Let me know how Firemind's Research does for you, I've tried it only in Standard.
It seems like it would be nuts in control matchups or anything with heavy removal. It's unlikely anybody brings in artifact/enchantment hate, and it's likely going to stick around and gain counters unless they have incidental hate cards.
I'm not going to lie though, despite it also seeming super cool, I'm extra hyped for playing it because I have the alt art foil versions....
I wouldnt play Flame Slash over Lightning Axe personally, as yes 5 Toughness is important to be able to hit, and its also an instant vs Sorcery.
Against truly heavy removal, you may need to bring in additional threats out of the sideboard, but unless they are running mass removal AND gy hate AND disruption, those Phoenix will be coming back and it only takes 1 Crackling Drake to stick, to present lethal in the late game.
I'm working on updating the first post, if there are any obvious errors feel free to tell me about it.
Let me know how Firemind's Research does for you, I've tried it only in Standard.
It seems like it would be nuts in control matchups or anything with heavy removal. It's unlikely anybody brings in artifact/enchantment hate, and it's likely going to stick around and gain counters unless they have incidental hate cards.
I'm not going to lie though, despite it also seeming super cool, I'm extra hyped for playing it because I have the alt art foil versions....
Pretty much all UW Control decks can deal with every kind of permanent thanks to maindeck Detention Spheres and Teferi, Hero of Dominaria. Besides that single copy of Spell Pierce in your sideboard there isn't actually anything you can do about those cards hitting the battlefield and removing your stuff. They will also 100% side in Celestial Purge since it also deals cleanly with your drakes and phoenixes.
Against the non-white Control decks it's pretty good though. They can't really remove enchantments.
I also don't think think it will be a haymaker against BG/x decks. They too have ways to deal with it which they are going to play anyways against you irregardless if they know about the Research or not. Keranos, God of Storms would be better suited against them and funnily enough with the drakes it's pretty easy to turn on devotion.
Let me know how Firemind's Research does for you, I've tried it only in Standard.
It seems like it would be nuts in control matchups or anything with heavy removal. It's unlikely anybody brings in artifact/enchantment hate, and it's likely going to stick around and gain counters unless they have incidental hate cards.
I'm not going to lie though, despite it also seeming super cool, I'm extra hyped for playing it because I have the alt art foil versions....
Pretty much all UW Control decks can deal with every kind of permanent thanks to maindeck Detention Spheres and Teferi, Hero of Dominaria. Besides that single copy of Spell Pierce in your sideboard there isn't actually anything you can do about those cards hitting the battlefield and removing your stuff. They will also 100% side in Celestial Purge since it also deals cleanly with your drakes and phoenixes.
Against the non-white Control decks it's pretty good though. They can't really remove enchantments.
I also don't think think it will be a haymaker against BG/x decks. They too have ways to deal with it which they are going to play anyways against you irregardless if they know about the Research or not. Keranos, God of Storms would be better suited against them and funnily enough with the drakes it's pretty easy to turn on devotion.
Good to know. Although pretty much every other UW player at my local store has moved on to something else, including myself. Those that still hold on to a semblance of control, usually do so with grixis, either as a control shell, or death shadow. But honestly most UR players are either on Phoenix or Wizards these days.
But you don't have to tell me twice to put in Keranos. That's one of my favorite cards.
I'll probably try it out over the next few days, I've been grinding up rank in Arena, just hit the most epic of top decks to win out against UB Surveil. I can taste the salt from over the internet...
I'll probably try it out over the next few days, I've been grinding up rank in Arena, just hit the most epic of top decks to win out against UB Surveil. I can taste the salt from over the internet...
My favorite is when I do some start like T1 tapped Steam Vents, T2 Electromancer, T3 Chart, Chart, Shock, get 2 birds, attack. Then they just concede. The salt is palpable. Can't wait to play this in paper in Modern.
Mine was way way late game, like 10 lands each in play, and I had him at 6 but he was firmly in control looping Disinformation, and attacking me with my own stuff due to Thief of Sanity that he was slow roll killing me with.
I dont run the pure Phoenix deck in Standard though, because of the best of 1 format, and I have 3 one of's that steal games.
