Dies to Removal

Yeah Phoenix looks turd and Shortcutter is mega underrated.

Rabble master is good you say? SWEET

There's Boros midrange that Yarpus and Sasky are working on.

I think just Boros actually. Why?
- scrylands are very good (strict upgrade over guildgates)
- chained to the rocks is 1 mana terminate, which is great when you're trying to tempo someone out
- Boros charm out of the board vs. control? yes please

You lose Reckoner if you go Rakdos, and right now I think Reckoner is just an amazing sideboard card.

Anyone got a list? Haven't seen it.

Junk and GW midrange are relatively problematic in my experience. I honestly find everything else favourable. I've only faced one Master of the Waves deck (UB) and he played terribly.

[deck]AIR[/deck]

[deck=Devotion Red[/deck]
4 Ash Zealot
4 Boros Reckoner
4 Chandra's Phoenix
4 Fanatic of Mogis
4 Firedrinker Satyr
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Rakdos Shred-Freak

4 Lightning Strike
4 Magma Jet
2 Shock

21 Mountain
1 Mutavault
[/deck]

I usually only have the single vs. other aggro decks since:
- if you draw it early you can sculpt a game plan around it
- drawing two is death in such an aggressive matchup
- it's an overwhelming win-con going late; it's better than a 4th Chandra would be.

I have two vs. any midrange or control deck since it murks them.

Hammer is effectively game if they can't immediately answer it.

Yeah. If you focus on inevitability, than their gaining 10+ life doesn't matter; eventually your horde of angry 3/3s deals a million damage. They have exactly 0 CA effects, outside of their guys being big. Yay for that.

Yeah. Like if you run into it and get wrecked by their nutdraw, that doesn't say anything about your deck. You just have to shrug and move on.

Did my notes on GW make sense Fate?

We're not talking about GW Hexproof, which isn't a real deck.

My plan for green aggro decks is listed.

You just need to 1-for-1 aggressively and find a hammer or Chandra. Strategically it's very easy. Playing it out is much harder since all they need to do is turn sideways. You're the control deck, so it doesn't actually matter how much life they gain ~ once you're ahead you kill them super fast. Just aggressively trade down, this makes their enchants and Boon Satyr way worse (if they can't suit up a guy it just trades with everything).

After ~8 hours of play yesterday

[deck]PyroRed Sligh v1.3[/deck]
Creatures
4 Ash Zealot
4 Chandra's Phoenix
4 Firedrinker Satyr
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Young Pyromancer

Planeswalkers
3 Chandra, Pyromaster

Legendary Artifact
1 Hammer of Purphorous

Instants
4 Lightning Strike
4 Magma Jet
4 Shock

Sorceries
2 Flames of the Firebrand

Lands
20 Mountain
2 Mutavault

Sideboard
2 Act of Treason
4 Boros Reckoner
1 Hammer of Purphorous
3 Mizzium Mortars
1 Mutavault
4 Skullcrack
[/deck]

Went 3-1 and 4-0 in two events.

Notable Changes:
Maindeck: -1 Mutavault, +1 Mountain
While 19 + 3 is mathematically correct, and I think in a slightly slower meta optimal, that Rx seems to be ~40% of the online meta
means I want an even lower stumble rate (RR on 3 is very important in this deck). This hurts my control matchup very slightly, but that's already really good. The 20th red source also makes the new Boros Reckoners in my sideboard better.

Sideboard: -1 Act of Treason, -1 Barrage of the Expendables, -3 Burning Earth, -2 Flames of the Firebrand, -1 Mizzium Mortars; +4 Boros Reckoner, +4 Skullcrack
Huge changes here, as after some serious testing (I played 20 matches yesterday, for 15-5 inc. two punts, sigh) I really got to grips with what cards really matter. Basically, Burning Earth was underwhelming, mostly because even three colour decks are running 6-7 basics now and tapping out turn 4 or 5 to not affect the board isn't as strong then. Skullcrack is cheap enough that I can play a threat and keep mana up for it. It also plays better with Phoenix and Young Pyromancer. My aggro sideboard package gave way to the realisation that all you want in the mirror and against green decks is Boros Reckoner.
Everything that failed the 'would I rather just draw a Reckoner?' test went to make space.

Quick and nasty sideboard guide:

Revelation Control decks
Out: 4 Shock, 2 Flames of the Firebrand
IN: 1 Hammer of Purphorous, 1 Mutavault, 4 Skullcrack

Notes: taking out low impact burn is correct, but it weakens Phoenix and Young Pyromancer. I was finding the Burning Earth package a little underwhelming, especially with UW being more popular than Esper online. Skullcrack helps here, powering up your creatures and acting as a blowout against their best spell. Even the threat of it forces them to play differently.

