set) when I was rocking that Sledgehammer and RDW later. To ensure that at least I'm decent player - I've scored second place on most of FNMs I've played during that time, and for a long time I was in Top100 of Polish MTG players (according to Planeswalker shit).
But let's start to talk about the deck and synergies. Here's my brew.
[deck]Creatures:
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Legion Loyalist
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Gore-House Chainwalker
4 Firefist Striker
4 Pyrewild Shaman
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
Other Spells:
4 Magma Jet
4 Lightning Strike
2 Hammer of Purphoros
Lands:
4 Stomping Ground
4 Temple of Abandon
14 Mountain
Sideboard:
15 Meta-dependant[/deck]
I will do my best to break down the deck and give you insight on all the sweet stuff it hides. It has some hidden interactions and power that doesn't strike you when you read the decklist immediately - which is why I've decided to write down this article. If that's a waste of space, sorry. I'm bored.
8x 1CMC Drop[
/b]
4 Rakdos Cackler
This guy is one of the foundations of Red decks in current format. He's 2/2 for 1 which allows us to put a pressure on our opponent during early game. He's not that good as lategame topdeck, but he can still be usefull (especially when getting Haste from Hammer or additional Power from Shaman).
4 Legion Loyalist
Usually you'd say he covers the field until new 1CMC drop arrives. And here's the catch. I actually consider him to fit the deck really well - so unless new drop comes with disgusting powerlevel, LL stays. What makes him so precious and important?
a) He's Raging Goblin. Actually Raging Goblin is really usefull. He makes Battalion triggers happen. He wears Bloodrushes like a champ. He also deals 1 damage at T1.
b) His Battalion triggers are very, very relevant. Both First Strike and Trample are amazing when playing with [card]
Pyrewild Shaman[/card]. Flat +3/+1 becomes both effective removal and additional damage to the face of opponent. Additionaly Trample enables more Pyrewild Shaman triggers. Last but not least, LL turns off tokens.
But LL is vulnerable during combat. He's just 1/1. And that's where having 8 Bloodrush cards comes in. Pyrewild Shaman ensures that LL will trade. Yes, you use two cards to get rid of one, but PS comes back later. Ghor-Clan Rampager usually makes things fair, LL will not die really often (with exception of responding to Bloodrush with removal).
So, as long as new drop will not be 2/2 or more WITHOUT big downsides - Legion Loyalist stays.
12x2CMC Drop
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
This guy is an enabler, and main reason why deck doesn't sport Ash Zealot. Playing lots of creatures
is the main way to ensure that your Bloodrush is relevant during the game. BTE allows you to cheat and play more than one creature per turn while playing them on-curve. He's 2/2 on his own, and that's fine. He enables some sick draws, but playing just BTE - Gore-House Chainwalker is fine. Or BTE-Magma Jet. This deck is not just about sick draws. It's more about consistency.
In worst case, BTE can fix your mana a bit and allow you to play T4 BTE-Rampager/Revelry (SB) even without access to Green mana.
4 Gore-House Chainwalker
His 3 power means a lot. Caryatid, Omenspeaker, Kalonian Tusker... even new GW kitty cat. They all do have 3 toughness, and Chainwalker either trades with them or puts them down from their misery. Besides of that, having T2 creature which can deal 3 damage with single swing is always fine. Last and most important thing - we can actually cast Chainwalker from BTE. T2 BTE into Chainwalker
gives us capability of swinging for 5 next turn.
4 Firefist Striker
That's our main way of dealing with big, scary monsters. Playing 2/1 for 2 is not that bad, especially when you can chain it trough BTE. His Battalion trigger allows us to select the biggest blocker on the field and go through by either burning or favorably trading with the rest. He's a staple, especially against control decks which often just drop one huge guy to deal with all the issues they have with us.
4x3CMC Drop
4 Pyrewild Shaman
People don't play this card. But they will, I hope. During INN-RTR days he was outshined by other cards, but his days have come. He needs a lot of set up to work that well, but I believe presented GR shell actually provides the whole set up. Let me explain.
Pyrewild Shaman at the moment is the best source of repetable damage. With enough mana, we can generate up to 3 additional
damage per turn. That's cool, okay. What's more important? Thanks to this fact we can grind out even the worst matchups. Our creatures have generally low quality. 2/2 can't block or even 3/3 Haste doesn't mean when it's turn 8 and midrange just has another Loxodon Smiter. We need to trade favorably and grind the shit out of our opponent. And here comes Pyrewild Shaman, who's both explosive and repetable. For most of your time you will probably just push damage through, ensure that you trade well and sometimes even protect FS/LL with him.
But now the most important thing. He's usefull, that's what you heard. How he becomes broken? Answer lies here. Legion Loyalist gives your whole team TRAMPLE and FIRST STRIKE. Excessively pumping First Striking and Trampling guy feels really good. You don't trade anymore, you are just doing 1 for 0. Not 1 for 1 as any removal offers you. 1 for 0 with your only commitment being Mana. With 5 Mana you can Bloodrush PS in, and then if any
of your creatures connected - get him back into your hand. Same goes for Ghor-Clan Rampager, his trample ensures that most of time you WILL connect, even for single point of damage.
