That list is very ssimile to what I'm running when I go white instead of green, though I really like Shard Volley. What do you think of my Rbg list a little ways up?
Let's analyze this only from my standpoint and my experience as well as some thoughts over the last pages:
First, I never saw someone play RGB Burn, so it's all new. From the list, the first thing to take out and that's for sure are the 2 Hellspark Elemental. Either you run Grim Lavamancer instead or you don't and play more spells.
Second, even if your meta if filled with lifegain decks, I think running 8 anti-lifegain cards is too much. I'd cut 2 of them for 3 Searing Blaze (cutting 1 Shard Volley).
Third, sideboard is a meta call again, but 3 Rain of Gore seems overkill to me. I understand that your meta is filled with lifegain stuff, but having 11 cards for that seems way too much. If you want to have Rain of Gore, which I think is an amazing sideboard card, as said before, I'd cut down to 6 your split between Skullcrack/Atarka's Command and have 2 Rain of Gore, 2 Rakdos Charm and 2 Dragon's Claw in the sideboard. In a lifegain environment, 8 anti-lifegain cards seems good to me, but with 6 mainboard.
So, that's what I think, but I'm not playing in your store: it is solely based on seeing various builds and having played Burn for a year now. If you win with your list, don't change it, because we need to win based on our environment.
Cheers!
I can cut back on the anti-life gain, yea. I do like the Hellsparks, which have seen play recently. They turn a topdeck Atarka's Command into a potential 7 damage and go around Eidolon when you Unearth it, which can't be countered for the same reason. Jund burn is good because of the black options, but I think Dega outclasses it, which is what I had been playing for the longest time anyway.
I'm starting to like the idea of 4c burn, but I'm worried about the mana base being too greedy. Here's my take.
That list is very ssimile to what I'm running when I go white instead of green, though I really like Shard Volley. What do you think of my Rbg list a little ways up?
I kinda like that land idea. Maybe something like this:
Unstable Landscape
Basic Land
T: Add 1
Domain Cycle - 2 Discard this card from you hand: Search your library for a land that shares a type with a land you control and put it into your hand. Then, shuffle your library.
Actually, even if that wasn't a basic land, I'd still run that lol
These are the only 100% consistent creatures. Like above, you're not playing burn without them.
That makes up a 32 card core for dual splash decks (28 for single), which leaves 9(13) Flex spots with 19 lands. These slots have the greatest diversity amongst all the lists I've seen. The most common cards are:
These cards have shown up the most in these flex spots. The latter was run as a 4 of here. I think it should be noted that if you're NOT running green, you're running 4 Skullcrack in its place. Overall, this is where you fine tune to your style and how you're going to combat the meta in game 1.
My personal opinion is up in my other post, but I'll reiterate here for the whole spectrum. Burn is cheap, burn is T1, burn has a preconceived notion of being easy. That is a recipe for over representation. Expect mirror matches and expect people to expect burn. The latter usually means life gain, and that's why I think 4 Crack and 4 Command is mandatory. Finx, Rhino, and Helix are all very popular. The latter is also in the mirror.
Pros:
7 more bolts for 19 total
7 less 2cmc spells
Very possible T3 kill if Swiftspear is not dealt with due to bolt density
8 life stop main board
Cons
No path
No Firewalker
No boros charm
I personally think that the pros outweigh the cons, but I need more input. Against the mirror, I think I have the advantage game 1 because I am faster. I fully expect to see Firewalkers or Claws come out of the board, which is why I bring in Rain of Gore. It not only shuts down something I can't deal with in Firewalker, but has a side effect of hosing Helix, which is another potential card to come out of the board. RoG can also come in against rouge SS decks, abzan, Finx, ect as a bonus. Most of those can be dealt with using Command/Crack,but the option is there. I also get Revelry and Rakdos Charm, which are all stars. Pyroclasm is mostly for elves since I only bed to set them back and a t2/3 pyro will be enough unless they hit double Archdruid. Rending for twin.
The Hellspark is a swing spot. Lavamancer or Searing Blaze can go here as well. I like spark because it provides late game reach with immediate impact. I'm not alone in this thought since there was someone running 4 that took a top 8 somewhere.
I feel that this style is suited to combat the burn dense meta as burn, without sacrificing effectiveness against other match ups.
That's fair. I personally think Rgb runs a little more smoothly. Revelry and Rakdos Charm in the SB.
One think black does offer is Deathmark, which I have been considering for my board. It's not path, but it hits Firewalker and othergenral pains. However, Firewalker is my only real concern in Rgb
From a curiosity standpoint, why is Rgw more popular than Rgb? I am an avid pilot of RBx burn and with Atarka, it just makes Rbg feel so right. I have 19 bolts and 8 skull cracks. The volume of bolts fuels Swiftspear extra hard.
