MTG Salvation

i have a question regarding golgari matchup: if the goal is to "push damage," isn't it better to board out Ghitu Lavarunners and keep Viashino Pyromancers because the latter deals 2 damage instantly while the former gets brickwalled easily? if late in the game the opponent has managed to build a board and i'm on topdeck mode, Viashino Pyro's a much better topdeck than Lavarunner, especially if opponent is down to 1-2 life.

ayt. i am interested to see how your sideboarding guide goes, for i currently have no solid sideboard plan.

nice, clean, informative guide. well done!

my only comment is that Fiery Cannonade may not be a good card vs Mono Blue because they also have a number of Pirates in the form of Siren Stormtamer and Warkite Marauder. also does little against Tempest Djinn.

seems like Experimental Frenzy is worth 4 in the main like Hazoret was, despite being counter-intuitive (Hazoret being legendary and Frenzy not good or even detrimental in multiples). it's a must draw. playing it drastically increases your chances of winning.

i myself have dropped my Risk Factors from the mainboard last Showdown and have 3 Frenzies. went 3-2 but that's because i lost in the white weenie match because i didn't draw Cannonade and lost to R/w aggro because he played Frenzy first. i think 4 Frenzies in the main is the correct number, with 2 Rekindling Phoenixes. Rekindling isn't as impactful as Frenzy, in my observation.

Quote from Havrekjex »

For those who play the regular mono red list, how do you sideboard against Golgari? We side in Rekindling Phoenix obviously, and probably any Frenzy/Risk Factor we have, plus the extra land to go with that, but I'm not sure what we take out. The low end of the curve because we get stonewalked so quickly on the ground? And do we also side in removal, like maybe Lava Coil for Wildgrowth Walker? Or do we rather want to stay streamlined and avoid siding into an inferiour midrange deck? I mean we can't go under them anyway, right? Answer enough of their stuff to give us time to burn them out, I guess?

And how does the matchup feel in general?

matchup feels bad in general. they can grind, but red has Rekindling Phoenix and Experimental Frenzy to keep up.

Risk Factor seems bad against Golgari. better to board in Lava Coil.

always keep mana up and removal in hand for potential Wildgrowth Walker followed by explore creature on opponent's turn.

that could certainly work. fliers are G/B's weakness. but if you wish to really put a beating on G/B (if they are prevalent in your local meta) put a few Tocatli Honor Guard in your sideboard to prevent ETB effects.

i playtested a while ago and i agree with Jim Davis: Steam Kin's a busted card. i was able to "storm" off several times. Risk Factor's nice too.

and surprisingly, Flame of Keld really under-performed. everytime i had it in my hand i wished it was a different card.

what would i change? i think remove 3x FoK and 2 Mountains to bring the land count to 20 and then replace FoK with 1 or 2 CMC creature. which creature i do not know for certain yet. Goblin Banneret?

i agree that Run Amok is strictly better than Sure Strike. RA can also protect your creatures from damage-based removal after it attacks, which is when people remove creatures anyway.


a friend sent me this link to Jim Davis's video featuring Keld Red. it's 2 hours long so i'll summarize it for you guys:
1. Jim is ecstatic about Steam Kin, but dislikes Flame of Keld. he hates it with a passion, in fact.
2. he noted that Risk Factor is so good with Steam Kin.
3. every other card seems fine.
4. Experimental Frenzy helped him deal 16 damage on turn 5.
5. he went 3-2, lost to Jeskai Control and Steel Leaf Stompy.

there's also another 5-0 result from Oct 4 Competitive League, this time with all 4 FoK and Risk Factor. only 20 lands.

so it seems there's still no consensus on what is the best configuration of a mono red deck.

two things are for sure, though: Runaway Steam Kin is the real deal, and Risk Factor is a playable punisher card.

maybe just adjust the deck to your local meta. too many mono red aggro? play Dire Fleet Daredevil so you can get tempo advantage. filled with G/X decks? mainboard Lava Coil and/or Fight with Fire. dominated by control? play more threats.

