You are almost correct regarding MB and SB. 4 searing blaze effects just does not enough against pod decks. It should be something like 3-4 blaze mb, 0-1 blaze and 1-3 searing blood SB. Grim Lavamancers were stars all day long. Don't cut them. It requires opponent to spend removal on it because if not - then this guy could very easily end the game. Wear tear was good but I think not enough. Leylines helped me won several games against mirror and rg valakut. If you run white - I think they are worth 2 sb slots because if you draw them against several decks - it is just a free win.
Gore and cage is not the cards I want to play in sb.
Probably I will be moving into BRg direction.
-4 boros charm
+1 or 2 searing blaze
+1 or 2 shard volley
Sb
-3 wear tear
+3 disruptive revelry
- gore and cage
+2 searing blood
Still 21 land. Because of GLs, shard volley and because it will allow you to mull aggressively and start with a no lander 5-cards hand on a draw as I did against mono blue tron. Then I drew a land...
Btw: My loses were to junk, pod and affinity. First two - just because of my mistakes. Affinity gets nuts draw with champion-plating and welding jar in both games. 22nd place
3 of my losses were to Affinity and one to Merfolk, and I want to make some changes to improve those matchups. Right now, I'm replacing the Hellspark Elementals with Grim Lavamancers, but the Flames of the Blood Hands could also be cut for something else.
I found Boros Charm not enough interactive. The best case scenario is 4 damage to the opponent through Spellskite. The worst thing about it - it is the converted mana cost. The deck is already overloaded with two mana spells - Skullcrack (which I will play no less than set), Eidolon (also a set of) and Searing Blaze depending on the meta. Control meta - 2-3, Aggro meta - 4. Adding another set of two mana burn does not worth the consistency. So I decided to cut a white for green because it is just not possible to play four color deck even if one color is just a splash.
Personally I think that 3 blaze and 3 volley is the way to go but that needs to be tested.
Why Searing Blood. I haven't tested them yet in Modern. But my fillings during every game with Pod/Affinity that I want-want-want searing blaze on turn two-three. Two blazes - it is almost a game against pod decks. They lose tempo, they lose creatures, blockers, mana dorks, they lose life. I know that Searing Blood is not Searing Blaze but I think it will find its targets.
Why Revelry. If we want to be competitive we must handle any game state and when opponent started with leyline against us - this should be answered somehow. We can't just ignore it and be in the situation when our opponent gets a free win against us.
Leyline is not the only problem - Spellskite and Courser of Kruphix also bring a little trouble.
I played 3 wear/tear to address these issues and I am not happy with the efficiency. Revelry is basically the same thing as wear/tear but also does damage and THIS IS IMPORTANT
I usually bring artifact/enchantment removal against:
1. UR Twin (destroys the combo and Spellskite.
2. TRON - kills early artifact, Batterskull, stops Wurmcoil for a turn
3. Affinity - that is obvious.
4. Ad Nauseum - leyline/lotus in upkeep
5. Storm - ascension
6. Pod - if they don't side out Pods (which is unusual)
7. URW Control - leyline/spellskite/Circle of protection?
8. Tokens - leyline/pump enchantments
9. Junk - if Kruphix was detected.
10. Mirror - to kill their Eidolons and Dragon's Claw
I could have both smash to smithereens and revelry in the sideboard but I would prefer to have revelry and R charm since the last one is much more versatile.
Why Leylines. It is the whole philosophy behind that. I would like to play cards that (if unanswered) give you a free easy win. Leylines and kataki - are that cards. I do not want to interrupt my main plan and I still need to count to twenty. So the only affordable count is 1 or 2. I was choosing between Dragon's Claw and Leylines to improve my mirror match and realized that I would like to see leylines in my opening hand rather than claw and see leylines as a topdeck on turn 3-4 and cast if for the full mana cost. (I have 21 lands, remember?) The same thing with kataki - it is a free win against affinity. Just play right around their removal.
BTW: maybe I will left one Sacred Foundry and leave Kataki in sideboard. That will give me a small percentage of free wins anyway and will not disrupt my manabase.. hopefully
Adding green probably will allow me to replace Combust with Abrupt Decay it is more versatile and could be boarded in against verity of decks including ones that play creatures with pro-red. But as I said needs to be tested.
Which match-ups do you bring in molten rain against?? Would you ever consider it against the shaky manabase of small zoo? Allowing you to maybe color screw them and at the same time shrink kird ape and wild nacatl? Is it worth it?
Personally, I wouldn't want to rely on 3cmc SB cards against decks as fast as small ZOO, its not that it cant or potentially wont be effective, but in my personal experience decks like small zoo, you are absolutely racing and as such you want nothing but 1cmc and a few 2 cmc spells. I wouldnt even run volcanic fallout or anger of the gods because you are more than likely only going to kill a coouple creatures and its going to completely time walk yourself leaving in many cases 1 or 2 Goyfs left on the board to swing in for 6-8 damage many times. I personally just like to run a full suite of searing blaze and keep evrything else as cheap as possible. Just my 2 cents. Also do a lot of math dont be afraid to bolt a guy if you think you have enough business left in your hand to deal with them or obviously if you are just flat out going to lose if you dont.
Molten Rain vs Zoo isnt that great/worth the slot. Molten Rain is good vs Scapeshift, Tron and decks that utilize Man Lands very well.
