I'd say the biggest thing with piloting this deck is experience. On the few streams I've followed, on many occasions I was able to correctly plan out EXACTLY what the opponent was going to do two turns in advance and make the correct play. This is how I've done so well with this deck. If you can't see the next two turns, you are going to go 3-2 with the deck. You need to see what's coming before your opponent makes the plays.
Yes, pia and Kiran have not been fantastic, but they are a necessary evil. In game one, your flex spots need to be flexible. Pia and Kiran cam play control or aggro well, so they stay. Walking ballista, pia and Kiran, and slagstorm are 5 of the 7 flex slots that can play either control or aggro. Don't know if anyone realized that, but you need to be flexible game one.
For now, I'm going to drop one spree for a 4th eidolin. When we need to aggro, gotta go hard. Spree is really only good vs affinity, lantern, and kci and we have enough answers for those.
Last note, in the streams I've watched, we were one or two plays away from 4-1 or 5-0 finishes. It can be done, just need to play perfectly. The more you play, the more you'll start to see what's coming and adjust accordingly. And when that starts happening, you'll go 4-1 or 5-0 more often than 3-2.
By the way, it's worth noting that I have 7-9 modern decks and I love them all, however, it's the enthusiasm in this thread that keeps me coming back to play pyro prison. You guys are awesome and the interest and general excitement when others do well has kept me jamming the deck league after league, fnm after fnm. I am always looking for ways to make this better largely because of this group here. Thanks to everyone for a fantastic 2017 in magic and looking forward to a super 2018 as well!
By the way, it's worth noting that I have 7-9 modern decks and I love them all, however, it's the enthusiasm in this thread that keeps me coming back to play pyro prison. You guys are awesome and the interest and general excitement when others do well has kept me jamming the deck league after league, fnm after fnm. I am always looking for ways to make this better largely because of this group here. Thanks to everyone for a fantastic 2017 in magic and looking forward to a super 2018 as well!
Well said, sir. This thread is why I play Pyro Prison! The feedback here has made me not just a better Pyro Prison player, but a better player overall. Happy New year to all folk on the mountain, let's make 2018 our year!!!!
It's always fun having you on stream. The deck is definitely unforgiving, but I like the challenge of mastering it. With some more practice, I'm hoping to land in the 4-1 bracket more often and maybe get my first 5-0. Definitely agree with the 4th Eidolon of the Great Revel, Russ. We shift to aggro in a very high percentage of matchups so I think it's good to maximize on the shock-bear. I also am a believer in Phyrexian Metamorph. The card is an additional lock piece, another creature to keep up the pressure, or sometimes it's just a copy of something even better that your opponent has played.
Happy 2017, mountaineers, looking forward to hanging out with you guys some more
It's always fun having you on stream. The deck is definitely unforgiving, but I like the challenge of mastering it. With some more practice, I'm hoping to land in the 4-1 bracket more often and maybe get my first 5-0. Definitely agree with the 4th Eidolon of the Great Revel, Russ. We shift to aggro in a very high percentage of matchups so I think it's good to maximize on the shock-bear. I also am a believer in Phyrexian Metamorph. The card is an additional lock piece, another creature to keep up the pressure, or sometimes it's just a copy of something even better that your opponent has played.
Happy 2017, mountaineers, looking forward to hanging out with you guys some more
That last league was unreal...5 combo decks in a row? I haven't had the pleasure of that before. I love boil too much, so maybe hazoret is coming out for the metamorph
Looks like we got a 4-1 to close out 2017! Affinity beat us in the last round, so close! But we opened Rishadan Port and Snapcaster Mage in our winnings, so I'm very pleased
Nice job everyone! Now that we've gotten good enough to get multiple 4-1s, the worst you are going to do is 3-2 going forward, but you are going to experience more 4-1 and 5-0 than 3-2....you'll see... nicely done.
Side note, I'm sure in many of your matches, you are starting to play by predicting the next few turns instead of just reacting to what's been played or drawn. This skill, which only gets obtained with experience, will make you a MUCH better player than those around you. You'll be able to pick up any deck and win with it. 2018 is going to be a great year. Let's get us all qualifies for the invitational and we can get q group together in Virginia in the summer!
