MTG Salvation

General idea is to leverage a lot of the new spells in Guilds of Ravnica with Izzet.

Win conds: control the early game with unsummons and pings, gradually start beating them down and get my drakes stronger and stronger. River's rebuke will leave them totally exposed, and setting up Ral's emblem.

Niv is more included for fun than highly competitive play. I'm unsure of what exactly I should sideboard here too, seems to be really important depending on the matchup.

Short answer: If you try to do everything you are going to all of those things badly. Play 4 of every card your deck needs to draw in order to work.


Long answer:



There is also a third deck, guttersnipe, which I am yet to lay out a design for but it also exists based around cantrips (low-cost cards that say draw a card on them)

Yeah, you have a fair point. I laid a wide field partially due to give myself some flexibility, but it has some consistency issues.

I think there are multiple variants to the Izzet strategy as you laid out, just a matter of which flavour I enjoy the most. Largely, it seems to overlap on spells but just what you creatures you wanna lay down changes.

I agree with you on Guttersnipe being an option. I think going full cantrip *might* work, but I dunno, I think taking the best draw spells + normal burn might be better.

Quote from Narvuntien »

Short answer: If you try to do everything you are going to all of those things badly. Play 4 of every card your deck needs to draw in order to work.


Long answer:

wizardsMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
Creatures (19) 4 Ghitu lavarunner 4 Siren Stormtamer 4 Goblin electromancer 4 Dismissive pyromancer 3 Adeliz, the cinder wind	Sorcery (3) 3 chart a course Instants (18) 4 opt 4 Shock 4 Lightning strike 4 Wizard's lightning 2 Sonic assault	Lands (20) 4 steam vents 4 sulfur falls 6 mountain 6 island

DrakesMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
Creatures (12) 4 Electrostatic Field 4 Enigma drake 4 Crackling drake Sorceries (14) 4 Crash Through 4 Chart a course 4 Discovery // Dispersal 2 Gravitic Punch	Instant (14) 4 Opt 4 lightning strike 4 Lava Coil 2 Disdainful stroke Lands (20) 4 Steam vents 4 sulfur falls 1 Memorial to Genius 5 island 6 mountain

There is also a third deck, guttersnipe, which I am yet to lay out a design for but it also exists based around cantrips (low-cost cards that say draw a card on them)

I would play the Wizard deck, but I have a few questions. Why no Merfolk Trickster and Vishano Pyromancer? Both are very good cards and should be considered. My sister plays a deck similar to this list:
http://www.starcitygames.com/articles/37459_Where-Are-Our-Tribal-Decks.html

Viashino pyromancer was great when we had 12 1 drops but I just can't put on enough damage early enough to make that 2 damage relevant, I'd rather get the looting from dismissive pyromancer (Although it's really slow).

Double blue is really hard to get in a base red deck.. If the deck was base blue with Siren Stormtamer and mistcaller as the 1 drops then sure use them (At that point you'd be playing Merfolk tribal but with adeliz and wizard's lightning)

Maybe one or two Unclaimed Territorys?

In my testings, Crackling Drake has been inferiror to Rekindling Phoenix. Is it a card you guys tried instead of the Drake ? Even though some decks have ways to exile Phoenix, it's still a very good tempo play that stops the decks that can't deal with it (Assassin's trophy decks in mind). I figured out Phoenix was a great blocker VS Stompy and various fatties in the format (angels, demons, dragons etc...). The drake is good when I'm ahead and can alpha-strike alone sometimes, but it's very fragilce and is too often a 4-cmc cantrip. Sooo, I don't know, I'm not too hot about the drake... I'd rather play anoter 3-drop instead, like Guttersnipe, or the very nice 2-drop Runaway Steam-Kin.
What do you think ?

Quote from headminerve »

In my testings, Crackling Drake has been inferiror to Rekindling Phoenix. Is it a card you guys tried instead of the Drake ? Even though some decks have ways to exile Phoenix, it's still a very good tempo play that stops the decks that can't deal with it (Assassin's trophy decks in mind). I figured out Phoenix was a great blocker VS Stompy and various fatties in the format (angels, demons, dragons etc...). The drake is good when I'm ahead and can alpha-strike alone sometimes, but it's very fragilce and is too often a 4-cmc cantrip. Sooo, I don't know, I'm not too hot about the drake... I'd rather play anoter 3-drop instead, like Guttersnipe, or the very nice 2-drop Runaway Steam-Kin.
What do you think ?

I second you here. I'd much rather Phoenix than Drake.