Greetings! After lurking for a few months I figured it was time to post a deck of my own creation. What do you think of my Mono-Red Ashling the Pilgrim list? I tried to design it as a Voltron-ish red control deck. Definitely not my first deck, but one of the ones Ive put the most thought into.
Basically, I have a few questions.
1. Do you think I have too much artifact hate? With the amount of artifacts I'm packing I could go ahead and make Slobad my general if I wanted to.
2. Are there any mono-red staples I have over looked?
3. For the cards listed in the paragraph above this one, what should I omit from my current list in order to fit them in?
Right off the bat I don't think you are running enough lands. You have four artifacts that generate extra mana and Gemstone Array that can sort of store it but considering everflowing chalice is really only great at 4 mana and Lotus and Sun are too expensive to rely on only 39 sources of mana (counting Chalice and Ring) I would add more lands. Red wants mana. Try adding Buried Ruin at least but Ashling wants to scale up as the game goes late. Especially if she's the primary win con where she'll be out on the table a lot.
As far as cards to cut go;
Goblin Tinkerer is typically going to be a one time use thing. He's great in Wort, Boggart Auntie but not in mono red. I'm jealous you have a Goblin Welder. If you're looking for a reusable effect on a body try Gorilla Shaman otherwise just swap it for one of these so you get to keep the body but still blow up the artifact.
Akroma's Memorial seems really expensive when you only have 13 threats outside of your general. Unless your meta is red/black heavy it doesn't seem worth it.
Gemstone Array is really slow and fragile. Try just Armillary Sphere. Thawing Glaciers is a really slow way to constantly make a land drop. Really hurts in the opening hand when you need to hit land drops but it can go in any deck and is even better when you're trying to color fix without green or expensive fetch/dual lands.
As far as suggestions;
The only thing I immediately sprung upon that is a staple is Duplicant.
Otherwise it looks a little like you're prepared for a control meta in which case you should consider Akroma, Angel of Fury. She is SUPER hard to deal with for your opponents once they've blown their wrath.
If you're not actually having to deal with lots of control then as much as I love Mage's Contest and Overmaster, they probably don't deserve spots.
Thanks man! I appreciate the feedback on the deck. Ill definitely add more lands, and remove / replace / test out the things you suggested.
Its funny you should mention that it looks like I'm prepared for a control heavy meta. I recently moved so I am without a regular play group. I left out Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast but I wanted to make sure I at least had some answer, should I encounter something control heavy.
2 Ashling the Pilgrim
Creatures
1 Goblin Welder
2 Slobad, Goblin Tinkerer
3 Manic Vandal
3 Squee, Goblin Nabob
3 Viashino Heretic
4 Anger
6 Charmbreaker Devils
6 Duplicant
6 Ryusei, the Falling Star
6 Spitebellows
6 Steel Hellkite
7 Balefire Dragon
7 Hateflayer
7 Knollspine Dragon
Instants
2 Reverberate
2 Starstorm
3 Mages' Contest
3 Volcanic Fallout
4 Wild Ricochet
5 Fissure
Sorceries
2 Wheel of Fate
1 Devil's Play
1 Faithless Looting
1 Overmaster
1 Shattering Spree
1 Vandalblast
2 Recoup
3 Molten Psyche
4 Ruination
5 Incendiary Command
5 Reforge the Soul
8 Warp World
9 Blasphemous Act
0 Everflowing Chalice
0 Tormod's Crypt
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Codex Shredder
1 Expedition Map
1 Pithing Needle
1 Skullclamp
1 Sol Ring
2 Armillary Sphere
2 Lightning Greaves
2 Scroll Rack
2 Scythe of the Wretched
2 Swiftfoot Boots
2 Torpor Orb
3 Crystal Ball
3 Darksteel Plate
3 Magebane Armor
3 Rings of Brighthearth
3 Strata Scythe
3 Sword of Vengeance
4 Nevinyrral's Disk
5 Gilded Lotus
6 Caged Sun
6 Staff of Nin
3 Blood Moon
3 Repercussion
4 Stranglehold
5 Gratuitous Violence
Planeswalkers
6 Chandra Ablaze
Lands
1 Haunted Fengraf
1 Kher Keep
32 Mountain
1 Strip Mine
1 Temple of the False God
1 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
Something to point out is that I own all of the cards listed. I know I need to fit in Gamble, Sword of War and Peace, Gauntlet of Power, Mind's Eye, and Chaos Warp, but I have yet to trade for them.
Basically, I have a few questions.
1. Do you think I have too much artifact hate? With the amount of artifacts I'm packing I could go ahead and make Slobad my general if I wanted to.
2. Are there any mono-red staples I have over looked?
3. For the cards listed in the paragraph above this one, what should I omit from my current list in order to fit them in?
Thanks!
Changelog:
Akroma's Memorial -> Duplicant
Goblin Tinkerer -> Manic Vandal
Gemstone Array -> Armillary Sphere
Playtesting a bit before I add in more lands.
As far as cards to cut go;
Goblin Tinkerer is typically going to be a one time use thing. He's great in Wort, Boggart Auntie but not in mono red. I'm jealous you have a Goblin Welder. If you're looking for a reusable effect on a body try Gorilla Shaman otherwise just swap it for one of these so you get to keep the body but still blow up the artifact.
Akroma's Memorial seems really expensive when you only have 13 threats outside of your general. Unless your meta is red/black heavy it doesn't seem worth it.
Gemstone Array is really slow and fragile. Try just Armillary Sphere. Thawing Glaciers is a really slow way to constantly make a land drop. Really hurts in the opening hand when you need to hit land drops but it can go in any deck and is even better when you're trying to color fix without green or expensive fetch/dual lands.
As far as suggestions;
The only thing I immediately sprung upon that is a staple is Duplicant.
Otherwise it looks a little like you're prepared for a control meta in which case you should consider Akroma, Angel of Fury. She is SUPER hard to deal with for your opponents once they've blown their wrath.
If you're not actually having to deal with lots of control then as much as I love Mage's Contest and Overmaster, they probably don't deserve spots.
Otherwise looks like you're ready for some fun.
Its funny you should mention that it looks like I'm prepared for a control heavy meta. I recently moved so I am without a regular play group. I left out Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast but I wanted to make sure I at least had some answer, should I encounter something control heavy.