It is interesting but as you noted it conflicts with Thalia.
Would be another card against fast aggro.
I would like to know what D&T veterans think.
And what are your thoughts Bowen?
My thoughts are mostly muddled at this point. This could be a good way to mess up an opponent's combat math and/or maybe save most of your team from a Pyroclasm type effect. I think this card may wind up being better in a more traditional white weenie build rather than D&T.
Anybody else see this card from Avacyn Restored going in sideboards? Would side Thalia out for it in most situations I imagine.
Name:Divine Deflection Cost: XW Type: Instant Rules Text: Prevent the next X damage that would be dealt to you and/or permanents you control this turn. If damage is prevented this way, Divine Deflection deals that much damage to target creature or player.
If Dark Confidant and Grim Lavamancer make Burn better, then that only means RDW is better than Burn.
Sorry if I muddied the waters there suggesting Dark Confidant. The bolt package is very similar between the two decks and there's a very fine line between RDW and Burn.
Anyway, based on what cards I have this is what I'm playing in a PTQ this weekend. I think it qualifies as Burn by any reasonable definition:
I haven't done any play testing and am just playing for fun. If I wind up 0.500 on the day that will probably be a success. In the sideboard I will probably just pick a couple of decks that I'd like to crush and load up on hate. Picking on affinity seems a reasonable thing to do as does packing a lot of graveyard hate. I'm not going to try to compensate for any problem match ups mono-red has. If I run up on Martyr then I just lose to it. C'est la vie. If I wanted to beat Martyr I'd play some kind of weird Blood Knight/Sulfur Elemental thing, I guess. Not really interesting in going that route.
No, these two decks didn't have any other artifacts in them. You maybe could pull it off with Darksteel Citadel, Blinkmoth Nexus and a few other random artifacts but it's probably just more efficient to just run straight up burn.
The Bump in the Night version does pretty well. It runs Dark Confidant, too.
I saw a couple of burn decks go 4-0/3-1 recently in the Modern dailies on MTGO. The only notable thing about them is that they were running 3x Grafdigger's Cage main deck. I'm not sure if this is tech or not. I see it being a viable sideboard card but the meta game would have to be pretty warped to make it a main deck staple. Any idea what they were meta gaming against?
Very different environment but it proves that the deck can win under the right circumstances. Not sure if there are any improvements to be made with recent sets. Lead the Stampede perhaps? (Doesn't play well with Ancient Ziggurat ) Phyrexian Metamorph? Birthing Pod?
Lol. I'm in the category of people who don't even believe it exists. Mostly because I've never seen one and I've never even heard of Zubera (until now). Why don't you show us what a Zubera deck looks like?
I'm a man who has actually taken a Zubera deck into the tournament practice room on MODO. It could only win if the other guy's deck stalls but if a Zubera deck is given time to develop then it has strong inevitability.
Not playing The Rack is probably good theory. I've heard one semi-pro player say getting a Rack in your opening hand is like taking a mulligan. Think about that for a minute.
I'm not sure about the Shrines. They charge up much faster than I would expect, but they're a terrible topdeck.
Which means you should play four of them or none at all. By only playing two you are guaranteeing that they will always be a terrible topdeck. You are playing a deck that can drag the game out many turns so Shrines could get insanely big. A pity the tokens don't have flying though.
Has WotC made any kind of announcement about Pro Tour Nagoya 2011? June isn't that far away and Japan is in kind of a mess right now. Obv, I'm not Q'ed but if I were I'm not sure I would go. Anybody think they might change the date or location?
Was thinking about ways to build a Relentless Rat deck when I noticed that Memoricide allows you to target yourself. Any scenario where it might be advantageous to strip all the Relentless Rats out of your deck? Maybe to set up some kind of combo? Would like to keep this Standard if possible.
If it's standard legal, then you can't include Memoricide, as it's not legal. Infraction issued for rotation discussion.
Well, the quote was not strictly speaking about Standard but I would have thought no matter what the format card text would pretty much trump everything. Apparently they had this same controversy in EDH as well and WotC wanted to rule Relentless Rats could only be a one-of but the EDH guys said it was okay to play as many as you want.
My thoughts are mostly muddled at this point. This could be a good way to mess up an opponent's combat math and/or maybe save most of your team from a Pyroclasm type effect. I think this card may wind up being better in a more traditional white weenie build rather than D&T.
Name: Divine Deflection Cost: XW Type: Instant Rules Text: Prevent the next X damage that would be dealt to you and/or permanents you control this turn. If damage is prevented this way, Divine Deflection deals that much damage to target creature or player.
Sorry if I muddied the waters there suggesting Dark Confidant. The bolt package is very similar between the two decks and there's a very fine line between RDW and Burn.
