Well, I am going to a modern PTQ here in a couple weeks, and am working on a RDW build to take. So far in my testing, it has proven relatively decent against all matchups other than Melira-pod, with 4 mainboard kitchen finks and worse things, and losing to storm consistantly on turn 3. I have changed the sideboard a little to help with this so far, but I would like some outside opinions and advice on whether or not this deck will do well for me.
without further ado, here is the decklist:
Some explanations, Dismember is in there for twin combo as well as getting around Kor Firewalkers and other such things because I know they will be getting Sideboarded in against me. The Leyline of Sanctity is there for storm and possibly gifts decks, not sure how much I like that one yet though, so we shall see. The Leyline of Punishment is for martyr, Meliera pod, and pretty much anything with lifegain + decks with firewalker (can you tell I hate playing against that card?) so in combination with volcanic fallout I can take them out. The rest of the choices should seem relatively obvious.
You either max out the Leylines of Sanctity in your SB or don't include them at all. I doubt you want to mulligan multiple times just to have it in your opening hand. I recommend replacing it with Graveyard hate of some sort.
eh so far in testing, mulling down even to 3 to get one has been an auto win against storm combo, but I do understand that its not as good without more than the two I have. My problem is, what can I sacrifice out to put more in? and is it even worth trying for more than just the two where I can occasionally get it and live without it if I dont.
ok first off, insulting the deck makes me just much more inclined to ignore you as an idiot, secondly, that deck is alot more of a burn deck, which is not the style of deck I care to run. I prefer my RDW with more creatures. However, adding Dark Confidant and duals and stuff is something to consider, but for the purposes of this PTQ, I do not think I could get ahold of all the pieces in time, because I dont just have playsets of Bob sitting around lol.
I splashed a little of green for Krosan Grip on SB cause its a very versatile card. Can deal with white leyline and other enchantments, plus can "counter" the combo with Splinter Twin and give a little help against Affinity.
green is probably the splash id consider more than any, because of the anti enchantment help it provides out of the sideboard. Black just cant compare too much to that, although i may run extraction anyway for a certain few cards if I think they will be a problem.
smash to smithereens is a 2 for 1 as well, destroy an artifact and bolt them, but for mono red, shattering spree seems better to blow up as many artifacts as you need.
Personally, I think the Hell's Thunder and Grim Lavamancers can be replaced with 4x Lava Spike. And, if you are dedicated RDW, you don't care about 2 for 1ing. You're going for raw damage, so Smash to smithereens is better in that regard.
I have considered the lava spike, but I do like the heavier creature build for one reason, leyline of sanctity. with the hells thunders, i have a little reach against that, using the burn to blast blockers and such. the lavamancers, I like them as a card for some extra gas when i just run out of cards, but if there were a better replacement, they are probably the weakest cards in the deck atm so they would be the first to go. however, lava spike just doesnt seem like any improvment over them.
I prefer Ball Lightning to either Lavamancer or Hell's Thunder. Lavamancer doesn't really improve any match-ups that aren't already good. Hell's Thunder is ok but I think there are enough fliers around to make the 6 damage trampling evasion better than the 4 flying evasion. I guess there is the unearth though...tough call but I am sticking with my Balls.
Ball Lightning is too easily disrupted by Gut Shot which a lot of decks run due to the Phyrexian mana, and Hell's Thunder while good initially the flashback price is way too high. Have you considered Chandra's Phoenix, with all your burn it shouldn't stay in the GY too long. Also, a sideboard option that I have decided to go with over the Leylines is Damping Matrix as it shuts down multiple decks.
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Current Decks Standard : WB Orzhov Vampires BWGUB Sultai Constrictor BUG Brawl : GB Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons BG Modern : GB Golgari Elves BGGR Atarka Goblins RG Pauper : W Heroic WGB Delve BG
These all block Hell's Thunder and Chandra's Phoenix. Chandra's Phoenix is good, great in Standard, but below a lot of better creatures for a modern RDW. It doesn't make the cut.
TBH in the 5 matches I played at the Lincoln GP my Steppe Lynx's and Plated Geopede's were hit with a Gut Shot in 3 of those matches. I have started to see more builds going to Chandra's Phoenix due its pretty much guaranteed recursion, not saying its the best option but not a bad one either.
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Current Decks Standard : WB Orzhov Vampires BWGUB Sultai Constrictor BUG Brawl : GB Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons BG Modern : GB Golgari Elves BGGR Atarka Goblins RG Pauper : W Heroic WGB Delve BG
honestly, I run hells thunder because it gets around other agressive decks with the 4 toughness. it cant be bolted, helixed or really any other removal unless its path, which is good for me, or dismember, which is usually good for me.
