Given the increase in mono-red lists without Runaway Steam-Kin, should they be discussed here or not? They tend to have Arclight Phoenix, Bedlam Reveler, and Fiery Temper, but given that Runaway Steam-Kin is an incredible mana engine that often dies to every removal spell, those lists do play at least slightly differently.
That Modern Constructed League also has a more traditional list with 2 Gut Shot and 3 Lava Spike but only the usual set of 12 creatures (i.e. no Monastery Swiftspear).
The deck you're talking about is by Evart Moughon. I think his list (soon on scg.com) is something like that :
...
Note sure whether he has 3 Revelers or 2 or 4, in which case where the cut for Insult is. Maybe he doesn't run 4 Charms, I didn't see many copies played in his match.
He's at 7-2 for Day 2.
There is a deck tech with him on the stream. His deck is:
I see this deck leans on the combo more, but how much does it really need 8 infinite mana sink creatures? The Vizier Druid decks I've seen consistently stick to 4-6 only. I'd imagine your backup plan taking an unnecessarily large hit because of this.
Also, just like with Vizier Druid decks, I suspect Duskwatch Recruiter should have the highest count; it does have the lowest activation cost among all the infinite mana sink creatures in the deck that can generate CA.
I tried 4 Ramunap Ruins at first, then found myself pinging myself too often and my opponent too little. 2 Ruins seems about right.
I tend to play this in a more controlling fashion--kill opposing creatures with burn, then end the game in 1-2 mighty turns--so I prefer Young Pyromancer and a higher cantrip count. Fiery Temper was starting to fail me, and Risk Factor always feels bad when it refuses to be a Draw 3, so I trimmed their numbers. And yes, Young Pyromancer has been awesome in this deck.
I like 4 Bedlam Reveler. Multiples are easy discard fodder, it blocks fairly well, and it attacks even better if you kill all the blockers.
The sideboard is pretty untested, but the Roast should give some breathing room against opposing aggro decks, especially BR Hollow One.
Has an considered running 2-3 copies of Conflagarate & 1-2 Experimental Frenzy? I feel like 18-19 land, some number of 4-6 rituals with this strategy can really bury and opponent.
The 4 Bedlam Revelers in this deck conflict huge-time with Experimental Frenzy. This deck is often strapped for mana and has a hard time casting 4-drops, so as much as Experimental Frenzy has increasingly become a pet card of mine, I don't support it in this deck.
This deck also tends to shed cards from its hand at an alarming rate, so you're likely casting Conflagrate for X = 3 at most.
We ditched Insult // Injury for not doing enough despite working in the graveyard; I don't think we'll play Conflagrate.
Would Needle Drop be an option? Or possibly Gut Shot? One thing I'm curious about trying is The Flame of Keld instead of Risk Factor as a finisher. It seems a bit of a liability but really strong when it gets to the third chapter, especially with a board full of creatures.
Needle Drop is terrible at fixing your hand on Turn 1 (or any turn where you have no creatures and play no burn spells), so I still recommend Crash Through instead.
Gut Shot is in one of the MTGO Modern League decks' sideboards, so it's an option.
The Flame of Keld has a nasty tendency to end your spell chain by making you discard your hand without letting you draw cards immediately, unlike Bedlam Reveler or Risk Factor. Because of that, I don't like it in this deck. Also, from my testing, I've found that Risk Factor is less reliable gas, not a finisher. Finishers in this deck tend to range from creature beats to burn spells not named Risk Factor being aimed at the opposing dome.
Without Steam-Kin, it's really hard to go off though. I'm playing Humans (the deck I usually play myself) against it right now, and between Thalia, FreeB, Med Mage, Ref Mage and an overall more consistent clock, the red deck has a pretty poor G1 MU.
Some cards have to be too cute (or too mana-intensive) in those lists. Weirdly enough, I think I'd like to try 4x Crash Through, probably cut the split card and Tormenting Voices, then bet on the fact I can discard the Phoenix with Looting, Reveler and Risk Factor.
