The new Chandra is a outrageously overpowered. I can't believe it's being printed. Agree on its merit for inclusion, Hugo_Prado. I wonder if there are other newly printed toys that need to see the light of a Cherry Moon.
As for your testing experience, Tron is not a bad matchup at all. Blood Moon and Ensnaring Bridge only serve to slow it down. But, this prison deck has the ability to steam forth with attackers. I have knocked Tron off the table in (3) turns:
T1 - Mutavault, Simian Spirit Guide X 2, and Goblin Rabblemaster ==> attack 1
T2 - Land ==> attack 9
T3 - ==> attack 10
The win was in the opening hand, and that didn't even have one of my 6 blood moons or 2 revokers. As for explosive starts, I had one tourney where I laid Blood Moon on T1 3 games in a row. The Moon is extraordinarily powerful right now. The Bridge, when needed to be played, can be game over. The card that has fallen out of favor right now is Chalice of the Void. Without a strong Delver Presence and the unfortunate glut of Abzan decks out there, the Cup can miss. But, that's the idea of a 'sideboard deck' - hedged bets. Miss sometimes, but land knockout blows other times.
My last round of tweaking had me adding a little more control/grooming: (2) Magma Jet and an extra Phyrexian Revoker. 2 Desperate Ritual, like Shippcc wisely observed, is our most dead draw, so I'm down to 1. I traded a Gemstone Caverns for a manland, since Mutavault actually brings a win without losing card advantage. And, the old Chandra, Pyromaster was serviceable...but not game winning - no pressure. New Chandra? That's my kind of girl.
Only 1 new Chandra? Higher starting loyalty, can guarantee 2 damage with her plus or draw gas, She can still win with bridge out, removes stuff, hilariously level ups Dragonlord with a plus ability instead of minus, her ultimate probably means that you're getting more damage per land tapped than Koth's ultimate,...? If it's a matter of not wanting to hold multiples, I'd lean towards more Chandra than Koth, but this is not based on any experience, obviously.
I'm again planning on playing a variation of this deck in Vegas next year and want to start seriously getting the best list together that I can.
I'm still conservative on how many rituals to use. I'm still keeping 4 (+4 simian). Blood Moon turn1 or 2 is an auto win many times
About Chandra, I'll start using one (replacing Pyromaster), but yes, I see that she seems better than Koth. Let's see...
Abou the "best list", I think we should keep the "lock" characteristic of this deck. For a more aggro approach we already have the Skred red.
I'm still conservative on how many rituals to use. I'm still keeping 4 (+4 simian). Blood Moon turn1 or 2 is an auto win many times
About Chandra, I'll start using one (replacing Pyromaster), but yes, I see that she seems better than Koth. Let's see...
Abou the "best list", I think we should keep the "lock" characteristic of this deck. For a more aggro approach we already have the Skred red.
I can, and want, to get on board with that. I think Raystack is probably one of the most vocal and devoted testers. I have a hard time wrapping my head around Rabble, Koth, and Dragonlord with bridge.
I picked up a pre-order set of new Pia for $4. Easier to bin a bridge or chalice and disable whatever chump blocker they have. Obviously, she's one less power than the couple card and you're unable to shoot stuff. Worth looking into as well, especially if for the same cost of the couple I can drop new Chandra and shoot something immediately.
Hating the pre-order price of new Chandra. She'll be hyped like crazy and I don't want to have to wait until she rotates to pick them up. Might have to suck it up for this one.
I'm still conservative on how many rituals to use. I'm still keeping 4 (+4 simian). Blood Moon turn1 or 2 is an auto win many times
About Chandra, I'll start using one (replacing Pyromaster), but yes, I see that she seems better than Koth. Let's see...
Abou the "best list", I think we should keep the "lock" characteristic of this deck. For a more aggro approach we already have the Skred red.
Hugo, in comparison it looks like you're more liberally using rituals. I think I want to have a minimum of 4 as well since the goal all along in my mind is to land moon as soon as possible as often as possible. I doubt that I'll include as many as I did back in December.
I'm not sold on the Pia. Mostly? Our 3-cmc slot is overloaded. The curve is rough which is why I'm still holding onto that 1 Desperate Ritual in my build - aptly title, huh? So many games are decided by who goes first, right? With Desperate Ritual and SSG, You Go First.
As for my offensive creature usage, I'm a devout follower of this approach. Otherwise, how do you win? Blood Moon, Bridge, Chalice, mana accelerators, bolts, and spellskites do not equal a defeated opponent. They equal a frustrated opponent that will eventually break the chains and come over the top. I get the concern about bridge being a non-bo with my creature suite. I do, but I have tested this deck so much. Bridge is just like holding a path to exile against an opponent with no creatures. Is the card dead in this matchup? Yup. Does that make it worthless in the 60? Nope.
The absence of 1-cmc spells is also debilitating (again - reasoning behind the mana accelerators), and the use of sweepers is critical: Slagstorm, Anger of the Gods, Pyroclasm, and Ensnaring Bridge. But, I've started using 1 Arc Trail in my build, and I like it. Juuuuust enough to bolster the removal and allow for locks to fall into place in time. In the past, I've tried Mizzium Mortars in this slot, but I think sweeping is terribly important. I might even go to (2) arc trail in a future build that will feature a lot of Chandra, Torch of Defiance. I agree with your guys that she will be a huge part of our future.
