Dies to Removal

So... Rally the Peasants? *hides

I included a single copy!

Oh hey you're right. It even makes an additional 1-2 tokens for chump blocking.

The dream scenario is always a late game top deck for +4/+0; extend hand.

Well, first round of FNM went pretty fucking badly. 0-2 vs jund.

Game 1 I stuck on 3 land and got so far behind I couldn't come back. This deck loses if ypu don't hit your lnds.

Game 2 he pillar'd my phoenix, slipped my reckoner (after I speared his huntmaster) Golgari Charm'd my burning earth, then putrefy'd my thundermaw. Felt bad man.

Initial reaction: this deck is not as well positioned against Jund as it seems. Or at least it isn't when they answer every threat you present.

Also testing Chandra tonight against my better judgement. So far she shot down a lifebane zombie (which was nice) then soaked up a thrag attack. Not terrible, but not good at all if you are behind.

Also, burning Earth seemed awkward in the main and in multiples.

0-2 vs GW midrange. Wolfir Silverheart + Rancor + any creature is a real problem for this deck. Main deck burning earth were completely dead cards.

All Chandra did for me was exile the bonfire that would have kept me alive.

Not impressed.

And third round bye. That was fun. This is not my kind of deck (obviously). Kind of disappointed with myself for buying bonfires this close to rotation, rather than remembering how hit and miss they were this time last year. Going to play psully.dec tomorrow methinks.

Here's a couple more lists:

http://mtgo-stats.com/decks/69088

http://mtgo-stats.com/decks/69083

I do like Ash Zealot. Makes the curve less awkward (no board presence cards until 3 cmc) Fights Voice, Strangleroot, Lingering souls, BTE, etc.

Cancel that. Don't really like PSully's list either after a little testing. Going to play sledgehammer tomorrow. Last minute brews ftw!

I played Big Red last week at the Green Bay PTQ. There was a tremendous amount of American and Azorius control. Wish I had Possibility Storm for all that. I had Mindsparkers as a replacement though. If I drew them more often I felt there would have been more impact but the fact that they would ping for 2-4 made me put them in. Any thoughts? Also it makes for a decent blocker.

*Also tonight I'm going to try removing Hellriders for Scourge of Valkas. I found myself just trading my Hellrider more often than utilizing him so I'll give the dragon a shot this week as well as main decking Chandra and seeing where that takes me.

After much testing Big Red with a black splash, the results have been discouraging. Jund just tends to outclass most of our mid game plays, which makes it extremely hard to take control without landing a timely Burning Earth. RG also tends to be a difficult match-up despite all of our burn. I'm going to keep watching what develops, but my own testing will probably be put on the back burner.

Has anyone gotten any good results with a R/W version?

Other then the various different sideboards, I've like the Big Red Decks. Yeah sometimes your opponent has every answer, but that's just magic. And yeah, you generally don't want to keep hands with less then 3 lands, because bricking is death.

Nearly no deck plays a creature that survives Mizzium Mortars. I really don't get it why people don't use 4 of in this kind of deck.

Cause the deck needs cards that can kill people game one. Burning earth doesn't immediately win the game. It actually only ends the game. Drawing mortars instead of say brimstone will suck when you and your opponent are both at 3 or whatever is a kick in the teeth.

I could live with that, especially when I don't scoop while looking at Loxodon Smiter. Or have the capability of doing 1-sides wrath.

Has anyone gotten any good results with a R/W version?

I have a fairly long write-up on my deck pre-Dragon's Maze in the primer. Including sideboarding strategies and things from my experience at Grand Prix Charlotte.

Before James comes in here and crushes your dreams PLEASE apologize to them for suggesting cutting Hellrider for Scourge of Valkas in a red deck.

On my way home from the GPT. Report to follow. Spoiler: I scrubbed out. I need a nap.

In case you were wondering, my nap was glorious

OK, so here are my results from today. For reference, I was playing this:

[deck]
Lands (25)
21 Mountains
4 Mutavault

Creatures (24)
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Stonewright
4 Ash Zealot
4 Chandra's Phoenix
4 Hellrider
4 Thundermaw Hellkite

Spells (11)
4 Pillar of Flame
4 Searing Spear
3 Bonfire of the Damned

Sideboard (15)
4 Ratchet Bomb
3 Burning Earth
3 Mizzium Mortars
3 Skullcrack
2 Mark of Mutiny
[/deck]

Deck is loosely based on an Adrian Sullivan list / Zeman's old Sledgehammer deck.

