[COLOR="DarkOrange"]Primer Under Construction
credit to ISBPathfinder, fivecolorjunk, and SuperSonik for primer layout![/COLOR]
[COLOR="DarkRed"]
Diaochan, Artful Beauty
Bio
Diaochan was one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. She was said to have been born in 161 or 169 or 176, depending on the source. However, unlike the other three beauties, there is no known evidence that suggests her existence, therefore she is likely to be a fictional character.
Diaochan appears in Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms in a plot involving the warrior Lü Bu and the warlord Dong Zhuo. According to historical records, Lü Bu did have relations with one of Dong Zhuo's servant maids. However, there is no evidence that the maid's name was "Diaochan". In fact, it is extremely unlikely that it was Diaochan, because "Diao" is hardly used as a Chinese family name. "Diaochan" likely referred to the sable (diao) tails and jade decorations in the shape of cicadas (chan), which at the time adorned the hats of high-level officials. Taken from Wikipedia
Why Play Her?
Diaochan does something that red does not normally get which is targeted removal on a stick. I utilize her by playing her in a mono red control list. If you like to play a more serious red deck that aims at control then she is your girl. From a Vorthos stand point I see Diaochan as the beautiful assassin that will kill her opponents in an artful way.
You might want to play this deck if you...
1. Like to do something that is normally not expected of Red.
2. Like to play Control with a challenging feel to it.
3. Like to play a unique general with great real world lore to her.
4. Enjoy playing playing a deck that strives to be competitive.
You may not like to play this deck if you...
1. Dont like to be restricted to one color. (Why are you looking at mono red generals :rolleyes:)
2. Dont like to spend a lot of money on a deck. (Notably the general her self.)
3. Dont like to do things that feel outside the color pie.
4. Dont like to play with Land Destruction.
Strategy
First and foremost this is a control deck and it will play as such. You will start by dropping lands and staying neutral as much as possible. I can not stress enough do not over extend your self. Only react to spells or creatures that directly affect you!
Okay so now on to the good stuff. Because of the way that Diaochan is worded you will be able to kill two creatures. One of your choice the other of an opponents. But be careful although Shroud works to your advantage Hexproof does not as you control the ability! So make sure to equip Diochan before you start making her dance! The creatures in this deck have been chosen for my meta but I strongly suggest running creatures that are Indestructible or have shroud as you will find your self losing creatures fast.
One option is to run more creatures that recur themselves from the graveyard such as the phoenix's but so far only the one I run seems to be worth it as I can pay the cost at instant speed instead of upkeep. Also I don't run cards like Ulamog or Blightsteel because Bribery affects are rampant in my group.
Okay so now your probably wondering how the deck wins? Well as any control deck your going to win with one creature or one big spell. The deck ties to utilize reds best burn spells and uses a lot of enchantment based damage as it is more reliable.
All the cards listed here are for the control aspect of the deck
Smoke Only one creature untaps means less attacking you next turn. Crawlspace Only two creatures attack a turn, which is still less than it could be. Mogg Infestation Great wrath effect that works well with the two previously mentioned cards. Stranglehold This card is bonkers in a mono-red control! Stops all sorts of blue/black strategies just watch out this card will pull threat. Helm of Possession Though the deck doesn't run very much in the way of creatures this card can be very valuable and sacing your General isnt that bad of a plan when something hits the table that you cant deal with.
Creatures
All the cards listed here are explanations of few creatures I do run.
Magma Phoenix I only play this phoenix because she can be recurred back to your hand at instant speed. This is very valuable! Darksteel Colossus & Darksteel Juggernaut Indestructible on two big creatures means that you don't have to worry about Diaochan killing them. Myojin of Infinite Rage Same as above but is a bomb waiting to happen so people will tread lightly. Stuffy Doll with all the mass dmg effects in this deck its hard not to have this guy in here, not to mention he dodges Diaochan! Greater Gargadon This card is in the testing stages. More to come. Hoarding Dragon Tutor that doesnt care if Diaochan hurts him. Godo, Bandit Warlord Not friends with the general but grabs her all the equips she needs. Urabrask the Hidden This guy is amazing! Thanks to SuperSonik for pointing him out to me!
Steal Effects
I am not bothering to explain these as the ones I am running are mostly run because they can be cast instant speed.
