Long time, no update! I still play Squee a lot as it is my most casual deck. It looks a lot different than it did in the beginning, too!
Gone are many of the cute mono-red pieces of tech. I grew weary of the attrition-based gameplan because it led to games that were too long and too similar to those involving my Child of Alara deck. Now the unassuming Squee is geared to end every game in a fiery blaze of glory. You always try to burn everyone down to 0, and it works a lot more often than one would think.
Most of the list is self-explanatory, but over time I have realized how ridiculous Mana Geyser really is. When I first added it to the deck, it would for the most part only enable accelerated durdling, but I have since incorporated Recoup and Past in Flames primarily as ways to abuse Mana Geyser. I then added Goblin Lore and even Control of the Court to really dig for these cards (and they offer respectable card selection in their own right), and now if Mana Geyser resolves it usually means game over. Ignite Memories is the telltale heart, but it's actually a lot of fun to resolve and hits hard even when you play fair.
These days, I actually look forward to playing Squee again, and everyone else seems to enjoy playing against it too. It's a rare success story for me. Thanks for reading.
Crystal Ball was clunky and slow. On the other hand, Khans brings us Tormenting Voice (basically another copy of Wild Guess) which is exactly the type of card this deck wants. A mountain has also been replaced with Spinerock Knoll. The Knoll should have been in here sooner; it was just an oversight.
The artifact count is getting really low these days. Makes me wonder if Goblin Welder still deserves a spot...
Given the artifacts you run, I'd say cut Welder. He only really interacts favorably with Memory Jar, otherwise it's just a random protection spell. Cut it for something like Inferno Titan for more face-melting.
Cards from my list I think you should be running: Inferno Titan (He burninates the countryside at Trogdor levels of efficiency) Staff of Nin? (kind of clunky, but Phyrexian Arena is good and the 1 damage is always surprisingly relevant. Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded (seriously underrated since he requires a specific deck, aka ours) Purphoros, God of the Forge (plays soooo well with Squee. Not as explosive as in token decks and such, but still brings the pain)
I also really like the madness and flashback spells, but adding those would require a lot more cuts than I'm comfortable requesting. You're deck looks great!
Wow, this list is sweet! And it's worlds different from my deck. I'm going to try out the cards you suggested. I agree Tibalt deserves a chance here, if anywhere. I should probably be playing Solemn Sim in here, too.
Past in Flames is good, but it's only really good if you have found Mana Geyser. I suggest you try Mana Geyser in your deck as well... If you cast it after turn 6 or so, it consistently gives big returns. I got 29 (!) mana out of it last time I cast it, which let me chain draw spells into Past in Flames into a lethal Comet Storm. You play a lot of permanents, though, whereas I play a lot of instants and sorceries, so maybe Past in Flames won't be as good for you.
You might also try your luck with Goblin Lore. If you listen to what Pat Chapin has to say about Desperate Ravings, a lot of the same things apply. Don't feel obligated to cast it if your hand is already good.
I might just proxy up your deck to give it a try. It will keep my playgroup guessing.
Mana Geyser does seem sweet, I'll see if I can squeeze it in. I like Goblin Lore, but since my fiance is the primary pilot of the deck I want to make sure she has maximum amounts of fun, and cards like that are harder for newer player to understand. I think Tormenting Voice and Wild Guess are a bit more straightforward (discard Squee, draw two) so they'll go over better. I'll gauge her responses and see if I can squeeze more in.
I'm glad you like the list! Let me know how the proxy goes if you end up doing it! My version is less explosive, more grindy. The goal is to stay relevant but not threatening until it's you vs someone else, and then slap them in the face with the last 10 points of damage with flashback burn/phoenixes/whatever. It's a blast, and I don't know if it's the deck or the fact that everyone wants to be nice to the girl at the table, but she ends up in that last 2 standing position most times she plays.
Hallo d0su and other Squee players. I found this thread since i wanted to do a Squee deck myself, and your s looks like alot of fun. Had some of the same ideas ad you, but yours are more consistent it what it wants to do. I have one questing though: Why play Loxodon Warhammer? Clearly to outlive your own inferno, but why not play the less mana intensive Basilisk Collar? Can't wait to put my Squee deck together but i do need a fair amout of cards still...
EDIT: Also, I can see that Death Spark isn't in your decklist anymore. How come? Didn't it preform as excepted? Looks solid to me with Squee and all that discard.
Hallo d0su and other Squee players. I found this thread since i wanted to do a Squee deck myself, and your s looks like alot of fun. Had some of the same ideas ad you, but yours are more consistent it what it wants to do. I have one questing though: Why play Loxodon Warhammer? Clearly to outlive your own inferno, but why not play the less mana intensive Basilisk Collar? Can't wait to put my Squee deck together but i do need a fair amout of cards still...
EDIT: Also, I can see that Death Spark isn't in your decklist anymore. How come? Didn't it preform as excepted? Looks solid to me with Squee and all that discard.