He kept just toying with me when he had me lethal, and cast a Notion Rain taking himself to 4.
Feels like Control is pretty miserable. Ran into it 3 times today, was able to take a game in each, but not the match. Perhaps something Clique or Obstructionist may be needed to force action on their turn.
Was able to beat split 2 Tron Matches, and beat Skred/Prison, and Merfolk.
FYI Wizkids has made many 28mm figures for the Ravnica D&D book, one of which is the Arclight Phoenix. I made sure to pick some up so I can annoy people tonight with them. Ka-CAWWWWWW!
Speaking of the deck, played against KCI tonight and that feels like a miserable and unwinnable matchup without a speedy nut draw. Was an untap step away from killing game 1 on the draw when I got combod on their turn 4 after watching them loop things for 6 minutes until they were able to guarantee a win. Then game 2 I lose through casting Abrade, Spell pierce, and Surgical Extraction, and just scooped after they continued on through Surgical. To say the games were infuriating is an understatement. Can't be banned soon enough.
Howdy fellow UR Falconers, as soon as GRN came out I scooped up foil Phoenixes and have been playing UR builds in Standard and Modern non-stop. This past Saturday, I played in a fairly small 26-person qualifier for my LGS's Invitational and went 4-1 in the swiss rounds, then got knocked out in the semi-finals after the top4 cut. I figure a brief report and some afterthoughts might be useful for developing the deck.
I get paired against my buddy Tom, who admittedly hasn't played Modern in months so he has very little clue what my deck contains or is doing. Game 1 is a bit of a slog, discard strips down my hand, I see a couple Crackling Drakes, cantrips, and removal, but no Things or Phoenixes. I eventually die to a bunch of Spirit tokens. For boarding I believe I did -1 Maximize Velocity -2 Thought Scout, +2 Anger +1 Ral. Scours out because I expect Leylines, Angers in to get rid of bird blockers. Post-board games my deck "does the thing" a lot better. I throw multiple TITIs under the Fatal Push bus in g2, and then recur multiple Phoenixes before Bolting him out. Game 3 goes similarly, I stick a TITI that he doesn't answer, but he plays a Kambal so we play draw-go as he looks for a Push and I try to find removal. Eventually I Lightning Axe Bruce Campbell, flip the TITI, and recur a phoenix in one turn and it's pretty easy from there. He brought in Leylines and we discussed that that may not have been right, but Kambal was solid.
R2: Jund 2-0
Another buddy named Tom, he rarely strays from Jund and is trying Fabiano's list with the maindeck nihil spellbombs. I get the nut on turn 2 of Manamorphose, Faithless Looting discard two phoenixes, Bolt you, and he dies the next turn unceremoniously. I just swap one Gut Shot out for Ral, leaving two in two deal with Confidants and a freshly minus'd LoTV. Game 2 is a bit slower, we both don't do much for the first few turns, I recur one Phoenix but he kills it and I don't have enough spells stocked up to recur, so I land a Drake, crack in for eight. On his turn it gets Lili edicted. A turn later I make a misplay and cast Looting with one card in hand in an attempt to find a 1 CMC spell and get multiple Phoenixes back. He Kommands me making me discard my second Crackling Drake. But, because lucky is better than good, on my next turn I rip the third Drake, use the cantripped card to Jump-Start a Maximize Velocity that I'd looted away earlier and win.
R3: Vizier CoCo 1-2
These were pretty uneventuful overall, but I think the deck has a great shot against Vizier decks. Game 1 I'm on the draw and I do a lot of cantripping and get one Phoenix into play, but he chains two CoCos between turns 3 and 4 and finds the combo. Sideboarding was -1 Maximize -1 Charm -2 Swiftspear -2 Thought Scour -3 Crackling Drake, +3 Abrade +2 Anger +3 Kiln Fiend +1 Dispel. I prefer removal over Dispels in these matchups because of the amount of Witness recursion, but when I reconfigure the md and sb I'm sure the second Dispel will find its way in. Also the Angers may not even be necessary. Game 2 he mulligans low and I get a Thing Out of the Ice and a Phoenix early, game ends quick. Game 3 I have a very hot Phoenix-Thing start, but his desperation CoCo hits double Finks, which buys him blocks and life to CoCo again into Eidolon of Rhetoric, and by the time I can Lightning Axe it he's Gavony Townshipped his team to plenty lethal and I don't have the mass to flip a new TITI. My opp is a VERY good local grinder, and I think he went on top win the qualifier. We chatted for a while about the Phoenix decks and modern's current climate. His Vizier CoCo list was essentially pre-boarded with Finks and Eidolon because of how scared he was of MonoR phoenix.