As for Volcanic Fallout and Flamebreak vs Zoo, Goblins, Delver, Merfolk, Elves, Tokens and a variety of decks is great especially sonce its never a dead card because it also damages the player. Anger of the Gods is better suited for Jund as a side board as it is useless vs some decks where as the other 2 will net you damage to the player. Yeah yeah Anger of the Gods helps vs Pod but thats what Torpor Orb is for and with my deck set up its hard for Qasali Pridemage to wreck my Orb because I run Sudden Shock and I hate QP.
Who cares if VF or FB dont kill Goyf, Searing Blace and Lightning Bolt cant either on its own if Goyf is at 4 power but if you attack with a Goblin Guide and they block with a Goyf/Smiter/Resto/whatever 4+ toughness then drop a VF or FB then you kill the creature, possibly more then one and hit the player. Vs Delver, Merfolk and any deck running counters VF cant be countered.
I can understand the flamebreak because theres a good chance that you will at lest kill some things, but with zoo there is such a low percentage of creatures that your going to kill with Volcaninc fallout, its just not worth running the 3cmc for a simple 2 damage to the dome and a small percentage of a chance that you'll get a critter...maybe. In general I dont think any of the 3cmc spells are even remotely worth a slot in your deck against zoo, but I mentioned that earlier. As for not getting goyfs, etc. well thats not really the point, I know bolts dot either, but bolts are 3 for 1 and you can effectively try and race zoo with that efficiency is all I mean.
Played RW Burn at GP Boston (list is here). I started off 4-0 (no byes), but disappointingly fell to 4-3 and dropped. There were problems with the list, which I will address at the end.
Round 1 vs Burn
She admitted being new to Modern and said she played Soul Sisters at GP Richmond. I cringed really hard inside, but she said she was trying out something different. Her deck wasn't optimal, playing cards like Browbeat and Stigma Lasher, so I won both games easily.
2-0 (1-0)
Round 2 vs UW Control
An awful matchup, since he played 4 Kitchen Finks and 4 Restoration Angel. I won game 1 when he was at 6 life and 2 mana open, and I had 2 lands with 2 Shard Volley. I went YOLO and cast one, figuring if he didn't counter it, then he didn't have one at all. So I went to zero lands and won. I won game 3 thanks to well-timed Skullcracks.
2-1 (2-0)
Round 3 vs Rock
My opponent Slaughter Pacts my Satyr Firedancer, attacks me, and has me dead on board, while he sits at 16 life. I only have one out, so I draw, cast a burn spell, and pass the turn. Thankfully, he drew a card and failed to pay for Pact, and I won. Game 2 I shrunk his Tarmogoyf with Rest in Peace, and cast several Lightning Helix before he played Phyrexian Obliterator, and I killed him quickly.
2-0 (3-0)
Round 4 vs Kiki Pod
He mulligans to six and I Searing Blood his Birds of Paradise, then he fails to find land number 4. Game 2 he plays a Voice of Resurgence while I have Satyr Firedancer in play, so I cast Searing Blood on my turn to kill Voice, the triggers get ordered so his token comes into play before I deal 3 to him, then Firedancer can kill the token. He failed to find a third Island for Cryptic Command, and the game ends quickly thereafter.
2-0 (4-0)
Round 5 vs UWR Control (Jackie Lee)
I quickly learn how good Restoration Angel is and how big of a mistake not having Combust in my sideboard is, and I lose rather quickly (though I got her to 6 and 4 each game).
0-2 (4-1)
Round 6 vs Kiki Pod
I get my opponent to three life, but he cast Splinter Twin the turn prior to having enough gas to kill him. In the second game, I get destroyed by Kitchen Finks and Restoration Angel.
0-2 (4-2)
Round 7 vs RG Tron
Turn 3 Wurmcoil Engine game 1 prompts me to scoop almost immediately, as I have no out. Game 2 has him landing a turn 4 Wurmcoil Engine, and I Skullcrack his first attack. He is at 4 life and I have Shard Volley in hand, but I draw a land and die.
I loved playing RW, but the list had some huge flaws, namely not playing Path to Exile and Combust. I also think control is an awful match up. Thus, this is my list moving forward:
Going to try Keldon Marauders in my Searing Blood slots for awhile. Searing Blood has often been a dead card for me due to my matchups I'm getting more wins than I thought I would off of Shrine. It's very impressive late game if it doesn't get bounced. Lots of Hexproof / Blue matchups. Got rid of Anger of the Gods for Volcanic Fallout.
Finally got my 4th Arid Mesa. Now to work on Scalding Tarns... I'm no longer having any problems drawing a black land. Still getting 100% value out of the scars lands. Just going to focus on reducing the number of shock lands I have when I get a new fetch.
Which match-ups do you bring in molten rain against?? Would you ever consider it against the shaky manabase of small zoo? Allowing you to maybe color screw them and at the same time shrink kird ape and wild nacatl? Is it worth it?
Personally, I wouldn't want to rely on 3cmc SB cards against decks as fast as small ZOO, its not that it cant or potentially wont be effective, but in my personal experience decks like small zoo, you are absolutely racing and as such you want nothing but 1cmc and a few 2 cmc spells. I wouldnt even run volcanic fallout or anger of the gods because you are more than likely only going to kill a coouple creatures and its going to completely time walk yourself leaving in many cases 1 or 2 Goyfs left on the board to swing in for 6-8 damage many times. I personally just like to run a full suite of searing blaze and keep evrything else as cheap as possible. Just my 2 cents. Also do a lot of math dont be afraid to bolt a guy if you think you have enough business left in your hand to deal with them or obviously if you are just flat out going to lose if you dont.
Molten Rain vs Zoo isnt that great/worth the slot. Molten Rain is good vs Scapeshift, Tron and decks that utilize Man Lands very well.
