It is about why you should be playing Burning-Tree Emissary
Mmmm that sexy lady.
At first glance, she can seem underwhelming. A 2/2 for 2 that lets me extend my hand some more? Why bother?
I have seen lists go to her as a first cut when trying to fit in more "powerful" cards. This thread is about why she IS a powerful card, and as core as Ash Zealot is in MonoR as a 2 Drop for Gruul.
The key words that I'll use to convey the power of BTE are these: Accelerated Pressure.
This is what makes Gruul, Gruul. This is what earned the archetype back when Saito first designed a R/g
sligh the name "Turbo-Gruul" and "Hyper-Aggressive Gruul list."
Accelerated Pressure DOES NOT equal over extension. They are not one in the same.
Playing two cards in one turn is huge. Its what allows Gruul to win while on the draw against other aggro decks through simply racing.
Putting two cards down against a control deck that was leaning on a single Azorius charm to stall them until stability is huge. Making them feel pressured enough to verdict 2 cards while you have hellriders and burn in hand is the strength of BTE. Early pressure forces hard decisions, and those decisions will usually be in your favor because people under pressure make suboptimal decisions out of fear.
BTE's strength does not stop here though. She DOUBLES as a Mana-fixer. In a list where consistency is king, you cannot afford to be running forests for extra green sources. I think we can all agree that mulligans lead to decreased win percentage through sheer gas. BTE helps you keep
hands that you otherwise wouldn't have the source to play. BTE allows you to design your deck counting them as an extra 4 dual source.
Being a free body is also very relevant. You can drop her on 3 mountains to cast a Domri and protect him. You can drop her to make Blasphemous Act cost 1 less mana and possibly give you a game changing wipe (especially if you run reckoners as well.)
Notice I haven't even mentioned Lightning Mauler yet. This is a great "combo" and has been considered a nut draw. However I am of the opinion (feel free to discuss) that this isn't even her greatest strength. I don't play her for her body, so getting in an extra 4 damage once is great. You can steamroll control with it, but against creature defenses it isn't enough. Mauler is too fragile, and in the end you've only gotten in an extra 4 damage. And if you're on the draw, you might not even be able to swing into an Augur or ramped Smiter profitably. I would sometimes even rather just LM to haste out a more
relevant 3 drop who will get through more damage over time (Reckoner, Wolf).
Another misconception is that multiple BTE hands are "nut draws." She is NOT a nut draw by herself. A hand of BTE, BTE, BTE, 4 land looks enticing because "triple BTE zomg" but you should not overestimate its strength. You are overextending your hand completely on t2, for only 3 2/2 bears. Without something relevant to combo off BTE (spear, LM, Boar), she is lackluster.
I believe she is at her strongest when you can play relevant support spells off her T2. BTE-> Rancor on your 1 Drop, Pillar of flame their 1 drop, or Drop another 1 drop (against control) is where I see her at her strongest. That is an insane amount of pressure that, if they're on the draw, is almost impossible to recover from. If YOU are on the draw, letting your 1-drop swing in for 3-4 while killing theirs gets you ahead in the race and allows the entire game to shift. Credit to Vala: "It's like a Timewalk T2"
Imagine
they were hoping to race you and sided out some burn because they didn't expect to be the "control" player being on the draw. Suddenly you BTE-> Burn and they are on the backfoot with less cards to help THEM stabilize. This reversal play has won me games again and again and allows me to laugh when people believe Naya Blitz to be the "strongest" aggro deck in standard.
Summary
Burning Tree-Emissary:
-Fixes your mana
-Accelerates your game plan
-Shifts tempo in your favor
Weaknesses:
-2/2 Body
-Deceptively underwhelming in multiples
-Needs to combo into support spells for maximum effectiveness
