Had a Red Vampire Deck back in the Innistrad Days and I recently resurrected it in the hopes that one day, a new set would complete it and make it something worthwhile. With the new Innistrad set that time is now, or never. Here's what I had going...
CREATURES
4x Furnace Scamp/Vexing Devil (depending on where my wallet was at the time. This is the card I need to replace with a 1 drop Red Vampire)
4x Stromkirk Noble
4x Bloodcrazed Neonate
4x Rakish Heir (Pumps itself and other Vamps)
4x Markov Blademaster (Double Stike and counters on hit really add up fast, especially if there is a Rakish Heir out.)
OTHER SPELLS
4x Lightning Bolt (Replaced Pillar of Flame since the deck is now a Modern deck)
4x Gut Shot
4x Assault Strobe (giving Double Strike helps boost up the counters and beef up the Vamps quiokly)
4x Hammerhand (a recent addition, since giving Haste for R helps get this off the ground faster)
4x Volt Charge (Proliferation is crucial and this card is a centerpiece of the deck. Being able to give all my vamps another counter and do 3 damage for 3 mana is huge
LAND
4x Cavern of Souls (I had em back in the day but now that I've sold them off and don't play much I doubt I'll rebuy them. Included only for posterity)
16x Mountain
The goal of the deck is too kill off anything that comes out early and hit with little Vamps that turn into big Vamps. Also had Thunderous Wrath in there at one point and may put it back in, since I need to kill off every creature the opponent casts in order to get my non-flying Vamps through.
Anywho, just thought I'd post it and see if anyone has any cheap ideas to make this pop, but more so to let people know that a 1 drop Red Vampire is badly badly needed. Please for the love of God let there be one in this set.
to say this as respectfully as possible, i just feel like there is no real payoff. i feel like you really need the black splash so you can run the black vampires that really laydown damage. if also gives you access to some 3ish lords.
here i posted a paste of my vampire/devotion hybrid deck, it might give you some ideas.
i think drana, nighthawk, and captivating vampire are some good power picks. drana has the "vampire" ability, but if it triggers, it buffs whole team. on top of that, first strike means all your other attackers get the counters before normal combat.
nighthawk plus the r/b lord gives the deathtouch first strike combo, which is nearly impossible to stop through combat. some of the other stuff might be hard to cast, due in part to me giving you suggestions about a mono-red deck using parts of my mono black devotion deck...
also, i think volt charge just isn't strong enough for modern, maybe forked bolt, since it is incredible at clearing blockers.
oh and funny enough olivia voldaren is actually a really good card in modern for a multitude of value related reasons.
also, i genuinely tried to find more powerful red vampires to suggest, but you have included nearly all that exist in your deck...
I was kinda thinking of this as more of a casual type deck. I'm not playing in tournaments again. I've sold off all my stuff twice now; once after Alliances back in 96 or 97, and then just recently after Origins. The only thing I saved was my Red Vampires since they weren't worth much of anything. I've had Forked Bolts, and a pretty decent Burn Deck that was nearing completion.
It looks like I got my one red mana vampire with, Falkenrath Gorger, but unfortunately my deck has nothing to do with Madness and activating his ability would be a fluke since I have no of actually triggering it myself.
Was hoping somehow I'd get another variation of Stromkirk Noble but I guess that was a little too much of wishful thinking. I'll wait to see the rest of the list, but as it stands, it might take another trip back to Innistrad before I have that final vampire that I wanted.
Not splashing black and I know there are alot of much better vampires out there. This was just something that I was trying to hold on to, and it might never get any better than where it stands now.
"If fetch lands are reprinted I really believe they will be in allied colors (aka Onslaught fetches). If the fetch lands are reprinted you better believe that we'll all be fetching up basics. This would lead me to believe that the set after THS may have a reprint as the temples can't be fetched but it's pure speculation." - posted 03/22/2014 proved correct during Khans spoiler season.
"The set releases for fall 2015 (Blood, Sweat and Tears) and fall 2016 (Lock, Stock and Barrel). One or both of those 2 blocks (I'm betting) are going to contain either Fetch reprints or (more likely) Filter reprints. Filter lands still need a reprint. They are getting pretty high up there and it's been longer than ZEN so it makes a little more sense that Filter lands would see print earlier that fetches." - posted 03/22/2014 proved incorrect about filters coming earlier than fetches, still pending on filters in Origins block.
I think there are things you could add in that are budget that would help a bit. Normally, folks would say teetering peaks is a good addition, but since your guys grow when dealing combat damage, I think that the only land that enters tapped worth running for you is smoldering spires.
Simply put, you need more removal. gut shot just isn't good enough for modern, in my mind. Run rift bolt or incinerate or magma jet, whatever, just something that can actually kill something! Actually, now that I think about it, a good idea might be lightning axe. Kills eldrazi dead and has synergy with that new little vamp you were looking at.
Volt charge might proliferate, but you have too many three drops to be effective. Maybe Apostle's blessing instead? Gets you past blockers, saves your guys from a lightning bolt or similar, etc.
Keep Pillar of flame around, at least in the sideboard. Makes a handy response to certain pesky lifegainers (kitchen finks being an excellent example)
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CREATURES
4x Furnace Scamp/Vexing Devil (depending on where my wallet was at the time. This is the card I need to replace with a 1 drop Red Vampire)
4x Stromkirk Noble
4x Bloodcrazed Neonate
4x Rakish Heir (Pumps itself and other Vamps)
4x Markov Blademaster (Double Stike and counters on hit really add up fast, especially if there is a Rakish Heir out.)
