Unknown meta and deck choices

[Zalren]

Greetings!

I plan on attending my first sanctioned event, which will be a PTQ for Barcelona in the Modern format. I don't have any illusions about winning, since it will be my first time, but I do have a question about which deck to play.

As the subject indictates, I have no idea what the meta is like. I own Overgrown Tomb, Hallowed Fountain, Watery Grave, and Breeding Pool. Also Dark Confidant, Tarmogoyf, and Snapcaster Mage. So considering a BUG build. Also I love Trickbind and I think it would be great against a lot of decks.

Also I love straight Red/Burn decks. I think Ball Lightning would be a house, from what I read about Modern, since the format is all about tapping out in the early turns. This way I can get in 6/1 tramplers for easy damage and it seems that everyone runs fetch/shocks so it makes dealing 20 easier.

Those are the two that I am leaning toward the most. I was wondering which deck you would play if you had no idea what the meta was?

Thanks in advance for your time,

[hi-val]

Burn decks are actually kind of respectable.

I don't put a WHOLE lot of stock in BUG decks; the card advantage is really, really loose and you're looking at just 1-for-1ing people and grinding. If you like Trickbind, you'll probably get more use out of Voidslime in a BUG deck. Give the BUG idea a try, though - you might get somewhere with it that I'm not considering!

[Zalren]

Thanks for the advice. I figured BUG could not be bad because I can play all the best creatures.Maybe I should play Aether Vial so I can keep mana open to try out Voidslime

[Mr. Safety]

I've been playing a BUG-control list since modern began... hi-val is right, it's a tough setup. Your card advantage options are limited to fairly mana-intensive bombs, which aren't relivant in all your matchups. Damnation is great against zoo but lousy against Splinter Twin. Kitchen Finks is awesome against zoo, but lousy against storm combo. Permission is pretty lousy outside of a dedicated blue-heavy list that can use Cryptic Command. BUG isn't really the ideal setup for Gifts Ungiven either, truth be told. I have fought it for a long time but I'm finally at a point where I'm splashing white for the Crime side of Crime//Punishment and using Iona/Unburial Rites in the sideboard.

[SpikeyMikey]

At a PTQ the two most common decks you'll see are Jund and Affinity. I would suggest playing Kuldotha Red. But then, that's my suggestion for just about any metagame. Especially if you don't know the format, playing a deck that wins on turn 3-4 consistently solves the question of "what is my opponent holding?" Answer: it doesn't matter, because I won the die roll and he's not getting a third turn. The only thing you are scared of is Zoo (and Martyr, to an extent) and no one is playing that right now.

Edit: Looking at the reported results from PTQs so far, there are 9 PTQ's on the books on the Wizards website. Affinity has won 4 of them and top 8'd an impressive 18 times. That's a 25% T8 saturation. Kuldotha Red is basically Affinity, just a little faster and less vulnerable to hate (although it lacks an "I win" button in Cranial Plating, but most people are prepared for Plating these days with Ancient Grudge or something similar). The other 5 PTQ winning decks are Melria Pod, Splinter Twin, U/B Delver, Pyromancer's Swath storm and Boros landfall.

[Zalren]

Thanks! Maybe I will just play something mono red then. I still am enchanted about BUG though, maybe use Engineered Explosives to beat Affinity.

[AriLax]

Thanks! Maybe I will just play something mono red then. I still am enchanted about BUG though, maybe use Engineered Explosives to beat Affinity.

EE isn't close to enough to beat Affinity. As a BUG deck your best bet is a combination of Naturalize/Nature's Claim's, Snapcaster Mage, and Creeping Corrosion. Hurkyl's might be ok, but I'm not sure how big a fan I am of that card.

[chags]

I only like hurkyls in decks that can win in the one turn window that card gives. More often then not they just recast everything and beat you next turn if you can't back hurkyls with a clock

[hi-val]

EE isn't close to enough to beat Affinity. As a BUG deck your best bet is a combination of Naturalize/Nature's Claim's, Snapcaster Mage, and Creeping Corrosion. Hurkyl's might be ok, but I'm not sure how big a fan I am of that card.

These are really good suggestions. If you're less snapcasty, then Seal of Primordium is nice - you can dedicate the mana to it when you have free mana and then use it later. It also constrains the Affinity opponent into trying to bait a Seal - "do I play Plating now? Do I play Ravager and try to get them to pop it?" etc.

Creeping Corrosion + any threat at all is game, too.

[Zalren]

Thanks all. I have been messing around with BUG and I am not so sure about it anymore.

Now I am debating Mono Red Burn or Red/Black Burn w/Confidant. I just am not sure if the life loss from fetchs + shocks + confidant is worth the black splash.

[Borealis]

Red/Black Burn with Dark Confidant and Bump in the Night!!! Do IT!!

I think either ^THAT^ deck or Boros is the best Red Deck in the format right now. I'm on Domain Zoo right now, but I've been keeping my eye on both of those decks. Boros is fun, and I'd love to actually win consistently with it again (since it was only briefly amazing in Standard), but BumpBurn looks EVEN more fun to play in my opinion.

The splash is such that you don't need to go that heavy into Black, and fetching/shocking carefully is always a must. You lose Lightning Helix, but you gain so much more inevitability and card advantage. Plus, you are a sleeper deck that most people won't expect, and you are less reliant on creatures (save Bob I guess) that removal isn't all that effective on you. Bump in the Night, Lightning Elemental and Keldon Marauders puts tremendous pressure on a lot of people, and gives you a strong enough lategame to get there more often than not.

I would definitely recommend either Boros or BumpBurn for your first foray into the Modern Tournament scene. Get a solid Sideboard, have some people review it, and make sure you know the deck well enough, and you won't be disappointed.

[Zalren]

Ok, so this is the R/b burn deck I have been thinking about. Let me know what you think.

Land - 20
4 x Arid Mesa
4 x Scalding Tarn
2 x Marsh Flats
3 x Blood Crypt
4 x Dragonskull Summit
2 x Mountain
1 x Swamp

Creatures - 10
4 x Dark Confidant
4 x Grim Lavamancer
2 x Magus of the Scroll

Spells - 30
4 x Blightning
4 x Bump in the Night
4 x Incinerate
4 x Lava Spike
4 x Lightning Bolt
4 x Magma Jet
4 x Rift Bolt
2 x Shard Volley

Sideboard - 15
4 x Pyroclasm
3 x Rain of Gore
4 x Shattering Spree
4 x Terminate

[chags]

Ok, so this is the R/b burn deck I have been thinking about. Let me know what you think.

