I haven't played in 11 years, so most of this deck is really old and I've been missing basically everything!
Just bought a few new cards like Flamewake Phoenix and Burst Lightning but that's it, it's really outdated and I'd like to know what to do with it to improve it!
A lot, I mean a lot has changed but mono red stays about the same. I suggest looking up some popular/budget red decks then deciding what you like about them and building around that.
I'm fairly pleased with it, but I'm saving up to buy some high quality cards. Namely I'm missing Goblin Guide and Grim Lavamancer + Pain Lands (Arid Mesa, Scalding Tarn, etc.) Ball Lightning, Lava Spike & Hellspark Elemental are the weakest of the cards in that Ball has no defensive capabilities and isn't useful past turn 3-4; Spike can only damage players, making removing creatures harder; and Hellspark suffers the same as Ball, but at least you can unearth it, it acts as a 8 in 4 if you will. I'll probably replace the Spike with a playset of Magma Jet or another stand in. Price of Progress is nuts if you play against mates using non-basic lands. I don't myself, so I have the card in the sideboard.
What do you guys think of Akroma, Angel of Fury to confuse opponents to with Blistering Firecat's morph (having 2 different morphs in the same deck)? I've seen it in a red aggro deck template.
Akroma, Angel of Fury is my lady of choice when I need to win out with red at the table. You can sneak her in turn 3 or hard cast her and she cannot be countered. Both very relevant means of play. Additionally the protection from W/U gives control decks a headache, while her firebreathing + trample puts her over the top. Sink all that mana into a last final attack and the game is yours!
Here's some more budget friendly options that are great:
A lot of value, and most of those cards are under the 10$ mark. They might be pricey in multiples, but a lot less so than a Vexing Devil or Goblin Guide. Still really great value for your dollar though, defiantly check them out and try 'em on.
Akroma, Angel of Fury is my lady of choice when I need to win out with red at the table. You can sneak her in turn 3 or hard cast her and she cannot be countered. Both very relevant means of play. Additionally the protection from W/U gives control decks a headache, while her firebreathing + trample puts her over the top. Sink all that mana into a last final attack and the game is yours!
Here's some more budget friendly options that are great:
A lot of value, and most of those cards are under the 10$ mark. They might be pricey in multiples, but a lot less so than a Vexing Devil or Goblin Guide. Still really great value for your dollar though, defiantly check them out and try 'em on.
Maybe even pick 2 (a couple of copies each) of those 3?
I really like the fact that Thundermaw Hellkite has haste and is nearly unblockable at first, but it can't be cast for 1 or 2 mana and it's less versatile (also more expensive) so I wouldn't/couldn't run more than 2 of these.
Figure of Destiny & Kargan Dragonlord are both very similar. The key difference is that Figure costs one less and can come in turn 1 to chump block. Pump as required. Figure gets first strike, whereas Kargan gets trample and firebreathing. In a duel match I prefer Figure of Destiny myself, the turn sooner than later can often mean the game. Kargan Dragonlord is a beast if left unchecked however. Try a playset of each in a single deck, see how you fair.
Thundermaw Hellkite acts great as a control element, but only targets creatures with flying. For a single mana more a singleton of Steel Hellkite can decide games. Destroying each permanent with converted mana cost X is very relevant in duels.
Currently your deck is a mid-range Aggo, which is fine and fun!, but has some issues. Your mana base is too low to be fielding 4+ CMC creatures or spells - you can't reliably draw into needed land enough to make those large cards count. If you want to keep the mid-range approach I suggest pumping your lands up to 22-23. I would cut Gilded Lotus & Goblin Charbelcher, I just don't see them doing enough for you to be ultimately useful. I'd rather have the extra land. Arc-Slogger could be cut as well, I wouldn't be sad to see it leave.
Fireball is a classic, but is just "good". A better substitute is Comet Storm or Molten Disaster depending on your meta and how much heavy counter magic you face. Banefire is another good substitute for single damage. Sudden Demise can be a real pain against mono coloured decks! Flamebreak is a decent sweeper as well.
