Hi there everyone! And welcome to playing Boros in Duel Commander! Isn't that the worst colors in the format, you ask? WELL YOU ARE WRONG! (At least in my bias opinion...) I believe Boros is one of the more fun color combinations to play in.
Not only are these colors fun, but they are better that you think they are. RW is packed with removal: Path to Exile, Swords to Plowshares, Lightning Helix, and Lightning Bolt are some of the best spot removal out there, and being in these colors, you get access to ALL OF THEM.
Also, if you haven't noticed, White and Red's creatures seem to synergize very well. You have creatures like Hero of Bladehold and Hero of Oxid Ridge who play very well off of each other. Battle Cry the tokens!
So if any of this interests you, keep reading about why you should join the Boros Aggro Train!
Why I Chose Anax and Cymede:
So with my main deck, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, I have had some issues since Marath, Will of the Wild and Derevi, Empyrial Tactician have been introduced into the meta, but when I was thinking about it I realized that adding another color to the deck might help me with some of the match ups and it came down to really two colors: green and red. In this meta though, I felt like the red burn might help me kill dorks/key creatures in some of these decks. And on top of that, most of the burn spells I run like Lightning Bolt which can also do damage to the face if I need it too.
So the next question that I was faced with: what generals are there in Boros? Hmm... none, right. Then I realized that Theros came out and BAM! I found my general. Anax and Cymede. These guys.... man, they're awesome. They give TRAMPLE in red/white. Overrunning in these colors seem pretty tech.
Why You SHOULD Play Anax and Cymede:
-You love playing aggro.
-You want instants to have a mini Overrun tacked onto them.
-You like to blow up everyone's lands.
-You want to play colors that are not supposed to synergize.
-You want to represent a not-so-popular color combination.
Why You SHOULD'T Play Anax and Cymede:
-You like blue.
-You like counterspells.
-You like to manipulate the opponents hand.
-You want mana dorks in your aggro strategy.
-You want to play big green fatties.
So, the start of this deck was the evolution of Derevi, Empyrial Tactician and Marath, Will of the Wild in the new meta, and also giving me another way to deal with Zur the Enchanter. Mono white just wasn't cutting it at the time. I was just getting turbo stomped by Derevi and Marath. Not only that, but Thalia white weenies was only a good match up against control, while the format was beginning to shift to aggro/midranged/combo: Everything that she was bad at.
So I asked the question: what do I do about this? I add red. This gives me ways to burn down dorks in Derevi, kill off threats in Marath, and kill Zur. So I thought I'd try it out.
January 18th, 2014: First tournament with Anax and Cymede. Having played them for only 2-3 weeks, I think 12th out of 32 is good! See Tournament Results for more on this tournament.
The Winds Begin To Change.... January 27, 2014:Zur the Enchanter and Derevi, Empyrial Tactician are banned! Guess we will see how the meta will change and how our Boros duet will do in the presence of these changes....
The other cards that were banned (Oath of Druids, Natural Order, Grim Monolith) probably won't change much in our match ups other than making ramp decks easier to beat because of the banning of Grim Monolith.
Grand Prix Cincinnati March 25, 2014: So, I went to the Grand Prix Cincinnati this weekend and made some radical changes to the deck as well as becoming a Level 1 Judge! Anyway, I decided to pick up a Ravages of War and my own copy of Imperial Recruiter which both seemed like a nice addition to the deck. On top of this I was looking at the deck and decided I wanted to make it have more of a lower average CMC as well as becoming an overall faster deck, so I have made a few changes. I will also be keeping the previous list on the thread because it has more of a midrange focus.
March 30, 2014: Hi there everyone! I just wanted to let you guys know I will probably be taking a break from the actual tournament scene so I can focus on becoming a Level 2 Judge. That being said, I will be keeping the thread updated and will be playing some friendly games here and there with them because I love this deck so much! If anyone has started testing this deck, or are curious about how it plays please feel free to post here! I'd love to see what other people have done with their Anax and Cymede deck.
Wear // Tear, Orim's Thunder]: Great enchantment/artifact destruction that need to be included. They are great to blow up all sorts of key artifacts/enchantments and will be good when they ramp decks start to appear such as Maelstrom Wonderer.
Rally the Righteous: This is an auto include in this deck because of Anax and Cymede's heroic ability. I didn't want to chose card that were used just because of their ability, but this is the one I had to chose. Doing this after they declare blockers is FANTASTIC. All of your creatures getting +3/+1, trample, and untapping themselves seem tech.
Lightning Bolt, Lightning Helix, Pyrokinesis: These are all great burn spells/removal in this deck. The reason I wanted to play Boros was because of the options it gives me from mono white, and this is one of them. Also, Pyrokinesis can be free AND you can target Anax and Cymede with one of the damage to buff your guys. That one seems like an auto-include.
Boros Charm: This is SUCH AN AMAZING CARD, oh my god. It is amazing how versatile a 2 cmc card can be. Making your permanents indestructible in response to a wrath, 4 damage to the dome, or giving a creature *cough*Anax and Cymede*cough* double strike seems SUPER GOOD in this deck. Just... yeah. Value. So much value.
Price of Progress: Need I say more? This card just WINS GAMES out of nowhere. Suck on this card any 3 colored deck! It's so brutal if they don't get the counter....
Apostle's Blessing, Emerge Unscathed: Protection is pretty good. Also, Apostle's Blessing can hit one of my artifacts which is just cool. Emerge Unscathed overrun's twice when targeting Anax and Cymede so that is super cool.
Land Tax: Mana fixing is pretty tech. Also this card is fantastic if I have Blood Moon/Magus of the Moon out because it finds me some of those white sources. Also it thins out your deck, and gives you a better chance to hit a card that you need and not a land.
Chained to the Rocks: This one I am still testing, and I don't know if it is better than Journey to Nowhere, but it is a one mana answer. The only catch is that you SHOULD NOT PUT IT ON PLATEAU OR SACRED FOUNDRY, because it is really easy to get 2 for 1ed. One mana removal is good, and I really want to chain a Emrakul, the Aeons Torn to a mountain.