As for Volcanic Fallout and Flamebreak vs Zoo, Goblins, Delver, Merfolk, Elves, Tokens and a variety of decks is great especially sonce its never a dead card because it also damages the player. Anger of the Gods is better suited for Jund as a side board as it is useless vs some decks where as the other 2 will net you damage to the player. Yeah yeah Anger of the Gods helps vs Pod but thats what Torpor Orb is for and with my deck set up its hard for Qasali Pridemage to wreck my Orb because I run Sudden Shock and I hate QP.
Who cares if VF or FB dont kill Goyf, Searing Blace and Lightning Bolt cant either on its own if Goyf is at 4 power but if you attack with a Goblin Guide and they block with a Goyf/Smiter/Resto/whatever 4+ toughness then drop a VF or FB then you kill the creature, possibly more then one and hit the player. Vs Delver, Merfolk and any deck running counters VF cant be countered.
I can understand the flamebreak because theres a good chance that you will at lest kill some things, but with zoo there is such a low percentage of creatures that your going to kill with Volcaninc fallout, its just not worth running the 3cmc for a simple 2 damage to the dome and a small percentage of a chance that you'll get a critter...maybe. In general I dont think any of the 3cmc spells are even remotely worth a slot in your deck against zoo, but I mentioned that earlier. As for not getting goyfs, etc. well thats not really the point, I know bolts dot either, but bolts are 3 for 1 and you can effectively try and race zoo with that efficiency is all I mean.
Um I mentioned several other decks not only Zoo that Volcanic Fallout come into play very useful. We can agree to disagree. In my meta and experience vs Delver, Elves, Merfolk, Tokens, Goblins, etc and even Twin just to name a few. VF has been a very useful card for me. Cursecatcher, Pact of Negation, Counterbalance, Dispel and so on and so on wont stop it. At Instant speed you can use it in response to something. Have you have run it/play tested it (which you may have I dont know) a lot. It has severed me very well in Modern and Legacy. Yeah the whole 3 mana cost isnt the greatest but the fact it cant be countered and is an Instant comes in handy. There have been way too many situations I have encountered (that I wont get into each one) where I have been happy to have it. This card like many is a preference. Id rather have VF then Flamebreak even though its 1 less damage. But I run 4 and 2 because in my meta I like to have a 1 per 10 ratio giving me a good shot to get at least 1 in the first 10 cards.
3 mana Burn cards are always very a debatable thing, some players wont them or very few number of them in a deck.
Now as Im also an avid Zoo player, VF can do a lot of damage to Zoo depending on the variation and situations. No it wont be as good vs every single variation of Zoo but its how you use it in situations. Many things sound good and bad in theory but again in my experience and meta Im running it. If your meta and experience with the card says not to play it then thats fine thats your take. For me being on here is about getting and giving ideas, sharing experiences and adding input. There are many other Burn cards that are up for debate like Vexing Devil, Grim Lavamancer, the list of a handful of 2 drop creatures and so on. And in the end one card the may work well for one may not work well for another.
Which would you guy choose, and why? Keldon has a big butt, almost always does atleast 2 and up to 5, however can be chumped. They have to exhaust a lightning bolt card on him to get rid of him or a path to exile if they don't have any blockers for the turn he attacks. Hellspark Elemental is tiny at the waist but the trample can be very relevant. Haste means you won't necessarily know he will be there. His Unearth is super relevant to an exhausted or close to exhausted hand. Not really a point of comparison but the DCI promo of Hellspark is GORGEOUS. I'm buying both but having trouble deciding which to play with first.
Which would you guy choose, and why? Keldon has a big butt, almost always does atleast 2 and up to 5, however can be chumped. They have to exhaust a lightning bolt card on him to get rid of him or a path to exile if they don't have any blockers for the turn he attacks. Hellspark Elemental is tiny at the waist but the trample can be very relevant. Haste means you won't necessarily know he will be there. His Unearth is super relevant to an exhausted or close to exhausted hand. Not really a point of comparison but the DCI promo of Hellspark is GORGEOUS. I'm buying both but having trouble deciding which to play with first.
I think this depends on your type of deck.
I personnaly prefer Keldon Marauders, because it is guaranteed 2 damage. Hellspark helped me a lot in the past, an can be relevant in the end.
Test them both, and play the one you feel the most comforted with...
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Which would you guy choose, and why? Keldon has a big butt, almost always does atleast 2 and up to 5, however can be chumped. They have to exhaust a lightning bolt card on him to get rid of him or a path to exile if they don't have any blockers for the turn he attacks. Hellspark Elemental is tiny at the waist but the trample can be very relevant. Haste means you won't necessarily know he will be there. His Unearth is super relevant to an exhausted or close to exhausted hand. Not really a point of comparison but the DCI promo of Hellspark is GORGEOUS. I'm buying both but having trouble deciding which to play with first.
I have a playset of DCI Hellsparks and I regret nothing. they are simply stunning.
Now, as for their use as well as Marauders. Hellspark has never left my deck since I put it in there, and many times they have been MVP of the match. First tournament I used them in, I beat Rwb control because he couldn't deal with them while keeping my regular burn spells in check, which I bottlenecked him with anyway. It's 6 damage for 1 card, which helps in many ways, like if you draw too many lands, you still have that backup bolt. If they see it in the Yard, they night not swing with Goyf so it can sit back and block, and on a similar note, it has haste so you can swing after they do. The problems of being a creature do not outweigh the advantages that it has in my mind, and so far, it's proven tried and true for me. As a side note, Unearth doesn't trigger Eidolon, which is only another plus.