I'm not totally sold on Warhammer. We definitely need some form of lifegain, but many times I am glad to discard it to one of the looting effects. Basilisk Collar may be the better option for pure lifegain and damage mitigation (it's a good deterrent for attackers). On the other hand, about every 5 times I draw Warhammer, the power boost and trample help me close out the game with a phoenix or a hasty Greater Gargadon. That's not to say Warhammer is better, but that I likely wouldn't be too happy or too unhappy with either Collar or Warhammer. I think the fact we have so much library manipulation simply mitigates the cost of running mediocre roleplayer cards.
Death Spark was great in conjunction with Squee but fairly bad most other times, like when you have a wheel in hand but no other creatures. I cut it when I added Goblin Lore and Control of the Court because those cards would make it even less reliable. I used it to lock out Arcum Dagsson one time a couple years ago, and that seemed to be the high point of its career. I am 1000% happier to draw Past in Flames or Recoup every single time -- play those instead.
Mana Geyser does seem sweet, I'll see if I can squeeze it in. I like Goblin Lore, but since my fiance is the primary pilot of the deck I want to make sure she has maximum amounts of fun, and cards like that are harder for newer player to understand. I think Tormenting Voice and Wild Guess are a bit more straightforward (discard Squee, draw two) so they'll go over better. I'll gauge her responses and see if I can squeeze more in.
I'm glad you like the list! Let me know how the proxy goes if you end up doing it! My version is less explosive, more grindy. The goal is to stay relevant but not threatening until it's you vs someone else, and then slap them in the face with the last 10 points of damage with flashback burn/phoenixes/whatever. It's a blast, and I don't know if it's the deck or the fact that everyone wants to be nice to the girl at the table, but she ends up in that last 2 standing position most times she plays.
Hail Squee!
I'm trying out Tibalt like you said (a friend recently gifted it to me!) but I haven't yet drawn him to know how he plays. Will keep you posted.
I have also swapped out Fire Servant with Mogg Maniac. Servant was kind of clunky but Maniac has been consistently useful, and much easier to cast. Servant only interacted favorably with a handful of cards, and Maniac gives you more options overall, even if it doesn't go as "big" from time to time.
--------------------------
So, on to new cards!
Burn Away -- I need some graveyard hate; I literally cut it all out for more fun stuff. This option might not be bad... would still prefer a land. Bitter Feud -- It's a Furnace effect, but generally worse than Curse of Bloodletting, which I also do not play. No thanks. Deretti, Scrap Savant -- huck, I can see this being outstanding in your deck (I mean, your spouse's deck). You have to play it! I probably will too just for the looting. Myriad Landscape -- easy include. Good ramp, early game use of mana, and card advantage that sometimes lives the dream with Valakut!
I'm actually going to pickup the mono-red Commander deck for myself because I love Daretti, Scrap Savant and Scrap Mastery so much. Our version of Squee, like yours, loses more and more artifacts with every edit, and currently the deck has no "artifacts matter" cards. I'm going to give Squee the Dualcaster Mage and the Feldon of the Third Path and build myself a Daretti deck with just about everything else. If Dualcaster proves to be as insane as people think he is, I'll grab myself another copy for myself.
I don't run those effects ever either, but if ever there was a way to make them work I think slapping them to a bear is a good start. You can tutor it with Imperial Recruiter if you run it (I just checked--you don't). Everyone seems really excited about the card, so it was just strange that it didn't come up in your new card discussion.
I don't run those effects ever either, but if ever there was a way to make them work I think slapping them to a bear is a good start. You can tutor it with Imperial Recruiter if you run it (I just checked--you don't). Everyone seems really excited about the card, so it was just strange that it didn't come up in your new card discussion.
Recruiter is so expensive! But you'd better believe I'd make good use of him if I could, in multiple decks. Stellar card.
Random: My LGS hosts quarterly tournaments under a custom format called "Bad Tribal". It's kind of like Modern, but you have to play at least 25 creatures of a certain tribe, and those creatures can go all the way back to alpha. Oh and also, all of the good tribes (Green Elves, Blue Wizards, etc.) are banned. I bet Imperial Recruiter would form the backbone of a crushing Bad Tribal Humans deck!
How about the Unstable Obelisk? Might be good to have some removal (other the burning ones) and this ones makes a tiny bit of mana at the same time...
I agree that I need to make more space in my deck for answers and utility. I can say for sure that Word of Seizing isn't as good here as it used to be, so there is an option. Obelisk is an acceptable fill-in. Other cards I would like to try are the aforementioned Burn Away, Vandalblast, Cranial Archive, and Harvest Pyre (?!).
On the previous topic of lifegain/damage mitigation, I eavesdropped on the Jaya Ballard thread next door and saw them discussing Glacial Chasm. What do you think? Play it a turn right before you burn the world, and it may effectively gain you 20+ life. Expedition Map gives us an extra copy of it so it will be more readily available than Loxodon Warhammer or Basilisk Collar. What do you think?