At the moment your deck is trying to be aggressive, but suffers from a lack of direction. You want big damage but field threats like Blistering Firecat that look good, but die after you cast it. The morph aspect gives a 2/2 which is nice, but it's costing you 3 mana to even put them onto the field like that. On turn three you could be playing Boros Reckoner or Akroma, Angel of Fury, who are much bigger threats that need to be answered by your opponent. Forcing your opponent to adapt to your plays is ideal, and Red can do that very well.
I don't mean to come of harsh or negative, I simply want to point out where I see some better directions you could be taking. Red is a great colour for damage and efficiency. Cards like Kamahl, Pit Fighter are cool, but rarely win you the game. On turn six I'd rather be playing some bigger and more efficient like Inferno Titan, Conquering Manticore, Ryusei, the Falling Star, Crater Hellion or even Hostility. I hope I've helped in some way - I have to admit that it's very late at night while I'm typing this so I'm a bit sleep deprived at the moment!
I love me some Red deck, so please keep us informed on your progress. R
Thundermaw Hellkite acts great as a control element, but only targets creatures with flying. For a single mana more a singleton of Steel Hellkite can decide games. Destroying each permanent with converted mana cost X is very relevant in duels.
How are these even comparable? Thundermaw is already a curve topper at 5 mana, and steel hellkite doesn't swing for another two turns after thundermaw does. Steel hellkite is an amazing bomb, but it doesn't belong in RDW at all.
Also, I'd play kamahl over steel hellkite in burn or sligh any day.
Thundermaw Hellkite is a good card, but nothing I would personally bother with myself. 5/5, Haste & Flying are good options T5, but a poor secondary ability makes me shrug it off. I'd rather have Steel Hellkite for some pseudo-control, which can cause my opponent to think twice. Thundermaw is a brute and isn't a bad card by any means, I simply prefer the solid offerings of Steel. For mid-range Aggro that seeks to control the board and win big in the later game, my vote is with Steel. You don't even need to swing with It, just use it's X ability to wreak your opponent's board state.
Kumlekar brings up a very solid point however; If your goal is to smash face as quickly as possible, go with Thundermaw Hellkite. If you prefer to stall the board and win through attrition, Steel Hellkite is the superior answer. Bear in mind either way a clever opponent will recognize the threat each represents and do their best to remove them. Any 1/1 with Flying can block either. Keep in mind that sometimes playing a dummy to distract your opponent is an excellent play too.
Also, I'd play Kamahl over Steel Hellkite in burn or sligh any day.
I wouldn't play him at all, no matter what Red Variant I was playing, though he's a nice addition in EDH.
I'm thinking of going full-burn, but I can't have access to Chain Lightning due to it being incredibly expense to being running 4 -(any sugesstions to replace it?).
Chain Lightning is epic, but not required for Casual play. You already run Magma Jet, get yourself a full playset and you are golden my friend. The Scry effect can be really helpful to get you what you need when you need it. Flame Rift is old school goodness, loving it! The damage can backfire on you though, so be careful!
Grim Lavamancer is great, but really only shines when you use Shock Lands like Arid Mesa or Scalding Tarn. Plus he and those Shock Lands are pricey business. I suggest a playset of Monastery Swiftspear instead. She's very effective and I've seen her become as huge as 3/4 on T4, swinging it with two or three of 'em. Serious business. They run at about five dollars up here in Canada, not sure about American rates.
Chain Lightning is epic, but not required for Casual play. You already run Magma Jet, get yourself a full playset and you are golden my friend. The Scry effect can be really helpful to get you what you need when you need it. Flame Rift is old school goodness, loving it! The damage can backfire on you though, so be careful!
Grim Lavamancer is great, but really only shines when you use Shock Lands like Arid Mesa or Scalding Tarn. Plus he and those Shock Lands are pricey business. I suggest a playset of Monastery Swiftspear instead. She's very effective and I've seen her become as huge as 3/4 on T4, swinging it with two or three of 'em. Serious business. They run at about five dollars up here in Canada, not sure about American rates.
