Dies to Removal

Welcome to the primer and discussion thread for Izzet Blitz. The idea behind the deck is simple; play traditional RDW with the addition of utility cards like Izzet Charm and Counterflux, two cards that make one of your tougher matchups a lot simpler to combat. The mana is not too ambitious, and with that in mind, let's move on to the current working decklist. Keep in mind that this list is subject to change as testing and tuning develops it.

[deck=Izzet Blitz, 01/10/2013]
Creatures (28)
4 Firedrinker Satyr
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Ash Zealot
4 Gore-House Chainwalker
4 Frostburn Weird
4 Boros Reckoner
4 Fanatic of Mogis

Spells (11)
4 Izzet Charm
4 Magma Jet
n3 Turn // Burn

Land (21)
4 Steam Vents
4 Izzet Guildgate
1 Mutavault
8 Mountain
4 Island

Sideboard (15)
3 Izzet Staticaster
4 Counterflux
1 Essence Scatter
2 Chandra, Pyromaster
2 Jace, Architect of Thought
3 Mizzium Mortars
[/deck]


Breakdown of individual cards and their role in the list

Creatures
Firedrinker Satyr: I'm sure many of you are aware of the importance of having a 1drop 2/1 in your aggressive decks. This card fills that role, as well as filling the role of a mana sink. Although I don't like it nearly as much as I liked some of our fallen mana sinks, it is a necessary evil of the deck that you play it unless something else gets printed in the future. While I think it is a good card for its role, I am eagerly anticipating something else for this slot.
Rakdos Cackler: Yep, this little guy is still relevant.
Not much to say. A turn 1 2/2 is really good.
Ash Zealot: Ashley is back with us for another round, and this time Burning-Tree Emissary isn't a good enough card to keep her out of the spotlight. A 2/2 for 2 is already a perfectly playable card in an aggressive deck like this one, but having first strike puts her over the top. It is also worth mentioning that she is RR, which is worth 2 damage to Fanatic of Mogis later in the game. Synergy!
Frostburn Weird: This card has always been really good, but now that there is no more Burning-Tree nonsense, he gets to rush back on stage with Ashley. Being a 1/4 for 2 is an insane value in the mirror, and the fact that later into the game he can start cracking in for 4 is nothing to scoff at. He's good both on defense and offense, which makes him all-around very good and likely one of
the better cards in the deck.
Gore-House Chainwalker: I'm still debating whether or not I like this card more than Rakdos Shred-Freak. Being a 3/2 is very good, but being 1R instead of RR and not having haste makes me wonder if it wouldn't simply be better to make the switch. I need to test more with it, but thus far I haven't had Fanatic of Mogis come up 1 damage short, so it is probably a wash. For what its worth, Gore-House trades up as far as CMC vs. toughness goes for creatures, so if you even manage to kill a 3/3 with him you've gotten some value out of him.
Boros Reckoner: Beyond being a very good Magic card, (and he is, he's pretty damned good) he also offers a whopping 3 devotion to red. Boros Reckoner does basically everything you'd ever want an aggressive red card to do; he 2 for 1s your opponent often, he has
first strike, and he is a card that demands an immediate answer. I'd say he's one of the best cards in the deck, but unfortunately, there is one card that is still better than him...
Fanatic of Mogis: And it's this dude. He closes out games so much faster than I would have anticipated. When this card was first spoiled I immediately thought to myself "This is going to go into every red deck for the rest of the season." I don't know if I'm right quite yet, but I can't imagine this guy is going anywhere. The reach he provides is just icing on top of the rather sizeable body that he brings to the table. He can close out a game very quickly and is basically immune to Azorius Charm. That's value.

Spells
Izzet Charm: Every mode on this card is relevant. It counters careless [card]Sphinx's Revelation[/card]s, it loots away excess
land, it kills blockers...you're almost never sad about drawing it. I've used this card in more ways than I can hope to illustrate for you. It just does so many things.
Magma Jet: I probably don't have to explain this card to you. Shock, scry 2 is pretty powerful. If the meta evolves in such a way that 3 toughness is the hurdle to jump, swapping it with Lightning Strike is perfectly fine. Basically this slot is simply reserved as a removal slot, and as it stands Magma Jet is the "best" removal spell when going in blind.
[card]Turn // Burn[/card]: I included Turn // Burn as a way to combat enemy Boros Reckoners. I expect to see a lot of these in the coming months, as the card is very good in aggressive mirrors and control matchups alike. It also isn't the worst combat trick in the world, either. Basically it was included simply
as a utility card.