Spotlight: Kargan Dragonlord. Until you play this bruiser, you don't know how quickly he can win a game. I was playing Scapeshift the other day, and I attacked with an 11/8 on the turn after I attacked with a 4/4. People pay so little attention to him. He's a perfect chump blocker early and a terrific win later - especially with the flying evasion.
Hey guys, just came across this thread. I've been playing Skred for a while and with the new Chandra made a new list (skred-less Skred) which happens to be very familiar to the lists here. The Snow-lands/Scrying Sheets is just a hold over and probably not important for the long run. But I feel like Oath of Chandra is a solid way to amp up removal and slots well with the 8 walkers. For your consideration...
Chandra, Torch of Defiance. I've been running a lot of tests with this gal on the racetrack. So, here are the alterations, roughly:
- Increase the 2 cmc count on spells which includes Desperate Ritual, Ratchet Bomb, and Spellskite.
- Re-introduce the Ensnaring Bridge as a cornerstone and remove Goblin Rabblemaster
- Bring back the Gemstone Caverns
- Enact a larger prison package with Torch and Koth and Pia and Kiran playing major roles.
Very interesting results. Wanna Guess? The sample size is still limited, but it doesn't work. Why? Chandra isn't a winning card. Unlike Koth, she doesn't 'end the game'. Koth, after 2 turns, is an emblem = Control and Win Condition. Chandra neither controls the board nor wins the game. Sure the ultimate is fine and the card drawing is cool, but what are you trying to draw? What is the element of the deck that you need, that you don't already have?
Koth and my creature suite are answers unto themselves. They can block, grow, and provide a win condition. I like Chandra, Torch of Defiance and will use her - just as I used Chandra, Pyromaster in the past. But, she isn't as impactful as I hoped. I do like the idea that Griffinpride spoke to: Mana Generation. I haven't gone in that direction yet, but....how to best use that +2 effect? Big Beaters like Wurmcoil Engine? Growers like Hangarback Walker and Kargan Dragonlord?
My quest is to find one of these types of cards (ones that can benefit from RED Mana Generation (Desperate Ritual, Koth -2, Chandra +1) that can win from behind an ensnaring bridge. Thoughts?
My quest is to find one of these types of cards (ones that can benefit from RED Mana Generation (Desperate Ritual, Koth -2, Chandra +1) that can win from behind an ensnaring bridge. Thoughts?
Also, Tormenting Voice, do you ever feel bad if it gets countered? If not, is Cathartic Reunion better?
I got lucky and opened two Chandra at the prerelease. Sad to hear she's not great, but her plus 1 is also a one sided Sulfuric Vortex kind of so you don't need to be drawing things, you can just shock for 2 every turn behind your bridge.
I only have two bridges. Do you think that having 3 is absolutely necessary out of the board? I was thinking of a Painter's Servant as a 1 of in the board to help with Eldrazi (though warping wail?).
Otherwise, I have everything I need to create your list card for card minus a few cheap things (mutas,jets, slags, claw).
However, since the event isn't for several months, I'm probably going to see what the meta is like closer to the event before I get set on my list. I think Kaladesh will bring some changes. I still struggle against things like Wyrmcoil. I suppose that is where bridge will do work.
How often is Mutavault just a mountain and is it actually attacking when you have bridge out since it will probably get stomped, no?
I'll play this list on next 2 weekends, 3 pptqs scheduled. A friend tested this list last 2 weeks and got good results (using the old chandra).
I replaced 2 Slagstorm for Anger of the Gods because Dredge is increasing here.
I want to play this list myself to get some conclusions.
Some very interesting thoughts from Octopus and Hugo and a slight reversal on my opinion of the slapdown of Chandra, Torch of Defiance
FIRST: Please, Don't dismiss the legitimacy of my commentary, because I previously called Chandra, TORCH into question. When she first came out, I thought she was !! Insane !! And, she probably is an absolute powerhouse - but, my early testing wasn't as positive as I believed it would be.
Cathartic Reunion! If ever there was a Dig/Loot Card to get us to what we want. Alas! The Bridge. When we are trying to take ourselves to that confounded bridge by going empty-handed, we can't be sandbagging 2 cards in our hands in hopes of drawing up a Reunion.
You asked about Warping Wail, but that's not an option due to the need for colorless mana. Wurmcoil Engine is a beast - alongside Oblivion Stone - so the answer ends up being Ensnaring Bridge and an ability to execute 20 damage in a timely manner (one more reason why I can't support a full-on defensive lock deck). The question on Mutavault, Octopusman? I believe it holds power. I'll often drop it turn one for an easy slap of 2 damage if my hand doesn't show a superior option. If I can ever pair it with a Goblin Rabblemaster, then you might as well consider it a 3/2 Mishra's Factory and diversifying your attack damage yields long term results. Lastly, (3) Ensaring Bridge? Yeah, that's where I'm at these day. 2 is fine, but when you look hard at the tiers, it becomes clear that some of our less favorable matchups get sewed up with Moat.
