I would love to play legacy, but the simple fact is that I don't have the means to. Regardless of how good I am as a player, I'm going to get stomped on by opponents who have a bigger wallet than I do. With Standard that isn't nearly as likely to happen. The cost of building a deck doesn't determine how good a format is, but it does determine how accessible it is.
I really like your deck idea. However, I generally find that in decks such as this, that are built around the idea of getting one or two big bombs into play, running multiple copies of them might not be the best idea. I think that you can get more consistency out of the deck by playing blue. This gives you deck manipulation and card draw to improve your odds of having Immortal Servitude when you need it, counter magic to protect your creatures from removal and even mill that you can target yourself with to fill your graveyard with apostles.
It does a few things differently though, it's more of a mono-red devotion deck. It runs a far wider creature base with a full set of Weirds against aggro and four BTE that almost seem to be there just to push the devotion. At the same time the burn in the main deck is almost nonexistant and it doesn't run Fanatic of Mogis at all.
I'll definitely consider Dynacharge and Blistercoil Weird, I'll probably drop the Denizen for a playset of either of them. I considered the Cackler but I don't think he has the same synergy with the deck that other cards have. Also, I didn't post this in the RDW thread because I think it's different enough - Young Pyromancer is the cornerstone rather than another two drop and it runs a far lighter creature load than RDW.
This is my first stab at a deck utilizing the synergies between Young Pyromancer and the two Purphoros cards. With both Purphoros and the Pyromancer in play each of your burn spells becomes an additional shock to the opponent's face. The hammer allows your elemental tokens to apply immediate pressure and turns superfluous mountains in additional beaters and damage.
Foundry Street Denizen - Normally played in more RDW-oriented decks, the Denizen makes a decent early game beater that stays relevant throughout the game thanks to the Pyromancer's tokens. Young Pyromancer - The star of the deck with sixteen instants and sorceries to keep a constant stream of elementals coming. Ash Zealot - Another source of early pressure. Her first strike plays well with your wide range of burn spells to make blocking her a tricky proposition. The RR casting cost adds a nice bit of devotion too. Chandra's Phoenix - Chandra's pet adds to our early game with the added benefit of being quite hard to get rid of, which only becomes more painful with Purphoros on the field.
Chandra, Pyromaster - Gets rid of pesky blockers, brings back her Phoenix and provides a constant source of card advantage. Hammer of Purphoros - Plays well with Purphoros himself and makes sure every Elemental token gets at least a swing in. It turns extra mountains into extra damage and beaters. Purphoros, God of the Forge - This deck can't reliably keep the 6/5 body active, but it doesn't need to. The God of the Forge pairs up with the Pyromancer to keep up a constant stream of damage with the added bonus that its activated ability makes the Elementals all the more dangerous.
I haven't put too much thought into a sideboard yet but it would probably look something like this:
The Firedrinker Satyr is a huge liability considering the amount of efficient burn available post-rotation. I suggest playtesting Legion Loyalist or Foundry Street Denizen in its place.
I personally feel that running Firefist Striker as a two drop that can also be cast off BTE gives better results in the long run than Gore-House Chainwalker. I also hope that the multitude of burn spells gives me enough recurrence on the Phoenix, especially with all of them being able to be cast off BTE.
In the first game I start on the draw with a hand with both combo pieces, an Azure Mage and four land. I combo out on turn 3 with a Banefire for 19 without encountering any resistance.
- 2 Deprive, 2 Into the Roil, 1 Banefire
+ 4 Apostle's Blessing, 1 Laboratory Maniac
In game two he gets a turn one Burrenton Forge-Tender, turn two Voice of Resurgence and turn three Leonin Abiter. I find my combo pieces off Sleight of Hand/Telling Time and go off on my fourth turn through Laboratory Maniac.
Match 2 (vs. Living End)
This was actually someone from my playgroup and I playtested well against him. Game one I manage to avoid a Living End and combo out on turn five.
- 2 Deprive, 2 Into the Roil
+ 4 Apostle's Blessing
In the second game I keep what looks like a fairly strong hand but he manages to do a number on my mana base with his Avalanche Riders. He gets me to 0 before I get my combo together. In the third game his Avalanche Riders once again go after my mana base. I'm in a relatively weak position as he fills up his graveyard. On the turn he gets off his Living End I decide to just try to go off unprotected and drop my Pili-Pala. He attacks and brings me down to 1. On my next turn I swing with Pili-Pala, tap out to drop Grand Architect, and thankfully manage to go off.
Match 3 (vs. Pod)
My opponent informs me that we're the only ones that are 2-0 at this point and suggests a draw. He thinks there are only eight players and that we'll split first at this point. I take him on his word and accept the draw. We play to see how the prizes will be split and I end up getting crushed 0-2, losing to a Linvala, Keeper of Silence in game one and Qasali Pridemage in game 2.
Match 4 (vs. Elves)
Like my first game in my first match I keep an incredible hand and combo out on turn 3.