Land - 20
4 x Arid Mesa
4 x Scalding Tarn
2 x Marsh Flats
3 x Blood Crypt
4 x Dragonskull Summit
2 x Mountain
1 x Swamp

Creatures - 10
4 x Dark Confidant
4 x Grim Lavamancer
2 x Magus of the Scroll

Spells - 30
4 x Blightning
4 x Bump in the Night
4 x Incinerate
4 x Lava Spike
4 x Lightning Bolt
4 x Magma Jet
4 x Rift Bolt
2 x Shard Volley

Sideboard - 15
4 x Pyroclasm
3 x Rain of Gore
4 x Shattering Spree
4 x Terminate


Besides the fact that you get stomped by chalice on 1 this deck looks pretty fun. 18 functional lightning bolts to the dome is awfully tempting. Have you tested it against any of the major players in the format?

[Zalren]

No, I am going to put it together this weekend and try it out. I did not know that any decks in Modern used Chalice with the absence of sol lands.

[chags]

No, I am going to put it together this weekend and try it out. I did not know that any decks in Modern used Chalice with the absence of sol lands.

I don't believe it sees play at the moment. Just pointing it out since it exists in the format. Be sure to post testing results I'm interested to hear how it goes.

[SpikeyMikey]

No, I am going to put it together this weekend and try it out. I did not know that any decks in Modern used Chalice with the absence of sol lands.

Tron may have it in board.

[hi-val]

Black is definitely worth it for Bump.

Also, Goblin Guide is pretty good in burn decks; it represents a different avenue of attack and can get in for 4-6 damage on its lonesome. I've seen other burn decks running Figure of Destiny off the board as another way to get around things, too.

You might test Rain of Gore vs. Everlasting Torment. Withering Lightning Bolts are pretty good, Grim Lavamancers become incredible and you can get around Circles of Protection and the like.

I don't know how you are against Affinity, but Shatterstorm and Smash to Smithereens are both options.

[Mr. Safety]

I was always curious why burn/sligh decks would use Figure of Destiny...so incredibly inefficient on mana! When the deck has few threats that can be targeted with removal (usually Grims, Figures, Goblin Guides...that's usually it) it get's killed so often that it seems fairly useless.

If I were going to ride a cheap mono-red threat, I think it would be Slith Firewalker. Your burn can clear a path and make him grow fairly quickly. Having haste is pretty nice considering tapped out aggro opponents (pretty much everyone taps out in modern anyways, not just aggro)

I'd be interested in trying out a Sligh deck like this for modern:

4x Goblin Guide
4x Slith Firewalker
3x Keldon Marauders
4x Dark Confidant
2x Grim Lavamancer
3x Death's Shadow

4x Lightning Bolt
4x Rift Bolt
4x Lava Spike
4x Magma Jet
4x Bump in the Night

4x Arid Mesa
4x Scalding Tarn
2x Blood Crypt
9x Mountain
1x Swamp

[chags]

If I were going to ride a cheap mono-red threat, I think it would be Slith Firewalker. Your burn can clear a path and make him grow fairly quickly. Having haste is pretty nice considering tapped out aggro opponents (pretty much everyone taps out in modern anyways, not just aggro)


In a deck like Zalren's (or any burn deck really) you want to be pointing as much burn at their face as possible, not using it to clear the way for creatures. It's going to suck when you have to bolt a kird ape from zoo to get through with slith firewalker just to have it get bolted by them. Or having to waste burn on a bloodbraid elf or silvergill adept because it can kill your 2 mana 1/1. I'm also not a fan of death's shadow at all, the deck should theoretically be fast enough that he won't ever get to tremendous proportions.

[Mr. Safety]

Death's Shadow allows you to be greedy with fetching shocklands and you can ride more than one Dark Confidant...and profit from it.

Zoo will burn your creatures no matter what you do...make them worth a burn spell!

[chags]

Zoo will burn your creatures no matter what you do...make them worth a burn spell!

Which is exactly why you don't run many creatures and run more burn instead like Z suggested.

[Mr. Safety]

Point well made :wink:

[Borealis]

Figure of Destiny gives you something to do in the lategame, similar to Grim Lavamancer. When you get one early, sure you gotta pay a total of 2 mana to get it up to decent clock, and yes they usually eat a burn spell pretty quick (as do the Wizards). But if it goes unanswered and you suddenly have nothing left to do with your mana (like, after turn 3/4), then you can make a huge fatty at instant speed. It's also a better late game topdeck than a Goblin Guide, for the same reasons.

When you start topdecking with this deck, your options are:

1) Draw a burn spell
2) Flashback Bump in the Night
3) Activate Grim Lavamancer
4) Level up Figure of Destiny

The more reach you have, the better off you are in any situation. Also, letting Figure eat a Bolt on turn 1 so you can land a 'Mancer, Bob, or Guide is also great.

[Zalren]

Just an update. The plan was to test my deck against my friends' decks, which they will play in the PTQ as well. Unfortunately no one was ready with their Modern decks because the PTQ is not until the end of the month. So I played against their Legacy decks (we normally play Legacy). After using my original decklist, I changed my deck to this:

Land - 20
4 x Arid Mesa
4 x Scalding Tarn
2 x Marsh Flats
3 x Blood Crypt
4 x Dragonskull Summit
2 x Mountain
1 x Swamp

Creatures - 12
4 x Dark Confidant
4 x Goblin Guide
4 x Grim Lavamancer

Spells - 28
4 x Bump in the Night
4 x Incinerate
4 x Lava Spike
4 x Lightning Bolt
4 x Magma Jet
4 x Rift Bolt
4 x Shard Volley

Sideboard - 15
4 x Pyroclasm
3 x Rain of Gore
4 x Smash to Smithereens
4 x Mindbreak Trap

Turn 1 Goblin Guide is too good not to run. Dark Confidant always won me the game if he stuck around. Grim Lavamancer is just so good at picking off opposing creatures and dealing the last bit of damage.

I decided to go with the full set of Shard Volley because nothing in my deck has CC > 2 (I count Rift Bolt as CC = 1 for casting purposes). So as long as I have two lands out, I have no problem sacrificing any extras for Shard Volley. I tried Seal of Fire in that slot but it felt underwhelming casting at sorcery speed for 2 damage when I could have instant speed for 3 damage.

I switched out Shattering Spree for Smash to Smithereens because destroying the artifact plus dealing 3 damage is better for my style of deck. I still like Pyroclasm because 2 damage kills most of the creatures in Modern, even if they fly, which Flamebreak will not touch. Everlasting Torment is still an option over Rain of Gore, just not sure if the damage prevention and wither is better than the loss of life.