Glacial Chasm seems like a good choice to dodge the inferno. Thou it would be sad to cut down the basics, it might be considered to add Petrified Field to recur the chasm should it be strip'ed or discarded.
Another question, do you have any trouble at all with creatures or would Caverns of Despair and Smoke just be dead cards in a deck like this? I'd imagine it would take some setup before burning a hole table.
Glacial Chasm seems like a good choice to dodge the inferno. Thou it would be sad to cut down the basics, it might be considered to add Petrified Field to recur the chasm should it be strip'ed or discarded.
Another question, do you have any trouble at all with creatures or would Caverns of Despair and Smoke just be dead cards in a deck like this? I'd imagine it would take some setup before burning a hole table.
I do find myself somewhat open to attack until about turn 5 when our sweepers come online. Squee is a good chump blocker, but that's not really how you want to spend 3 mana per turn. If you get way behind on life, it shuts down your ability to survive your own Molten Disasters.
I used to play Smoke in an early version of the deck; it is quite strong and underrated, IMO. Even though it hoses creatures, it encourages others to play more creatures to briefly overcome the tempo loss (in the same way Winter Orb encourages hitting your land drops), and then you wreck shop with Inferno or some nonsense. On the other hand, it reduces the damage the other players do to each other, which is bad. Maybe try Crawlspace to get the best of both worlds?
FYI, the nuisance creatures are things that are big and difficult to kill, like Ulamog, Avacyn 1.0, and even Mortivore. I have a few answers in here and I'm passable at the subltle politics game, plus you can sometimes just win through them. They are a bit problematic but you can overcome. The real problems are mass land destruction and combo decks... I'm not really geared to race combo, so it's hit-or-miss if I can interact. My high land count is a concession to mass LD, but even though we recover consistently it is a tremendous setback since I don't run mana rocks. If you are considering building a similar deck, you should be aware.
EDIT -- Forgot to mention I am also re-considering Nevinyrral's Disk. A user named Addy suggested it on the first page, but the deck looked a lot different back then and I am slowly coming around to its merits, especially its ability to remove enchantments and pro-red creatures. There seem to be many more good cards than I have room for in the deck.
I used to play Smoke in an early version of the deck; it is quite strong and underrated, IMO. Even though it hoses creatures, it encourages others to play more creatures to briefly overcome the tempo loss (in the same way Winter Orb encourages hitting your land drops), and then you wreck shop with Inferno or some nonsense. On the other hand, it reduces the damage the other players do to each other, which is bad. Maybe try Crawlspace to get the best of both worlds?
FYI, the nuisance creatures are things that are big and difficult to kill, like Ulamog, Avacyn 1.0, and even Mortivore. I have a few answers in here and I'm passable at the subltle politics game, plus you can sometimes just win through them. They are a bit problematic but you can overcome. The real problems are mass land destruction and combo decks... I'm not really geared to race combo, so it's hit-or-miss if I can interact. My high land count is a concession to mass LD, but even though we recover consistently it is a tremendous setback since I don't run mana rocks. If you are considering building a similar deck, you should be aware.
EDIT -- Forgot to mention I am also re-considering Nevinyrral's Disk. A user named Addy suggested it on the first page, but the deck looked a lot different back then and I am slowly coming around to its merits, especially its ability to remove enchantments and pro-red creatures. There seem to be many more good cards than I have room for in the deck.
Think i'll get both Smoke and Crawlspace to the test. I get what you mean about Smoke, but i some metas it might be good just to shut the creatures down.
I actaully considered running Crucible of Worlds. Mostly to gain value out of the discarding, but it could also help recover from LD. The downside is the tempo, when you're only allowed one landdrop per turn. Have you tried running Red Elemental Blast and Pyroblast as a way to deal with comboes (which tends to play blue)? I run them in a Niv-Mizzet build and im rarely unhappy to see them. They are really good anti-counters aswell to secure a devastating spell.
I always play disk when playing red or black since they a hard time dealing with either/both artifacts and enchanments.
Think i'll get both Smoke and Crawlspace to the test. I get what you mean about Smoke, but i some metas it might be good just to shut the creatures down.
I actaully considered running Crucible of Worlds. Mostly to gain value out of the discarding, but it could also help recover from LD. The downside is the tempo, when you're only allowed one landdrop per turn. Have you tried running Red Elemental Blast and Pyroblast as a way to deal with comboes (which tends to play blue)? I run them in a Niv-Mizzet build and im rarely unhappy to see them. They are really good anti-counters aswell to secure a devastating spell.
I always play disk when playing red or black since they a hard time dealing with either/both artifacts and enchanments.
I decided to take your advice and play Nevinyrral's Disk. I doubt I will be disappointed.