- 2 Deprive, 2 Into the Roil
+ 4 Apostle's Blessing (in retrospect I really should have sided in my Ratchet Bombs here)
In game two I make the mistake of letting his Beck resolve in favour of protecting my combo. He easily swarms me out and flattens me on the next turn with an army of elves buffed by Craterhoof Behemoth. In game three I mulligan down to six and decide to keep against all common sense a hand with Halimar Depths as its only land. He gets a good start and while it's not as explosive as game two I'm still under a lot of pressure. When I only have enough life left to survive two more attacks I'm still sitting at two land and decide to drop my Pili-Pala. On the next turn I manage to topdeck an Island and drop my Grand Architect. He doesn't have any answers.
Overall I kind of have mixed feelings about how things went. I did go 3-0-1 but two matches were won by the skin of my teeth. The deck does have a pretty strong surprise factor but it seems to have some real consistency problems. I also made some pretty grievous mistakes, such as transmuting a Muddle (I ended up having to go for another Muddle) with Living End suspended.
Pardon me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't Overload cards be sort of counterproductive with this card (which I guess would make it not counter productive)? When you Overload a spell it no longer targets. Regardless, the obvious Young Pyromancer interaction alone makes it seem like it could do some interesting things in Standard or Modern.
My Pili-Pala deck plays Emrakul in the sideboard against Leyline but with a goldfish draw it can get it (or any other win condition) out on turn three
Turn 1: Island, Serum Visions/Sleight of Hand.
Turn 2: Island, Pili-Pala.
Turn 3: Island, attack with Pili-Pala, play Grand Architect. Tap Grand Architect with its own ability to make 2. Use the mana to pay for Pili-Pala's untap ability and make U. Spend the U to make Pili-Pala blue. You can now use Grand Architect to repeatedly tap Pili-Pala for 2 and then untap it for one mana of any colour. At that point you draw your deck with Train of Thought or Azure Mage to fetch your win condition. In theory it could be two Eldrazi, but that'd be overkill.
The idea is very simple. Ramp out borderposts, cast any of the twelve cascade spells and drop a Restore Balance.The win conditions are March of the Machines and Phyrexian Totem. Ancient Grudge is a huge problem for this deck, as well as stuff like Kataki, War's Wage. Still, this deck has an amazing consistency and I think it's worth exploring. One thing I think would work well for this deck is Mishra, Artificer Prodigy. Anyway, it seems like a deck with some post-rotation potential, especially considering that it costs less to put together than a pack of cigarettes.
One card I think might be worth considering that I missed in this article is Gallant Cavalry. Two 2/2 bodies with Vigilance for 3W seems like a good deal.
4x Young Pyromancer
4x Ash Zealot
4x Chandra's Phoenix
4x Magma Jet
4x Lightning Strike
4x Mizzium Mortars
2x Hammer of Purphoros
2x Purphoros, God of the Forge
22x Mountain
This is my first stab at a deck utilizing the synergies between Young Pyromancer and the two Purphoros cards. With both Purphoros and the Pyromancer in play each of your burn spells becomes an additional shock to the opponent's face. The hammer allows your elemental tokens to apply immediate pressure and turns superfluous mountains in additional beaters and damage.
Foundry Street Denizen - Normally played in more RDW-oriented decks, the Denizen makes a decent early game beater that stays relevant throughout the game thanks to the Pyromancer's tokens.
Young Pyromancer - The star of the deck with sixteen instants and sorceries to keep a constant stream of elementals coming.
Ash Zealot - Another source of early pressure. Her first strike plays well with your wide range of burn spells to make blocking her a tricky proposition. The RR casting cost adds a nice bit of devotion too.
Chandra's Phoenix - Chandra's pet adds to our early game with the added benefit of being quite hard to get rid of, which only becomes more painful with Purphoros on the field.
Shock, Magma Jet, Lightning Strike, Mizzium Mortars - Sixteen triggers for Young Pyromancer, twelve of which also bring back the Phoenix.
Chandra, Pyromaster - Gets rid of pesky blockers, brings back her Phoenix and provides a constant source of card advantage.
Hammer of Purphoros - Plays well with Purphoros himself and makes sure every Elemental token gets at least a swing in. It turns extra mountains into extra damage and beaters.
Purphoros, God of the Forge - This deck can't reliably keep the 6/5 body active, but it doesn't need to. The God of the Forge pairs up with the Pyromancer to keep up a constant stream of damage with the added bonus that its activated ability makes the Elementals all the more dangerous.
