MTG Salvation

In my play experience, the Roar w/reveal is a BIG deal. Being able to kill off most early threats while getting in incremental splash damage is huge. Whereas Impulse, only gets a creature off the board at best. Also, 4/4 flying is way better than 2 1/1's and a 2/2 grounder that I can sweep away with a K-Return or a well played K-Command and retain my board state. T-breaks require no extra mana to get the extra damage in, whereas P&K require an investment to fling a thopter. DLK is a beast right now and very hard for the format to deal with it at instant speed and if he sticks for a turn, him granting haste usually seals the win and dat 3rd line of text still gets people.

I was testing the non-dragon list without Chandras (for budget reasons) and I found it difficult to turn the corner. The dragon package does look like it would help quite a bit in that regard. I had already decided to add in 2 DLK, so I think I'll just go ahead and test the full dragon package.

Quote from Flipdipple »

With all that, this is what I am going to try going forward.

Rakdos Dragon ControlMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
Land (25) 3x Evolving Wilds 4x Foreboding Ruins 2x Haven of the Spirit Dragon 6x Mountain 4x Smoldering Marsh 6x Swamp Creature (12) 2x Dragonlord Kolaghan 4x Goblin Dark-Dwellers 2x Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet 4x Thunderbreak Regent	Instant (11) 4x Draconic Roar 2x Grasp of Darkness 3x Kolaghan's Command 2x Ultimate Price Sorcery (10) 2x Languish 3x Read the Bones 3x Ruinous Path 2x Transgress the Mind Planeswalker (2) 2x Chandra, Flamecaller	Sideboard 1x Crumble to Dust 3x Duress 2x Infinite Obliteration 2x Kozilek's Return 1x Languish 2x Ob Nixilis Reignited 1x Pick the Brain 2x To the Slaughter

This deck is really nice. After a bit of testing, I feel like the deck needs a 26th land to make it more consistant.

Yeah, ive been toying with the idea of adding a 26th land. Make no mistake, Chandra is insane in this deck. She does anything this deck wants. Control- spits 3/1s...WW, sweeps the board...Mid Range...refuel the hand.

Quote from SpinifexV »

Quote from Flipdipple »

With all that, this is what I am going to try going forward.

Rakdos Dragon ControlMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
Land (25) 3x Evolving Wilds 4x Foreboding Ruins 2x Haven of the Spirit Dragon 6x Mountain 4x Smoldering Marsh 6x Swamp Creature (12) 2x Dragonlord Kolaghan 4x Goblin Dark-Dwellers 2x Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet 4x Thunderbreak Regent	Instant (11) 4x Draconic Roar 2x Grasp of Darkness 3x Kolaghan's Command 2x Ultimate Price Sorcery (10) 2x Languish 3x Read the Bones 3x Ruinous Path 2x Transgress the Mind Planeswalker (2) 2x Chandra, Flamecaller	Sideboard 1x Crumble to Dust 3x Duress 2x Infinite Obliteration 2x Kozilek's Return 1x Languish 2x Ob Nixilis Reignited 1x Pick the Brain 2x To the Slaughter

This deck is really nice. After a bit of testing, I feel like the deck needs a 26th land to make it more consistant.

I would probably take out 1 languish and move it to the board for a 26th land such as blighted fen.

If I were to drop a card for a 26th land, it would be either a Read the Bones or a Ruinous Path. If it was a path I would try and find room in the side for it, so I would be more inclined to drop the RtB. I would add either a 3rd Haven or a 7th swamp and I would probably do with the 3rd Haven as it is really good at maintaining the theme of getting things back or i.e. out-resourcing your opponent.

Yes, it is quite possible: there are a few Mardu threads in fact. You do get the advantages you have mentioned, but you also lose some consistency and risk being unable to play your spells in the early game (especially Grasp of Darkness and Ruinous Path).

The main strike against it is that Mardu control has not fared very well in past tournaments and Grixis (or rather Jace, Vryn's Prodigy) is simply better.