This deck can definitely kill by turn 4, sometimes turn 3 if the opponent helps with fetches and shock lands, which I think will help me do well in the tournament. Any sort of lifegain sucks to play against and hopefully I will not run into Leyline of Sanctity, and since I don't know what the meta will be, I am guessing on the sideboard.

Will I win the PTQ? Most likely not but I think this deck will be fun to play for my first PTQ. Thanks all for the help and advice!

[hi-val]

Thing is, Rain of Gore won't ever trigger on an opponent unless they have to use it, with something like Soul Warden. They simply won't cast a Kitchen Finks if they don't have to. I suppose it's good against Serra Ascendant. Giving your Bolts Wither means that you can fight Goyfs. I suppose it's mostly just a bit of what you fear the most.

[Mr. Safety]

Thing is, Rain of Gore won't ever trigger on an opponent unless they have to use it, with something like Soul Warden. They simply won't cast a Kitchen Finks if they don't have to. I suppose it's good against Serra Ascendant. Giving your Bolts Wither means that you can fight Goyfs. I suppose it's mostly just a bit of what you fear the most.

You're confusing Rain of Gore with Everlasting Torment.

I've been testing a mono-red sligh deck on MWS...with some pretty good results.

Dudes = 19
4x Goblin Guide
4x Slith Firewalker
4x Keldon Marauders
4x Simian Spirit Guide
3x Grim Lavamancer

Spells = 22
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Rift Bolt
4x Lava Spike
4x Magma Jet
2x Burst Lightning
3x Searing Blaze
1x Mindstorm Crown

Lands = 18
4x Arid Mesa
4x Scalding Tarn
10x Mountain

Sideboard:
4x Smash to Smithereens
4x Volcanic Fallout
4x Spark Elemental
3x Ratchet Bomb


I have ridden a Firewalker to lots of damage in several games. Haste makes him good and SSG gets him down turn 1. Against combo decks, he leaves in favor of Spark Elemental so the damage output can be faster (and slightly cheaper.) Mindstorm Crown is my attempt at leaving Bob/alternative draw cards out of the mix. When I'm top-decking it acts like a free Phyrexian Arena. Playing only 18 lands means the risk of top-decking 2 in a row is minimized.

Side note: Searing Blaze is a freakin' house in some matchups. Pinging off mana-dorks and burning 3 to the dome at the same time is good tech. It is great against anything aggressive and actually provides card advantage in red. That's a strong reason to use it, basically the same reason Smash to Smithereens gets the nod over something like Shattering Spree.

Other cards on my list of playtest options:

Ashenmoor Gouger
Figure of Destiny
Reverberate
Slagstorm
Firespout
Vexing Shusher
Hellspark Elemental
Ball Lightning
Inner-Flame Acolyte
Immolating Souleater
Keldon Megaliths
Magus of the Moon
Blood Moon
Everlasting Torment
Blood Knight
Flame Slash
Flame Javelin
Gut Shot
Flame Jab

[chags]

I've been testing a mono-red sligh deck on MWS...with some pretty good results.

I have ridden a Firewalker to lots of damage in several games. Haste makes him good and SSG gets him down turn 1. Against combo decks, he leaves in favor of Spark Elemental so the damage output can be faster (and slightly cheaper.) Mindstorm Crown is my attempt at leaving Bob/alternative draw cards out of the mix. When I'm top-decking it acts like a free Phyrexian Arena. Playing only 18 lands means the risk of top-decking 2 in a row is minimized.




...or you could just play bob? Similarly to what was brought up in the merfolk thread I have to point out here that there is literally no reason to skip out on a splash. Bump in the night is sweet, who doesn't like more lava spikes? Bob is what keeps this deck going into the mid/late game...crown just seems janky. Searing blaze is fantastic and should get some slots in any burn deck running fetches. Burst lightning feels pretty weak, there must be better alternatives (bump in the night). I'm still not sold on the firewalkers, especially considering they get you to run simian spirit guide who seems mediocre as well. Sure in your opener he is wonderful but top decking one instead of a burn spell or threat is going to suck. Either magus or blood moon should make an appearance somewhere in the 75, that effect is far too good in this format to pass up...especially if you are on mono red.

As far as life gain concerns go don't forget Flames of the Bloodhand is a thing. Whether or not it is good enough I have no idea but just throwing another option out there.

[Mr. Safety]

This is a fundamentally different approach...I posted a black splashed sligh list a few posts above SPECIFICALLY for Bob/Bump in the Night. In retrospect, the Death's Shadow inclusion was bad, but that doesn't make Bob/Bump bad. Regardless, I feel that Slith Firewalker and Searing Blaze are reasons to stay in mono-red.

Would you play a creature that does this?

Red Dervish :r::r:
2/2

Whenever Red Dervish deals damage to an opponent, put a +1/+1 counter on it.


Slith Firewalker is basically this:

Slith Firewalker :r::r:
1/1

Haste

Whenever Slith Firewalker deals damage to an oppnent, put a +1/+1 counter on it.

Firewalker gets in for a ping when he comes out, making himself a bear that at a minimum dealt one damage. He isn't only good with SSG either...he's just fine turn 2 after a turn 1 Rift Bolt to clear blockers (mostly Vault Skirge, which needs to be dealt with ASAP in affinity) and he's fine on turn 3 after Bolt-ing a blocker to get him through. In most games that I've played Firewalker (about 10) he has gotten to 4/4, and in some 5/5 or more. Aggro decks have a hard time keeping up with Searing Blaze and Bolts, all the while you're dinging for 2-3 a turn with a growing creature threat.

Burst Lightning is a cheap creature removal that can be a late-game 4-damage hit when you kick it. I felt it was better than something like Incinerate. Forked Bolt is another option, especially in a meta full of mid-range decks that rely on turn 1 mana dorks (Birds, Nobles, Llanowars)

[chags]

This is a fundamentally different approach...I posted a black splashed sligh list a few posts above SPECIFICALLY for Bob/Bump in the Night. In retrospect, the Death's Shadow inclusion was bad, but that doesn't make Bob/Bump bad. Regardless, I feel that Slith Firewalker and Searing Blaze are reasons to stay in mono-red.

Would you play a creature that does this?

Red Dervish :r::r:
2/2

Whenever Red Dervish deals damage to an opponent, put a +1/+1 counter on it.