Militia's Pride: I absolutely LOVE this card. It is fantastic and it is great at producing board advantage. W for a 1/1 attacking? Seems pretty good. Also with Skullclamp it becomes even better.
Blood Moon: This card legitimately WINS GAMES. People rely so much on their non basics that this card is ruthless in the format. MVP in most of my games.
Aether Vial: After revamping this deck in March, I realized this is a good addition. Free guys are amazing guys. Since this deck is going towards a faster aggro style, this needs to be in here.
Tangle Wire: Oh this card is fantastic when I already have a board state. If I do, I slam this baby and basically have 2 or 3 turns of no interruption. It's also hilarious against control if they tap out.
Sword of Fire and Ice: Definitely the best Sword and we have to run it. Drawing a carding and having a Shock attached to it is always good. Love this card.
Skullclamp: With all of the small guys and token generators, Skullclamp is an auto include. Drawing two cards because I paid 1 to sac a Kithkin Token made from Militia's Pride is one of the best moves, and just generates so much advantage.
Umezawa's Jitte: This equipment is fantastic as well, especially when your general has first strike. The versatility this thing has generates enormous value, and buffing up creatures like Mirran Crusader typically win games.
SORCERIES:
Armageddon, Ravages of War: These are fantastic whenever I have a board state and my opponent does not. Even if I were to have just a few small creatures on the board, if one of these two spells resolves I pretty much win.
So, after winning one random game against this deck I decided to play against it again. What did I learn? Being one color mana screwed sucks. First game I lost because I had all white lands and no white cards and then he had Natural Order. Ow. Second game I had all red lands and no red cards, but I did get to cast Ruination -still lost. It sucked.
After that, we played another set and I went 2-0. Pyreheart Wolf is SO FREAKING GOOD. Wrathed with Wrath of God his board early, had Pyreheart Wolf with a Sword of Fire and Ice. Radha just couldn’t keep up with it. The second game, I played Blood Moon on turn 4 which allowed me to have double red for the Siege-Gang Commander. This also locked Radha out of double green cards. Even with Sylvan Library he couldn’t dig deep enough to find another forest. I dropped Pyreheart Wolf again and won. He’s so good.
Pretty even, just depends on what I draw, aka I need Wrath of God. He has a lot of removal, so I need to be able to kill him when I bring out Anax and Cymede. These matches are making me consider putting in Day of Judgment as well because of the meta game like Marath and Derevi. Hero of Bladehold is kind of good, won me a couple of games.
Last game I played I got mana screwed and he blew up both of my white sources. I still almost won after he did this so I’m not cutting the deck short. I got him to 6 life with only being able to use a white source once. Had Purphoros, God of the Forge out and Cloudshifted Beetleback Chief. It was pro, but he ended up winning. If I would have had my white sources I would’ve won because I would have dropped Elspeth, Knight-Errant and popped out dudes every turn with Purphoros out. Anax and Cymede is actually doing a lot better than I expected them too.
Only can win if he gets mana screwed, or if I can keep him out of one color. Literally no way to stop him unless I Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares him, should hold onto path/sword until he swings into me with the Death’s Dreadnought Varolz. Try to kill his dorks, but swords/path him. Also Phyrexian Revoker is pretty good to not let him regenerate. The one game I won was done by swinging with a Soldier Token with Sword of Fire and Ice, Anax and Cymede, and Magus of the Moon. Parched Anax and Cymede and then used Rally the Righteous on them. So those 3 guys did like 22 damage in total. It was kind of scary. Also, Ajani Vengeant has an insane +1 ability for being RW. I love keeping lands tapped and then blowing up the other Black mana source.
These games were interesting. The first one I couldn’t draw a burn or a disenchant effect to save my life, so he took 2 extra turns and murdered me with a flyer with a Umezawa's Jitte. I literally couldn’t do anything about it.
The second game was close, but I still couldn’t draw burn/artifact D, and I couldn’t draw any red mana. I had all white mana until turn like 8… so yeah. And then he had Sword of Light and Shadow on Teferi, and then he used Phyrexian Metamorph to make another Sword of Light and Shadow. …. Wut? Yeah, it killed me. But at least this was a close game.
NOTE: The guy I played against played a Wydwen, the Biting Gale at the January 18th tournament that I played against. I went 4/2 against his Wydwen version of this deck.
Both of these matches were interesting, and pretty close. I'm pretty sure both games Pyreheart Wolf was MVP once more. This guy is just so good. Also, Aven Mindsensor is an amazing card against this deck, and Pyrexian Revoker is great when he names some sort of sword.
But like I said, that Pyreheart Wolf. So glad I decided to put it in.
Combo is just hard. The first game I won with a bunch of tokens. He used Toxic Deluge early, killing Accorder Paladin and Young Pyromancer, but then I followed up with Emeria Angel and Siege-Gang Commander. He also couldn't ramp at all and I was just too fast. The next two games were turn 3 Lake of the Dead and Iname, combo the next turn both times. Couldn't stop it. The last game I had Sulfuric Vortex and it almost killed him but he had Twilight's Call and I couldn't stop it. Oh well, better luck next time. It is a bad match up.
Played more of this match up in the January 18th, 2014 tournament. It didn't go well either. For more about that match, read the tournament results from January 18th, 2014 in the Tournament Results section.
This match up is actually a little harder of all of the control match ups we can have because Thrax is so hard for us to deal with. In Boros, we can't burn him down so we have to either waste more than one burn spell on thrax or hit Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile. The guy has haste and makes us sac our creatures. With the banning of Grim Monolith, it makes the match up a little easier, but it is still pretty rough when they can get Rooftop Storm out on turn 4 or 5 with just a rock or Temple of the False God. Thrax himself is a cool deck, but it is a harder match up in my opinion.