Quote from xaltair »

Quote from PapaThor »

MTGO 5-0 lists for GRN Standard is out!

the mono R list is very similar to mine. good to know that i'm on the right track. can't wait to get into the first Standard Constructed FNM this season to test the deck myself.

As I said in its own thread, risk factor will fit in every deck running red and probably rule the early standard format.

i managed to get 3 copies a few hours ago. i reckon that's enough, since 4 of them seems overkill.


Steam Kin also seems to be a hit. its price is steadily rising up. better get a set asap, guys.

MTGO 5-0 lists for GRN Standard is out!

the mono R list is very similar to mine. good to know that i'm on the right track. can't wait to get into the first Standard Constructed FNM this season to test the deck myself.

Quote from xaltair »

Also, he doesn't play risk factor which is arguably the best red spell in the new standard format.

from what i've been reading, there's still some debate on whether or not Risk Factor is good enough for constructed play. i think either side is good for an aggro/burn deck. it is true that there may be times when the opponent is down to 4 and you want a burn spell in hand but you have Risk Factor instead. you may not be able to burn your opponent that turn, but maybe the cards you'd draw will finish the job.

and that's the risk in playing Risk Factor.

Quote from TheBlueOne37 »

Why would you think 20 lands isn't enough when your curve tops out at 3? It is arguably to much land. I would rather be at 19 with that curve.

my reasoning is that i'd want to dump my hand as fast as possible for Flame of Keld, and i fear 19-20 lands just won't do it.

but just to confirm my gut feeling, i checked Frank Karsten's guide on how many lands to put in, and found that for a deck such as Seth's which has an average CMC of 1.88, Frank Karsten recommends having 22 lands.

now, Wizard's Lightning on that deck may cost just 1 mana, lowering the curve to 1.68, to which Frank recommends 21 lands.

present Wizards Flame of keld decks have an even lower CMC, allowing them to go with 20 lands.

with key 1 CMC pieces rotating out (Bomat Courier and Soul-Scar Mage) Wizards Flame of Keld decks needs more lands to cope with a higher curve

at least, that's what i conclude.

Seth Manfield posted a list today that looks similar. Link here.

i think 20 lands is too few, though.

Quote from drummadude »

Papa Thor, I have had fun with a pre-rotation Goblins deck on Arena and hope it gets better with Guilds, but those Path to Mettle and Swiftblade Vindicator are just waiting for someone to figure out a sweet Boros aggro deck.

Path of Mettle and Swiftblade Vindicator are powerful cards, no doubt. however, my concern is G/x Stompy, and i am unsure if Boros has the means to beat it unless one uses Aurelia and Lyra as top end to get past the defenders.

one solution i found is to go burn route to bypass their creatures.



with 40+ points of burn damage (not counting bonus damage from Flame of Keld) i think the deck's got some serious reach. i mentioned previously, Hazored that i piloted was soundly beaten but post rotation Wizards+Flame of Keld deck. when i learned that Runaway Steam-Kin grows to 4 power even with creature spells, i knew i found my 2 drop. it can also ramp up the deck to enable me to dump cards so that Flame of Keld could come down earlier.

post board, i think replacing Chainwhirler with Guttersnipe is the way to go vs Stompy by going on a more controlling route with additional removal from the SB.

seems like post rotation R/x can go either:

1. mono red goblins. go wide and turn creatures sideways.
2. mono red burn. wizard subtheme for Wizard's Lightning backed by support creatures like Guttersnipe and enchantment like Flame of Keld
3. Boros aggro. splash white for bad-ass cards like Swiftblade Vindicator.

i know some players at the LGS who are into Goblins and they do get to the top 3 of Standard showdown from time to time. last Saturday, i borrowed a mono red hazored deck (i didn't bring mine) to playtest with a friend with post rotation mono red Wizards and i am impressed that he managed to beat me 5/7 times. as for Boros aggro, the power level is there but color consistency is a problem to be solved.

what do you think, guys? which camp are you on?

Quote from elconquistador1985 »

No, ensnaring bridge isn't a necessity. I rarely play it, personally.

thanks for your reply. what is it for anyway? Eldrazi decks? what do you use instead?