Bizarrely, I tested against BR Hollow One last night and I won a bunch of times withoutRunaway Steam-Kin. Just reanimating Arclight Phoenixes, jamming the board with Bedlam Revelers, and killing their early drops. I should test against Humans and Spirits, though.
Insult // Injury has indeed been the worst card in the deck from my experience, but Tormenting Voice has been fine as an Arclight and Fiery Temper discard outlet. I tried Dangerous Wager and ditched a fairly full hand too often with it. I've been desperate enough to use Risk Factor to discard Arclight, but that process still feels too slow because that's happening on Turn 3 at earliest. Also, I think I've hardcast Arclight more often than I've ditched it with Reveler.
Given my mulligan habits, Crash Through has been great glue, though. I often cast it on Turn 1, especially if I kept a 1-land hand. The trample-granting is occasionally helpful.
How does this deck compare to bridgevine?
(Other than being 800$ cheaper)
From my experience, BridgeVine is the faster aggro deck, and it's more resilient against graveyard hate. Your 1-drops suck less, and you can often establish a fairly massive board presence just before you get your graveyard exiled by hate. Turn 1 Vengevine is also not unheard of.
However, Dredge is better against aggro decks, and yes, this includes BridgeVine. With 4 Creeping Chills often representing both a 9-life buffer and a 9-point burn at the opposing dome in the average game, you can often buy enough time against opposing aggro to wipe out their board with Conflagrate and alpha strike back for the win. I indeed found the Dredge vs. BridgeVine match-up to favour Dredge pre-board.
I'm currently finding that both decks can outrace Ad Nauseam-Angel's Grace right now, so they can at least outspeed combo often enough.
Keep in mind that my current Dredge build is different from the others'; I'm still a huge fan of splashing blue for Tome Scour as the best Turn 1 enabler. My enabler count is 4 Shriekhorn, 4 Tome Scour, 4 Faithless Looting, and 2 Insolent Neonate; I've trimmed my land count accordingly, but I'm considering swapping out a Neonate for a Cathartic Reunion again.
16 Mountain
1 Snow-Covered Mountain
Creatures
4 Arclight Phoenix
3 Bedlam Reveler
4 Runaway Steam-Kin
4 Soul-Scar Mage
Spells
2 Burst Lightning
4 Fiery Temper
2 Gut Shot
1 Lightning Axe
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Manamorphose
3 Risk Factor
1 Surgical Extraction
4 Faithless Looting
1 Maximize Velocity
2 Tormenting Voice
2 Dragon's Claw
2 Shrine of Burning Rage
2 Blood Moon
2 Abrade
3 Ravenous Trap
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2 Anger of the Gods
1 Shattering Spree
Your version of the printed list is missing 4 Zetalpas.
19 Mountain
Creatures
4 Arclight Phoenix
4 Bedlam Reveler
4 Runaway Steam-Kin
Spells
4 Faithless Looting
4 Lava Spike
2 Tormenting Voice
4 Desperate Ritual
4 Fiery Temper
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Manamorphose
3 Risk Factor
3 Abrade
3 Anger of the Gods
2 Blood Moon
2 Dragon's Claw
2 Shrine of Burning Rage
3 Tormod's Crypt
And not only that, we finally got a StarCityGames Open(/Classic) result!
1 Ramunap Ruins
18 Mountain
Creatures
4 Arclight Phoenix
4 Bedlam Reveler
2 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Runaway Steam-Kin
Spells
2 Burst Lightning
4 Desperate Ritual
4 Fiery Temper
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Manamorphose
2 Risk Factor
4 Faithless Looting
3 Tormenting Voice
3 Tormod's Crypt
3 Blood Moon
2 Abrade
3 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Molten Rain
There was also a list with Arclight Phoenix but without Runaway Steam-Kin in that tournament. Does it count?