Slith Firewalker is basically this:

Slith Firewalker :r::r:
1/1

Haste

Whenever Slith Firewalker deals damage to an oppnent, put a +1/+1 counter on it.

Firewalker gets in for a ping when he comes out, making himself a bear that at a minimum dealt one damage. He isn't only good with SSG either...he's just fine turn 2 after a turn 1 Rift Bolt to clear blockers (mostly Vault Skirge, which needs to be dealt with ASAP in affinity) and he's fine on turn 3 after Bolt-ing a blocker to get him through. In most games that I've played Firewalker (about 10) he has gotten to 4/4, and in some 5/5 or more. Aggro decks have a hard time keeping up with Searing Blaze and Bolts, all the while you're dinging for 2-3 a turn with a growing creature threat.

Burst Lightning is a cheap creature removal that can be a late-game 4-damage hit when you kick it. I felt it was better than something like Incinerate. Forked Bolt is another option, especially in a meta full of mid-range decks that rely on turn 1 mana dorks (Birds, Nobles, Llanowars)

No I wouldn't play that theoretical card or firewalker in my burn deck. A 2/2 for 2 that maybe gets bigger if they don't have blockers is not what a burn decks wants, maybe an aggro deck but not a burn deck. You can absolutely play blaze in the same deck as a black splash...blood crypt, blackcleave, dragonskull all make double red perfectly plausible. If by fundamentally different you mean you are playing a strictly worse version of the deck then I agree, maybe some real testing instead of using mws all the time would give you some real insight into how these decks work. Clogging up these threads with sub par lists that have not seen any real testing is not helpful if you haven't realized.

[Mr. Safety]

The fundamental difference is this:

Sligh = burn blockers early so your cheap threats can deal damage, finish with burn

Burn = only use creatures if risk is minimal, use as much direct damage and don't interact in the combat zone if you don't have to.

That's all I meant...and I don't appreciate your comments. This is an open forum. If you feel Slith Firewalker is a bad choice, say so. Don't resort to personal attacks. I am certainly not 'clogging up this thread'...it gets hardly any hits anyways. It's not like there are five other members trying to discuss options while I noob-troll every other post. I'd appreciate some adult conversation rather than saying to me, essentially, 'test for real or GTFO'.

[chags]

The fundamental difference is this:

Sligh = burn blockers early so your cheap threats can deal damage, finish with burn

Burn = only use creatures if risk is minimal, use as much direct damage and don't interact in the combat zone if you don't have to.

That's all I meant...and I don't appreciate your comments. This is an open forum. If you feel Slith Firewalker is a bad choice, say so. Don't resort to personal attacks. I am certainly not 'clogging up this thread'...it gets hardly any hits anyways. It's not like there are five other members trying to discuss options while I noob-troll every other post. I'd appreciate some adult conversation rather than saying to me, essentially, 'test for real or GTFO'.

This is a COMPETATIVE forum, bring the janky nonsense to mtgsalvation. Your posts literally look like you search gather for anything legal in the color of whatever deck you are posting on. I'm not attacking you I'm requesting that you don't waste our time with casual cards you haven't tested. As far as adult conversation goes I've given you legitimate reasons why the majorityof what you post sucks, hence suggesting you stop being lazy and actually test so people don't have to waste time telling why these cards are bad. I'm not calling you a troll but not testing and just advocating random lists with no data is not actually constructive.

Basically it comes down to this: you wouldn't bring an untested deck to a tournament you're trying to win, nor would you give a completely untested list to a friend which wants win so don't toss them on here and tell people to play them without testing. I'm getting hung up on the testing thing because you don't state that your decks are untested, you claim to have tested and have data from games (which by the way 10 games hardly counts as testing) this is misleading to other players. What tier decks have you played against? How will the deck do against other real decks? No one cares if firewalker was good against a random Chandra firebrand deck, tell me how firewalket tested against jund or zoo.

Also in an attempt to keep things constructive, if you are just going to burn their dudes why not play stormkirk noble over firewalker? Is haste more relevant then management efficiency? Unless it is turn three or later in any situation where they have a blocker stormkirk is better, it also doesn't require playing ssg to turn 1 it.

[Mr. Safety]

Point taken...and I am testing it.

[chags]

Point taken...and I am testing it.

Well on that note if mws is your only option I could probably update mine (been putting it off) and play some of the bigger decks. If anyone else wants to coordinate testing online give a holler.

[Mr. Safety]

MWS isn't my only option, it's just the one that presents the most opportunities. I know it doesn't bring the quality of experience that true playtesting does but on the flip side it can give roughly 2-4 times the amount I would get from normal playtesting. That is all.

[Borealis]

Okay, in short I will say that I don't think slith fire walker and simian spirit guide are where you want to be in a fast red deck in modern right now. Each card in the deck needs to be worth at least a card or roughly three damage. Spirit guide does not fit that description and stromkirk noble is probably better than the firewalker by a few points.

I think Dark Confidant is the best card in burn right now. The best red decks should either be boros or bump burn.

[Mr. Safety]

Okay, in short I will say that I don't think slith fire walker and simian spirit guide are where you want to be in a fast red deck in modern right now. Each card in the deck needs to be worth at least a card or roughly three damage. Spirit guide does not fit that description and stromkirk noble is probably better than the firewalker by a few points.

I think Dark Confidant is the best card in burn right now. The best red decks should either be boros or bump burn.

I agree with this. Boros is incredible for the simple fact that it runs Lightning Helix. That is the single best burn spell, and easily in the top 5 spells PERIOD, for modern. I think Boros is slightly better than Bump-Burn because of the lifegain from Helix. What Bump-Burn does is draw extra burn for cheap with Bobs and has 4 more Lava Spikes. It's good, for sure.

Slith Firewalker = pet card 100% discounted at this point. One card that I have been slightly intrigued with is Hellspark Elemental. Any thoughts on this?

[Borealis]

I wouldn't completely discount Slith Firewalker, but as a standalone card (which are the types of cards we really want to be playing in formats like Modern and Legacy), it's a bit weak. If you were to build a "Big Red" list in Modern though, with a shell something like this, it might be a different story:

4 Stromkirk Noble
4 Slith Firewalker
4 Markov Blademaster
3 Sphere of the Suns

4 Koth of the Hammer
1 Chandra, the Firebrand

4 Volt Charge
...Some other burn

That's certainly a doubtful competitor (seems more on the caliber of Standard), but Firewalker has more synergy with a build like that. Often enough in Modern, you're going to be relying on that two-drop to do some work in the late game, and a 1/1 haste just doesn't do enough after turn 3 or so.