@Hugo: I've done the same on Anger of the Gods. Finally, I did it. I allowed one in my MD - nearly two. Between the rise of Dredge and the prevalence of G/W recurrence, it's a needed bullet. But, Slagstorm is still in as a one count (it hits planeswalkers & face against creatureless-style decks). And, Arc Trail. Shoosh. When you play a deck with no one drops, you neeeeeeed to be able to maintain parity on turn 2 and 3. The arc trail can be simple damage, but more often than not, it can set an opponent back. Also, I 100% agree with your move on getting the Tormod's Crypt out and putting the Grafdigger's Cage IN! When you're dropping the Chalice of the Void in Games 2/3, why not put in the power that is Grafdigger's Cage. So powerful right now.
On your deck construction, I would ask about the 4 Desperate Ritual/4 Simian Spirit Guide. I'm still at 2/4, and have tested at 0. 0 is no good. You've got to get the jump, and then deal with the dead draws that sometimes ensue.
LASTLY: The battle of the Chandras. Torch of Defiance or Pyromaster? I may have spoken too soon on my dismissal of the Torch. One gives pings and unblockability plus a ting to the melon while the other hits for 4 at a great cost of loyalty. They both end up with powerful end results. When you carefully consider the operation of our deck, I do find that Pyromaster seems to fit the theme a little more BECAUSE the +1 ping means so much IN THIS META (Infect/Affinity). Until more testing comes through.......I guess I'll join the masses and toss my hat in the ring with the Torchmaster.
WHY: the -4 hit is why. It kills an early Tarmogoyf, and Thought-Knot Seer, and Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet as well any number of other mid-range phatties. That's why. Our early threats just don't have the heft of other decks, and the answers that we hold are Bridge/Swarm. Buuuuut, is that enough?? Well, let's see where this ends up....
Good explanation. This list seems more versatile/more options to deal with some different situations.
I don't have Mutavaults, these are my 2 additional ritual slots for now, I like the possibility to start with some explosiveness (yes, sometimes we have them as dead draws).
Less lands but more Rabblematers / Moons turn 1 or 2.
Since I bought the Chalices / Kargans, I did not play with the deck myself. I want to test this list "4 of each thing" and feel what's excessive. I may drop 1 ritual, but it's a "core piece" of the deck in my opinion.
About the damage cards, I agree. Maybe my 3 sweeper slots aren't enough and only 2 bridges don't help on that also.
Against TRON, the issue is world breaker. It triggers on cast, then torpor orb does not help (I see you don't use, I think it's good against company / UWR's and grixi's snapcasters)
About Chandras.... I only replaced. I still think that Koth is the finisher we need. When it resolves = "GG" starting in 2 turns and may help on some games when there are dangerous creatures in play. Chandra Torch is a good finisher, but slow (5 damage on 1 single target each turn). On your list I would try 2 chandra Torch and 2 Koths.
A thing that's a problem to this deck (my friend that used it said to me and I see that when I played the Mtggoldfish version): Everyone comes to our table to see the "deck which resolves blood moon turn 2!!!" or "the deck I heard about and is funny to play". Then on 2nd match forwards everyone knows what we are playing
I was more wondering if painter was worth it against eldrazi since they can warping wail it.
Glad there's so much passion right now.
Regarding the surprise, if you can have semi-consistent moon on T1/2 sometimes it doesn't matter if the cat is out of the bag. I've had opponents mull themselves into a loss because they're too terrified that they don't have a basic. This will sometimes happen to experienced players and it's a darned if you do darned if you don't. I'm not so much trying to make the deck that is okay against most things but one that basically auto-wins versus a good amount of things and then shore up the other matchups post board.
Read the thread while I had a minute. Have you guys considered Fanatic of Mogis at any point in time for this deck? It really seems like red devotion is automatic with this particular brew.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Modern: BR Control BR Standard: Temur Energy RUG Pauper: Fireball Black B Commander: Kaervek the MercilessBR
It was a 17 person event - not the biggest - Yet, The deck offerings were mostly stout, so...that's something
I'm not much for tournament reports, but will do a cursory effort.
Round 1: U/B Faeries. Where has this deck been? Well, maybe it was never all that competitive? When ahead, few decks can hammer in a lockdown better than U/B Faeries....But? Well, it's pretty hard to get ahead in a Meta that doesn't feature long-game Control variants. So, what happened? The Blood Moon eventually locked out a win where he died to his own Bitterblossom pings behind an Ensnaring Bridge. And, Game 2? A turn 1 (off of a Gemstone cavern) Blood Moon equalled an ostensible scoop.
Game 2: Bant Eldrazi. This is one of the most competitive decks of the day. The superb bit about this matchup is that (outside of Chalice of the Void), all of our locks are crippling body blows. This occurred back to back. Once I knocked out his Thought-Knot Seer with a Chandra, Torchmaster of Defiance and then put up an Ensnaring Bridge, it was ****-knocker. The Koth ultimate emblem equalled 'Double G'.