Duel Commander Tournament Report
March 29th, 2014
Ann Arbor, Michigan
25 Players
2 Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
2 Nin, the Pain Artist
2 Doran, the Siege Tower
2 Oloro, Ageless Ascetic
2 Marath, Will of the Wild
2 The Mimeoplasm
Anax and Cymede
Brimaz, King of Oreskos
Radha, Heir to Keld
Wydwen, the Biting Gale
Thraximundar
Iname, Death Aspect
Captain Sisay
Mogis, God of Slaughter
Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon
Erebos, God of the Dead
Wort, Boggart Auntie
Sydri, Galvanic Genius
Krenko, Mob Boss
Top 8 after 5 rounds of Swiss: Marath, Will of the Wild vs Wydwen, the Biting Gale Doran, the Siege Tower vs Oloro Ageless Ascetic Thraximundar vs Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon Iname, Death Aspect vs Nin, the Pain Artist
Top 4: Thraximundar vs Doran, the Siege Tower Iname, Death Aspect vs Marath, Will of the Wild
Finals:
Thraximundar vs. Iname, Death Aspect
-----------------------
I played against 2 of the top 8 decks before dropping (Thraximundar and Nin, the Pain Artist) and won against Brimaz, King of Oreskos. The games weren't that exciting. I misplayed against Thraximundar and Nin isn't a good match up at all. /shrug It happens. I don't plan on playing in the next few tournaments because I'm going to focus on working on becoming a Level 2 judge.
Duel Commander Tournament Report - January 18th, 2014
Get Your Game On - Ann Arbor, Michigan
12th of 32 Players
I ended up going 3-2 for the total tournament (that's a winning record! Definitely good in my book.)
Match 1: Rafiq of the Many: 2-0
Game 1: Uhh... well, I guess he got mana flooded while I was pooping out dudes like Mirran Crusader and my general, and Phyrexian Revoker. He Worldly Tutored up Geist of Saint Traft, dropped Sovereigns of Lost Alara and then swung and got Eldrazi Conscription. ... I ended up bolting Sovereigns and then removing 2 Umezawa's Jitte counters and killing him that next turn.
Game 2: He pretty much durdled. He dropped Sword of War and Peace, I used Revoker naming SoW&P, and then swung with a couple creatures using Anax's pump effect with Boros Charm and Emerge Unscathed. I won.
Match 2: Wydwen, the Biting Gale: 2-1
Game 1: Uhh... basically this game was me not doing anything of relevance and I lost. Wydwen + Sword = dead.
Game 2: I guess this is the game where the match actually got interesting....
Uhh, I dropped Anax and then tried to get through but he decided to drop a True-Name Nemesis and I couldn't race it. Soooo.... I dropped Magus of the Moon to stall because he had ALL NONBASICS. .... I had one Plains out and the rest was now Mountains. Everything in my hand was double white so that was awkward. Basically it stalled out the game for like 15 turns. He finally dropped and Island and I was just like "crap crap crap crap crap". The next turn, ripped a Plains and dropped Silverblade Paladin soulbinding to Anax, but not swinging because of the stupid Merfolk Rogue. Then, ripped Steelshaper's Gift into Sword of Fire and Ice equip and swing for 10 and 4 from SoF&I. I won, but was a super long game. Blood Moon was MVP here.
Game 3: More craziness ensued in this game, not gonna lie. Basically he was swinging in the Wydwen the whole time. I got in a little bit and with extra damage he took from Bitterblossom, I got him down to 9 life, and I was at 11 and at 18 general damage. Oh my god, scary.
Flametongue Kavu was on the field, with Sunforger equipped. I drew, ripped Ajani Vengeant off the top. At this point, I saw that he had 6 non-basics and I had 4. Hmmm....
So, I cast Ajani and no counters. I'm just thinking "Wow, he has no counter spells...". I -2 Ajani, killing Wydwen and going up to 14. Swung with the Kavu, he blocked with a Bitterblossom token. I ripped off Sunforger and tutored up Price of Progress. He used Jace's Ingenuity to find an answer, but couldn't. I killed him before combat damage was dealt.
MVP of the game, Sunforger.
Match 3: Iname, Death Aspect: 0-2
Uh, not much to say about this. Both games it was Iname turn 3, mass reanimate turn 5/6. This is a super hard match-up for this deck, and a lot of aggro decks.... so yeah. Lost to combo, not anything new here.
Match 4: Wydwen, the Biting Gale: 2-1
Yes, I played against two people playing this deck, both times were pretty close (other match was more intense and closer though).
Game 1: Soo... he kept a one land hand, keeping City of Brass. Turn one he Inquisition of Kozileked me and took something irrelevant. I played Figure of Destiny. He then Preordained and didn't find a land. I dropped Wasteland and killed his land. GG, won there.
Game 2: Uh, apparently he kept the "most perfect hand ever" hes had in his deck. He countered and killed everything I played, and I had literally no cards in hand. Wydwen + Sword = dead. GG.
Game 3: Uhh... first two turns weren't exciting. He missed his turn 4 land drop. I had Anax out and something else. I dropped Ajani Vengeant and +1ed him so I could keep his Underground Sea aka his only black source, tapped down. He didn't drop any more lands and apparently his hand was only spells with black. I Ajani ulted, blowing up his lands and that was GG.
Go Go Ajani Vengeant!
Match 5: Oloro, Ageless Ascetic: 0-2
Uh, more combo that I couldn't beat. He did his Doomsday combo on turn 5 both games, and that was annoying. My favorite thing I did though was he had Academy Rector out. I swung with Imperial Recruiter and he blocked with Rector. I Boros Charmed the Imp. Recruiter and then flashed in Aven Mindcensor. Totes worth.
But yeah, I really can't do anything against combo.
Uhm, hm. I don't really know what I think about Sulfuric Vortex. I feel like it would be really good against Oloro, Ageless Ascetic, but I also think it would screw me over a lot of the time. Probably worth testing, but that requires finding a cut. I might try it after the tournament on Saturday unless I find a good spot for it until then.
It's not just for lifegain strats - it's three cmc and it produces a strong clock over time. A kind of inevitability. I love me some free burn every turn.