I'm really in doubt about the SB. I'll play with green Splash for Krosan Grip as 3 of right now, but I'm thinking about remove the Leylines from the SB to increase the count of Krosan Grip, Blood Moon and Fallouts!
If you think a more "creature" aproach is better, I recomend playing boros, you have enchantment and combo hate in colours and the landfall version is really explosive, plus maindeck hate against tron
I would play with Boros, but I'm returning to the game in this PTQ, so I dont have the cards needed, all I can do is go 100% monoR or add the green Splash.
I was thinking to go with a more creature heavy list on Red, like -4 Incinerate + 4 Plated Geoped and -1 Flames -1 Searing -2 ? +4 Chandra's Phoenix.
I played some matchs last night and the Meta is really creature light, on line at least. Here usually is a little different and for this reason I'll keep the Searing Blazes on the list.
First two rounds I win against Pod (2-1) and UW (2-0) after I got a mate and with UW Gitfs Tron and lost 1-2 in a very close match! He won for a turn on game 3 cause I lost the die roll! hehe....he made a Gifts for 2 cards at my EOT and get Iona, Shield of Emeria and Unburial Rites, so both gone to the yard and he untaped to lock me FTW. He was at 6 and I had Shard Volley and Lightning bolt in hand! Dam!
4th macth was against Affinity. I won game 1 with burn, lost on third turn game 2! Game 3 I kept a bad hand cause I thought I could control the game, 4 lands (!), Volcanic Fallout, Krosan Grip and Magma Jet. Ended losting for 2 of those Metalcraft creatures that gain protection from all colors!
After this, I was very sad and droped! The deck was very fine, but the Krosan Grips were almost uselles! If I had Shattering Spree or Ancient Grudge it would be way better! Also I think should had put the Blood Moons against Affinity, to "kill" the land creatures.
well i played in the ptq here yesterday with the list i posted in my first post, with 1 change in sideboard, -1 leyline of punishment, +1 combust because i saw alot of twin decks before the tournament started...
went 5-2, missed out on top 8 by one win, so I did alot better than i thought i would and figured i should post here for you guys in case it helps at all.
Round 1: Jund
Personally I find this matchup easy 90% of the time.
And me being me, I lost the die roll as always ;p
Game 1 I mulled to 6 and ended up haveing 2 goblin guides in play turn 2 and the game went downhill for him from there.
Sideboard
-2 hells thunder, -1 figure + 3 blood moon
Game 2 I also mulled to 6 and kept a slow hand and just got slowed down even more because of a thorn of amethyst.
Sideboard:
-2 figure +2 shattering spree
Game 3 I resolved turn 3 Blood Moon when my opponent had no basic lands or fetches on board. He immediately scooped.
1-0, 2-1
Game 2 Deciever Twin
Game 1: I just race him out while holding 2 bolts for potential combo pieces, but he tells me afterwards he only saw 1 exarch and no twins or kiki jiki's.
Sideboard:
-4 figure -1 Hell's thunder +2 dismember +1 combust +2 Volcanic Fallout
Game 2: I get him down to 5 and then get a little too aggresive and attack into him playing exarch and having the combo and get my dismember dispelled when i had combust in hand but only 1 mana because i played a hellspark that turn... play error i guess, but i was playing the odds that he wouldnt have an exarch, because anything else and he was just dead to figure at 4/4 and bolt in my hand plus hellspark trample damage even through pestermite
Game 3: dont remember exact plays, but combusted the combo and then triple bolted through a remand to win
2-0, 4-2
Round 3: Mono Blue Faeries
Game 1: I race through the faeries... thats just about all there was to it. turn 1 goblin guide got in for over 10 damage before being blocked, and the hells thunders actually did some good damage too.
Sideboard:
-4 Figure (seeing a trend here?) +2 volcanic fallout +2 shattering spree ( he was running aether vial)
Game 2 had volcanic fallout in hand the whole game, but never got to 3 mana to play it and ended up stalling out with my opponent at 4 life and beating me down with spellstutters and a mutavault
Game 3 see game 2 but i had 3 mana and no volcanic fallout this time...
2-1, 5-4
This match mostly came down to just bad draws, I really think i should have won it, but hey thats how luck goes sometimes lol
Match 4: Mono Blue Merfolk
Game 1 I blow up all his creatures and get in there with mine... thats just as simple as it gets
Game 2 I blow up all his creatures and get in there with mine...