Noteworthy sideboard technology
Counterflux: This is a card that [card]Sphinx's Revelation[/card] decks just cannot beat. They have no way of combating it, so if you simply beat them down while keeping Counterflux mana open, you will eventually win the game because they can't Rev.
Izzet Staticaster: A very good card in aggressive mirrors, specifically against decks that play Firefist Striker, due to the 1 toughness. It blocks forever and makes it so that your 2/2s can trade up with their 3/3s and things. Generally makes awkward board states for your opponent. It is also very good against the Rakdos aggressive decks, as many of their creatures are X/1s.
Chandra, Pyromaster: Although it has some anti-synergy
with the countermagic in the sideboard, I still board this in against control because it's another card they have no way to beat. Especially since Magma Jet isn't very good in that matchup, it's an easy swap.
Jace, Architect of Thought: I board these in against control, too. These are subbed in for [card]Turn // Burn[/card], which is also miserable in control matchups. Though playing these raises the curve of the deck, it also makes it a much more uphill battle for your control opponent. He's also not the worst in some aggro matchups, because the Meekstone can save you a lot of life in the short term, and that could be relevant when trying to race.
Mizzium Mortars: This is not a permanent fixture, I just figured I would toss it in here in case there was a relevant creature it kills. Right now I can't think of anything that it kills that I'm worried about, but I
will keep an eye on this. Other candidates for this slot include Electrickery, Lightning Strike, or some type of dorky combat trick like Thunder Strike.

Counterflux's Overload is only relevant when someone casts two instants at the same time for you. For example you say you want to declare the attackers, opponent just casts Azorius Charm and Last Breath. Then you're like "nope, this shit has never happened". Card is already uncounterable, you don't really need Overload for that.
While I really do like the idea of RDW with counterspells backup, I think that you could go a bit lighter on devotion theme. For example - instead of Reckoner, I'd trust Chandra's Phoenix. It's far more aggresive card that's guaranteed to deal 2 damage. You get one devotion less but goddamnit, it's not all about the devotion!
Chainwalker feels better in meta infested with Jace, Architect of Thought.
And I still believe Ral Zarek would fit this deck much better than any of Planeswalkers you proposed. His +1 in your case works fairly similiar to Chandra, but instead of ping/ping you
can untap your land. His -2 is fairly relevant as it's just another, repetable burn. And last but not least, you actually threaten your opponent with it's ultimate. So he can't just stay defensive till he draws his wincon - he hast to deal with Zarek, as giving AGGRO up to 5 is just game over.
As we talked in other thread. You might consider the risk of his ultimate to fizzle. Your opponent cannot do that, especially if his deck has slow clock. Not to mention fact, that he really helps at dealing with large creatures.
Sorry for mentioning Zarek again.

Besides of those suggestions, I really like the idea of this deck. Sideboard options are really good. I'd even risk to try out Nivmagus Elemental instead of Firedrinker Satyr. Yes, you are playing 1/2 for 1, and you might try to exile your spell to make him 3/4. But I don't know, he seems to be trash. He's actually more mana-friendly for you as you play Islands.

Last but not least, fix your goddamn sideboard as you still have Memory Adept listed
in there.

16 lands to cast ash zealot on curve seems a bit light.

Really looks awesome testing this up now

Looks great! Thanks Alex.

While I really do like the idea of RDW with counterspells backup, I think that you could go a bit lighter on devotion theme. For example - instead of Reckoner, I'd trust Chandra's Phoenix. It's far more aggresive card that's guaranteed to deal 2 damage. You get one devotion less but goddamnit, it's not all about the devotion!

I like the idea of switching out the Reckoner for Chandra's Phoenix. Phoenix positives: A flyer, hyper aggressive and has synergy with all the red instant and sorcery spells in the deck. If you are using Ral Zarek his -2 ability interacts with the phoenix in the graveyard.

Maybe keep Reckoner in the sideboard for beneficial matchups?

Sorry for mentioning Zarek again.

I
appreciate you regurgitating your Ral Zarek argument for us plebeians.

You know, Zarek gets back Chandra's Phoenix...

Only 21 lands in that deck can't be enough. Not with a sideboard full of 3-4cc cards.

I think without upping the land count, you keep some number of magma jets in the control matchup to filter your draws/help you hit land drops. Once you hit a jace or a Chandra, you don't really care, but you DO need to resolve one of those spells.

