MTG Salvation

Quote from RP1

I haven't seen any type 2 mill, is this viable?

Boros human aggro? (there are a ton of these decks floating around but I cant seem to get the right build)

lands
clifftop retreat x4
sacred foundry x4
plains x5
mountain x7

spells (20)
bonfire of the damned x4
entreat the angels x4
boros charm x4
skullcrack x4
thunderous wrath x4

creatures
silverblade paladin x4
champion of the parish x4
frontline medic x4
vexing devil x4
ash zealot x4

sideboard 15:
blind obedience x2
auriela's fury (instead of bonfires) x3 (not sure which works better in this deck
mizzum morters x2
thalia x2 (shuts down opponent)
oblivion stone x3
assemble the legion x2
fiend hunter x2 (possibly mainboard but fell off, seems to fit better than vexing devil but vexing devil is quick damage)

My strategy would be to whiteweenies quickly and burn, but I get the sense that if this deck goes into turn 5 or 6 the cards/creatures are way too small.

So which deck would do better at an FNM and what would you change to make it better.

Thanks!

Quote from Zephyr Scarlet

@Senior Gomez: Your version looks more midrange-ish with Thragtusk, Restoration Angel and Huntmaster of the Fells. You might want to add all dorks instead of Dryad and Flinthoof to consistently ramp to Thragtusk and the like. Also, you can add a few copies of Thundermaw Hellkite, and Boros Reckoner is a powerhouse.

@microStyles: I wouldn't put Aurelia's Fury as a 4-of. They take so much mana, which is an issue in this kind of deck. Fencing Ace seems super awkward, and instead of Slaughterhorn you might want to look at Giant Growth. Thalia, Reckoner and Smiter are staples, they're the biggest threats we can run in a low-curve variant.

@The Nihilist: I'm running again the Boars, but Stromkirk Noble over Experiment One is a little bit underwhelming from what I've tried. I'm currently trying a dork-less version with 10 creatures at 1 CMC, 7 at 2 CMC, Smiters and Reckoners at 3 CMC, and 3 Hellrider or Ghor-Clan Rampager at 4 CMC spot. My utility pack is at the moment this:

Utility PackMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
4 Boros Charm 3 Prey Upon 3 Selesnya Charm

Prey Upon proves to be a great removal for G, especially followed after a Combat Phase with Boros Reckoner, where you can potentially take out up to 4 creatures if it gets blocked and survives, and also solves the problem of Rhox Faithmender, Trostani and the like. It can even work as a burn spell if you are willing to sacrifice the Reckoner and send him to fight a bigger dude. Boros Charm is an automatic 4-of, and Selesnya Charm removes what Prey Upon cannot, saves one of your creatures, pushes some damage in, and has enough flexibility to even act as another 2-drop.

EDIT: Forgoing the dorks is a good idea. Tested against control and midrange all day long and they got beaten faster thanks to my 1 CMC beaters. VS Aggro I just block and trade them until I slam down Pig / Thalia / Smiter / Reckoner and then develop my board. As Nihilist said, Nevermore proved to be a great asset against Sphinx's Revelation. I'm currently running 2 Sideboard alongside 2 Skullcrack for hating Centaur Healer, Ghost Dad, Thragtusk, Rhox Faithmender as well as Sphinx's Revelation itself.

EDIT 2: @Nahadoth How often did you get the Reckless Waif to transform? I might be interested in a little swap if it's able to flip consistently.

Quote from Helios

Thanks for reporting in, the server just kicked us both off. I hate it when it does that.

Quote from DTG99

I also agree with double strike, I never said it wasn't an asset to this deck. If you are however referring to my changes, I've found that 4 Boros Charm is excessive and you will almost never be using the ability to grant double strike unless you're using it as a defensive combat trick. As long as you don't have a creature with 5+ power on the board, the double strike ability will always be inferior to burning their face for 4.

Quote from The Nihilist

Additionally, however, there are two points I disagree. One, I think you underestimate Boros Charm with both Ghor-Clan Rampager and creatures with Rancor. Charm-double-striking has 2-for-1'd and still dealt 3 or more damage to the opponent enough times to be highly relevant.

Two, I never think of Silverblade as a 3-drop unless I have Precinct Captain or Thalia as my 2nd-turn play. Often he stays back until most of the removal is gone. I will take a lot of your suggestions, but those are two things I think you might not have noticed about deck synergy.

Quote from Orid

To be honest, I think this idea of splashing white is awful. The mana of the BR zombies decks is already one of the most fragile points of the deck second only to its complete lack of defensive utility or tendency to be walled off by even meager board positions.

