Ruby Storm

[vieko]

Well, theorizing is one thing; practical application is another. It may seem bad on the surface but instead may fill a very important role. I am thinking other combo decks are much weaker against chalice@1 (TES, ANT, even Sneak/Show can't cantrip/Spell Pierce/Flusterstorm.) They are definitely in the market for artifact hate that applies to other situations.

TL;DR - Mono-red plays a tricky game by using cost reducers (Medallion) and higher CMC spells. Other decks go with naturally efficient spells at 1 mana, making Chalice better against them.

I've ran Abrade. It is a versatile card to side-in G2/G3 as an instant response to artifact / creature hate. These + Wish targets in the SB, is a solid plan. It all depends on what you are more concerned about. For instance, can you afford your response to Canonist to be countered? If yes, then Abrade is for you... if not, then Rending Volley is better.

[Mr. Safety]

I don't see a lot of Canonist, but if I did I would be playing Rending Volley, for sure. I think Rending Volley, simply for it's efficiency and uncounterable clause, is better than Abrade. I might even go for multiple Pyroclasm in the board, because honestly, that card is very good in the current metagame I am playing in (Delver variants, Elves.)

I get the flexibility part of it, but I don't think (in my limited experience, admittedly) it addresses the core issues of the deck. The deck doesn't play library manipulation, so the deck's strength has to be based on redundancy for consistency. Every card that doesn't do anything to support the main plan takes away from the main plan. Hate cards are necessary, but having hate cards that also support the main plan are better. I think the Chandra inclusion is a great example of this: its necessary interaction that also supports the main plan (adds mana, 'draws' you cards, kills creatures, ultimate is a storm 4 = win.) It does everything you want it to, while supporting the main plan.

I must be sounding noobish, but I don't see Abrade as being that great for mono-red storm. If it were a sorcery, it would be better.

EDIT: I'm not using Defense Grid either, and that may be a factor. Defense Grid makes flexible cards better because you have to somehow jam Grid into the main/side as well, making space a premium. I am opting for 3-4 Pyroblast instead of Grid.

[mistercakes]

yep makes sense. just trying to figure out how the last few spots should work in the sb, and i might value some flexibility with a card over a single dimension card which may not get used at all depending on matchup.

it also can hit grafdiggers cage, which is worth mentioning.

[solnox]

I love Act on Impulse. It basically feels like an Ancestral Recall half the time and you can Flash back it for even more value

[jdmdave]

I got absolutely obliterated by someone playing this while on UR delver. I own almost everything except 2 ancient tombs, so I look forward to a more definitive list before buying in.

[hadhod]

Hi at all.

Yesterday i did a League in Lucca with this list:

// 60 Mazzo
// 12
12 Mountain

// 11 Artifact
4 Lotus Petal
4 Ruby Medallion
3 Defense Grid

// 4 Creature
4 Simian Spirit Guide

// 5 Instant
4 Seething Song
1 Commune with Lava

// 4 Land
4 Ancient Tomb

// 2 Planeswalker
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance

// 22 Sorcery
4 Burning Wish
2 Empty the Warrens
3 Hazoret's Undying Fury
2 Past in Flames
3 Reforge the Soul
4 Rite of Flame
4 Gitaxian Probe


// 15 Sideboard
// 4 Creature
SB: 2 Sulfur Elemental
SB: 2 Scab-Clan Berserker

// 4 Instant
SB: 2 Surgical Extraction
SB: 2 Lightning Bolt

// 7 Sorcery
SB: 1 Empty the Warrens
SB: 1 Grapeshot
SB: 1 Past in Flames
SB: 1 Reforge the Soul
SB: 1 Pyroclasm
SB: 1 By Force
SB: 1 Hazoret's Undying Fury



i go to a 4-1 and i take all the worst Mu that i don't want take xD

round1: Eldrazi 2-0

g1 lost the roll and do 60+ goblins (in a moment a stop to count them xD) at first
g2 he play thorn of ametyst at first, and i play 2 ruby, so i've a little burst at 5th with i won the game the next one.

