Ruby Storm

My sideboard starts with a pif just because I always want access to it and that makes 8 effective copies between gamble, burning wish, and the 3 others.
If I have a lot for the match up I will usually go down to 2 pif.

Went 2-2 at my lgs today, beating D&T and Maverick, losing to UR Delver and Czech Pile. Hate bear match ups feel a lot better with 3 sulfur elemental in the side.

UR Delver came down to a bad reforge the soul and a bad gamble, variance happens. I've played the match up a lot and I am otherwise confident in it.

It felt like 4 color control was strong against the deck. It has a lot of answers early enough that even a fast blood moon isn't sufficient. Has any one else has luck with the match up?

I have been inspired to make room for guttersnipes in the main to mitigate the BUG/4c control match up. The incremental value seems worth it ultimately. I just wish that it didn't open up creature removal which is dead for my opp. otherwise.

4 color control is a pretty tough matchup. the grids certainly help, although if you're on vieko's plan...it's possible that running 4 guttersnipe and 2 scab-clan can overwhelm them if you're not so focused on all in combo.

whenever i won these matches i've usually won my first game with goblins to start.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mistercakes

http://www.moxelder.com/2017/09/introducing-ruby-storm/

Small little interview and it also has vieko and my latest lists.

Interviewer asked for comments if possible.

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Well done!

Would you say 4 LED is standard now?

I think the LED's have too many situations where they provide more outs than other cards in the same situations. They're not 100% necessary, but after playing some matches I'm convinced it's correct to play with them.

Do you think it's possible to build a version that does not use a Wishboard, but has a transformative sideboard into a different plan of attack? For example, side out a storm package and side in a ... maybe ... stompy package? I'm trying to think of ways I can win more post-sideboard games, especially against sphere effects and counterspell / spot-removal heavy matchups.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AceOfJacks

Do you think it's possible to build a version that does not use a Wishboard, but has a transformative sideboard into a different plan of attack? For example, side out a storm package and side in a ... maybe ... stompy package? I'm trying to think of ways I can win more post-sideboard games, especially against sphere effects and counterspell / spot-removal heavy matchups.

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As far as keeping the wish package, I have the sb guttersnipes to help me through grindy match ups. Especially if opp. brings storm/grave hate and boards out spot removal. You might be able to get rid of the wish board but I often find myself wishing for past in flames so having 7 copies of that main is really helpful.

If you do cut the wish package, well the 4th past in flames and 4th reforge the soul come in. The other two flex slots could be your other win con (grapeshot/tendrils) and huf if you're not playing it.

As far as transformative boards go, mono-r sneak attack could be more reasonable. Their lists seem to run 15 creatures (4 simian spirit guides), so, 4 sneak attack and 11 fatties is a 15 card sb.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AceOfJacks

Do you think it's possible to build a version that does not use a Wishboard, but has a transformative sideboard into a different plan of attack? For example, side out a storm package and side in a ... maybe ... stompy package? I'm trying to think of ways I can win more post-sideboard games, especially against sphere effects and counterspell / spot-removal heavy matchups.

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VS spot discard, you may want to have a look at card advantage engines. Especially Sin Prodder and Bottled Cloister.

VS anti-storm cards, you may want to have a look at mana efficient beaters / alternative win cons. Especially Goblin Rabblemaster and Thunderbreak Regent, but possibly also Chandra and Inferno Titan. Another option is to destroy their hate cards with e.g. Fiery Confluence or Sulfur Elemental.

VS spot creature removal, why would you SB anything in the first place? Sounds like a favourable MU. But if you are worried about Abrupt Decay hitting the rocks, have a look at cmc4 Chandra.

VS counterspells, you have Defense Grid, red blasts, Ricochet Trap as viable options. If you want to go super heavy and narrow on blue hate, Vexing Shusher and Jaya Ballard.

i think we need to identify the reason why you would want to do this.

i think i'm around 50% vs the 4c control deck, which is one of those removal+counter heavy decks. i have a higher win % vs miracles. grixis delver is slightly worse as they can have an earlier threat. i feel like the wishboard is one of the best reasons to play this deck. a deck with 7 past in flames is really one of the reasons why i enjoy playing this deck so much.

can you explain your reasons for wanting to eschew the wish board? because we're in red, i think this limits the amount of good transformative sbs. i ran chandra torch of defiance for a while, and it still lets you combo and provides a threat vs control, but in the long-term it just wasn't consistent enough. (i rarely got to ult and it just sat around for a few turns). not playing wishes means you have to take up slots with your win conditions, which just means playing more grapeshots maindeck. i'm not sure this is a good answer. feel free to test it. LED becomes a lot worse as well if no wishes, so that does give you some more flex spots. maybe go back to hazoret's or something.