The dirty little secret of zombies is that without an aggressive draw, diregraf ghoul and gravecrawler are very mediocre. They can't trade effectively with most of the format and need a hellrider, falkenrath aristocrat, heavy burn backup, or sheer numbers in order for them to be good at all. To accomplish this, the deck needs a very tight mana base that is compromised some way or another. Running hellrider and an almost entirely red instant/sorcery package in a deck that needs to hit B on 1, BC on turn 2, and BBB on turn 3 is already hard enough. If you give up any consistency on the aggression of being able to swarm on turns 1 through 3 or drop a curve topper on 4, the package of 12 zombies becomes nearly unplayable.

There is nothing wrong with playing a WBR deck or playing geralf's messenger. The problem is that every deck list I have seen in this thread almost pointless compromises the mana consistency and aggression needed to make diregraf ghoul or gravecrawler constructed playable cards.

Take the OP deck list for example.


The main deck has three white cards. This is a very low value splash. It could be strongly argued that it's a negative value splash because red cards would be superior to thalia.

Quote from Zephyr Scarlet

Haven't tested against RDW yet, but on the play seems pretty good. Especially the potential of playing a Boros Charm and giving her doube strike, while casting your other dudes, or just disrupting your opponent. Save for Pilgrim, pretty much every other spell in the deck pumps her up.

Quote from zedruu

new step of BR Zombie???

i would ask how about Thrull Parasite just to add stings to Geralf's messenger & Gravecrawler
especially with Falkenrath aristocrat as sac outlet, this little guy turn every our Creature to Messenger with his Extort

Quote from PrinceEnder

Just thought I'd share my Naya Haste variant.

DeckMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
Lands 3x Cavern of Souls 2x Kessig Wolf Run 2x Mountain 4x Rootbound Crag 4x Sacred Foundry 4x Stomping Ground 4x Temple Garden	Creatures 4x Boros Elite 4x Legion Loyalist 2x Dryad Militant 4x Strangleroot Geist 4x Ash Zealot 4x Flinthoof Boar 4x Spark Trooper 2x Thundermaw Hellkite	Spells 1x Selesnya Charm 2x Rancor 4x Boros Charm Planeswalkers 2x Domri Rade

Haste is pretty good. It's getting in for faster damage than Zombies. Honestly might drop Domri Rade and something for 3-4 Skyknight Legionnaire

Quote from The Nihilist

Mogg Flunkies has seen a 2-of in some recent aggro builds. Though not great by itself, and almost certainly not a 4-of, it might be ok. The problem is that it will almost never attack turn-3 and be lucky to block before then. It is generally played alongside Lighting Mauler, and that human does not belong in this deck.

I have listed my problem with Wojek Halberdiers. As said, it will never have Battalion, and will basically be trading with the odd Rakdos Cackler or Dryad Militant.

If the 2-slot has to play around Thalia, perhaps 2 Boar, 2 Flunkies if Precinct Captain is too greedy, though I have no troubles. Both perform poorly in different situations, but may cover each other. I am not sure of this.

EDIT: Also important to my build is Slayer's Stronghold. Reach 6 CMC, and everything flies at the opponent and trades with Thragtusk or better.

Quote from The Nihilist

I assume you mean Flinthoof Boar? I admit that is the major problem; I have never wanted a basic mountain.

Quote from The Nihilist

At least with my own brief testings, Flinthoof Boar and Call of the Conclave are great when they work, but sub-par when they do not.

Call of the Conclave works against aggro about the same as Thalia, but does nothing against control but make T3 Silverblade hit a little harder and worse makes bounce effects in blue even harder hitting. Also by not technically being a creature, it is sadly mutually exclusive with Thalia.

Flinthoof Boar would be a mainstay if not for the requirement of a Mountain for it to be anything but ok. If the mountains could be worked around, it would be great. This makes me sad Strangleroot Geist is too demanding, because the pig basically wants to accomplish everything Geist does.

I might just try a highly experimental base to see how terrible it is to fit in Geist, though I believe I know the answer: it is either him or Silverblade, and I know who wins. Silverblade just makes everything funny, and is why I like Precinct Captain. It forces a wrath from control for just 2 cards.

Quote from DTG99

Hm, I don't really want to get into it here but..

Those who understand CA also understand Rade isn't a CA engine. It's only possible CA and should not be depended upon.

In you build for instance, you run 28 creatures. That means in a little under 1 out of every 2 instances (46%) you use his +1 ability, you'll draw a card. Are you going to rely on an "engine" that only works 46% of the time, or even call it an engine for that matter? I don't think so.

Furthermore, this is a Zoo variant, meaning we rely heavily on tempo. This is quite possibly the worst deck to include Rade, as he's going to kill tempo at an extremely crucial point in the game. If anything, he's meant for more Midrange builds, but they won't use him either, because he's quite bad.

I think you may want to reevaluate your deck instead.