Another interesting article made it on to CFB. This time its new Hall of Fame member Martin Juza with his deck list and board plan. The biggest thing that jumps out to me is his statements about how Harsh Mentor is not in his deck.
One thing I would like to stress is: Do not play Harsh Mentor. If this is your plan against Whirler Virtuoso or opposite Aethersphere Harvesters, then you are doing it wrong. While the ability might seem relevant in some games, the 2/2 body does absolutely nothing and it’s a horrible topdeck without any immediate impact on the game.
Is this a fair statement, given that all the other well performing lists had some number of Mentors in?
I will say that statement is fair; however, I think Juza is excluding the conception on why we AT LEAST should have 2 Mentors in the SB. The abundance of decks running non-mana based abilities (Scarab God, Cub, Virtuoso, Utility Lands, Etc) is just so prevalent that we should be playing Mentor. I agree the top deck is not fantastic, but so is drawing a Soul-Scar Mage?
In the end, I think it is fair to say that, but I disagree with it completely.
The top 2 decks in the standard portion of the pro tour were both Ramunap Red. One list ran 4 ferocidon. The other ran 3. Like I said, if you sideboard a car in 90 percent of your matches there is nothing wrong with mainboatding it. I am personally happy to see it more than any card beside hazoret. Maybe just as much. There are dozens of lists that chose this route.
Well sure, the top 2 lists that ran had 3+ Ferocidon and 0-4 Crasher, and Crasher has definitely dipped in my opinion than before; however, I still believe it is worthy of playing at least 2-3 in the MB Pre-board. The effectiveness it can have at putting through early damage is great and is essential on the aggro plan. Of course post-board the strategy for red changes a bit and that is why it is removed, but I still believe it is an effective card.
I would never cut crasher completely. It’s truly an amazing card. But cutting a Kari Zev and one crasher or abrade isn’t so bad
Crasher dies to shock. I wouldn't call that "amazing."
I'll be heading to a PPTQ tomorrow morning sporting this list. Unfortunately I was unable to pick up a 3rd and 4th copy of Ferocidon (and I feel this is going to cost me dearly) and a 3rd copy of Harsh Mentor. As a result I'll be SBing 1 Magma Sprays and 2 Sweltering Suns against Tokens and the mirror.
So after a pretty long PPTQ, I am here to give out my tournament report. I was able to go 3-2 and missed out on top 8 due to the typical MTG Variance as you will see. The list I ran is posted above if you'd like to refer to it, I was able to find the missing pieces and now have a complete version that I am happy with.
Match 1: R/B Aggro (2-1) Win
Game 1 I went off on the typical explosive start with Courier into Zev into Crasher and my opponent was drawing nothing but lands. Not much to say about this game other than the typical if you are behing against an Aggro deck you will lose. In Game 2, I found myself stuck on 2 Mana for 3-4 turns (This was a constant problem and I am running 24 lands). I tried stabilizing with 2 drops but nothing went my way. Game 3 was a very weird one. My opponent kept his hand with 3 Hazorets and I drew nothing but land. I was able to finally draw into creatures, and my opponent misplayed by sacing his Hazoret to make his Yahenni indestructible in response to a Shock, but I had Soul-Scar Mage in play. After that it went downhill for him.
Match 2: Sultai Energy (0-2) Loss
Nothing to report here, I got mana-screwed both games and was stuck on 2 mana for 5 turns. GG Opponent
Match 3: Sultai Energy (2-1) Win
This was probably the best match I had all day. 3 Very good games, where I had brought down my opponent to 5 or less life. Game 1 on the draw, went back and forth until he was able to Hostage Taker my Hazoret. I had Ramunap active and was able to get him down to 5, needed a Strike but topped into a Ahn Crop Crasher and did not have enough lands to do both. Game 2, I took the play and just exploded. I was able to drop Harsh Mentor and kept dwindling him down until he couldn't do much. He forgot about my Ramunap Ruins and activated/crewed a Harvester and on the stack before damage responded with Ruins for lethal. I was at 8 life at the end of the game. Game 3 I just exploded as well on the draw and my opponent just couldn't keep up by me going wide. By the end of the game I had Hazoret, Zev, and Khenra in play with me at 20 life.
Match 4: Mardu Vehicles (0-2) Loss
This match-up I thought I was favored, but I was not very familiar with the deck. In Game one I dropped him down to 2 with a topdeck hope that my courier on that turn had drawn me 1 of my 7 possible burn spells, but nope. Game 2 I mulligan down to 6 with 1 land and get stuck on one land for 5 turns...
Match 5: R/B Aggro (2-0) Win
Well at this point I was out of Top-8 Contentions due to Tie-Breakers; however, we were playing out for prizes. In both games I exploded with burn in my hand. Opponent played some vehicles but I responded with Abrades and had both a Mentor and Ferocidon on the field. There really wasn't much my opponent could do and the match was over within 20 minutes of the round starting.
