So here´s a long tournament report – a lot longer than I expected it to be- for this very short and small event that I played in, which makes it feel like I’m boasting about nothing, but that’s not my intention here. The spoiler here is I didn´t win, but it was a good experience to compare with the theory crafting.
This was one of a series of tournaments that a store from another city has been promoting. We were playing for a little bit of cash, nothing meaningful by American standards, but good enough to draw the attention of some of us in the magic community where I live, and because of that I was expecting a lot more players than there were in the end. I still had the chance to play some magic at competitive REL, which I enjoy, so I was happy to go. Although, I might have made some changes to my sideboard if I had known this beforehand.
Also, this did mean the tournament was shorter and less exciting, a disappointing four rounds, which is more like a FNM for me, but it also made it theoretically easier to get into the top, which was kind of ok.
Before I was set on what I ended up playing I was on the 8 rabble list with eidolons in main. I’ve had some success with it against the Phoenix packed metagame at some of the 5 and 6 round events in nearby cities. But then I found Fluffywolf’s deck while scrolling down through some 5-0 lists from MODO, recognized his name from this forum and figured he´d probably be onto something good, since he usually is. This was his list:
I had to replace Cavern of Souls, Welding Jar and Liquimetal Coating because I was missing them and couldn´t get them borrowed on time, so I packed some hate against burn instead. Here´s the list I ended up with:
I also felt like giving too many targets to Field of Ruin in the control match-ups could be disadvantageous, so I wasn´t trying too hard to get those caverns. This ended up being true, but it didn't actually made a difference, there is already enough targets for them anyway.
Rounds
Round 1 – Izzet Phoenix – Loss 1-2
Game one, my early Rabblemaster got bolted after one attack. I killed Thing in the ice with an Abrade after combat damage from the remaining tokens, and was able to land Chandra by means of a top-decked Ritual just on time to handle a Crackling Drake, but then opponent drew into his cantrips, and a couple Phoenix came flying both at Chandra and me. I proceeded to draw Blood Moon, which was basically air at this point in the match but I still played it to try and control the amount of cantrips that he could play each turn. I kept pressuring with the goblin tokens so I could kill a second Crackling Drake and both his phoenix with Slagstorm. Thing in the Ice again for my opponent, and then into more cantrips which transformed TitI and brought back both his Phoenix to put me to zero.
By looking at the lands he played and the ones he discarded throughout game one, I could tell he was playing more basic islands than Phoenix decks normally do. I felt like this was a match were Moons were not good enough already, so after that I sideboarded some of them out for Anger of the Gods, one Ballista and one Torpor Orb. I figured this was one of those variants with less Pyromancer Ascension and more Snapcaster Mage.
Game two, I got an aggressive goblin start while my opponent was mana screwed on one land for a couple of turns, and then Chandra was enough to proceed to game three.
But then in game three I was absolutely destroyed. I decided to keep a more controlling hand but once we started playing I could smell the Spell Pierce from a mile away so I couldn't drop my lockpieces on time. Opponent noticed I was playing around them and eventually discarded two to his cantrips. But he still got Ceremonious Rejection, followed by Abrade, then Snapcaster Mage for Abrade, then a Second Snapcaster for Ceremonious Rejection, then Thing in The Ice and enough cantrips to tranform it.
I had no chance against his draws without drawing the aggro part of my deck. I don’t know if I had a chance even if I did.
Round 2 – Amulet Bloom - Win 2-0
Got an early Ensnaring Bridge in a Game one without Moon and Karn prevented Engineered Explosives from going off. Chalice on zero to prevent a top-decked Summoning Pact tutoring Reclamation Sage. Opponent forced me into tutoring something not Sorcerous Spyglass by playing Primeval Titan but not going for Blast Zone and then he kept Karn low by attacking below the Bridge with Azusa, Lost but Seeking. I chose to go for Spellskite in fear of a top-decked Reclamation Sage or Blast Zone in his hand. Both, Sorcerous Spyglass and Torbor Orb were too narrow on their own and Spellskite would also serve as a blocker against Azusa.
I drew into Chandra and used her minus three along with Abrade to kill that Titan, and started accumulating goblins from several lords behind Ensnaring Bridge for a couple turns. A single attack dealt enough damage for Ramunap Ruins to finish him off -thumbs up to Scavenger Grounds for being a desert as well-.
It's worth mentioning he did find his next titan the turn before I went in for lethal. With several Amulet of Vigor on board he went for Blast Zone against Karn and Chandra, and then Explosives against Bridges and the goblin lords. But the Spellskite kept him away from using the activated lands to attack for lethal.
Game two, my opponent tapped out his only green source to play some artifact hate on the Torpor Orb that I sideboarded in to replace one Slagstorm. I followed with Moon locking him out of his mana, then Karn, and shortly after Mycosynth Lattice for the lock.
Round 3 – Green Tron - Win 2-0
I can't remember most details of this match, but I think I was on a turn one Chandra during Game one, followed by Blood Moon and then Rabblemaster. Got Chandra's emblem for the win. And Game two, I was on early goblin lords followed by Moon, followed by Karn. Searched for Sorcerous Spyglass because I wasn’t sure if I was playing against some of the new Tron lists with Ugin the Inefable. Opponent got Wastes and Thought Knot Seer but not early enough. I top-decked Chandra and dealt with it, and she also provided the mana to go for the Karn-Lattice lock next turn.
Round 4 – Boggles – Intentional Draw
Organizers decided to have a top eight for a four rounds tournament, so it was unnecessary to play this one. Also, it was scorching hot outside with no air-con in the store; both my opponent and I decided it was more important to go hydrate and find a place to cool off. We were happy to get into the top so easily as well.
Quarterfinals – Burn – Win 2-1
Game one started with Goblin Guide beating me down, which is often a better sight than Monastery Swiftspear, because the latter goes under bridges a lot easier. The turn after there was a Grim Lavamancer in play, which meant there was a lot more burn than creatures in my opponent’s hand. Played Ritual into Blood Moon to shut down my opponent’s multi-colored burn spells and followed with a Bridge, and then Karn for Witchbane Orb. Eidolon of the Great Revel for my opponent, which couldn’t attack, but the Lavamancer and a Swiftspear from the top could. I got down to three life so I tutored for Trading Post. Although I lost Karn to the lavamancer shortly after, now I was on seven life and couldn’t be attacked or targeted. Drew a second Karn eventually and went for the Lattice lock.
