[Primer] Boros Burn

[zemanjaski]

Mutavault is a key part of the deck, but I am sure that you will still find some success without them.

[zemanjaski]

I BEAT HEXPROOF.

[Purp]

Yay! Be honest, he got stuck on two lands didn't he

[zemanjaski]

No, he went for it with a huge attacker, I put four bodies infront and Boros Charmed for indestructible, casual 3-for-1.

[RedNihilist]

[zemanjaski]

OK, ok.

Still trying out heaps of different stuff (it's me, what do you expect):

[deck=Zemanjaski's Boros Burn as at 11:29pm on 14-March-14]
Creatures
4 Ash Zealot
4 Chandra's Phoenix

Enchantments
2 Chained to the Rocks

Instants
4 Boros Charm
4 Lightning Strike
4 Magma Jet
4 Searing Blood
3 Shock
4 Skullcrack
4 Warleader's Helix

Lands
3 Boros Guildgate
9 Mountain
3 Mutavault
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Temple of Triumph

Sideboard
2 Blind Obedience
2 Chained to the Rocks
4 Firedrinker Satyr
4 Satyr Firedancer
3 Viashino Firstblade
[/deck]

This isn't anything definitive, just want to try some stuff out.

[laranjaBR]

I think a third mutavault is really important. I tested the deck yesterday on my LGS. As I just have 2 mutavault, my manabase is

[deck]10 Mountain
03 Boros Guildgate
04 Temple of Triumph
04 Sacred Foundry
02 Mutavault[/deck]

And I NEVER, EVER drew one. The only time I've done that was in my opening seven, and I drew both with another 4 lands and a Shock

Here's my results (3-round tournament with 8 players):

Round one against a homebrewed Rw Aggro: I never drew BlOb, ou Helix or Spark Trooper and couldn't race them.

Round two was vs a Monoblue Devo: Again, get BlOb countered on 3rd turn, never drew Trooper or Helix and was stomped by 2 Masters of Waves

Round three against White Weenie: I felt I really was doing something wrong about sequencing or removal/dome burns ratio.
Since I lost to a inferior player and list.

Maybe I'm playing this deck like the Modern burn and keep suffering to the lack of consistency (when compared to modern, of course).

I was playing Zem's list from 14/03 and felt my meta is so aggro (just one Esper and one Bw midrange) that Trooper is maybe worth running main? What do you think? Maybe replacing a shock (since we want them on the aggro matchs anyway) and Warleader's Helix (putting me on the position for blowouts is worth the 2 life? )

[JohnnyfnB]

Zem I'm curious, what situation/s made you decide to retest SFD again?

[zemanjaski]

This isn't anything definitive, just want to try some stuff out.

Srsly.

[zemanjaski]

I think a third mutavault is really important. I tested the deck yesterday on my LGS. As I just have 2 mutavault, my manabase is

[deck]10 Mountain
03 Boros Guildgate
04 Temple of Triumph
04 Sacred Foundry
02 Mutavault[/deck]

And I NEVER, EVER drew one. The only time I've done that was in my opening seven, and I drew both with another 4 lands and a Shock

Here's my results (3-round tournament with 8 players):

Round one against a homebrewed Rw Aggro: I never drew BlOb, ou Helix or Spark Trooper and couldn't race them.

Round two was vs a Monoblue Devo: Again, get BlOb countered on 3rd turn, never drew Trooper or Helix and
was stomped by 2 Masters of Waves

Round three against White Weenie: I felt I really was doing something wrong about sequencing or removal/dome burns ratio. Since I lost to a inferior player and list.

Maybe I'm playing this deck like the Modern burn and keep suffering to the lack of consistency (when compared to modern, of course).

I was playing Zem's list from 14/03 and felt my meta is so aggro (just one Esper and one Bw midrange) that Trooper is maybe worth running main? What do you think? Maybe replacing a shock (since we want them on the aggro matchs anyway) and Warleader's Helix (putting me on the position for blowouts is worth the 2 life? )

You shouldn't be trying to play like Modern Burn at all; this is actually a Tempo deck.

[zemanjaski]

I actually had Reckoner back in my sideboard for a few hours (I have 20 sources that can cast it now) and every time I could I realised how fucking awful it is now.

