MTG Salvation

Red has always been my favorite color in Magic. Mass burn, denial of resources (including life!), damage doubling?? We got it. Hell, we will even let YOU draw cards with us! I started playing Magic during the Onslaught block and with that came a love for goblins and mountains. When I got into EDH I made a Wort, Boggart Auntie deck that took pages from 60 card goblin bidding back in the day and it was great! Until the second board wipe... The deck devolved into a group slug Zo-zu the Punisher. And that was great too! It punished for everything, play some lands take some damage. If they aren't yet mountains, I can help with that. Tap some lands take some damage. Playing creatures? There's Repercussions for that! Finish off the game with a stupid big X spell. It worked! As long as my life total wasn't the lowest. But then again, I always counted it a win if I killed everyone including myself... It's a very Red way to finish the game! Soon enough, my meta figured out the deck and would just attack me enough to discourage a burn spell. SO... Introducing Akroma, Angel of Fury! With her at the helm I have a plan B. She's big, flies, relevant protection... and she FIREBREATHES!!

One of the house rules in my meta restricts the use of Strip Mine and Wasteland and Crucible of Worlds. Valakut was left out in an attempt to keep basic land counts high in hopes I survive a late game Price of Progress. Might have to reconsider that though, 3 to the dome or some more creature or PW removal is never a bad thing, thanks!!

I like the deck man. Seems very well tuned so I don't have any suggestions really. You cpuld upgrade to snow lands and get access to Glacial Crevasses?

I, too, greatly admire mono-red and all of the havoc it can wreak. Have you considered rocking Neheb, the Eternal in the deck? He's been doing so much work for me.

Thanks for checking out the deck, I am glad you like it! I've thought about snow covered lands quite a bit. Having them justifies including Extraplanar Lens and gets bonus points for Old School Cool. I don't own many, and I have an abundance of Zendikar fat packs so I jammed 31 of those mountains into this deck. Snow lands are ripe for a reprint.. And we are going back to Dominaria! One can dream!!

Quote from skorchdnite »

I, too, greatly admire mono-red and all of the havoc it can wreak. Have you considered rocking Neheb, the Eternal in the deck? He's been doing so much work for me.

I honestly don't have a good reason for not running Neheb. It's an incredibly efficent 1:1 return on Akroma's flame breath plus whatever else gets through as a beautiful prequel to a stupid big X spell. I'll be picking up one of those post-haste!

My old build for Akroma.

@helghast101, Beautiful list, so many lands though! My playgroup frowns on land destruction (unless it's immediately winning the game) so it wouldn't fly for me. Always wanted a Braid of Fire, seems the perfect mint for fire-breath!

A few updates now C17 is out.
Curse of Opulence replaces Mana Crypt , I love the crypt but I think I will get more mileage out of the curse. Plus more red mana is never a bad thing!
Neheb, the Eternal replaces Coldsteel Heart for similar reasons.

I still maintain my Akroma deck (decklist and outdated video). She is an absolute favorite, and will likely be a deck I maintain forever.

Some generic "i-win" cards that are fairly budget you can include would be ruination and wake of destruction if your opponents are OK with some land hate.

If you can invest in any equipment, sword of feast and famine is fantastic. If you ever land first-strike on Akroma (from say akroma's memorial or sword of vengeance), you can untap and fire-breath.

Akroma likes to just 1-hit kill people. I see you have the furnace+dictate, but you can also run Gratuitous Violence to help enable that. It doesn't increase the damage of your burn, but does make Akroma terrifying and a must-kill threat.


Your list looks great! Enjoy wrecking with our angel of flying death

@JDviant I have high hopes for the curse. Seems a useful fun card with possible political incentives to opponents (most of them, at least!) to not attack me. Colorless mana rocks are great for the X spells and landing an early Akroma but add no fuel to the fire when she is ready for dinner.

