About the Deck
Initially this deck started as a bit of a joke. I have a few more serious decks and realized I wanted to dabble in mono-red. Looking at the deck lists around at some of the popular generals I thought “why not have a go at a P3K legend?” It took me about two seconds to settle on Lu Bu. After all, he is the Chuck Norris of the Three Kingdoms era.
Strategy
As the deck is essentially a Voltron deck, the overall strategy is very simple.
1.) Accelerate to 6+ mana.
2.) Play Lu Bu
3.) Equip/Buff Lu Bu
4.) Attack with Lu Bu
5.) ???
6.) Profit!
Through playtesting I have noticed Lu Bu is best at attacking in waves. He will attack for a couple of moderate, unblockable hits. I will draw into some sweet equipment which I will drop and equip. Lu Bu will then generally one shot somebody, the rest of the table will proceed to drop bricks and then remove him.
Due to this cycle I have decided to lessen the equipment and add a couple of instants that double damage and more multiple attack step spells. I am hoping to capitalize on what appears to be the wave like nature of Lu Bu and try and make these heavy hits much heavier. Possibly knocking out multiple players in a single turn.
Hate Cards
I have a suite of hate cards in this deck that are there to bring the pain and disrupt on some of the more popular choices in my meta. That is, five color/tri-color and control. Blood Moon and the Magus have been absolute houses. War’s Toll is an absolute kick in the gonads against the control players and does seem to stunt their development quite nicely. Unfortunately, Price of Glory has yet to been played in any games yet, but I am sure it will be even more devastating.
Mass LD is generally frowned upon in my group. However, as my group gets more cutthroat I am slotting in a couple of more conditional cards. Namely ,Ruination and Wake of Destruction. Both of these follow the “you did it to yourself” school of blowing somebody out. I know it is a bit of an excuse, but mono-red does need all the help it can get. Since I have successfully rode the excuse of “hey I am playing mono-red” after playing these cards. I’m not going to stop any time soon.
Conclusion
This deck has been an absolute blast to play. I have probably won around 40% of the games I have played with Lu Bu at the helm. Considering this deck has started as a joke, I have learned to respect having a hastey, effectively unblockable general at the helm.
However, as my group gets more cutthroat I am looking at tips and suggestions to buff this deck up and try and get an edge. So, in conclusion, thankyou everybody in advance for looking at this deck. I do hope that at the very least I get some people to consider Lu Bu as a possible general as I have really, really enjoyed piloting this deck.
Updates
Removed Sword of War and Peace for Grafted Exoskeleton
Removed Coalition Relic for Extraplanar Lens
Have you considered adding Torpor Orb to your disruption suite? Your deck seems to operate just fine with it, and it can completely wreck some peoples' day. Also, if you add more mana rocks, you would be able to more consistently accelerate into your general, as well as abuse mass LD and effects like Winter Orb more effectively.
I have finally had some more chances to play the deck. It's been really punching above its weight in my meta. The sudden, explosive combat steps have really caught players with their pants down. This has also allowed me to come back from games I had no right to win against some serious, cutthroat decks.
Updated the deck, dropping Coalition Relic and am going to give Extraplanar Lens a roll. I'm going to see how beneficial it is, or whether I risk getting two for oned.
Also dropped Sword of War and Peace for Grafted Exoskeleton. The Sword would stop Lu-Bu from being targeted by the damage doublers. Also, a Grafted on Lu-Bu with a single damage doubler is a one shot kill, and with extra combat steps can get very, very silly.
Initially this deck started as a bit of a joke. I have a few more serious decks and realized I wanted to dabble in mono-red. Looking at the deck lists around at some of the popular generals I thought “why not have a go at a P3K legend?” It took me about two seconds to settle on Lu Bu. After all, he is the Chuck Norris of the Three Kingdoms era.