[Jonnymagic]

This may be incredibly obvious to the rest of you -- but maybe not so I figured I'd share the insight. This deck (at least for me) wins far more on the play than on the draw. I'm at like 71% on the play and 50% on the draw (even lower on the draw vs b/w and g/r). The mentality I have taken due to this (and correct me if I'm wrong), is that I pressure my opponent to the point of desperation or poor choices on the play. Now, since I'm one of the most unlucky magic players ever, I win the die roll 37% of the time (I track that with my numbers yes, lol.) and this skews the amount of times I can be on the play. More often than not if I don't win g1 I am not going to win the match because I didn't get to play 2 games on the play. I have played this deck A LOT, both in paper and MTGO (having a much higher win % in paper magic), and know how to s/b correctly vs every matchup now that I have played them a lot. How are the
majority of you winning on the draw? I can't seem to find the sweet spot of applying pressure and controlling the board when I have to on the draw. Am I just unlucky and I lose a lot of die rolls, and if that variance went away I'd be ok or are others of you playing it running into the same issues. My MTGO win rate fluctuates between 57-60%, which is good, but I feel that I am extremely streaky -- winning 10 in a row then losing 5-7 in a row too. Am I just crazy or are some of you feeling the same way, lol.

[zemanjaski]

If you're winning 56%+ on modo you're doing extremely well. That's a good winrate. I am not kidding.

[laranjaBR]

You shouldn't be trying to play like Modern Burn at all; this is actually a Tempo deck.

Unfortunatelly I've figured this out a little late. I gone straight from assembling the deck to playing in the tournament, and didn't get to feel how it should be played. Thanks anyway, I'll adjust my playstyle. And thanks about the deck, Zem. I'll try my best to help our group.

I was playing UW control and besides the strenght of the deck, I was havin no fun at all. Tapping mountains is my life.

[zemanjaski]

Don't mind me, I am tired.

[Jonnymagic]

Its 56% ya but I cant string them together to anything meaningful haha. @zem how do you play differently on the draw vs on the play?

[zemanjaski]

It affects my range of keepable hands, it *might* affect my sideboarding slightly if the I want to lower my curve on the draw (and the sideboard allows for that).

[zemanjaski]

On the draw I really want to be making plays every turn so that I am either putting pressure on, or removing their pressure.

[Jonnymagic]

Do you tend to try to control the board a bit more on the draw or pressure them? Or both? I feel the games i do the best on the draw I respond to their early threats and slowly grind them out with eot burn.

[zemanjaski]

Depends on my draw and the matchup, there are no certainties.

[zemanjaski]

Currently have two active Firedancers against GW Aggro.

[zemanjaski]

Do you tend to try to control the board a bit more on the draw or pressure them? Or both? I feel the games i do the best on the draw I respond to their early threats and slowly grind them out with eot burn.

I try to calculate really far ahead. I think I am decent at that; trying to look 3-4 turns ahead, then work my way back to the present to find optimal lines. That usually tells me my role.

[Lightning_Dolt]

Which decks are you finding you need Satyr Firedancer against?

[zemanjaski]

Dunno. Wanted to see when I would want to bring it in.

[Jonnymagic]

To me -- I think the firedancers are really good on the draw and really bad on the play. On the play they slow you down a turn you could be pressuring them, but on the draw it gives you the potential to start 2-1ing (or 3 for 1 w/ sb!) and crawl back to parity with them. I'm going to find a spot for them again in the board I think. My mono U matchup honestly hasn't suffered without them, but my g/r one certainly has. I think for g/r I would board out ashy if I have firedancer bc I want to keep a high spell density due to bringing them in. It feels like it would be a decent card vs w/b, my only fear is they have a lot more removal. Have you tried them against w/b?

[Lightning_Dolt]

http://www.twitch.tv/plusevgames/b/510916008

I fucking hate their music.

[JohnnyfnB]

I know that playing against G/R Monsters/Jund, I want SFD. I think that holding SFD till later turns vs B/W can be beneficial.

[JohnnyfnB]

http://www.twitch.tv/plusevgames/b/510916008

I fucking hate their music.

Raining Blood by Slayer is more appropriate for this deck. Which I am listening to right now.

[HK1997]

I BEAT HEXPROOF.

