[Deck] Purple Rain

[Rabbi Dan]

Browsing through MWS I stumbled upon Wee Dragonauts.

Name: Wee Dragonauts
Cost: :1::u::r:
Card Type: Creature - Faerie Wizard
P/T: 1/3
Rules Text (Oracle): Flying
Whenever you play an instant or sorcery spell, Wee Dragonauts gets +2/+0 until end of turn.

Searching the forum I see a few mentions of people using Wee Dragonauts in various builds, but I didn't see it in conjunction with EtW. With both of them, you want to cast as many spells on the same turn as possible. So I threw together a list, tweaked it after a few games, and this is what I ended up with.


Purple Rain

// Lands
4 [R] Volcanic Island
4 [ON] Flooded Strand
7 [IA] Mountain (3)
5 [IN] Island (4)

// Creatures
4 [GP] Wee Dragonauts

// Spells
4 [CST] Brainstorm
4 [TSP] Empty the Warrens
4 [CS] Rite of Flame
4 [9E] Pyroclasm
4 [BD] Lightning Bolt
4 [TE] Lotus Petal
4 [LG] Chain Lightning
4 [AP] Fire/Ice
4 [FD] Serum Visions

// Sideboard
SB: 4 [SC] Stifle
SB: 3 [GP] Shattering Spree
SB: 4 [DK] Tormod's Crypt
SB: 4 [MR] Chalice of the Void


Basically, you want to cantrip turn 1, pyroclasm away goblins/confidants/weenies/etc. turn 2, drop a Wee Dragonauts turn 3, then cast a lot of burn at your opponent or a 3-5 point EtW turn 4.

It has a lot of problems with the combo matchups, as the sideboard shows, and I haven't done a lot of testing, mainly due to the lack of decent playtest partners. The lack of counterspells is the bigest drawback to the deck that I've seen, but I found that with FoW/Daze in place of burn, the deck became a really bad Aggro-Control deck, and I couldn't find room anywhere else.

Thanks for any suggestions/ideas/comments/flames/etc.!

[zulander]

I remember a friend with a similar deck, but he didn't play ETW. He also splased green for berserk usually winning on turn 3-4.

4 Brainstorm
4 Serum Visions
4 Sleight of Hand

These 12 are auto-includes imho. (I see you have serum/brainstorm but sleight is great.)

Also, do you want ETW as your main win con or wee? I also don't like mainboard pyroclams because if wee is your main win con who cares if they have 3-4 goblins in play, you should be winning next turn anyways.

[Rabbi Dan]

I remember a friend with a similar deck, but he didn't play ETW. He also splased green for berserk usually winning on turn 3-4.

4 Brainstorm
4 Serum Visions
4 Sleight of Hand

These 12 are auto-includes imho. (I see you have serum/brainstorm but sleight is great.)

Also, do you want ETW as your main win con or wee? I also don't like mainboard pyroclams because if wee is your main win con who cares if they have 3-4 goblins in play, you should be winning next turn anyways.

Sleight of Hand is a good idea. It would have to take Fire//Ice's place though, and I'm really torn to which I'd rather have. Fire//Ice is great utility, and I don't ever seem to be short of cantrips running eight of them. I'll definitely test this change though.


I really want to have the option to win with Wee OR EtW. I don't think this is stretching my deck too thin since the cards in the rest of the deck are useful with either, and mostly useful on their own. I think Pyroclasm is necessary to prevent faster EtW decks, and goblins can outrace me without it. I could be wrong though, and if you still think I am then please say so!

[Goaswerfraiejen]

The biggest thing that jumps out at me in this decklist is a huge vulnerability to removal which, as we all know, runs rampant in Legacy. Does EtW offset that? I'm not convinced. How high is your typical storm count?

EDIT: I just want to be clear on one thing: I love the idea of making this much more combo-oriented, I'm just wondering how efficacious EtW is currently proving (that is to say, does the deck's infrastructure support it properly at the moment?).

[zulander]

Looks like his storm is going to average aroun 3 which is OK I guess, but it just seems kind of clunky. Also, try -4 pyroclasm + 4 sleight of hand. Agains other etw decks you have your own etw to offset and fire/ice to help out as well. Against goblins your wee flies so going off seems like the better play than worrying about them attacking with 3 guys next turn.

[Rabbi Dan]

The biggest thing that jumps out at me in this decklist is a huge vulnerability to removal which, as we all know, runs rampant in Legacy. Does EtW offset that? I'm not convinced. How high is your typical storm count?
Yeah, Wee Dragonauts is vulnerable to Bolts and StoP, but he survives Pyroclasm. EtW dies to Pyroclasm, but is resilient to Bolts and StoP. This was one of the things I thought about when making this, but I'm not convinced either ;). Typical EtW is for 6-8, but I've done it for 4 when I needed to to win.