17 Mountain
Creatures
4 Arclight Phoenix
4 Bedlam Reveler
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Runaway Steam-Kin
Spells
4 Desperate Ritual
3 Fiery Temper
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Manamorphose
2 Risk Factor
4 Faithless Looting
1 Insult // Injury
3 Lava Spike
2 Tormenting Voice
2 Dragon's Claw
1 Shrine of Burning Rage
1 Tormod's Crypt
2 Blood Moon
2 Abrade
1 Lightning Axe
2 Surgical Extraction
3 Anger of the Gods
1 Shattering Spree
4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Scalding Tarn
2 Wooded Foothills
11 Mountain
Creatures
4 Arclight Phoenix
3 Bedlam Reveler
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Runaway Steam-Kin
4 Desperate Ritual
2 Fiery Temper
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Manamorphose
3 Risk Factor
4 Faithless Looting
4 Lava Spike
2 Tormenting Voice
2 Dragon's Claw
2 Shrine of Burning Rage
2 Tormod's Crypt
2 Blood Moon
2 Destructive Revelry
1 Extirpate
1 Searing Blaze
1 Surgical Extraction
2 Anger of the Gods
That Modern Constructed League also has a more traditional list with 2 Gut Shot and 3 Lava Spike but only the usual set of 12 creatures (i.e. no Monastery Swiftspear).
And now Evart Moughon has gotten 16th place at the latest SCG Open with this list!
18 Mountain
Creatures
4 Arclight Phoenix
4 Bedlam Reveler
4 Runaway Steam-Kin
4 Monastery Swiftspear
Spells
4 Faithless Looting
4 Lava Spike
4 Desperate Ritual
3 Fiery Temper
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Manamorphose
3 Risk Factor
2 Abrade
3 Anger of the Gods
2 Blood Moon
3 Dragon's Claw
2 Shrine of Burning Rage
3 Surgical Extraction
18 Mountain
Creatures
4 Arclight Phoenix
4 Bedlam Reveler
4 Runaway Steam-Kin
Spells
4 Faithless Looting
3 Lava Spike
2 Tormenting Voice
4 Desperate Ritual
4 Fiery Temper
2 Gut Shot
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Manamorphose
3 Risk Factor
1 Risk Factor
2 Abrade
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Blood Moon
3 Dragon's Claw
2 Shrine of Burning Rage
3 Surgical Extraction
It would be better against the Hollow Ones...except for those darn Delve creatures. I like my anti-creature hate to kill Gurmag Angler and Tasigur.
Also, just like with Vizier Druid decks, I suspect Duskwatch Recruiter should have the highest count; it does have the lowest activation cost among all the infinite mana sink creatures in the deck that can generate CA.
2 Ramunap Ruins
16 Mountain
Creatures
4 Arclight Phoenix
4 Bedlam Reveler
4 Runaway Steam-Kin
4 Young Pyromancer
Spells
2 Risk Factor
4 Desperate Ritual
3 Fiery Temper
4 Manamorphose
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Faithless Looting
1 Tormenting Voice
4 Crash Through
1 Shrine of Burning Rage
3 Blood Moon
2 Abrade
1 Risk Factor
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Ravenous Trap
3 Anger of the Gods
1 Grapeshot
1 Roast
I tried 4 Ramunap Ruins at first, then found myself pinging myself too often and my opponent too little. 2 Ruins seems about right.
I tend to play this in a more controlling fashion--kill opposing creatures with burn, then end the game in 1-2 mighty turns--so I prefer Young Pyromancer and a higher cantrip count. Fiery Temper was starting to fail me, and Risk Factor always feels bad when it refuses to be a Draw 3, so I trimmed their numbers. And yes, Young Pyromancer has been awesome in this deck.
I like 4 Bedlam Reveler. Multiples are easy discard fodder, it blocks fairly well, and it attacks even better if you kill all the blockers.
The sideboard is pretty untested, but the Roast should give some breathing room against opposing aggro decks, especially BR Hollow One.
The 4 Bedlam Revelers in this deck conflict huge-time with Experimental Frenzy. This deck is often strapped for mana and has a hard time casting 4-drops, so as much as Experimental Frenzy has increasingly become a pet card of mine, I don't support it in this deck.