Overall, I felt the deck performed really well even with a field that consisted mainly of Sultai Energy. I wasn't happy about the variance but that is MTG for everyone. Still debating about what to do with Crasher as I seemed to be siding him out constantly for other needs. I will state Harsh Mentor did a TON of work for me, there was only once I drew him which I was not happy with the draw, but he had won me at least 2-3 of my games. My opponents weren't able to get rid of him and his ability had forced my opponents to take unnecessary damage to try and put pressure on me. I was very happy with the 2 in the Main!
However, Warsaw Grand Prix had no Ramunaps in the top8.
It is quite interesting as 2 of the lists also were pretty much stock lists as well. I still don't think we have a definitive route right now which is correct. I did see MB'd Chandra's as well, I just find them to be a bit too slow right off the bat and believe 2 Chandra's SB is the correct play.
Ben Starks just played himself into the Top 8 with his variation Big Red version. This is very interesting build suited to beat the Metagame. Note, it only sports 1 copy of Hazoret... Yes 1.
The top 2 decks in the standard portion of the pro tour were both Ramunap Red. One list ran 4 ferocidon. The other ran 3. Like I said, if you sideboard a car in 90 percent of your matches there is nothing wrong with mainboatding it. I am personally happy to see it more than any card beside hazoret. Maybe just as much. There are dozens of lists that chose this route.
Well sure, the top 2 lists that ran had 3+ Ferocidon and 0-4 Crasher, and Crasher has definitely dipped in my opinion than before; however, I still believe it is worthy of playing at least 2-3 in the MB Pre-board. The effectiveness it can have at putting through early damage is great and is essential on the aggro plan. Of course post-board the strategy for red changes a bit and that is why it is removed, but I still believe it is an effective card.
I would never cut crasher completely. It’s truly an amazing card. But cutting a Kari Zev and one crasher or abrade isn’t so bad
Crasher dies to shock. I wouldn't call that "amazing."
Every card we play besides hazoret and Kari Zev dies to shock. We just started running ferocidon. I’ve been running two blazing volley sideboard for tokens. One red mana deal one damage to each creature opponent controls. Matchup was tough for me. Been better now.
The top 2 decks in the standard portion of the pro tour were both Ramunap Red. One list ran 4 ferocidon. The other ran 3. Like I said, if you sideboard a car in 90 percent of your matches there is nothing wrong with mainboatding it. I am personally happy to see it more than any card beside hazoret. Maybe just as much. There are dozens of lists that chose this route.
Well sure, the top 2 lists that ran had 3+ Ferocidon and 0-4 Crasher, and Crasher has definitely dipped in my opinion than before; however, I still believe it is worthy of playing at least 2-3 in the MB Pre-board. The effectiveness it can have at putting through early damage is great and is essential on the aggro plan. Of course post-board the strategy for red changes a bit and that is why it is removed, but I still believe it is an effective card.
I would never cut crasher completely. It’s truly an amazing card. But cutting a Kari Zev and one crasher or abrade isn’t so bad
Crasher dies to shock. I wouldn't call that "amazing."
Every card we play besides hazoret and Kari Zev dies to shock. We just started running ferocidon. I’ve been running two blazing volley sideboard for tokens. One red mana deal one damage to each creature opponent controls. Matchup was tough for me. Been better now.
What he is meaning is that Crasher being a 3 drop dying to a 1 mana instant is not very good for our explosive strategy. Wasting a turn 3 can be troublesome as I have found turn 3-5 to be very key for us. I'd also like that every other creature we have that does die to Shock has upside other than Crasher. Mage can Prowess in response, Khenra gets Eternalized, Courier can be sac'd for a new hand...
I'm still not completely sold on cutting Crasher but I think I am going to go down to 2 in the MB and play a 3rd Copy of Ferocidon. This will open a flex slot in the SB for possibly Blazing Volley for Tokens.
Ben Starks just played himself into the Top 8 with his variation Big Red version. This is very interesting build suited to beat the Metagame. Note, it only sports 1 copy of Hazoret... Yes 1.
But I wonder if the Dual Shots were there also for the tokens matchups or would they bring it against other opponents (and if so, in which matchups?)
From my understanding, I believe it was put in for the token match-up. The commentary behind the deck was that Stark's list was adjusted to purely face the expected Energy match-up in Atlanta and as you can tell it thrived significantly. If you also take a look, several Ramunap Red decks did well and placed in the top 32 including at least 3 that I can remember being in the top 16.
Ben Starks just played himself into the Top 8 with his variation Big Red version. This is very interesting build suited to beat the Metagame. Note, it only sports 1 copy of Hazoret... Yes 1.