round2: Stoneblade UW 2-0

g1 otd, tomb in Grid and combo off next turn
g2 is quite strange, because i try to storm at first only for force my opponent to play double flusterstorm and kill it 3-4 turns after playing around a cspell. Very very interesting and complex game

round3: turbo depth 1-2

g1 otd, he mulls to 5 and i win without pressure
g2 i lost from bayou + urborg + vampire hexmage + esg + crop after he mulls to 5 again
g3 i'm stomping but flizzing in an unreal mode: after 2 reforge, with like 20 cards more in deck, i don't see pif and bw for the victory, but also no Hazozet and no other Reforge!

round4: Tezzerator 2-0

g1 otp, tomb into grid -> wasteland -> no lands but petal + ssg + rites for etw for 12 goblins and kill him in 2 turns.
g2 he starts with land, mox diamond, chalice and i use bw for By Force, kill all and goes for 24 goblin in the same turn

round5: Grixis Delver 2-0

g1 otd, after a delver at first i respond with so much land drops (3-4) and he casts a lot of creatures. At 4th i try to go combo off thx also at Probe and found a hand with only 1 Daze.
g2 tomb grid, tomb grid, no mountain, and when i found it i go for lethal.

2 things: i like a lot the deck, seems very good. I found it's very powerfull otd (like all combo decks) and can be adjust for the meta you expect.
In an other way, Grid seems very powerfull for this deck! In a lot of games i don't side and win always thx to him. Also against Eldrazi in first round, i drew 2 of them, but i close always. So, for the mode i built it, i think the deck is solid and very flexible for the actualy meta, but grixis is always a problem. The last, ToA is an overkill: for me, if u want try to go for lethal, grapeshot is always good because u can go for 20+ storm if u want.

i found also this cards for the SB:


Aftershock
Fiery Confluence

[mistercakes]

That's great. Super interesting that you cut manamorphose.

[hadhod]

That's great. Super interesting that you cut manamorphose.

i prefer probe instead morphose, because i want know if i can go combo off or not xD

[Mr. Safety]

i prefer probe instead morphose, because i want know if i can go combo off or not xD

The list is tight, as we've found out, and it seems that you somehow manage to hit massive amounts of storm (and early!) Manamorphose allows for Tendrils in the board, but it looks like you didn't need it.

Did Commune with Lava justify its slot? I would think Act on Impulse would be better for pure efficiency's sake, but I can see how it could scale up really well (doing 4+ if you have an extra 6+ mana floating.)

[mistercakes]

i think it might be worth trying AoI over hazoret's in your build. it's been very effective for me, + normally probe is a much worse hit off of hazoret's than manamorphose.

for reference what my 75 looks like:
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/689113#paper

4 seething song
4 rite of flame
4 manamorphose
2 desperate ritual
2 simian spirit guide
4 lotus petal
4 ruby medallion
2 helm of awakening
4 burning wish
3 past in flames
3 reforge the wheel
4 act on impulse
3 Gitaxian Probe
2 Magma Jet
10 mountain
3 ancient tomb
2 city of traitors

SB:
4 Defense Grid
2 Scab-clan Berserker
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Reforge the Wheel
1 Past in Flames
1 Grapeshot
1 By force
2 Abrade
1 Cave-in
1 Empty the Warrens

i am still considering running 1 more empty in the sb instead of the 4th grid.

[Mr. Safety]

I was thinking about Magma Jet to sub instead of Inferno Titan main. I finally got Titan into play against Deadguy Ale in testing. It killed a Deathrite Shaman, dealt around 14 damage to my opponent...then they Liliana-ed him and I lost slowly over the next 5 turns lol. Magma Jet would have been much better at smoothing out draws, killing some stuff for interaction, and its even good during the combo turn by dealing damage or killing a hate card. This might be the Bolt I was looking for, lol. Maindeck this seems good, and it gives flexibility for sideboard while not being dead g1. I like it a lot. Old skool tech to the rescue.

I will immediately be switching to Magma Jet main, Titan side. I like it that much.

Probe is more and more becoming a liability. I think savvy play makes up for lack of information, and honestly, we have to just jam combos anyways. Manamorphose allows for Tendrils in the board, so I will be keeping those and working some sort of substitute for Probe (maybe this is where I can work in Act on Impulse.) Will still play 2x Probe for now, but the slippery slope has started. I think it will eventually get cut. Redundancy is the name of the game for this deck. An extra random draw 1 isn't going to make or break the deck. Manamorphose is a much bigger role-player for the deck and the other draw cards draw multiples (AoI, RtS.) If we can't control card quality we just need to draw a butt-load of cards, lol. Replaying AoI/RtS with Past in Flames is so much more powerful and reliable as well.