I appreciate you regurgitating your Ral Zarek argument for us plebeians.

Not sure how I should interpret that. I'm annoying, right?

No, I think he meant you talked about it in some restricted thread. But it was in the open clan thread right?

I guess I only did mentioned him with "As I explained to you before ...".
Sorry kloned1, I didn't summed up the facts together. Wasn't sure if I'm just annoying OR annoying but giving out some facts.

I think without upping the land count, you keep some number of magma jets in the control matchup to filter your draws/help you hit land drops. Once you hit a jace or a Chandra, you don't really care, but you DO need to resolve one of those spells.

The variable card is Turn // Burn, which could probably just be an extra Mutavault. I don't think I'd play more than 22 lands, stopping your curve at 4 doesn't require more than that. I've always been known to play decks with aggressive land counts because I'm not afraid of a mulligan, but some players might be more comfortable with more.

The variable card is Turn // Burn, which could probably just be an extra Mutavault. I don't think I'd play more than 22 lands, stopping your curve at 4 doesn't require more than that. I've always been known to play decks with aggressive land counts because I'm not afraid of a mulligan, but some players might be more comfortable with more.

I actually think that is the reason why some decks just win games. Playing less lands than you are supposed to. You're greedy and statistically you shouldn't have them. Still, with aggresive muligans - you can squeeze in much more into your decklist. On the one hand, I hate that attitude. I still remember RDW which played on 20 lands and 3 Thundermaws. And won. Why? Because it's controller managed to draw the right things and overhelm his opponent with cards he was playing. He probably mulliganed hard, but he was sure that his draws later were very
relevant.

I won't say whether or not it's right or wrong; it's just how I do and always have played constructed. The math may not back me up necessarily, but results don't lie.

Just played Awe for the Guilds against my RDW opponent on Cockatrice.

...that was funny.

I'm leaning towards this variant at the moment. Most changes are due to card availibility, so SB is just something I threw together. Need some thoughts on that one, since I have almost none of the cards in Alex' original SB. Awe for the Guilds I just put there for the fun of it.

I want one more land, and I put Phoenixes maindeck instead of Reckoner. Don't know why, but probably because of the easier casting cost and the synergy with the filtering on Izzet Charm.

[deck]
Creatures (28)
4 Firedrinker Satyr
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Ash Zealot
4 Gore-House Chainwalker
4 Frostburn Weird
4 Chandra's Phoenix
4 Fanatic of Mogis

Spells (11)
4 Izzet Charm
4 Magma Jet
1 Turn // Burn
1 Lightning Strike

Land (22)
4 Steam Vents
3 Izzet Guildgate
2 Mutavault
9 Mountain
4 Island

Sideboard (15)
3 Negate
2 Awe for the Guilds
2 Flames of the Firebrand
4 Boros Reckoner
4 Mizzium Mortars
[/deck]

You really don't want to take the Counterflux's out of the sideboard. Ask Tubehunter just how badly those hose control players. It is literally unbeatable for them.

The rest of the sideboard is "to taste." I wrecked the hell out of his Maze's End list because I resolved a Jace. Without that Jace he would have just fogged me out of the game.

I found myself boarding out Turn // Burn in almost every matchup. It is probably just worse than Dynacharge.

Also the synergy between Izzet Charm and Chandra's Phoenix is basically non-existent in a list with only 5 burn spells.

Right...somehow I thought Izzet Charms counted as well. So, yeah forget that.

Counterflux is on the to-trade-for list. They are cheap, but people around here seem to have them in their trade binders. I just have to manage with Negate for now.

Can someone explain to me why in the fucking hell you are playing Awe of the Guilds instead of Seismic Stomp?
Yes, I'll pay 2 more mana so your Blood Baron of Vizkopa can still block.
Yes, Seismic Stomp is the real mtg card if you are looking for falters.
There's also this shitty Izzet +2/0 unblockable for team for ... 5 I guess?

I appreciate you regurgitating your Ral Zarek argument for us plebeians.

Not sure how I should interpret that. I'm annoying, right?

It was meant as a clever compliment. I don't have access to the prior discussion, because I'm not in Fires of Salvation. Hmm, I should remedy this problem...

I think the whole confusion about that comes from 'plebeians' being very negative word in polish language. If you'd ever call another person plebeian, he'd want to kick your ass.
Still ye, getting to Fires is clearly a good idea.



Still, what's your opinion on this bad boy Alex? I would never ask, but you're actually playing Islands in the deck which might result in consistency issues in regards of 1-drops.
Also, because I love janky cards.