Hellspark Elemental is another story entirely. It's a card that can be worth up to 6 damage (for 4 mana), and it's a recurring threat when you need it most. I think Keldon Marauders and Grim Lavamancer fight for the Hellspark Slot in a list like this one, which I suggested on the Sligh/Burn/RDW thread:

8 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Arid Mesa
2 Sulfurous Springs
2 Blood Crypt

4 Goblin Guide
3 Keldon Marauder
3 Figure of Destiny
3 Grim Lavamancer
4 Dark Confidant

4 Lightning Bolt
4 Rift Bolt
4 Lava Spike
4 Bump in the Night
4 Shard Volley
3 Searing Blaze

But the short answer is yes, Hellspark Elemental is playable in RDW in Modern. Keldon Marauders is probably slightly preferable, as if they have a Goyf out you still net 2 damage and can hold up a blocker, whereas Hellspark doesn't do much except team up with a burn spell to remove their beasties. Grim Lavamancer is really too good not to run, so it's a bit of a tossup. If you don't like the Figures of Destiny, they could probably swap out for the Elementals, but I also think they are a better card overall.

Also, I do think Boros is slightly better, but BumpBurn is a close second. Playing BOB is the best part of the Black/Red version. I also agree that Lightning Helix is the best burn spell in the format, unless of course you are running 4CC Zoo (my pet deck), in which case, Tribal Flames on 5 is the best. :smile:

[Mr. Safety]

Ooooh...Domain Zoo? Nice...I know you said 4c, so I'm curious what you're splashing. Is it blue for Bant Charm or is it black for Bob?

Zoo w/blue seems really hot. Meddling Mage shuts down Twin from the sideboard, Geist of Saint Traft is aggressive enough to warrent inclusion, and Rhox War Monk is incredible at battling opposing aggro decks.

Black brings Bob...and not much else. You already have Path for the best removal, so it doesn't need black removal. Bob brings card advantage nicely...but I don't think it's worth the black splash (other than a dual land for Tribal Flames, as you mentioned.)

So long story short (too late!) what's your 4C Zoo look like?:cool:

[Borealis]

I've actually posted it recently over in the Zoo thread, but NO ONE has been there in ages. Everyone thinks the deck is Jank, which is fine by me, but it would be nice to discuss it somewhere, so here's the list I'm on currently:

Creatures (22)
4 Kird Ape
4 Steppe Lynx
2 Loam Lion
2 Qasali Pridemage
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Snapcaster Mage
3 Knight of the Reliquary

Spells (16)
4 Path to Exile
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
4 Tribal Flames

Lands (22)
4 Arid Mesa
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Misty Rainforest
2 Marsh Flats
1 Stomping Ground
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Steam Vents
1 Breeding Pool
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Blood Crypt
1 Temple Garden
1 Forest
1 Plains

Sideboard (still fine-tuning for PTQ this Saturday)
3 Combust
1 Damping Matrix
1 Torpor Orb
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Mana Leak
2 Volcanic Fallout
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
3 Meddling Mage

So yeah, Dark Confidant is tempting, but I can't afford the damage, and I think Snapcaster is slightly better anyway. Tiago allows me to still play at instant speed a lot of the time, and he offers amazing midgame reach with all the Spells in the maindeck. It's too easy to lose a Bob to a typical removal spell and get no value, but Tiago is "almost" always going to provide immediate value. Also, my mana base already does me enough damage.

I slid in 2 maindeck Pridemages, because A) They are really good and B) I didn't want to have to sideboard too much enchantment/artifact hate. As it is counting the maindeck QP's, I have 6-8 cards against Affinity, 7-9 cards against Twin, and maindeck outs to Blood Moon (a card I generally can't worry too much about during sideboarded games anyway). Which leaves the Volcanic Fallouts for all aggro matchups, Mana Leaks as a catch-all (considering Thoughtseize here...), and the Elspeth as a trump in certain cases. It's possible Elspeth could just be a Kitchen Finks, but I think she is more versatile. I had Ajani Vengeant in that slot to fight Boros and Jund, but he's a bit too fragile, and Kitchen Finks isn't all that great as a 1-of. Rhox War Monk is another option, but again, you don't get value if you walk it right into a Terminate.

Meddling Mage! That's the slot I was trying to finalize actually! I had Thalia, Rule of Law, Ethersworn Canonist, Mindbreak Trap/Negate, and a whole host of other ideas in that slot trying to figure out how to fight Storm without losing value in other matchups. Meddling Mage is absolutely the card I was looking for. Ironically I just traded for 1 last night, and didn't even think of it's application in my deck. Mage on Grapeshot (with Volcanic Fallout for backup), Mage on Chord of Calling (or B-pod), Mage on Cranial Plating or Etched Champion even, there's so many uses for that card that it's totally worth the slot as a 3-of. I'll just have to play it like a shark and read their mind every time. It's part of the reason I'm tempted to run Thoughtseize in place of the Mana Leaks, but I'm not sure I want to do that to the Mana Base, it's already stretched pretty damn thin.

Anyway, that's the 4CC Domain Zoo as it stands right now. We'll see how it does at the PTQ this Saturday.

[Mr. Safety]

Good luck!

I see the blue is mostly for Snapcaster...no love for Bant Charm? I think 2 maindeck Pridegmages is smart considering the amount of Affinity you will likely face. Pridemage is one of those cards that is a broad enough hate option...but also brings combat bonuses. This makes him a maindeck choice rather than a sideboard one.

I see you already have Meddling Mages in the sideboard...and I'm lovin' those Mana Leaks, too.

One question for you: is Lynx worth the slots? I would almost rather have 4 Loam Lions and put the spare 2 slots to use being Char, maindeck Elspeth, or 2 more Pridemages.

[Borealis]

Like I said, I hadn't thought of Meddling Mage until you mentioned it, even though I have a fresh copy sitting in my binder now. That slot was previously UR Storm-specific hate, or a bunch of 1-ofs that looked shitty all by themselves. Mage is perfect, and I thank you for the reminder.

Bant Charm, nah. It's one of those cards that is a Jack of All, Master of None. It also Costs GWU, which is NOT easy in this deck, and flashing it back with Snapcaster is never going to happen. I also have a distaste for those "Counter-Cat" lists of yore, primarily because they run Noble Hierarch, and thus are really Aggro-Bant decks, and if you are running Heirarch, you should really just commit to Bant, and Hybrid Bant-Zoo decks just don't seemed focused enough. Course, here I am running a Blue Zoo list, but Hierarch is where I draw the line and I don't think you can cast Bant Charm reliably enough without Hierarch. //End rant//

But seriously, Bant Charm is just a worse Ancient Grudge, a worse Path to Exile, and a much worse Dispel/Negate/Mana Leak/Spell Pierce. I only ever really want to tap 3 mana for a Snapcaster on Lightning Bolt or Knight of the Reliquary.