Mass Effect
There are more mass effect/dmg cards in this deck and listing each one would be repititive. Choices like All is Dust is there for enchantment removal. The rest are there because they are by far the best I can find.
I built a diaochan decklist a while back and she can be pretty insane when it comes to controlling the board. The best card one could include is thornbite staff, with this and either indestructibility, hexproof, or shroud on your commander you can wipe the board repeatedly.
What with all the destruction that's going around as well hoarding dragon is a must as a reliable tutor for your important equips.
That's all for now. Ill probably suggest more in a couple days when im actually on a computer and can look at my word doc with my notes on her.
I like her a lot. I noticed her when making my Brother Yamakazi deck. In that deck, she's abusive. In any other, she's very political. You can destroy a creature of your choice, say Player B's creature, then look to Player C and say "Ok, you choose creature number 2".
For edits to the deck, I noticed you only have 6 mana accelerations and 3 of them cost 5 or more to cast. Maybe adding a little acceleration might help get you into the game faster, but you don't have much to draw into answers with so I might need to stay where it's at. If your curve is low enough, you can replace 1-2 lands with mana stones. At worst they're often used as replacement lands, and at best they're ramp.
Mass removes like earthquake helps smack players and creatures in the face and work well with stuffy doll. Plus you can copy them for the value of X with all those fork spells.
I personally think a great place to start looking for individual cuts can be found in individually targeting LD spells. Fissure is a MUST keep but all the other LD feels like it's optional Artifact spell or a chance to pounce on someone while they're down (missed a land drop). You're leaving your self open to keep them suppressed and then other players have to decide. Do they take a swing at the cripple or take a swing at the guy crippling players?
Mass LD is control on a massive level but individual LD is just too slow for multiplayer.
Just putting it out there that giving Diaochan pro red works just as well as Shroud, which allows you to run SoFI and possibly SoWP. I also think Godo, Bandit Warlord deserves to be in this deck as it searches the equipment Diaochan needs and can turn into a win con with either of the previously mentioned swords.
If you're looking for enchantment based damage I'd recommend giving Manabarbs a try. It can dish out a ton of damage and many control decks have serious problems when this card is in play.
What a cool general- unique and with fantastic art. (Thanks for the credit btw)
Firstly, one way to get value out of Diaochan is to play a decent sac outlet. Greater Gargadon is perfect for you. Punishes wraths, lets you sac targets of Diochan's ability in response, and swings for a heck of a beating. He's a fine control card for your deck and I think you should play him.
SoFI is a must since pro-red will save its carrier from Diaochan. Cut Shield of Kaldra for it.
Hoarding Dragon will tutor up any artifacts you want, including SoFI, DS plate, etc.
Godo, Bandit Warlord is one of the few tutors you have access to and gets you SoFI, and he's a terrific beater. I think he belongs here.
I think you don't need 36 mountains in your deck to get your red mana. Consider some more non-basics like:
Some of those lands (like Buried Ruin and Strip Mine) are great with Crucible of Worlds. If you can stand to play some off-color fetches (Panoramas, Scalding Tarn, etc). It would be worth it just for the panoramas and any mass LD. Also, it would be really helpful for you to snow-out your manabase with snow-covered mountains and play Scrying Sheets, Mouth of Ronom and Extraplanar Lens. You can cut the cards the depend on mountains for damage (they aren't that good anyway) as part of the effort to get some more non-basics going.
If you're playing indestructible guys, Obliterate seems like it would be fantastic.
Shattering Pulse is probably better for you than Shattering Spree because you'll have lots of mana available with your mana doublers for buyback purposes.
Urabrask, the Hidden seems great for a control deck because you will always have a turn to react to your opponents' creatures while not needing one yourself to play your own. I think he'd be a fine inclusion.
I'd cut Furnace of Rath (likely to get you killed) and Shield of Kaldra to start, and possibly some of your copy spells, of which I think you have maybe too many?
What a cool general- unique and with fantastic art. (Thanks for the credit btw)
Firstly, one way to get value out of Diaochan is to play a decent sac outlet. Greater Gargadon is perfect for you. Punishes wraths, lets you sac targets of Diochan's ability in response, and swings for a heck of a beating. He's a fine control card for your deck and I think you should play him.