I was tempted to side Karn out at first, looking for the faster chalice on one into blood moon lock, but we had access to each other’s deck list in the top and I was happy to see my opponent was light on artifact hate. No Smash to Smithereens, and no Wear//Tear. Just a couple Cinder Vines and Destructive Revelry in the sideboard meant I could lock him out of artifact removal with either blood moon or chalice on two.
Game two started with a risky one lander, though I had 2 Abrades and a Spirit Guide to make some time. I did just that, and managed to drop some goblin lords and then even a Bridge, followed by Chalice on two to lock out his remaining hand, but my life was too low already and he eventually drew burn that wouldn’t be countered by chalice.
Game three started similarly to game 1. Goblin guide on the attack,but no play on turn two for him. I drew and played blood moon to force him out of Destructive Revelry if he had one, which he did. He played Eidolon and I, Bridge. Monastery Swiftspear came in with some burn and beat me to one life, so when I played Karn I couldn’t tutor immediately because I still needed to hide behind the Bridge. I had to wait until my next turn to get Trading Post, expecting that a second Revelry from the top would kill me if I went for Witchbane Orb instead. When I did tutor the Post I had to discard a Chalice I had just drawn that turn to be able to play a land and go back to five life. It worked. And then I got back to nine life comfortably and finally went for that Witchbane Orb.
Meanwhile, my opponent had been taking damage from his Eidolon all along, so I wanted to draw some of his removal out to bring him in range of my several Ramunap Ruins which were already on the board. I threatened to bring back Chalice from my graveyard, which would lock him out of the game, by making a goat token with the Post. He had no choice but to take the bait and the game was over a couple turns later.
Semifinals – UW Control – Loss 2-1
Game one I was already aware what I was playing against, so I knew I couldn’t keep a slow starting hand. Mulligan to six and kept a riskier but potentially more rewarding hand, only one land away from a turn two Moon, or any ritual for that purpose. It didn’t happen though, and what’s even worse, my opponent was able “fetch” for his basics via Field of Ruin targeting my non-basic Blast Zone and actual fetch lands. In came God-Eternal Kefnet and Gideon of the Trials, which beat me down once he removed my only Ensnaring Bridge with Detention Sphere.
I was terrified to look at his sideboard. Celestial Purge and a ton of one mana counters to deal with my threats so long as he had at least one blue or one white mana. There was also extra copies of Detention Sphere and Engineered Explosives, and Timely Reinforcements to slow down my goblin aggressive plan. I really missed having Magus of the Moon in the sideboard so I would have more chances to lock up his mana as early as possible and, Oh! did I miss Dismember in my sideboard because his list was packed with big guys as well. Aside Gideon and Kefnet from his main deck, he was also playing Baneslayer Angel and Lyra Dawnbringer. I decided against sideboarding Karn out and instead replaced a couple Slagstorm with Walking Ballista and one Torpor Orb for the Snapcasters.
Game two, I had an aggressive start with a turn two Warboss while my opponent only had an untapped Seachrome Coast. He momentarily showed his intention to tap and then allowed it to resolve but didn’t throw any removal at it, which revealed he had a turn one counter for Blood Moon and no Path to Exile. He followed up with Celestial Colonnade. Though I did have Blood Moon in my hand I decided to trust his cue and go for a second goblin lord. This one got purged the turn after, but he didn't have a third land which gave me the opening I needed to resolve blood moon and the game was over soon.
An unkeepable starting hand during Game three, pushed me to risk it all on a turn one Chandra, six cards mulligan, which landed effectively. Sadly though, I was left with nothing in hand and drew air off the top. Soon I was facing Snapcaster Mage, Gideon, Kefnet, and Jace, the Mind Sculptor sabotaging my draws. Top-decked a Rabblemaster that was purged and an ensnaring bridge that ran into Cryptic Command. Then it was over for me.
Since, this post is already much longer than I expected it to be for a small tournament like this, I´ll leave the afterthoughts for another comment down below.
The following are the afterthoughts and annotations I came up with after the tournament:
Karn, the Great Creator adds a whole new dimension to the deck: the toolbox sideboard. I seem to not quite grasp this entirely. I can’t properly identify the matches were I’d want to remove Karn after the first game, or just reduce the number of copies.
That said, I feel like we’re replacing a lot of swords for shields both in the main deck and in the sideboard. Admittedly, this are now shields that we tutor in with Karn –or rather “wish” for them- but then sometimes we miss the swords in the matches were we need to go under, like against UW Control.
What this translates to is that Karn is working both as a defensive card and as a win condition for those matches were we can’t win with aggro, further splitting the two archetypes that we’ve conjoined in pyro-prison.
It feels really weird to try and overwhelm your opponent with Rabblemaster and Warboss and then play a Karn to try to lock the game with Lattice. It's like our game plan has some internal logic contradictions. I'd like to test some more matches before passing judgement on him. It feels powerful enough, but at the same time, it feels disruptive against the eight rabble strategy. Maybe he's is more adequate in a build more like the stock list?
Here are some other thoughts about specific cards, not in any particular order:
Eidolon of the Great Revel used to work great for me both against Izzet Phoenix and mono red Phoenix matches. It was also good having it mainboard against control and it provided a more aggressive approach against a plethora of decks.I really missed it in some matches.
While having Karn in the main deck, I’d like to give Hex Parasite a try, specifically as an answer to planeswalkers.
Trading Post was beastly. Can't tell for sure about all the matches that i want it in, but in the case of burn, it felt a lot better than Dragon's Claw, or anything of the sorts. It dodged Eidolon, it gained life immediately so long as I had the mana available, and it even threatened to bring back some artifacts back from the graveyard.
Regarding dredge and phoenix, I’d rather have Anger of the God's in the main deck than the sideboard. I know it’s a non-bo with our goblin lords behind a Bridge plan, but as long as we’re already playing Karn, his wishing ability already messes with our proper usage of Ensnaring Bridge anyway. I’ve also considered Relic of Progenitus as a one-of that also recycles our toolbox pieces when they get destroyed.
Trinisphere seemed unnecessary most of the time. It is not the kind of card I’d often like to wish for with Karn, maybe someone can explain this one to me because I’m missing it.
Thanks for the report. You bring up good points. The one thing I’ll say is wishing for Trinisphere against UR Phoenix is probably a good move. I don’t know how relevant it is in other matchups, as I’ve never played with it yet, but you want to bring it in against decks that have a lot of 1cmc spells. However, I agree in that it doesn’t seem like it’s a card that will ever win you a game singlehandedly, just slow it down, but that also requires pressuring your opponent or else it’s useless. Might be better off with another tutor target or Magus, Jaya, etc.