Steppe Lynx is sometimes great, and sometimes horribad, and often comes out in games 2/3 depending on the matchup and who's on the play. However, it applies pressure better than any other single card in the deck, and often is the only way this deck can deal sizeable damage in the early turns. Running the 2 QP's makes me even more okay with the Lynx, as it can often be a 3/4 or 5/6 on turn 2. Usually, by the time you run out of lands to fuel it, they will have dealt with it, and with 13 fetches in the deck plus the 3 KOTR's, I can still turn on landfall reasonably often. 8x Kird Ape is great and all, but explosiveness is part of what makes this deck so viable, and 2/3's just aren't enough sometimes, especially with the loss of Wild Nacatl.

Char isn't enough value for the cost, and also 22 creatures is about the lowest I would go. I also need my curve to stay as low as possible still (especially when you look at the sideboard). Elspeth in game 1 might be nice sometimes, but often she will just be equal to "win more" or "super awkward opening hand, bro", and I prefer consistency over powerful 1-ofs in the main. QP could eventually be bumped up to 4, but it would probably be in place of 1 Snapcaster and 1 Knight. I absolutely need to have a 1-drop on turn 1, so 10 is really the bare minimum I can see running. As it was I was hesitant to cut the 2 Loam Lions for the Pridemages, but they are honestly the worse card to open with in most cases (turn 1 Temple Garden kinda sucks).

The deck is pretty balanced, it rides a very fine line on both mana issues (fetching has NEVER been this complicated, trust me), and on curve/creature/spell ratios. With those Meddling Mages falling in as the final lynchpin in the sideboard, I feel very confident in this build for Saturday. Just gotta get into the winner's bracket with some Delvers, Junders, Fishies, Twins and Fae, and I should be alright! (I can probably handle a couple Caw decks and a Pod or two as well I suppose :wink:)

[Mr. Safety]

I think you could potentially do this and be ok:

-4 Steppe Lynx
+1 Loam Lion
+2 Elspeth
+1 land

Elspeth makes Apes/Lions 5/6 fuckers that fly. There are so few flyers in this format (save Faeries) that I feel it's a pretty badass way to go.

REGARDLESS, I understand your use of Steppe Lynx. If Wild Nacatl were legal, we wouldn't even be having this conversation honestly. Nacatl would be an auto-4.

Fundamentally though, I agree with your approach...Snapcaster really is a 3-mana creature and Knight of the Reliquary is going to be better than Rhox War Monk or Bant Charm.

I need to ask you this: is tribal flames for 4 really that bad? The reason I ask is that the Blood Crypt makes things awkward. Fetching into lands that tap for meaningful colors would be quite a bit easier. Blood Crypt is the equivalent of fetching a basic mountain (mana-wise) and that Crypt could have been Steam Vents, Sacred Foundry, or Stomping Ground.

EDIT: Definately looking for a report, dude. :wink:

[Borealis]

I think you could potentially do this and be ok:

-4 Steppe Lynx
+1 Loam Lion
+2 Elspeth
+1 land

Elspeth makes Apes/Lions 5/6 fuckers that fly. There are so few flyers in this format (save Faeries) that I feel it's a pretty badass way to go.


This is true, but it breaks a few of my primary Zoo rules. First, I'd then be at 19 creatures (and yes, 2 PW's), and I'd only have 7 1-drop dudes. Not enough. Also, two 4-mana planeswalkers is too expensive without some sort of ramp. Some games I will win easily with only 3 lands in play, so I can't justify 4 drops. Besides, I already have a 4-drop: Snapcaster on Helix or Tribal Flames. And Finally, 23 lands is too many. I don't even really want to run 22, but the 4.5 color mana base pretty much requires it.

Flying 5/6s are great and all, but not if you don't have the creature in the first place, and making 1/1 dudes is a bit lame on turn 4. Against control and Boros/Jund etc., I can afford the Elspeth, but in most games I wouldn't want to see her. There are other decks that can abuse her much better than I can, namely decks running Noble Hierarch and Geist of St. Traft. I'm not that deck.

Steppe Lynx is really good, you just have to know how to use him correctly and bait removal. Against combo, they are probably the best card in the deck, barring sideboard cards. Rarely do I get a 2-land hand with a steppe lynx that I can't keep.


I need to ask you this: is tribal flames for 4 really that bad? The reason I ask is that the Blood Crypt makes things awkward. Fetching into lands that tap for meaningful colors would be quite a bit easier. Blood Crypt is the equivalent of fetching a basic mountain (mana-wise) and that Crypt could have been Steam Vents, Sacred Foundry, or Stomping Ground.


Tribal Flames on 4 is fine, and happens often enough, but I try to avoid it if possible. Tribal Flames on 5 is better, and yes it's totally worth running the "mountain". I rarely have trouble hitting Domain in the lategame, which is when you really want Tribal Flames fully powered. There is very little drawback to running the Blood Crypt, and heaps of reward. Unless you draw it in your opener (or naturally), you are still able to fetch the lands you need first and get the Crypt at your leisure. Also, there is the small benefit that people might play around black cards you don't run, though that's not obviously a selling point.

Being able to blow out an opponent on 10 life with 2 cards (Tribal + Tiago) is a big difference than losing because you only did 8. Also, there are plenty of creatures that have 5 toughness (namely Goyf), so in a pinch Tribal Flames can remove them as well. I don't see a real reason to run the card without the full Domain set.

The biggest thing with this deck is fetching very carefully and mulliganing hands with awkward mana. Running the 2 Marsh Flats (instead of 1) should help a bit. Ideally I fetch a Stomping Ground + Hallowed Fountain, or Sacred Foundry + Breeding Pool and hit all the colors on turn 2. After that, it's a matter of playing out your lands to correspond with your draws. Really the worst draws are ones involving a 1-sided mana base (Steam Vents + Scalding Tarn/ Breeding Pool + Misty Rainforest, etc.). And you'd be surprised how often I flood out even with only 22 lands in the deck. Sylvan Library would be nice!

EDIT: I'll post results after the PTQ for sure. Look in the Zoo Thread!

[Mr. Safety]

I forgot you didn't have Nobles in your deck...forget the maindeck Elspeth idea, I was whacked. I just sort of assumed it because of the blue splash. Agreed on all points.