But I wonder if the Dual Shots were there also for the tokens matchups or would they bring it against other opponents (and if so, in which matchups?)
From my understanding, I believe it was put in for the token match-up. The commentary behind the deck was that Stark's list was adjusted to purely face the expected Energy match-up in Atlanta and as you can tell it thrived significantly. If you also take a look, several Ramunap Red decks did well and placed in the top 32 including at least 3 that I can remember being in the top 16.
Do you like dual shot against mardu at all? Kills Bomat, tool craft, veteran motorist, pia tokens and even a ballista on 1. Blazing volley has been great against tokens. I’ve been wondering if it’s decent against mardu?
After thinking for a bit, I came to the conclusion that these changes to the deck:
MB:
-1 Ahn Crop Crasher
+1 Ferocidon
SB:
-1 Ferocidon
+1 Blazing Volley
I can definitely see Blazing Volley be teched in against Mardu Vehicles as well. I'll definitely test it as a 1 of in the SB. I just see Ferocidon being so much effective as a 3 of in the MB and Crasher just seems to be sided out most the time, but I will still keep 2.
This will be list going forward this week. I'll test it out Friday and see how it goes.
This is very similar to Daniel Fournier's 9-1 PT Ixalan list. I think the only difference I see in the main is 2 Crasher/3 Ferocidon where he had 1/4.
I'm thinking of running something close to that list as well, but have gone to 3 Shock and 2 Magma Spray in the main (may swap the numbers), which allows me to run 2 Defeat in the side where he didn't. One thing that I've noticed though, is the differing opinions on how to side against Temur/4c. I've seen some articles say to bring in Harvester, Glorybringer, Chandra, (and taking out Abrade), but others say to not try to "out-mid-range" them, and stay aggressive, bringing in Harsh Mentor, Chandra's Defeat, and extra Abrades. Which is a better plan?
Also, I get that Blazing Volley is one sided, but is it not worth trying Fiery Cannonade instead? It seems a little more versatile than Volley, becoming (among other things) a board wipe in the mirror.
This is very similar to Daniel Fournier's 9-1 PT Ixalan list. I think the only difference I see in the main is 2 Crasher/3 Ferocidon where he had 1/4.
I'm thinking of running something close to that list as well, but have gone to 3 Shock and 2 Magma Spray in the main (may swap the numbers), which allows me to run 2 Defeat in the side where he didn't. One thing that I've noticed though, is the differing opinions on how to side against Temur/4c. I've seen some articles say to bring in Harvester, Glorybringer, Chandra, (and taking out Abrade), but others say to not try to "out-mid-range" them, and stay aggressive, bringing in Harsh Mentor, Chandra's Defeat, and extra Abrades. Which is a better plan?
Also, I get that Blazing Volley is one sided, but is it not worth trying Fiery Cannonade instead? It seems a little more versatile than Volley, becoming (among other things) a board wipe in the mirror.
I'm leaning more and more on Fournier's list because I do believe it is wrong to entirely cut out Crasher and I honestly believe Mentor's at 2 in the main is excellent in Energy/Vehicle heavy metas. I'll test out Cannonade, I just don't know how I feel about 3 mana instant compared to a 1 mana sorcery. The other thing is Cannonade doesn't hit Taker but Volley does. Again It will be a test in the SB. I also decided I'd try a 1 of Magma Spray in the SB. It is excellent against the mirror/Scrounger.
This is very similar to Daniel Fournier's 9-1 PT Ixalan list. I think the only difference I see in the main is 2 Crasher/3 Ferocidon where he had 1/4.
I'm thinking of running something close to that list as well, but have gone to 3 Shock and 2 Magma Spray in the main (may swap the numbers), which allows me to run 2 Defeat in the side where he didn't. One thing that I've noticed though, is the differing opinions on how to side against Temur/4c. I've seen some articles say to bring in Harvester, Glorybringer, Chandra, (and taking out Abrade), but others say to not try to "out-mid-range" them, and stay aggressive, bringing in Harsh Mentor, Chandra's Defeat, and extra Abrades. Which is a better plan?
Also, I get that Blazing Volley is one sided, but is it not worth trying Fiery Cannonade instead? It seems a little more versatile than Volley, becoming (among other things) a board wipe in the mirror.
I just 3-0'd my LGS standard showdown and I can attest that Fiery Cannonade wrecked mono-white vamps. Wiping their board on their own turn makes it almost impossible for them to recover.