You're doing a lot of damage that they have to do something else or else they'll be
1) run over
2) burn by that 3cmc enchantment (common scenario 10 vs 23 life after casting Supreme Verdict of turn 4)
I guess that makes sense - it makes them have to deal with either my board state or the enchantment or both. Hmmm... gonna have to find a cut for it then.
Also looking to put in Disenchant, as I feel like I need another Artifact/Enchantment distruction card for swords/important enchantments/birthing pod.
disenchant is always a staple in 1v1 if you are running white, not running it would have a deeper reason or a mistake.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A team should be as happy as a meal - TEAM HAPPYMEAL
EDH - UWGrand Arbiter Agustin IV UBW Oloro, Ageless Ascetic Modern - Mono U tron / Polymorph / NFTW (ninja for the win)GR tronGR
Buy All the planeswalkers!!!
Buy All the Dual Lands!!!
Buy All the fetches!
Create tons of EDH Decks!!!
Eat Nothing but Oats!! (LOL, not true)
Train MMA!!!
Marry My girlfriend!!!
Get her Pregnant only Once!
Teach my Son/Daughter Sports and magic cards!!!
Continue my legacy son!!!/Daughter!!
disenchant is always a staple in 1v1 if you are running white, not running it would have a deeper reason or a mistake.
Yeah, I kind of just forgot about it because I added Wear // Tear, Orim's Thunder, and Duergar Hedge-Mage. But after playing realized I want another artifact/enchantment destruction spell. Just have to figure out what to cut for Disenchant and Sulfuric Vortex. Yay, cuts.
I don't know if I should be helping you, as I'm still looking for revenge after our last match But hey, I'm a nice guy!
-Wrath of God seems kinda out of place in this deck. Rarely can your opponent attack thru ur general on the ground, and wiping your own board seems counter-intuitive in the most aggressive color combo in magic. I think Sudden Demise or Rough // Tumble works better for this deck as they allow you to selectively clear a board.
-I would put Grim Lavamancer in any red deck, but maybe i love that card too much. I still think he's solid when you have this many instants and expendable dudes tho.
-Maybe you have a different experience, but Mogg War Marshall has been generally underwhelming in most aggro decks i've played. I know you're going for a "get lots of dudes and pump" type of strategy, but he just seems the worst of these guys because he only attacks for 1 power for the first 2 turns. I feel like a lot of weight relies on the 2 drops in this deck too. I'd suggest like Leonin Relic-Wader, Ash Zealot, or Serra Avengar for the pure efficiency and utility.
-One card I've theorycrafted about for this deck is Flickering Ward. I haven't playtested it, but the ability to have a reusable heroic trigger for 1-2 mana AND a useful side effect seems very good.
-I know you're probably pretty squeezed on 4 drops as it is, but Hero of Oxid-Ridge comes to mind for this strat.
Uhm, Wrath of God in my opinion is a good "OH CRAP THEY ARE SWARMING ME" button. Aka Derevi, Marath, big fatties from Radha I can't deal with... Etc. Sudden Demise and the other one don't hit all of their guys. Also it kills Varolz, the Scar-Striped and Thrun, the Last Troll.
I've thought about Grim Lavamancer, that being said I don't have one. Awk.
So far Mogg War Marshal has done well for me... mostly because every time I get him out I have Skullclamp out and just clamp him the turn I play him. Pretty profitable that way. That being said, I wouldn't mind cutting him for the Lavamancer.
We originally had Flickering Ward in the deck list but, it got cut because a) I don't like how Aura's work in 1v1. I feel like it's easy to get 2 for 1ed. b) I like things that are Sunforger targets.
I want to try Hero of Oxid Ridge, but I don't know what to cut for him. Initially I kept Hero of Bladehold over him. But man, haste is good lol.
Cool another boros general! I would really like to playtest my boros (Tajic) against yours, if you play in cockatrice hit me up. I usually am online at around 7pm CST
With Anax and Cymede I ended up taking 12th, which with a 32 player pool and with a deck I'm still new with I feel like that was pretty good! To all those who say Boros is bad, I feel like I showed that it was okay.
I ended up going 3-2 for the total tournament (that's a winning record! Definitely good in my book.)
Game 2: He pretty much durdled. He dropped Sword of War and Peace, I used Revoker naming SoW&P, and then swung with a couple creatures using Anax's pump effect with Boros Charm and Emerge Unscathed. I won.
Game 1: Uhh... basically this game was me not doing anything of relevance and I lost. Wydwen + Sword = dead.
Game 2: I guess this is the game where the match actually got interesting....
Uhh, I dropped Anax and then tried to get through but he decided to drop a True-Name Nemesis and I couldn't race it. Soooo.... I dropped Magus of the Moon to stall because he had ALL NONBASICS. .... I had one Plains out and the rest was now Mountains. Everything in my hand was double white so that was awkward. Basically it stalled out the game for like 15 turns. He finally dropped and Island and I was just like "crap crap crap crap crap". The next turn, ripped a Plains and dropped Silverblade Paladin soulbinding to Anax, but not swinging because of the stupid Merfolk Rogue. Then, ripped Steelshaper's Gift into Sword of Fire and Ice equip and swing for 10 and 4 from SoF&I. I won, but was a super long game. Blood Moon was MVP here.
Game 3: More craziness ensued in this game, not gonna lie. Basically he was swinging in the Wydwen the whole time. I got in a little bit and with extra damage he took from Bitterblossom, I got him down to 9 life, and I was at 11 and at 18 general damage. Oh my god, scary. Flametongue Kavu was on the field, with Sunforger equipped. I drew, ripped Ajani Vengeant off the top. At this point, I saw that he had 6 non-basics and I had 4. Hmmm....
So, I cast Ajani and no counters. I'm just thinking "Wow, he has no counter spells...". I -2 Ajani, killing Wydwen and going up to 14. Swung with the Kavu, he blocked with a Bitterblossom token. I ripped off Sunforger and tutored up Price of Progress. He used Jace's Ingenuity to find an answer, but couldn't. I killed him before combat damage was dealt.