Game 3: Mardu Control/Planeswalker. The tough part of this matchup is the long game. The Chalices get sided out, and the hope for my planeswalker control is - statistically - unmatched against his superior suite: Ajani/Elspeth/Sorin. But...But...But, their greedy manabase is their undoing when the Cherry Moon comes over the horizon. And, it shone brightly, dear mages.
Game 4: Blue Moon/Tron: Bloodmoon won the day in both games, and the critical followup is pressure. There is a careful balance of lockdown and win conditions in this formula. Luckily, the right mix hit. Like my previous matchup, Goblin Rabblemaster was an all-star. Consider that a successfully cast Goblin will deliver 7 damage in two turns. That's a wallop.
Game 5: B/W Eldrazi: It was just a bloodbath. Unlike Bant Eldrazi, all of the beefy engagers of my deck came into play with an advantageous position - as long as I can stay ahead of the Death'n'Taxes land destruction angle of his hybrid.
All in All, I am just extremely pumped. Nothing better than defeating 'net decks' with outlier mechanics. For instance,consider that platinum emperion has suddenly become a must-have (out of the blue) in some Tron constructions...I'd like to hope that we are showcasing similar groundbreakers. Indeed, there are some carefully scaled constructions to address the very explosive nature of Modern. Some card choices may raise eyebrows, but being able to compensate for a missing low-curve (Chalice means no '1' drops) requires small sweepers that don't normally get used.
As for actually making the win happen:Chandra, Torch of Defiance has been disco. Koth of the Hammer and Pia and Kiran Nalaar are complementary 4-cmc win conditions. My Kargan Dragonlord count has dropped down, yet remains an assisting companion to Rabble Rabble in enforcing that needed 'clock' which creates a guh-guh.
Fanatic of Mogis, eh? Cheers to the thought, Smashpacman. It's been considered. As you well know and have emphatically emphasized, Modern is waaaay fast. Any 4-cmc spot has to have a board/game altering effect. The Fanatic has a splash effect for damage, but we aren't an overly aggressive archetype - mostly control. So, for most of the variants here, it is a 1-shot uppercut that won't be a knock-out blow. Just can't see this bully-titted tough guy making the cut.
So I just played Raystack and he encouraged me to post this deck. It is actually mostly a copy of an All-In-Koth deck i found some time ago but it may pan out to help give some ideas. The focus of the deck is to power out Koth and/or Chandra as quick as possible (turn 1/2/3 is common) and disrupt the opponent enough to use the plainswalkers ultimate and proceed to win. The strategy I chose to slow opponents down are blood moon and Magus of the Moon. These allow me to wreck the mainly non-basic land bases of decks that would otherwise ruin my plan. Pithing needle is there to deal with an array of threats including plainswalkers and activated artifacts to stopping man lands and sac lands in a pinch. the rest should be rather self explanatory. I removed 2x shattering spree and added 2x Earthquake (at the suggestion of Raystack) as it seems it would be more useful for lowing opp life and clearing boards. more important than artifact removal game 1.
Thanks for joining the discussion Fyro. I was intrigued by the "All In" approach of your deck -- somewhat reminiscent of Saffron Olive's construction in the Official Primer. He didn't have access to the new Chandra, so there's an argument for increased reliability in such a narrow approach.
Prison Elements: Pithing Needle, eh? A new Masterlock added to the pantheon of our prison implements. Fascinating. You did mention that you haven't kept up on the recent meta, so I don't know if this is clutch or not as a Main Deck element. Again, thanks for the offering - cool to see some raw, uber-focused Red Prison in action. I find it interesting that you don't have any other 1-cmc spells...that leads me to consider Lightning Bolt or Gut Shot in the absence of Chalice of the Void. Without the outside chance of a Simian Spirit Guide or Gemstone Cavern (do you not dig this land?), your turn 1 play is a blank....and, an early pithing needle is difficult to forecast against an unknown opponent, so it will often be held back. Have you tested other 1-drop spells, Fyro?
Creature Control: Earthquake doesn't see a lot of play, but consider how many games you are looking at a swarm board or an opponent barely holding on for life. A li'l seismic activity is just the ticket. For your deck, I might consider Pyroclasm instead...or anger of the gods. These cards can serve to clear the way for a planeswalker to be protected, whereas Earthquake comes in (not always) a little later for clean-up/kill. Since you play no creatures - not really - I would consider upping your bridge count to 4.
Land: There's always the case for consistency, but by swapping in Tormenting Voice for Wild Guess, you can gain access to a couple off-red mana sources that might serve you well? Scrying Sheets comes to mind.
Planeswalker or Bust: How often do you brick? Is there another win condition you'd entertain to bolster yourself against bad draws. Or, double down on the theme and consider something like additional draw/loot enablers and reset buttons like Serum Powder?
Thanks for posting up, and giving us some ideas to kick around!
With some dramatic revisions, the hammer blow still struck paydirt at my last FNM of 14 people, I put up a 2nd 5-0 finish with a match record of 10-2. What was the difference this time? Rather than trying to double up on the sneaky creature attack and the bridge lock down, I chose one side and focused on it: Control. Another poster was mentioning that it's the best way to go. Is it? Well, it worked on Friday.