3-1, 7-4
This match was over in 10 minutes, shuffling and sideboarding included, the guy wasnt that familiar with the deck so i just kinda blew him out.
Match 5: Red/blue faeries
Game 1: seems familiar, but i ran him over with my creatures while burning all of his.
sideboard -4 figure +2 fallout +2 shattering spree (guessing that he had vials too like the other faerie decks i was watching, but i guessed wrong there.)
Game 2 was a bit of a race between my creatures and his till he tapped out for vendilion clique and i double bolt double shard volleyed him in response to the trigger to win.
4-1, 9-4
Match 6 Caw Blade
Game 1 he mulled to 5 and saw nothing significant. he did make some remarks about how good his sideboard was with finks and timely reinforcments, so i boarded accordingly even though i saw none mainboard.
Sideboard:
-2 hells thunder -3 figure +2 shattering spree +3 leyline of punishment
Game 2 i virtually mulled to 6 with leyline, and tried to race through the creatures, but topdecked 8 land in a row, so i died to a single finks and a path for my goblin guide
Game 3 ended up being a race between my creatures and his finks, until he landed batterskull. I managed to stall that off for several turns, killing the token, making him replay it, killing it again stuff like that, then misplayed when he played squadron hawk, attempting to kill it while he had mana up rather than waiting for him to attempt to equip. play error on my part and potentially cost me the match and top 8 at the tournament, because he was at 9 and i had blaze for the hawk with landfall as well as bolt in my hand.
4-2, 10-6
Match 7: mono Blue Faeries
See match 3 except outraced him 2 out of 3 times this round lol... the matchup seems really good for me, i just managed to draw badly that match.
5-2, 12-7
So overall, ended up 17th out of 103-104 people and got 8 packs for my troubles.
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without further ado, here is the decklist:
4x Goblin Guide
4x Figure of Destiny
2x Grim Lavamancer
4x Hellspark Elemental
4x Keldon Marauders
2x Hell's Thunder
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Shard Volley
4x Searing Blaze
3x Magma Jet
4x Rift Bolt
4x Scalding Tarn
4x Arid Mesa
4x Teetering Peaks
4x Leyline of Punishment
3x Blood Moon
2x Leyline of Sanctity
2x Dismember
2x Shattering Spree
2x Volcanic Fallout
Some explanations, Dismember is in there for twin combo as well as getting around Kor Firewalkers and other such things because I know they will be getting Sideboarded in against me. The Leyline of Sanctity is there for storm and possibly gifts decks, not sure how much I like that one yet though, so we shall see. The Leyline of Punishment is for martyr, Meliera pod, and pretty much anything with lifegain + decks with firewalker (can you tell I hate playing against that card?) so in combination with volcanic fallout I can take them out. The rest of the choices should seem relatively obvious.
My Trade Thread
Currently Playing
Pauper
:symu:Aggro
I do like your inclusion of Surgical Extraction in the sideboard tho. I was wondering when someone else was going to run it.
Here is my current list:
9 Mountain
4 Arid Mesa
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Stomping Ground
Creatures
4 Keldon Marauders
4 Goblin Guide
3 Grim Lavamancer
4 Lava Spike
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Shard Volley
4 Incinerate
4 Magma Jet
3 Searing Blaze
4 Rift Bolt
4 Flames of the Blood Hand
4 Leyline of Punishment
3 Smash to Smithereens
3 Blood Moon
3 Krosan Grip
2 Volcanic Fallout
I splashed a little of green for Krosan Grip on SB cause its a very versatile card. Can deal with white leyline and other enchantments, plus can "counter" the combo with Splinter Twin and give a little help against Affinity.
Moderm - Mono blue Tron and Eldrazi variants
Legacy - Building Eldrazi Stompy
My team for ever ever:
Sport Club Internacional
www.internacional.com.br
Would be nine artifacts destruction!
Moderm - Mono blue Tron and Eldrazi variants
Legacy - Building Eldrazi Stompy
My team for ever ever:
Sport Club Internacional
www.internacional.com.br
Standard: UWR
Modern: RDW, Twin
Legacy: I am 3 Candelabra of Tawnos from being able to build almost any tier 1 or 1.5 deck. Here are the ones I care about right now:
-Aggro: UWR/RUB/WUB/RUG/UR Delver; Affinity; Burn
-Control: Stoneblade; UWr Miracles; UB Tezzeret
-Combo: Hive Mind; Combo Elves; Omni Tell; T.E.S.