MVP of the game, Sunforger.
Uh, not much to say about this. Both games it was Iname turn 3, mass reanimate turn 5/6. This is a super hard match-up for this deck, and a lot of aggro decks.... so yeah. Lost to combo, not anything new here.
Match 4:Wydwen, the Biting Gale: 2-1
Yes, I played against two people playing this deck, both times were pretty close (other match was more intense and closer though).
Game 2: Uh, apparently he kept the "most perfect hand ever" hes had in his deck. He countered and killed everything I played, and I had literally no cards in hand. Wydwen + Sword = dead. GG.
Game 3: Uhh... first two turns weren't exciting. He missed his turn 4 land drop. I had Anax out and something else. I dropped Ajani Vengeant and +1ed him so I could keep his Underground Sea aka his only black source, tapped down. He didn't drop any more lands and apparently his hand was only spells with black. I Ajani ulted, blowing up his lands and that was GG.
Go Go Ajani Vengeant!
Uh, more combo that I couldn't beat. He did his Doomsday combo on turn 5 both games, and that was annoying. My favorite thing I did though was he had Academy Rector out. I swung with Imperial Recruiter and he blocked with Rector. I Boros Charmed the Imp. Recruiter and then flashed in Aven Mindcensor. Totes worth.
But yeah, I really can't do anything against combo.
CONCLUSIONS: This deck is so much fun to play and did so much better than I expected it too. Sunforger and Moon effects are definitely the MVPs of the tournament. Boros actually did okay! I can't wait to play these guys at the next tournament.
I only lost to people who got in to the top 8, so not bad!
Thanks for reading!
Grim Lavamancer is a definite include; cards in your yard are usually dead cards anyway. Mogg War Marshall is in there for token producers, to help over run. Serra Avenger is pretty solid too; WW for a 3/3 flyer with vigilance is ok last I checked.
Grim Lavamancer is a definite include; cards in your yard are usually dead cards anyway. Mogg War Marshall is in there for token producers, to help over run. Serra Avenger is pretty solid too; WW for a 3/3 flyer with vigilance is ok last I checked.
Need to pick up the Lavamancer, meh. It's gonna take place of Mogg War Marshal when I get one.
Serra Avenger.... I really just don't like that card. I already took it out of my Thalia, Guardian of Thraben deck. I don't know why I'd put it in here when the new kitty man is just better for 1 more. Oh, I can also drop it on turn 3. I feel like by turn 4, the Angel is irrelevant and I'd rather play Hero of Bladehold, Elspeth, Knight-Errant, or Ajani Vengeant instead on my turn 4.
I don't know how I feel about Aether Vial in here quite honestly. It made sense in Thalia, because I had so many 2/3 cmc guys I could just keep it there and know I'l probably draw a guy I can play via Aether Vial. In here though, I don't feel the same way. I lot of my dudes (which i run 12 LESS than in that deck) are 3/4 drops. So if I draw this late, it's not that good in my opinion. It really is only good turn 1/2 and after that I'd rather just play Beetleback Chief instead of waiting 4 turns to play him off of Aether Vial.
Also, I would have no idea what I'd want to cut from here because I don't want to cut any more creatures. If I cut more creatures, I lose the centralized idea of this deck aka aggro turning guys sideways. I've had hands where I don't have any creatures and then it is awkward......
The avenger is something you can drop at the mid point game when you have 5-6 lands in play; granted, according to your decks theory, they should be dead by this point, however, in case that doesnt happen, its still a beater that you only paid WW for. And oh man is that cat obnoxious...ugh...
The avenger is something you can drop at the mid point game when you have 5-6 lands in play; granted, according to your decks theory, they should be dead by this point, however, in case that doesn't happen, its still a beater that you only paid WW for. And oh man is that cat obnoxious...ugh...
I personally just don't like Serra Avenger, and I feel like I can't justify putting that in over Brimaz, Legendary Cat Man or the Spirit of the Labyrinth card from the new set. They just seem so much better than her.
Also I'm thinking about adding Violent Eruption to the deck. The triple red might be hard sometimes, but I feel like it would be great in here and is just another Pyrokinesis that isn't, well, free. It seems good at killing dorks and pinging Anax and Cymede for 1. Thoughts?
How often do you find yourself wanting haste? Hall of the Bandit Lord would be good for after a board wipe. If the life loss isn't too much of a deal breaker.
How often do you find yourself wanting haste? Hall of the Bandit Lord would be good for after a board wipe. If the life loss isn't too much of a deal breaker.
I don't feel like this would ever be a /bad/ addition, because haste is always good, and if it is important the 3 life is probably worth it.
That being said, it comes into play tapped, so I feel like I would have to take out a come into play tapped land I already have Mistveil Plains, Ghitu Encampment, and Temple of Triumph... I feel like 4 is a lot of come into play tapped lands in this format. But that is just me. Definitely going to consider it as I play the next couple of practice matches with them and see how much haste would help me out.
Have you considered running curse of chaos? In case you're having a hard time drawing cards, just to loot?
Uh... I don't think this is good enough.
If I'm having issues I'll just find Skullclamp? I would never purposely tutor for the Curse, unlike Skullclamp. And I have more than one way to get Skullclamp so if I'm having issues with card draw I'll find this.
Hey everyone! With the new ban list up, I would like to address some changes in the deck and how I think the deck will have to change with the meta.
First, what came out?
Char: This was basically in just to kill Zur the Enchanter. Now that he is banned, it's cut and it no longer needed in here because we already have so many burn/removal spells that are just better. Instead, we can replace this with some more artifact destruction/more creatures.
Mizzium Mortars: Sure this can be a sweeper, but triple red is hard and I'm running Wrath of God. Also, it was mostly spot removal that removed Zur. Sorcery speed, so just not that good anymore.
Mistveil Plains: This is a lot harder to get online than I thought. Needs two white permanents and is really only good when Sunforger is out.
What's new now?