Sideboard plans
(excuse the abbreviations, these are just copied and pasted from my notes)
Temur/4c
-3 Courier, -1 Mage, -1 Crasher, -1 Shock (maybe take out the Abrades if I go bigger with Glorybringers)
+2 Mentor, +2 Abrade, +2 Chandra’s Defeat (Maybe Glorybringer, TOD)
Sultai
-2 Courier (on the draw), -2 Mage (on the play), -2 Zev, -1 Crasher, -2 Ferocidon, -2 Spray, -1 Shock
+2 Mentor, +2 Abrade, +2 TOD, +2 GB, +2 Harvester
Sideboard plans
(excuse the abbreviations, these are just copied and pasted from my notes)
Temur/4c
-3 Courier, -1 Mage, -1 Crasher, -1 Shock (maybe take out the Abrades if I go bigger with Glorybringers)
+2 Mentor, +2 Abrade, +2 Chandra’s Defeat (Maybe Glorybringer, TOD)
Sultai
-2 Courier (on the draw), -2 Mage (on the play), -2 Zev, -1 Crasher, -2 Ferocidon, -2 Spray, -1 Shock
+2 Mentor, +2 Abrade, +2 TOD, +2 GB, +2 Harvester
I Appreciate the Sideboard strategy. I did notice I needed to work on properly sideboarding for this deck during my PPTQ. Let us definitely know how this deck runs, I am curious to see how the 2 Magma Sprays MB do and how the Cannonade does in the SB. I'll definitely be taking this version for a spin. I also agree think dropping Zev to 2 is the correct play given Zev's interaction with Ferocidon (Even though many times opponents miss triggers).
Actually, quick flick through my notes shows that I don't bring in TOD against BR... I keep in the Lightning Strikes in order to provide more removal for the race. Original post edited...
The boarding plan is based off the one used by Fournier at PT Ixalan. He wrote about it here. I just swapped Cannonade in where he had Pia Nalaar, and Chandra's Defeat where he had Magma Spray. I also broke out the aggro deck strategies a little, as obviously Defeat becomes worse against BR, and Martin Juza liked Chandra in that match up. The only one that is of my own planning is the Vampires, and that's based on one match last FNM...
What does everyone think is the best Chandra replacement in the SB?
I have all the other cards but don't really feel like dropping the $$$ for a pair (at least) of Chandra's.
How big of a hit is losing Chandra?
Glorybringer as a replacement?
Based on a few GP Atlanta lists, here is what I'm looking at.
I'm pretty new to standard, but have been playing weekly at my LGS. My goals are relatively meager, want to stay competitive and continue to learn the format with Rivals,
Thanks in advance for any input!
I'd probably say that Vance's Blasting Cannons are a good budget swap for Chandra. It provides card advantage, which is key, and (eventually) is a repeatable source of damage. Glorybringer isn't a replacement, and probably should be in your board anyway.
Thanks a lot, I have looked at Vance's but I didn't know if it was a better upgrade than a 3rd Glorybringer (for example).
Based on above SB, perhaps I'll make these changes -1 Glorybringer -1 Pia Nalaar, +2 Vance's
Edit:
I found this post linked here which looks like a great guide: http://manadeprived.com/mono-red-pt-ixalan/
I guess I'll try this strategy replacing Chandra ToD with Vance's Blasting Cannons for now.
Hm alright, Flame Lash looks like it could steal some games.
I play against more Energy than Control at my LGS, I'll try 1 Flame Lash 1 Vance's to start
Thanks everyone for your inputs, I'll start doing some testing online
Still kept on tinkering with the build, and I FINALLY have decided on what I want to play coming this weekend. I won't be attending ant GP's; however, I will be testing it out against a few decks this weekend inbetween rounds during FNM and Iconic Masters Drafts. I am on-board with the Fiery Cannonade tech, but I am not sure my meta has any Tokens.
I will swap around the 15/1 and 14/2 Land swap between Basic Mountain and Scavenger Grounds. I'm content at the 14/2, but I was drawing pretty poorly last week at the PPTQ (Could just have been a bad day for me).
Additionally, the Desert Red version. Has anyone tried it out yet? I LOVE Hazoret, and it essentially is the Glue that holds this deck together; however, I have seen Desert Red have better gameplay against Energy decks. I'd love to get anyone's input if they have ran it online or even in paper!
Played a couple of trials at GP Portland today, with the list posted above. First one lost in Top 16 (all single elim) to Sultai Energy in three games, but was right down to the wire. Had him on 1, needed burn or Ramunap Ruins, and neither showed up in 3 turns. Second one got paired against a weird Grixis tokens deck (with Decoction Module) in the first round. Great hand g1, with two Ferocidon in hand, but never saw a third land. Game two I mulled to 5, kept four land and an Abrade, then proceeded to draw five consecutive lands. Ah well. Main event tomorrow, and playing all nine rounds regardless of results.
Tested a bit today against a U/W/R Approach deck. Split in matches 2-0 each, found that if I got Hazoret on the board it was pretty much GG for my opponent.