Still have a lot of changes to do, but here is an update... (still missing the Lightning Bolts, it's damn hard to find them...).
Can anyone explain to me when the trade off for Arc-Slogger is ever good?
When CardsInLibrary/10 > OpponentLifeTotal/2.
So it's overly situational. Got it
Arc-Slogger was pretty widely recognized as the best red creature in the standard of its time, and it's put in a lot of good tournament results over the years. It's an Earth Elemental glued to 3-4 Shocks, which often accounts for an opponent's full remaining life total the turn after Slogger comes into play.
The plan is to have a 12 creature total. With 8 spots left, which are the best budget choices? I think the Flametongue Kavu and the Blistering Firecat became too slow for my deck now.
Open to any opinions for those 8 spots for creatures left.
I know I've suggested her before, but if you're going to run primarily a burn deck with lots of spells, Monastery Swiftspear is golden. Her Prowess ability should trigger multiple times per round, making her huge. Additionally, you can always cast an Instant on an opponents turn and bump her up for defense as needed.
I've had good success with Figure of Destiny as well. He's primarily a chump blocker. Use him as an early defensive tool, sinking mana into him only as required. A runaway Figure can win the game on its own if an opponent doesn't kill it in the early stages.
I don't want you to think I'm jumping on you here, ok?, but I would never run Figure of Destiny here. I tried that card out for years...in a couple different decks, actually, and I gladly sold them off. That card is a straight-up trap.
Yes, he's the best Level Up dude they have ever done. OK...who cares? Is Level Up suddenly a (really, in any way) 'pushed' mechanic? But, Morphling, come on--he transforms!! Again, at what point on that curve is he even remotely pushed and not just an average beater (that you probably sunk a LOT of mana over several turns) that gets removed by a (probably chuckling) opponent and then you just feel very sad. You are playing BURN. The absolute last thing you want to be doing is (yes, really) durdling around sinking your mana into a guy over several turns.
I have also (literally) never even seen 'a runaway Figure' in several thousand games of Magic. Like not once. If anyone tells me it routinely happens, ok, I'll just take your word for it.
As you say, Monastery Swiftspear really is THE card here. If you're dealing with ground stalls, consider Young Pyromancer maybe. Definitely not my top suggestion for a burn deck, but one recent guy that I really enjoy playing with in mine is Humble Defector. Get them down near death and then pop these guys to draw the rest and FINISH HIM!!!. If you really concentrate the density of Bolts, he's almost worth it.
I don't want you to think I'm jumping on you here, ok?
Not at all!
Healthy discussion breeds new ideas, strategy and knowledge. Just because I've had success with Figure doesn't mean everyone has, and it certainly doesn't mean the card is Golden. If the OP see's opposing viewpoints they can better judge the merits and worth of a card based on their own play style. I recommend grabbing a play set and at least trying him out, he'll cost you less than five dollars if you find it inefficient for your needs.
I really didn't expect a post bashing on an old Modern staple's play ability...
I was initially shocked as well, but that is the joy of Magic. What one Wo/Man finds golden another sees only jank and vise versa. I love my Nissa Revane in my Elves, but my mate thinks she is absolute garbage. No matter how many times I smoothly activate that sexy Ultimate of hers and trounce him with it.
I'm only in doubt for the third creature for the last spot. Of course the ideal would be a 1CMC creature, but it can be a 2CMC or even (pushing hard) a 3CMC as those previous two are very cheap. I'm still thinking about Figure of Destiny but I'd like some more options, maybe with Haste. I'm also still wondering about keeping the Blistering Firecat due to its versatility or change it for Ball Lightnings or Hell's Thunder, what do you guys think?
I haven't played in 11 years, so most of this deck is really old and I've been missing basically everything!
Just bought a few new cards like Flamewake Phoenix and Burst Lightning but that's it, it's really outdated and I'd like to know what to do with it to improve it!