OUT
Creatures: 4 Goblin Rabblemaster, 2 Kargan Dragonlord,
Control: Anger of the Gods, Slagstorm, Earthquake, Ratchet Bomb
IN
Kill/Scry: 2 Magma Jet, 1 Desperate Ritual
Creatures: 2 Spellskite, 1 Magus of the Moon
Control: 2 Arc Trail, Ensnaring Bridge, Chalice of the Void
One of the critical things that shifted was the mana curve. 2 drops came alive, and boy do they need to. I added 2 more spellskite, 2 more arc trail, 2 magma jet, and a desperate ritual. When you run 0 1-drops, then Turn 2 is critical. I'm not a huge fan of the return on Magma Jet, but Scry is underrated and early kill spells are important against infect (though overall we are pretty well appointed against them). The rest of the cards are pretty self-explanatory.
The Win: (7) Options --- 5 Planeswalkers and 2 Piran. That's it. Sometimes it took too long to find them (and sometimes Simian Spirit Guide/Magus beats occur), but mostly the board state gets slowed or locked enough that I can buy the time. It was true for my 5 opponents, but you can be sure none of them were running Affinity. I pack some hard SB against that matchup, as I believe it to be my worst matchup.
The Battles in Brevity: R1 -- U/R Delver. Snipe away his delvers and young pyromancers. Bridge up. Planeswalkers and Pia and Kiran 2-point chuckings for the win. MVP: Arc Trail and Chalice of the Void. Least Valuable: Blood Moon
R2 -- Grixis Control. Turn 1 on game 1 is a blood moon which spelled victory. He gets me on game 2. Turn 2 on game 3 is Chalice answering his cast Delver. I cast Goblin Rabblemaster on T3 which he allows (i know he has a mana leak on the flipped delver). On T4 I arc trail his delver and his snapcaster mage. He leaks it. I tap my 2 remaining mountains and toss a SSG for the negation and pretty much scoop.
R3 -- U/W Tokens. One of our best matchups. Nothing to note here
R4 -- G/x Tron. I moon him and press with a Koth 4/4 army. He never gets to 5 mana to pop the Oblivion Stone. In game 2, I go for a T2 Chandra and her +1s assist the whole way to resolving an emblem.
R5 -- Kiki-Chord. Arc Trail is so boss here as well as the SBed Anger of the Gods. I never felt threatened in these matchups. My highlight Arc Trail was taking out a Kataki, War's Wage and Qasali Pridemage. He eternal witnessed the Kataki twice, but it never did much of a dent as my deck is 29 mana sources.
18 won packs later, I was a happy chappy. Future Thoughts? I wonder if I should put those 4 Goblin Rabblemasters back into the main. As it stands, the 'transitional sideboard' approach has been tremendous. Start creatureless and then bring in the 4 phatties to deliver unexpected beats. Should they be there all along??
Is Dragon's Claw superior to Sun Droplet? I like the idea of recurring life gain, and the ability to benefit against decks like Zoo with its green threats. Am I wrong on this? Should I consider adding Molten Rain to the sideboard to keep folks off their basic lands and cripple Tron?
What about the threat density of the deck design - do I need to up the number of ways to win? Is my Blood Moon count too high. I think I'm going to drop it to 5 from 6.
I'm getting ready for an SCG event on the 19th...anyone else out there riding the lightning of Mono-Red??
Seems to be the most exciting developments to the deck in a while. Total opposite of my approach which was basically all agro and no control. The increased 2-drops mitigate the losses of the sweepers?
I'd consider leaving the Rabbles out. The control variant is at odds with it and better to stay focused game one rather than have a diluted game plan. I like to think Chandra as a one-sided Sulphuric Vortex and seems like you could get there. The Koths with parents seems good win cons along with Magus beats. Though, I wonder if shaving one Koth for Pia Nalaar is considerable.
4 Spellskite seem super important if upping it to a full playset. Shutting off auras or which permanents are you trying desperately to protect?
I like Dragon's Claw for its ability to trigger immediately. Sun Droplet is slow enough that sometimes I think you'll just die whereas claw will have kept you alive.
Seems like you have enough room in the board for Molten Rain. Can you talk about the Trading Post?
Which decks are you bringing the Rabbles in against?
Loving the look of this one. Grats on your finish.
Surprised there isn't more action in this thread since Saffron's revisiting of the "free win red" deck recently cause the price on Koth to move up a bit... [edit] and the GP win you mentioned.
Granite-fisted uppercuts landed hard on November 19th. SCG just published the results from an IQ I attended in Westborough, Massachusetts, Second Place. We got published again, fellow mountainfolk - feels good. And, to echo Octopusman's sentiment, I'm also: "surprised there isn't more action in this thread". Red is doing some damage these days, and it's not just Skred Red that's giving the Modern meta a Kickin'. Let's hear some more voices in here. I should note that Octopusman is Pete N. who put up that Bloody Humans deck which helped to kickstart the idea behind Hammer's Slammer, Koth's Mono-Red Prison archetype.