I laughed, actually laughed when my store said that MM2 Drafts were $40. I then changed the subject because I didn't want to potentially undermine a store that I like and went back to browsing for singles. The following 10 minutes had no less than 7 groups of people (most were 2-3, one loner, one was like 4 people) show up excited about MM2 until they were told asked how much the draft would be. It won't completely bomb here because there are people with money that want to play, but it won't be a spectacular turnout.
I'm a fan of standard fantasy settings and more "realistic" fantasy, so I want to make a Zombie Tribal deck based around Innistrad. But if it wasn't for that thrax would be a really cool zomvie general.
I 100% vote Gisa as the commander. I have ~50 of one zombie token and occasionally run out while playing. I run a heavy innestrad theme as well including things like Bloodline Keeper and Skirsdag High Priest, which aren't zombies, but follow the token theme. The latter at least turns into 5 zombies, and I also run Ascendant Evincar, Drana, and Blood Artist, so I guess there's a psuedo vampire theme? Not really.
Read the first line of Assault Formation. Most creatures die attacking WoD.
Yea, I get that. You effectively have a 6/6 Defender, which I wouldn't call fun. Kinda funny, but they're not going to attack into any less than they would without Assault Formation.
That sounds like a solid swap. The only thing I am concerned with is Siege because it's really my only defense against Kgrip, which I fully expect out of the board if it isn't Main. Then again, I am replacing protection with more problems.
On the topic of Crossroads, I have rarely seen them hard cast it, and instead usually see it come out on a Gen Wave, but I don't think that means MM should stay out. They have a deck full of 1 drops.
I agree that in theory, overburden would help against elves, but it could also potentially help them. Imagine I have Ob out, and they Crop Rotate into a Cradle. They tap their cradle, play an elf, bounce the cradle, play more elves, bounce their lands, drop the cradle and tap for more mana into Ezuri death. Burden was more for generic agro who's agro wasn't based on mana dorks lol
Would Aura of Silence be better off as a normal Seal of Cleansing? The 1 mana makes a big difference when recycling things and it fits the 5 mana Limited Resources plan better. Is the tax worth it?
Now, I meant to bring this up before, but what do you think of a morph counter spell? Specifically, I had the new Stratus Dancer in mind because it's significantly cheaper than Voidmage Apprentice, but still catches the cards I care about, ie Kgrip, Back to Nature, GenWave, Chord, ect. I think this would be a sideboard thing, though it might be good MB. Really, it catching Kgrip and other split second cards like Trick Bind or Spoiling is the primary reason for a Morph since it doesn't use the stack. I could also use Willbender to the same effect since I will more than likely have a less critical target AND it "counters" Rec Sage, which is significant.
Ooh Peacekeeper is very nice. It's another thing that needs to be answered and can't be played through by the insane amounts of mana the deck generates. It's borderline main deck playable, and if it weren't a creature, it would be I think. Take it in against something like Ezuri that has a somewhat difficult time removing creatures. They have what, Beast Within and maybe Lignify/Song of the Dryads?
Question: What would you board against Ezuri with this list (assuming Nevermore replaced by Peacekeeper)?
I can cut back on the anti-life gain, yea. I do like the Hellsparks, which have seen play recently. They turn a topdeck Atarka's Command into a potential 7 damage and go around Eidolon when you Unearth it, which can't be countered for the same reason. Jund burn is good because of the black options, but I think Dega outclasses it, which is what I had been playing for the longest time anyway.
I'm starting to like the idea of 4c burn, but I'm worried about the mana base being too greedy. Here's my take.
4 Arid Mesa
2 Blood Crypt
4 Bloodstained Mire
2 Mountain
2 Sacred Foundry
1 Stomping Ground
4 Wooded Foothills
// Creatures
4 Goblin Guide
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Lava Spike
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Shard Volley
4 Bump in the Night
4 Boros Charm
4 Atarka's Command
2 Lightning Helix
4 Rift Bolt
3 Rending Volley
4 Destructive Revelry
2 Deflecting Palm
2 Rain of Gore
2 Rakdos Charm
2 Pyroclasm
That list is very ssimile to what I'm running when I go white instead of green, though I really like Shard Volley. What do you think of my Rbg list a little ways up?
Unstable Landscape
Basic Land
T: Add 1
Domain Cycle - 2 Discard this card from you hand: Search your library for a land that shares a type with a land you control and put it into your hand. Then, shuffle your library.
Actually, even if that wasn't a basic land, I'd still run that lol
I think the burn formula is actually as follows:
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt
Duh, this is your red core. If they're not in your deck, you're not playing burn. End of story.
4 Boros Charm
4 Atarka's Command
4 Bump in the Night
Add 4 of whatever is appropriate for your splash color(s).
4 Goblin Guide
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
These are the only 100% consistent creatures. Like above, you're not playing burn without them.
That makes up a 32 card core for dual splash decks (28 for single), which leaves 9(13) Flex spots with 19 lands. These slots have the greatest diversity amongst all the lists I've seen. The most common cards are:
These cards have shown up the most in these flex spots. The latter was run as a 4 of here. I think it should be noted that if you're NOT running green, you're running 4 Skullcrack in its place. Overall, this is where you fine tune to your style and how you're going to combat the meta in game 1.