I also decided to play Trading Post in the lifegain slot. It synergizes well with our commander, and offers a few other effects that are situationaly good. I won't get as much mileage out of it as the Daretti decks, but having the opportunity to bring back a destroyed mana doubler (or live the dream and casting Memory Jar every turn!) seems acceptable.
Bloodfire Colossus, Inferno, and Pyrohemia are on the watch list to get cut. They are all fine and have a profound impact on the game, but boy are they clunky. I'm thinking about trying the other cards we talked about in their place. Kindle the Carnage and Impact Resonance both seem like fun-but-questionable candidates!
Finally! I've put together my deck. Still need a few cards to complete the desired deck, but that gives me a chance to test some other cards. Will be playing it for the first time this weekend, and can't wait to tell the results
I'll put up a list of the deck when I get to it. It looks pretty much like yours d0su, but i have more Fork-effects, and been looking at Howl of the Horde. Attack with Squee or some other creature we don't mind dying, then blow everything up times 3. Seems good, but is it just a win-more?
My first games with the deck a couple of weeks ago, wasn't that great. I didn't actually do much, except one game where i got Koth's emblem and controled the whole table, but still i got killed.
Yesterday i got a chance to test the deck again. This time it really shined. I managed to get down 3 mana doblers and had some crazy plays. It became archenemy, which was fine but i ended up loosing to a Rest in Peace. I've added Elixir of Immortality, solely as a way to protect cards in the yard, but don't know if it's actually worth it. This deck just seems to loose straight out to graveyard-hate.
I've pulled off a pretty big Ignite Memories, but the havn't been satisfying, to say the least. Around 10 damage with 6 triggers... I feel that i could use some more ramp, so here might a candidate.
My buddy plays a list similar to this, and my question is whether you would consider running Red Elemental Blast? My friend runs it most for counter protection for the big red spells.
Edit: And in multiplayer, just about every game has someone running blue, so it's hardly ever a dead card.
I do also run Red Elemental Blast (and it's friend Pyroblast), and yeah, it's a really good anti-counter. And with all this discard, even if there isn't anyone running blue, it can just be discard-fodder.
I now had the chance to play with this deck several of times and it really amazeses me how well it preforms. I have a hard time versus control decks and especially 1-on-1's, but I did manage to win a couple of times. The biggest threat is definitely graveyard-hate. Elixir of Immortality didn't preform... at all. We need the cards in the grave, not in the library. Instead I've Witchbane Orb, but havn't tried it yet.
Goblin Welder really shines, so much I've considered running some protection suit just for him, but don't know if it would be worth it.
I now had the chance to play with this deck several of times and it really amazeses me how well it preforms. I have a hard time versus control decks and especially 1-on-1's, but I did manage to win a couple of times. The biggest threat is definitely graveyard-hate. Elixir of Immortality didn't preform... at all. We need the cards in the grave, not in the library. Instead I've Witchbane Orb, but havn't tried it yet.
Goblin Welder really shines, so much I've considered running some protection suit just for him, but don't know if it would be worth it.
Oh hey, didn't notice all your replies! Thanks for taking the deck for a spin and putting so much effort toward improving it. Your deck looks a lot like mine used to, with the Godo package and focus on artifact utility. Ruby Medallion seems amazing, don't know why I haven't tried it before.
Graveyard hate is sort of an nuisance (actually, mostly just Rest in Peace and Leyline of the Void), but most of my threats are spread evenly between lands, nonlands, cards in hand, and cards in graveyard. I don't get too worried about the occasional Bojuka Bog or whatever because it is rarely pointed at me.
How are the Forks working out for you? I have been eyeballing Increasing Vengeance recently since my deck is slowly warping around Mana Geyser, plus the other ones give added protection against countermagic. If Forks are good, then I would definitely find room for Howl of the Horde for the reasons you stated. "Win more" is kind of what I am going for here!
I'll be honest, I am not a fan of Jokulhaups in this deck. Not that I have anything against MLD in general, but without a suite of mana rocks it seems like you would consistently set yourself back many many turns. I also don't like Gratuitous Violence since it really only interacts with 4 cards in your list.
Did the Phoenix package not work out for you? I see Hammer of Bogardan is still here, but the others are gone, as are Knollspine Invocation and Greater Gargadon. Were they just not useful for you? And regarding Ignite Memories, sometimes it is hit-or-miss, but I like it. Last time I drew it, there was a guy sitting on six mana and one card in hand and he said, "Arg, I just need to draw one more land!" You can guess who I targeted with all the copies. ^^
And finally, I don't plan to make a Squee primer because I do not have the time to devote to maintaining it. Most of the time I have for MTGS is spent researching an article series I on mulligans that I hope to publish in the upcoming months.
Oh hey, didn't notice all your replies! Thanks for taking the deck for a spin and putting so much effort toward improving it. Your deck looks a lot like mine used to, with the Godo package and focus on artifact utility. Ruby Medallion seems amazing, don't know why I haven't tried it before.