Old deck:
1 Kamahl, Pit Fighter
1 Tahngarth, Talruum Hero
1 Two-Headed Dragon
1 Arc-Slogger
2 Flamewake Phoenix
4 Flametongue Kavu
4 Spark Elemental
4 Blistering Firecat
1 Reckless Charge
1 Pulse of the Forge
2 Seething Song
2 Fireball
2 Magma Jet
2 Browbeat
2 Burst Lightning
4 Firebolt
4 Lava Spike
1 Goblin Charbelcher
1 Gilded Lotus
Lands (20)
20 Mountain
Current Deck
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Hellspark Elemental
3 Spark Elemental
Other Spells (30)
2 Sulfuric Vortex
2 Searing Blaze
2 Exquisite Firecraft
4 Searing Blood
4 Price of Progress
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Fireblast
19 Mountain
Legacy Deck that I'm looking into:
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Eidolon of The Great Revel
3 Grim Lavamancer
Other Spells (30)
2 Sulfuric Vortex
2 Searing Blood
3 Searing Blaze
3 Price of Progress
4 Chain Lightning / Flames of the Blood Hand
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Fireblast
19 Mountain
Modern Deck that I'm looking into:
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Eidolon of The Great Revel
3 Grim Lavamancer
Other Spells (29)
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt
4 Searing Blaze
4 Skullcrack
4 Flames of the Blood Hand
3 Searing Blood
2 Shard Volley
20 Mountain
Hands to the sky
Give a round of applause
For the great Miss Y!
20x Mountain
Creatures (20)
4x Vexing Devil
4x Figure of Destiny
4x Monastery Swiftspear
4x Hellspark Elemental
4x Keldon Marauders
4x Chain Lightning
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Rift Bolt
4x Magma Jet
4x Fireblast
4x Lava Spike
4x Price of Progress
4x Ball Lightning
I'm fairly pleased with it, but I'm saving up to buy some high quality cards. Namely I'm missing Goblin Guide and Grim Lavamancer + Pain Lands (Arid Mesa, Scalding Tarn, etc.) Ball Lightning, Lava Spike & Hellspark Elemental are the weakest of the cards in that Ball has no defensive capabilities and isn't useful past turn 3-4; Spike can only damage players, making removing creatures harder; and Hellspark suffers the same as Ball, but at least you can unearth it, it acts as a 8 in 4 if you will. I'll probably replace the Spike with a playset of Magma Jet or another stand in. Price of Progress is nuts if you play against mates using non-basic lands. I don't myself, so I have the card in the sideboard.
Hopefully this gives you some ideas!
Lightning Bolt is a must and I'll get it, but it's not that common here where I live.
Vexing Devil seems so amazing, but it's so darn expensive too (Goblin Guide is 3x more expensive... even worse for me). I'm also thinking of replacing Spark Elemental with Hellspark Elemental which is more durable.
What do you guys think of Akroma, Angel of Fury to confuse opponents to with Blistering Firecat's morph (having 2 different morphs in the same deck)? I've seen it in a red aggro deck template.
Here's some more budget friendly options that are great:
Monastery Swiftspear
Foundry Street Denizen
Legion Loyalist
Kargan Dragonlord
Shard Volley
A lot of value, and most of those cards are under the 10$ mark. They might be pricey in multiples, but a lot less so than a Vexing Devil or Goblin Guide. Still really great value for your dollar though, defiantly check them out and try 'em on.
Other than that... I don't know myself. Never used that card, for obvious reasons...
Which would you rather include as a substitute for my high converted mana cost creature spells, Figure of Destiny, Kargan Dragonlord or Thundermaw Hellkite?
Maybe even pick 2 (a couple of copies each) of those 3?
I really like the fact that Thundermaw Hellkite has haste and is nearly unblockable at first, but it can't be cast for 1 or 2 mana and it's less versatile (also more expensive) so I wouldn't/couldn't run more than 2 of these.