One last question (you must be getting annoyed with me by now, lol): Kitchen Finks in the sideboard?

[chags]

I agree with this. Boros is incredible for the simple fact that it runs Lightning Helix. That is the single best burn spell, and easily in the top 5 spells PERIOD, for modern. I think Boros is slightly better than Bump-Burn because of the lifegain from Helix. What Bump-Burn does is draw extra burn for cheap with Bobs and has 4 more Lava Spikes. It's good, for sure.

Slith Firewalker = pet card 100% discounted at this point. One card that I have been slightly intrigued with is Hellspark Elemental. Any thoughts on this?

Hellspark Elemental I like, especially with jund playing lilianna and blightning. I wouldn't play him in bump burn but in a mono r deck he seems fine. I'm still unsure if hell's thunder is worth it in this format for the same reason. I think he is probably too slow unfortunately.

[Borealis]

Chags, you summed up the Hellspark/Hell's Thunder status pretty well. If only Hell's Thunder's Unearth cost was 1RR instead of 4R.

Mr. Safety, Kitchen Finks has danced in and out of my sideboard more than a few times, but usually only as a 1-of. He's reasonably aggressive but would only really come in against Boros/Jund/RDW, whereas I feel Elspeth can come in against certain control decks as well. She should still serve the purpose of keeping me alive long enough to stabilize while also providing a possible game winning play with her Angelic Blessing ability in a close race or in a board stall. She costs a bit more, but she is so much more powerful than Finks that as a 1-of I'd rather have the planeswalker. It's possible the instant lifegain from Finks is necessary in some matches (Boros/RDW), but he's really better in multiples (at least 2 would be nice in those matches). I'm hoping I don't see too many burn decks, more than 1 would be a bit depressing.

[Mr. Safety]

Hellspark Elemental I like, especially with jund playing lilianna and blightning. I wouldn't play him in bump burn but in a mono r deck he seems fine. I'm still unsure if hell's thunder is worth it in this format for the same reason. I think he is probably too slow unfortunately.

Ball Lightning would be a strict upgrade, if only for the added power and trample. I think if you're going to play a 3-mana card then the only options are these:

Ball Lightning
Flame Javelin
Flames of the Blood Hand


Those are borderline playable as it is...Hell's Thunder just doesn't have the mana efficiency of Hellspark Elemental. Hellspark can hit in the mid-game against a tapped out board. Thunder needs a whopping 5 mana to unearth. I don't like it.

In Bump/Burn...is Shambling Remains worth considering? The unearth is actually cheaper than hard casting, a measely BR. I continue to try and squeeze in more creatures, which makes me think I should be working on something like Blightning Beatdown or a mid-range deck rather than wasting all of you burn/sligh player's time.

[Borealis]

I wouldn't call Ball Lightning a strict upgrade from Thunder. It deals more against a blank field, but can be L. bolted and also can be blocked easier. Even Darkblast hits it, whereas Hell's Thunder is much harder to remove via damage. Hell's Thunder might cost 8 to provide 8 damage, but if you are in a late game situation it's still a free card that comes back. They each have their pros and cons. Neither are really good enough for a fast burn deck, as Flame Javelin/Flames of the Blood Hand guarantees the damage barring a counterspell.

Shambling Remains is almost there, but I don't think good enough, barring the midrange deck you mentioned. From my recent experience with DKA Draft, I can tell you that undying and unearth spells on dudes that can't block is not all the great, as your opponent can just chump block them and you will have few options to actually gain value from his recursion. A 4/3 isn't too frightening on turn 3 either, which is when Goyf usually ticks up toward 4/5 and KOTR comes down. Kitchen Finks is happy to block him once and chump block him again. Flinging him would be hilarious, but too much effort. With Liliana of the Veil, he might be worth considering, but otherwise he's just a mediocre 4/3.

[Borealis]

This might be a double post and if so, I apologize, but it doesn't make sense to update my last post with the content of this one.

So, in short, I bombed out HARD at the PTQ in Somerville, MA on Saturday. My 4cc Zoo deck didn't feel competitive at all, and while I probably made a couple bad decisions and certainly had my fair share of mulligans (to 6 mostly) and weird hands, I think it's fair to say the deck just isn't good right now.

I played the following:

Round 1, Caw-Blade (0-2)
Round 2, Hive Mind (2-0)
Round 3, U/W Tron (0-2)
Round 4, Merfolk (0-2)
Round 5, MonoRed (0-2)

I actually think there were some game 3's in there somewhere, but I don't remember well enough and my notes are not with me at the moment. In summary though, I'd say that Caw-Blade was close, but unfavored for me. Hive Mind was an easy win, maybe he just didn't hit the right cards at the right times but he mostly wasn't able to stop my dudes very well. Tron seems nigh impossible to beat for Zoo, and I'm sure even the faster Aggro decks have some problems winning against them. In fact, I think Tron will be the new "Control Deck" of choice going forward, as it just has so many options mixed with very powerful endgame spells. Merfolk, yea that deck keeps beating me in Modern and it's shameful, but needless to say Wake Thrasher can be a beating. Mono Red dropped a Blood Moon on me game 2 and I hadn't bothered to fetch basics, but it probably wouldn't have mattered either way. I was in decent position to win that game, but that was the blowout that ended my tournament.

I don't think I ever drew a Snapcaster Mage all tournament, which was a shame, and I had to use at least 3 Tribal Flames to kill small creatures, which was also a damn shame. Still, without the speed of Boros or the card advantage and disruptive control elements of Jund, I just felt like a bad midrange deck with an identity crisis and boring 2/3's. It's possible that Zoo is still a reasonable Tier 2 deck, but I'll be moving on.

I'm now looking at U/B or U/R Delver as options, or possibly a Grixis splash to combine the strengths of both. Boros will be my go-to deck for the interim, since at least it's fast.

[Zalren]

So I went to the Modern PTQ and took this deck along:

Land - 20
4 x Arid Mesa
4 x Scalding Tarn
2 x Marsh Flats
3 x Blood Crypt
4 x Dragonskull Summit
2 x Mountain
1 x Swamp

Creatures - 12
4 x Dark Confidant
4 x Goblin Guide
4 x Grim Lavamancer

Spells - 28
4 x Bump in the Night
4 x Incinerate
4 x Lava Spike
4 x Lightning Bolt
4 x Magma Jet
4 x Rift Bolt
4 x Shard Volley

Sideboard - 15
4 x Pyroclasm
3 x Rain of Gore
4 x Smash to Smithereens
4 x Mindbreak Trap

Remember this is my first official tournament ever...and I placed 50th of 53 :cry:

Not once did I see Affinity, Storm, or Pod. I never sideboarded in Smash to Smithereens or Mindbreak Trap. As a matter of fact, I never drew any cards I sideboarded in except once, and it was a turn too late.

