Porcelian Legionnaire: By running 2 of this guy is it a bit like running 2 extra Berserkers? I cant see running more then 2 due to the Phyrexian mana life loss but it seems like a good idea
1 Geistflame and 2 Gut shot? Are these still good? I thought Delver was not as prevalent to warrant main deck answers, and why 1 Geistflame? Wouldn't Arc trail be better then these?
4 Main Deck Incinerates. With 6 creatures that can have 3 power by the time WRR drops its first titan does the 2 mana incinerate offer a solution to killing the titan?
I am surprise there are no slagstorms, not even in the SB.
Only 2 act of aggressions? I thought 3 would be the magic number.
My point is the deck has a bit of a different slant then most of our common builds and wanted to bounce it off you guys the determine why this deck did relatively well (3-1) on MTGO. From the looks of the Lists, MTGO has decks from all walks of life (WRR, Solar FLare, Summonings, Zombies etc) and doesnt seem to be dominated by 1-2 primary decks.
In an environment with not as many vapor snag/gut shot, Legionnaire actually isn't that bad. I just hate paying 2 life for something that can be gut shot'ted.
I also don't put much stock into MTGO when it comes to determining whats good on 'paper', because my LGS meta is probably nowhere near MTGO, or GP/SCG meta's.
Its not that the list is bad, it just looks...unoptimal I guess. It can still just win if he can curve into his cards. I would also want to know what he played against too.
porcelain legionare is something I've been wanting to try out as a way to make the deck more consistent. One thing you can do, especially if you aren't running crags for ancient grudge, is run a set of the RW lands. That way, they're not so bad to draw later in the game since you can just play him for 3 mana instead.
Fireslinger is definately a strong choice too, especially in terms of making it be more consistent. Think of him as a 1/1 that's unblockable and a psuedo vigilance for 1 red. Lavamancer is more of a late-game control card, or sometimes a finisher. If you're running stuff like porcelain legionare, I definitely think you're going for a more aggressive deck, and should probably lean towards fireslinger over lavamancer, since fireslinger is the more aggressive drop.
My experience with Goblin Fireslinger has been very positive. In general RDW wants to get 3 damage out of each card it plays. I often get 4-5 damage from a T1 fireslinger before I have to chump with him. He may not be a good late game drop but atleast he can block something. That almost makes him better then a late game gut shot...kinda. Plus I dont think he draws very much hate, nowehere near as much as a Stromkirk Noble.
18 Mountain
4 Rootbound Crag
Creatures 19
3 Chandra's Phoenix
3 Goblin Fireslinger
1 Grim Lavamancer
2 Hellrider
2 Porcelian Legionnaire
4 Stormblood Berserker
4 Stromkirk Noble
4 Galvanic Blast
1 Giestflame
2 Gut Shot
4 Incinerate
4 Volt Charge
4 Shrine of Burning Rage
2 Act of Aggression
4 Ancient Grudge
1 Arc Trail
3 Corrosive Gale
3 Dismember
2 Ratchet Bomb
There are a few items that really interested me.
I also don't put much stock into MTGO when it comes to determining whats good on 'paper', because my LGS meta is probably nowhere near MTGO, or GP/SCG meta's.
Its not that the list is bad, it just looks...unoptimal I guess. It can still just win if he can curve into his cards. I would also want to know what he played against too.
WBG Karador GBW
R Daretti R
RG Omnath GR
WRG Modern Burn GRW
WB Modern Tokens BW
DCI Rules Advisor as of 5/18/2015
Fireslinger is definately a strong choice too, especially in terms of making it be more consistent. Think of him as a 1/1 that's unblockable and a psuedo vigilance for 1 red. Lavamancer is more of a late-game control card, or sometimes a finisher. If you're running stuff like porcelain legionare, I definitely think you're going for a more aggressive deck, and should probably lean towards fireslinger over lavamancer, since fireslinger is the more aggressive drop.
Fireslingers are essential to any current standard RDW imo.
I run 4 Fireslingers/4 Stromkirk Noble/2 Grim Lavamancer