SoFI is a must since pro-red will save its carrier from Diaochan. Cut Shield of Kaldra for it.
Hoarding Dragon will tutor up any artifacts you want, including SoFI, DS plate, etc.
Godo, Bandit Warlord is one of the few tutors you have access to and gets you SoFI, and he's a terrific beater. I think he belongs here.
I think you don't need 36 mountains in your deck to get your red mana. Consider some more non-basics like:
Some of those lands (like Buried Ruin and Strip Mine) are great with Crucible of Worlds. If you can stand to play some off-color fetches (Panoramas, Scalding Tarn, etc). It would be worth it just for the panoramas and any mass LD. Also, it would be really helpful for you to snow-out your manabase with snow-covered mountains and play Scrying Sheets, Mouth of Ronom and Extraplanar Lens. You can cut the cards the depend on mountains for damage (they aren't that good anyway) as part of the effort to get some more non-basics going.
If you're playing indestructible guys, Obliterate seems like it would be fantastic.
Shattering Pulse is probably better for you than Shattering Spree because you'll have lots of mana available with your mana doublers for buyback purposes.
Urabrask, the Hidden seems great for a control deck because you will always have a turn to react to your opponents' creatures while not needing one yourself to play your own. I think he'd be a fine inclusion.
I'd cut Furnace of Rath (likely to get you killed) and Shield of Kaldra to start, and possibly some of your copy spells, of which I think you have maybe too many?
Good luck with the primer.
I have to say what an Honor it is to have you respond to my deck!
I will have to test Urabrask but I see your point with him.
As for the nonbasics I would like to keep them slim so eventually I can run Blood Moon and Magus.
Furnace of Rath is a tricky card but I dont play it unless I can win the turn it comes down.
I actually just cut the Spree because I have to much Artifact destruction, but if it becomes and Issue again I will Immediately add Pluse.
I just Ordered Godo and Both Swords off the net so they are already updated into my list.
I am not sure about Hording dragon but I will test it. Though I suppose it makes sense if I can let my oponents kill it.
As for snow mountains They are a lil out of my budget atm but once they go in what do you think of Skred?
What are your thoughts on Thornbite staff? It was mentioned earlier and I am ubber tempted!
Thanks again Sonic! You made this girl very very happy!
And also credit for my Riku deck goes to you!
I have to say what an Honor it is to have you respond to my deck!
I will have to test Urabrask but I see your point with him.
As for the nonbasics I would like to keep them slim so eventually I can run Blood Moon and Magus.
Furnace of Rath is a tricky card but I dont play it unless I can win the turn it comes down.
I actually just cut the Spree because I have to much Artifact destruction, but if it becomes and Issue again I will Immediately add Pluse.
I just Ordered Godo and Both Swords off the net so they are already updated into my list.
I am not sure about Hording dragon but I will test it. Though I suppose it makes sense if I can let my oponents kill it.
As for snow mountains They are a lil out of my budget atm but once they go in what do you think of Skred?
What are your thoughts on Thornbite staff? It was mentioned earlier and I am ubber tempted!
Thanks again Sonic! You made this girl very very happy!
And also credit for my Riku deck goes to you!
My pleasure :D. Hope you enjoy your Riku deck very much.
Skred is pretty good. I'd play it if I had a snow manabase for sure. By turn 6 or 7 nothing should be able to survive it and you can't beat the cost for instant-speed removal.
By the way, you should run bothBlood Moon and Magus of the Moon. Forgot to add that before. It doesn't matter if it shuts off your nonbasics. You will still run like a well-oiled machine since you're mono-red and your opponents will be hurt MUCH more by those effects than you will.
I'm not sure about Thornbite Staff. You have to have Diaochan protected for it to go off, otherwise your opponents will just destroy Diaochan. So now you're talking about a three-card combo with two equipments where you only have two equipment tutors available (Godo, Hoarding Dragon). So I would not play it because it's too tough to get the magical scenario going. That, and a wrath just resets your hard work anyway. You are also very weak to edict effects like Chainer's Edict and Barter in Blood since you're playing with so few creatures.