So, I haven't had a chance to play for over a month now but next week I can play again and I have been testing the deck a bit this week and have innovated yet again and so without further ado I bring you the latest list in this mono-red craze:
The main deck has a couple of changes from the list I posted over a month ago on the first page of this thread and those changes are:
- 1 Ahn-Crop Crasher, - 2 Heart Piercer Manticore and + 3 Harsh Mentor (bringing the deck lower to the ground in terms of mana by dropping one 3 cost spell and two 4 costing spells for three 2 costing spells)
I always had trouble with big creatures, either opposing Hazorets, Rhonas or even Kefnet and the Scorpion God. Either I can't kill them or I may have to use two burn spells to deal with them, so I tried testing Sweltering Suns and it didn't do it for me, same with Fiery Cannonade so I'm done playing around and put in 3 Hour of Devastation in the sideboard. It also deals with opposing planeswalkers such as Chandra and whoever else decides to show to the party and think they have a good chance against mono red.
Yes it does kill my guys too, but I can play around it obviously, and as long as I don't kill my Hazoret or Glorybringer with it then it doesn't matter if it kills the smaller guys, especially since the Khenra can come back by getting Eternalized. It also forces my opponent to overextend and cast more guys to block my guys and then this card will wipe the board clean.
Never has mono-red burn played a WRATH effect in the history of MAGIC.
The next combo is Captain Lannery Storm and Vance's Blasting cannons - which don't seem like a combo but it makes perfect sense since the captain can make treasures so extra mana which can be used to cast more spells in one turn with the cannons. The captain is also cheap at 3 casting cost and can come out on turn 3 and start making treasures, the opponent will have a hard time deciding what do kill between her, ahn-crop crasher and lathnu hellion. When sideboarding I will be taking out the 4 Glorybringers to put in the 2 Captains and the 2 Cannons, therefore lowering my top end mana costing to 4 mana only and also giving me more spells at 3 casting cost.
Repeating barrage is in testing as a one-off against midrange decks or the cycling deck that's making the rounds and which doesn't run too many counters and almost no creatures thus making our deck have to sideboard out 4 harnessed lightning and 2 abrades in favor of more creatures to beat their face in.
So, I will be testing this later this month but feel free to let me know what you think about the changes, especially the main deck ones.
I will say that statement is fair; however, I think Juza is excluding the conception on why we AT LEAST should have 2 Mentors in the SB. The abundance of decks running non-mana based abilities (Scarab God, Cub, Virtuoso, Utility Lands, Etc) is just so prevalent that we should be playing Mentor. I agree the top deck is not fantastic, but so is drawing a Soul-Scar Mage?
In the end, I think it is fair to say that, but I disagree with it completely.
BB8-RackBB
Pauper:
UUDelverlUU
Crasher dies to shock. I wouldn't call that "amazing."
3x Ahn-Crop Crasher
4x Bomat Courier
4x Earthshaker Khenra
2x Harsh Mentor
4x Hazoret the Fervent
3x Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
2x Rampaging Ferocidon
4x Soul-Scar Mage
4x Ramunap Ruins
2x Scavenger Grounds
4x Sunscorched Desert
2x Abrade
4x Lightning Strike
4x Shock
2x Aethersphere Harvester
2x Chandra's Defeat
2x Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2x Glorybringer
2x Sweltering Suns
2x Pia Nalaar
1x Magma Spray
BB8-RackBB
Pauper:
UUDelverlUU
Match 1: R/B Aggro (2-1) Win
Game 1 I went off on the typical explosive start with Courier into Zev into Crasher and my opponent was drawing nothing but lands. Not much to say about this game other than the typical if you are behing against an Aggro deck you will lose. In Game 2, I found myself stuck on 2 Mana for 3-4 turns (This was a constant problem and I am running 24 lands). I tried stabilizing with 2 drops but nothing went my way. Game 3 was a very weird one. My opponent kept his hand with 3 Hazorets and I drew nothing but land. I was able to finally draw into creatures, and my opponent misplayed by sacing his Hazoret to make his Yahenni indestructible in response to a Shock, but I had Soul-Scar Mage in play. After that it went downhill for him.
Match 2: Sultai Energy (0-2) Loss
Nothing to report here, I got mana-screwed both games and was stuck on 2 mana for 5 turns. GG Opponent
Match 3: Sultai Energy (2-1) Win
This was probably the best match I had all day. 3 Very good games, where I had brought down my opponent to 5 or less life. Game 1 on the draw, went back and forth until he was able to Hostage Taker my Hazoret. I had Ramunap active and was able to get him down to 5, needed a Strike but topped into a Ahn Crop Crasher and did not have enough lands to do both. Game 2, I took the play and just exploded. I was able to drop Harsh Mentor and kept dwindling him down until he couldn't do much. He forgot about my Ramunap Ruins and activated/crewed a Harvester and on the stack before damage responded with Ruins for lethal. I was at 8 life at the end of the game. Game 3 I just exploded as well on the draw and my opponent just couldn't keep up by me going wide. By the end of the game I had Hazoret, Zev, and Khenra in play with me at 20 life.