I do not own LEDs, and my version runs HUF but no Reforge. I got hosed too many games where Reforge gave my opponents more answers then I hit gas.

I'm going to try a sideboard of 4x Leyline and 11x creatures tonight. As a result, I am at 16 lands (12 mountain, 4 tomb; gave myself an extra land so I can cast dudes a little better after sideboarding) and 0 Wishes tonight. Looks strange on paper, but it allows me to run 11x transformative sideboard, and 4x Leyline for turn 1 Reanimator matchups. People in my store lucksack like a bitch, having turn 1 Unmask/Thoughtseize and turn 1 Entomb, turn 2 Exhume/Reanimate, so I unfortunately NEEEEEEEED Leylines against them. It sucks devoting so space to Reanimator, but it is still popular at my LGS.

Basically the list is an attempt to ignore the usual grave hate + thorn effects post sideboard, but still stick close to the original gameplan for game 1. This way people sideboard in their surgicals, flusterstorms, rest in peace, thorns, and side out creature removal effects, and I invalidate their sideboard plans by bringing in beaters. You can still get hit by a pyroclasm effect, but maybe it's worth it to get 2 beaters hit by a pyroclasm and then cast Empty on the next turn.

Maindeck:
4 Ancient Tomb
12 Mountain
4 Lotus Petal
2 Simian Spirit Guide

4 Ruby Medallion
4 Gitaxian Probe

4 Rite of Flame
4 Manamorphose
4 Desperate Ritual
4 Seething Song

4 Act on Impulse
2 Hazoret's Undying Fury
2 Gamble
3 Past in Flames
2 Empty the Warrens
1 Tendrils of Agony

Sideboard:
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Stormbreath Dragon
1 Hazoret the Fervent
3 Scab-Clan Berserker
3 Sin Prodder
3 Sulfur Elemental

Side out the entire storm package (minus empty, since we can turn 1 empty anyway): tendrils, pif, gamble, aoi, and an 11th card, possibly 1x manamorphose
Side in: 11 creatures. Scab clan for incremental damage, sin prodder for unblockability plus card draw, sulfur elemental for anti thalia and wingmare, stormbreath because it flies past flickerwisp and serra avenger, hazoret because it's great to empty your hand from rituals to cast it, and it turns your future draws into damage while still attacking.
Edit: Also, you can hit every one of these sideboard cards with HuF. I originally thought Godo, Batterskull, Inferno Titan, but they can fail from a HuF. Batterskull is extra bad because they can Abrupt Decay the token (they will keep in Decay for Ruby Medallions) or K. Command the Batterskull (again keep in for Ruby Medallion) and then we wasted all that for nothing. Also, I also thought of Chandra and Koth, but I think cheaper creatures are better, as you tend to blank Flusterstorm, Spell Pierce, etc.

This is probably a horrible idea, and I will probably go 0-3, but I'm going to try it anyway. I have no life, and I have nobody who is willing to playtest against Storm, so I have to spend money at LGS weeklies to try out my stupid bad horrible ideas. If you have any last minute suggestions, I'm all ears.

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Originally Posted by AceOfJacks

This is probably a horrible idea, and I will probably go 0-3, but I'm going to try it anyway. I have no life, and I have nobody who is willing to playtest against Storm, so I have to spend money at LGS weeklies to try out my stupid bad horrible ideas. If you have any last minute suggestions, I'm all ears.

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Terrible suggestion: Helm of Obedience. It's terrible because you need BB (from Manamorphose) for Leyline of the Void. The good thing is, nobody is going to sb in Pithing Needle against us in G2. Against Kola command, you have the priority after Helm resolves to activate the Helm. Neither of the pieces gets hit by Abrupt Decay.

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Originally Posted by Karhumies

Terrible suggestion: Helm of Obedience. It's terrible because you need BB (from Manamorphose) for Leyline of the Void. The good thing is, nobody is going to sb in Pithing Needle against us in G2. Against Kola command, you have the priority after Helm resolves to activate the Helm. Neither of the pieces gets hit by Abrupt Decay.