A nice thing about Greater Gargadon is that it's awesome with Hoarding Dragon. You just sacrifice him to his ability. Hoarding Dragon is very playable with just a couple of sac outlets, many of which are good cards on their own. Also, how'd you like to steal something with Word of Seizing, then sacrifice it before you have to give it back? It's awesome.
Oh! Also consider Grab the Reins for creature removal over Act of Aggression. It's insane when you entwine it. Kills the two most annoying creatures on the board easily- you just fling the one at the other
Oh, and someone mentioned Mimic Vat. You absolutely want that card in your deck. It's great card advantage in a color that has to work very hard to get it.
I'd cut Pyrohemia and Reprecussion as well. Also Scroll Rack, since you'll almost never have enough cards in hand nor shuffle effects to make the rack worthwhile. You don't have a lot of stuff that works that well with these cards aside from some burn and you could really use the card advantage and disruption some of these other cards offer.
@SuperSonik = So after playing today with some testing and changes I feel that Mimic Vat and Grab the reins where both pretty good and will deserve spots. Though I have to say that with a prored and/or indestructible dude and pyrohemia are too good to cut. Repercussion I am still on the fence about. Its won me a game and I have yet to be sad to see it but then again it doesn't do much on its own. More testing will tell.
As for Blood Moon and Magus I got asked immediately at two of the tables at my LGS since I was mono red to not run those. But in the game a that I was allowed them magus died super fast and I didnt see the blood moon. Again I feel I need more testing with these Especialy with adding in the nonbasics I did add.
Also with Scroll Rack I have found that one to be about 50/50 on its usefullness and I think thats not going to cut it.
I can't really think of anything else that you absolutly need except maybe some uncounterable goodies such as Combust and Volcanic Fallout.
Lol thanks, I thinks shes kind of a hidden gem =D
Combust seems to narrow and volcanic Fallout seems unnecessary but should counters become more prevalent then these will be the first cards considered!
What do you guys think of Squee, Goblin Nabob in this deck? I am considering taking him out and putting in mimic vat ?
Squee + Skullclamp = one of red's very few draw engines. Also, Squee is great discard fuel for someone/something like Jaya Ballard, Task Mage.
At the same time, you have so few creatures that Skullclamp seems poor (even though it's great with Magma Phoenix and other phoenixes)...
I'd only play Squee if I had a plan to abuse him.
Yeah I went ahead and cut him for now, Should I feel hes needed I will keep him out of my trade binder for now
Also In two games scroll rack as stellar for me so I will hold on to it a bit longer as well, Another reminder that unlike most red decks I don't dump my hand as fast and play conservatively.
I really like what You've done with this idea. Well done!
It seems like a couple of untap effects could go along way here for getting the most bang for Your buck out of Your general. Thornbite Staff would be the best option but You could also look at Thousand-Year Elixir, Puppet Strings, maybe even Umbral Mantle.
Out of curiosity, why were Blightsteel and Ulamog excluded?
I really like what You've done with this idea. Well done!
It seems like a couple of untap effects could go along way here for getting the most bang for Your buck out of Your general. Thornbite Staff would be the best option but You could also look at Thousand-Year Elixir, Puppet Strings, maybe even Umbral Mantle.
Out of curiosity, why were Blightsteel and Ulamog excluded?
Out of my experiance every play that plays blue (theres a lot of them!) every blue deck runs bribery. This deck cant deal with ether of those threats that early. Infact the only way this deck has to deal with Indestructible is Brittle Effigy .
I think the untaping is over kill but I can try it, but u do have to admit its seems like a lot to equip the staff then equip a protection effect then have her kill things. This is especially hard to accomplish when I don't run many creatures and have a shroud equip on her.
But I am always open to suggestions like that and will test it. Can't say no unless you've tried it right? =P
Also thanks for the comments! I have been working hard to make this Primer worthy!
You could use Duplicant to deal with indestructible dudes. Also Karn Liberated could be a good utility for indestructibility and in general winning the game.
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can I just congratulate you on being able to construct such a wonderful mono-red deck. I must admit I am truly amazed at how you managed to think and come up with this. I mean, with this you not only have diao-chan's ability to actually help you clear the board, you also have valakut and a ton load of other spells to help you burn the living day lights out of your opponent.
hmm, how about these cards would you think they'd fit in the deck?
Sorry but I have to say I had to retire this deck.