Match 4: Mardu Vehicles (0-2) Loss
This match-up I thought I was favored, but I was not very familiar with the deck. In Game one I dropped him down to 2 with a topdeck hope that my courier on that turn had drawn me 1 of my 7 possible burn spells, but nope. Game 2 I mulligan down to 6 with 1 land and get stuck on one land for 5 turns...
Match 5: R/B Aggro (2-0) Win
Well at this point I was out of Top-8 Contentions due to Tie-Breakers; however, we were playing out for prizes. In both games I exploded with burn in my hand. Opponent played some vehicles but I responded with Abrades and had both a Mentor and Ferocidon on the field. There really wasn't much my opponent could do and the match was over within 20 minutes of the round starting.
Overall, I felt the deck performed really well even with a field that consisted mainly of Sultai Energy. I wasn't happy about the variance but that is MTG for everyone. Still debating about what to do with Crasher as I seemed to be siding him out constantly for other needs. I will state Harsh Mentor did a TON of work for me, there was only once I drew him which I was not happy with the draw, but he had won me at least 2-3 of my games. My opponents weren't able to get rid of him and his ability had forced my opponents to take unnecessary damage to try and put pressure on me. I was very happy with the 2 in the Main!
BB8-RackBB
Pauper:
UUDelverlUU
It is quite interesting as 2 of the lists also were pretty much stock lists as well. I still don't think we have a definitive route right now which is correct. I did see MB'd Chandra's as well, I just find them to be a bit too slow right off the bat and believe 2 Chandra's SB is the correct play.
BB8-RackBB
Pauper:
UUDelverlUU
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Pauper:
UUDelverlUU
Every card we play besides hazoret and Kari Zev dies to shock. We just started running ferocidon. I’ve been running two blazing volley sideboard for tokens. One red mana deal one damage to each creature opponent controls. Matchup was tough for me. Been better now.
What he is meaning is that Crasher being a 3 drop dying to a 1 mana instant is not very good for our explosive strategy. Wasting a turn 3 can be troublesome as I have found turn 3-5 to be very key for us. I'd also like that every other creature we have that does die to Shock has upside other than Crasher. Mage can Prowess in response, Khenra gets Eternalized, Courier can be sac'd for a new hand...
I'm still not completely sold on cutting Crasher but I think I am going to go down to 2 in the MB and play a 3rd Copy of Ferocidon. This will open a flex slot in the SB for possibly Blazing Volley for Tokens.
BB8-RackBB
Pauper:
UUDelverlUU
From my understanding, I believe it was put in for the token match-up. The commentary behind the deck was that Stark's list was adjusted to purely face the expected Energy match-up in Atlanta and as you can tell it thrived significantly. If you also take a look, several Ramunap Red decks did well and placed in the top 32 including at least 3 that I can remember being in the top 16.
BB8-RackBB
Pauper:
UUDelverlUU
Do you like dual shot against mardu at all? Kills Bomat, tool craft, veteran motorist, pia tokens and even a ballista on 1. Blazing volley has been great against tokens. I’ve been wondering if it’s decent against mardu?
MB:
-1 Ahn Crop Crasher
+1 Ferocidon
SB:
-1 Ferocidon
+1 Blazing Volley
I can definitely see Blazing Volley be teched in against Mardu Vehicles as well. I'll definitely test it as a 1 of in the SB. I just see Ferocidon being so much effective as a 3 of in the MB and Crasher just seems to be sided out most the time, but I will still keep 2.
This will be list going forward this week. I'll test it out Friday and see how it goes.
2x Ahn-Crop Crasher
4x Bomat Courier
4x Earthshaker Khenra
2x Harsh Mentor
4x Hazoret the Fervent
3x Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
3x Rampaging Ferocidon
4x Soul-Scar Mage
14x Mountain
4x Ramunap Ruins
2x Scavenger Grounds
4x Sunscorched Desert
Instant (10)
2x Abrade
4x Lightning Strike
4x Shock
2x Abrade
2x Aethersphere Harvester
1x Blazing Volley
2x Chandra's Defeat
2x Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2x Glorybringer
1x Harsh Mentor
1x Rampaging Ferocidon
2x Pia Nalaar
BB8-RackBB
Pauper:
UUDelverlUU
I'm thinking of running something close to that list as well, but have gone to 3 Shock and 2 Magma Spray in the main (may swap the numbers), which allows me to run 2 Defeat in the side where he didn't. One thing that I've noticed though, is the differing opinions on how to side against Temur/4c. I've seen some articles say to bring in Harvester, Glorybringer, Chandra, (and taking out Abrade), but others say to not try to "out-mid-range" them, and stay aggressive, bringing in Harsh Mentor, Chandra's Defeat, and extra Abrades. Which is a better plan?