There's alot to unwrap there, Marulo. First off, congrats on the performance! As far as your thoughts on Karn, let me say that you shouldn't judge him at all without Liquimetal Coating. He's a different beast with that card. Where t1 Chandra fails, t1 Karn into Coating makes it so your opponent never gets off 1 or 2 lands, and if they miss land drops its over if it isnt already. This feels especially powerful against Tron. This is also wjere Trinisphere comes in, not as a wish target, against decks such as UR Phoenix that want to play multiple spells in a turn. 3-Ball into Karn into Coating is especially oppressive. Karn should be tjought of as an early game lock piece, midgame utility, and late game wincon. Just his static ability alone is enough to hinder quite a few decks in modern, and the win ratio everyone is putting up is proving Karn fits right in with the 8-Rabnle plan. Keep getting your reps in, specifically with the Coating package. Sideboarding is very different now and takes time to master, but once you understand what you need and when, it's easier than it seems.
Hey all, it has been a while. I went wandering down the KCI rabbit-hole due to an overwhelming amount of Tron in my meta. That, in turn, caused me to put Pyro Prison down. I stumbled around modern since January not really knowing what to do, mostly playing Lanter/4C-Prison. Good times, but nothing like the old turn 1 blood moon. When new Karn was spoiled, I had a feeling I would be brewing with him and Liquimetal Coating. I was farting around with Sultai colors (not necessarily any all at a time), mostly staying artifact heavy - moderate success, but just felt off. Then I see Jacob DeQuack top 8's some SCG event and I was like...man, that deck was fun.
Anyways, to make a long story short, I am back on Pyro. I read Marulo's post and it had me thinking about how I have my deck tooled, currently. I agree with Caligula in regards to Karn and Coating...lights out. Coating and Abrade...lights out. T1 - Coating, T2-Abrade a land? Sure, why not?! I upped my MB coun to 3, and dropped Bridge to 2. I also took the Angers out for the time being and am testing MD Molten Rain as a 2-of. I like being able to flex an otherwise useless ritual into Molten Rain. Other fun things... T1 Chandra into Coating, T2 Karn into "sorry, you're gonna be stuck on 1 land for the game." Good times. Also, the best part is it wrecks Tron, which used to be absolutely miserable.
That was working pretty good up until about today...seems everyone on MTGO turned into 8-rack players overnight. Almost has me considering putting 2 Leyline of Sanctity in the side a la Lantern.
This is a version of Pyro Prison that i am going to attempt next week at my local store. I haven't tested it yet but have just kinda did reps and kinda play out semi-ish matches in my head to just see if it feels ok. It is kind of a Mardu version of Pyro Prison. I mainly wanted to add black because One glaring disadvantage I see that the W/R and Mono-red versions have a really hard time with planeswalkers at times. Also I was fascinated with Saheeli, Sublime Artificer and the fact that it triggers off non instant and sorcery spells and amass the field with tons of tokens along with copying Warboss or Rabblemaster. This is the shell I went with, Lingering Souls is something i really want to try out and also i want to try some spice in the sideboard with Slaughter Games. I also ran Blood Moon in the side because with the way the main deck was built, the mana was kinda sketchy with it, I might possibly run Blood Moon over Kolaghan's Command or Angrath's Rampage.
I updated the Official Primer to include mention of Karn, the Great Creator. Is liquid metal a superior killing machine? Seems so at the moment. Who can argue with Fluffywolf taking Caligula's list (+ a few tweaks) and jamming down a 19-1 record in MTGO competitive play?
Of course, there is always room for improvement, and maybe a shift into a different theme of KARN Pyro Prison. @Butterynugs - welcome back! - flexed in the direction of land destruction off of main-decked Liquimetal Coating and Molten Rain. Fascinating idea. And, @FraktheGods going well past the simple addition of silver and bringing in 2 other colors
I find the contributions of Marulo particularly engaging. Only your 3rd post in Salvation, and you have a very strong handle on Pyro Prison and how it has TWO primary conflicts integrating Karn into 8-Rabble:
1.) As I wrote earlier, the 'off-axis' shift of executing an 8-Rabble assault into a non-board state changing 4-cmc Planeswalker that ultimately wins with a 6-cmc artifact. Seems a tad askew. But, the design is effective: EITHER win with a swarm or exhaust your opponent's resources, and then win with a 'wished out' lock. Of course, there are times where an early-mid game explosive move into a timely traditional power lock against your opponent might be just enough to shut them down.
2.) Games 2 and 3: What do we sideboard in and what do we leave in the sideboard with hopes that it can be located with Karn later? This provides a new dimension to sideboarding, and it ain't easy. I guess the simplest way to think of it is that the needed early drops can come into the mainboard, like a 4th Chalice or Spellskite or Spyglass or a single Torpor Orb. But, what about when you are also considering taking out Karns?? Then, do you abandon the whole 'wishboard' and try to go traditional Pyro Prison?
PUZZLE: Humans. Whatever happened to our favored matchup against Humans? Friggen' detention dude is what happened. Alright, but whining aside, how do we Karn Sideboard/Wishboard against Humans? My problem has been that I end up with very limited win conditions against them, and I am ultimately attempting to do a Turn 1/2 Chalice/Moon double-slam for the win.
PUZZLE: Humans. Whatever happened to our favored matchup against Humans? Friggen' detention dude is what happened. Alright, but whining aside, how do we Karn Sideboard/Wishboard against Humans? My problem has been that I end up with very limited win conditions against them, and I am ultimately attempting to do a Turn 1/2 Chalice/Moon double-slam for the win.
Probably run more Abrade and sweepers. Anger of the Gods is usually good against them and having Abrade for their Vials and what ever else is always helpful.
Hi all, I almost have the new pyro prison w/ new karn and I have a few questions: 1) what does a good opening hand look like g1? Further more, what hands look good but are not? 2) Do I need to mull aggressively? The deck seems to be more about card quality than quantity but I am still unsure how hard I need to mulligan. Lastly, 3) Do I ever pull in my singletons from the sideboard? It seems like most of the time I will be wishing for them so I am unsure if I would ever want to bring them in. Thanks for the replys!
DECK UPDATES
I have been making alterations with each league that I've joined. The first cards to be cut from the original list were Tormenting Voice and Collective Defiance. Those cards, alongside Faithless Looting, provided the acceleration/dig that I was pursuing. They're basically 'place holders' for cards not yet approved to join the line-up. There is still a little jiggle left, so the Faithless Looting remains. I am not 100% settled on this list.