Marauders is another card that I use extensively. It's either tempo or 5 damage. What do I mean? It shows up and deals 1. Then they either swing through, hold a block, or kill it. At the end of the day, you're more than likely ahead because you're going to deal another 1 damage. If they let it connect, then it's another 3 and you just did a quarter of their starting life. Win/Win. This card doesn't have the advantage of coming back if it's countered, but it has the advantage of keeping you ahead and letting them the ink they're in the lead because they just "prevented" 3 damage by not swinging or otherwise killing it. You still dealt damage no matter what, and yltheybstill potentially lost a card out of it. I stopped using Marauders for awhile after I cut white for Revelry, now I'm back to Rwb, and put Marauders back in, and I never knew how much I missed them. First game after the switch they did their job and I realized how much I missed them.
TLDR - Run both. If you absolutely had to choose one, I would say Hellspark, but it's very close.
After reading both your your posts I think I'm going to go ahead and test both together. The more and more I've drawn or had magma jet in my opening hand the more I've made it a secondary card. Sure the scry is great but sometimes it can be too little too late, especially late game. I think I'll go ahead and try 2 Keldon Marauders in it's spot instead. That leaves me with 3 Hellspark Elemental in place of my 3 Searing Blood. That brings me to this deck list:
This deck is definetely shying away from regular Burn and more towards a hybrid Red Deck Wins however I think it still has enough burn in it to still be considered burn. After I cross the 6 fetchland threshold I'll be bumping Searing Blaze up from 3 to 4. Just slowly working on affording them. As for right now, can't wait to get in those 3 japanese DCI foil Hellspark Elemental cards I found floating around on ebay on the cheap.
Not sure if you guys read the mothership or not but Pro Tours and Magic Online Championships are back on modo (with two Standard event in one month) so I'll be taking a break from Modern until next month (which is a Modern MOCS :P).
I should mention that I gave the 21 lands (9 fetches) Jund Burn list a shot, while I did lose I loved how the list felt in terms of opening hands and mulls - I think if we're going to go with 21 lands though you'll more value from your burn spells so Rbw or Rbwg would be more optimal.
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Guys I'm interested in your current opinions on Vexing Devil? Its seems like such an attractive card but it turns on opponents removal and doesn't always help in late game topdeck mode when your looking for "the last 3."
You've nailed why Vexing is bad. I've been playing him and he's OK. In the opening hand and first two turns he's great and usually 4 damage. After that, he's a chump. I am taking him out for now.
To a good extent, the fewer other creatures you run, and the later it comes, the worse Vexing Devil is.
That said, I run a mono-red list that has 18 lands where nothing costs more than two mana, so I MD the set. Both options are so good that I don't mind if they spot remove him.
I will preface this by saying that of all the Modern decks I tool around with (Gr Tron, Affinity, Merfolk, Soul Sisters, 8-Rack, and this one), this is the most successful list I run into a blind meta, save for possibly Gr Tron.
This was originally built as a playtest deck, and something to teach newer players with. Its win consistency is amazingly high, though, even post-board against many decks you wouldn't think it would stand a chance against.
The lack of anything costing three or more means more draws deal damage, simple as that. It has just enough creatures to be able to play around even Leyline of Sanctity without nearly auto-scooping.
Guides and Devils ensure early damage, and bait all kinds of removal (often after their damage is done).
Marauders do great damage or gum up the board, and end up as Lavamancer fuel. They are also easily sided out if the need arises (see Torpor Orb in the side comments below).
Shard Volley and Grim Lavamancer do great damage, and synergize well when you draw more than the required amount of Mountains.
Hellspark is great as a 2-for-3 that can come back for more, and uncounterably. Used to run Magma Jet here, but Hellspark is so much better since the unearth cost doesn't trigger Eidolon. Worst-case, it still feeds Lavamancer triggers in your curve.
Eidolon, incidentally, took this deck from good to great almost instantly, forcing a damned either way proposition for all but immediate counters. I'm glad people are realizing just how good this card can be for burn decks. It's not broken by any means, but it's the two-drop red really needed. Stick it early, and often, and it will carry you to victory in matches you'd have no business winning otherwise.
Skullcrack rounds out the usual burn suite, giving outs in races pre-board against anything that gains life.
Searing Blood is an easy sub when you want to kill utility/extreme value creatures while maintaining damage pressure.
Sudden Shock isn't the best value proposition for damage to mana cost, but it makes up for it against Infect, unwary Soul Sisters (who should never play Martyrs unless they plan to immediately pop them), Twin, Pod, and blue with counters and/or Spellskite. It's enough to shut some decks down by surprise, and two indirectable/uncounterable damage is not to be scoffed at.
Smash to Smithereens is like Searing Blood, but for artifacts. Shattering Spree could work in some small ratio split if there is a lot of Affinity or counter-backed Spellskites, but the raw damage potential of Smash with the maindeck pushes me that way for now. Stopping Inkmoth Nexus or Vault Skirge while dealing three damage at an often critical time is very difficult to rally back from for Affinity. Also, it rips hosers like the aforementioned Skite, and any number of siege-style artifacts before they can slow you down.
Torpor Orb shuts off so many things that try to overrun or stymie this deck that it's hard not to include. As the only nonland card between the main and side that doesn't deal damage, it's potent enough against the top tiers (and Soul Sisters) to merit inclusion.
