Its a slight twist on Trent Avera's SCG Modern Open Dallas list which I tested a few months back with success.
While I know most of you dislike Grim I rather like him as a unblockable manasink which can STILL do work when 4/4 or 5/5 are sitting on the other end.
[[The Searing Bloods are a flex slot, I'm running them for Free-Wins vs Aggro - though they could be swapped for Spree, Kor or Palm with ease.]]
Can any of you think of any discard protection in the Modern card pool that can be played for 2 or less mana outside of Leyline of Sanctity? I feel like discard is one of Burn biggest issues. Each IoK basically reads "one mana: gain three". Collective Brutality is often "two mana: gain five".
I wouldn't bother with discard hate since burn is the master of redundancy.
Just try and play your spells efficiently and topdeck the rest away.
Online E-Tron players tend to just cast it with 2 counters since we really only have 8 1cc burn spells (unless they have two in hand), I don't believe drawing 1 chalice counts as magically Magical Christmasland.
While I'm normally agree on the focus on strength comment (I'm all for scooping against Soul Sisters and not forcing myself to run Leyline of punishment for example) - it doesn't seem wise when your talking about the second most successful deck in the format.
EE is just for chalice - hitting auras, elves, kor, humans and tokens is just a bonus.
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I don't really like just scooping against E-Tron so Spree or EE sound reasonable enough... esp. since 2x chalice plays tend to be slower hands for E-tron.
Kor Firewalker, on the other hand... how much ahead are you really when the mirror has Skullcracks and Paths?
As someone who has been railing on Kor in multiple forums even I still have to admit that an resolved Kor Firewalker really needs an answer in the mirror or it will just take over the game very quickly.
That said I still think slot 1-3 for Kor would be better served for PtE 3-4 and/or Palm 1-2 which would also do wonders against Shadow & E-Tron.
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Hmmmmm... Engineered Explosives hits chalice and can double as an answer for Kor fairly well.
You could make the same argument for Kor Firewalker (which is even more narrower) but it generally is a pretty safe bet that you will face Burn or E-Tron in any large event.
I fear we're falling too deep in the "it depends on your meta" rabbit hole that I saw the Death & Taxes players fall into (and tried to prevent, to no avail) - they were only rescued by Craig Wescoe conclusively proving mono-W was the way to go. At this point, any variant other than Boros Burn splashing G for Destructive Revelry has to prove itself with high-placing finishes; otheriwse, it's just inferior to what we already have. People are letting their Special Snowflake Syndrome run wild a bit too much. The point is to win, and the stock Boros Burn list gives us the best chance until proven otherwise.
I don't think depends on your meta is a trap (I believe channelfireball (or some other site) wrote this excellent article that Modern is more about meta rather then skill which I agree on).
I mean on MTGS especially we hear people whine when they copy the GP builds and get crushed in their T2 local FNM meta all the time (I find it amusing).
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That said I do agree that Boros Burn splash g is the best burn deck overall though.
Mardu burn is fine.
Any variant running Vexing devil is not.
Claim//fame is not.
IMO Boros Burn/Boros Burn with g splash are the best burn deck in an open meta.
Reasoning: Fast-Lands and being in only two colors allows for limited amount of damage taken from lands + lightning helix means that you can grind games and have better odds when thing go into T4+ range.
Mardu + Claim Burn are the best goldfish burn deck - good in a known meta where goldfishing is possible. (I do agree that Mardu Burn is better then claim burn overall)
Reasoning: Higher chances for T3-4 kills but higher counts of horrid creatures or 3C forces you to end the game quickly (one way or another).
Naya Burn is in the middle...
Reasoning: It can goldfish slightly better then Boros Burn but 3C carries the risk for land denial, taxes and other fast decks to have an edge on you.
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Long story short: They all have strengths and weakness so its a meta thing.
I for one wouldn't tell someone that their burn deck is horrid if they running MD Kor Firewalkers in a meta with filled 100% burn players.
The claim burn deck is good in an heavy combo/ramp meta.
Not so much against Company, Affinity, Rock, Fish, Bears and Shadow.
I'm in the opinion that almost any T1-3 can win an modern event if it run hots and the meta calls for it (this is why ALL-In-RED, Taxes or Skred sometimes make big finishes). Thus if your meta is heavy combo/ramp running claim burn is solid.
2 Stomping Ground
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Arid Mesa
2 Sacred Foundry
2 Mountain
3 Wooded Foothills
3 Bloodstained Mire
4 Inspiring Vantage
Creatures 14
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Goblin Guide
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Lava Spike
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Rift Bolt
4 Boros Charm
4 Lightning Helix
4 Searing Blaze
2 Skullcrack
4 Atarka's Command
3 Path to Exile
3 Destructive Revelry
2 Searing Blood
2 Rest in Peace
1 Ensnaring Bridge
While I know most of you dislike Grim I rather like him as a unblockable manasink which can STILL do work when 4/4 or 5/5 are sitting on the other end.
[[The Searing Bloods are a flex slot, I'm running them for Free-Wins vs Aggro - though they could be swapped for Spree, Kor or Palm with ease.]]
Just try and play your spells efficiently and topdeck the rest away.
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I don't really like just scooping against E-Tron so Spree or EE sound reasonable enough... esp. since 2x chalice plays tend to be slower hands for E-tron.
That said I still think slot 1-3 for Kor would be better served for PtE 3-4 and/or Palm 1-2 which would also do wonders against Shadow & E-Tron.
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Hmmmmm... Engineered Explosives hits chalice and can double as an answer for Kor fairly well.
I never played with the card before myself so I never noticed the Sunburst clause
That said EE is still great vs chalice and tokens (does anyone still play tokens?).
EE vs Spree is interesting though.
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It also our best answer against an resolved Blood Moon.EDIT: disregard this part.Boros Burn is better at grinding (less damage from lands and more helix).
Naya Burn is in the middle... slightly better at goldfishing then boros and slightly worse at grinding.
Heck on the draw you need Blaze even more to get ahead.
EDIT: My rating is currently 1800, I can't ever break 1900 with Modern Burn:
I mean on MTGS especially we hear people whine when they copy the GP builds and get crushed in their T2 local FNM meta all the time (I find it amusing).
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That said I do agree that Boros Burn splash g is the best burn deck overall though.
Reasoning: Fast-Lands and being in only two colors allows for limited amount of damage taken from lands + lightning helix means that you can grind games and have better odds when thing go into T4+ range.
Mardu + Claim Burn are the best goldfish burn deck - good in a known meta where goldfishing is possible. (I do agree that Mardu Burn is better then claim burn overall)
Reasoning: Higher chances for T3-4 kills but higher counts of horrid creatures or 3C forces you to end the game quickly (one way or another).
Naya Burn is in the middle...
Reasoning: It can goldfish slightly better then Boros Burn but 3C carries the risk for land denial, taxes and other fast decks to have an edge on you.
- - -
Long story short: They all have strengths and weakness so its a meta thing.
I for one wouldn't tell someone that their burn deck is horrid if they running MD Kor Firewalkers in a meta with filled 100% burn players.
Not so much against Company, Affinity, Rock, Fish, Bears and Shadow.
I'm in the opinion that almost any T1-3 can win an modern event if it run hots and the meta calls for it (this is why ALL-In-RED, Taxes or Skred sometimes make big finishes). Thus if your meta is heavy combo/ramp running claim burn is solid.