Also, what about Fireball? Does it belong there?
Thundermaw Hellkite acts great as a control element, but only targets creatures with flying. For a single mana more a singleton of Steel Hellkite can decide games. Destroying each permanent with converted mana cost X is very relevant in duels.
Currently your deck is a mid-range Aggo, which is fine and fun!, but has some issues. Your mana base is too low to be fielding 4+ CMC creatures or spells - you can't reliably draw into needed land enough to make those large cards count. If you want to keep the mid-range approach I suggest pumping your lands up to 22-23. I would cut Gilded Lotus & Goblin Charbelcher, I just don't see them doing enough for you to be ultimately useful. I'd rather have the extra land. Arc-Slogger could be cut as well, I wouldn't be sad to see it leave.
Fireball is a classic, but is just "good". A better substitute is Comet Storm or Molten Disaster depending on your meta and how much heavy counter magic you face. Banefire is another good substitute for single damage. Sudden Demise can be a real pain against mono coloured decks! Flamebreak is a decent sweeper as well.
Other good mid-range cards:
Boros Reckoner / Spitemare - Self-explanatory
Inferno Titan - Cheap on the wallet, but the power is there
Koth of the Hammer - Quasi-creatures, ramp and a deadly ultimate
Deep-Slumber Titan - A tricky card to field since you need a reliable way to ping it for damage, like Pyrohemia, but few things beat out a 7/7 for 2RR.
---
At the moment your deck is trying to be aggressive, but suffers from a lack of direction. You want big damage but field threats like Blistering Firecat that look good, but die after you cast it. The morph aspect gives a 2/2 which is nice, but it's costing you 3 mana to even put them onto the field like that. On turn three you could be playing Boros Reckoner or Akroma, Angel of Fury, who are much bigger threats that need to be answered by your opponent. Forcing your opponent to adapt to your plays is ideal, and Red can do that very well.
I don't mean to come of harsh or negative, I simply want to point out where I see some better directions you could be taking. Red is a great colour for damage and efficiency. Cards like Kamahl, Pit Fighter are cool, but rarely win you the game. On turn six I'd rather be playing some bigger and more efficient like Inferno Titan, Conquering Manticore, Ryusei, the Falling Star, Crater Hellion or even Hostility. I hope I've helped in some way - I have to admit that it's very late at night while I'm typing this so I'm a bit sleep deprived at the moment!
I love me some Red deck, so please keep us informed on your progress. R
So it's overly situational. Got it
How are these even comparable? Thundermaw is already a curve topper at 5 mana, and steel hellkite doesn't swing for another two turns after thundermaw does. Steel hellkite is an amazing bomb, but it doesn't belong in RDW at all.
Also, I'd play kamahl over steel hellkite in burn or sligh any day.
Thundermaw Hellkite is a good card, but nothing I would personally bother with myself. 5/5, Haste & Flying are good options T5, but a poor secondary ability makes me shrug it off. I'd rather have Steel Hellkite for some pseudo-control, which can cause my opponent to think twice. Thundermaw is a brute and isn't a bad card by any means, I simply prefer the solid offerings of Steel. For mid-range Aggro that seeks to control the board and win big in the later game, my vote is with Steel. You don't even need to swing with It, just use it's X ability to wreak your opponent's board state.
Kumlekar brings up a very solid point however; If your goal is to smash face as quickly as possible, go with Thundermaw Hellkite. If you prefer to stall the board and win through attrition, Steel Hellkite is the superior answer. Bear in mind either way a clever opponent will recognize the threat each represents and do their best to remove them. Any 1/1 with Flying can block either. Keep in mind that sometimes playing a dummy to distract your opponent is an excellent play too.
I wouldn't play him at all, no matter what Red Variant I was playing, though he's a nice addition in EDH.
Anyway, I'm taking Fireblast, Lightning Bolt, Flame Rift and Hellspark Elemental.
Also planning on acquiring Rift Bolt, Goblin Lavamencer and such.
Maybe Eidolon.