Graveyard hate is sort of an nuisance (actually, mostly just Rest in Peace and Leyline of the Void), but most of my threats are spread evenly between lands, nonlands, cards in hand, and cards in graveyard. I don't get too worried about the occasional Bojuka Bog or whatever because it is rarely pointed at me.
How are the Forks working out for you? I have been eyeballing Increasing Vengeance recently since my deck is slowly warping around Mana Geyser, plus the other ones give added protection against countermagic. If Forks are good, then I would definitely find room for Howl of the Horde for the reasons you stated. "Win more" is kind of what I am going for here!
I'll be honest, I am not a fan of Jokulhaups in this deck. Not that I have anything against MLD in general, but without a suite of mana rocks it seems like you would consistently set yourself back many many turns. I also don't like Gratuitous Violence since it really only interacts with 4 cards in your list.
Did the Phoenix package not work out for you? I see Hammer of Bogardan is still here, but the others are gone, as are Knollspine Invocation and Greater Gargadon. Were they just not useful for you? And regarding Ignite Memories, sometimes it is hit-or-miss, but I like it. Last time I drew it, there was a guy sitting on six mana and one card in hand and he said, "Arg, I just need to draw one more land!" You can guess who I targeted with all the copies. ^^
And finally, I don't plan to make a Squee primer because I do not have the time to devote to maintaining it. Most of the time I have for MTGS is spent researching an article series I on mulligans that I hope to publish in the upcoming months.
Thanks for your reply, d0su, and all the advice!
I might be too paranoid about the 'yard but it hated on pretty quick the first coulpe of times I played the deck. I will test the Witchbane Orb and see if Squee will like it.
You might be right about Jokulhaups. I just have a love for it and I always love to have a reset-bottom. Also good call on Gratuitous Violence. I havn't really got a chance to play it and it might not do much but it's still a one-sided damage-buff with Mogg Maniac or Stuffy Doll. Want to give it a try before I drop it.
My list is just want I could pull together. I havn't got Knollspine Invocation or Greater Gargadon. But to me, they don't look that powerful... You might convince me of something else? The sac-outlet on Gargadon seems nice but it's only for so long, and I don't really likke the card-disadvantage on Invocation. Not a fan of phoenixes either...
The Fork's been working out great! Being a blue mage at heart, I really love having the opponunity to counter. Sitting with a Fork in hand can get that crucial spell throu. Also, Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast have outright won me games. Havn't tried Howl of the Horde. It's not as versatile, which is what I really like about Fork. And yeah, Ruby Medallion is a... gem
Uh, just noticed the lastest spoiler from Fate Reforged. Arcbond seems crazy enough! But it might be too situational. I also think Outpost Siege might be worth looking into... Thoughts?
Gone are many of the cute mono-red pieces of tech. I grew weary of the attrition-based gameplan because it led to games that were too long and too similar to those involving my Child of Alara deck. Now the unassuming Squee is geared to end every game in a fiery blaze of glory. You always try to burn everyone down to 0, and it works a lot more often than one would think.
Most of the list is self-explanatory, but over time I have realized how ridiculous Mana Geyser really is. When I first added it to the deck, it would for the most part only enable accelerated durdling, but I have since incorporated Recoup and Past in Flames primarily as ways to abuse Mana Geyser. I then added Goblin Lore and even Control of the Court to really dig for these cards (and they offer respectable card selection in their own right), and now if Mana Geyser resolves it usually means game over. Ignite Memories is the telltale heart, but it's actually a lot of fun to resolve and hits hard even when you play fair.
These days, I actually look forward to playing Squee again, and everyone else seems to enjoy playing against it too. It's a rare success story for me. Thanks for reading.
Draft my Mono-Blue Cube!
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- Crystal Ball
- Snow-Covered Mountain
+ Tormenting Voice
+ Spinerock Knoll
Crystal Ball was clunky and slow. On the other hand, Khans brings us Tormenting Voice (basically another copy of Wild Guess) which is exactly the type of card this deck wants. A mountain has also been replaced with Spinerock Knoll. The Knoll should have been in here sooner; it was just an oversight.
The artifact count is getting really low these days. Makes me wonder if Goblin Welder still deserves a spot...
Draft my Mono-Blue Cube!
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BRRakdos, Lord of RiotsBR
1 Chandra's Phoenix
1 Magma Phoenix
1 Shard Phoenix
1 Kuldotha Phoenix
1 Skarrgan Firebird
1 Purphoros, God of the Forge
1 Obsidian Fireheart
1 Inferno Titan
1 Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
1 Mad Prophet
1 Goblin Welder
1 Iron Myr
1 Burnished Hart
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Myr Battlesphere
Planeswalkers - 4
1 Chandra, Pyromancer
1 Chandra Ablaze
1 Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded
1 Koth of the Hammer
Artifact - 24 (29 Including Art. Creat.)