The big draw I see to Mardu builds is, as stated above, you get Anguished Unmaking which is what Rakdos really needs, that instant speed catch-all removal. The other draw is that you get access to all 3 of the best non-flip Walkers in the game right now, Nahiri, the Harbinger, Chandra, Flamecaller and Sorin, Grim Nemesis. Lastly you also get access to 2 man-lands. The biggest issue is the mana base, but from what I saw when I played against it in the Semi's of a recent Super IQ it wan't that bad, Evolving Wilds does a lot of work to fix things. This is where it is vulnerable though, the early game. It is an interesting match-up for us as they pretty much run the same deck but even fewer creatures so it turns off a lot of our removal game 1. Games 2 and 3 turn into discard wars and who can stick a dude for any period of time. This is where their man-lands get some leverage against up but it also turns on some of our spot removal's so don't side out all of it.

Quote from Flipdipple »

With all that, this is what I am going to try going forward.

Rakdos Dragon ControlMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
Land (25) 3x Evolving Wilds 4x Foreboding Ruins 2x Haven of the Spirit Dragon 6x Mountain 4x Smoldering Marsh 6x Swamp Creature (12) 2x Dragonlord Kolaghan 4x Goblin Dark-Dwellers 2x Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet 4x Thunderbreak Regent	Instant (11) 4x Draconic Roar 2x Grasp of Darkness 3x Kolaghan's Command 2x Ultimate Price Sorcery (10) 2x Languish 3x Read the Bones 3x Ruinous Path 2x Transgress the Mind Planeswalker (2) 2x Chandra, Flamecaller	Sideboard 1x Crumble to Dust 3x Duress 2x Infinite Obliteration 2x Kozilek's Return 1x Languish 2x Ob Nixilis Reignited 1x Pick the Brain 2x To the Slaughter

What do you think of Mindwrack Demon compared to Thunderbreak? Also how's your match up against GW tokens?

There is a sizable argument for Mindwrack Demon instead of Thunderbreak Regent: Languish. If it is everywhere in your meta, the move is probably a good one. It does mean that your Draconic Roar is no longer powered most of the time and that you will probably run Dead Weight instead.

Quote from SpinifexV »

There is a sizable argument for Mindwrack Demon instead of Thunderbreak Regent: Languish. If it is everywhere in your meta, the move is probably a good one. It does mean that your Draconic Roar is no longer powered most of the time and that you will probably run Dead Weight instead.

And how is this deck matched up against G/W tokens and Bant company?

With access to 2 different sweepers and several discard options it fares rather well vs. both and DLK puts a serious hurt on Bant CoCo as you usually have killed one of their key creatures that deal with her i.e. Reflector or Krasis.

How good has K-command been?

Pretty good. Looping GDD and K-Commands becomes very hard to overcome. Plus the discard mechanic never hurts.

Does anyone like Dark Petition? We dont always need to use the spell mastery or cast the card we find the same turn we find it. But we can at least get whatever we want or need for the next turn. Dark-Dwellers, DLK, or a Planeswalker.

Quote from Flipdipple »

With access to 2 different sweepers and several discard options it fares rather well vs. both and DLK puts a serious hurt on Bant CoCo as you usually have killed one of their key creatures that deal with her i.e. Reflector or Krasis.

I played some games online and I seemed to struggle hard against planeswalkers deck, especially G/W tokens.

Here is my list:


It's different than your list. I'm going the demon route vs dragons and that's probably why I have a bad match up against tokens.

Ruinous Path, Draconic Roar and to a lesser extent Thunderbreak Regent triggers, really help against walkers. Roar, while not always killing a walker will drop its loyalty down to where there don't get to use as many options.
I have been considering a Dark Petition for the sideboard, trying to ee what to drop.

Quote from Flipdipple »

Ruinous Path, Draconic Roar and to a lesser extent Thunderbreak Regent triggers, really help against walkers. Roar, while not always killing a walker will drop its loyalty down to where there don't get to use as many options.
I have been considering a Dark Petition for the sideboard, trying to ee what to drop.

