MTG Salvation

Hi guys, I made my first deck but im not sure if these spells i picked are the right ones or if they have better equivalents. Since im practically just started playing MTG. I'd love some feedback before i consider buying these cards. Thanks.



Added deck tags. Click this link for info on how to use them. --Lugger

I don't play Counterburn so my advice is limited, but:

• Goblin Electromancer isn't Standard-legal. I'm not sure what his replacement is; Battlefield Thaumaturge has a similar effect but your spell suite doesn't work with his ability.
• I don't know how crucial the counter part of Counterburn is, having no experience with the deck, but I struggle to envision that four counters is enough. You might look into cards like Disdainful Stroke and Negate/Nullify to round out the suite.
• You've got only one burn spell that actually goes to the dome, which is going to limit your ability to close out games. I would recommend looking at Lightning Strike and Stoke the Flames to give you that added reach. I also tend to think Lightning Strike is just better than Bolt of Keranos; instant-speed and 2 cmc is much better than scry 1.
• How does this deck try to win, precisely? I'm not saying that it doesn't here, just asking what it is you're looking to achieve with the deck so you can fine-tune it more. Understanding the deck's identity is critical not just to playing it but to understanding how to improve it. From what I can tell, you'll have to count on doing at least 14 damage with creatures. Keranos can get you some of that (although it's doubtful he is ever a creature due to devotion concerns), and Spellheart Chimera will be strong enough to be a 2-3hko once it drops in. It's vulnerable to removal though, and it's likely you use a lot of counterspells to establish control of the game until it's time to kill the opponent. If your opponent snipes the Chimera on the spot with Hero's Downfall or the like, what's the backup plan? All I can see is hoping to get Temporal Trespass in the graveyard so you can drop in Living Lore as an 8/8 with Time Walk available - which can be okay if you find the pieces but very frustrating if you don't.

All in all I'd probably cut some of the sorcery-speed spells and Reality Shift for Strikes, Stokes and counterspells. You won't need to do much more after that I think; you have lethal damage with your burn spells alone, never mind incremental pings from Keranos and the ability to close out with Chimeras and Lores, and you'll have counterspells and card advantage spells to let you hold off the opponent until you find them.

You just started playing so don't worry about making bad mistakes. There are definitely a lot of ways you can improve this deck.

For burn, you want to focus on the most efficient spells. Lightning Strike, Wild Slash (even without the ferocious clause), and Stoke the Flames are probably all solid choices, but you might also want to consider a Crater's Claws or two as potential finishers.

Keranos is a solid choice for this deck. Probably make it a 2-of to increase your odds of drawing it.

For countering, Dissolve is a pretty solid choice to begin with. I notice that it's actually the only countering card in your deck. You probably want more than that. I would consider adding Disdainful Stroke since there is a lot in the format the card is good against. Also Nullify since creatures are going to be the biggest threat to a mostly creature-less deck. I agree with the Anger of the Gods but I'm not sure you need 4. You want to make sure that you are getting enough burn spells that can damage the opponent.

For card drawing, this isn't a deck that relies on getting a specific key card to win with, so I would suggest going with Treasure Cruise over Dig Through Time. You want to choose drawing more cards rather than having the card selection.

For lands, you should definitely consider 4 Temple of Epiphany.

Other possibilities: Monastery Siege and Outpost Siege. Anticipate. Jace's Ingenuity.

With this many non-creature spells, it may be worth playing Monastery Swiftspear.

One thing to keep in mind is that even in its best form, you may find it difficult to do well with this deck competitively. Not every archetype can be tier-1 in every standard season. Right now the choice in cards doesn't really promote this type of deck, but you might still be able to win an FNM or two.

I would also suggest either/both Thunderbreak Regent and Icefall Regent as finishers/enablers for the burn as they both help (one causing damage the other freezing their ceatures) also Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest might be worth considering to give the dragon's double strike when you cast a spell (smack them for 3 with Lightning strike then hit them for 8 with a dragon). I've been considering this as prior to Dragon's there wasn't an effective way to build this deck but now I believe there is with the dragons.