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Expedition Map
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Armillary Sphere
1 Mind Stone
1 Grim Monolith
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Coalition Relic
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Extraplanar Lens
1 Gauntlet of Power
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Skullclamp
1 Anvil of Bogardan
1 Memory Jar
1 Staff of Nin
1 Trading Post
1 Helm of Possession
1 Hammer of Purphoros
1 Spine of Ish Sah
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Pithing Needle
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Braid of Fire
1 Shivan Harvest
1 Knollspine Invocation
Sorceries - 10
1 Firebolt
1 Hammer of Bogardan
1 Chain Reaction
1 Blasphemous Act
1 Devil's Play
1 Gamble
1 Faithless Looting
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Shattering Spree
1 Icefall
Instants - 3
1 Skred
1 Fiery Temper
1 Violent Eruption
Land - 39
27 Snow-Covered Mountain
1 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
1 Mouth of Ronom
1 Great Furnace
1 Darksteel Citadel
1 Smoldering Crater
1 Forgotten Cave
1 Kher Keep
1 High Market
1 Petrified Field
1 Buried Ruin
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Strip Mine
Cards from my list I think you should be running:
Inferno Titan (He burninates the countryside at Trogdor levels of efficiency)
Staff of Nin? (kind of clunky, but Phyrexian Arena is good and the 1 damage is always surprisingly relevant.
Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded (seriously underrated since he requires a specific deck, aka ours)
Purphoros, God of the Forge (plays soooo well with Squee. Not as explosive as in token decks and such, but still brings the pain)
I also really like the madness and flashback spells, but adding those would require a lot more cuts than I'm comfortable requesting. You're deck looks great!
Cards from your list I want to add to mine:
Price of Progress (my brother ran this in his Mogis, God of Slaughter deck and showed us how insane this card is in Commander)
Tormenting Voice (Sweet draw effect for our deck!)
Wild Guess (^)
Reforge the Soul (^)
How's Past in Flames been?
BRRakdos, Lord of RiotsBR
Past in Flames is good, but it's only really good if you have found Mana Geyser. I suggest you try Mana Geyser in your deck as well... If you cast it after turn 6 or so, it consistently gives big returns. I got 29 (!) mana out of it last time I cast it, which let me chain draw spells into Past in Flames into a lethal Comet Storm. You play a lot of permanents, though, whereas I play a lot of instants and sorceries, so maybe Past in Flames won't be as good for you.
You might also try your luck with Goblin Lore. If you listen to what Pat Chapin has to say about Desperate Ravings, a lot of the same things apply. Don't feel obligated to cast it if your hand is already good.
I might just proxy up your deck to give it a try. It will keep my playgroup guessing.
Draft my Mono-Blue Cube!
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I'm glad you like the list! Let me know how the proxy goes if you end up doing it! My version is less explosive, more grindy. The goal is to stay relevant but not threatening until it's you vs someone else, and then slap them in the face with the last 10 points of damage with flashback burn/phoenixes/whatever. It's a blast, and I don't know if it's the deck or the fact that everyone wants to be nice to the girl at the table, but she ends up in that last 2 standing position most times she plays.
Hail Squee!
BRRakdos, Lord of RiotsBR
EDIT: Also, I can see that Death Spark isn't in your decklist anymore. How come? Didn't it preform as excepted? Looks solid to me with Squee and all that discard.
Death Spark was great in conjunction with Squee but fairly bad most other times, like when you have a wheel in hand but no other creatures. I cut it when I added Goblin Lore and Control of the Court because those cards would make it even less reliable. I used it to lock out Arcum Dagsson one time a couple years ago, and that seemed to be the high point of its career. I am 1000% happier to draw Past in Flames or Recoup every single time -- play those instead.
I'm trying out Tibalt like you said (a friend recently gifted it to me!) but I haven't yet drawn him to know how he plays. Will keep you posted.
I have also swapped out Fire Servant with Mogg Maniac. Servant was kind of clunky but Maniac has been consistently useful, and much easier to cast. Servant only interacted favorably with a handful of cards, and Maniac gives you more options overall, even if it doesn't go as "big" from time to time.
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So, on to new cards!
Burn Away -- I need some graveyard hate; I literally cut it all out for more fun stuff. This option might not be bad... would still prefer a land.
Bitter Feud -- It's a Furnace effect, but generally worse than Curse of Bloodletting, which I also do not play. No thanks.
Deretti, Scrap Savant -- huck, I can see this being outstanding in your deck (I mean, your spouse's deck). You have to play it! I probably will too just for the looting.
Myriad Landscape -- easy include. Good ramp, early game use of mana, and card advantage that sometimes lives the dream with Valakut!
Draft my Mono-Blue Cube!
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Why aren't you excited for Dualcaster Mage?
BRRakdos, Lord of RiotsBR
I love Dualcaster Mage, but if I'm not playing Fork or Reiterate, why do I want him in this particular deck?
Draft my Mono-Blue Cube!
