U/R Storm

[Anusien]

1 Dreadship Reef
3 Island
3 Misty Rainforest
1 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Shivan Reef
2 Steam Vents

4 Goblin Electromancer

4 Desperate Ritual
3 Epic Experiment
4 Gitaxian Probe
3 Grapeshot
4 Manamorphose
3 Past in Flames
2 Peer Through Depths
4 Pyretic Ritual
4 Seething Song
4 Serum Visions
4 Sleight of Hand

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/eventcoverage/gpchi12/day2

[HorseshoeCrab]

This deck is awesome. Epic Experiment makes way more hands playable than in the old version... and casting that spell is fun! Its on my short list for the upcoming PTQ season, along with some sort of UW deck, Jund w/ White, and my Junk deck.

[Anusien]

Having played the deck for more than a year now, Finkel finds the key card in the deck to be Pyromancer Ascension and is skeptical of versions of the deck seeking to move away from the card.

"I see that someone did okay at the GP replacing Ascension with Epic Experiment ,which just seems awful," said Finkel. "I tried to make Epic Experiment good in my testing but it just wasn't; it's very easy to experiment for six or seven and still lose. People who haven't played the deck extensively don't realize that Ascension is the best card. If you turn it on you're a favorite to just draw your entire library."

[HorseshoeCrab]

Yes, the consensus seems to be that you go either for Epic Experiment, or Pyromancer's Ascension, but not both. The only way I could see someone lose after a Experiment for 6/7 is if they are also running Ascensions or other permanents other than the Goblin.

I'm going to play more games with this, but I'm definitely a fan no matter what "Johnny Magic" says about it.

[Phoenix Ignition]

The only problem is how ubiquitous graveyard hate is now. Deathrite Shaman is everywhere, and Rest in Peace is one of the most powerful sideboard choices in the game. Epic Experiment gives you an out to RiP, whereas I've never lost a game to UR pyromancer's ascension after having that card down (that includes times when they've had their bounce spell).

[JDK]

I'd even go back to Dragonstorm/Swath before I'd swap out Ascension for Epic Experiment.

[HorseshoeCrab]

I wouldn't dismiss Experiment so easily. Try it before dissing it, because it has made a world of change for me compared to the older Pyromancer's lists.

[Anusien]

I think I like Experiment because it increases the range of keepable hands. The deck is half mana; I often find myself with a hand full of mana and just want to find a win. Grapeshot/Swath take two cards to win (as does double Grapeshot). It is nice to just be able to find the single Experiment.

[JDK]

I think I like Experiment because it increases the range of keepable hands. The deck is half mana; I often find myself with a hand full of mana and just want to find a win. Grapeshot/Swath take two cards to win (as does double Grapeshot). It is nice to just be able to find the single Experiment.

It's not that easy. You also have to consider fizzling rates, which are significantly higher with Epic Experiment.

[Anusien]

It's not that easy. You also have to consider fizzling rates, which are significantly higher with Epic Experiment.
Sure. But many of the hands that can produce an Experiment for 6-7 (and can fizzle very easily) may not have been able to go off at all with just Ascension/Past in Flames.

[JDK]

Sure. But many of the hands that can produce an Experiment for 6-7 (and can fizzle very easily) may not have been able to go off at all with just Ascension/Past in Flames.

So you give up an almost sure victory to go off slightly more easily but with a significantly lower percentage of actually winning? Doesn't sound very convincing.

[Anusien]

There are some hands that would win with Ascension that don't win with Epic Experiment. (Although I can't come up with any examples off the top of my head). There are some hands that would win with Epic Experiment that don't win with Ascension.

There is hate that Ascension beats that Epic Experiment doesn't, and there is hate that Epic Experiment beats that Ascension doesn't.

The answer to "Is Ascension or Experiment better" rests in figuring out which case in each of those scenarios is more likely.

[PunkRocker1134]

I've been playing around with running ascension and experiment without electromancer to interesting results, at least in goldfishing. Copying an experiment for 6 with ascension is just an awesome feeling, and I don't think I've fizzled after doing that. It does feel wrong to cut electromancer, but we do go back to blanking creature removal this way. Just food for thought.