Fetchlands should find their way in some proportion to the land base to fuel Lavamancers, but even without them, it takes a very specific and dedicated deck to regularly stop this build. It has enough interaction through a brutally efficient blend of spell and creature damage to outpace the best of Modern. It has lines of play against even uphill matches in ways many blindly-constructed burn decks simply don't.
Of course, being a mono-colored red deck means cards like Leyline and especially Worship are very difficult to stop, as well as decks like Bogles. You typically have lines of play though, and you have to recognize them as soon as you see what you're up against. If you can, you'll be amazed at what this simple build is capable of.
Interesting take Thenarus, being ably to potentially beat a Leyline while staying MONO_R is cool. I think I'm gonna dig up my Keldon Marauders that are somewhere hiding in some long boxes... The marauders are a strong card that have fallen out of favor but could be as good as ever.
At the IQ I won a few weeks ago there was another burn player in the top 8 running 4 maindeck Reverberate. While that seems like a poor maindeck choice it could have some interesting sideboard applications against control decks. I watched him copy Cryptic Command and Electrolyze several times to great effect. What are your thoughts on having it as a two of?
Alcoholism is a disease, but it's the only one you can get yelled at for having. "God**** it Otto, you are an alcoholic." "God**** it Otto, you have Lupus" ... one of those two doesn't sound right.
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Undefeated in day one :
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
3 Grim Lavamancer
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Rift Bolt
4 Bump in the Night
4 Lava Spike
2 Shard Volley
2 Searing Blaze
4 Boros Charm
4 Skullcrack
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Arid Mesa
4 Scalding Tarn
1 Marsh Flats
1 Blood Crypt
3 Mountain
3 Wear // Tear
2 Rakdos Charm
2 Combust
2 Leyline of Sanctity
1 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Spellskite
1 Rain of Gore
1 Grafdigger's Cage
interesting sideboard ! Leyline ? Kataki ?
Then in the trial winners :
4 Goblin Guide
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Mogg Fanatic
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Ash Zealot
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Pillar of Flame
2 Shard Volley
4 Searing Blaze
10 Mountain
4 Arid Mesa
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Teetering Peaks
3 Mutagenic Growth
3 Relic of Progenitus
2 Gut Shot
2 Searing Blood
1 Grafdigger's Cage
more RDW than burn, but still interesting !
Raphael Levy made Day 2 with Mono-red burn, see http://magic.wizards.com/en/events/coverage/gpbos14/r11fm
but no burn in the Top 8, sadly.
Still, if you know other successful decklists, do share !
This seems indeed solid !
You are almost correct regarding MB and SB. 4 searing blaze effects just does not enough against pod decks. It should be something like 3-4 blaze mb, 0-1 blaze and 1-3 searing blood SB. Grim Lavamancers were stars all day long. Don't cut them. It requires opponent to spend removal on it because if not - then this guy could very easily end the game. Wear tear was good but I think not enough. Leylines helped me won several games against mirror and rg valakut. If you run white - I think they are worth 2 sb slots because if you draw them against several decks - it is just a free win.
Gore and cage is not the cards I want to play in sb.
Probably I will be moving into BRg direction.
-4 boros charm
+1 or 2 searing blaze
+1 or 2 shard volley
Sb
-3 wear tear
+3 disruptive revelry
- gore and cage
+2 searing blood
Still 21 land. Because of GLs, shard volley and because it will allow you to mull aggressively and start with a no lander 5-cards hand on a draw as I did against mono blue tron. Then I drew a land...
Btw: My loses were to junk, pod and affinity. First two - just because of my mistakes. Affinity gets nuts draw with champion-plating and welding jar in both games. 22nd place
I would appreciate any comments.
Thanks.
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Mountain
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
2 Copperline Gorge
1 Blood Crypt
1 Stomping Ground
4 Goblin Guide
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
2 Hellspark Elemental
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt
4 Bump in the Night
4 Shard Volley
4 Skullcrack
4 Searing Blaze
2 Flames of the Blood Hand
3 Molten Rain
4 Rakdos Charm
4 Searing Blood
3 of my losses were to Affinity and one to Merfolk, and I want to make some changes to improve those matchups. Right now, I'm replacing the Hellspark Elementals with Grim Lavamancers, but the Flames of the Blood Hands could also be cut for something else.
Personally I think that 3 blaze and 3 volley is the way to go but that needs to be tested.
Why Searing Blood. I haven't tested them yet in Modern. But my fillings during every game with Pod/Affinity that I want-want-want searing blaze on turn two-three. Two blazes - it is almost a game against pod decks. They lose tempo, they lose creatures, blockers, mana dorks, they lose life. I know that Searing Blood is not Searing Blaze but I think it will find its targets.
Why Revelry. If we want to be competitive we must handle any game state and when opponent started with leyline against us - this should be answered somehow. We can't just ignore it and be in the situation when our opponent gets a free win against us.
Leyline is not the only problem - Spellskite and Courser of Kruphix also bring a little trouble.
I played 3 wear/tear to address these issues and I am not happy with the efficiency. Revelry is basically the same thing as wear/tear but also does damage and THIS IS IMPORTANT
I usually bring artifact/enchantment removal against:
1. UR Twin (destroys the combo and Spellskite.
2. TRON - kills early artifact, Batterskull, stops Wurmcoil for a turn
3. Affinity - that is obvious.
4. Ad Nauseum - leyline/lotus in upkeep
5. Storm - ascension
6. Pod - if they don't side out Pods (which is unusual)
7. URW Control - leyline/spellskite/Circle of protection?
8. Tokens - leyline/pump enchantments
9. Junk - if Kruphix was detected.
10. Mirror - to kill their Eidolons and Dragon's Claw
I could have both smash to smithereens and revelry in the sideboard but I would prefer to have revelry and R charm since the last one is much more versatile.