So for now:

-2 Inferno Titan
-2 Gitaxian Probe

+2 Magma Jet
+2 Act on Impulse

Sideboard
-1 Cave in
-1 Goblin War Strike
+2 Inferno Titan

[mistercakes]

i'm not sure if it should be 3 probe 2 jet or 3 jet 2 probe. obviously needs to test, when comboing it might be insane for finding wish/pif/putting lands on the bottom etc. all for just R if a rock is in play.

i would definitely run 2/3 but i'm a bit concerned with only 15 lands.

[Mr. Safety]

i'm not sure if it should be 3 probe 2 jet or 3 jet 2 probe. obviously needs to test, when comboing it might be insane for finding wish/pif/putting lands on the bottom etc. all for just R if a rock is in play.

i would definitely run 2/3 but i'm a bit concerned with only 15 lands.

I edited my post, lol. I run 16 lands and Magma Jet should help find lands, better than Probe. I am going to try 0 probes, 2 Magma Jet and work in Act on Impulse.

[mistercakes]

gl! the hardest part for me was always finding the minimum amount of lands to start. that's why i eventually caved in and am running some probes. i think if you can cast magma jet, you're already looking to get rid of lands.

[mistercakes]

I think we're reaching enough players where anyone who wants to join my slack (it's like discord but I've had it for longer) vieko and I talk regularly on there.

I also use it for work, so it's always open on my comp /phone.

If you're interested pm me your email.

[Mr. Safety]

gl! the hardest part for me was always finding the minimum amount of lands to start. that's why i eventually caved in and am running some probes. i think if you can cast magma jet, you're already looking to get rid of lands.

I get that. I think running 16 lands, with the option of Jet filtering through extras, is close to optimal for testing. If my hand is one mana short of going off, finding a land isn't a bad thing either. A full yard, 4 lands, and Past in Flames is not a bad situation either.

The danger with Magma Jet is: do you keep a land without Mountains and count on a Lotus Petal/SSG to fuel Magma Jet to get you there? It's risky business. I would say mulligan that hand. I think Jet falls into the same category as Probe really, it just does more. I have kept openers with double Probe/no lands, but even that is pretty edgy. However, if there is a window where you play Jet to set up your next turn it could be amazing.

[mistercakes]

I get that. I think running 16 lands, with the option of Jet filtering through extras, is close to optimal for testing. If my hand is one mana short of going off, finding a land isn't a bad thing either. A full yard, 4 lands, and Past in Flames is not a bad situation either.

The danger with Magma Jet is: do you keep a land without Mountains and count on a Lotus Petal/SSG to fuel Magma Jet to get you there? It's risky business. I would say mulligan that hand. I think Jet falls into the same category as Probe really, it just does more. I have kept openers with double Probe/no lands, but even that is pretty edgy. However, if there is a window where you play Jet to set up your next turn it could be amazing.

if i had a 1 land hand and it's just a mountain and no other mana source in hand, but had a magma jet...i'm likely to mulligan. same hand but with a probe instead, much more likely to keep.

[vieko]

if i had a 1 land hand and it's just a mountain and no other mana source in hand, but had a magma jet...i'm likely to mulligan. same hand but with a probe instead, much more likely to keep.

I second this motion.

[Mr. Safety]

if i had a 1 land hand and it's just a mountain and no other mana source in hand, but had a magma jet...i'm likely to mulligan. same hand but with a probe instead, much more likely to keep.

Agreed, more likely, but it could still be a disaster lol. Maybe Jet isn't efficient enough (looking to my own advice...) However, our 1-mana options for filtering are really limited.

Do we start looking to Chrome Mox instead of SSG?

[mistercakes]

Agreed, more likely, but it could still be a disaster lol. Maybe Jet isn't efficient enough (looking to my own advice...) However, our 1-mana options for filtering are really limited.

Do we start looking to Chrome Mox instead of SSG?

I tried Chrome Mox, and it's more about what's leftover in your hand. Mox is however better when flipping from AoI. I'm still pretty sure ssg is better.

Mox can still be good if you are casting AoI to find a land.

Maybe just try 1 and 1 for now and see when mox is better or worse. You never want multiple mox, but multiple ssg is fine.