Smash: With their expectation of ramp decks being better, Smash is in. I think we will see some Maelstrom Wonderer decks come about and it will be great against their mana rocks. Also killing Swords is good. Cantrips and is Sunforgerable.
Brimaz, King of Oreskos: Yes, I know he isn't released yet, but he will be fantastic in here. Pooping out dudes with vigilance and being a 3/4 for 3 with vigilance. Yes. I need more dudes in this deck anyway.
Lexie, why aren't you taking out Parch?
Well, you see... Parch is still really good in here because I can target Anax and Cymede, get the heroic ability to trigger and they don't die. It is also still good removal because it kills dorks/does kill some key blue creatures/generals like Grand Arbiter Augustin IV.
There will probably be more to come, but these were the biggest ones. After this change, I have some hope for our Boros duet.
EDIT/AFTERTHOUGHT:
What are all of y'all's thoughts of adding Nevermore or Kataki, War's Wage? If we are thinking artifact ramp will be the next thing, what can RW do to beat it? Are adding these cards worth it?
(R/W)WRAnax and Cymede: RW AggroRW(R/W)
WWWThalia, Guardian of Thraben: White Weenie AggroWWW
BUGThe Mimeoplasm: Graveyard ComboGUB
(W/B)BWAthreos, God of Passage: Orzhov ShinnanigansBW(W/B)
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Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
(R/W)WRAnax and Cymede: RW AggroRW(R/W)
WWWThalia, Guardian of Thraben: White Weenie AggroWWW
BUGThe Mimeoplasm: Graveyard ComboGUB
(W/B)BWAthreos, God of Passage: Orzhov ShinnanigansBW(W/B)
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Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
1) run over
2) burn by that 3cmc enchantment (common scenario 10 vs 23 life after casting Supreme Verdict of turn 4)
Duel Commander
URG [Primer] Maelstrom Wanderer [Primer] URG
Duel Commander Current Projects:
RGWMarath, Will of the WildRGW
BRXMogis, God of SlaughterBRX
RWxIoras, God of VictoryRWx
WBxAthreos, God of PassageWBx
Created By: DarkNightCavalier
I guess that makes sense - it makes them have to deal with either my board state or the enchantment or both. Hmmm... gonna have to find a cut for it then.
Also looking to put in Disenchant, as I feel like I need another Artifact/Enchantment distruction card for swords/important enchantments/birthing pod.
Hm.....
(R/W)WRAnax and Cymede: RW AggroRW(R/W)
WWWThalia, Guardian of Thraben: White Weenie AggroWWW
BUGThe Mimeoplasm: Graveyard ComboGUB
(W/B)BWAthreos, God of Passage: Orzhov ShinnanigansBW(W/B)
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EDH - UWGrand Arbiter Agustin IV
UBW Oloro, Ageless Ascetic
Modern - Mono U tron / Polymorph / NFTW (ninja for the win)GR tron GR
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Yeah, I kind of just forgot about it because I added Wear // Tear, Orim's Thunder, and Duergar Hedge-Mage. But after playing realized I want another artifact/enchantment destruction spell. Just have to figure out what to cut for Disenchant and Sulfuric Vortex. Yay, cuts.
(R/W)WRAnax and Cymede: RW AggroRW(R/W)
WWWThalia, Guardian of Thraben: White Weenie AggroWWW
BUGThe Mimeoplasm: Graveyard ComboGUB
(W/B)BWAthreos, God of Passage: Orzhov ShinnanigansBW(W/B)
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I'm not sure I'd call it specifically a "staple". But I do prefer the [slightly] slower Revoke Existence, however.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
-Wrath of God seems kinda out of place in this deck. Rarely can your opponent attack thru ur general on the ground, and wiping your own board seems counter-intuitive in the most aggressive color combo in magic. I think Sudden Demise or Rough // Tumble works better for this deck as they allow you to selectively clear a board.
-I would put Grim Lavamancer in any red deck, but maybe i love that card too much. I still think he's solid when you have this many instants and expendable dudes tho.
-Maybe you have a different experience, but Mogg War Marshall has been generally underwhelming in most aggro decks i've played. I know you're going for a "get lots of dudes and pump" type of strategy, but he just seems the worst of these guys because he only attacks for 1 power for the first 2 turns. I feel like a lot of weight relies on the 2 drops in this deck too. I'd suggest like Leonin Relic-Wader, Ash Zealot, or Serra Avengar for the pure efficiency and utility.
-One card I've theorycrafted about for this deck is Flickering Ward. I haven't playtested it, but the ability to have a reusable heroic trigger for 1-2 mana AND a useful side effect seems very good.
-I know you're probably pretty squeezed on 4 drops as it is, but Hero of Oxid-Ridge comes to mind for this strat.
- No Armageddon effects?
Uhm, Wrath of God in my opinion is a good "OH CRAP THEY ARE SWARMING ME" button. Aka Derevi, Marath, big fatties from Radha I can't deal with... Etc. Sudden Demise and the other one don't hit all of their guys. Also it kills Varolz, the Scar-Striped and Thrun, the Last Troll.
I've thought about Grim Lavamancer, that being said I don't have one. Awk.
So far Mogg War Marshal has done well for me... mostly because every time I get him out I have Skullclamp out and just clamp him the turn I play him. Pretty profitable that way. That being said, I wouldn't mind cutting him for the Lavamancer.
We originally had Flickering Ward in the deck list but, it got cut because a) I don't like how Aura's work in 1v1. I feel like it's easy to get 2 for 1ed. b) I like things that are Sunforger targets.
I want to try Hero of Oxid Ridge, but I don't know what to cut for him. Initially I kept Hero of Bladehold over him. But man, haste is good lol.
And completely honest I'm not a fan of Armageddon effects in this deck or this meta. With Marath, Will of the Wild and Derevi, Empyrial Tactician I don't think it would help. Instead I'd rather just drop Blood Moon or Magus of the Moon.