Oh, is anyone going to be at school open in Philly in January? I can't make the team open, but I am probably going to play in the classic in that Sunday.
And as the new year turns here, we battle it out with Ponzamonicon. They were at 2 life at one point if I recall correctly... yea... there are a few chalices.
Just a few of the fun moments. I know the streams are usually long. At the moment I do not have the time commitment to go through and try to pair them down into something more manageable. So enjoy a few best moments of the New Year Eve stream!
For feedback, ROUND ONE - I thought you did really well. Your sideboarding after game 1 was perfect against Living End. Just two thoughts: When the 1st round started, I would have scryed differently (keep the bridge on top against an unknown opponent), and on Turn 1 I would have played out the walking ballista on off of the gemstone cavern 2 land drop start. And, the way the game developed, both of those choices would have proved correct. Defeating that deck comes down to 2 cards: Ensnaring Bridge and Chalice on 0. After 3 games, bridge wasn't found enough - happens.
ROUND TWO - Just two thoughts: Around 48:00, I would have popped out the Ballista on a Chandra +1 instead of -3 4 damage on a matter reshaper which revealed a free expedition map bypassing his own chalice on 1. Second thought is on sideboarding. And, Fluffywolf had the exact same question regarding Chalice of the Void. You do wanna take those out. Sure, chalice can stop an expedition map - but that's about it. Also, I noted that you took out the ensnaring bridges. I would keep those in.
In the (5) rounds of play, things did not go well. Piss-poor draws. I honestly wouldn't recommend that folks watch this stream, as there isn't much information/learning to glean from them. No real hard problems to solve, just bad draws. Speaking of, I kept thinking of Tormenting Voice. Voice would have been a huge assist in every single round you played - especially, the game against Eldrazi Tron where stalled on 2 land for 5 turns.
For Fluffywolf & Checkmate77 [our principal streamers] & other new contributors, have you folks read the Sideboarding Guide in the Official Primer? Last updated in November, it illlustrates how/when Pyro Prison pivots into a more streamlined Aggro or Control deck. As for the specific Swap In/Swap Out suggestions, the decklist on which it is based is a pretty standard build. I recommend printing it out & having it by your computer as a cheat sheet. Heck, I bring a paper copy to premier tournaments as an assist, and I wrote the damned thing
Sideboarding Guide
GRIXIS DEATH's SHADOW
In -- Hazoret the Fervent, Ratchet Bomb, Spellskite
Out -- 2 Abrade, 1 Slagstorm
UW CONTROL
In -- Hazoret the Fervent, 3 Eidolon of the Great Revel, 1 Sorcerous Spyglass
Out -- 2 Abrade, 1 Slagstorm, 1 Pyretic Ritual, 1 Chalice of the Void
COLORLESS ELDRAZI TRON
In -- Hazoret the Fervent, 2 Sorcerous Spyglass, 1 Spellskite, 1 Witchbane Orb
Out -- 1 Slagstorm, 4 Chalice of the Void
BURN
In -- 1 Hazoret the Fervent, 1 Ratchet Bomb, 1 Spellskite, 1 Witchbane Orb, 3 Eidolon of the Great Revel
Out -- 2 Tormenting Voice, 1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance, 1 Koth of the Hammer, 2 Ensnaring Bridge, 1 Magus of the Moon
RGx TITANSHIFT
In -- 1 Hazoret the Fervent, 1 Spellskite, 1 Witchbane Orb, 1 Torpor Orb, 3 Eidolon of the Great Revel
Out -- 2 Abrade, 1 Slagstorm, 1 Pyretic Ritual, 2 Chalice of the Void, 1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
AFFINITY