Anyway, based on what cards I have this is what I'm playing in a PTQ this weekend. I think it qualifies as Burn by any reasonable definition:
4 Goblin Guide
4 Spark Elemental
4 Hellspark Elemental
4 Keldon Marauders
3 Ball Lightning
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lava Spike
4 Shard Volley
4 Rift Bolt
4 Magma Jet
4 Arid Mesa
17 Mountains
I haven't done any play testing and am just playing for fun. If I wind up 0.500 on the day that will probably be a success. In the sideboard I will probably just pick a couple of decks that I'd like to crush and load up on hate. Picking on affinity seems a reasonable thing to do as does packing a lot of graveyard hate. I'm not going to try to compensate for any problem match ups mono-red has. If I run up on Martyr then I just lose to it. C'est la vie. If I wanted to beat Martyr I'd play some kind of weird Blood Knight/Sulfur Elemental thing, I guess. Not really interesting in going that route.
The Bump in the Night version does pretty well. It runs Dark Confidant, too.
http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/eventcoverage/sanjuan10ptq/0410lasvegas
2 Adarkar Wastes
4 Ancient Ziggurat
1 Arid Mesa
3 Battlefield Forge
3 Brushland
3 Forest
2 Mountain
5 Plains
Creatures [37]
4 Akoum Battlesinger
4 Hada Freeblade
3 Harabaz Druid
4 Kabira Evangel
4 Kazandu Blademaster
3 Mirror Entity
2 Ondu Cleric
3 Oran-Rief Survivalist
3 Sea Gate Loremaster
3 Talus Paladin
4 Tuktuk Scrapper
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Clone
4 Ethersworn Canonist
3 Jötun Grunt
Very different environment but it proves that the deck can win under the right circumstances. Not sure if there are any improvements to be made with recent sets. Lead the Stampede perhaps? (Doesn't play well with Ancient Ziggurat ) Phyrexian Metamorph? Birthing Pod?
I'm a man who has actually taken a Zubera deck into the tournament practice room on MODO. It could only win if the other guy's deck stalls but if a Zubera deck is given time to develop then it has strong inevitability.
Paul Briceno
Pro Tour Philadelphia, Modern Constructed
1 Godless Shrine
2 Overgrown Tomb
6 Swamp
4 Treetop Village
3 Twilight Mire
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Dark Confidant
3 Eternal Witness
4 Kitchen Finks
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Duress
3 Engineered Explosives
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Slaughter Pact
4 Smallpox
2 Sword of Fire and Ice
4 Thoughtseize
2 Darkblast
3 Deathmark
2 Fulminator Mage
3 Nature's Claim
3 Surgical Extraction
2 Thrun, the Last Troll
I would like to play Smallpox as a budget deck but to make it really good the more expensive cards like Thoughtseize and Dark Confidant are necessary.
Edit: Found another Tarmorack deck. This guy wound up 25th so he did much better with it. Notice it has no Racks and runs Cry of Contrition instead.
David Stroud
Pro Tour Philadelphia, Modern Constructed
1 Godless Shrine
1 Llanowar Wastes
1 Marsh Flats
4 Overgrown Tomb
3 Swamp
4 Treetop Village
2 Twilight Mire
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Dark Confidant
3 Eternal Witness
4 Kitchen Finks
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Cry of Contrition
2 Doom Blade
3 Engineered Explosives
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Slaughter Pact
3 Smallpox
4 Thoughtseize
3 Dismember
4 Fulminator Mage
2 Nature's Claim
3 Obstinate Baloth
1 Ratchet Bomb
2 Relic of Progenitus
Not playing The Rack is probably good theory. I've heard one semi-pro player say getting a Rack in your opening hand is like taking a mulligan. Think about that for a minute.
Which means you should play four of them or none at all. By only playing two you are guaranteeing that they will always be a terrible topdeck. You are playing a deck that can drag the game out many turns so Shrines could get insanely big. A pity the tokens don't have flying though.
http://magic-league.com/deck/64370/standard_t2.html#BG%20Poison86214
4 Terramorphic Expanse
6 Swamp
8 Forest
4 Plague Stinger
4 Ichor Rats
4 Hand of the Praetors
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Lotus Cobra
4 Necropede
2 Vines of Vastwood
4 Carrion Call
2 Contagion Clasp
2 Tainted Strike
Not saying this is the superior version of the deck, just saying here's a little proof that it's a contender.
Feels like a sideboard card to me. Can't see running him main over Abyssal Persecutor.
If it's standard legal, then you can't include Memoricide, as it's not legal. Infraction issued for rotation discussion.