Why Leylines. It is the whole philosophy behind that. I would like to play cards that (if unanswered) give you a free easy win. Leylines and kataki - are that cards. I do not want to interrupt my main plan and I still need to count to twenty. So the only affordable count is 1 or 2. I was choosing between Dragon's Claw and Leylines to improve my mirror match and realized that I would like to see leylines in my opening hand rather than claw and see leylines as a topdeck on turn 3-4 and cast if for the full mana cost. (I have 21 lands, remember?) The same thing with kataki - it is a free win against affinity. Just play right around their removal.
BTW: maybe I will left one Sacred Foundry and leave Kataki in sideboard. That will give me a small percentage of free wins anyway and will not disrupt my manabase.. hopefully
Adding green probably will allow me to replace Combust with Abrupt Decay it is more versatile and could be boarded in against verity of decks including ones that play creatures with pro-red. But as I said needs to be tested.
any comments on that?
I can understand the flamebreak because theres a good chance that you will at lest kill some things, but with zoo there is such a low percentage of creatures that your going to kill with Volcaninc fallout, its just not worth running the 3cmc for a simple 2 damage to the dome and a small percentage of a chance that you'll get a critter...maybe. In general I dont think any of the 3cmc spells are even remotely worth a slot in your deck against zoo, but I mentioned that earlier. As for not getting goyfs, etc. well thats not really the point, I know bolts dot either, but bolts are 3 for 1 and you can effectively try and race zoo with that efficiency is all I mean.
Round 1 vs Burn
She admitted being new to Modern and said she played Soul Sisters at GP Richmond. I cringed really hard inside, but she said she was trying out something different. Her deck wasn't optimal, playing cards like Browbeat and Stigma Lasher, so I won both games easily.
2-0 (1-0)
Round 2 vs UW Control
An awful matchup, since he played 4 Kitchen Finks and 4 Restoration Angel. I won game 1 when he was at 6 life and 2 mana open, and I had 2 lands with 2 Shard Volley. I went YOLO and cast one, figuring if he didn't counter it, then he didn't have one at all. So I went to zero lands and won. I won game 3 thanks to well-timed Skullcracks.
2-1 (2-0)
Round 3 vs Rock
My opponent Slaughter Pacts my Satyr Firedancer, attacks me, and has me dead on board, while he sits at 16 life. I only have one out, so I draw, cast a burn spell, and pass the turn. Thankfully, he drew a card and failed to pay for Pact, and I won. Game 2 I shrunk his Tarmogoyf with Rest in Peace, and cast several Lightning Helix before he played Phyrexian Obliterator, and I killed him quickly.
2-0 (3-0)
Round 4 vs Kiki Pod
He mulligans to six and I Searing Blood his Birds of Paradise, then he fails to find land number 4. Game 2 he plays a Voice of Resurgence while I have Satyr Firedancer in play, so I cast Searing Blood on my turn to kill Voice, the triggers get ordered so his token comes into play before I deal 3 to him, then Firedancer can kill the token. He failed to find a third Island for Cryptic Command, and the game ends quickly thereafter.
2-0 (4-0)
Round 5 vs UWR Control (Jackie Lee)
I quickly learn how good Restoration Angel is and how big of a mistake not having Combust in my sideboard is, and I lose rather quickly (though I got her to 6 and 4 each game).
0-2 (4-1)
Round 6 vs Kiki Pod
I get my opponent to three life, but he cast Splinter Twin the turn prior to having enough gas to kill him. In the second game, I get destroyed by Kitchen Finks and Restoration Angel.
0-2 (4-2)
Round 7 vs RG Tron
Turn 3 Wurmcoil Engine game 1 prompts me to scoop almost immediately, as I have no out. Game 2 has him landing a turn 4 Wurmcoil Engine, and I Skullcrack his first attack. He is at 4 life and I have Shard Volley in hand, but I draw a land and die.
I loved playing RW, but the list had some huge flaws, namely not playing Path to Exile and Combust. I also think control is an awful match up. Thus, this is my list moving forward:
4 Goblin Guide
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
#Spells
4 Boros Charm
4 Lava Spike
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
2 Path to Exile
4 Rift Bolt
3 Searing Blood
4 Shard Volley
4 Skullcrack
4 Arid Mesa
3 Battlefield Forge
7 Mountain
1 Plains
4 Sacred Foundry
3 Rest in Peace
3 Wear // Tear
2 Molten Rain
3 Combust
1 Path to Exile
2 Defense Grid
1 Searing Blood
Finally got my 4th Arid Mesa. Now to work on Scalding Tarns... I'm no longer having any problems drawing a black land. Still getting 100% value out of the scars lands. Just going to focus on reducing the number of shock lands I have when I get a new fetch.