My personal opinion is up in my other post, but I'll reiterate here for the whole spectrum. Burn is cheap, burn is T1, burn has a preconceived notion of being easy. That is a recipe for over representation. Expect mirror matches and expect people to expect burn. The latter usually means life gain, and that's why I think 4 Crack and 4 Command is mandatory. Finx, Rhino, and Helix are all very popular. The latter is also in the mirror.
With the meta being Rwx burn, I am thinking a different approach with Rbg would give me an edge over the mirror.
4 Arid Mesa
2 Blood Crypt
4 Bloodstained Mire
3 Mountain
2 Stomping Ground
4 Wooded Foothills
// Creatures
4 Goblin Guide
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
2 Hellspark Elemental
4 Lava Spike
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Shard Volley
4 Bump in the Night
4 Atarka's Command
4 Skullcrack
4 Rift Bolt
3 Rending Volley
4 Destructive Revelry
3 Rain of Gore
3 Rakdos Charm
2 Pyroclasm
Pros:
7 more bolts for 19 total
7 less 2cmc spells
Very possible T3 kill if Swiftspear is not dealt with due to bolt density
8 life stop main board
Cons
No path
No Firewalker
No boros charm
I personally think that the pros outweigh the cons, but I need more input. Against the mirror, I think I have the advantage game 1 because I am faster. I fully expect to see Firewalkers or Claws come out of the board, which is why I bring in Rain of Gore. It not only shuts down something I can't deal with in Firewalker, but has a side effect of hosing Helix, which is another potential card to come out of the board. RoG can also come in against rouge SS decks, abzan, Finx, ect as a bonus. Most of those can be dealt with using Command/Crack,but the option is there. I also get Revelry and Rakdos Charm, which are all stars. Pyroclasm is mostly for elves since I only bed to set them back and a t2/3 pyro will be enough unless they hit double Archdruid. Rending for twin.
The Hellspark is a swing spot. Lavamancer or Searing Blaze can go here as well. I like spark because it provides late game reach with immediate impact. I'm not alone in this thought since there was someone running 4 that took a top 8 somewhere.
I feel that this style is suited to combat the burn dense meta as burn, without sacrificing effectiveness against other match ups.
One think black does offer is Deathmark, which I have been considering for my board. It's not path, but it hits Firewalker and othergenral pains. However, Firewalker is my only real concern in Rgb
I 100% vote Gisa as the commander. I have ~50 of one zombie token and occasionally run out while playing. I run a heavy innestrad theme as well including things like Bloodline Keeper and Skirsdag High Priest, which aren't zombies, but follow the token theme. The latter at least turns into 5 zombies, and I also run Ascendant Evincar, Drana, and Blood Artist, so I guess there's a psuedo vampire theme? Not really.
Here's another question, what about tutors like Merchant Scroll, Personal Tutor, and Mystic Tutor? Think they are worth slotting in a deck like this?
Yea, I get that. You effectively have a 6/6 Defender, which I wouldn't call fun. Kinda funny, but they're not going to attack into any less than they would without Assault Formation.
On the topic of Crossroads, I have rarely seen them hard cast it, and instead usually see it come out on a Gen Wave, but I don't think that means MM should stay out. They have a deck full of 1 drops.
I agree that in theory, overburden would help against elves, but it could also potentially help them. Imagine I have Ob out, and they Crop Rotate into a Cradle. They tap their cradle, play an elf, bounce the cradle, play more elves, bounce their lands, drop the cradle and tap for more mana into Ezuri death. Burden was more for generic agro who's agro wasn't based on mana dorks lol
Would Aura of Silence be better off as a normal Seal of Cleansing? The 1 mana makes a big difference when recycling things and it fits the 5 mana Limited Resources plan better. Is the tax worth it?
Now, I meant to bring this up before, but what do you think of a morph counter spell? Specifically, I had the new Stratus Dancer in mind because it's significantly cheaper than Voidmage Apprentice, but still catches the cards I care about, ie Kgrip, Back to Nature, GenWave, Chord, ect. I think this would be a sideboard thing, though it might be good MB. Really, it catching Kgrip and other split second cards like Trick Bind or Spoiling is the primary reason for a Morph since it doesn't use the stack. I could also use Willbender to the same effect since I will more than likely have a less critical target AND it "counters" Rec Sage, which is significant.
Ooh Peacekeeper is very nice. It's another thing that needs to be answered and can't be played through by the insane amounts of mana the deck generates. It's borderline main deck playable, and if it weren't a creature, it would be I think. Take it in against something like Ezuri that has a somewhat difficult time removing creatures. They have what, Beast Within and maybe Lignify/Song of the Dryads?
Question: What would you board against Ezuri with this list (assuming Nevermore replaced by Peacekeeper)?