I haven't put too much thought into a sideboard yet but it would probably look something like this:
3x Foundry Street Denizen
3x Legion Loyalist
3x Rakdos Cackler
4x Burning-Tree Emissary
4x Firefist Striker
4x Ash Zealot
3x Chandra's Phoenix
2x Purphoros, God of the Forge
2x Fanatic of Mogis
3x Magma Jet
2x Mizzium Mortars
2x Madcap Skills
3x Lightning Strike
Land
1x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1x Mutavault
20x Mountain
4x Mindsparker
4x Smelt
3x Seismic Stomp
2x Act of Treason
2x Electrickery
2 Drift of Phantasms
4 Grand Architect
4 Pili-Pala
1 Banefire
1 Blue Sun's Zenith
2 Deprive
2 Into the Roil
4 Muddle the Mixture
4 Sleight of Hand
4 Telling Time
4 Spell Pierce
3 Train of Thought
18 Island
4 Apostle's Blessing
3 Treasure Mage
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Platinum Angel
1 Mindslaver
1 Emrakul, The Aeons Torn
1 Postmortem Lunge
1 Laboratory Maniac
2 Ratchet Bomb
Match 1 (vs. GW Hatebears):
In the first game I start on the draw with a hand with both combo pieces, an Azure Mage and four land. I combo out on turn 3 with a Banefire for 19 without encountering any resistance.
- 2 Deprive, 2 Into the Roil, 1 Banefire
+ 4 Apostle's Blessing, 1 Laboratory Maniac
In game two he gets a turn one Burrenton Forge-Tender, turn two Voice of Resurgence and turn three Leonin Abiter. I find my combo pieces off Sleight of Hand/Telling Time and go off on my fourth turn through Laboratory Maniac.
Match 2 (vs. Living End)
This was actually someone from my playgroup and I playtested well against him. Game one I manage to avoid a Living End and combo out on turn five.
- 2 Deprive, 2 Into the Roil
+ 4 Apostle's Blessing
In the second game I keep what looks like a fairly strong hand but he manages to do a number on my mana base with his Avalanche Riders. He gets me to 0 before I get my combo together. In the third game his Avalanche Riders once again go after my mana base. I'm in a relatively weak position as he fills up his graveyard. On the turn he gets off his Living End I decide to just try to go off unprotected and drop my Pili-Pala. He attacks and brings me down to 1. On my next turn I swing with Pili-Pala, tap out to drop Grand Architect, and thankfully manage to go off.
Match 3 (vs. Pod)
My opponent informs me that we're the only ones that are 2-0 at this point and suggests a draw. He thinks there are only eight players and that we'll split first at this point. I take him on his word and accept the draw. We play to see how the prizes will be split and I end up getting crushed 0-2, losing to a Linvala, Keeper of Silence in game one and Qasali Pridemage in game 2.
Match 4 (vs. Elves)
Like my first game in my first match I keep an incredible hand and combo out on turn 3.
- 2 Deprive, 2 Into the Roil
+ 4 Apostle's Blessing (in retrospect I really should have sided in my Ratchet Bombs here)
In game two I make the mistake of letting his Beck resolve in favour of protecting my combo. He easily swarms me out and flattens me on the next turn with an army of elves buffed by Craterhoof Behemoth. In game three I mulligan down to six and decide to keep against all common sense a hand with Halimar Depths as its only land. He gets a good start and while it's not as explosive as game two I'm still under a lot of pressure. When I only have enough life left to survive two more attacks I'm still sitting at two land and decide to drop my Pili-Pala. On the next turn I manage to topdeck an Island and drop my Grand Architect. He doesn't have any answers.
Overall I kind of have mixed feelings about how things went. I did go 3-0-1 but two matches were won by the skin of my teeth. The deck does have a pretty strong surprise factor but it seems to have some real consistency problems. I also made some pretty grievous mistakes, such as transmuting a Muddle (I ended up having to go for another Muddle) with Living End suspended.
Turn 1: Island, Serum Visions/Sleight of Hand.
Turn 2: Island, Pili-Pala.
Turn 3: Island, attack with Pili-Pala, play Grand Architect. Tap Grand Architect with its own ability to make 2. Use the mana to pay for Pili-Pala's untap ability and make U. Spend the U to make Pili-Pala blue. You can now use Grand Architect to repeatedly tap Pili-Pala for 2 and then untap it for one mana of any colour. At that point you draw your deck with Train of Thought or Azure Mage to fetch your win condition. In theory it could be two Eldrazi, but that'd be overkill.
Creature - Elemental
Splinterfright's power and toughness is equal to the number of creature cards in your graveyard.
At the beginning of your upkeep, put the top two cards of your library into your graveyard.
*/*
2 Island
3 Mountain
2 Plains
3 Swamp
4 Darksteel Ingot
4 Demonic Dread
4 Fieldmist Borderpost
4 Firewild Borderpost
4 March of the Machines
4 Mistvein Borderpost
4 Phyrexian Totem
4 Restore Balance
4 Veinfire Borderpost
4 Violent Outburst
4 Wildfield Borderpost
The idea is very simple. Ramp out borderposts, cast any of the twelve cascade spells and drop a Restore Balance.The win conditions are March of the Machines and Phyrexian Totem. Ancient Grudge is a huge problem for this deck, as well as stuff like Kataki, War's Wage. Still, this deck has an amazing consistency and I think it's worth exploring. One thing I think would work well for this deck is Mishra, Artificer Prodigy. Anyway, it seems like a deck with some post-rotation potential, especially considering that it costs less to put together than a pack of cigarettes.