I went in not expecting much, since the GPT was hosted by the store where the top players in my province congregate. The deck wasn't horrible, but the variance was. Such is life I suppose.

Round 1 VS UWR Control (With [card:
w7ebpwup]Aetherling[/card]s, not Restoration Angel)

Game 1 I lay the smack down and curve out, T7 concession with me on 20 life.
Game 2 I keep a 4 land hand, then flood up to 10 lands and draw no hellriders / thundermaw hellkites. He beats down with Aetherling after stabilizing on 9 life.
Game 3 More of the same. I keep a 3 land hand, then flood up to 9 lands and draw no hellriders / thundermaw hellkites. He beats down with Aetherling after stabilizing on 4 life.

0-1-0

Round 2 VS Jund
Game 1 Lay the smack down and curve out, T10 concession with me on 20 life.
Game 2 Mull to 6. Never hit my fifth land which would have been
lethal. He stabilizes on 5 after multiple thrags and beats me down.
Game 3 Mull to 6. This game was attrition based, ending with us both on top decks flipping cards. Highlights include him Miracle Bonfire-ing me two turns in a row, and me Mark of Mutinying his Thragtusk then Mizzium Mortarsing it so I get the token (which I now realize is illegal as I write this). He pulls land while I pull burn / mutavaults / burning earth and I get there. I think if I hadn't messed up with mortars (my copy in in Japanese and I can't read it, I claim no responsibility lol) or he had noticed it, things would have ended up differently.

1-1-0

Round 3 VS Junk Aristocrats (Worth noting this was the best Junk Aristocrats player I've ever faced. Incredibly tight play, no mistakes)

Game 1 No
land hand followed by all land hand. Keep the five. He just out plays me. I watched one of his other games. The guy is just really good.
Game 2 I keep a three land hand, then don't draw another land for the rest of the game. Hellrider and 2x Thundermaw Hellkite in hand when I died. Still knocked him to nine.

1-2-0

Round 4 VS (I shit you not) 4 Colour Purge the Profane infinite Drain Combo

I get the impression this guy was new / has been reading on mtgs. He dealt me one damage across two games. I felt bad.

2-2-0

Round 5 VS Mono Green Aggro

Game 1 I keep a two land hand and never draw another. He has the nuts with Dryad Militant > Strangleroot Geist > Dryad Militant + [card]Strangleroot Geist[/
card] > Champion of Lambhold + Rancor.

Game 2 I keep 4 lands, Cackler, Zealot, Spear. I then draw nothing but land (finishing with 8 in play) while he has a similar hand to G1.

2-3-0

So, today was a little frustrating, but the games vs Jund / UWR seemed very winnable. I think I would have got him R1 if I had draw creatures in G2 + G3. Junk Aristocrats is a bad match up. The deck show promise, but 25 lands is too much for me, and still screws often, but has less plays while screwed. I think I just need to stick to 23 land decks. All my success has been with 23 land.

Individual cards:

Burning Earth: Jund knows about this now. They side in Golgari Charm. We aren't going to catch them with their pants down anymore.

Ratchet Bomb: This card was painfully awkward. When I drew it I was really wishing
it was electrickery.

Bonfire of the Damned: Was bad all day. Never showed up when I needed it.

Thanks for intel!
What the hell is this whole Purge the Profane combo people are talking about?
Bonfire is pretty bad when people have access to creatures on-the-curve or above. We're living in era of 2/2 for 1, 3/3 for 2, 4/4 for 3.
I'd drop Stonewright and Phoenix. You don't have that many burn spells to abuse Phoenix being recurrable - Reckoner could help in grindy matchups and even UWR one is not that bad. (at least better than Phoenix as they just Pillar him).

For "Big Red," I'd absolutely be running:

[deck]Permanents
4 Boros Reckoner
4 Chandra's Phoenix
4 Thundermaw Hellkite
3 Chandra, the Pyromaster
2 Blind Obedience
3 Burning Earth

Spells
4 Pillar of Flame
4 Searing Spear
3 Bonfire of the Damned
4 Warleader's Helix
1 Mizzium Mortars

Land
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Clifftop Retreat
2 Slayers' Stronghold
5 Plains
10 Mountain

Sideboard
2 Assemble the Legion
2 Wear // Tear
2 Rest in Peace
3 Skullcrack
4 Curse of the Pierced Heart
1 Burning Earth
1 Rolling Temblor[/deck]