R4: BR Hollow One 2-1
I haven't played this guy before but he was VERY jittery and fast with his motions/mannerisms and VERY boisterously talkative and confident. I didn't need to know how everyone copied your maindeck Molten Rains in burn after you won a PTQ dude. I felt like I had to play extra calm and deliberately to balance him out. Game 1 goes his way after a turn 2 Goblin Lore dings two Hollow Ones. I play the chump block game for a couple turns then suggest we go to game 2. Boarding was +2 Surgical +3 Abrade, -3 Gut Shot -2 Thought Scour. We play it out, I have multiple TITIs in hand so I throw one into a Fatal Push, and then on his draw step I Surgical the Fatal Push knowing it's his only answer to TITI and that the flip-sweep is my best out to Gurmags and Hollow Ones. It takes one out of his hand, I see it's a Gurmag, a Hollow One, a Leyline, and lands. He dies shortly after the flip. Game 3 goes pretty similarly, I bait with a TITI and get to exile his Pushes again. I don't have any follow-up TITIs, but I do have multiple Phoenixes and get those into play. He puts down a Gurmag to race back, which I have covered with a Lightning Axe. We're both low and a second-main Flamewake buys him a turn so I surgical the one in his gy and sure enough, it gets one out of his hand, and I see I'm clear for lethal on my turn.
R5: UG Infect 2-1
A regular at the shop who is always working on UR Phoenix, but went with a deck he's more comfortable with for the IQ. I lose game1 to a stream of infect threats. I Gut Shot a Glistener, Bolt a Blighted Agent, and get a Phoenix for pressure, but we reach a point where any pump spell off the top plus his in-play Inkmoth is game and that's hard to miss on. Boarding was -1 Maximize Velocity -2 Monastery Swiftspear -2 Thought Scour, +3 Abrade +2 Dispel. The deck is much more dense with removal for the post-board games which makes things significantly easier. TITI shows up in game 2 and gets to flip in combat which is such a big factor in winning vs. losing this matchup. And game 3 gets decided by a turn where he goes to Pendelhaven an Inkmoth, I Gut Shot it, he Groundswells, I Bolt it, he Vines of Vastwoods it, I Dispel Vines. I don't hate having it all.
Semis: BG Tron 1-2
Brief aside for a crazy coincidence. My gf and I went out to dinner last Thursday, and our waiter overheard me talking about the invi at the LGS, and he told me he was gonna be going too, we talked about modern for a hot sec, I wished him luck and tipped well. Turns out I played him in the semifinals, small world.
I'm second seed going into t4, so I choose the play against Tron. I get to turn3 him with the nut of Bolt-Phoenix-Phoenix on turn 2, backed up by Swiftspear and free spells turn 3. Boarding was -3 Gut Shot -2 Lightning Axe -3 Crackling Drake, +3 Abrade +2 Ceremonious Rejection +3 Kiln Fiend. Game 2 I spin my wheels and he has turn 3 Karn, exile your Steam Vents. Quick and easy, lets go next. Game 3 is much more of a slog. I get a Swiftspear out and some Phoenixes, he Dismembers the Swiftspear. We trade draw steps, he lands a Thragtusk and a Ballista for 1. I'm able to Abrade the Tusk, Bolt the token, get back a bird, and swing in with my second Swiftspear and two Phoenixes, and he blocks with Ballista to prevent lethal. He's dead next turn, but he (revealed after the game) rips Ugin off the top, casts him, sweeps the board. I untap and Bolt the Ugin hoping I can re-assemble and squeeze out the last 5 life since the rest of his hand seems bad, but he untaps and casts Ugin #2 off the top. Bad beats. I might have misplayed choosing to bring back both phoenixes the turn before he Ugin'd everything away, but that feels like playing to not lose in a match where racing is the game plan.