Round 1 versus some weird Bant Soverigns of Lost Alara deck

Game 1: He gets no good draws but has lands + Birds of Paradise, Noble Hierarch, and Lotus Cobra to cast anything he wants, if he draws into it. My hand is full of burn and I just go straight for the dome. Win.

Game 2: I board in Pyroclasm taking out Magma Jet hoping to wipe out his mana dudes. But I never draw one. He drops mana dudes and I first turn Goblin Guide him to have him reveal 2 x Baneslayer Angel. I burn out the first one but cannot burn out the second. Lose.

Game 3: I board in Rain of Gore because I think he kill condition is Baneslayer Angel but I never see Rain of Gore nor a Baneslayer this game. However, I think I was cheated on this one. He has Elspeth, Knight-Errant, a soldier token (signified by a dice), Lotus Cobra, and Sovereigns of Lost Alara out. He quickly says, I attack with Lotus Cobra and give him +3/+3 and flying with Elspeth (which he cannot do in the attack phase anyway, right?). And since I have Sovereigns of Lost Alara out I can search....and I cut him off there. I say in response, activate my Grim Lavamancer and kill your Lotus Cobra. He says ok....but look my soldier token is attacking so I will grab Eldrazi Conscription and make my soldier token an 11/11 trample for the kill. I don't think he can do that and I call the judge over. Basically it turns into a he said/she said with the judge and I just give up because it is my very first round and I am stupid. Lose.

0-1

Round 2 versus Jund

Game 1: He wins roll, first turn Inquisition of Kozilek and he takes my Goblin Guide. I land Dark Confidant but he has a Terminate. My burn cannot kill him in time before his 4/5 Tarmogoyf and his Bloodbraid Elf cascade into Strangleroot Geist can kill me. Lose.

Game 2: I sideboard in Pyroclasm to deal with most of his creatures. I play 20 lands and I had 7 in play before he killed me. I was land flooded. Plus he landed 3 x Tarmogoyf, I was able to handle the first one but next turn he played two more and that was game. Lose.

0-2

Round 3 versus U/W token deck

Game 1: Goblin Guide > a bunch of 1/1 tokens. He chumped as best he could but could not chump block my burn spells. Win.

Game 2: I board in Pyroclasm to wipe out his army but I land 2 x Dark Confidant and keep ripping burn off the top of my deck. He does not stand a chance. Win.

1-2

Round 4 versus a weird Boros Aggro deck, no Steppe Lynx or Plated Geopede but plays Samurai of the Pale Curtain and Student of Warfare along with Goblin Guide and Figure of Destiny.

Game 1: I have the perfect balance of lands and burn in my opening hand. He starts to get board presence at 12 life and starts to get the upper hand. I land some Goblin Guide and Grim Lavamancer to chump while I hope to top deck more burn to finish him off. He gets me down to 1 life, he is at 12 plus he is tapped out, my turn I have been holding onto a fistful of burn hoping to draw one more land...and I do. I drop 2 x Bump in the Night and 2 x Shard Volley for the win. Win.

Game 2: I think about boarding in Rain of Gore but instead I board in Pyroclasm...big mistake. He lands a turn two Kor Firewalker and turn three Sword of War and Peace, the game was out of control by turn 4. Lose.

Game 3: I board in Rain of Gore. He drops another Kor Firewalker on turn 2! Now all my burn spells only do 2 damage, I get him down to 6 before he kills me. I actually do draw my first and last sideboard card of the day, Rain of Gore but I am already at 2 life when I do and Kor Firewalker just swings for the win next turn. Lose.

After our match, I ask him how many Kor Firewalkers he boarded in....he says just two. Must have been his lucky day.

1-3

Round 5 versus Jund

Game 1: Not much of a game. He starts off with cracking Verdant Catacombs into a basic then Thoughtseize, I smile and reveal my hand. I have a fistful of burn and I think he just bolted himself, I think this will be an easy match. Turn 3 he lands Kitchen Finks. Turn 4 Bloodbraid Elf cascading into another Kitchen Finks. Turn 5 Tarmogoyf. Lose.

Game 2: I board in Rain of Gore and Pyroclasm. My opening seven is Blood Crypt plus six bolt cards. I make a mistake and keep because I figure I will draw into more land and I can keep bolting anyway. I get stuck on one land the whole game while he lands 2 x Kitchen Finks. Lose.

1-4

Round 6 versus some janky white and artifact deck that uses Memnite, Glint Hawk, and Kor Skyfisher along with Quest for the Holy Relic to power out Elbrus, the Binding Blade or Argentum Armor.

Game 1: He does his combo and gets Argentum Armor on a Glint Hawk but he decides to destroy my Goblin Guide first even though he has Wall of Omens to block. My Grim Lavamancer and burn take him down. Win.

Game 2: I don't board in anything, neither does he. He lays down a bunch of guys but no Quest for the Holy Relic this game. Goblin Guide plus burn takes care of him. Win.

2-4

One thing I noticed about this tournament is that no one ever held back mana for casting instants on the opponents turn. Everyone just tapped out every turn. The only time someone Path to Exile my creatures was to clear a path for their creatures.

If I could do this tournament all over again, I think I would have done much better with a mono red deck like this:

Land - 20
18 x Mountain
2 x Teetering Peaks

Creatures - 16
4 x Ball Lightning
4 x Goblin Guide
4 x Hellspark Elemental
4 x Spark Elemental

Spells - 24
4 x Incinerate
4 x Lava Spike
4 x Lightning Bolt
4 x Magma Jet
4 x Rift Bolt
4 x Shard Volley

Sideboard - 15
4 x Pyroclasm
3 x Everlasting Torment
4 x Smash to Smithereens
4 x Blood Moon

Seriously, every game it was a tap fest. Those creatures would get there for extra damage because no one held back mana for anything. Even watching other matches I noticed the same thing. The only deck that didn't tap out every turn was the Storm deck. Plus Blood Moon would have wrecked those Jund decks.

Overall I had a good time and it was a great to go to my first tournament. I learned a lot of it and I hope to do better next time. I did not stay for the Top 8 so I don't know who won.

[nedleeds]

Stigma Lasher ... Bob always absorbs the first removal spell anyway.