Can someone explain to me why in the fucking hell you are playing Awe of the Guilds instead of Seismic Stomp?
Yes, I'll pay 2 more mana so your Blood Baron of Vizkopa can still block.
Yes, Seismic Stomp is the real mtg card if you are looking for falters.
There's also this shitty Izzet +2/0 unblockable for team for ... 5 I guess?

Really simple reason for me. I own 2 Awe for the Guilds and 0 Seismic Stomp.

Teleportal might work (it gives +1/0 though), but it's expensive.

I really like Nivmagus Elemental myself, and I would consider it in a version with more spells. I've been on the receiving end of the Elemental and it's not too bad. However, with Doom Blade available it might not be worth it.

im pretty sure alex was just fucking around with awe for the guilds

It was pretty tech when resto angel was a thing but yeah

I like the art better. Suck it.

PS: Awe for the Guilds is actually Teleportal in the working version right now.

PS: Awe for the Guilds is actually Teleportal in the working version right now.

What does the deck look like now?

I'm taking this Izzet Blitz deck to FNM this week:

[deck]Creatures (28)
4 Firedrinker Satyr
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Ash Zealot
4 Gore-House Chainwalker
4 Frostburn Weird
4 Chandra's Phoenix
4 Fanatic of Mogis

Spells (10)
4 Izzet Charm
4 Magma Jet
2 Turn // Burn

Land (22)
4 Steam Vents
4 Izzet Guildgate
2 Mutavault
8 Mountain
4 Island

Sideboard (15)
3 Izzet Staticaster
4 Counterflux
2 Essence Scatter
4 Ral Zarek
2 Mizzium Mortars
[/deck]

You don't really want to be playing Ral Zarek. The Planeswalkers in the sideboard are mostly there to put pressure on Maze's End decks, and RZ doesn't do that very well. If you don't have Jaces you can play more countermagic to help these matchups instead. (Counter the fog means they crumble hard.)

Also I've been playing Weapon Surges in the sideboard to help with the GW/mono green matchup. You can swing into a full board of dudes and beat all of 'em in combat if you do it correctly because of Weapon Surge. I'll post my actual working list when I get home tomorrow, I'm in Boston right now and don't have access to it.

I took this deck to FNM on 10/11/2013:

[deck]Creatures (28)
4 Firedrinker Satyr
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Ash Zealot
4 Gore-House Chainwalker
4 Frostburn Weird
4 Chandra's Phoenix
4 Fanatic of Mogis

Spells (11)
4 Izzet Charm
4 Magma Jet
3 Turn // Burn

Land (21)
4 Steam Vents
4 Izzet Guildgate
1 Mutavault
8 Mountain
4 Island

Sideboard (15)
3 Izzet Staticaster
4 Counterflux
1 Essence Scatter
2 Negate
2 Weapon Surge
3 Mizzium Mortars
[/deck]

FNM Results
I went 0-3 and then a bye.

First round
I faced a green white deck with Voice of Resurgence, Advent of the Wurm, Fleecemane Lion, and Boon Satyr. My opponent bestowed a 5/5 wurm (trample) with Boon Satyr in both games and annihilated me.

He kept building board presence and used combat tricks to outclass my guys. games: 0-2

Second Round
I faced another green white deck with Advent of the Wurm. This time they had token populate mechanics
like Growing Ranks and Rootborn Defenses. I really should have beat this dude. He flooded the board with 5/5 wurms (trample) and killed me. I couldn't stop his 5/5 wurms. games: 0-2

Third Round
I faced an Izzet control deck. First game, he used Spellheart Chimera and Prognostic Sphinx to just fly over my guys. I didn't have the removal for those dudes. He also put a Ral Zarek on the board, but he didn't really matter much. He used Ral Zarek for removal once. I really missed lightning strike. Second game, I killed him super fast. He didn't have anything on the board. Third game, we went to time and he had more life than I did. games: 1-2

Fourth round: bye

I still believe in this deck. I piloted it very poorly. I want Boros Reckoners over Chandra's Phoenix. The Reckoners would have made a big difference against the Green White decks. I want Lightning Strikes for removal.

I've been playing Weapon Surge at 4 lately, specifically for the GW matchup. I didn't swap to Lightning Strikes, I like the consistency in mana from Scry.

I haven't been putting a ton of recent testing in, though. We have been working on a lifegain deck for States and that's where most of my attention went.