Closing Thoughts:
In my games prior to this tournament I've genuinely liked the Drake->Kiln Fiend sideboard swap for matchups where racing matters, and it's been successful against KCI, AdNaus, Storm, Amulet, and other mostly creatureless "minimal interaction and get 'em dead" type matchups. They're replacing a Spell Pierce and two Alpine Moons from Ross Merriam's original sideboard from Baltimore which I did not like at all. Granted I didn't see Ceremonious Rejection or Kiln Fiend against Tron, but perhaps the matchup is bad enough that I do want to find room for a couple Alpine Moon. Requires more testing. Otherwise the sideboarding felt super smooth. Abrade is an absolute all-star.
Izzet Charm continues to pull the bare minimum weight for me to keep it in the deck, I used the shock mode once against Infect, and the looting mode once against Vizier CoCo to recur Phoenixes. Maximize Velocity is cute as a split-card discard outlet, cheap spell to trigger Phoenix, and mini-pump, but it's probably better served as the third Thought Scour or a Mutagenic Growth or something.
The deck feels surprisingly great against black midrange despite Push, and creature-based fair decks are a breeze. It has solid game against UWx control and semi-fast combo. It only feels weak to the fastest and most consistent unfair stuff, which probably just requires more sideboard tuning and judicious mulligans.
I for sure agree with Kiln Fiend inclusion. It was in most of my early builds, and yesterday it would have helped me a ton and its going back in my lists side or even main.
Essentially if you dont get anything out of the Evacuation mode on Thing, Fiend is going to be more helpful against the decks we need to race so depending on meta (humans, spirits, GW combo) it may be correct to play Fiend instead?
I for sure agree with Kiln Fiend inclusion. It was in most of my early builds, and yesterday it would have helped me a ton and its going back in my lists side or even main.
Essentially if you dont get anything out of the Evacuation mode on Thing, Fiend is going to be more helpful against the decks we need to race so depending on meta (humans, spirits, GW combo) it may be correct to play Fiend instead?
I think that's the right scale to weigh Kiln Fiend on. The only thing is, I think once you're maindecking Fiend, you need to start considering things like Artful Dodge and Slip Through Space in the starting 60, because in my experience the floor of Kiln Fiend against decks with blockers is lower than the floor of Thing against decks without creatures.
On top of that, I think the meta currently leans a bit more towards creatures so at least for now and SCG Worcester I'm going to keep Fiends in the sideboard. But, if things get even more linear and go-wide decks fall in popularity, a more Bloo-style shotgun build is absolutely on the table.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Modern: C Beep Boop Robots / KCI UR ThunderbURds URG Some Terrible Pile of RUG Cards Legacy: URG Noble RUG GWU Infect
EDIT: A later match was even better against Mono-R Phoenix. We both had 2 Phoenix's in the GY Turn 1. They got theirs out and Swinging Turn 2, I played a Kiln Fiend. They didnt kill it, and swing in both on their Turn 3, tapping out to Flashback Faithless.
Spirits
It seems like it would be nuts in control matchups or anything with heavy removal. It's unlikely anybody brings in artifact/enchantment hate, and it's likely going to stick around and gain counters unless they have incidental hate cards.
I'm not going to lie though, despite it also seeming super cool, I'm extra hyped for playing it because I have the alt art foil versions....
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
The mana base is fantastic and it sees quite a few cards
Playing flame slash seeks like a mistake. That 5 5 number is important enough.
Against truly heavy removal, you may need to bring in additional threats out of the sideboard, but unless they are running mass removal AND gy hate AND disruption, those Phoenix will be coming back and it only takes 1 Crackling Drake to stick, to present lethal in the late game.
I'm working on updating the first post, if there are any obvious errors feel free to tell me about it.