I believe she still has lots of potiential but for now she will become shelved.
I will leave this up for any other person to use.
TY for all the help, Also Thornbite Staff made it into the deck as a way to pseudo wrath with Chan.
credit to ISBPathfinder, fivecolorjunk, and SuperSonik for primer layout![/COLOR]
Bio
Diaochan appears in Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms in a plot involving the warrior Lü Bu and the warlord Dong Zhuo. According to historical records, Lü Bu did have relations with one of Dong Zhuo's servant maids. However, there is no evidence that the maid's name was "Diaochan". In fact, it is extremely unlikely that it was Diaochan, because "Diao" is hardly used as a Chinese family name. "Diaochan" likely referred to the sable (diao) tails and jade decorations in the shape of cicadas (chan), which at the time adorned the hats of high-level officials.
Taken from Wikipedia
You might want to play this deck if you...
1. Like to do something that is normally not expected of Red.
2. Like to play Control with a challenging feel to it.
3. Like to play a unique general with great real world lore to her.
4. Enjoy playing playing a deck that strives to be competitive.
You may not like to play this deck if you...
1. Dont like to be restricted to one color. (Why are you looking at mono red generals :rolleyes:)
2. Dont like to spend a lot of money on a deck. (Notably the general her self.)
3. Dont like to do things that feel outside the color pie.
4. Dont like to play with Land Destruction.
Okay so now on to the good stuff. Because of the way that Diaochan is worded you will be able to kill two creatures. One of your choice the other of an opponents. But be careful although Shroud works to your advantage Hexproof does not as you control the ability! So make sure to equip Diochan before you start making her dance! The creatures in this deck have been chosen for my meta but I strongly suggest running creatures that are Indestructible or have shroud as you will find your self losing creatures fast.
One option is to run more creatures that recur themselves from the graveyard such as the phoenix's but so far only the one I run seems to be worth it as I can pay the cost at instant speed instead of upkeep. Also I don't run cards like Ulamog or Blightsteel because Bribery affects are rampant in my group.
Okay so now your probably wondering how the deck wins? Well as any control deck your going to win with one creature or one big spell. The deck ties to utilize reds best burn spells and uses a lot of enchantment based damage as it is more reliable.
1 Diaochan, Artful Beauty
Creatures
1 Magma Phoenix
1 Darksteel Colossus
1 Darksteel Juggernaut
1 Myojin of Infinite Rage
1 Stuffy Doll
1 Greater Gargadon
1 Hoarding Dragon
1 Godo, Bandit Warlord
1 Urabrask the Hidden
Instants
1 Fissure
1 Word of Seizing
1 Comet Storm
1 Reiterate
1 Act of Aggression
1 Wild Ricochet
1 Inferno
1 Chaos Warp
1 Fork
Sorceries
1 Aftershock
1 Ruination
1 All Is Dust
1 Rough // Tumble
1 Insurrection
1 Jaws of Stone
1 Mogg Infestation
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Molten Disaster
1 Earthquake
1 Pyrohemia
1 Repercussion
1 Furnace of Rath
1 Vicious Shadows
1 Stranglehold
1 Smoke
Artifacts
1 Brittle Effigy
1 General's Kabuto
1 Helm of Possession
1 Sol Ring
1 Mind's Eye
1 Mind Stone
1 Darksteel Plate
1 Dreamstone Hedron
1 Cloak and Dagger
1 Crawlspace
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Shield of Kaldra
1 Expedition Map
1 Sculpting Steel
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Caged Sun
1 Whispersilk Cloak
1 Crystal Ball
1 Gauntlet of Power
1 Scroll Rack
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Sword of War and Peace
1 Mimic Vat
1 Ensnaring Bridge
35 Mountain
1 Homeward Path
1 Maze of ith
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1 Mystifying Maze
1 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
All the cards listed here are for the sole purpose of keeping Diaochan from hitting herself!
Sword of War and Peace Pro Red
Sword of fire and ice Pro Red
General's Kabuto Indestructible
Darksteel Plate Indestructible
Shield of Kaldra Indestructible
Cloak and Dagger Shroud
Lightning Greaves Shroud
Whispersilk Cloak Shroud
*update - With wizards not printing any more Shroud cards this deck will have to rely more heavily on other forms of protection.