The Deck
1 Lu Bu, Master-At-Arms
Backup Generals
1 Avatar of Fury
1 Godo, Bandit Warlord
1 Malignus
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Fireshrieker
1 Batterskull
1 Loxodon Warhammer
1 O-Naginata
1 Strata Scythe
1 Inquisitor’s Flail
1 Grafted Exoskeleton
1 Swiftfoot Boots
1 Darksteel Plate
1 Champion’s Helm
1 Mask of Avacyn
1 Gratuitous Violence
1 Rush of Blood
1 Savage Beating
1 Relentless Assault
1 Furnace of Rath
1 World at War
1 Overblaze
1 Aggravated Assault
1 Rage Reflection
1 Karn Liberated
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Chaos Warp
1 Skred
1 Aftershock
1 Charmbreaker Devils
1 Past in Flames
1 Chandra Ablaze
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Reforge the Soul
1 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Crystal Ball
1 Mana Geyser
1 Armillary Sphere
1 Wayfarer’s Bauble
1 Sol Ring
1 Basalt Monolith
1 Caged Sun
1 Grim Monolith
1 Mana Vault
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Extraplanar Lens
1 Gauntlet of Power
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Smoke
1 Wake of Destruction
1 Price of Progress
1 Ruination
1 Citadel of Pain
1 Vicious Shadows
1 War’s Toll
1 Price of Glory
1 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
1 Spinerock Knoll
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Scrying Sheets
1 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Kher Keep
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
33 Snow-Covered Mountain
Strategy
As the deck is essentially a Voltron deck, the overall strategy is very simple.
1.) Accelerate to 6+ mana.
2.) Play Lu Bu
3.) Equip/Buff Lu Bu
4.) Attack with Lu Bu
5.) ???
6.) Profit!
Through playtesting I have noticed Lu Bu is best at attacking in waves. He will attack for a couple of moderate, unblockable hits. I will draw into some sweet equipment which I will drop and equip. Lu Bu will then generally one shot somebody, the rest of the table will proceed to drop bricks and then remove him.
Due to this cycle I have decided to lessen the equipment and add a couple of instants that double damage and more multiple attack step spells. I am hoping to capitalize on what appears to be the wave like nature of Lu Bu and try and make these heavy hits much heavier. Possibly knocking out multiple players in a single turn.
Hate Cards
I have a suite of hate cards in this deck that are there to bring the pain and disrupt on some of the more popular choices in my meta. That is, five color/tri-color and control. Blood Moon and the Magus have been absolute houses. War’s Toll is an absolute kick in the gonads against the control players and does seem to stunt their development quite nicely. Unfortunately, Price of Glory has yet to been played in any games yet, but I am sure it will be even more devastating.
Mass LD is generally frowned upon in my group. However, as my group gets more cutthroat I am slotting in a couple of more conditional cards. Namely ,Ruination and Wake of Destruction. Both of these follow the “you did it to yourself” school of blowing somebody out. I know it is a bit of an excuse, but mono-red does need all the help it can get. Since I have successfully rode the excuse of “hey I am playing mono-red” after playing these cards. I’m not going to stop any time soon.
Conclusion
This deck has been an absolute blast to play. I have probably won around 40% of the games I have played with Lu Bu at the helm. Considering this deck has started as a joke, I have learned to respect having a hastey, effectively unblockable general at the helm.
However, as my group gets more cutthroat I am looking at tips and suggestions to buff this deck up and try and get an edge. So, in conclusion, thankyou everybody in advance for looking at this deck. I do hope that at the very least I get some people to consider Lu Bu as a possible general as I have really, really enjoyed piloting this deck.
Updates
Removed Sword of War and Peace for Grafted Exoskeleton
Removed Coalition Relic for Extraplanar Lens
RLu-Bu, Master At ArmsR
Slobad, Goblin Tinkerer EDH
Azame, Lady of Scrolls EDH
All of the drafting.
I have had Torpor Orb absolutely wreck me in my clone deck. It stings. I love it.
RLu-Bu, Master At ArmsR
U Of the Moon and Tides U
R Ib Goblin Suicide! R
GW The Olive Garden GW
RWU Zedruu the Greathearted RWU
GWU Happy Hippo Hugs GWU
A particularly sweet blowout I had in a league was against a super cutthroat Dralnu, Lich Lord deck, a pretty nasty, combolicious Ghave, Guru of Spores deck and a five color Sliver Overlord deck. Turn one I dropped Spinerock Knoll. hiding away Magus of the Moon. Turn three I then dropped Blood Moon and completely locked every other player out almost completely.
Updated the deck, dropping Coalition Relic and am going to give Extraplanar Lens a roll. I'm going to see how beneficial it is, or whether I risk getting two for oned.
Also dropped Sword of War and Peace for Grafted Exoskeleton. The Sword would stop Lu-Bu from being targeted by the damage doublers. Also, a Grafted on Lu-Bu with a single damage doubler is a one shot kill, and with extra combat steps can get very, very silly.
RLu-Bu, Master At ArmsR