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BRRakdos, Lord of RiotsBR
Random: My LGS hosts quarterly tournaments under a custom format called "Bad Tribal". It's kind of like Modern, but you have to play at least 25 creatures of a certain tribe, and those creatures can go all the way back to alpha. Oh and also, all of the good tribes (Green Elves, Blue Wizards, etc.) are banned. I bet Imperial Recruiter would form the backbone of a crushing Bad Tribal Humans deck!
I agree that I need to make more space in my deck for answers and utility. I can say for sure that Word of Seizing isn't as good here as it used to be, so there is an option. Obelisk is an acceptable fill-in. Other cards I would like to try are the aforementioned Burn Away, Vandalblast, Cranial Archive, and Harvest Pyre (?!).
On the previous topic of lifegain/damage mitigation, I eavesdropped on the Jaya Ballard thread next door and saw them discussing Glacial Chasm. What do you think? Play it a turn right before you burn the world, and it may effectively gain you 20+ life. Expedition Map gives us an extra copy of it so it will be more readily available than Loxodon Warhammer or Basilisk Collar. What do you think?
Draft my Mono-Blue Cube!
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Another question, do you have any trouble at all with creatures or would Caverns of Despair and Smoke just be dead cards in a deck like this? I'd imagine it would take some setup before burning a hole table.
I used to play Smoke in an early version of the deck; it is quite strong and underrated, IMO. Even though it hoses creatures, it encourages others to play more creatures to briefly overcome the tempo loss (in the same way Winter Orb encourages hitting your land drops), and then you wreck shop with Inferno or some nonsense. On the other hand, it reduces the damage the other players do to each other, which is bad. Maybe try Crawlspace to get the best of both worlds?
FYI, the nuisance creatures are things that are big and difficult to kill, like Ulamog, Avacyn 1.0, and even Mortivore. I have a few answers in here and I'm passable at the subltle politics game, plus you can sometimes just win through them. They are a bit problematic but you can overcome. The real problems are mass land destruction and combo decks... I'm not really geared to race combo, so it's hit-or-miss if I can interact. My high land count is a concession to mass LD, but even though we recover consistently it is a tremendous setback since I don't run mana rocks. If you are considering building a similar deck, you should be aware.
EDIT -- Forgot to mention I am also re-considering Nevinyrral's Disk. A user named Addy suggested it on the first page, but the deck looked a lot different back then and I am slowly coming around to its merits, especially its ability to remove enchantments and pro-red creatures. There seem to be many more good cards than I have room for in the deck.
Draft my Mono-Blue Cube!
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Think i'll get both Smoke and Crawlspace to the test. I get what you mean about Smoke, but i some metas it might be good just to shut the creatures down.
I actaully considered running Crucible of Worlds. Mostly to gain value out of the discarding, but it could also help recover from LD. The downside is the tempo, when you're only allowed one landdrop per turn. Have you tried running Red Elemental Blast and Pyroblast as a way to deal with comboes (which tends to play blue)? I run them in a Niv-Mizzet build and im rarely unhappy to see them. They are really good anti-counters aswell to secure a devastating spell.
I always play disk when playing red or black since they a hard time dealing with either/both artifacts and enchanments.
I also decided to play Trading Post in the lifegain slot. It synergizes well with our commander, and offers a few other effects that are situationaly good. I won't get as much mileage out of it as the Daretti decks, but having the opportunity to bring back a destroyed mana doubler (or live the dream and casting Memory Jar every turn!) seems acceptable.
Bloodfire Colossus, Inferno, and Pyrohemia are on the watch list to get cut. They are all fine and have a profound impact on the game, but boy are they clunky. I'm thinking about trying the other cards we talked about in their place. Kindle the Carnage and Impact Resonance both seem like fun-but-questionable candidates!
Draft my Mono-Blue Cube!
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I'll put up a list of the deck when I get to it. It looks pretty much like yours d0su, but i have more Fork-effects, and been looking at Howl of the Horde. Attack with Squee or some other creature we don't mind dying, then blow everything up times 3. Seems good, but is it just a win-more?
Edit: Oh, and btw, why don't give Squee a primer?
1 Squee, Goblin Nabob
1 Goblin Welder
1 Godo, Bandit Warlord
1 Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
1 Stuffy Doll
1 Mogg Maniac
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Burnished Hart
Mana/Ramp
1 Sol Ring
1 Ruby Medallion
1 Mana Flare
1 Extraplanar Lens
1 Gauntlet of Power
1 Caged Sun
1 Expedition Map
1 Wayfarer’s Bauble
Draw/Discard
1 Gamble
1 Faithless Looting
1 Control of the Court
1 Goblin Lore
1 Tormenting Voice
1 Wild Guess
1 Shattered Perception
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Reforge the Soul
1 Memory Jar
1 Skullclamp
1 Hammer of Bogardan
1 Price of Progress
1 Ignite Memories
1 Blasphemous Act
1 Starstorm
1 Comet Storm
1 Molten Disaster
1 Fault Line
1 Inferno
1 Pyrohemia
Extra Damage
1 Furnace of Rath
1 Dictate of the Twin Gods
1 Repercussion
1 Gratuitous Violence
Removal
1 Chaos Warp
1 Into the Core
1 Jokulhaups
1 Nevinyrral’s Disk
1 Spine of Ish Sah
1 Unstable Obelisk
1 Smoke
1 Darksteel Forge
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Trading Post
1 Elixir of Immortality
1 Batterskull
1 Loxodon Warhammer
1 Word of Seizing
1 Pyroblast
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Fork
1 Increasing Vengeance
1 Recoup
1 Past in Flames
1 Koth of the Hammer
My first games with the deck a couple of weeks ago, wasn't that great. I didn't actually do much, except one game where i got Koth's emblem and controled the whole table, but still i got killed.