Also, I get that Blazing Volley is one sided, but is it not worth trying Fiery Cannonade instead? It seems a little more versatile than Volley, becoming (among other things) a board wipe in the mirror.
I'm leaning more and more on Fournier's list because I do believe it is wrong to entirely cut out Crasher and I honestly believe Mentor's at 2 in the main is excellent in Energy/Vehicle heavy metas. I'll test out Cannonade, I just don't know how I feel about 3 mana instant compared to a 1 mana sorcery. The other thing is Cannonade doesn't hit Taker but Volley does. Again It will be a test in the SB. I also decided I'd try a 1 of Magma Spray in the SB. It is excellent against the mirror/Scrounger.
BB8-RackBB
Pauper:
UUDelverlUU
I just 3-0'd my LGS standard showdown and I can attest that Fiery Cannonade wrecked mono-white vamps. Wiping their board on their own turn makes it almost impossible for them to recover.
1 Scavenger Grounds
4 Ramunap Ruins
4 Sunscorched Desert
15 Mountain
Creatures (25)
4 Bomat Courier
4 Soul-Scar Mage
4 Earthshaker Khenra
2 Harsh Mentor
2 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
1 Ahn-Crop Crasher
4 Rampaging Ferocidon
4 Hazoret the Fervent
2 Magma Spray
3 Shock
2 Abrade
4 Lightning Strike
2 Harsh Mentor
2 Abrade
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2 Fiery Cannonade
2 Glorybringer
2 Chandra's Defeat
3 Aethersphere Harvester
Sideboard plans
(excuse the abbreviations, these are just copied and pasted from my notes)
Temur/4c
-3 Courier, -1 Mage, -1 Crasher, -1 Shock (maybe take out the Abrades if I go bigger with Glorybringers)
+2 Mentor, +2 Abrade, +2 Chandra’s Defeat (Maybe Glorybringer, TOD)
Sultai
-2 Courier (on the draw), -2 Mage (on the play), -2 Zev, -1 Crasher, -2 Ferocidon, -2 Spray, -1 Shock
+2 Mentor, +2 Abrade, +2 TOD, +2 GB, +2 Harvester
Red/BR/Vehicles
-2 Mentor (-2 Kari Zev against vehicles), -1 Crasher, -4 Fero, -2 Strike (against RR)
+2 Mentor (against vehicles), +2 Abrade, +2 Cannonade, +2 Defeat (against RR), +3 Harvester
GPG
-1 Zev, -1 Crasher, -3 Shock, -1 Strike
+2 Abrade, +2 TOD, +2 GB
Control/Approach
-2 Spray, -2 Abrade
+2 TOD, +2 GB
Tokens
-2 Spray, -3 Shock, -2 Abrade, -2 Strike
+2 TOD, +2 Cannonade, +2 GB, +3 Harvester
Vampires
-2 Mentor, -1 Crasher, -2 Abrade, -2 Strike
+2 Cannonade, +2 GB, +3 Harvester
I Appreciate the Sideboard strategy. I did notice I needed to work on properly sideboarding for this deck during my PPTQ. Let us definitely know how this deck runs, I am curious to see how the 2 Magma Sprays MB do and how the Cannonade does in the SB. I'll definitely be taking this version for a spin. I also agree think dropping Zev to 2 is the correct play given Zev's interaction with Ferocidon (Even though many times opponents miss triggers).
BB8-RackBB
Pauper:
UUDelverlUU
The boarding plan is based off the one used by Fournier at PT Ixalan. He wrote about it here. I just swapped Cannonade in where he had Pia Nalaar, and Chandra's Defeat where he had Magma Spray. I also broke out the aggro deck strategies a little, as obviously Defeat becomes worse against BR, and Martin Juza liked Chandra in that match up. The only one that is of my own planning is the Vampires, and that's based on one match last FNM...
I have all the other cards but don't really feel like dropping the $$$ for a pair (at least) of Chandra's.
How big of a hit is losing Chandra?
Glorybringer as a replacement?
Based on a few GP Atlanta lists, here is what I'm looking at.
4 Soul-Scar Mage
4 Earthshaker Khenra
2 Harsh Mentor
2 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
2 Ahn-Crop Crasher
4 Rampaging Ferocidon
4 Hazoret the Fervent
4 Shock
2 Abrade
4 Lightning Strike
15 Mountain
4 Ramunap Ruins
1 Scavenger Grounds
4 Sunscorched Desert
Sideboard:
2 Abrade
3 Glorybringer
2 Chandra's Defeat
2 Aethersphere Harvester
2 Pia Nalaar
2 Magma Spray
I'm pretty new to standard, but have been playing weekly at my LGS. My goals are relatively meager, want to stay competitive and continue to learn the format with Rivals,
Thanks in advance for any input!