8 RABBLE vs. ACCELERATED MANA/DRAW
What I discovered is that the original concept of 8 Rabble by Caligula is more effective, despite the gear shift to Karn/Lattice, than I suspected. Bottom line: pressure. Present a clock. I have already upped the Warboss count to 3 in future lists, and 4 may be the wiser choice still. 8 Rabbles work so terrifically in concert when they hit the board in multiples - that argument is self evident.
PLANESWALKERS & LOCKS - LANDS/RITUALS
No matter how much I test, the original formula is still the best: 21 Lands and 9 Rituals. With Karn, it looked like we could go 'Big Red' and load up on a high ramp with more rituals/land, draw-loot, and just slam a game changer before an opponent knows what hit them. The reasoning was sound, but what looks good on paper doesn't always play out correctly on the battlefield. And, hey, it's not as if it was a flop -- just bold.
So, with a more traditional mana scheme, the 4-cmc drops had to be cut back. Chandra is down to 2. The Locks saw the 4th Chalice get put back in the main. How often, if you need a chalice, do you prefer to get 1 through a 4-cmc expense?
REMOVAL
Again, there is a lot of variety. Not just the typical 2-3 Anger/Slags in the main. I'm trying 1 Anger, Chainwhirler, and Blast Zone MD and 2 Anger and 1 Ratchet Bomb SB. Testing continues here. The abrade count in the main deck may rise to 4 with a liquimetal coating main deck. There's a lot of flex in this area of the deck.
THE PUZZLE
Humans? Torpor Orb. I'm going over the top. Three. This speaks to what DuceMc brought up, and what we've all been trying to solve: when do you pull cards in from the sideboard that you know you'll need, and when do you leave them there and hope you can Wish them. One way to answer that is multiples. (3) Torpors and (2) Grafdiggers. As for Humans, a torpor is so damned critical that I'm willing to sleeve up that many.
As for Duce's questions about what a good hand looks like and how much do you want to mull? It's not all that different from traditional Pyro Prison. The new element is Karn. But, I always hope for an early Moon/Chalice first and foremost. Then, Bridge/Rabble as a 2nd deployment. Now - Karn or Chandra as the 3rd up-at-bat.
NEXT 3.0 VERSION UPDATES
I'll likely drop the Chainwhirler (especially since I just went up to 3 T-Orb), and add a 3rd-4th Warboss. Somehow, I'd love to squeeze in the 4 Abrade/1 Liquimetal package into the main deck. DATA ANALYSIS - has been coming from my own leagues and looking at other Karn lists getting published. Mycosynth Lattice is exploding, and there is a lot of info out there to soak up.
DECK UPDATES
I have been making alterations with each league that I've joined. The first cards to be cut from the original list were Tormenting Voice and Collective Defiance. Those cards, alongside Faithless Looting, provided the acceleration/dig that I was pursuing. They're basically 'place holders' for cards not yet approved to join the line-up. There is still a little jiggle left, so the Faithless Looting remains. I am not 100% settled on this list.
Me and someone else at my store thought of a clever include for the sideboard and use of this card. For a way of getting back artifacts that get destroyed we can run Relic of Progenitus as a Graveyard hate card and as a way of getting artifacts and hate artifacts that have been destroyed.
EDIT: also just thought about this when I saw the Tormod's crypt, Relic exiles itself so it's GV hate that we can keep getting back with Karn.
Am I 100% on this design? Yes. Yes, I am. It's finely tuned for today's meta: Humans, Tron, U/W Control, Arclight Phoenix, and Dredge. Further, the slots in both the mainboard and sideboard ignore some matchups which are already favored (GDS/Infect/Phoenix) and hit with smashing force against the tougher decks (Humans/Tron/U-W).
OUTLIER REMOVAL SPELL SELECTIONS
One particularly unusual addition is Bonfire of the Damned. Too often Slagstorm was self-defeating or Anger of the Gods was a blank - so Zero traditional sweepers in the maindeck. Now, Bonfire is never a blank, and it finally gives us a way to target Planeswalkers again. With little draw in the deck, it's safe to say that it will be the '1st card drawn' enabling Miracle. || Another bold addition is Dismember. I saw a couple in Pascal Classen' Top 8 list, and I'm following his lesson. Despite the heavy cost, its impact is worth it. Particularly against an early Noble Hierarch or Thalia.
THE CANNONBALL
Siege-Gang Commander. Goblins all over creation, thus the bringing back of my original name for '8-Rabble outfitted with On-a-Stick spells' (like Goblin Cratermaker) Goblin' Gun. This dude is a 4-for-1 at a minimum. Caligula overlayed the Karn Package onto an 8 Rabble Stock List of Pyro Prison, and I'm turning this one up to 11. Yup, where I was once trying to sculpt a more elegant construction of synergies, now I am counting upon plentiful & consistent hammer blows of goblinized machinations.
LANDS
Mutavault - hey that's another goblin! Blast Zone for random clean-up since I'm light on sweepers & Zhalfirin Void to assist with dig in a deck that has never tried harder to be "The Sideboard Deck".
SIDEBOARD
Torpor Orbs abound and a special effort was made to shut down decks that exploit greedy land bases/tron land bases. The overall approach is one of a 'silver bullet' arsenal. The threats are all front-loaded into the mainboard.
100% -- It's a culmination of so many styles of Pyro Prison that we have collectively mined and crafted. We all share in this 5-0, and I predict more to come....
Ray, I'm more than willing to take you at your word. But the few times I've run Bonfire it's been a big miss. And Slagstorm has seemed like an auto-include for a while. And I have no idea how SiegeGang will work. This list is ignoring P&K & Walk Ball entirely. I've still got 2 Caverns in because I really like the idea of not getting Goblins countered every time by UW. Plus I thought Trinisphere & Welding Jar were kind of necessary in the SB. Talk to me some more about your choices, decisions, successes. Looking forward to it. Thanks.
Slagstorm has always been an all-star. I was its biggest advocate for years - it's quintessential Pyro Prison. UNTIL, we hit 8-Rabble. IF we initially draw a Slagstorm in our starting 7, then we can sculpt our play. But, if we top deck it, as we are trying to develop a swarm kill, then it's far more useless. Note: it no longer can redirect to a planeswalker for damage.
Big loss as it now either serves as a lightning bolt to an opponent's melon OR as a sweeper, but -again- it kills all of our Goblins. Whereas, Bonfire can both kill a planeswalker and sweep a board without destroying our own side of the battlefield. Also, Bonfire is far easier to dump down in the event that you need to turtle up on a bridge. Those are (3) significant advantage points. 2 of which have become far more valuable in recent months.