Spirits
Pretty much all UW Control decks can deal with every kind of permanent thanks to maindeck Detention Spheres and Teferi, Hero of Dominaria. Besides that single copy of Spell Pierce in your sideboard there isn't actually anything you can do about those cards hitting the battlefield and removing your stuff. They will also 100% side in Celestial Purge since it also deals cleanly with your drakes and phoenixes.
Against the non-white Control decks it's pretty good though. They can't really remove enchantments.
I also don't think think it will be a haymaker against BG/x decks. They too have ways to deal with it which they are going to play anyways against you irregardless if they know about the Research or not. Keranos, God of Storms would be better suited against them and funnily enough with the drakes it's pretty easy to turn on devotion.
Spirits
But you don't have to tell me twice to put in Keranos. That's one of my favorite cards.
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
Spirits
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
I dont run the pure Phoenix deck in Standard though, because of the best of 1 format, and I have 3 one of's that steal games.
He kept just toying with me when he had me lethal, and cast a Notion Rain taking himself to 4.
What do I top? One of my one of's, Inescapable Blaze
He cast Vraska's Contempt, and died at 0.
Spirits
Was able to beat split 2 Tron Matches, and beat Skred/Prison, and Merfolk.
Spirits
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
Speaking of the deck, played against KCI tonight and that feels like a miserable and unwinnable matchup without a speedy nut draw. Was an untap step away from killing game 1 on the draw when I got combod on their turn 4 after watching them loop things for 6 minutes until they were able to guarantee a win. Then game 2 I lose through casting Abrade, Spell pierce, and Surgical Extraction, and just scooped after they continued on through Surgical. To say the games were infuriating is an understatement. Can't be banned soon enough.
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
EDIT: Forgot the decklist like a dummy.
4 Thing in the Ice
4 Arclight Phoenix
3 Crackling Drake
2 Monastery Swiftspear
Spells
3 Gut Shot
2 Lightning Axe
4 Lightning Bolt
1 Izzet Charm
1 Maximize Velocity
4 Manamorphose
4 Opt
4 Faithless Looting
4 Serum Visions
2 Thought Scour
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Flooded Strand
3 Steam Vents
3 Island
2 Mountain
4 Spirebluff Canal
3 Kiln Fiend
2 Dispel
2 Surgical Extraction
3 Abrade
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Ceremonious Rejection
1 Ral, Izzet Viceroy
R1: Mardu Pyromancer 2-1
I get paired against my buddy Tom, who admittedly hasn't played Modern in months so he has very little clue what my deck contains or is doing. Game 1 is a bit of a slog, discard strips down my hand, I see a couple Crackling Drakes, cantrips, and removal, but no Things or Phoenixes. I eventually die to a bunch of Spirit tokens. For boarding I believe I did -1 Maximize Velocity -2 Thought Scout, +2 Anger +1 Ral. Scours out because I expect Leylines, Angers in to get rid of bird blockers. Post-board games my deck "does the thing" a lot better. I throw multiple TITIs under the Fatal Push bus in g2, and then recur multiple Phoenixes before Bolting him out. Game 3 goes similarly, I stick a TITI that he doesn't answer, but he plays a Kambal so we play draw-go as he looks for a Push and I try to find removal. Eventually I Lightning Axe Bruce Campbell, flip the TITI, and recur a phoenix in one turn and it's pretty easy from there. He brought in Leylines and we discussed that that may not have been right, but Kambal was solid.
R2: Jund 2-0
Another buddy named Tom, he rarely strays from Jund and is trying Fabiano's list with the maindeck nihil spellbombs. I get the nut on turn 2 of Manamorphose, Faithless Looting discard two phoenixes, Bolt you, and he dies the next turn unceremoniously. I just swap one Gut Shot out for Ral, leaving two in two deal with Confidants and a freshly minus'd LoTV. Game 2 is a bit slower, we both don't do much for the first few turns, I recur one Phoenix but he kills it and I don't have enough spells stocked up to recur, so I land a Drake, crack in for eight. On his turn it gets Lili edicted. A turn later I make a misplay and cast Looting with one card in hand in an attempt to find a 1 CMC spell and get multiple Phoenixes back. He Kommands me making me discard my second Crackling Drake. But, because lucky is better than good, on my next turn I rip the third Drake, use the cantripped card to Jump-Start a Maximize Velocity that I'd looted away earlier and win.