OTHER SPELLS
4x Lightning Bolt (Replaced Pillar of Flame since the deck is now a Modern deck)
4x Gut Shot
4x Assault Strobe (giving Double Strike helps boost up the counters and beef up the Vamps quiokly)
4x Hammerhand (a recent addition, since giving Haste for R helps get this off the ground faster)
4x Volt Charge (Proliferation is crucial and this card is a centerpiece of the deck. Being able to give all my vamps another counter and do 3 damage for 3 mana is huge
LAND
4x Cavern of Souls (I had em back in the day but now that I've sold them off and don't play much I doubt I'll rebuy them. Included only for posterity)
16x Mountain
At one point I also had Stormblood Berserker in there, and also Shrine of Burning Rage, which got help from Volt Charge.
The goal of the deck is too kill off anything that comes out early and hit with little Vamps that turn into big Vamps. Also had Thunderous Wrath in there at one point and may put it back in, since I need to kill off every creature the opponent casts in order to get my non-flying Vamps through.
Anywho, just thought I'd post it and see if anyone has any cheap ideas to make this pop, but more so to let people know that a 1 drop Red Vampire is badly badly needed. Please for the love of God let there be one in this set.
4 Drana, Liberator of Malakir
4 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
4 Vampire Hexmage
4 Bile Blight
4 Bloodghast
14 Snow-Covered Swamp
4 Mutavault Land
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Captivating Vampire
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
4 Vampire Nighthawk
4 Vampire Nocturnus
4 Phyrexian Obliterator
here i posted a paste of my vampire/devotion hybrid deck, it might give you some ideas.
i think drana, nighthawk, and captivating vampire are some good power picks. drana has the "vampire" ability, but if it triggers, it buffs whole team. on top of that, first strike means all your other attackers get the counters before normal combat.
nighthawk plus the r/b lord gives the deathtouch first strike combo, which is nearly impossible to stop through combat. some of the other stuff might be hard to cast, due in part to me giving you suggestions about a mono-red deck using parts of my mono black devotion deck...
also, i think volt charge just isn't strong enough for modern, maybe forked bolt, since it is incredible at clearing blockers.
oh and funny enough olivia voldaren is actually a really good card in modern for a multitude of value related reasons.
also, i genuinely tried to find more powerful red vampires to suggest, but you have included nearly all that exist in your deck...
all in all, i hope i helped.
It looks like I got my one red mana vampire with, Falkenrath Gorger, but unfortunately my deck has nothing to do with Madness and activating his ability would be a fluke since I have no of actually triggering it myself.
Was hoping somehow I'd get another variation of Stromkirk Noble but I guess that was a little too much of wishful thinking. I'll wait to see the rest of the list, but as it stands, it might take another trip back to Innistrad before I have that final vampire that I wanted.
Not splashing black and I know there are alot of much better vampires out there. This was just something that I was trying to hold on to, and it might never get any better than where it stands now.
You could also run that human deck in another direction and add some of the soul sisters pieces (as they're all humans) and go for counters, lifegain, stomping and board control with Dromoka's Command, Gavony Township, Collected Company, Soul Warden, Soul's Attendant, Ajani's Pridemate, Felidar Sovereign etc...
YET ANOTHER WAY!! Add blue/black, run esper human control. Snapcaster Mage, Restoration Angel, whatever the expensive version of Chittering Rats is etc...
As others have said, I believe B to be necessary in building a vampire deck. BR is not hard to put together or run successfully (even on a budget) thanks to the Tangolands (Smoldering Marsh) and the new Handlands (Foreboding Ruins). If you have shocks (Blood Crypt), fetches (Bloodstained Mire) even better! Toss in some Mutavault's for good measure. But not running black misses you out on SO many things you would want in any deck. Like Chainer's Edict, Thoughtseize, Inquisition of Kozilek, Kalastria Highborn, Viscera Seer (your 1-drop vamp) and many others. Not to mention you get access to Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
"The set releases for fall 2015 (Blood, Sweat and Tears) and fall 2016 (Lock, Stock and Barrel). One or both of those 2 blocks (I'm betting) are going to contain either Fetch reprints or (more likely) Filter reprints. Filter lands still need a reprint. They are getting pretty high up there and it's been longer than ZEN so it makes a little more sense that Filter lands would see print earlier that fetches." - posted 03/22/2014 proved incorrect about filters coming earlier than fetches, still pending on filters in Origins block.
Simply put, you need more removal. gut shot just isn't good enough for modern, in my mind. Run rift bolt or incinerate or magma jet, whatever, just something that can actually kill something! Actually, now that I think about it, a good idea might be lightning axe. Kills eldrazi dead and has synergy with that new little vamp you were looking at.
Volt charge might proliferate, but you have too many three drops to be effective. Maybe Apostle's blessing instead? Gets you past blockers, saves your guys from a lightning bolt or similar, etc.
Keep Pillar of flame around, at least in the sideboard. Makes a handy response to certain pesky lifegainers (kitchen finks being an excellent example)
Credit to DolZero for this awesome sig!