Siege-Gang Commander is one of those cards that 'turns a corner' faster than any other goblin. If you untap. Then you you can attack for 5 & goblin gun for 6 = 11 damage. That's the most modest expectation. That's not a dismissal of P&K. It's just the opposite. It's a respect for The Parents and their closing speed for a win --- now, I'm investing the extra colorless mana upon casting.
Walking Ballista is the perfect filler card - a little of everything. But, almost never 'overwhelming'. This list is looking to pick a side and go hard on its motif.
Cavern of Souls is not an overwhelming card either. If there's a principal concern about U/W, then simply play our original beater: Mutavault. Trinisphere is better manifested as a Damping Sphere. DS limits low-curving decks from 'going off' and it destroys Tron. A late drawn Trinisphere is a wicked disappointment, whereas a Damping Sphere can rally back against an exhausted opponent's hand who might be left hell-bent.
Welding Jar is just too narrow. It was almost never see in traditional Pyro Prison, so the case is easily made for spellskite in this slot.
All that said, none of what I said can be considered etched in stone. Magic has a lot of variance. No one card is the correct solution upon it's singular selection. It's all part of a assemblage.
Siege-Gang Commander only makes sense as the 9-10th goblin.
Goblin Cratermaker only makes sense as the 3-4th abrade.
I did say the term 100%. But, that's not a fair assessment --- never can be in this game. For instance, I've already moved away from Grafdigger's cage counts in favor of an extra Anger of the Gods in the sideboard. Also, I miss the Ratchet Bomb slot there. It's the eternal struggle. It's also why I have always been averse to drafting up a strict 'Sideboard Guide'.
This was one of a series of tournaments that a store from another city has been promoting. We were playing for a little bit of cash, nothing meaningful by American standards, but good enough to draw the attention of some of us in the magic community where I live, and because of that I was expecting a lot more players than there were in the end. I still had the chance to play some magic at competitive REL, which I enjoy, so I was happy to go. Although, I might have made some changes to my sideboard if I had known this beforehand.
Also, this did mean the tournament was shorter and less exciting, a disappointing four rounds, which is more like a FNM for me, but it also made it theoretically easier to get into the top, which was kind of ok.
Before I was set on what I ended up playing I was on the 8 rabble list with eidolons in main. I’ve had some success with it against the Phoenix packed metagame at some of the 5 and 6 round events in nearby cities. But then I found Fluffywolf’s deck while scrolling down through some 5-0 lists from MODO, recognized his name from this forum and figured he´d probably be onto something good, since he usually is. This was his list:
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1871210#paper
I had to replace Cavern of Souls, Welding Jar and Liquimetal Coating because I was missing them and couldn´t get them borrowed on time, so I packed some hate against burn instead. Here´s the list I ended up with:
3 Chalice of the void
3 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Blood Moon
Creatures
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
4 Legion Warboss
1 Pia and Kiran
Planeswalkers
3 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
3 Karn, The Great Creator
Accelerants
4 Smimian Spirit Guide
4 Desperate Ritual
1 Pyretic Ritual
3 Abrade
2 Slagstorm
Lands
12 Mountain
4 Ramunap Ruins
1 Scavenger Grounds
1 Blast Zone
3 Gemstone Caverns
1 Chalice of the Void
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Mycosynth Lattice
1 Sorcerous Spyglass
2 Torpor Orb
1 Trading Post
1 Trinisphere
1 Witchbane Orb
1 Spellskite
1 Walking Ballista
2 Anger of the Gods
I also felt like giving too many targets to Field of Ruin in the control match-ups could be disadvantageous, so I wasn´t trying too hard to get those caverns. This ended up being true, but it didn't actually made a difference, there is already enough targets for them anyway.
Rounds
Round 1 – Izzet Phoenix – Loss 1-2
Game one, my early Rabblemaster got bolted after one attack. I killed Thing in the ice with an Abrade after combat damage from the remaining tokens, and was able to land Chandra by means of a top-decked Ritual just on time to handle a Crackling Drake, but then opponent drew into his cantrips, and a couple Phoenix came flying both at Chandra and me. I proceeded to draw Blood Moon, which was basically air at this point in the match but I still played it to try and control the amount of cantrips that he could play each turn. I kept pressuring with the goblin tokens so I could kill a second Crackling Drake and both his phoenix with Slagstorm. Thing in the Ice again for my opponent, and then into more cantrips which transformed TitI and brought back both his Phoenix to put me to zero.
By looking at the lands he played and the ones he discarded throughout game one, I could tell he was playing more basic islands than Phoenix decks normally do. I felt like this was a match were Moons were not good enough already, so after that I sideboarded some of them out for Anger of the Gods, one Ballista and one Torpor Orb. I figured this was one of those variants with less Pyromancer Ascension and more Snapcaster Mage.
Game two, I got an aggressive goblin start while my opponent was mana screwed on one land for a couple of turns, and then Chandra was enough to proceed to game three.
But then in game three I was absolutely destroyed. I decided to keep a more controlling hand but once we started playing I could smell the Spell Pierce from a mile away so I couldn't drop my lockpieces on time. Opponent noticed I was playing around them and eventually discarded two to his cantrips. But he still got Ceremonious Rejection, followed by Abrade, then Snapcaster Mage for Abrade, then a Second Snapcaster for Ceremonious Rejection, then Thing in The Ice and enough cantrips to tranform it.
I had no chance against his draws without drawing the aggro part of my deck. I don’t know if I had a chance even if I did.
Round 2 – Amulet Bloom - Win 2-0
Got an early Ensnaring Bridge in a Game one without Moon and Karn prevented Engineered Explosives from going off. Chalice on zero to prevent a top-decked Summoning Pact tutoring Reclamation Sage. Opponent forced me into tutoring something not Sorcerous Spyglass by playing Primeval Titan but not going for Blast Zone and then he kept Karn low by attacking below the Bridge with Azusa, Lost but Seeking. I chose to go for Spellskite in fear of a top-decked Reclamation Sage or Blast Zone in his hand. Both, Sorcerous Spyglass and Torbor Orb were too narrow on their own and Spellskite would also serve as a blocker against Azusa.
I drew into Chandra and used her minus three along with Abrade to kill that Titan, and started accumulating goblins from several lords behind Ensnaring Bridge for a couple turns. A single attack dealt enough damage for Ramunap Ruins to finish him off -thumbs up to Scavenger Grounds for being a desert as well-.