In -- Ratchet Bomb, Spellskite, 2 Sorcerous Spyglass, 3 Anger of the Gods
Out -- 2 Tormenting Voice, 4 Goblin Rabblemaster, 1 Magus of the Moon
UR STORM
In -- 1 Grafdigger's Cage, 2 Anger of the Gods, 1 Witchbane Orb, 3 Eidolon of the Great Revel
Out -- 4 Ensnaring Bridge, 2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar, 1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Merfolk
In -- Ratchet Bomb, 3 Anger of the Gods, Torpor Orb, Witchbane Orb, Sorcerous Spyglass
Out -- 4 Goblin Rabblemaster, 2 Magus of the Moon, 1 Blood Moon
Living End
In -- Spellskite, Relic of Progenitus, Torpor Orb
Out -- 2 Abrade, 1 Slagstorm
Lantern Control
In -- Ratchet Bomb, 2 Sorcerous Spyglass, Witchbane Orb, 3 Eidolon of the Great Revel
Out -- 4 Ensnaring Bridge, Slagstorm, 2 Goblin Rabblemaster
Jeskai Control
In -- Spellskite, Grafdigger's Cage, Torpor Orb
Out -- 2 Abrade, 1 Slagstorm
Death's Shadow Jund
In -- Ratchet Bomb, Spellskite, Hazoret the Fervent
Out -- 2 Abrade, 1 Slagstorm
GWx Vizier Company (our worst matchup, so I opt for full attack)
In -- 3 Anger of the Gods, 2 Grafdigger's Cage, 1 Torpor Orb, Hazoret the Fervent, 3 Eidolon of the Great Revel
Out -- 4 Chalice of the Void, 4 Ensnaring Bridge, 2 Tormenting Voice
Abzan Midrange / Junk / BGw Souls / Bg Rock
In -- Ratchet Bomb, 3 Anger of the Gods, 2 Grafdigger's Cage, 1 Torpor Orb, 1 Relic of Progenitus
Out -- 4 Chalice of the Void, 2 Abrade, 2 Tormenting Voice
Death and Taxes
In -- 3 Anger of the Gods, Spellskite, Torpor Orb, Sorcerous Spyglass
Out -- 4 Blood Moon, 2 Magus of the Moon
Bant Eldrazi
In -- Ratchet Bomb, 2 Sorcerous Spyglass, 3 Anger of the Gods, Hazoret the Fervent
Out -- 4 Goblin Rabblemaster, 2 Tormenting Voice, 1 Magus of the Moon
Dredge
In -- 3 Anger of the Gods, 2 Grafdigger's Cage, 1 Relic of Progenitus, 1 Spellskite
Out -- 4 Goblin Rabblemaster, 2 Abrade, 1 Chalice of the Void
Gx Tron
In -- 3 Eidolon of the Great Revel, 2 Sorcerous Spyglass, Hazoret the Fervent
Out -- 4 Ensnaring Bridge, 1 Slagstorm, 1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
R/W Prisons
In -- Ratchet Bomb, 2 Sorcerous Spyglass, Spellskite, Witchbane Orb, Hazoret the Fervent
Out -- 4 Blood Moon, 2 Magus of the Moon
Jeskai Copycat (Saheeli + Felidar)
In -- 2 Sorcerous Spyglass, Ratchet Bomb, Torpor Orb, Hazoret the Fervent
Out -- 2 Goblin Rabblemaster, 2 Abrade, 1 Slagstorm
@Raystack - Not entirely, I know some of the stuff going on, but I've enjoyed the puzzle of solving it myself for some time. I'll start to compare the notes here along with how I sideboard. Thanks!
I am totally in agreement with you Fluffywolf. It's like beating a video game through cheat codes. I've logged over 1,500 hours developing Pyro Prison in online play on Cockatrice, and the learning has been just as rewarding as the winning. So, don't feel compelled to follow my by-the-letter interpretation of correct 'swap in/outs' at the expense of learning on your own.
And, I can't expect new folks to read through 38 pages of posts to catch up with where we landed. Mountain paths that ran into dead-ends long ago will be walked by new kin; cards will be suggested that testing already proved lackluster.
For instance, I'm about to watch a Chekmate77 stream where he tests Faithless Looting. Sure. I had one in the original prototype of this deck. After all, it is run in the explosively fast & hyper-linear Free Win Red. Maybe Faithless Looting will meld better in today's Pyro Prison. It's possible, but I suspect that the frustrating non-bo conflict with Chalice of the Void on 1 will be its undoing again.