(R/W)WRAnax and Cymede: RW AggroRW(R/W)
WWWThalia, Guardian of Thraben: White Weenie AggroWWW
BUGThe Mimeoplasm: Graveyard ComboGUB
(W/B)BWAthreos, God of Passage: Orzhov ShinnanigansBW(W/B)
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Get Your Game On - Ann Arbor, Michigan
32 Players
2 Wydwen, the Biting Gale
1 Skullbriar, the Walking Grave
1 Nekusar, the Mindrazer
1 Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge
3 Krenko, Mob Boss
1 Godo, Bandit Warlord
1 Anax and Cymede
1 Rafiq of the Many
1 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
1 Geist of Saint Traft
1 Captain Sisay
2 Oloro, Ageless Ascetic
1 Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed
1 Nin, the Pain Artist
2 Zur the Enchanter
1 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
2 Prossh, Skyraider of Kher
1 Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
2 Radha, Heir to Keld
1 Kaalia of the Vast
1 Doran, the Siege Tower
1 Marath, Will of the Wild
1 Griselbrand
1 Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
1 Iname, Death Aspect
Top 8 (in no particular order)
Top 4 (based on opponent win %, 5 through 8th not in any particular order)
1: Zur the Enchanter
2: Oloro, Ageless Ascetic
3: Geist of Saint Traft
4: Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
5-8: Marath, Will of the Wild
5-8: Nin, the Pain Artist
5-8: Iname, Death Aspect
5-8: Doran, the Siege Tower
With Anax and Cymede I ended up taking 12th, which with a 32 player pool and with a deck I'm still new with I feel like that was pretty good! To all those who say Boros is bad, I feel like I showed that it was okay.
I ended up going 3-2 for the total tournament (that's a winning record! Definitely good in my book.)
Match 1: Rafiq of the Many: 2-0
Game 1: Uhh... well, I guess he got mana flooded while I was pooping out dudes like Mirran Crusader and my general, and Phyrexian Revoker. He Worldly Tutored up Geist of Saint Traft, dropped Sovereigns of Lost Alara and then swung and got Eldrazi Conscription. ... I ended up bolting Sovereigns and then removing 2 Umezawa's Jitte counters and killing him that next turn.
Game 2: He pretty much durdled. He dropped Sword of War and Peace, I used Revoker naming SoW&P, and then swung with a couple creatures using Anax's pump effect with Boros Charm and Emerge Unscathed. I won.
Match 2: Wydwen, the Biting Gale: 2-1
Game 1: Uhh... basically this game was me not doing anything of relevance and I lost. Wydwen + Sword = dead.
Game 2: I guess this is the game where the match actually got interesting....
Uhh, I dropped Anax and then tried to get through but he decided to drop a True-Name Nemesis and I couldn't race it. Soooo.... I dropped Magus of the Moon to stall because he had ALL NONBASICS. .... I had one Plains out and the rest was now Mountains. Everything in my hand was double white so that was awkward. Basically it stalled out the game for like 15 turns. He finally dropped and Island and I was just like "crap crap crap crap crap". The next turn, ripped a Plains and dropped Silverblade Paladin soulbinding to Anax, but not swinging because of the stupid Merfolk Rogue. Then, ripped Steelshaper's Gift into Sword of Fire and Ice equip and swing for 10 and 4 from SoF&I. I won, but was a super long game. Blood Moon was MVP here.
Game 3: More craziness ensued in this game, not gonna lie. Basically he was swinging in the Wydwen the whole time. I got in a little bit and with extra damage he took from Bitterblossom, I got him down to 9 life, and I was at 11 and at 18 general damage. Oh my god, scary.
Flametongue Kavu was on the field, with Sunforger equipped. I drew, ripped Ajani Vengeant off the top. At this point, I saw that he had 6 non-basics and I had 4. Hmmm....
So, I cast Ajani and no counters. I'm just thinking "Wow, he has no counter spells...". I -2 Ajani, killing Wydwen and going up to 14. Swung with the Kavu, he blocked with a Bitterblossom token. I ripped off Sunforger and tutored up Price of Progress. He used Jace's Ingenuity to find an answer, but couldn't. I killed him before combat damage was dealt.
MVP of the game, Sunforger.
Match 3: Iname, Death Aspect: 0-2
Uh, not much to say about this. Both games it was Iname turn 3, mass reanimate turn 5/6. This is a super hard match-up for this deck, and a lot of aggro decks.... so yeah. Lost to combo, not anything new here.
Match 4: Wydwen, the Biting Gale: 2-1
Yes, I played against two people playing this deck, both times were pretty close (other match was more intense and closer though).
Game 1: Soo... he kept a one land hand, keeping City of Brass. Turn one he Inquisition of Kozileked me and took something irrelevant. I played Figure of Destiny. He then Preordained and didn't find a land. I dropped Wasteland and killed his land. GG, won there.
Game 2: Uh, apparently he kept the "most perfect hand ever" hes had in his deck. He countered and killed everything I played, and I had literally no cards in hand. Wydwen + Sword = dead. GG.
Game 3: Uhh... first two turns weren't exciting. He missed his turn 4 land drop. I had Anax out and something else. I dropped Ajani Vengeant and +1ed him so I could keep his Underground Sea aka his only black source, tapped down. He didn't drop any more lands and apparently his hand was only spells with black. I Ajani ulted, blowing up his lands and that was GG.
Go Go Ajani Vengeant!
Match 5: Oloro, Ageless Ascetic: 0-2
Uh, more combo that I couldn't beat. He did his Doomsday combo on turn 5 both games, and that was annoying. My favorite thing I did though was he had Academy Rector out. I swung with Imperial Recruiter and he blocked with Rector. I Boros Charmed the Imp. Recruiter and then flashed in Aven Mindcensor. Totes worth.
But yeah, I really can't do anything against combo.
CONCLUSIONS: This deck is so much fun to play and did so much better than I expected it too. Sunforger and Moon effects are definitely the MVPs of the tournament. Boros actually did okay!
I only lost to people who got in to the top 8, so not bad!
Thanks for reading!
