Card Spotlight
Sai, Master Thopterist
A three-mana 1/4 that makes a 1/1 flying Thopter whenever you cast an artifact spell. For {1}{U} and two artifacts sacrificed, he draws you a card.
Commander Spotlight
Sai, Master Thopterist ↗
A three-mana 1/4 that makes a 1/1 flying Thopter whenever you cast an artifact spell. For {1}{U} and two artifacts sacrificed, he draws you a card.
See Sai, Master Thopterist's full stats and printings →
Strategies it goes well with
- Artifact count payoffs. Every Thopter is an artifact, so Master of Etherium and other cards that count artifacts grow each time Sai triggers.
- Go-wide fliers. A board of 1/1 flying Thopters becomes a real clock once Master of Etherium or +1/+1 counters are added, and fliers are hard for most precons to block.
- Sacrifice for cards. Sai's {1}{U} ability turns two spare Thopters or used-up artifacts into a card, so the deck can refill its hand when the board stalls.
How it does in Commander
As the commander
As the commander of Keen Engineering, Sai is the engine the whole 99 is built to feed: more than thirty artifacts, each one a Thopter when cast. The tradeoff is fragility. The deck's best creatures read your artifact count, so a board wipe takes out the Thopters and shrinks everything else at the same time.
In the 99
He fits any blue artifact deck that casts several artifacts a turn, as a second Thopter engine next to Efficient Construction. In a deck with only a dozen artifacts he makes too few tokens to earn the slot.
Formats it's strong in
- Blue artifact decks. Thirty or more artifacts means Sai triggers most turns, and the Thopters feed every payoff that counts artifacts.
- Core and Upgraded pods. A steady stream of fliers is strong against decks that don't run many sweepers.
Formats it's weak in
- Tables with artifact hate or frequent wipes. One sweeper or artifact wipe removes the tokens and the payoffs together, and the deck has to rebuild from its hand.
- Decks with few artifacts. Without a high artifact density Sai is a 1/4 for three that makes a token every few turns.
Synergistic cards
Efficient Construction ↗
The same trigger on an enchantment, so each artifact spell makes two Thopters while both are out, and the engine survives if Sai is removed.
Chief Engineer ↗
Gives artifact spells convoke, so the Thopters Sai makes help pay for the next artifact.
Thopter Spy Network ↗
A Thopter every upkeep while you control an artifact, and a card whenever your artifact creatures deal combat damage to a player.
Master of Etherium ↗
Its power and toughness equal your artifact count, and it gives every other artifact creature, Thopters included, +1/+1.
Is it worth the price?
Sai is inexpensive. He was first printed in Core Set 2019 and has been reprinted several times since, including in Commander Masters and now as the face commander of Keen Engineering. The precon is the cheaper way to get him with a working artifact shell around him.
Frequently asked questions
Do Sai's Thopter tokens trigger Sai again?
No. Sai triggers when you cast an artifact spell, and creating a token is not casting a spell. The Thopters are artifacts, though, so they count for every card that reads your artifact total and they can be sacrificed to Sai's draw ability.
Is Sai, Master Thopterist a good commander for a new player?
Yes. The board visibly grows every time you cast an artifact, and the one number you need to track is your artifact count, which is on the table in front of you. TurnZero rates Keen Engineering a 2 out of 5 on difficulty for that reason.
What artifacts work best with Sai?
Cheap ones. Each artifact spell makes one Thopter regardless of its cost, so a one-mana artifact and a seven-mana artifact produce the same token. Cost reducers and convoke from Chief Engineer let you cast several in one turn, which is where Sai gets ahead.