FIRST: Some feedback on the questions asked in the previous post --
1. Goblin Rabblemaster: As it stands, I have him down as a 1 count in the MD. He's a good threat, and when it occurs as a turn 1 drop, he can go the distance similar to how Delver of Secrets - when defended - is a brutal quick drop/game winner. Rabblemaster comes in against Tron/Ad Nauseam/Scapeshift and Ensnaring Bridge comes out.
2. Dragon's Claw vs. Sun Droplet. After careful review of my red spell count after sideboarding, the droplet makes more sense. Particularly when you face a burn player that drops early critters that keep bonking you.
3. Molten Rain vs. Fulminator Mage. These two are the 16-19th spells in the SB. Maybe mage is better since it's a stick that can keep hitting.
4. Trading Post: It was in previous deck iterations. It came in against Grixis Control, Burn, and Jund. Ultimately, it does a lot, but not enough of one thing - pet card that might get revisited.
So, The Tournament List after some final tweaks.....
I'm really not much for Tournament Reports. Nonetheless, I'll just list out what I faced with some highlights:
ROUND 1: Mono-Blue Tron - He tagged me in game 1 with an Oblivion Stone, and then rolled over the top as Tron does so well. I shattered the stone in G2 and Blood Moon/Koth for the win. Game 3 was similar to Game 1.
ROUND 2: JUND - Both games were won with Blood Moon
ROUND 3: G/W/R | CoCo Chord Knightfall - Both Games were won with Bridge / Koth Ultimate with a noteworthy performance by Earthquake as a sweeper in game 1.
ROUND 4: Affinity - I get blasted in game 1. I fear this matchup. The sideboard is gangbusters as a result. Shattering Spree knocked him for a loop and swept away his glimmervoid at one point. Close wins.
ROUND 5: Intentional Draw into Top 8
ROUND 6: Burn - In one of the most ironic twists of the genre, it turns out that Blood Moon is more devastating to burn than Chalice of the Void. Moon/Chalice/Sun Droplet/Anger of the Gods delivered Games 2/3 wins.
ROUND 7: Affinity - Similar to the previous bout.
ROUND 8: Death's Shadow - Heartbreaker. I feel sooooo favored in this matchup. Well, unless I brick on my draws, and he nuts on his draws. Guess what happened.
As always, it's fun to roll out a win with a rogue deck. People were continually surprised by the transitional sideboard into Goblin Rabblemaster, and the additional buttressing of specified 'hate' cards coming in had me feeling pretty confident throughout the day. Bummer I didn't get the 1st place invite to an SCG premier event - next time, my mountainfolk kin. Next time!
As for your testing experience, Tron is not a bad matchup at all. Blood Moon and Ensnaring Bridge only serve to slow it down. But, this prison deck has the ability to steam forth with attackers. I have knocked Tron off the table in (3) turns:
T1 - Mutavault, Simian Spirit Guide X 2, and Goblin Rabblemaster ==> attack 1
T2 - Land ==> attack 9
T3 - ==> attack 10
The win was in the opening hand, and that didn't even have one of my 6 blood moons or 2 revokers. As for explosive starts, I had one tourney where I laid Blood Moon on T1 3 games in a row. The Moon is extraordinarily powerful right now. The Bridge, when needed to be played, can be game over. The card that has fallen out of favor right now is Chalice of the Void. Without a strong Delver Presence and the unfortunate glut of Abzan decks out there, the Cup can miss. But, that's the idea of a 'sideboard deck' - hedged bets. Miss sometimes, but land knockout blows other times.
My last round of tweaking had me adding a little more control/grooming: (2) Magma Jet and an extra Phyrexian Revoker. 2 Desperate Ritual, like Shippcc wisely observed, is our most dead draw, so I'm down to 1. I traded a Gemstone Caverns for a manland, since Mutavault actually brings a win without losing card advantage. And, the old Chandra, Pyromaster was serviceable...but not game winning - no pressure. New Chandra? That's my kind of girl.
Creatures (14)
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
4 Kargan Dragonlord
2 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Spellskite
Accelerators (5)
4 Simian Spirit Guide
1 Desperate Ritual
Enchantments (4)
4 Blood Moon
4 Slagstorm
2 Magma Jet
1 Tormenting Voice
Planeswalker (3)
2 Koth of the Hammer
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Artifacts (6)
2 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Chalice of the Void
Lands (22)
19 Mountains
2 Mutavault
1 Gemstone Caverns
1 Ensnaring Bridge
3 Dragon's Claw
3 Shattering Spree
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Spellskite
2 Ratchet Bomb
1 Stormbreath Dragon
1 Magus of the Moon
Only 1 new Chandra? Higher starting loyalty, can guarantee 2 damage with her plus or draw gas, She can still win with bridge out, removes stuff, hilariously level ups Dragonlord with a plus ability instead of minus, her ultimate probably means that you're getting more damage per land tapped than Koth's ultimate,...? If it's a matter of not wanting to hold multiples, I'd lean towards more Chandra than Koth, but this is not based on any experience, obviously.
I'm again planning on playing a variation of this deck in Vegas next year and want to start seriously getting the best list together that I can.
