Big Red (Mono-R Sneak Attack)

[Barbed Blightning]

BIG RED

1. What is it?

Big Red is a mono-red sneak attack deck focused around mana-ramp, bomb-enablers and elements of a stompy deck. Where Big Red lacks the counterspells and flexibility of cards like Intuition and Show & Tell found in its cousins, it makes up for with the resilience of its manabase, the speed at which it can churn out a win and the one-sided-ness of its enablers.

2. Core Cards & Decklist

The List:


7 Mountain
2 Karakas
4 Sandstone Needle
4 Ancient Tomb
3 City of Traitors

1 Lotus Petal
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Seething Song

4 Sneak Attack
3 Through the Breach
3 Pyromancy

4 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
4 Blightsteel Colossus
2 Griselbrand
1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre

4 Inferno Titan
1 Reforge the Soul

4 Chalice of the Void
1 Blood Moon

Sideboard:

1 Through the Breach
1 Pyromancy
1 Pulverize
3 Defense Grid
3 Chaos Warp
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Faerie Macabre



Sneak Attack: is, as seen in SneakShow, a very efficient means of hurling huge monsters at your opponent.

Through the Breach: same as above, but it's splice ability can also be relevant, as you can also splice it onto another Through the Breach.

Pyromancy: turns your titantic creatures into direct damage, to either finish off an opponent when a breach has been used, a Sneak Attack disabled, or combat inhibited (Peacekeeper, Ensnaring Bridge).

Reforge the Soul: either as a Miracle or hardcast, RtS provides Big Red som mid-to-late game gas to finish off an opponent left at 5, or even as a means of disrupting an opponent's hand. It's flexibility and power warrant at least one slot.

Ramp (Sandstone Needle, Seething Song, Shimian Spirit Guide): All get around Chalice 0-2. Spirit Guide (and Petal, which serves as the "fifth copy") help create explosive starts with the Sol lands (City and Tomb), or help mountain hands get a Chalice @ 1 out.



Stompy: Chalice is almost always set at 1, so Mr. Blightsteel can do his thing through a Swords to Plowshares. Chalice also provides the fringe benefit of making the deck's Storm matchup better. Trinisphere and Blood Moon are other obvious choices, and can be added/subtracted/rearranged to suit the metagame.

Karakas: It hates naturally against other S&T decks, but also takes out Gaddock Teeg/Thalia long enough to break into a win. Karakas also allows us to save a creature before they're sacrificed to the delayed trigger of Sneak Attack and Through the Breach

"Titans": While there are multiple possible "bombs" to sneak into play, those who made this list have a reason behind them.

-Blightsteel gives an automatic kill if he connects, and Emrakul provides his suite of pluses.

-Griselbrand similarly offers raw card advantage which, without cantrips, the deck needs.

-Inferno Titan is hard cast, usually as a deterrent against tribal and weenie decks like Goblins, Death & Taxes and Maverick.

-Ulamog is the awkward child of the lot, but his cost actually makes him castable in the deck, and he can blow up a Humility or other problematic permanent on his way in.

In fact, aside from Griselbrand, each creature in Big Red can be cast of rituals and the ramp lands, making it more sustainable into the long game, even after its enablers are gone.


Sideboard

Leyline/Faerie Macabre: Though six hate pieces seems excessive, Iona, Shield of Emeria is the bane of this deck. Six yard hate pieces also makes the dredge matchup stellar.

Defense Grid: brought in against blue decks, it makes counterspells essentially impossible against you, and provides decent insurance against an inconvenient Terminus.

Chaos Warp: Acts a pseudo-vindicate, and can be used to "save" your Titan from exile (and has the potential to bring in another huge creature).

Pulverize: Used in random matchups, such as MUD or Affinity.

The extra Pyromancy and Through the Breach come in against control decks (where uncounterable threats are needed) and aggro decks (where more enablers are required) respectively.

3. & 4. Matchups/Tournaments Results

To be added at a later date


Thanks for reading!