Hammer of Purphoros turns PS into nice creature as well. Just repetetively cast him, swing - whatever happens, next time you will get in, he comes back.
If anything here is not clear, just talk about that in thread. I'm ready to fight for my opinion about this card.
He's the reason why this deck even exists.
PS. "Pyrewild sucks! We've didn't played Stonewright for a while and now you ask us to play worse card."
Pyrewild is worse than Stonewright. I partially agree. Pyrewild offers something Stonewright never delivered. Being EXPLOSIVE. Do you remember why Stonewright stopped showing up in your decklist? Because it didn't packed a punch. You were slowly
grinding the field with AZ-St. Shaman is sick in terms of explosivness. T1 Cackler T2 bloodrush Shaman. 5 point of damage at T2, with recurring it at T3. Oh, and unlike Stonewright, it's difficult to get rid off Shaman.
4x4CMC Drop
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
We all know why GCR is cool. During early game, we can consider him as uncounterable +4/+4 Trample pump. Later he can be casted as creature. And it's fine. His flexxibility is great, sometimes you are stuck with 2-3 lands and you just can't cast that 4CMC drop. BAM damage! I have to admit that I use it mostly to protect my cards in situations when for example FS or LL is in danger or at least, he'll not trade. But my Gruul build also ensures, that casting him as a creature is not a waste.
Hammer of Purphoros gives him Haste. And you'd play 4/4 Trample Haste for 4 all day every day.
Legion Loyalist
gives him First Strike. Suddenly he can kill shitload of opposing creatures and stay alive.
He's the perfect sink for Pyrewild Shaman. Too big to get burned (still dies to Doom Blade... this card sucks wtf why do I even talk about him), has Trample which ensures damage to the face (and return of PS).
8x2CMC Spell
4 Magma Jet
Magma Jet is Legacy staple for red decks. While dealing 2 damage is usable mostly for clearing out dorks and small guys (or dealing damage to players), it's Scry 2 breaks this card. Access to card filter in Red deck feels so fine. Our cards are efficent as hell. Still, we have our combos. Flooding with lands? Dig that Hammer. Rampager on the field? Find that goddamn Pyrewild Shaman. Firefist Striker and Legion Loyalist on the field? Damn,
third creature would be nice.
Don't be afraid to use that card early just to burn opponent's face - especially when you have that BTE mana floating and no creature to cast. It's fixer with bonus 2 damage. Not the other way... unless you're playing aggro matchup.
4 Lightning Strike
3 damage burn is still relevant. Just look at Gore-House Chainwalker section, okay?
2x3CMC Spell
2 Hammer of Purphoros
Fervor on it's own was considered as unplayable. Fires of Yaviyama were shaping the format, with shitty activated ability. Hammer of Purphoros... is going to conquer planets? Maybe not, but that's hell of a good card. At first I was like "meh". Some Red decks just play all around hasty guys. Zealots, Phoenixes... Still, Gruul doesn't have any hasty creatures. That means Fervor part of Hammer is at least decent. I like my trampling, hasty GCR.
What makes this card maindeckable? It's capability of
generating damage even with the empty field. You can just turn your mana flood into stream of 3/3 Hasty beaters. This card is really powerfull and relevant during lategame. Not only you produce tokens, but also turn your topdecks into strong cards. Hasty Rakdos Cackler is just Goblin Guide without downside. Gore-House Chainwalker? Please. Chaining BTE into FS and having 3/3 token? Let's talk about blocking and dealing damage.
8xNONBASIC LAND
4 Temple of Abandon
Scry Lands are controversial. I wasn't a fan, at least for aggro builds - but after Redthirst's post about them, I considered using full set of those. And you know what? I wasn't disappointed. My deck has only ONE T1 play that's relevant. It's Rakdos Cackler. If I have one, I want to play it T1 and be happy. Temple of Abandon provides me with another one. This card is on par with Preordain. You loose 1 mana this turn, but you're fixing your next draw. You don't draw a card, but you
also don't loose a card.
Your T1 play priority should be Cackler > Temple > Loyalist.
After lots of testing, I'm never disappointed seeing one. Even while it enters the field tapped.
4 Stomping Ground
Shocklands are cool, I'm getting 8 lands that can provide me with Green mana. That's ok as the only maindeck card that actually uses it is Ghor-Clan Rampager (I'm also sold on Destructive Revelry for SB). Burning-Tree Emissary serves as another mana fixer for hardcasting GCR. I'm totally fine with this manabase.
Summary
Post-rotation Gruul deck gets access to cards that allow it to generate damage that do not require you to use cards. Not only that, but it can also force equal trades from decks that play higher quality creatures. That solves one of the biggest problems of INN-RTR Gruul which was: being capable of being explosive but loosing gas due to overextending. With [card]Hammer of
Purphoros[/card] and Pyrewild Shaman running, we can generate high amount of damage while using our mana and lands. Still, we don't loose the nutdraws. Deck seems really strong, but it MIGHT be one of the most difficult decks to play. Amount of decision making it packs is just insane. We will talk about it later.
If you want to talk about the deck, choices or FoS T-shirts... please stop by. I believe we are onto something here, guys.