Gonna grab some popcorn, dim the lights, and find out!!
Crazy idea incoming.....has anyone thought about main decking eidolin and moving rabbles to the side or out completely? I know I talk of Blasphemy, but with the number of matches where rabble is not great, eidolin is at least a 2cc blocker. This is probably not the best idea, but was wondering if anyone was brave enough to attempt it?
Crazy idea incoming.....has anyone thought about main decking eidolin and moving rabbles to the side or out completely? I know I talk of Blasphemy, but with the number of matches where rabble is not great, eidolin is at least a 2cc blocker. This is probably not the best idea, but was wondering if anyone was brave enough to attempt it?
Yet to attempt the Eidolon, because if the matchup is not great and we are needing to stay low with the bridge, every ritual turns into a shock to our face. I think it must remain in the board due to our pivot plan.
I'll toss one at you though Ray/Russ and Team....... Ready....?
Why? - It fits into our 4 slot, in place of Hazoret/Pia. Hazoret is doing 2 damage on the activation, and Pia is doing either 2 in the air with the blockers or pitching artifacts. Goblin Charbelcher has a nifty piece of wording on their text that we should not overlook "If the revealed land card was a Mountain, Goblin Charbelcher deals double that damage instead.."
Lets just theorize for a second here. On the play, getting Charbelcher out on turn 2 with another mana in hand is very possible, look at how many times we get our 4 CMC Planeswalkers out. We are slightly light on lands, in my experience, and as such we have fewer hits for ending a Charbelcher chain. Hazoret, albeit not often, dies to path, and our walkers are always in risk of being hit in the face along with the bolts that are slowly showing up more in the meta.
Keep in mind Charbelcher activation revealing the following cards is the power it can output:
- 2 Damage
- 4 Damage
- 6 Damage
- etc... Damage
Clarity sake (mentioned below but editing here), revealing 1 card and it is a land is 0 damage, have to reveal a non-land first. This "downside" is talked about later
I'll bold the 2 reveal spot. The worst case is the next card is a land, oh well, at that point we may not even want to be drawing that land, we look at the 'other' upside that Charbelcher is now a Pay 3 Scry 1. Not great, but how many times have you top decked a land. End step Charbelcher removes top lands, otherwise it is equally as good as Hazoret behind the bridge, with larger upsides.
Charbelcher also avoids Abrupt Decay, which seems to be popular in these 4C Death Shadow Lists and other Abzan based lists.
Charbelcher is weak to currently Rec Sage, Beast Within, Acidic Slime, Harmonic Sliver, Natural State, and Ancient Grudge to name most of what is played (Shattering Spree and Abrade also).
Many of these cards are more sideboard, look at affinity.
It is slightly slower in damage than Hazoret without bridge (Math still pending... so this is speculation).
It non-bo with Damping Matrix is identical to Hazoret non-bo.
Am I just giddy from New Years stream? Did the... rogue deck that beat me get me thinking...? What... have I done.
Goblin charbelcher....this is a card I can get behind in the main deck over pia and kiran. We're only running 21 lands, so this will hit more often than not. It can play the control role and tag creatures or the aggro role and smash face. There are going to be game that you lose because you will need it to hit something and you'll reveal a land, then they'll be games you win out of nowhere because you'll r veal 6 cards before a mountain. It's this variance that would give me pause running this in a 15 round open, but at a local fnm, this could be nuts.
Gah! I wish you wouldn't have watched that stream, Ray! I felt like nothing was going right, and I think it started to affect my sodium levels. Something I really need to work on as a player is not playing worse when things go wrong. Also, I think I ended up not actually trying the Faithless Lootings in the end, no? My initial logic was to make my opening hands better, but I think I decided against it because I'd rather not dedicate 2 slots to fixing opening hands when I could just put good cards in those slots to prevent needing to fix them in the first place. If you watch my most recent stream, I come to a pretty solid decision on my entire main and sideboard by the end of it with the help of Russ's feedback. Unfortunately I didn't stream my 4-1 league with that new list, but I'm hoping to replicate that success on stream tomorrow, so stay tuned!