Current List
4 Vexing Devil
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
3 Keldon Marauders
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Shard Volley
4 Bump in the Night
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt
2 Magma Jet
3 Searing Blaze
2 Shrine of Burning Rage
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
4 Copperline Gorge
1 Stomping Ground
3 Blood Crypt
3 Mountain
4 Destructive Revelry
3 Rakdos Charm
3 Skullcrack
2 Volcanic Fallout
RGWNaya BurnRGW+++RGWKiki ComboRGW
UGInfectUG+++++++++.++++++++UGMerfolkUG
GGNykthos WaveGG++++++++++GGStompyGG
BRVampiresBR+++++++.+++++++BRGoblinsBR
WGBogglesWG+++++++++++++CRSkred RedCR
UBRGDredgeUBRG++++++++++BB8 RackBB
URWJeskaiURW+++.++UBRGrixis DelverUBR
URStormUR++++++++UWGBant CompanyUWG
WUBRGHumansWUBRG+CCEldrazi TronCC
Um I mentioned several other decks not only Zoo that Volcanic Fallout come into play very useful. We can agree to disagree. In my meta and experience vs Delver, Elves, Merfolk, Tokens, Goblins, etc and even Twin just to name a few. VF has been a very useful card for me. Cursecatcher, Pact of Negation, Counterbalance, Dispel and so on and so on wont stop it. At Instant speed you can use it in response to something. Have you have run it/play tested it (which you may have I dont know) a lot. It has severed me very well in Modern and Legacy. Yeah the whole 3 mana cost isnt the greatest but the fact it cant be countered and is an Instant comes in handy. There have been way too many situations I have encountered (that I wont get into each one) where I have been happy to have it. This card like many is a preference. Id rather have VF then Flamebreak even though its 1 less damage. But I run 4 and 2 because in my meta I like to have a 1 per 10 ratio giving me a good shot to get at least 1 in the first 10 cards.
3 mana Burn cards are always very a debatable thing, some players wont them or very few number of them in a deck.
Now as Im also an avid Zoo player, VF can do a lot of damage to Zoo depending on the variation and situations. No it wont be as good vs every single variation of Zoo but its how you use it in situations. Many things sound good and bad in theory but again in my experience and meta Im running it. If your meta and experience with the card says not to play it then thats fine thats your take. For me being on here is about getting and giving ideas, sharing experiences and adding input. There are many other Burn cards that are up for debate like Vexing Devil, Grim Lavamancer, the list of a handful of 2 drop creatures and so on. And in the end one card the may work well for one may not work well for another.
Cheers
Which would you guy choose, and why? Keldon has a big butt, almost always does atleast 2 and up to 5, however can be chumped. They have to exhaust a lightning bolt card on him to get rid of him or a path to exile if they don't have any blockers for the turn he attacks. Hellspark Elemental is tiny at the waist but the trample can be very relevant. Haste means you won't necessarily know he will be there. His Unearth is super relevant to an exhausted or close to exhausted hand. Not really a point of comparison but the DCI promo of Hellspark is GORGEOUS. I'm buying both but having trouble deciding which to play with first.
RGWNaya BurnRGW+++RGWKiki ComboRGW
UGInfectUG+++++++++.++++++++UGMerfolkUG
GGNykthos WaveGG++++++++++GGStompyGG
BRVampiresBR+++++++.+++++++BRGoblinsBR
WGBogglesWG+++++++++++++CRSkred RedCR
UBRGDredgeUBRG++++++++++BB8 RackBB
URWJeskaiURW+++.++UBRGrixis DelverUBR
URStormUR++++++++UWGBant CompanyUWG
WUBRGHumansWUBRG+CCEldrazi TronCC
I think this depends on your type of deck.
I personnaly prefer Keldon Marauders, because it is guaranteed 2 damage. Hellspark helped me a lot in the past, an can be relevant in the end.
Test them both, and play the one you feel the most comforted with...
"Only the dead have seen the end of the war."
Modern 0Affinity
Modern Silverblack RRed Deck Wins
Tiny Leaders EDH RWUShu Yun
Commander RWGUril, the Sad Panda
Commander RDarretti, the Scrap Lord
I have a playset of DCI Hellsparks and I regret nothing. they are simply stunning.
Now, as for their use as well as Marauders. Hellspark has never left my deck since I put it in there, and many times they have been MVP of the match. First tournament I used them in, I beat Rwb control because he couldn't deal with them while keeping my regular burn spells in check, which I bottlenecked him with anyway. It's 6 damage for 1 card, which helps in many ways, like if you draw too many lands, you still have that backup bolt. If they see it in the Yard, they night not swing with Goyf so it can sit back and block, and on a similar note, it has haste so you can swing after they do. The problems of being a creature do not outweigh the advantages that it has in my mind, and so far, it's proven tried and true for me. As a side note, Unearth doesn't trigger Eidolon, which is only another plus.
Marauders is another card that I use extensively. It's either tempo or 5 damage. What do I mean? It shows up and deals 1. Then they either swing through, hold a block, or kill it. At the end of the day, you're more than likely ahead because you're going to deal another 1 damage. If they let it connect, then it's another 3 and you just did a quarter of their starting life. Win/Win. This card doesn't have the advantage of coming back if it's countered, but it has the advantage of keeping you ahead and letting them the ink they're in the lead because they just "prevented" 3 damage by not swinging or otherwise killing it. You still dealt damage no matter what, and yltheybstill potentially lost a card out of it. I stopped using Marauders for awhile after I cut white for Revelry, now I'm back to Rwb, and put Marauders back in, and I never knew how much I missed them. First game after the switch they did their job and I realized how much I missed them.
TLDR - Run both. If you absolutely had to choose one, I would say Hellspark, but it's very close.