It's worth mentioning he did find his next titan the turn before I went in for lethal. With several Amulet of Vigor on board he went for Blast Zone against Karn and Chandra, and then Explosives against Bridges and the goblin lords. But the Spellskite kept him away from using the activated lands to attack for lethal.
Game two, my opponent tapped out his only green source to play some artifact hate on the Torpor Orb that I sideboarded in to replace one Slagstorm. I followed with Moon locking him out of his mana, then Karn, and shortly after Mycosynth Lattice for the lock.
Round 3 – Green Tron - Win 2-0
I can't remember most details of this match, but I think I was on a turn one Chandra during Game one, followed by Blood Moon and then Rabblemaster. Got Chandra's emblem for the win. And Game two, I was on early goblin lords followed by Moon, followed by Karn. Searched for Sorcerous Spyglass because I wasn’t sure if I was playing against some of the new Tron lists with Ugin the Inefable. Opponent got Wastes and Thought Knot Seer but not early enough. I top-decked Chandra and dealt with it, and she also provided the mana to go for the Karn-Lattice lock next turn.
Round 4 – Boggles – Intentional Draw
Organizers decided to have a top eight for a four rounds tournament, so it was unnecessary to play this one. Also, it was scorching hot outside with no air-con in the store; both my opponent and I decided it was more important to go hydrate and find a place to cool off. We were happy to get into the top so easily as well.
Quarterfinals – Burn – Win 2-1
Game one started with Goblin Guide beating me down, which is often a better sight than Monastery Swiftspear, because the latter goes under bridges a lot easier. The turn after there was a Grim Lavamancer in play, which meant there was a lot more burn than creatures in my opponent’s hand. Played Ritual into Blood Moon to shut down my opponent’s multi-colored burn spells and followed with a Bridge, and then Karn for Witchbane Orb. Eidolon of the Great Revel for my opponent, which couldn’t attack, but the Lavamancer and a Swiftspear from the top could. I got down to three life so I tutored for Trading Post. Although I lost Karn to the lavamancer shortly after, now I was on seven life and couldn’t be attacked or targeted. Drew a second Karn eventually and went for the Lattice lock.
I was tempted to side Karn out at first, looking for the faster chalice on one into blood moon lock, but we had access to each other’s deck list in the top and I was happy to see my opponent was light on artifact hate. No Smash to Smithereens, and no Wear//Tear. Just a couple Cinder Vines and Destructive Revelry in the sideboard meant I could lock him out of artifact removal with either blood moon or chalice on two.
Game two started with a risky one lander, though I had 2 Abrades and a Spirit Guide to make some time. I did just that, and managed to drop some goblin lords and then even a Bridge, followed by Chalice on two to lock out his remaining hand, but my life was too low already and he eventually drew burn that wouldn’t be countered by chalice.
Game three started similarly to game 1. Goblin guide on the attack,but no play on turn two for him. I drew and played blood moon to force him out of Destructive Revelry if he had one, which he did. He played Eidolon and I, Bridge. Monastery Swiftspear came in with some burn and beat me to one life, so when I played Karn I couldn’t tutor immediately because I still needed to hide behind the Bridge. I had to wait until my next turn to get Trading Post, expecting that a second Revelry from the top would kill me if I went for Witchbane Orb instead. When I did tutor the Post I had to discard a Chalice I had just drawn that turn to be able to play a land and go back to five life. It worked. And then I got back to nine life comfortably and finally went for that Witchbane Orb.
Meanwhile, my opponent had been taking damage from his Eidolon all along, so I wanted to draw some of his removal out to bring him in range of my several Ramunap Ruins which were already on the board. I threatened to bring back Chalice from my graveyard, which would lock him out of the game, by making a goat token with the Post. He had no choice but to take the bait and the game was over a couple turns later.
Semifinals – UW Control – Loss 2-1
Game one I was already aware what I was playing against, so I knew I couldn’t keep a slow starting hand. Mulligan to six and kept a riskier but potentially more rewarding hand, only one land away from a turn two Moon, or any ritual for that purpose. It didn’t happen though, and what’s even worse, my opponent was able “fetch” for his basics via Field of Ruin targeting my non-basic Blast Zone and actual fetch lands. In came God-Eternal Kefnet and Gideon of the Trials, which beat me down once he removed my only Ensnaring Bridge with Detention Sphere.
I was terrified to look at his sideboard. Celestial Purge and a ton of one mana counters to deal with my threats so long as he had at least one blue or one white mana. There was also extra copies of Detention Sphere and Engineered Explosives, and Timely Reinforcements to slow down my goblin aggressive plan. I really missed having Magus of the Moon in the sideboard so I would have more chances to lock up his mana as early as possible and, Oh! did I miss Dismember in my sideboard because his list was packed with big guys as well. Aside Gideon and Kefnet from his main deck, he was also playing Baneslayer Angel and Lyra Dawnbringer. I decided against sideboarding Karn out and instead replaced a couple Slagstorm with Walking Ballista and one Torpor Orb for the Snapcasters.
Game two, I had an aggressive start with a turn two Warboss while my opponent only had an untapped Seachrome Coast. He momentarily showed his intention to tap and then allowed it to resolve but didn’t throw any removal at it, which revealed he had a turn one counter for Blood Moon and no Path to Exile. He followed up with Celestial Colonnade. Though I did have Blood Moon in my hand I decided to trust his cue and go for a second goblin lord. This one got purged the turn after, but he didn't have a third land which gave me the opening I needed to resolve blood moon and the game was over soon.
An unkeepable starting hand during Game three, pushed me to risk it all on a turn one Chandra, six cards mulligan, which landed effectively. Sadly though, I was left with nothing in hand and drew air off the top. Soon I was facing Snapcaster Mage, Gideon, Kefnet, and Jace, the Mind Sculptor sabotaging my draws. Top-decked a Rabblemaster that was purged and an ensnaring bridge that ran into Cryptic Command. Then it was over for me.
Since, this post is already much longer than I expected it to be for a small tournament like this, I´ll leave the afterthoughts for another comment down below.
Karn, the Great Creator adds a whole new dimension to the deck: the toolbox sideboard. I seem to not quite grasp this entirely. I can’t properly identify the matches were I’d want to remove Karn after the first game, or just reduce the number of copies.
That said, I feel like we’re replacing a lot of swords for shields both in the main deck and in the sideboard. Admittedly, this are now shields that we tutor in with Karn –or rather “wish” for them- but then sometimes we miss the swords in the matches were we need to go under, like against UW Control.
