So I've been playing around with this deck the past few weeks and am planning on playing it at an upcoming mcq. I'm settling around something like this right now:
Even though I vouched for Yawgmoth earlier, the more I think about it the more I think hes a little too slow. I may go back and test putting him back in later, but for the moment hes out.
I had the idea to add 2x Smuggler's Copter a week ago and in testing it has been overperforming. The deck needed a slightly faster clock, and the copter fills the role of an aggressive 2 drop really nicely. It dodges sorcery speed removal which is nice, is easy to crew with tokens/young pyro (only once in ~ 50 games have I not been able to crew it), and the looting is huge in the deck. Feels much better than Yawgmoth.
I added 3x paths instead of fatal pushes/collective brutalities. The copters are a discard outlet, so I don't feel like I need the brutalities anymore, which felt slow and not super impactful. Paths definitely help in the eldrazi, whir, and UR phoenix matchups over fatal push, and I have a feeling they will be better against hogaak, however I have only played 1 of those matchups and it didn't come into play. My gut feeling is that 3x smiting helix + 4x bolt is enough to deal with small stuff, so path is probably the dedicated removal spell of choice for the deck.
Lightning Skelemental feels good, but Im not 100% sold on it. It is great with unearth, but if you pay 3 and they pitch 1-2 useless cards you feel like you've spent one of the more important turns on just 6 damage. I'm going to test it a bit more, but at the moment I haven't decided how good it is. I may test -3 Skelementals +2 Monestary mentor + 1 Yawgmoth (or possibly mainboard rabblemaster). Any input here is appreciated.
I also still need to finalize the manabase + sideboard. I'm temporarily cheating a bit on the lands for budget reasons, but also the change of - Yawgmoth and + Paths makes white more important and black less so (no more double black). Considering changing the sulfurous springs (blackcleave cliffs) for a r/w dual or some more fetches (ideal but don't have atm).
Sideboard-wise the two most impactful cards for me have been blood moon (it often just steals games) and plague engineer (also really good against the deck). I feel like I should keep the 4x leylines, even though I have not run into much hogaak at my lgs (but I expect more at the mcq). Kambal I tested for a while, but felt honestly too slow. Its great vs burn, but not that good vs U/R phoenix (one of the main decks I put it in for). If they play thing in the ice, they often flip it and just push through the life swing, or bolt it. Maybe there is another matchup that I am missing, but for the moment its out of the board. Pithing needle has been great vs jund, u/w control, and thopter foundry, so I'm likely keeping this in. Wear//tear feels necessary, but I haven't been boarding it in too often.
Post board games I've found much harder, as GY hate + plague engineer tends to punish this deck pretty hard, although its not completely game ending. I'm thinking of putting a somewhat transformative sideboard in where I rely less on the graveyard post board (likely - unearth and smiting helix post board). Considering rabblemaster + something else for this slot, but I'm not sure what. I wish the deck had an efficient 1-2 mana threat (besides y.p.) that could be brought in (or main boarded).
Yawgmoth allows you to sac a token and draw a card, which is an extremely powerful effect when you run 4x souls seasoned and young Pyromancers. If I resolve it and I’m not dead on board I almost always win the game. It really allows you to out grind most decks.
Also the profilerate lets you take out multiple bigger threats than x/1’s. Having 4 toughness is huge and the protection from humans is also often relevant. Cards a house in the deck but drawing multiple sucks, and 4 mana is a lot. 2 seems to be the perfect amount.
I’d consider replacing the 3x k commands with 3x unearths. Like you said you have a lot of three drops and pitching a pyromancer and getting it back with unearth feels great. I’ve found that the k command raise dead effect is worse in this deck for that reason.
Sideboard wise, you might want to look at ashiok, blood moon, fulminator mage, and plague engineer. You already have 4x leylines, but the ability to fill your graveyard and prevent searching in addition to hitting theirs can be pretty backbreaking. Plague engineer is great in any fair matchup and is almost always a 2 for 1 I’ve found. Fulminator mage I also like more than molten rain. Again both get better when you put unearth in.
