upkeep.
The key decision is whether to jam Tinker turn three or build the lock first: with the opponent untapped, resolve Sphere of Resistance or Tangle Wire before Tinker so they must fight through the tax to answer your threat; if they are already tapped out or mana-starved, jam Tinker immediately and follow with Mishra's Helix to tap down their lands each turn, denying them enough mana to ever answer it.

How to beat it

Bring artifact removal to break the Sphere of Resistance and Winter Orb lock and kill Tinkered-in threats.
Apply early pressure so the deck can't afford the slow turns its prison pieces demand.
Disrupt Goblin Welder to stop it recurring Triskelion and Karn, Silver Golem for value.
Keep extra lands and cheap spells in hand to play through Tangle Wire and Winter Orb taxes.
Remove or pressure its Mind Stone and Thran Dynamo to deny the mana that powers the lock.

Last Updated: May 2026

Overview

Game Plan

Key Cards

Sample Decklists

Lus Pedro Santos

Mainboard (60)

Creature (7)

Sorcery (4)

Artifact (28)

Land (21)

Sideboard (15)

SamuraiFunn

Mainboard (60)

Creature (6)

Sorcery (4)

Artifact (29)

Land (21)

Sideboard (15)

Lus Pedro Santos

Mainboard (60)

Creature (6)

Instant (3)

Sorcery (4)

Artifact (26)

Land (21)

Sideboard (15)

Unchained Appearances10 decks

Archetype Anatomy

Mana Base

core Cards(>80%)

flex Cards(30-80%)

fringe Cards(<30%)

Sideboard Anatomy

core Sideboard Options(>80%)

flex Sideboard Options(30-80%)

fringe Sideboard Options(<30%)

Recent Events Featuring this Archetype