What this translates to is that Karn is working both as a defensive card and as a win condition for those matches were we can’t win with aggro, further splitting the two archetypes that we’ve conjoined in pyro-prison.
It feels really weird to try and overwhelm your opponent with Rabblemaster and Warboss and then play a Karn to try to lock the game with Lattice. It's like our game plan has some internal logic contradictions. I'd like to test some more matches before passing judgement on him. It feels powerful enough, but at the same time, it feels disruptive against the eight rabble strategy. Maybe he's is more adequate in a build more like the stock list?
Here are some other thoughts about specific cards, not in any particular order:
Eidolon of the Great Revel used to work great for me both against Izzet Phoenix and mono red Phoenix matches. It was also good having it mainboard against control and it provided a more aggressive approach against a plethora of decks.I really missed it in some matches.
While having Karn in the main deck, I’d like to give Hex Parasite a try, specifically as an answer to planeswalkers.
Trading Post was beastly. Can't tell for sure about all the matches that i want it in, but in the case of burn, it felt a lot better than Dragon's Claw, or anything of the sorts. It dodged Eidolon, it gained life immediately so long as I had the mana available, and it even threatened to bring back some artifacts back from the graveyard.
Regarding dredge and phoenix, I’d rather have Anger of the God's in the main deck than the sideboard. I know it’s a non-bo with our goblin lords behind a Bridge plan, but as long as we’re already playing Karn, his wishing ability already messes with our proper usage of Ensnaring Bridge anyway. I’ve also considered Relic of Progenitus as a one-of that also recycles our toolbox pieces when they get destroyed.
Trinisphere seemed unnecessary most of the time. It is not the kind of card I’d often like to wish for with Karn, maybe someone can explain this one to me because I’m missing it.
I miss having Jaya Ballard, Task Mage as an out for the control match. And Magus of the Moon somewhere amongst the 75, as well as Dismember.
Anyways, to make a long story short, I am back on Pyro. I read Marulo's post and it had me thinking about how I have my deck tooled, currently. I agree with Caligula in regards to Karn and Coating...lights out. Coating and Abrade...lights out. T1 - Coating, T2-Abrade a land? Sure, why not?! I upped my MB coun to 3, and dropped Bridge to 2. I also took the Angers out for the time being and am testing MD Molten Rain as a 2-of. I like being able to flex an otherwise useless ritual into Molten Rain. Other fun things... T1 Chandra into Coating, T2 Karn into "sorry, you're gonna be stuck on 1 land for the game." Good times. Also, the best part is it wrecks Tron, which used to be absolutely miserable.
That was working pretty good up until about today...seems everyone on MTGO turned into 8-rack players overnight. Almost has me considering putting 2 Leyline of Sanctity in the side a la Lantern.
2x Sacred Foundry
1x Blood Crypt
1x Godless Shrine
4x Arid Mesa
2x Bloodstained Mire
2x Rugged Prairie
2x Gemstone Caverns
3x Mountain
2x Plains
1x Swamp
Creatures
4x Legion Warboss
4x Goblin Rabblemaster
3x Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2x Saheeli, Sublime Artificer
Removal
2x Oblivion Ring
1x Banishing Light
3x Angrath's Rampage
2x Kolaghan's Command
2x Abrade
Lock
4x Chalice of the Void
3x Ensnaring Bridge
Other
4x Lingering Souls
4x Simian Spirit Guide
4x Leyline of Sanctity
3x Blood Moon
3x Rest in Peace
2x Torpor Orb
2x Slaughter Gamers
1x Kor Firewalker
Of course, there is always room for improvement, and maybe a shift into a different theme of KARN Pyro Prison. @Butterynugs - welcome back! - flexed in the direction of land destruction off of main-decked Liquimetal Coating and Molten Rain. Fascinating idea. And, @FraktheGods going well past the simple addition of silver and bringing in 2 other colors
I find the contributions of Marulo particularly engaging. Only your 3rd post in Salvation, and you have a very strong handle on Pyro Prison and how it has TWO primary conflicts integrating Karn into 8-Rabble:
1.) As I wrote earlier, the 'off-axis' shift of executing an 8-Rabble assault into a non-board state changing 4-cmc Planeswalker that ultimately wins with a 6-cmc artifact. Seems a tad askew. But, the design is effective: EITHER win with a swarm or exhaust your opponent's resources, and then win with a 'wished out' lock. Of course, there are times where an early-mid game explosive move into a timely traditional power lock against your opponent might be just enough to shut them down.
2.) Games 2 and 3: What do we sideboard in and what do we leave in the sideboard with hopes that it can be located with Karn later? This provides a new dimension to sideboarding, and it ain't easy. I guess the simplest way to think of it is that the needed early drops can come into the mainboard, like a 4th Chalice or Spellskite or Spyglass or a single Torpor Orb. But, what about when you are also considering taking out Karns?? Then, do you abandon the whole 'wishboard' and try to go traditional Pyro Prison?
PUZZLE: Humans. Whatever happened to our favored matchup against Humans? Friggen' detention dude is what happened. Alright, but whining aside, how do we Karn Sideboard/Wishboard against Humans? My problem has been that I end up with very limited win conditions against them, and I am ultimately attempting to do a Turn 1/2 Chalice/Moon double-slam for the win.
Probably run more Abrade and sweepers. Anger of the Gods is usually good against them and having Abrade for their Vials and what ever else is always helpful.
GUInfect UMerfolk RW Burn GRWBU Humans GWUBant Eldrazi GR RG EldraziC Serum Powder EldraziC Eldrazi TronGB GB Rock
Legacy:
GUInfect
RGLands
It typically will run 2 Abrade and 3 Anger of the Gods.
https://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=21862&d=347087&f=MO
4 Abrade, 2 Anger and a Slagstorm.
But, not a finalized deck list just yet - another prototype
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
3 Karn, the Great Creator
POWER LOCK SUITE (11)
4 Blood Moon
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Ensnaring Bridge
CREATURES (9)
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
2 Legion Warboss
1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
1 Goblin Chainwhirler
1 Walking Ballista
1 Anger of the Gods
3 Abrade
ACCELERATION (10)
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Desperate Ritual
1 Pyretic Ritual
1 Faithless Looting
LANDS (21)
13 Mountain
2 Ramunap Ruins
3 Gemstone Caverns
2 Zhalfirin Void
1 Blast Zone
3 Torpor Orb
2 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Anger of the Gods
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Sorcerous Spyglass
1 Spellskite
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Liquimetal Coating
1 Mycosynth Lattice
DECK UPDATES
I have been making alterations with each league that I've joined. The first cards to be cut from the original list were Tormenting Voice and Collective Defiance. Those cards, alongside Faithless Looting, provided the acceleration/dig that I was pursuing. They're basically 'place holders' for cards not yet approved to join the line-up. There is still a little jiggle left, so the Faithless Looting remains. I am not 100% settled on this list.