Also, yeah, Charbelcher seems like fun, I looked at it as a possibility a while ago but decided against it for RNG reasons like Russ mentioned. Would love to know how it works out for you though, could be great!
Yes, pia and Kiran have not been fantastic, but they are a necessary evil. In game one, your flex spots need to be flexible. Pia and Kiran cam play control or aggro well, so they stay. Walking ballista, pia and Kiran, and slagstorm are 5 of the 7 flex slots that can play either control or aggro. Don't know if anyone realized that, but you need to be flexible game one.
For now, I'm going to drop one spree for a 4th eidolin. When we need to aggro, gotta go hard. Spree is really only good vs affinity, lantern, and kci and we have enough answers for those.
Last note, in the streams I've watched, we were one or two plays away from 4-1 or 5-0 finishes. It can be done, just need to play perfectly. The more you play, the more you'll start to see what's coming and adjust accordingly. And when that starts happening, you'll go 4-1 or 5-0 more often than 3-2.
Well said, sir. This thread is why I play Pyro Prison! The feedback here has made me not just a better Pyro Prison player, but a better player overall. Happy New year to all folk on the mountain, let's make 2018 our year!!!!
Happy 2017, mountaineers, looking forward to hanging out with you guys some more
That last league was unreal...5 combo decks in a row? I haven't had the pleasure of that before. I love boil too much, so maybe hazoret is coming out for the metamorph
Match 1: Tron (The biggest of Tron)
Match 2: Boggles
Match 3: Boggles (Same opponent as Match 2)
Match 4: Boggles (Diff opponent)
Match 5: Affinity
Side note, I'm sure in many of your matches, you are starting to play by predicting the next few turns instead of just reacting to what's been played or drawn. This skill, which only gets obtained with experience, will make you a MUCH better player than those around you. You'll be able to pick up any deck and win with it. 2018 is going to be a great year. Let's get us all qualifies for the invitational and we can get q group together in Virginia in the summer!
Edit:
A few highlights from the evening:
Just a few of the fun moments. I know the streams are usually long. At the moment I do not have the time commitment to go through and try to pair them down into something more manageable. So enjoy a few best moments of the New Year Eve stream!
I had a chance to view one of Chekmate77's streams where things did not go well 0-2 against Living End and Eldrazi Tron.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/213856837##
For feedback, ROUND ONE - I thought you did really well. Your sideboarding after game 1 was perfect against Living End. Just two thoughts: When the 1st round started, I would have scryed differently (keep the bridge on top against an unknown opponent), and on Turn 1 I would have played out the walking ballista on off of the gemstone cavern 2 land drop start. And, the way the game developed, both of those choices would have proved correct. Defeating that deck comes down to 2 cards: Ensnaring Bridge and Chalice on 0. After 3 games, bridge wasn't found enough - happens.
ROUND TWO - Just two thoughts: Around 48:00, I would have popped out the Ballista on a Chandra +1 instead of -3 4 damage on a matter reshaper which revealed a free expedition map bypassing his own chalice on 1. Second thought is on sideboarding. And, Fluffywolf had the exact same question regarding Chalice of the Void. You do wanna take those out. Sure, chalice can stop an expedition map - but that's about it. Also, I noted that you took out the ensnaring bridges. I would keep those in.
In the (5) rounds of play, things did not go well. Piss-poor draws. I honestly wouldn't recommend that folks watch this stream, as there isn't much information/learning to glean from them. No real hard problems to solve, just bad draws. Speaking of, I kept thinking of Tormenting Voice. Voice would have been a huge assist in every single round you played - especially, the game against Eldrazi Tron where stalled on 2 land for 5 turns.