Red or Green Aggro decks
OUT: 4 Firedrinker Satyr, 4 Rakdos Cackler
IN: 4 Boros Reckoner, 3 Mizzium Mortars, 1 Mutavault

Notes: as has been the hallmark of the clan for a whole, we've got the transformational sideboard package in place. Reckoner is just the best card against these decks, so we've got the full four. Mortars supplements
your strategy nicely with either spot removal early or a win-condition late. The Mutavault may seem like an odd choice, but I find that it's SO important to hit your land drops early; stumbling is frequently fatal. Manlands are often how you'll win after aggressively 1-for-1 trading with your opponent. Try to hold Young Pyromancer until you can pair it with a spell.

Vs. other decks is more of a play by ear approach. For example, you'll want Mortars and Act of Treason against Dega (for their Demons and Barons). Ill give more detailed advice when I can get another day of heavy testing in; you say see how much one day changed things!

I noticed some of you guys opted to drop the Firefist Striker from the pyrored version of the deck. It seems that the striker is the only real way to remove big blockers we can't burn, like smiter, frostburn weird etc, or at least one of the more reliable ways. My question is ........why? Is this a meta call? Do you find battalion too difficult to set up? Do you need more burn for pyromancer? I don't think the ability to effectively tap down a blocker against midrange should be overlooked

I'm mostly facing red mirrors and UW control and FFS is horrible there. If we start seeing base green decks again ill want him though.

Only Yarpus would be 1 week into the season and posting a "finished deck".

Don't ever change redbro.

Happy to make my redbros some moolah.

Its only fair after I made you all buy Chandras...

Nice work! Thanks for the write up.

I think most people just like my accent / music. The mtg is just a bonus.

Throw me a friend invite and be sure to watch my stream sir.

^ yeah I like Pyro more than Devotion for the same reason. Admittedly I routinely go to time with a red deck

Thanks for the notes JS and Sasky, glad the deck is performing for you. It's a treat to have a red deck that actually plays magic.

It's not *really* a mana sink but it's probably well positioned.

Yeah I like the technology. Broader application than Loyalist for what that deck needs.

I think my esper win rate is around 85%. That's games. Match is 100%. Deck is terrible.

"Young P-Money"

Bravo

I dunno, maybe. You want at least 1. You can do some very cool tricks with him, and he's got some powerful synergies. It's another CA engine anyway.

Needs Tymaret. He's insane with YP, generates a lot of CA by himself, makes your Acts out of the board way better etc.

I actually built the RB version first but I just couldn't get the right spell density.

@ Sasky.

Hey redbro. In the main there have been some lists running -1 Chandra, -1 Hammer, -2 Flames, +4 Firefist. This helps with devotion red and GW. So you could try that.

Otherwise you only need a single Loyalist, so add anotger card of your choosing to the board (eg: if your on Strikers maindeck, go with two Hammer in the board).

You could go to 2 Act and 2 Mortars for some Peak Eruption if you like that effect.

My only other thought is that if you're expecting a lot of Devotion Red, you'll want some sideboard technology for it specifically as the matchup is probably 45-55; everything else is 55-45 or way better (AIR and Esper are closer to 70-30).

I don't get Precinct Captain. They're fucking giving you a way to get full value from Shock. That's so dumb. Gerry Thompson is an idiot.

Do you even need Shock? You could have 4 Reckoner, 4 Weird/Phoenix and a 23rd land?

If probably go 4 Mogis, 1 Chandra so you can never draw 2. Great deck.

Shock is ALWAYS a meta call. It's a bad card unless its good haha.

The Mutavault comes in with his Burning Earth package.

I updated my sig on mtgs

Hey redbro.

I think Phoenix is better in the matchups where you can have problems (control); Rageblood will be better in matchups you're already good in; so depending on your expected opposition you can make an informed decision. Right now though, the metagame is esper and red aggro:
- Phoenix is better against esper
- devotion red with phoenix is hugely favoured against AIR and even to very slightly favoured against PyroRed
So I think the Phoenix version is better; but if card availability is a problem, play what you've got available. You've identified a very good choice!

10/10 from me. I think that's the best Devotion Red list I've seen.

Also, brad Nelson, I know you read these forums. See how he gave me credit for helping? That's how you don't scumbag someone.

Also what are people thinking on the Shock vs. Magma Jet? My thinking is in a 22 land deck it helps avoid flooding, and that with fewer turn 1 plays you have to kill from different decks, I like the Jet more. But I've heard a lot of commentary the other way. Thoughts?

If you're playing a variant that just wants to turn 4 or 5 someone, play Shock. If your deck plays a longer game, such that the cost of an extra 1 mana is not as pressing and so that you can actually start to see the benefit of scry 2; play magma jet.

I kinda think the winners deck was the best deck to run well with, since it has the most powerful interactions. But yeah, must be wicked nice to have no issue casting your spells.

JS also has a real manabase.

What sort of midrange deck? RG Ramp? Dega? Ill try to help.