I'm going to try out the thunderbreak regent. I just have a soft spot for the Demon and he is also very good against avacyn.

FYI 26 is TOO many. All I did all 6 rounds today was flood flood flood and oh I even flooded some more for good measure. Every match I needed anything but my 12th land drop to win I drew a land.

Yeah, I run 2 ruinous path main and one SB. PWs are everywhere. Honestly one card would make B/R OP and that's a 3 mana 3 damage sweeper. Not even anger of the gods(tho the exile would be nice). Just being able to cast radiant flames for 3 would be nice.

My toughest matchup by far has been B/W control. They simply line up very well against us. If we had cards like lightning strike, we could burn them out but we don't, so our red is all creature removal(and sometimes to the dome with d roar). B/W has access to really strong removal and discard. Rakdos Return would be backbreaking for them if we could cast it T 5 and make them discard 3. Anyway, back to reality. The only way I can beat them is heavy discard. If I can pluck 1 or 2 key spells, I have a shot...the problem is they can do the same.

I find we line up very well against G/B control or aristo. Bant Company is slightly in our favor. I've only played like 3 games(games, not matches) against the 4 color deck and I lost I think 2 or 3. I think our deck can line up well if we have the right sideboard. For Bant, depends how many mages/company's they hit.

We eat Mono white/U/W humans alive.

I did however loose 0-2 to a u/w controlly deck with a bunch of flash fliers/spirits but I think that was more variance than the matchup being bad.

Black is a strong color right now and white is the best color in the current format, so it's tough for us with B/W. I just got my opp down to 2 with a T6 chandra...he drops a sorin, kills chandra and stabilizes. Luckily our creatures are IMO are better than theirs are, so if they stick, Regent into GDD into Chandra should be tough. I really REALLY hope wizards wakes up and prints a high great burn spell in EM. Exq firecraft does not cut it...come on lightning strike reprint!!!!

But over all, as long as creature decks are doing well, r/b control/midrange will continue to win. I just wish more pros would play it so we can find the most optimized version.

That's where i am running into issues is the fine tuning of the deck. With yesterdays results compared to last weekends I am making a change back a little bit. I found I was really missing Olivia, Mobilized for War as her granting +1/+1 and haste seems to be extremely relevant right now for me.
With that this I think will be my list going forward.

Quote from savedsynner »

My toughest matchup by far has been B/W control. They simply line up very well against us. If we had cards like lightning strike, we could burn them out but we don't, so our red is all creature removal(and sometimes to the dome with d roar).

Exquisite Firecraft and flash it back with Dark-Dwellers

I've been playing online over the weekend and I just found out that Reality Smasher really gives me a lot of trouble. Any suggestions on how to handle this thing? I played 2 cryptolith deck and lost 1-2 both times all loses were to sideboard Reality Smasher. I feel like trying to play it myself to replace the Mindwrack Demon if I can make the mana work.

Of the top of my head: Roast or Ruinous Path mainly (yeah, you will have to discard) , Crater Elemental to block it, Sidisi, Undead Vizier (no the best deck for her though). If he is alone: Blighted Fen, To The Slaughter, Foul-Tongue Invocation.

Quote from SpinifexV »

Of the top of my head: Roast or Ruinous Path mainly (yeah, you will have to discard) , Crater Elemental to block it, Sidisi, Undead Vizier (no the best deck for her though). If he is alone: Blighted Fen, To The Slaughter, Foul-Tongue Invocation.

I'm thinking Roast should be okay. Not the best counter really but it's the best of what we have. Sidisi is not bad if you're playing Hangarback but it might just be too slow.

How about the idea of playing it in this deck? Is it a possibility? I'm thinking of playing 2 caves of Koilos, 2 Battlefield Forge, 2 Evolving wilds and 1 wastes to support a playset of Smashers.