Control
All the cards listed here are for the control aspect of the deck
Smoke Only one creature untaps means less attacking you next turn.
Crawlspace Only two creatures attack a turn, which is still less than it could be.
Mogg Infestation Great wrath effect that works well with the two previously mentioned cards.
Stranglehold This card is bonkers in a mono-red control! Stops all sorts of blue/black strategies just watch out this card will pull threat.
Helm of Possession Though the deck doesn't run very much in the way of creatures this card can be very valuable and sacing your General isnt that bad of a plan when something hits the table that you cant deal with.
Creatures
All the cards listed here are explanations of few creatures I do run.
Magma Phoenix I only play this phoenix because she can be recurred back to your hand at instant speed. This is very valuable!
Darksteel Colossus & Darksteel Juggernaut Indestructible on two big creatures means that you don't have to worry about Diaochan killing them.
Myojin of Infinite Rage Same as above but is a bomb waiting to happen so people will tread lightly.
Stuffy Doll with all the mass dmg effects in this deck its hard not to have this guy in here, not to mention he dodges Diaochan!
Greater Gargadon This card is in the testing stages. More to come.
Hoarding Dragon Tutor that doesnt care if Diaochan hurts him.
Godo, Bandit Warlord Not friends with the general but grabs her all the equips she needs.
Urabrask the Hidden This guy is amazing! Thanks to SuperSonik for pointing him out to me!
Steal Effects
I am not bothering to explain these as the ones I am running are mostly run because they can be cast instant speed.
Mass Effect
There are more mass effect/dmg cards in this deck and listing each one would be repititive. Choices like All is Dust is there for enchantment removal. The rest are there because they are by far the best I can find.
URThe Joy of Painting with Nin, the Pain Artist!UR
some thoughts:
Champion's Helm seems better then cloak and dagger
Swiftfoot boots, Thousand-year Elixir and Hall of the bandit Lord are nice additional ways to add haste to your beauty
on lands, Temple of the false god never hurts in a mono colored deck. Neither does Homeward path. Perhaps a few maze like cards?
Mimic vat would be a nice addition with all the creature kill.
What with all the destruction that's going around as well hoarding dragon is a must as a reliable tutor for your important equips.
That's all for now. Ill probably suggest more in a couple days when im actually on a computer and can look at my word doc with my notes on her.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=307453
For edits to the deck, I noticed you only have 6 mana accelerations and 3 of them cost 5 or more to cast. Maybe adding a little acceleration might help get you into the game faster, but you don't have much to draw into answers with so I might need to stay where it's at. If your curve is low enough, you can replace 1-2 lands with mana stones. At worst they're often used as replacement lands, and at best they're ramp.
Mass removes like earthquake helps smack players and creatures in the face and work well with stuffy doll. Plus you can copy them for the value of X with all those fork spells.
I personally think a great place to start looking for individual cuts can be found in individually targeting LD spells. Fissure is a MUST keep but all the other LD feels like it's optional Artifact spell or a chance to pounce on someone while they're down (missed a land drop). You're leaving your self open to keep them suppressed and then other players have to decide. Do they take a swing at the cripple or take a swing at the guy crippling players?
Mass LD is control on a massive level but individual LD is just too slow for multiplayer.
EDH:
[Competitive] Azusa, Lost but Seeking (54 Lands)
[Competitive] Azami, Lady of Scrolls (Time Warp combo/control)
[Competitive] Kruphix, God of No (True EDH DrawGo)
Haste isnt too much an issue but the Hall seems plausible.
We cant run Hexproof as it doesnt protect Diaochan from her own ablity. I am pointing this out again as I mentioned this in the strategy section...
Not sure what to think on mana barbs... I guess only testing will tell.
@technogeek5000 Pro Red is a great idea I will work on getting both swords and Godo and I will test it
@EX33396948 besides pillage and icefall what spells are single target LD? Not to mention that both hit optional artifacts.
URThe Joy of Painting with Nin, the Pain Artist!UR
Firstly, one way to get value out of Diaochan is to play a decent sac outlet. Greater Gargadon is perfect for you. Punishes wraths, lets you sac targets of Diochan's ability in response, and swings for a heck of a beating. He's a fine control card for your deck and I think you should play him.