Yesterday i got a chance to test the deck again. This time it really shined. I managed to get down 3 mana doblers and had some crazy plays. It became archenemy, which was fine but i ended up loosing to a Rest in Peace. I've added Elixir of Immortality, solely as a way to protect cards in the yard, but don't know if it's actually worth it. This deck just seems to loose straight out to graveyard-hate.
I've pulled off a pretty big Ignite Memories, but the havn't been satisfying, to say the least. Around 10 damage with 6 triggers... I feel that i could use some more ramp, so here might a candidate.
Will play the deck again tomorrow.
Edit: And in multiplayer, just about every game has someone running blue, so it's hardly ever a dead card.
Currently Playing:
Multiplayer EDH Lists (click italics for a link to the thread!)
[Primer] Lord of Tresserhorn - Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do[Primer] Roon of the Hidden Realm - Rhino Blink
5 Color Tribal Guide (Slivers, Atogs, Allies, Spirits)
Also Playing (most decklists can be found on my profile)
MarathGeistKamahlGrenzoBolasThassaGitrog
PiratesZurVial Smasher&ThrasiosYennettJhoira(cEDH)Strix(Pauper)
Legacy: Maverick
Modern:
Melira PodRIP 1/19/15GWHatebearsGoblin Welder really shines, so much I've considered running some protection suit just for him, but don't know if it would be worth it.
The manabase is great, and Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle can do some serious damage, especially with "put lands into play"-cards, such as Burnished Hart. I even added Terrain Generator, besides Thawing Glaciers, to get multiple Mountain-drops a turn.
Graveyard hate is sort of an nuisance (actually, mostly just Rest in Peace and Leyline of the Void), but most of my threats are spread evenly between lands, nonlands, cards in hand, and cards in graveyard. I don't get too worried about the occasional Bojuka Bog or whatever because it is rarely pointed at me.
How are the Forks working out for you? I have been eyeballing Increasing Vengeance recently since my deck is slowly warping around Mana Geyser, plus the other ones give added protection against countermagic. If Forks are good, then I would definitely find room for Howl of the Horde for the reasons you stated. "Win more" is kind of what I am going for here!
I'll be honest, I am not a fan of Jokulhaups in this deck. Not that I have anything against MLD in general, but without a suite of mana rocks it seems like you would consistently set yourself back many many turns. I also don't like Gratuitous Violence since it really only interacts with 4 cards in your list.
Did the Phoenix package not work out for you? I see Hammer of Bogardan is still here, but the others are gone, as are Knollspine Invocation and Greater Gargadon. Were they just not useful for you? And regarding Ignite Memories, sometimes it is hit-or-miss, but I like it. Last time I drew it, there was a guy sitting on six mana and one card in hand and he said, "Arg, I just need to draw one more land!" You can guess who I targeted with all the copies. ^^
And finally, I don't plan to make a Squee primer because I do not have the time to devote to maintaining it. Most of the time I have for MTGS is spent researching an article series I on mulligans that I hope to publish in the upcoming months.
Draft my Mono-Blue Cube!
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Thanks for your reply, d0su, and all the advice!
I might be too paranoid about the 'yard but it hated on pretty quick the first coulpe of times I played the deck. I will test the Witchbane Orb and see if Squee will like it.
You might be right about Jokulhaups. I just have a love for it and I always love to have a reset-bottom. Also good call on Gratuitous Violence. I havn't really got a chance to play it and it might not do much but it's still a one-sided damage-buff with Mogg Maniac or Stuffy Doll. Want to give it a try before I drop it.
My list is just want I could pull together. I havn't got Knollspine Invocation or Greater Gargadon. But to me, they don't look that powerful... You might convince me of something else? The sac-outlet on Gargadon seems nice but it's only for so long, and I don't really likke the card-disadvantage on Invocation. Not a fan of phoenixes either...
The Fork's been working out great! Being a blue mage at heart, I really love having the opponunity to counter. Sitting with a Fork in hand can get that crucial spell throu. Also, Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast have outright won me games. Havn't tried Howl of the Horde. It's not as versatile, which is what I really like about Fork. And yeah, Ruby Medallion is a... gem