[raharu]

If you want to win with dragonauts, you should run psychotic fury. That's the rule. I belive chain lightning should be incinerate. no chance that it comes back at you 'nauts. Main edek pyroclasam should be a 2-3 of, not 4. Have you looked at mystical tutor? The Wee Dragonauts look disjointed in this deck. I have a friend that runs R/U/G Wee dragonaut stompy with Korosan Beast, Nimble Mongoose, Berserk, Worldly Tutor, Qurion dryads main. It kills no later that turn 7 ever. Average goldfish turn 4. I can get you a decklist for it, if you want to see how he builds around the dragonauts (ignore the green, it's for beats and consistency). Other that that, i like the idea, and the win-cons support each other nicely, if a little strangely. The support structures for each are conflicting, but I am confident that you can make them fit together. Outside of that, good luck!

[scrumdogg]

4x Pyroclasm is a fantastic idea, as it essentially lets him Pyroclasm before he casts his own win-cons. And Pyroclasm hits a lot of matchups from opposing ETWs (which should either come down earlier or for more tokens...or both...than this deck) to Goblins to BW decks etc etc. Quite frankly, Stifle would be a much better addition maindeck than Sleight, given the current environment. I agree that Chain Lightning could be better served as something else, either Incinerate, Magma Jet, or even Rift Bolt, given that you want to maximize number of instants/spells in turn.


Oh, and this deck has 8 ways to cast Turn 1 Pyroclasm, if necessary, which is fine for emergencies.

[Mulletus]

I am an advocate of this deck and Prince. When you win with the Wee Carmen Electras, you have to say "So this is what it sound like, when doves cry..... "

[Rabbi Dan]

The problem with cards like Berserk and Psychotic Fury is that they can be dead cards. They'll create a few super kills that wouldn't happen otherwise, but nothing in my deck list is ever dead, and I'd prefer to keep it that way.

Funny thing about Chain Lightning, I was going for the kill with what would be a lethal lightning bolt + chain lightning + dragonaut swing against a belcher that fizzled leaving me at 2 life, and got it shot back at me. It could have just as easily been my dragonaut, so I'm definitely going to agree that chain lightning should go. (This could have been prevented without such a poor play, but it would have been a dead card regardless).

The problem is there's no great replacement. Rift Bolt isn't as good since I want to cast spells on my turn 4, and I won't have the mana to set it up on turn 3 when I hopefully drop a dragonaut. Lava Spike is an option I'm considering, since with pyroclasm and lightning bolt (Edit: and Fire//Ice) I probably have enough damage to eat creatures, and I don't remember a time when I've used chain lightning to hit a creature. The :r: casting cost is important since usually I'll have at most 5-6 mana on turn four with Rite and Petal, and I'll be planning on using 1-2 of that for preferrably two spells and EtW. This is all idealizing, but with 2 possible turns of cantrips, it seems to happen a fair amount. I consider Magma Jet as the other best option, although the :1::r: casting cost is steep on EtW turns.

I'll do some playtesting later and try to find the best alternative.

[zulander]

Lava Spike seems perfect for turns you're about to go off. For :r: you get 2 spells and likely kill an opposing creature.

[raharu]

You should kill them or leave them close to dead when you go off. That is why I say you should use psychotic fury. At any rate, EtW wants to kill them over a few turns. Wee Dragonauts certainty does not. It wants to kill turn four without having to need back up, but when it does, that is when EtW comes into play. Psychotic Fury is never dead because it lets dragonauts kill anything and live through much more combat, and it draws you a card. Much more versatility than you realize from the first cursory look.

And lava dart should be in here too. It looks janky, but it's pretty much insane. That second manaless spell is golden, whichever win-con you are casting.

[outsideangel]

Going with a more traditional aggro-control package including Force of Will and Daze would improve your combo matchup considerably.

[raharu]

Yes, daze and force should be four of's in the deck

[Rabbi Dan]

Turn four is too slow to aim for a win without disruption other than creature removal, and chalice at 1 wrecks this deck. With disruption in the form of Daze/FoW there's no point in playing this over other Aggro Control. I no longer think this deck is playable.

Edit for bold and clarity.

[raharu]

I hate to say it, but G/B/R dragonaut stompy just looks better. It combos off turn 4 and can still beat you face in with a 8/8 dryad and berserked korosan beast... Sorry buddy, you might want to look at it (but I don't think my buddy's list is on the source... I'll look)

[outsideangel]

I hate to say it, but G/B/R dragonaut stompy just looks better. It combos off turn 4 and can still beat you face in with a 8/8 dryad and berserked korosan beast... Sorry buddy, you might want to look at it (but I don't think my buddy's list is on the source... I'll look)

How doe you play Dragonauts without blue? Is it G/U/R or G/B/R/U?

[raharu]

Damnit typo. It's U/G/R and it owns. Not on the source yet I don't think. I'll ask my buddy, but he wants it to be tech I think. Not sure.