Actually there is a card that i bring in for both Storm and Burn and it usually results in a scoop: Trinisphere. It's particularly important against storm as it's an auto loss for them if you land it on T2. Burn can try to play through but it's usually too difficult if they are perpetually stuck on 2 lands. That's the best way to beat them both.
I wish I owned some, and I agree it is great in both those matchups, and others.
But any Storm player that scoops to Trin is pants on head retarded. They play echoing truth for just these sort of situations.
They're both powerful, yet deeply flawed, suboptimal magic cards.
Bonfire is amazing when you draw it when you need it or when it's at least a 2 for 1 you are a magic god and the mere mortal you are paying against doesn't deserve to bask in your reflected glory. But we aren't a reliably 'big mana' deck so XX is hard to make impactful at times. Its mediocre in your opening 7 and it's also a bad top deck if drawn too (relevant) or when not needed.
Mortars is a bang average 2 mana removal spell that would be better as a bolt, abrade or even a roast, that can act as a sweeper, except it costs 1 more than you would want and does 1 less damage than you would want. We are in a format dominated by Tasigur, Angler, Deaths shadows, Primevil Titans, Reality Smashers and combo. 4 damage is a weak return for 6 mana.
I have learned to run neither, I play 1 swealtering suns and 2 anger of the gods in sideboard. They are big enough and importantly cheep enough to make an earlyimpact against the decks we need them against (death and taxes, Fish, Affinity, Naya Zoo and humans) But if I were to play either bonfire or mortars it would be mortars.
Titan is too expensive to be impactful against storm IMO.
They way I play the matchup is the same way the control decks do. Windmill slam a threat on turn 2 (tracker is ideal here) Then disrupt them (stone rains, moons and beast withins are obviously our only tools for this, rather than counterspells). Then PRAY. Sideboard bring in bolts for the terrible twins, and relics.
All in all, i'm constantly having success with the deck on paper magic but had a 2-3 drop online RPTQ...i just can't win with the deck online for some reason.
Modo bug. You will always topdeck more arbor elves.
Sigh. My list was the standard mix of lands and non creature spells (minus acid moss) that I use and then I listed the creatures I used in the list.
"I had a new twist on the deck tonight" should give away that what I was trying was unusual. But it all worked well and I hit ny drops like never before, and Hazdog was a legend. In one game I mulled agains storm I got em with turn 3 Hazzy, Turn 4 Stormbae gg.
My list was the standard 21 lands, 4 elf, 4 sprawl, 2 birds, 4 moon, 4 stone rain 2 beast within.
2 huntmaster
2 pia and kiran
2 haz dog
3 tracker
3 courser
1 wurmcoil
3 stormbae
1 scooze
2 chandra
I cut 2 inferno titan, a primal command and 2 baloths.
Won modern tonight, 4 rounds. 2-1 Boggles, 2-0 Eldrazi tron, 2-1 Storm (I am now 2-0 against storm in the matchup bow to me peasants!!!) and 2-1 against U/W control.
I had a new twist on the deck tonight, 3 trackers AND 3 coursers. And 2 Hazoret the fervent. Hazdog was the real deal.
Somsone just did a buyout of all the the semi-played Tireless trackers at SCG, because they're at a Christmas discount. I could have sworn there are almost 20 of those two days ago, now all gone. Which forced me to buy 3 of the near mint ones today. Anyway, just 1 Trinisphere, 1 Moon and 4 Sprawls missing before my deck is ready to roll. ^___^
Tempted to tenporarily substitute something else for the sprawls while they're out of stock at SCG... but probably a bad idea even at FNM level....
The reason sprawl is out of stock and expensive is that it's not been reprinted and no card is quite like it.
Thrun is far better in the matchups where you want a hexproof creature. It's just that simple. Being castable on turn 2 or 3 is highly relevant because of his ability to clock the opponent and regenerate is huge, no matter what some people might be doing with their control decks.
Tireless Tracker is probably the 2nd best creature card in the deck behind Stormbreath Dragon. So much value in one card. A decent topdeck as it makes every topdeck land after actually relevant. Self pumping while drawing cards is worth the 3 mana investment. I have had GDS players push him after I crack a fetch to prevent more clue tokens. T2 Tracker into T3 into Acid Moss feels great. I would run 4 copies but we already run so many 3 drops that we need to still fill out the remainder of our curve so I just run 3.
Once I am comfortable with my lands on board in a long game I tend to sandbag a fetch or 2 lands, just so long as I am not screwing myself out of something ( like monstrosity 3) Makes that top deck tracker an absolute back breaker.
I wish I owned some, and I agree it is great in both those matchups, and others.
But any Storm player that scoops to Trin is pants on head retarded. They play echoing truth for just these sort of situations.
Bonfire is amazing when you draw it when you need it or when it's at least a 2 for 1 you are a magic god and the mere mortal you are paying against doesn't deserve to bask in your reflected glory. But we aren't a reliably 'big mana' deck so XX is hard to make impactful at times. Its mediocre in your opening 7 and it's also a bad top deck if drawn too (relevant) or when not needed.
Mortars is a bang average 2 mana removal spell that would be better as a bolt, abrade or even a roast, that can act as a sweeper, except it costs 1 more than you would want and does 1 less damage than you would want. We are in a format dominated by Tasigur, Angler, Deaths shadows, Primevil Titans, Reality Smashers and combo. 4 damage is a weak return for 6 mana.
I have learned to run neither, I play 1 swealtering suns and 2 anger of the gods in sideboard. They are big enough and importantly cheep enough to make an earlyimpact against the decks we need them against (death and taxes, Fish, Affinity, Naya Zoo and humans) But if I were to play either bonfire or mortars it would be mortars.
They way I play the matchup is the same way the control decks do. Windmill slam a threat on turn 2 (tracker is ideal here) Then disrupt them (stone rains, moons and beast withins are obviously our only tools for this, rather than counterspells). Then PRAY. Sideboard bring in bolts for the terrible twins, and relics.
I wish red had a force spike tho.
Modo bug. You will always topdeck more arbor elves.
"I had a new twist on the deck tonight" should give away that what I was trying was unusual. But it all worked well and I hit ny drops like never before, and Hazdog was a legend. In one game I mulled agains storm I got em with turn 3 Hazzy, Turn 4 Stormbae gg.
2 huntmaster
2 pia and kiran
2 haz dog
3 tracker
3 courser
1 wurmcoil
3 stormbae
1 scooze
2 chandra
I cut 2 inferno titan, a primal command and 2 baloths.
I had a new twist on the deck tonight, 3 trackers AND 3 coursers. And 2 Hazoret the fervent. Hazdog was the real deal.
The reason sprawl is out of stock and expensive is that it's not been reprinted and no card is quite like it.
You could play extra birds I guess.
Once I am comfortable with my lands on board in a long game I tend to sandbag a fetch or 2 lands, just so long as I am not screwing myself out of something ( like monstrosity 3) Makes that top deck tracker an absolute back breaker.