(R/W)WRAnax and Cymede: RW AggroRW(R/W)
WWWThalia, Guardian of Thraben: White Weenie AggroWWW
BUGThe Mimeoplasm: Graveyard ComboGUB
(W/B)BWAthreos, God of Passage: Orzhov ShinnanigansBW(W/B)
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Need to pick up the Lavamancer, meh. It's gonna take place of Mogg War Marshal when I get one.
Serra Avenger.... I really just don't like that card. I already took it out of my Thalia, Guardian of Thraben deck. I don't know why I'd put it in here when the new kitty man is just better for 1 more. Oh, I can also drop it on turn 3. I feel like by turn 4, the Angel is irrelevant and I'd rather play Hero of Bladehold, Elspeth, Knight-Errant, or Ajani Vengeant instead on my turn 4.
(R/W)WRAnax and Cymede: RW AggroRW(R/W)
WWWThalia, Guardian of Thraben: White Weenie AggroWWW
BUGThe Mimeoplasm: Graveyard ComboGUB
(W/B)BWAthreos, God of Passage: Orzhov ShinnanigansBW(W/B)
a card border extended by me, commissions are open.
Like smashing face? Like not worrying about pitiful tokens or life gain? Check out Stonebrow, Krosan Hero for all your face smashing needs
Also, I would have no idea what I'd want to cut from here because I don't want to cut any more creatures. If I cut more creatures, I lose the centralized idea of this deck aka aggro turning guys sideways. I've had hands where I don't have any creatures and then it is awkward......
(R/W)WRAnax and Cymede: RW AggroRW(R/W)
WWWThalia, Guardian of Thraben: White Weenie AggroWWW
BUGThe Mimeoplasm: Graveyard ComboGUB
(W/B)BWAthreos, God of Passage: Orzhov ShinnanigansBW(W/B)
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Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
I personally just don't like Serra Avenger, and I feel like I can't justify putting that in over Brimaz, Legendary Cat Man or the Spirit of the Labyrinth card from the new set. They just seem so much better than her.
Also I'm thinking about adding Violent Eruption to the deck. The triple red might be hard sometimes, but I feel like it would be great in here and is just another Pyrokinesis that isn't, well, free. It seems good at killing dorks and pinging Anax and Cymede for 1. Thoughts?
(R/W)WRAnax and Cymede: RW AggroRW(R/W)
WWWThalia, Guardian of Thraben: White Weenie AggroWWW
BUGThe Mimeoplasm: Graveyard ComboGUB
(W/B)BWAthreos, God of Passage: Orzhov ShinnanigansBW(W/B)
a card border extended by me, commissions are open.
Like smashing face? Like not worrying about pitiful tokens or life gain? Check out Stonebrow, Krosan Hero for all your face smashing needs
I don't feel like this would ever be a /bad/ addition, because haste is always good, and if it is important the 3 life is probably worth it.
That being said, it comes into play tapped, so I feel like I would have to take out a come into play tapped land I already have Mistveil Plains, Ghitu Encampment, and Temple of Triumph... I feel like 4 is a lot of come into play tapped lands in this format. But that is just me. Definitely going to consider it as I play the next couple of practice matches with them and see how much haste would help me out.
(R/W)WRAnax and Cymede: RW AggroRW(R/W)
WWWThalia, Guardian of Thraben: White Weenie AggroWWW
BUGThe Mimeoplasm: Graveyard ComboGUB
(W/B)BWAthreos, God of Passage: Orzhov ShinnanigansBW(W/B)
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Uh... I don't think this is good enough.
If I'm having issues I'll just find Skullclamp? I would never purposely tutor for the Curse, unlike Skullclamp. And I have more than one way to get Skullclamp so if I'm having issues with card draw I'll find this.
Or Sword of Fire and Ice.
(R/W)WRAnax and Cymede: RW AggroRW(R/W)
WWWThalia, Guardian of Thraben: White Weenie AggroWWW
BUGThe Mimeoplasm: Graveyard ComboGUB
(W/B)BWAthreos, God of Passage: Orzhov ShinnanigansBW(W/B)
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First, what came out?
Char: This was basically in just to kill Zur the Enchanter. Now that he is banned, it's cut and it no longer needed in here because we already have so many burn/removal spells that are just better. Instead, we can replace this with some more artifact destruction/more creatures.
Mizzium Mortars: Sure this can be a sweeper, but triple red is hard and I'm running Wrath of God. Also, it was mostly spot removal that removed Zur. Sorcery speed, so just not that good anymore.
Mistveil Plains: This is a lot harder to get online than I thought. Needs two white permanents and is really only good when Sunforger is out.
What's new now?
Smash: With their expectation of ramp decks being better, Smash is in. I think we will see some Maelstrom Wonderer decks come about and it will be great against their mana rocks. Also killing Swords is good. Cantrips and is Sunforgerable.
Brimaz, King of Oreskos: Yes, I know he isn't released yet, but he will be fantastic in here. Pooping out dudes with vigilance and being a 3/4 for 3 with vigilance. Yes. I need more dudes in this deck anyway.
Hall of the Bandit Lord: Haste seems relevant and this card I feel like will just do so much better than Mistveil Plains.
Lexie, why aren't you taking out Parch?
Well, you see... Parch is still really good in here because I can target Anax and Cymede, get the heroic ability to trigger and they don't die. It is also still good removal because it kills dorks/does kill some key blue creatures/generals like Grand Arbiter Augustin IV.
There will probably be more to come, but these were the biggest ones. After this change, I have some hope for our Boros duet.
EDIT/AFTERTHOUGHT:
What are all of y'all's thoughts of adding Nevermore or Kataki, War's Wage? If we are thinking artifact ramp will be the next thing, what can RW do to beat it? Are adding these cards worth it?
(R/W)WRAnax and Cymede: RW AggroRW(R/W)
WWWThalia, Guardian of Thraben: White Weenie AggroWWW
BUGThe Mimeoplasm: Graveyard ComboGUB
(W/B)BWAthreos, God of Passage: Orzhov ShinnanigansBW(W/B)
a card border extended by me, commissions are open.