SoFI is a must since pro-red will save its carrier from Diaochan. Cut Shield of Kaldra for it.
Hoarding Dragon will tutor up any artifacts you want, including SoFI, DS plate, etc.
Godo, Bandit Warlord is one of the few tutors you have access to and gets you SoFI, and he's a terrific beater. I think he belongs here.
I think you don't need 36 mountains in your deck to get your red mana. Consider some more non-basics like:
Some of those lands (like Buried Ruin and Strip Mine) are great with Crucible of Worlds. If you can stand to play some off-color fetches (Panoramas, Scalding Tarn, etc). It would be worth it just for the panoramas and any mass LD. Also, it would be really helpful for you to snow-out your manabase with snow-covered mountains and play Scrying Sheets, Mouth of Ronom and Extraplanar Lens. You can cut the cards the depend on mountains for damage (they aren't that good anyway) as part of the effort to get some more non-basics going.
If you're playing indestructible guys, Obliterate seems like it would be fantastic.
Shattering Pulse is probably better for you than Shattering Spree because you'll have lots of mana available with your mana doublers for buyback purposes.
Urabrask, the Hidden seems great for a control deck because you will always have a turn to react to your opponents' creatures while not needing one yourself to play your own. I think he'd be a fine inclusion.
I'd cut Furnace of Rath (likely to get you killed) and Shield of Kaldra to start, and possibly some of your copy spells, of which I think you have maybe too many?
Good luck with the primer.
:symu::symr: Melek WheelStorm
:symw::symg: Trostani Enchantress (updated 6/5)
:symg::symr::symu: Unexpected Results.dec
Thada Adel Stax WIP
I have to say what an Honor it is to have you respond to my deck!
I will have to test Urabrask but I see your point with him.
As for the nonbasics I would like to keep them slim so eventually I can run Blood Moon and Magus.
Furnace of Rath is a tricky card but I dont play it unless I can win the turn it comes down.
I actually just cut the Spree because I have to much Artifact destruction, but if it becomes and Issue again I will Immediately add Pluse.
I just Ordered Godo and Both Swords off the net so they are already updated into my list.
I am not sure about Hording dragon but I will test it. Though I suppose it makes sense if I can let my oponents kill it.
As for snow mountains They are a lil out of my budget atm but once they go in what do you think of Skred?
What are your thoughts on Thornbite staff? It was mentioned earlier and I am ubber tempted!
Thanks again Sonic! You made this girl very very happy!
And also credit for my Riku deck goes to you!
URThe Joy of Painting with Nin, the Pain Artist!UR
My pleasure :D. Hope you enjoy your Riku deck very much.
Skred is pretty good. I'd play it if I had a snow manabase for sure. By turn 6 or 7 nothing should be able to survive it and you can't beat the cost for instant-speed removal.
By the way, you should run both Blood Moon and Magus of the Moon. Forgot to add that before. It doesn't matter if it shuts off your nonbasics. You will still run like a well-oiled machine since you're mono-red and your opponents will be hurt MUCH more by those effects than you will.
I'm not sure about Thornbite Staff. You have to have Diaochan protected for it to go off, otherwise your opponents will just destroy Diaochan. So now you're talking about a three-card combo with two equipments where you only have two equipment tutors available (Godo, Hoarding Dragon). So I would not play it because it's too tough to get the magical scenario going. That, and a wrath just resets your hard work anyway. You are also very weak to edict effects like Chainer's Edict and Barter in Blood since you're playing with so few creatures.
A nice thing about Greater Gargadon is that it's awesome with Hoarding Dragon. You just sacrifice him to his ability. Hoarding Dragon is very playable with just a couple of sac outlets, many of which are good cards on their own. Also, how'd you like to steal something with Word of Seizing, then sacrifice it before you have to give it back? It's awesome.
Oh! Also consider Grab the Reins for creature removal over Act of Aggression. It's insane when you entwine it. Kills the two most annoying creatures on the board easily- you just fling the one at the other
Oh, and someone mentioned Mimic Vat. You absolutely want that card in your deck. It's great card advantage in a color that has to work very hard to get it.