Beat you to it in the Daily with Jedi_Knight yesterday. Round three i got pit against Hexproof again

Granted.... He flooded game 1, wiped the floor with me game 2, and starved game 3. So Modo beat him, not me. I was just along for the ride.
But a win is a win! I'll take it

[Lightning_Dolt]

I went 2-1 at FNM with:

[deck]Creatures (8)
4 Ash Zealot
4 Chandra's Phoenix

Enchantments (3)
3 Chained to the Rocks

Instants (26)
4 Boros Charm
4 Lightning Strike
4 Magma Jet
4 Searing Blood
2 Shock
4 Skullcrack
4 Warleader's Helix

Lands (23)
3 Boros Guildgate
9 Mountain
3 Mutavault
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Temple of Triumph

Sideboard (15)
2 Mizzium Mortars
2 Blind Obedience
1 Chained to the Rocks
4 Firedrinker Satyr
3 Spark Trooper
3 Viashino Firstblade[/deck]



Round 1 VS Br Devotion

Game 1

Someone else was talking about this being a bad match up. I really didn't find it to be any worse. I won game 1 at 24 life. Was not close at all.

SIDEBOARD:

IN: 3 Viashino Firstblade, 1 Chained to the Rocks, 2 [card]
Mizzium Mortars[/card]

OUT: 2 Shock, 4 Magma Jet

Game 2

We both mulled to 6, and then he had the double thoughtseize start. Turns out downgrading your Boros Charms to Shocks really isn't that bad. Still melted his face off.

1-0-0


Round 2 VS Esper Control

Game 1

At no point was he in this game. I had T2 Zealot into T3 Phoenix. It was gross.

SIDEBOARD:

IN: 3 Viashino Firstblade, 4 Firedrinker Satyr, 2 Spark Trooper

OUT: 2 Shock, 3 Chained to the Rocks, 4 [card]Searing Blood[/card:
1t8t3i10]

Game 2

I mull to five. I deal myself 5 damage from 2x Sacred Foundry and a Firedrinker Satyr activation but that's the only damage I took. I had the best five you could ask for and curved Satyr > Zealot > Phoenix.

2-0-0


Round 3 VS Mono Black Aggro


Game 1

I kept a hand of mountain, mutavault, magma jet, magma jet, [card]warleader's helix[/card], [card]war leader's helix[/card], chained to the rocks. Unfortunately, even with bottoming four cards, I never hit my third land.

SIDEBOARD:

IN: 1 Chained to the Rocks, 3 [card]Spark Trooper[/card:
1t8t3i10]

OUT: 4 Skullcrack

Game 2

He mulled to 4. We played a few turns and he scooped.

SIDEBOARD:

No Changes

Game 3

Flood of biblical proportions. I scry 3 lands to the bottom and still end up with 11 in play when his 3x mutavaults kill me and I'm sitting with two chained to the rocks in hand. Rough break, but you can't win 'em all. Having played this deck for the first few weeks of this standard, I can tell you it's like 80% in burn's favour. It's very close to a bye. It seems that I cashed in all my good luck in R1 G2 & R2 G2. Fair enough.

2-1-0

[Purp]

This list 4-0 daily, cutting shock all together.

http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/deck.asp?deck_id=1190304

[Lightning_Dolt]

This list 4-0 daily, cutting shock all together.

http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/deck.asp?deck_id=1190304

That list looks horrid.

[Deht]

Played at a nearby store last night that usually has a ton of control. I tried the list with 3 Chains, 2 shocks main, side board was 2 Blind O., 1 Chains, 4 Firedrinker, 3 Viashino, 2 Firedancer, 2 Spark T, 1 Burning Earth (there are 2 dudes that play Esper, one dude that plays Bant with pretty much no basics that I always face).

R1 - Mono Red Aggro - 2-1 - G1. He played first. Lost the first game, he had too quick of a start, turn 2 for him was a burning tree x 3 into lightning strike or something silly like that. I started to stabilize but couldn't draw that last burn or creature to close it out. G2 Blind Obedience turn 4 wrecked him. It basically shut off all his stuff and I was extorting everything I was casting. G3 A repeat of game 2 but with Blind Obedience turn 2.