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I actually LIKE this suggestion, but I got rid of my Helms a few months back. I will have to acquire them and test them next week, assuming I don't throw away all my cards after I crash and burn tonight.

Vieko and I tried this idea during the first week of the deck. We liked the idea of flipping some combination of these cards with hazoret's, but it wasn't very good. We also tried Belcher for similar reasons. Also not very good.

was going down to 3 PiF intentional? I would think taking out the 4 wish would mean this would go up to 4, no?

R1 Deadguy, lost to 2x Stoneforge, BSkull, SoFI.
R2 Esper Stoneblade, lost to 2x Stoneforge, SoFI, SoFF, BSkull.
R3 bye.
R4 DnT, lost to 2x Stoneforge, Bskull, SoFI.

Well, did as expected. Bright aide, at least I'm not pregnant.

that's very strange. what other cards were involved? this deck should not be losing to stoneforge mystic.

on a side note, i will write up a 75 for you to play if you don't have LED's. I can't get behind you dropping the wish plan. Would wish for "By Force" have stopped this stuff? I'm not really clear on why you can't just ignore SFM and kill them directly.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mistercakes

that's very strange. what other cards were involved? this deck should not be losing to stoneforge mystic.

on a side note, i will write up a 75 for you to play if you don't have LED's. I can't get behind you dropping the wish plan. Would wish for "By Force" have stopped this stuff? I'm not really clear on why you can't just ignore SFM and kill them directly.

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^^^^^^ this! also: a few pages back, I suggested a LED-less version with Gutersnipes that has worked well for me in the past. Keep at it everyone :) This is a fun deck to play but be prepared to lose a little before you get the rhythms down and start crushing people.

Screwing around with this after my buddy told me about this the other day and decided to put something together.
Imo this plays a lot like TES with more reliance on past in flames. Could most likely move over to a r/b shell for the other tutor.


Main

Land
3x Ancient Tomb
2x City of Traitors
4x Mountain

Draw
4x Act on Impulse
2x Faithless Looting
4x Manamorphose
4x Gitaxian Probe
1x Past in Flames
2x Hazoret's Undying Fury

Tutor
4x Burning Wish

Fast Mana
2x Chrome Mox
4x Lion's Eye Diamond
4x Lotus Petal
4x Desperate Ritual
4x Seething Song
4x Rite of Flame

Payoff
1x Empty the Warrens

Protection
2x Pyroblast
2x Red Elemental Blast

Miscellanious
3x Ruby Medallion

Sideboard

Wish Package
1x By Force
1x Cave-In
1x Empty the Warrens
1x Grapeshot
1x Hazoret's Undying Fury
1x Meltdown
1x Past in Flames
1x Reforge the Soul
1x Telemin Performance
1x Tendrils of Agony

Specific Matchup Sideboard Cards
3x Defense Grid
2x Rending Volley

Basically every HUF I casted tonight whiffed (3 lands and a mana spell) and every time I casted Empty for 8-14 Goblins, I was met by a 6/6 pro red lifelink creature. And I marked the cards that were replaced by Burjing Wishes with a sharipe in the corner (on the sleeve) to see if it would have been a Wish I drew instead. Didn't see a single Burning Wish all night.

I guess it's back to Dragon Stompy for me next week.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AceOfJacks

Basically every HUF I casted tonight whiffed (3 lands and a mana spell) and every time I casted Empty for 8-14 Goblins, I was met by a 6/6 pro red lifelink creature. And I marked the cards that were replaced by Burjing Wishes with a sharipe in the corner (on the sleeve) to see if it would have been a Wish I drew instead. Didn't see a single Burning Wish all night.

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Are you waiting til you get a ridiculous amount of mana before casting huf's? I haven't had an instance so far where I was going off (t2-3) that the 3-5 mana spent on huf was too big of a deal.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cyborg

Are you waiting til you get a ridiculous amount of mana before casting huf's? I haven't had an instance so far where I was going off (t2-3) that the 3-5 mana spent on huf was too big of a deal.

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Rd1 G1 Turn1, HUF hit 3 lands and a Lotus Petal. Never recovered.

Rd2 didn't see a HUF.

Rd3 G2 Turn2, HUF hit 3 lands and a ritual. Never recovered.