R3: Vizier CoCo 1-2
These were pretty uneventuful overall, but I think the deck has a great shot against Vizier decks. Game 1 I'm on the draw and I do a lot of cantripping and get one Phoenix into play, but he chains two CoCos between turns 3 and 4 and finds the combo. Sideboarding was -1 Maximize -1 Charm -2 Swiftspear -2 Thought Scour -3 Crackling Drake, +3 Abrade +2 Anger +3 Kiln Fiend +1 Dispel. I prefer removal over Dispels in these matchups because of the amount of Witness recursion, but when I reconfigure the md and sb I'm sure the second Dispel will find its way in. Also the Angers may not even be necessary. Game 2 he mulligans low and I get a Thing Out of the Ice and a Phoenix early, game ends quick. Game 3 I have a very hot Phoenix-Thing start, but his desperation CoCo hits double Finks, which buys him blocks and life to CoCo again into Eidolon of Rhetoric, and by the time I can Lightning Axe it he's Gavony Townshipped his team to plenty lethal and I don't have the mass to flip a new TITI. My opp is a VERY good local grinder, and I think he went on top win the qualifier. We chatted for a while about the Phoenix decks and modern's current climate. His Vizier CoCo list was essentially pre-boarded with Finks and Eidolon because of how scared he was of MonoR phoenix.
R4: BR Hollow One 2-1
I haven't played this guy before but he was VERY jittery and fast with his motions/mannerisms and VERY boisterously talkative and confident. I didn't need to know how everyone copied your maindeck Molten Rains in burn after you won a PTQ dude. I felt like I had to play extra calm and deliberately to balance him out. Game 1 goes his way after a turn 2 Goblin Lore dings two Hollow Ones. I play the chump block game for a couple turns then suggest we go to game 2. Boarding was +2 Surgical +3 Abrade, -3 Gut Shot -2 Thought Scour. We play it out, I have multiple TITIs in hand so I throw one into a Fatal Push, and then on his draw step I Surgical the Fatal Push knowing it's his only answer to TITI and that the flip-sweep is my best out to Gurmags and Hollow Ones. It takes one out of his hand, I see it's a Gurmag, a Hollow One, a Leyline, and lands. He dies shortly after the flip. Game 3 goes pretty similarly, I bait with a TITI and get to exile his Pushes again. I don't have any follow-up TITIs, but I do have multiple Phoenixes and get those into play. He puts down a Gurmag to race back, which I have covered with a Lightning Axe. We're both low and a second-main Flamewake buys him a turn so I surgical the one in his gy and sure enough, it gets one out of his hand, and I see I'm clear for lethal on my turn.
R5: UG Infect 2-1
A regular at the shop who is always working on UR Phoenix, but went with a deck he's more comfortable with for the IQ. I lose game1 to a stream of infect threats. I Gut Shot a Glistener, Bolt a Blighted Agent, and get a Phoenix for pressure, but we reach a point where any pump spell off the top plus his in-play Inkmoth is game and that's hard to miss on. Boarding was -1 Maximize Velocity -2 Monastery Swiftspear -2 Thought Scour, +3 Abrade +2 Dispel. The deck is much more dense with removal for the post-board games which makes things significantly easier. TITI shows up in game 2 and gets to flip in combat which is such a big factor in winning vs. losing this matchup. And game 3 gets decided by a turn where he goes to Pendelhaven an Inkmoth, I Gut Shot it, he Groundswells, I Bolt it, he Vines of Vastwoods it, I Dispel Vines. I don't hate having it all.
Semis: BG Tron 1-2
Brief aside for a crazy coincidence. My gf and I went out to dinner last Thursday, and our waiter overheard me talking about the invi at the LGS, and he told me he was gonna be going too, we talked about modern for a hot sec, I wished him luck and tipped well. Turns out I played him in the semifinals, small world.