I'd cut Pyrohemia and Reprecussion as well. Also Scroll Rack, since you'll almost never have enough cards in hand nor shuffle effects to make the rack worthwhile. You don't have a lot of stuff that works that well with these cards aside from some burn and you could really use the card advantage and disruption some of these other cards offer.
:symu::symr: Melek WheelStorm
:symw::symg: Trostani Enchantress (updated 6/5)
:symg::symr::symu: Unexpected Results.dec
Thada Adel Stax WIP
As for Blood Moon and Magus I got asked immediately at two of the tables at my LGS since I was mono red to not run those. But in the game a that I was allowed them magus died super fast and I didnt see the blood moon. Again I feel I need more testing with these Especialy with adding in the nonbasics I did add.
Also with Scroll Rack I have found that one to be about 50/50 on its usefullness and I think thats not going to cut it.
URThe Joy of Painting with Nin, the Pain Artist!UR
I can't really think of anything else that you absolutly need except maybe some uncounterable goodies such as Combust and Volcanic Fallout.
Lol thanks, I thinks shes kind of a hidden gem =D
Combust seems to narrow and volcanic Fallout seems unnecessary but should counters become more prevalent then these will be the first cards considered!
What do you guys think of Squee, Goblin Nabob in this deck? I am considering taking him out and putting in mimic vat ?
URThe Joy of Painting with Nin, the Pain Artist!UR
At the same time, you have so few creatures that Skullclamp seems poor (even though it's great with Magma Phoenix and other phoenixes)...
I'd only play Squee if I had a plan to abuse him.
:symu::symr: Melek WheelStorm
:symw::symg: Trostani Enchantress (updated 6/5)
:symg::symr::symu: Unexpected Results.dec
Thada Adel Stax WIP
Yeah I went ahead and cut him for now, Should I feel hes needed I will keep him out of my trade binder for now
Also In two games scroll rack as stellar for me so I will hold on to it a bit longer as well, Another reminder that unlike most red decks I don't dump my hand as fast and play conservatively.
URThe Joy of Painting with Nin, the Pain Artist!UR
It seems like a couple of untap effects could go along way here for getting the most bang for Your buck out of Your general. Thornbite Staff would be the best option but You could also look at Thousand-Year Elixir, Puppet Strings, maybe even Umbral Mantle.
Out of curiosity, why were Blightsteel and Ulamog excluded?
Out of my experiance every play that plays blue (theres a lot of them!) every blue deck runs bribery. This deck cant deal with ether of those threats that early. Infact the only way this deck has to deal with Indestructible is Brittle Effigy .
I think the untaping is over kill but I can try it, but u do have to admit its seems like a lot to equip the staff then equip a protection effect then have her kill things. This is especially hard to accomplish when I don't run many creatures and have a shroud equip on her.
But I am always open to suggestions like that and will test it. Can't say no unless you've tried it right? =P
Also thanks for the comments! I have been working hard to make this Primer worthy!
URThe Joy of Painting with Nin, the Pain Artist!UR
Pride is a powerful tool; it makes us fight harder when we are weak as does it cut us down while we are at our prime.
If you are a player in the Lancaster, PA area or go to school at Millersville University there is a Magic Club that holds all kinds of events! Checkout our Facebook Page or message me, Austin Rittle! http://www.facebook.com/groups/170267396386812/
hmm, how about these cards would you think they'd fit in the deck?
strata scythe
kaervek's torch
volcanic fallout
banefire
Slobad AKA Old Uncle Slobodan
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?p=7801329#post7801329
I believe she still has lots of potiential but for now she will become shelved.
I will leave this up for any other person to use.
TY for all the help, Also Thornbite Staff made it into the deck as a way to pseudo wrath with Chan.
URThe Joy of Painting with Nin, the Pain Artist!UR
But for now this is what I am thinking.
Winds of Change - this card is mean turn 1 after everyone has Mulliganed.
Omen of Fire - this card hits two of the most played colors and doesnt affect me, I really need to test this.
Karn Liberated - more ways to hit those pesky enchantments.
URThe Joy of Painting with Nin, the Pain Artist!UR
Thanks everyone for all the help!
URThe Joy of Painting with Nin, the Pain Artist!UR
GWUBAtraxa, Praetor's Voice PrimerGWUB
GWURoon Bant Blink WhateverGWU
BRGLord Windgrace LandsBRG