Quote Originally Posted by NathanS2k View Post
Going to Seattle. My SB looks like this:

1x Duergar hedge-mage
1x Ethersworn canonist
1x Spellskite
1x Koth of the Hammer
1x Enlightened tutor
1x Cop: red
1x Ensnaring Bridge
1x Trinisphere
1x Thorn of amethyst
1x Rest in Peace
1x Tormod's crypt
4x Firebolt

Everything as a one-of, except for the firebolts. Any comments or suggestions are welcomed.
So, I have an opinion on Firebolt that some people may disagree with, and that's fine. I get that it has flashback, which is a nice touch. But in a situation where you're flashing it back for five mana (assuming it doesn't get eaten by Deathrite Shaman first), I really think you should be in position to try to win the game or lock an opponent out. Moon effects can slow the deck some inadvertently when Sol-lands are only tapping for a single red. I just see more overall usefulness in Forked Bolt against the decks where Firebolt has applicability - in the current meta. You're still getting the two-for-one early on without having to expend five mana mid game on a Shock.

The goal of these cards should be to slow the opponent down early enough so you can stabilize and combo out, and most aggressive builds right now in Legacy use the first two to three turns to establish board presence. Forked Bolt just seems so much better in the first few turns where the game is in its most critical stages. At EE3, I was wishing I had Forked Bolt over Lightning Bolt a majority of the time, because in the times where a planeswalker like Liliana is ticked down to sacrifice a creature, I can always finish her off with Forked Bolt just as well. Jace dies to Blast effects, so I wasn't even worried about that. There weren't any three-toughness creatures I could locate where Bolt would have mattered - the vast majority were stuck at one or two toughness, having me clamoring for the two for one early on - punishing shaky keeps.

Infect was another match-up that, although I won, Forked Bolt would have shined against. Noble Hierarch is a card that is deceivingly seeing more play. Being able to wipe that out in addition to other mana creatures like Elves and the like not only gives you inherent card advantage without the extra investment, but also keeps opponents pinned under Blood Moon early on. I get that both have their own distinct utility, it's just that the decks where I'd bring Firebolt in against I would much rather have a turn one or two Forked Bolt to clear the board and leave available resources up to represent Blast, Top mana or the win in the mid game.