Vintage: Grixis Painter
EDH: Rith, the Awakener
Current Decks
Standard : WB Orzhov Vampires BW GUB Sultai Constrictor BUG
Brawl : GB Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons BG
Modern : GB Golgari Elves BG GR Atarka Goblins RG
Pauper : W Heroic W GB Delve BG
That is a single card that I haven't seen once in a Modern tournament. Do you really think people are going to leave in that card that costs them two life vs. an aggressive red deck with mostly 2+ toughness or sacrifice creatures? Against Hellspark Elemental they only save 1 life at the cost of a card. I have seen a lot of (and you should have too if you are playing in a normal meta):
Flipped Delver of Secrets
Squadron Hawks
Vendilion Clique
Spellstutter Sprite
Ornithopter
Vault Skirge
Inkmoth Nexus
Blinkmoth Nexus
Birds of Paradise
These all block Hell's Thunder and Chandra's Phoenix. Chandra's Phoenix is good, great in Standard, but below a lot of better creatures for a modern RDW. It doesn't make the cut.
Standard: UWR
Modern: RDW, Twin
Legacy: I am 3 Candelabra of Tawnos from being able to build almost any tier 1 or 1.5 deck. Here are the ones I care about right now:
-Aggro: UWR/RUB/WUB/RUG/UR Delver; Affinity; Burn
-Control: Stoneblade; UWr Miracles; UB Tezzeret
-Combo: Hive Mind; Combo Elves; Omni Tell; T.E.S.
Vintage: Grixis Painter
EDH: Rith, the Awakener
Current Decks
Standard : WB Orzhov Vampires BW GUB Sultai Constrictor BUG
Brawl : GB Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons BG
Modern : GB Golgari Elves BG GR Atarka Goblins RG
Pauper : W Heroic W GB Delve BG
I'm really in doubt about the SB. I'll play with green Splash for Krosan Grip as 3 of right now, but I'm thinking about remove the Leylines from the SB to increase the count of Krosan Grip, Blood Moon and Fallouts!
As I already play 3 Flames of the Blood Hand main deck I don really need the Leylines.
I really dont think the Martyr will play here.
4 Leyline of Punishment
3 Blood Moon
3 Smash to Smithreens
3 Krosan Grip
2 Volcanic Fallout
4 Blood Moon
4 Krosan Grip
3 Smash to Smithreens
3 Volcanic Fallout
1 Flames od the Blood hand
The deck
10 Mountain
4 Arid Mesa
3 Scalding Tarn
2 Stomping Ground
Creatures
4 Keldon Marauders
4 Goblin Guide
4 Grim Lavamancer
4 Lava Spike
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Incinerate
4 Magma Jet
4 Rift Bolt
3 Shard Volley
3 Searing Blaze
3 Flames of the Blood Hand
Moderm - Mono blue Tron and Eldrazi variants
Legacy - Building Eldrazi Stompy
My team for ever ever:
Sport Club Internacional
www.internacional.com.br
I was thinking to go with a more creature heavy list on Red, like -4 Incinerate + 4 Plated Geoped and -1 Flames -1 Searing -2 ? +4 Chandra's Phoenix.
I played some matchs last night and the Meta is really creature light, on line at least. Here usually is a little different and for this reason I'll keep the Searing Blazes on the list.
Moderm - Mono blue Tron and Eldrazi variants
Legacy - Building Eldrazi Stompy
My team for ever ever:
Sport Club Internacional
www.internacional.com.br
Started 2-0 and gone 2-2 drop!
First two rounds I win against Pod (2-1) and UW (2-0) after I got a mate and with UW Gitfs Tron and lost 1-2 in a very close match! He won for a turn on game 3 cause I lost the die roll! hehe....he made a Gifts for 2 cards at my EOT and get Iona, Shield of Emeria and Unburial Rites, so both gone to the yard and he untaped to lock me FTW. He was at 6 and I had Shard Volley and Lightning bolt in hand! Dam!
4th macth was against Affinity. I won game 1 with burn, lost on third turn game 2! Game 3 I kept a bad hand cause I thought I could control the game, 4 lands (!), Volcanic Fallout, Krosan Grip and Magma Jet. Ended losting for 2 of those Metalcraft creatures that gain protection from all colors!
After this, I was very sad and droped! The deck was very fine, but the Krosan Grips were almost uselles! If I had Shattering Spree or Ancient Grudge it would be way better! Also I think should had put the Blood Moons against Affinity, to "kill" the land creatures.