RRRAshling, the PilgrimRRR
UUUThadda Adel, AcquisitorUUU
4 Vexing Devil
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
3 Hellspark Elemental
2 Keldon Marauders
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Shard Volley
4 Bump in the Night
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt
3 Searing Blaze
2 Shrine of Burning Rage
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
4 Copperline Gorge
1 Stomping Ground
3 Blood Crypt
3 Mountain
3 Dismember
4 Destructive Revelry
3 Rakdos Charm
3 Skullcrack
2 Volcanic Fallout
This deck is definetely shying away from regular Burn and more towards a hybrid Red Deck Wins however I think it still has enough burn in it to still be considered burn. After I cross the 6 fetchland threshold I'll be bumping Searing Blaze up from 3 to 4. Just slowly working on affording them. As for right now, can't wait to get in those 3 japanese DCI foil Hellspark Elemental cards I found floating around on ebay on the cheap.
RGWNaya BurnRGW+++RGWKiki ComboRGW
UGInfectUG+++++++++.++++++++UGMerfolkUG
GGNykthos WaveGG++++++++++GGStompyGG
BRVampiresBR+++++++.+++++++BRGoblinsBR
WGBogglesWG+++++++++++++CRSkred RedCR
UBRGDredgeUBRG++++++++++BB8 RackBB
URWJeskaiURW+++.++UBRGrixis DelverUBR
URStormUR++++++++UWGBant CompanyUWG
WUBRGHumansWUBRG+CCEldrazi TronCC
Modern Report DE 7313428
G1 UB Control vs Rg Burn Modern DE 7313428
G2 UR Twins vs Rg Burn Modern DE 7313428
G3 Mirror Hocking vs MDU Modern DE 7313428
G4 BGw Rock vs MDU Modern DE 7313428
I should mention that I gave the 21 lands (9 fetches) Jund Burn list a shot, while I did lose I loved how the list felt in terms of opening hands and mulls - I think if we're going to go with 21 lands though you'll more value from your burn spells so Rbw or Rbwg would be more optimal.
Enjoy Standard, Modern and Music (also some Pauper, Momir, Gaming, Animations and Legacy)? Then visit my channel:Here
That said, I run a mono-red list that has 18 lands where nothing costs more than two mana, so I MD the set. Both options are so good that I don't mind if they spot remove him.
I will preface this by saying that of all the Modern decks I tool around with (Gr Tron, Affinity, Merfolk, Soul Sisters, 8-Rack, and this one), this is the most successful list I run into a blind meta, save for possibly Gr Tron.
For reference:
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt
3 Shard Volley
4 Skullcrack
4 Vexing Devil
3 Grim Lavamancer
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Hellspark Elemental
4 Keldon Marauders
4 Smash to Smithereens
4 Sudden Shock
3 Torpor Orb
This was originally built as a playtest deck, and something to teach newer players with. Its win consistency is amazingly high, though, even post-board against many decks you wouldn't think it would stand a chance against.
The lack of anything costing three or more means more draws deal damage, simple as that. It has just enough creatures to be able to play around even Leyline of Sanctity without nearly auto-scooping.
Guides and Devils ensure early damage, and bait all kinds of removal (often after their damage is done).
Marauders do great damage or gum up the board, and end up as Lavamancer fuel. They are also easily sided out if the need arises (see Torpor Orb in the side comments below).
Shard Volley and Grim Lavamancer do great damage, and synergize well when you draw more than the required amount of Mountains.
Hellspark is great as a 2-for-3 that can come back for more, and uncounterably. Used to run Magma Jet here, but Hellspark is so much better since the unearth cost doesn't trigger Eidolon. Worst-case, it still feeds Lavamancer triggers in your curve.
Eidolon, incidentally, took this deck from good to great almost instantly, forcing a damned either way proposition for all but immediate counters. I'm glad people are realizing just how good this card can be for burn decks. It's not broken by any means, but it's the two-drop red really needed. Stick it early, and often, and it will carry you to victory in matches you'd have no business winning otherwise.
Skullcrack rounds out the usual burn suite, giving outs in races pre-board against anything that gains life.
Searing Blood is an easy sub when you want to kill utility/extreme value creatures while maintaining damage pressure.
Sudden Shock isn't the best value proposition for damage to mana cost, but it makes up for it against Infect, unwary Soul Sisters (who should never play Martyrs unless they plan to immediately pop them), Twin, Pod, and blue with counters and/or Spellskite. It's enough to shut some decks down by surprise, and two indirectable/uncounterable damage is not to be scoffed at.
Smash to Smithereens is like Searing Blood, but for artifacts. Shattering Spree could work in some small ratio split if there is a lot of Affinity or counter-backed Spellskites, but the raw damage potential of Smash with the maindeck pushes me that way for now. Stopping Inkmoth Nexus or Vault Skirge while dealing three damage at an often critical time is very difficult to rally back from for Affinity. Also, it rips hosers like the aforementioned Skite, and any number of siege-style artifacts before they can slow you down.
Torpor Orb shuts off so many things that try to overrun or stymie this deck that it's hard not to include. As the only nonland card between the main and side that doesn't deal damage, it's potent enough against the top tiers (and Soul Sisters) to merit inclusion.
Fetchlands should find their way in some proportion to the land base to fuel Lavamancers, but even without them, it takes a very specific and dedicated deck to regularly stop this build. It has enough interaction through a brutally efficient blend of spell and creature damage to outpace the best of Modern. It has lines of play against even uphill matches in ways many blindly-constructed burn decks simply don't.
Of course, being a mono-colored red deck means cards like Leyline and especially Worship are very difficult to stop, as well as decks like Bogles. You typically have lines of play though, and you have to recognize them as soon as you see what you're up against. If you can, you'll be amazed at what this simple build is capable of.
Alcoholism is a disease, but it's the only one you can get yelled at for having. "God**** it Otto, you are an alcoholic." "God**** it Otto, you have Lupus" ... one of those two doesn't sound right.