@Macabre Thanks, glad you like the deck. You got me all kinds of envious of that Gauntlet of Might! One day... So my meta is an odd one. Land Destruction is a bit faux pas and we don't use commander damage. Once upon a time our 4-6 player games would last 4-6 hours. Not that that isn't fun, but getting in more than one game a night is a plus. Because of that, anything that draws out the game unnecessarily is met with a unanimous groan. I am hesitant to add equipment and the enchantment because the deck is pretty creature light. Like you, I can't be without some sort of mono red deck. It has been through many iterations and feels oh so right with Akroma watching the world burn. If she ever goes creature-beats, you can bet the violence will be gratuitous and the swords will be many!

small Ixalan Update!
Pilgrim's Eye out for Thaumatic Compass The flying body was a nice chump blocker but this thing is repeatable, turns into a land, and mazes. Testing!
Obsidian Fireheart out for Vance's Blasting Cannons The Fireheart is a pet card of mine and a great mana sink and on point for the burn theme. VBC is card advantage and potentially burn or removal.
Stigma Lasher is great on turn two but does little late game and nothing to decks without lifegain. Angrath's Marauders will take his place.

I really like the Rampaging Ferocidon but if i can continue to cut creatures for burn spells I can add the beautiful Star of Extinction and maniacally laugh when repercussion kills the table.

Unrelated Update
Shivan Gorge out for High Market

minor changes.
Magus of the Moon out for Claws of Gix. I am trying to streamline creature count for MagicChristmasLand when I stupid big X spell and Repercussion is up. I know, I know, there is no reliable way to tutor for it but a man can dream, can't he?!? The artifact also removes non-basics on my side as needed for a killing blow Price of Progress and the life gain helps because I am often burning my own dome.
Blasphemous Act out for Inferno. BA is efficient. And when you need it the most it is REALLY cheap. But... in red I can't reliable count on Repercussion and I want as much face time with my spells as possible. Inferno being instant and hitting all creatures and players makes for a decent replacement.

A few changes...
Dualcaster Mage is out for Mirari. More of the same for creature swaps. I am wiping the board enough that non-flyers aren't lasting long anyways and Repercussion wins games.
Stranglehold is out for Trading Post. Half of the enchantment was almost never relevant. It did a good job nerfing fetchlands and other tutors but TP is such a versatile card.
Temple of the False God is out for Endless Sands. I really like Red Manas. Temple is bad early and hurts me in case of Price of Progress. The desert can get rid of creatures on my side and sack itself if needed. Plus I got a foil one.

Testing!

A few hot swaps.
Zo-Zu the Punisher, you've had a good run. You just too frequently end up dead by my spells before much punishing is actually done. Primal Amulet was something I wanted to test here. Discount on burn with fork potential is something I want.
Molten Psyche is a forever on the fence card for me. It has won me games. If I don't have metalcraft it clogs my hand. If I lose metalcraft in response to casting the spell, not only does it lose it's teeth it gives new hands to my opponents. Enter Comet Storm. Instant burn I can keep my nose out of, yes please!

Few deck changes, one from RIX one just fits.
Out Curse of Opulence In Cryptolith Fragment. I really wanted to like the curse but my creature count is low and ever dwindling and relying on your opponents to help you is not a good place to be. The new mana rock is colorless but it "burns" so it's welcome here.
Out Blood Moon In The Immortal Sun. BM usually completely hoses one player and mildly annoys the rest. It also shuts off Price of Progress so I can easily swap one hate card for another. IS draws, kills PW's, and discounts our spells.

Pulling the trigger on a creatureless list. I wanted to include Daretti, Scrap Savant but with so few ways to protect him I see him dying very quickly. If I can jam some more token gens in here maybe I can squeeze him in.

I am never sad to draw a burn spell. And with Dominaria comes a new one! Jaya's Immolating Inferno is another delicious X spell that I would run but would probably have to switch commanders to Daretti, Scrap Savant or more likely Hazoret the Fervent.

So with Battlebond comes Khorvath's Fury. Red draw and delicious burn, yes please! A few needed tweaks while we are here.

I've been on a creatureless kick for a bit now. The idea is I don't want to waste resources on dudes because if the deck is firing the field is razed. I am making an exception for Solemn Simulacrum. Format staple is format staple. I am anxious to try the new "burn" spell and I am hoping the addition of some catch all wraths I'll gain some resilience.