This deck also tends to shed cards from its hand at an alarming rate, so you're likely casting Conflagrate for X = 3 at most.
We ditched Insult // Injury for not doing enough despite working in the graveyard; I don't think we'll play Conflagrate.
18 Mountain
Creatures
4 Arclight Phoenix
4 Bedlam Reveler
4 Bomat Courier
4 Runaway Steam-Kin
Spells
4 Faithless Looting
3 Tormenting Voice
4 Desperate Ritual
4 Fiery Temper
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Manamorphose
3 Pyretic Ritual
2 Abrade
3 Anger of the Gods
3 Blood Moon
2 Dragon's Claw
2 Shrine of Burning Rage
3 Surgical Extraction
4 Spirebluff Canal
2 Bloodstained Mire
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
1 Island
4 Mountain
Creatures
4 Arclight Phoenix
4 Goblin Electromancer
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Runaway Steam-Kin
4 Chart a Course
4 Faithless Looting
4 Fiery Temper
1 Gut Shot
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Manamorphose
4 Risk Factor
3 Ancient Grudge
2 Grim Lavamancer
3 Spell Pierce
1 Surgical Extraction
4 The Flame of Keld
2 Tormod's Crypt
Such wide disagreement...I'm definitely tinkering with my list tonight.
Needle Drop is terrible at fixing your hand on Turn 1 (or any turn where you have no creatures and play no burn spells), so I still recommend Crash Through instead.
Gut Shot is in one of the MTGO Modern League decks' sideboards, so it's an option.
The Flame of Keld has a nasty tendency to end your spell chain by making you discard your hand without letting you draw cards immediately, unlike Bedlam Reveler or Risk Factor. Because of that, I don't like it in this deck. Also, from my testing, I've found that Risk Factor is less reliable gas, not a finisher. Finishers in this deck tend to range from creature beats to burn spells not named Risk Factor being aimed at the opposing dome.
Bizarrely, I tested against BR Hollow One last night and I won a bunch of times without Runaway Steam-Kin. Just reanimating Arclight Phoenixes, jamming the board with Bedlam Revelers, and killing their early drops. I should test against Humans and Spirits, though.
Insult // Injury has indeed been the worst card in the deck from my experience, but Tormenting Voice has been fine as an Arclight and Fiery Temper discard outlet. I tried Dangerous Wager and ditched a fairly full hand too often with it. I've been desperate enough to use Risk Factor to discard Arclight, but that process still feels too slow because that's happening on Turn 3 at earliest. Also, I think I've hardcast Arclight more often than I've ditched it with Reveler.
Given my mulligan habits, Crash Through has been great glue, though. I often cast it on Turn 1, especially if I kept a 1-land hand. The trample-granting is occasionally helpful.
From my experience, BridgeVine is the faster aggro deck, and it's more resilient against graveyard hate. Your 1-drops suck less, and you can often establish a fairly massive board presence just before you get your graveyard exiled by hate. Turn 1 Vengevine is also not unheard of.
However, Dredge is better against aggro decks, and yes, this includes BridgeVine. With 4 Creeping Chills often representing both a 9-life buffer and a 9-point burn at the opposing dome in the average game, you can often buy enough time against opposing aggro to wipe out their board with Conflagrate and alpha strike back for the win. I indeed found the Dredge vs. BridgeVine match-up to favour Dredge pre-board.
I'm currently finding that both decks can outrace Ad Nauseam-Angel's Grace right now, so they can at least outspeed combo often enough.
Keep in mind that my current Dredge build is different from the others'; I'm still a huge fan of splashing blue for Tome Scour as the best Turn 1 enabler. My enabler count is 4 Shriekhorn, 4 Tome Scour, 4 Faithless Looting, and 2 Insolent Neonate; I've trimmed my land count accordingly, but I'm considering swapping out a Neonate for a Cathartic Reunion again.