I'm second seed going into t4, so I choose the play against Tron. I get to turn3 him with the nut of Bolt-Phoenix-Phoenix on turn 2, backed up by Swiftspear and free spells turn 3. Boarding was -3 Gut Shot -2 Lightning Axe -3 Crackling Drake, +3 Abrade +2 Ceremonious Rejection +3 Kiln Fiend. Game 2 I spin my wheels and he has turn 3 Karn, exile your Steam Vents. Quick and easy, lets go next. Game 3 is much more of a slog. I get a Swiftspear out and some Phoenixes, he Dismembers the Swiftspear. We trade draw steps, he lands a Thragtusk and a Ballista for 1. I'm able to Abrade the Tusk, Bolt the token, get back a bird, and swing in with my second Swiftspear and two Phoenixes, and he blocks with Ballista to prevent lethal. He's dead next turn, but he (revealed after the game) rips Ugin off the top, casts him, sweeps the board. I untap and Bolt the Ugin hoping I can re-assemble and squeeze out the last 5 life since the rest of his hand seems bad, but he untaps and casts Ugin #2 off the top. Bad beats. I might have misplayed choosing to bring back both phoenixes the turn before he Ugin'd everything away, but that feels like playing to not lose in a match where racing is the game plan.
Closing Thoughts:
In my games prior to this tournament I've genuinely liked the Drake->Kiln Fiend sideboard swap for matchups where racing matters, and it's been successful against KCI, AdNaus, Storm, Amulet, and other mostly creatureless "minimal interaction and get 'em dead" type matchups. They're replacing a Spell Pierce and two Alpine Moons from Ross Merriam's original sideboard from Baltimore which I did not like at all. Granted I didn't see Ceremonious Rejection or Kiln Fiend against Tron, but perhaps the matchup is bad enough that I do want to find room for a couple Alpine Moon. Requires more testing. Otherwise the sideboarding felt super smooth. Abrade is an absolute all-star.
Izzet Charm continues to pull the bare minimum weight for me to keep it in the deck, I used the shock mode once against Infect, and the looting mode once against Vizier CoCo to recur Phoenixes. Maximize Velocity is cute as a split-card discard outlet, cheap spell to trigger Phoenix, and mini-pump, but it's probably better served as the third Thought Scour or a Mutagenic Growth or something.
The deck feels surprisingly great against black midrange despite Push, and creature-based fair decks are a breeze. It has solid game against UWx control and semi-fast combo. It only feels weak to the fastest and most consistent unfair stuff, which probably just requires more sideboard tuning and judicious mulligans.
C Beep Boop Robots / KCI
UR ThunderbURds
URG Some Terrible Pile of RUG Cards
Legacy:
URG Noble RUG
GWU Infect
Essentially if you dont get anything out of the Evacuation mode on Thing, Fiend is going to be more helpful against the decks we need to race so depending on meta (humans, spirits, GW combo) it may be correct to play Fiend instead?
Spirits
I think that's the right scale to weigh Kiln Fiend on. The only thing is, I think once you're maindecking Fiend, you need to start considering things like Artful Dodge and Slip Through Space in the starting 60, because in my experience the floor of Kiln Fiend against decks with blockers is lower than the floor of Thing against decks without creatures.
On top of that, I think the meta currently leans a bit more towards creatures so at least for now and SCG Worcester I'm going to keep Fiends in the sideboard. But, if things get even more linear and go-wide decks fall in popularity, a more Bloo-style shotgun build is absolutely on the table.
C Beep Boop Robots / KCI
UR ThunderbURds
URG Some Terrible Pile of RUG Cards
Legacy:
URG Noble RUG
GWU Infect
EDIT: Oh and another thing, I'm not huge on Thought Scour. I'm going to go back to the 4 Opt/Serum, and try Sleight of Hand instead as the 2 of.
Spirits
EDIT: A later match was even better against Mono-R Phoenix. We both had 2 Phoenix's in the GY Turn 1. They got theirs out and Swinging Turn 2, I played a Kiln Fiend. They didnt kill it, and swing in both on their Turn 3, tapping out to Flashback Faithless.
Turn 3, I go off taking him from 18. lol
Spirits