[JDK]

The answer to "Is Ascension or Experiment better" rests in figuring out which case in each of those scenarios is more likely.
Again, you have to take the likelihood to fizzle into consideration. If you can "go off" with Epic Experiment, chances of you fizzling are much higher than when you do with an ordinary build.

[marax]

I have been goldfishing quite a bit with the GP Chicago Experiment list as well as the older Ascension lists. While Epic Experiment can fizzle this happened only very rarely while testing. On the other hand you gain a lot of benefits in comparision to the ascension lists.

The experiment lists are more explosive and they are hosed less by graveyard hate. While Crypt effects still hurt because they can shut off Past in Flames those are your only 3 cards caring about the yard, so Post board your game plan is much improved. The increased speed is a huge asset in combo mirror matches and against the blistering fast aggro decks in the format. While Ascension gives a great end game you actually have to get there as well. Deathrite Shaman and Abrupt Decay was a huge problem for me that the older UR Storm Lists never had to face. Many decks also board Rest in Peace which blanks both PiF as well as Ascension. More importantly there is lack of a good fourth draw spell for Ascension. Faithless Looting is the best for drawing your whole library while in the combo but is really mediocre as a set up spell because of the card disadvantage especially against decks with discard. Burning inquiry also puts up your sucess to chance (random discard) while costing quite a few manas at the same time. The Experiment list can actually use peer through depths as a very powerful search card because it can find 6 buisness spells in those lists as well as answer cards post board.

While Ascension is a more powerful card compared directly with Epic Experiment the current meta game and the card choices that follow your pick of engine favor Experiment so much, that the chancy nature of the spell are more than compensated. Furthermore Experiment gains a lot more from Goblin Electromancer than Ascension does. In Ascension Electromancer actually frequently is a love-hate card. Obv insane with both Past in Flames and Experiment but a brick when you are looking for spells to copy with Ascension right after you had to spend most or all ressources to get two counters onto it the goblin is a much stronger card in the Experiment deck than in the Ascension deck.

[Anusien]

The Dreadship Reef is garbage. Unsure if it should be the 17th land or Peer through Depths #3. My inclination is Peer #3 since multiple people have thought this exact manabase was fine. (As a sidenote, I want to replace an Island with something else since drawing two Islands is really bad, but I'm resisting the urge and just learning to play better).

The Lightning Bolts in the sideboard are pretty awful. Any place you bring them in, you have to bring in Echoing Truth too just in case they bring in Rule of Law. I've replaced them with Pyroclasm because Pod can be a nightmare matchup. Also, the Tormod's Crypts seem bad, I can't imagine bringing them in, but I'm not sure what other cards I want in the sideboard besides just more Gigadrowses.

[joemauer]

I have been testing this deck. It is a bunch of fun. I enjoy how it is fast enough to race most decks in the format.

I did notice this deck does have trouble combating discard. I may just be spoiled by storm in Legacy that can fight through discard with ease. The deck can't go off quick enough to avoid the first turn IoK or thoughtseize that can cripple my hand. When first turn discard is backed up with surgical or liliana then the game can be a complete blowout. Is there a better sideboard card we could have to help combat this problem?

[Anusien]

I haven't found discard to be a huge problem. Against heavy discard (Blightning or Liliana), I am boarding into Empty the Warrens because it requires less gas to go off. You may find that useful.

[joemauer]

I haven't found discard to be a huge problem. Against heavy discard (Blightning or Liliana), I am boarding into Empty the Warrens because it requires less gas to go off. You may find that useful.

I have been boarding in EtW as well. It sometimes gets there. Other times gets stripped by Thoughtseize then removed from the game with Surgical Extraction. Perhaps the games I tested, my opponents got lucky or had more discard then normal.

[Anusien]

If they have more discard than normal, they're not putting a clock on you and you'll just eventually get them with Past in Flames.