Mindswipe is a counterspell and a burn spell rolled into one. You can use that to get chip shots in on your opponent's life total while you burn away their creatures. If you draw it late, you can cast it in response to an opponent's spell for a nice little Fireball to close out the game.

Thanks you guys for all the feedback so I revised it a bit with your tips and hints, still not sure if I should run the Rakshasa or the disdainful stroke tho. And should I maybe lose like 1 steam augury or maybe two so I can run 3 or 4 lightning strike? Also i'm not sure what I should remove if I want to play stoke the flames. Since I think its a solid drop indeed.

This is my deck now (maybe i f*cked up XD):


Sorcery (12):

Mystic meditation 4x
Spite of Mogis 4x
Anger of the Gods 2x
Treasure cruise 2x

Instant (18):

Dissolve 4x
Nullify 2x
Rakshasa's Disdain 2x
Reality shift 4x
Steam augury 2x
Lightning strike 2x
Mindswipe 2x

Creatures(9):

Keranos, God of storms 2x
Living lore 3x
Spellheart Chimera 4x

Lands (21):

Island 11x
Mountain 6x
Temple of epiphany 4x

or maybe lose 1 Living lore and the reality shift and put in one more lightning strike, 2 stoke the flames and 2 disdainful stroke. (getting lost in my own thoughts, maybe i should just buy and play haha)

I think you're getting closer. It looks like you're really set on making Living Lore work, so maybe you could tailor your deck to synergize with it a little better. That means a slightly higher count of expensive (delve) spells to go along with your counters and burn.

I play a counterburn-style deck of my own at FNM from time to time, except I use Riddle of Lightning to set up big damage. In your case, you're on the Living Lore plan, so maybe your deck looks a bit different than mine. My "big spells" package looked like this:



In your case, you could just swap out the Riddles for a set of Living Lore.

My counterspell package was like this:



Dissolve is probably the cleanest counter you could ask for in the current Standard - it also has the benefit of scry 1 to help you set up things like Keranos.

Mindswipe, I've already discussed.

Next up is the burn package. This is what you'll be using to clear away threats, and your opponent:



Now obviously, since you aren't running some unplayable jank like Riddle of Lightning as a burn spell, you'll want more than what I've posted here. Maxing out on Lightning Strike is probably the first step. You may also want to consider Stoke the Flames even though you are light on creatures. Roast is a viable option for creature control, as it can kill dangerous ground-pounders like Siege Rhino and non-monstrous Polukranos, World Eater. I don't really recommend Spite of Mogis, since you want to have a graveyard full of good stuff to pick from when you cast Living Lore and your delve spells. (By the way, definitely keep Steam Augury in your list. It does everything you want it to do - it draws cards AND fills the yard for delve/LL.)

Reality Shift is a fine card to use on creatures you would otherwise have no answer to. You can also look into picking up one or two Perilous Vaults as sweepers.


Finally, there's your creatures. Obviously, you don't want to run too many, so as to maximize the power of Living Lore and delve spells. In my Riddle build I settled on Keranos and Prognostic Sphinx, but I don't think Sphinx is very good right now. You could probably get away with something like this:




Hope this helps.

I totally revamped it lately, check it out here:D http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/keranos-spellslinger/

flamewake pheonix is great if you have some ways of having bigger dudes. personally i like sarkhan, spellheart and ashcloud phoenix.

here is my thread that i created a long time ago. feel free to look at my list that i was running for a while.

http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/standard-type-2/standard-deck-creation/601729-u-r-phoenix

Here is the take I worked up for Counter Burn. Haven't gotten to play it anywhere yet as my Jeskai Dragons deck has been burning a hole in my pocket.



Equal amount of blue and red mana, 19 of each to satisfy double color on T3 and 4 radiant fountains to help outlast, on top of the gainlands. Burn, board wipes, counters, draw and planeswalkers. Keranos will never be active to swing, but the card draw or bolt factor will be strong. Pair of him since there are a number of exile effects these days. Sarkhan doubles as extra creature removal as well as being a 4/4 dragon when needed, which is always nice.