For Fluffywolf & Checkmate77 [our principal streamers] & other new contributors, have you folks read the Sideboarding Guide in the Official Primer? Last updated in November, it illlustrates how/when Pyro Prison pivots into a more streamlined Aggro or Control deck. As for the specific Swap In/Swap Out suggestions, the decklist on which it is based is a pretty standard build. I recommend printing it out & having it by your computer as a cheat sheet. Heck, I bring a paper copy to premier tournaments as an assist, and I wrote the damned thing
Sideboarding Guide
GRIXIS DEATH's SHADOW
In -- Hazoret the Fervent, Ratchet Bomb, Spellskite
Out -- 2 Abrade, 1 Slagstorm
UW CONTROL
In -- Hazoret the Fervent, 3 Eidolon of the Great Revel, 1 Sorcerous Spyglass
Out -- 2 Abrade, 1 Slagstorm, 1 Pyretic Ritual, 1 Chalice of the Void
COLORLESS ELDRAZI TRON
In -- Hazoret the Fervent, 2 Sorcerous Spyglass, 1 Spellskite, 1 Witchbane Orb
Out -- 1 Slagstorm, 4 Chalice of the Void
BURN
In -- 1 Hazoret the Fervent, 1 Ratchet Bomb, 1 Spellskite, 1 Witchbane Orb, 3 Eidolon of the Great Revel
Out -- 2 Tormenting Voice, 1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance, 1 Koth of the Hammer, 2 Ensnaring Bridge, 1 Magus of the Moon
RGx TITANSHIFT
In -- 1 Hazoret the Fervent, 1 Spellskite, 1 Witchbane Orb, 1 Torpor Orb, 3 Eidolon of the Great Revel
Out -- 2 Abrade, 1 Slagstorm, 1 Pyretic Ritual, 2 Chalice of the Void, 1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
AFFINITY
In -- Ratchet Bomb, Spellskite, 2 Sorcerous Spyglass, 3 Anger of the Gods
Out -- 2 Tormenting Voice, 4 Goblin Rabblemaster, 1 Magus of the Moon
UR STORM
In -- 1 Grafdigger's Cage, 2 Anger of the Gods, 1 Witchbane Orb, 3 Eidolon of the Great Revel
Out -- 4 Ensnaring Bridge, 2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar, 1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Merfolk
In -- Ratchet Bomb, 3 Anger of the Gods, Torpor Orb, Witchbane Orb, Sorcerous Spyglass
Out -- 4 Goblin Rabblemaster, 2 Magus of the Moon, 1 Blood Moon
Living End
In -- Spellskite, Relic of Progenitus, Torpor Orb
Out -- 2 Abrade, 1 Slagstorm
Lantern Control
In -- Ratchet Bomb, 2 Sorcerous Spyglass, Witchbane Orb, 3 Eidolon of the Great Revel
Out -- 4 Ensnaring Bridge, Slagstorm, 2 Goblin Rabblemaster
Jeskai Control
In -- Spellskite, Grafdigger's Cage, Torpor Orb
Out -- 2 Abrade, 1 Slagstorm
Death's Shadow Jund
In -- Ratchet Bomb, Spellskite, Hazoret the Fervent
Out -- 2 Abrade, 1 Slagstorm
GWx Vizier Company (our worst matchup, so I opt for full attack)
In -- 3 Anger of the Gods, 2 Grafdigger's Cage, 1 Torpor Orb, Hazoret the Fervent, 3 Eidolon of the Great Revel
Out -- 4 Chalice of the Void, 4 Ensnaring Bridge, 2 Tormenting Voice
Abzan Midrange / Junk / BGw Souls / Bg Rock
In -- Ratchet Bomb, 3 Anger of the Gods, 2 Grafdigger's Cage, 1 Torpor Orb, 1 Relic of Progenitus
Out -- 4 Chalice of the Void, 2 Abrade, 2 Tormenting Voice
Death and Taxes
In -- 3 Anger of the Gods, Spellskite, Torpor Orb, Sorcerous Spyglass
Out -- 4 Blood Moon, 2 Magus of the Moon
Bant Eldrazi
In -- Ratchet Bomb, 2 Sorcerous Spyglass, 3 Anger of the Gods, Hazoret the Fervent
Out -- 4 Goblin Rabblemaster, 2 Tormenting Voice, 1 Magus of the Moon
Dredge
In -- 3 Anger of the Gods, 2 Grafdigger's Cage, 1 Relic of Progenitus, 1 Spellskite
Out -- 4 Goblin Rabblemaster, 2 Abrade, 1 Chalice of the Void
Gx Tron
In -- 3 Eidolon of the Great Revel, 2 Sorcerous Spyglass, Hazoret the Fervent
Out -- 4 Ensnaring Bridge, 1 Slagstorm, 1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
R/W Prisons
In -- Ratchet Bomb, 2 Sorcerous Spyglass, Spellskite, Witchbane Orb, Hazoret the Fervent
Out -- 4 Blood Moon, 2 Magus of the Moon
Jeskai Copycat (Saheeli + Felidar)
In -- 2 Sorcerous Spyglass, Ratchet Bomb, Torpor Orb, Hazoret the Fervent
Out -- 2 Goblin Rabblemaster, 2 Abrade, 1 Slagstorm
And, I can't expect new folks to read through 38 pages of posts to catch up with where we landed. Mountain paths that ran into dead-ends long ago will be walked by new kin; cards will be suggested that testing already proved lackluster.