R2 - Mono Black - 2-1 - G1 I played first. He disrupted my hand but that was pretty much it, game was over by turn 4 or 5 with him conceding to Ash
Zealot, Phoenix swinging for lethal next turn. Between games he says "Red deck wins eh?" and I just smiled. G2 Took forever. He boarded out creatures and brought in more removal after thinking I was Red Deck Wins. He won on the back of Gray Merchants and hand disruption while we both were horribly, horribly flooded. G3 He realizes I was running burn by turn 5 where he thoughtseized me and in response I double Boros Charmed him.

R3 - Rakdos Aggro - 2-0 - G1 I played first. He had the nut draw G1, but wow, this deck destroys mono black aggro / rakdos aggro strategies. Searing Blood took out his madcap equipped Tormented Hero and I gradually stabilized the board and dropped Phoenix and Ash Zealot. Game was over shortly thereafter. G2 Similar to G1, but he got stuck on 3 lands for a couple turns and I cleared out his creatures with Searing Blood.

R4 - Red Devotion - 0-2 - G1 he played first. Had him down to 6 but he was able to Stormbreath two turns in a row and I didn't have an answer to it. G2
Blind Obedience gave me an extra turn but him repeatedly dropping Reckoners (killed one, chained the other two) and Stormbreath and 3 Fanatic of Mogis was too much.

GR Monsters - 0-2 - G1 I played first. This matchup is very tough. Lots of back and forth in this game. I had an instance where I could have either made a Chandra's Phoenix indestructible or point the 4 damage at his face and went with the 4 damage to the face, this ended up being the wrong choice in the instance as he only drew lands for a couple of turns and I kept drawing more Phoenixes. I had him at 8 with two Phoenixes out, Warleader's Helix and the mana to cast it next untap but he top decked a Ruric Thar main while I was tapped out, I had no chains in hand, attacked with both Phoenixes and he blocked one, I had no outs as the crack back from his team + Ruric Thar trigger would kill me. G2 again felt very close but I didn't draw any of my sideboard and courser allowed him to slowly gain life while I was chipping away. I had him at 6,
jetted sent two lands to the bottom. He didn't draw a land but dropped Ruric Thar again. If it was a charm or a helix I'd have it closed out, or hell, if it was a chains I'd get another draw. Top card was another jet.

End result was 3-2, disappointing finish to a strong start. I felt really prepared to go up against control and didn't even run into it. There were 3 Naya Hexproof decks at the store but luckily I never ran into them, I did a few games in between against one and wow, the matchup is hilariously bad. Unless they somehow mulligan to 3 or 4 or just get horribly land flooded or screwed you're in trouble. On the upside, the control and mono black lists seem to be destroying them pretty well. They were all 1-4 at the end of the night.

[Lightning_Dolt]

http://www.twitch.tv/plusevgames/b/510916008

Holy Shit! I didn't realize you played vs them!

[JohnnyfnB]

Thanks for all of the results guys. I'm strongly considering swapping the two main Chained to the Rocks for the two Blind Obedience. In fact, I will do it for tonights FNM. I'm going to try and find room for a 3rd in the sb. BO is never a dead card, where Chained is vs control that's not black.

[Purp]

Thanks for all of the results guys. I'm strongly considering swapping the two main Chained to the Rocks for the two Blind Obedience. In fact, I will do it for tonights FNM. I'm going to try and find room for a 3rd in the sb.

For some reason... I don't hate it.

[Jonnymagic]

Thanks for all of the results guys. I'm strongly considering swapping the two main Chained to the Rocks for the two Blind Obedience. In fact, I will do it for tonights FNM. I'm going to try and find room for a 3rd in the sb.

I cut the shocks and have chains main as well as BO. I like BO in almost every matchup. I have 3 chains 2 BO main -- and I don't think you can cut chains g1. The only matchups that it is dead against is u/w control and esper, and we still have a pretty good g1 against them.

[tzir]

I cut the shocks and have chains main as well as BO. I like BO in almost every matchup. I have 3 chains 2 BO main -- and I don't think you can cut chains g1. The only matchups that it is dead against is u/w control and esper, and we still have a pretty good g1 against them.

I was considering this, myself, but I'm concerned how far behind G/R we might fall without at least two copies of Shock.

[Lightning_Dolt]

I was considering it too. Let us know how it goes.

@ Zem: Good job beating those guys.

[Valdarith]

You want at least two Shocks. 0 is definitely not correct as long as you are running Searing Blood and Ash Zealot and also want a better GR matchup. Killing t1 Mystic is crucial.