Moderm - Mono blue Tron and Eldrazi variants
Legacy - Building Eldrazi Stompy
My team for ever ever:
Sport Club Internacional
www.internacional.com.br
went 5-2, missed out on top 8 by one win, so I did alot better than i thought i would and figured i should post here for you guys in case it helps at all.
Round 1: Jund
Personally I find this matchup easy 90% of the time.
And me being me, I lost the die roll as always ;p
Game 1 I mulled to 6 and ended up haveing 2 goblin guides in play turn 2 and the game went downhill for him from there.
Sideboard
-2 hells thunder, -1 figure + 3 blood moon
Game 2 I also mulled to 6 and kept a slow hand and just got slowed down even more because of a thorn of amethyst.
Sideboard:
-2 figure +2 shattering spree
Game 3 I resolved turn 3 Blood Moon when my opponent had no basic lands or fetches on board. He immediately scooped.
1-0, 2-1
Game 2 Deciever Twin
Game 1: I just race him out while holding 2 bolts for potential combo pieces, but he tells me afterwards he only saw 1 exarch and no twins or kiki jiki's.
Sideboard:
-4 figure -1 Hell's thunder +2 dismember +1 combust +2 Volcanic Fallout
Game 2: I get him down to 5 and then get a little too aggresive and attack into him playing exarch and having the combo and get my dismember dispelled when i had combust in hand but only 1 mana because i played a hellspark that turn... play error i guess, but i was playing the odds that he wouldnt have an exarch, because anything else and he was just dead to figure at 4/4 and bolt in my hand plus hellspark trample damage even through pestermite
Game 3: dont remember exact plays, but combusted the combo and then triple bolted through a remand to win
2-0, 4-2
Round 3: Mono Blue Faeries
Game 1: I race through the faeries... thats just about all there was to it. turn 1 goblin guide got in for over 10 damage before being blocked, and the hells thunders actually did some good damage too.
Sideboard:
-4 Figure (seeing a trend here?) +2 volcanic fallout +2 shattering spree ( he was running aether vial)
Game 2 had volcanic fallout in hand the whole game, but never got to 3 mana to play it and ended up stalling out with my opponent at 4 life and beating me down with spellstutters and a mutavault
Game 3 see game 2 but i had 3 mana and no volcanic fallout this time...
2-1, 5-4
This match mostly came down to just bad draws, I really think i should have won it, but hey thats how luck goes sometimes lol
Match 4: Mono Blue Merfolk
Game 1 I blow up all his creatures and get in there with mine... thats just as simple as it gets
Sideboard -4 figure +2 shattering spree +2 fallout
Game 2 I blow up all his creatures and get in there with mine...
3-1, 7-4
This match was over in 10 minutes, shuffling and sideboarding included, the guy wasnt that familiar with the deck so i just kinda blew him out.
Match 5: Red/blue faeries
Game 1: seems familiar, but i ran him over with my creatures while burning all of his.
sideboard -4 figure +2 fallout +2 shattering spree (guessing that he had vials too like the other faerie decks i was watching, but i guessed wrong there.)
Game 2 was a bit of a race between my creatures and his till he tapped out for vendilion clique and i double bolt double shard volleyed him in response to the trigger to win.
4-1, 9-4
Match 6 Caw Blade
Game 1 he mulled to 5 and saw nothing significant. he did make some remarks about how good his sideboard was with finks and timely reinforcments, so i boarded accordingly even though i saw none mainboard.
Sideboard:
-2 hells thunder -3 figure +2 shattering spree +3 leyline of punishment
Game 2 i virtually mulled to 6 with leyline, and tried to race through the creatures, but topdecked 8 land in a row, so i died to a single finks and a path for my goblin guide
Game 3 ended up being a race between my creatures and his finks, until he landed batterskull. I managed to stall that off for several turns, killing the token, making him replay it, killing it again stuff like that, then misplayed when he played squadron hawk, attempting to kill it while he had mana up rather than waiting for him to attempt to equip. play error on my part and potentially cost me the match and top 8 at the tournament, because he was at 9 and i had blaze for the hawk with landfall as well as bolt in my hand.
4-2, 10-6
Match 7: mono Blue Faeries
See match 3 except outraced him 2 out of 3 times this round lol... the matchup seems really good for me, i just managed to draw badly that match.
5-2, 12-7
So overall, ended up 17th out of 103-104 people and got 8 packs for my troubles.