Edit: Swapped Invigorating Rampage for Abrade
Based on above SB, perhaps I'll make these changes -1 Glorybringer -1 Pia Nalaar, +2 Vance's
Edit:
I found this post linked here which looks like a great guide: http://manadeprived.com/mono-red-pt-ixalan/
I guess I'll try this strategy replacing Chandra ToD with Vance's Blasting Cannons for now.
I play against more Energy than Control at my LGS, I'll try 1 Flame Lash 1 Vance's to start
Thanks everyone for your inputs, I'll start doing some testing online
1x Ahn-Crop Crasher
4x Bomat Courier
4x Earthshaker Khenra
2x Harsh Mentor
4x Hazoret the Fervent
3x Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
4x Rampaging Ferocidon
4x Soul-Scar Mage
14x Mountain
4x Ramunap Ruins
2x Scavenger Grounds
4x Sunscorched Desert
Instant (10)
2x Abrade
4x Lightning Strike
4x Shock
2x Abrade
2x Aethersphere Harvester
2x Chandra's Defeat
2x Chandra, Torch of Defiance
1x Fiery Cannonade
2x Glorybringer
1x Harsh Mentor
1x Magma Spray
2x Pia Nalaar
I will swap around the 15/1 and 14/2 Land swap between Basic Mountain and Scavenger Grounds. I'm content at the 14/2, but I was drawing pretty poorly last week at the PPTQ (Could just have been a bad day for me).
Additionally, the Desert Red version. Has anyone tried it out yet? I LOVE Hazoret, and it essentially is the Glue that holds this deck together; however, I have seen Desert Red have better gameplay against Energy decks. I'd love to get anyone's input if they have ran it online or even in paper!
BB8-RackBB
Pauper:
UUDelverlUU
BB8-RackBB
Pauper:
UUDelverlUU
2 Desert of the Fervent
2 Hostile Desert
4 Sunscorched Desert
2 Ramunap Ruins
13 Mountain
Spells 14
4 Lightning Strike
4 Shock
4 Harnessed Lightning
2 Abrade
3 Ahn-crop Crasher
4 Lathnu Hellion
4 Glorybringer
4 Earthshaker Khenra
3 Aether Chaser
3 Hazoret the Fervent
3 Harsh Mentor
1 Insult // Injury
3 Hour of Devastation
2 Chandra's Defeat
1 Repeating Barrage
2 Kari Zev's Expertise
2 Captain Lannery Storm
2 Captivating Crew
2 Vance's Blasting Cannons
The main deck has a couple of changes from the list I posted over a month ago on the first page of this thread and those changes are:
- 1 Ahn-Crop Crasher, - 2 Heart Piercer Manticore and + 3 Harsh Mentor (bringing the deck lower to the ground in terms of mana by dropping one 3 cost spell and two 4 costing spells for three 2 costing spells)
The sideboard has the biggest changes adding: 2 Captain Lannery Storm, 2Vance's blasting cannons and 3 Hour of devastation, 1 repeating barrage and here is why.
I always had trouble with big creatures, either opposing Hazorets, Rhonas or even Kefnet and the Scorpion God. Either I can't kill them or I may have to use two burn spells to deal with them, so I tried testing Sweltering Suns and it didn't do it for me, same with Fiery Cannonade so I'm done playing around and put in 3 Hour of Devastation in the sideboard. It also deals with opposing planeswalkers such as Chandra and whoever else decides to show to the party and think they have a good chance against mono red.
Yes it does kill my guys too, but I can play around it obviously, and as long as I don't kill my Hazoret or Glorybringer with it then it doesn't matter if it kills the smaller guys, especially since the Khenra can come back by getting Eternalized. It also forces my opponent to overextend and cast more guys to block my guys and then this card will wipe the board clean.
Never has mono-red burn played a WRATH effect in the history of MAGIC.
The next combo is Captain Lannery Storm and Vance's Blasting cannons - which don't seem like a combo but it makes perfect sense since the captain can make treasures so extra mana which can be used to cast more spells in one turn with the cannons. The captain is also cheap at 3 casting cost and can come out on turn 3 and start making treasures, the opponent will have a hard time deciding what do kill between her, ahn-crop crasher and lathnu hellion. When sideboarding I will be taking out the 4 Glorybringers to put in the 2 Captains and the 2 Cannons, therefore lowering my top end mana costing to 4 mana only and also giving me more spells at 3 casting cost.
Repeating barrage is in testing as a one-off against midrange decks or the cycling deck that's making the rounds and which doesn't run too many counters and almost no creatures thus making our deck have to sideboard out 4 harnessed lightning and 2 abrades in favor of more creatures to beat their face in.
So, I will be testing this later this month but feel free to let me know what you think about the changes, especially the main deck ones.
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