3 Lightning Skelemental
4 Seasoned Pyromancer
4 Young Pyromancer
Spells (29)
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Faithless Looting
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Lingering Souls
3 Smiting Helix
3 Path to Exile
2 Thoughtseize
3 Unearth
2 Smuggler's Copter
4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Arid Mesa
1 Marsh Flats
2 Blood Crypt
1 Godless Shrine
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Blackcleave Cliffs
2 Sulfurous Springs
1 Prismatic Vista
2 Sunbaked Canyon
2 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Swamp
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Plague Engineer
2 Pithing Needle
2 Wear // Tear
2 Fulminator Mage
2 Blood Moon
1 Celestial Purge
Even though I vouched for Yawgmoth earlier, the more I think about it the more I think hes a little too slow. I may go back and test putting him back in later, but for the moment hes out.
I had the idea to add 2x Smuggler's Copter a week ago and in testing it has been overperforming. The deck needed a slightly faster clock, and the copter fills the role of an aggressive 2 drop really nicely. It dodges sorcery speed removal which is nice, is easy to crew with tokens/young pyro (only once in ~ 50 games have I not been able to crew it), and the looting is huge in the deck. Feels much better than Yawgmoth.
I added 3x paths instead of fatal pushes/collective brutalities. The copters are a discard outlet, so I don't feel like I need the brutalities anymore, which felt slow and not super impactful. Paths definitely help in the eldrazi, whir, and UR phoenix matchups over fatal push, and I have a feeling they will be better against hogaak, however I have only played 1 of those matchups and it didn't come into play. My gut feeling is that 3x smiting helix + 4x bolt is enough to deal with small stuff, so path is probably the dedicated removal spell of choice for the deck.
Lightning Skelemental feels good, but Im not 100% sold on it. It is great with unearth, but if you pay 3 and they pitch 1-2 useless cards you feel like you've spent one of the more important turns on just 6 damage. I'm going to test it a bit more, but at the moment I haven't decided how good it is. I may test -3 Skelementals +2 Monestary mentor + 1 Yawgmoth (or possibly mainboard rabblemaster). Any input here is appreciated.
I also still need to finalize the manabase + sideboard. I'm temporarily cheating a bit on the lands for budget reasons, but also the change of - Yawgmoth and + Paths makes white more important and black less so (no more double black). Considering changing the sulfurous springs (blackcleave cliffs) for a r/w dual or some more fetches (ideal but don't have atm).
Sideboard-wise the two most impactful cards for me have been blood moon (it often just steals games) and plague engineer (also really good against the deck). I feel like I should keep the 4x leylines, even though I have not run into much hogaak at my lgs (but I expect more at the mcq). Kambal I tested for a while, but felt honestly too slow. Its great vs burn, but not that good vs U/R phoenix (one of the main decks I put it in for). If they play thing in the ice, they often flip it and just push through the life swing, or bolt it. Maybe there is another matchup that I am missing, but for the moment its out of the board. Pithing needle has been great vs jund, u/w control, and thopter foundry, so I'm likely keeping this in. Wear//tear feels necessary, but I haven't been boarding it in too often.
Post board games I've found much harder, as GY hate + plague engineer tends to punish this deck pretty hard, although its not completely game ending. I'm thinking of putting a somewhat transformative sideboard in where I rely less on the graveyard post board (likely - unearth and smiting helix post board). Considering rabblemaster + something else for this slot, but I'm not sure what. I wish the deck had an efficient 1-2 mana threat (besides y.p.) that could be brought in (or main boarded).
Also the profilerate lets you take out multiple bigger threats than x/1’s. Having 4 toughness is huge and the protection from humans is also often relevant. Cards a house in the deck but drawing multiple sucks, and 4 mana is a lot. 2 seems to be the perfect amount.
Sideboard wise, you might want to look at ashiok, blood moon, fulminator mage, and plague engineer. You already have 4x leylines, but the ability to fill your graveyard and prevent searching in addition to hitting theirs can be pretty backbreaking. Plague engineer is great in any fair matchup and is almost always a 2 for 1 I’ve found. Fulminator mage I also like more than molten rain. Again both get better when you put unearth in.