Chain Lightning is epic, but not required for Casual play. You already run Magma Jet, get yourself a full playset and you are golden my friend. The Scry effect can be really helpful to get you what you need when you need it. Flame Rift is old school goodness, loving it! The damage can backfire on you though, so be careful!
Grim Lavamancer is great, but really only shines when you use Shock Lands like Arid Mesa or Scalding Tarn. Plus he and those Shock Lands are pricey business. I suggest a playset of Monastery Swiftspear instead. She's very effective and I've seen her become as huge as 3/4 on T4, swinging it with two or three of 'em. Serious business. They run at about five dollars up here in Canada, not sure about American rates.
Still have a lot of changes to do, but here is an update... (still missing the Lightning Bolts, it's damn hard to find them...).
Updated deck:
1 Kamahl, Pit Fighter
1 Two-Headed Dragon
4 Flametongue Kavu
4 Spark Elemental
4 Blistering Firecat
1 Pulse of the Forge
1 Reckless Charge
1 Sulfuric Vortex
2 Seething Song
2 Smash to Smithereens
3 Volcanic Fallout
4 Magma Jet
4 Fireblast
4 Firebolt
4 Lava Spike
20 Mountain
4 Thundermaw Hellkite
4 Thunderbreak Regent
4 Flametongue Kavu
4 Magus of the Moon
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Magma jet
3 Blood Moon
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Chrome Mox
2 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
4 Koth of the Hammer
Lands
4 Ancient Tomb
4 City of Traitors / Crystal Vein
It plays bigger red cards and is one of the Legacy format's Established decks.
Arc-Slogger was pretty widely recognized as the best red creature in the standard of its time, and it's put in a lot of good tournament results over the years. It's an Earth Elemental glued to 3-4 Shocks, which often accounts for an opponent's full remaining life total the turn after Slogger comes into play.
These days it's outclassed by the likes of Thundermaw Hellkite, Sarkan, the Dragonspeaker and Fanatic of Mogis, but Slogger was the real deal in his day.
The plan is to have a 12 creature total. With 8 spots left, which are the best budget choices? I think the Flametongue Kavu and the Blistering Firecat became too slow for my deck now.
Open to any opinions for those 8 spots for creatures left.
(check the updated deck)
I've had good success with Figure of Destiny as well. He's primarily a chump blocker. Use him as an early defensive tool, sinking mana into him only as required. A runaway Figure can win the game on its own if an opponent doesn't kill it in the early stages.
Yes, he's the best Level Up dude they have ever done. OK...who cares?
I have also (literally) never even seen 'a runaway Figure' in several thousand games of Magic. Like not once. If anyone tells me it routinely happens, ok, I'll just take your word for it.
As you say, Monastery Swiftspear really is THE card here. If you're dealing with ground stalls, consider Young Pyromancer maybe. Definitely not my top suggestion for a burn deck, but one recent guy that I really enjoy playing with in mine is Humble Defector. Get them down near death and then pop these guys to draw the rest and FINISH HIM!!!. If you really concentrate the density of Bolts, he's almost worth it.
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Healthy discussion breeds new ideas, strategy and knowledge. Just because I've had success with Figure doesn't mean everyone has, and it certainly doesn't mean the card is Golden. If the OP see's opposing viewpoints they can better judge the merits and worth of a card based on their own play style. I recommend grabbing a play set and at least trying him out, he'll cost you less than five dollars if you find it inefficient for your needs.
Or don't! Five dollars is five dollars after all.
So, Monastery Swiftspear seems like an obvious choice to pair with Hellspark Elemental!
I'm only in doubt for the third creature for the last spot. Of course the ideal would be a 1CMC creature, but it can be a 2CMC or even (pushing hard) a 3CMC as those previous two are very cheap. I'm still thinking about Figure of Destiny but I'd like some more options, maybe with Haste. I'm also still wondering about keeping the Blistering Firecat due to its versatility or change it for Ball Lightnings or Hell's Thunder, what do you guys think?