8 RABBLE vs. ACCELERATED MANA/DRAW
What I discovered is that the original concept of 8 Rabble by Caligula is more effective, despite the gear shift to Karn/Lattice, than I suspected. Bottom line: pressure. Present a clock. I have already upped the Warboss count to 3 in future lists, and 4 may be the wiser choice still. 8 Rabbles work so terrifically in concert when they hit the board in multiples - that argument is self evident.
PLANESWALKERS & LOCKS - LANDS/RITUALS
No matter how much I test, the original formula is still the best: 21 Lands and 9 Rituals. With Karn, it looked like we could go 'Big Red' and load up on a high ramp with more rituals/land, draw-loot, and just slam a game changer before an opponent knows what hit them. The reasoning was sound, but what looks good on paper doesn't always play out correctly on the battlefield. And, hey, it's not as if it was a flop -- just bold.
So, with a more traditional mana scheme, the 4-cmc drops had to be cut back. Chandra is down to 2. The Locks saw the 4th Chalice get put back in the main. How often, if you need a chalice, do you prefer to get 1 through a 4-cmc expense?
REMOVAL
Again, there is a lot of variety. Not just the typical 2-3 Anger/Slags in the main. I'm trying 1 Anger, Chainwhirler, and Blast Zone MD and 2 Anger and 1 Ratchet Bomb SB. Testing continues here. The abrade count in the main deck may rise to 4 with a liquimetal coating main deck. There's a lot of flex in this area of the deck.
THE PUZZLE
Humans? Torpor Orb. I'm going over the top. Three. This speaks to what DuceMc brought up, and what we've all been trying to solve: when do you pull cards in from the sideboard that you know you'll need, and when do you leave them there and hope you can Wish them. One way to answer that is multiples. (3) Torpors and (2) Grafdiggers. As for Humans, a torpor is so damned critical that I'm willing to sleeve up that many.
As for Duce's questions about what a good hand looks like and how much do you want to mull? It's not all that different from traditional Pyro Prison. The new element is Karn. But, I always hope for an early Moon/Chalice first and foremost. Then, Bridge/Rabble as a 2nd deployment. Now - Karn or Chandra as the 3rd up-at-bat.
NEXT 3.0 VERSION UPDATES
I'll likely drop the Chainwhirler (especially since I just went up to 3 T-Orb), and add a 3rd-4th Warboss. Somehow, I'd love to squeeze in the 4 Abrade/1 Liquimetal package into the main deck. DATA ANALYSIS - has been coming from my own leagues and looking at other Karn lists getting published. Mycosynth Lattice is exploding, and there is a lot of info out there to soak up.
Me and someone else at my store thought of a clever include for the sideboard and use of this card. For a way of getting back artifacts that get destroyed we can run Relic of Progenitus as a Graveyard hate card and as a way of getting artifacts and hate artifacts that have been destroyed.
EDIT: also just thought about this when I saw the Tormod's crypt, Relic exiles itself so it's GV hate that we can keep getting back with Karn.
EDIT: I’m guessing you upped the Chalice count to 4 main because you’re almost never Karnwishing for it?
Round 1 - Burn
Round 2 - RUG Wizards Stompy
Round 3 - Humans
Round 4 - Affinity
Round 5 - Infect
3 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Blood Moon
Creatures (10)
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
4 Legion Warboss
1 Siege-Gang Commander
1 Goblin Cratermaker
Planeswalkers (5)
3 Karn, the Great Creator
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Removal (4)
2 Abrade
1 Dismember
1 Bonfire of the Damned
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Desperate Ritual
1 Pyretic Ritual
Lands (21)
12 Mountains
3 Gemstone Caverns
3 Ramunap Ruins
1 Zhalfirin Void
1 Mutavault
1 Blast Zone
3 Torpor Orb
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Sorcerous Spyglass
2 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Spellskite
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Damping Sphere
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Liquimetal Coating
1 Mycosynth Lattice
Am I 100% on this design? Yes. Yes, I am. It's finely tuned for today's meta: Humans, Tron, U/W Control, Arclight Phoenix, and Dredge. Further, the slots in both the mainboard and sideboard ignore some matchups which are already favored (GDS/Infect/Phoenix) and hit with smashing force against the tougher decks (Humans/Tron/U-W).
OUTLIER REMOVAL SPELL SELECTIONS
One particularly unusual addition is Bonfire of the Damned. Too often Slagstorm was self-defeating or Anger of the Gods was a blank - so Zero traditional sweepers in the maindeck. Now, Bonfire is never a blank, and it finally gives us a way to target Planeswalkers again. With little draw in the deck, it's safe to say that it will be the '1st card drawn' enabling Miracle. || Another bold addition is Dismember. I saw a couple in Pascal Classen' Top 8 list, and I'm following his lesson. Despite the heavy cost, its impact is worth it. Particularly against an early Noble Hierarch or Thalia.
THE CANNONBALL
Siege-Gang Commander. Goblins all over creation, thus the bringing back of my original name for '8-Rabble outfitted with On-a-Stick spells' (like Goblin Cratermaker) Goblin' Gun. This dude is a 4-for-1 at a minimum. Caligula overlayed the Karn Package onto an 8 Rabble Stock List of Pyro Prison, and I'm turning this one up to 11. Yup, where I was once trying to sculpt a more elegant construction of synergies, now I am counting upon plentiful & consistent hammer blows of goblinized machinations.
LANDS
Mutavault - hey that's another goblin! Blast Zone for random clean-up since I'm light on sweepers & Zhalfirin Void to assist with dig in a deck that has never tried harder to be "The Sideboard Deck".
SIDEBOARD
Torpor Orbs abound and a special effort was made to shut down decks that exploit greedy land bases/tron land bases. The overall approach is one of a 'silver bullet' arsenal. The threats are all front-loaded into the mainboard.
100% -- It's a culmination of so many styles of Pyro Prison that we have collectively mined and crafted. We all share in this 5-0, and I predict more to come....
>>> Take this option for example:
+ Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin
(+) 2nd Pyretic Ritual
That's where I am right now........now