About Chandra, I'll start using one (replacing Pyromaster), but yes, I see that she seems better than Koth. Let's see...
Abou the "best list", I think we should keep the "lock" characteristic of this deck. For a more aggro approach we already have the Skred red.
I can, and want, to get on board with that. I think Raystack is probably one of the most vocal and devoted testers. I have a hard time wrapping my head around Rabble, Koth, and Dragonlord with bridge.
I picked up a pre-order set of new Pia for $4. Easier to bin a bridge or chalice and disable whatever chump blocker they have. Obviously, she's one less power than the couple card and you're unable to shoot stuff. Worth looking into as well, especially if for the same cost of the couple I can drop new Chandra and shoot something immediately.
Hating the pre-order price of new Chandra. She'll be hyped like crazy and I don't want to have to wait until she rotates to pick them up. Might have to suck it up for this one.
Hugo, in comparison it looks like you're more liberally using rituals. I think I want to have a minimum of 4 as well since the goal all along in my mind is to land moon as soon as possible as often as possible. I doubt that I'll include as many as I did back in December.
I like Raystack's list a lot.
As for my offensive creature usage, I'm a devout follower of this approach. Otherwise, how do you win? Blood Moon, Bridge, Chalice, mana accelerators, bolts, and spellskites do not equal a defeated opponent. They equal a frustrated opponent that will eventually break the chains and come over the top. I get the concern about bridge being a non-bo with my creature suite. I do, but I have tested this deck so much. Bridge is just like holding a path to exile against an opponent with no creatures. Is the card dead in this matchup? Yup. Does that make it worthless in the 60? Nope.
The absence of 1-cmc spells is also debilitating (again - reasoning behind the mana accelerators), and the use of sweepers is critical: Slagstorm, Anger of the Gods, Pyroclasm, and Ensnaring Bridge. But, I've started using 1 Arc Trail in my build, and I like it. Juuuuust enough to bolster the removal and allow for locks to fall into place in time. In the past, I've tried Mizzium Mortars in this slot, but I think sweeping is terribly important. I might even go to (2) arc trail in a future build that will feature a lot of Chandra, Torch of Defiance. I agree with your guys that she will be a huge part of our future.
Spotlight: Kargan Dragonlord. Until you play this bruiser, you don't know how quickly he can win a game. I was playing Scapeshift the other day, and I attacked with an 11/8 on the turn after I attacked with a 4/4. People pay so little attention to him. He's a perfect chump blocker early and a terrific win later - especially with the flying evasion.
2 Scrying Sheets
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Magma Jet
2 Oath of Chandra
4 Ensnaring Bridge
3 Blood Moon
3 Volcanic Fallout
3 Anger of the Gods
3 Molten Rain
4 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
4 Koth of the Hammer
- Increase the 2 cmc count on spells which includes Desperate Ritual, Ratchet Bomb, and Spellskite.
- Re-introduce the Ensnaring Bridge as a cornerstone and remove Goblin Rabblemaster
- Bring back the Gemstone Caverns
- Enact a larger prison package with Torch and Koth and Pia and Kiran playing major roles.
Very interesting results. Wanna Guess? The sample size is still limited, but it doesn't work. Why? Chandra isn't a winning card. Unlike Koth, she doesn't 'end the game'. Koth, after 2 turns, is an emblem = Control and Win Condition. Chandra neither controls the board nor wins the game. Sure the ultimate is fine and the card drawing is cool, but what are you trying to draw? What is the element of the deck that you need, that you don't already have?
Koth and my creature suite are answers unto themselves. They can block, grow, and provide a win condition. I like Chandra, Torch of Defiance and will use her - just as I used Chandra, Pyromaster in the past. But, she isn't as impactful as I hoped. I do like the idea that Griffinpride spoke to: Mana Generation. I haven't gone in that direction yet, but....how to best use that +2 effect? Big Beaters like Wurmcoil Engine? Growers like Hangarback Walker and Kargan Dragonlord?
My quest is to find one of these types of cards (ones that can benefit from RED Mana Generation (Desperate Ritual, Koth -2, Chandra +1) that can win from behind an ensnaring bridge. Thoughts?
Knollspine Invocation?
Also, Tormenting Voice, do you ever feel bad if it gets countered? If not, is Cathartic Reunion better?
I got lucky and opened two Chandra at the prerelease. Sad to hear she's not great, but her plus 1 is also a one sided Sulfuric Vortex kind of so you don't need to be drawing things, you can just shock for 2 every turn behind your bridge.
I only have two bridges. Do you think that having 3 is absolutely necessary out of the board? I was thinking of a Painter's Servant as a 1 of in the board to help with Eldrazi (though warping wail?).
Otherwise, I have everything I need to create your list card for card minus a few cheap things (mutas,jets, slags, claw).
However, since the event isn't for several months, I'm probably going to see what the meta is like closer to the event before I get set on my list. I think Kaladesh will bring some changes. I still struggle against things like Wyrmcoil. I suppose that is where bridge will do work.
How often is Mutavault just a mountain and is it actually attacking when you have bridge out since it will probably get stomped, no?