For instance, I'm about to watch a Chekmate77 stream where he tests Faithless Looting. Sure. I had one in the original prototype of this deck. After all, it is run in the explosively fast & hyper-linear Free Win Red. Maybe Faithless Looting will meld better in today's Pyro Prison. It's possible, but I suspect that the frustrating non-bo conflict with Chalice of the Void on 1 will be its undoing again.
Gonna grab some popcorn, dim the lights, and find out!!
Yet to attempt the Eidolon, because if the matchup is not great and we are needing to stay low with the bridge, every ritual turns into a shock to our face. I think it must remain in the board due to our pivot plan.
I'll toss one at you though Ray/Russ and Team....... Ready....?
Goblin Charbelcher
Why? - It fits into our 4 slot, in place of Hazoret/Pia. Hazoret is doing 2 damage on the activation, and Pia is doing either 2 in the air with the blockers or pitching artifacts. Goblin Charbelcher has a nifty piece of wording on their text that we should not overlook "If the revealed land card was a Mountain, Goblin Charbelcher deals double that damage instead.."
Lets just theorize for a second here. On the play, getting Charbelcher out on turn 2 with another mana in hand is very possible, look at how many times we get our 4 CMC Planeswalkers out. We are slightly light on lands, in my experience, and as such we have fewer hits for ending a Charbelcher chain. Hazoret, albeit not often, dies to path, and our walkers are always in risk of being hit in the face along with the bolts that are slowly showing up more in the meta.
Keep in mind Charbelcher activation revealing the following cards is the power it can output:
Clarity sake (mentioned below but editing here), revealing 1 card and it is a land is 0 damage, have to reveal a non-land first. This "downside" is talked about later
I'll bold the 2 reveal spot. The worst case is the next card is a land, oh well, at that point we may not even want to be drawing that land, we look at the 'other' upside that Charbelcher is now a Pay 3 Scry 1. Not great, but how many times have you top decked a land. End step Charbelcher removes top lands, otherwise it is equally as good as Hazoret behind the bridge, with larger upsides.
Charbelcher also avoids Abrupt Decay, which seems to be popular in these 4C Death Shadow Lists and other Abzan based lists.
Charbelcher is weak to currently Rec Sage, Beast Within, Acidic Slime, Harmonic Sliver, Natural State, and Ancient Grudge to name most of what is played (Shattering Spree and Abrade also).
Many of these cards are more sideboard, look at affinity.
It is slightly slower in damage than Hazoret without bridge (Math still pending... so this is speculation).
It non-bo with Damping Matrix is identical to Hazoret non-bo.
Am I just giddy from New Years stream? Did the... rogue deck that beat me get me thinking...? What... have I done.
Also, yeah, Charbelcher seems like fun, I looked at it as a possibility a while ago but decided against it for RNG reasons like Russ mentioned. Would love to know how it works out for you though, could be great!
RG BBE Ponza
UX Eldrazi Tron
UR Jace Breach