I replaced 2 Slagstorm for Anger of the Gods because Dredge is increasing here.
I want to play this list myself to get some conclusions.
Creatures (15)
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
4 Kargan Dragonlord
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
2 Phyrexian Revoker
2 Magus of the Moon
1 Spellskite
Accelerators (8)
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Desperate Ritual
4 Blood Moon
Instant/Sorcery (3)
1 Slagstorm
2 Anger of the Gods
Planeswalker (3)
2 Koth of the Hammer
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Artifacts (6)
2 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Chalice of the Void
Lands (21)
19 Mountains
2 Gemstone Caverns
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Slagstorm
3 Dragon's Claw
3 Shattering Spree
2 Torpor Orb
2 Pyroclasm
2 Tormod's Crypt
1 Ratchet Bomb
I'm thinking about replace Tormod's Crypt and use Grafdigger's cage instead, as against dredge I side out the Chalices.
FIRST: Please, Don't dismiss the legitimacy of my commentary, because I previously called Chandra, TORCH into question. When she first came out, I thought she was !! Insane !! And, she probably is an absolute powerhouse - but, my early testing wasn't as positive as I believed it would be.
Cathartic Reunion! If ever there was a Dig/Loot Card to get us to what we want. Alas! The Bridge. When we are trying to take ourselves to that confounded bridge by going empty-handed, we can't be sandbagging 2 cards in our hands in hopes of drawing up a Reunion.
You asked about Warping Wail, but that's not an option due to the need for colorless mana. Wurmcoil Engine is a beast - alongside Oblivion Stone - so the answer ends up being Ensnaring Bridge and an ability to execute 20 damage in a timely manner (one more reason why I can't support a full-on defensive lock deck). The question on Mutavault, Octopusman? I believe it holds power. I'll often drop it turn one for an easy slap of 2 damage if my hand doesn't show a superior option. If I can ever pair it with a Goblin Rabblemaster, then you might as well consider it a 3/2 Mishra's Factory and diversifying your attack damage yields long term results. Lastly, (3) Ensaring Bridge? Yeah, that's where I'm at these day. 2 is fine, but when you look hard at the tiers, it becomes clear that some of our less favorable matchups get sewed up with Moat.
@Hugo: I've done the same on Anger of the Gods. Finally, I did it. I allowed one in my MD - nearly two. Between the rise of Dredge and the prevalence of G/W recurrence, it's a needed bullet. But, Slagstorm is still in as a one count (it hits planeswalkers & face against creatureless-style decks). And, Arc Trail. Shoosh. When you play a deck with no one drops, you neeeeeeed to be able to maintain parity on turn 2 and 3. The arc trail can be simple damage, but more often than not, it can set an opponent back. Also, I 100% agree with your move on getting the Tormod's Crypt out and putting the Grafdigger's Cage IN! When you're dropping the Chalice of the Void in Games 2/3, why not put in the power that is Grafdigger's Cage. So powerful right now.
On your deck construction, I would ask about the 4 Desperate Ritual/4 Simian Spirit Guide. I'm still at 2/4, and have tested at 0. 0 is no good. You've got to get the jump, and then deal with the dead draws that sometimes ensue.
LASTLY: The battle of the Chandras. Torch of Defiance or Pyromaster? I may have spoken too soon on my dismissal of the Torch. One gives pings and unblockability plus a ting to the melon while the other hits for 4 at a great cost of loyalty. They both end up with powerful end results. When you carefully consider the operation of our deck, I do find that Pyromaster seems to fit the theme a little more BECAUSE the +1 ping means so much IN THIS META (Infect/Affinity). Until more testing comes through.......I guess I'll join the masses and toss my hat in the ring with the Torchmaster.
WHY: the -4 hit is why. It kills an early Tarmogoyf, and Thought-Knot Seer, and Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet as well any number of other mid-range phatties. That's why. Our early threats just don't have the heft of other decks, and the answers that we hold are Bridge/Swarm. Buuuuut, is that enough?? Well, let's see where this ends up....
Creatures (12)
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
3 Kargan Dragonlord
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
2 Spellskite
1 Magus of the Moon
Accelerators (5)
4 Simian Spirit Guide
1 Desperate Ritual
Enchantments (4)
4 Blood Moon
Instant/Sorcery (5)
3 Arc Trail
1 Slagstorm
1 Anger of the Gods
3 Koth of the Hammer
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Artifacts (6)
3 Ensnaring Bridge
3 Chalice of the Void
Lands (23)
19 Mountains
2 Mutavault
2 Gemstone Caverns
3 Dragon's Claw
3 Shattering Spree
2 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Chalice of the Void
1 Dismember
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Batterskull
I don't have Mutavaults, these are my 2 additional ritual slots for now, I like the possibility to start with some explosiveness (yes, sometimes we have them as dead draws).
Less lands but more Rabblematers / Moons turn 1 or 2.
Since I bought the Chalices / Kargans, I did not play with the deck myself. I want to test this list "4 of each thing" and feel what's excessive. I may drop 1 ritual, but it's a "core piece" of the deck in my opinion.
About the damage cards, I agree. Maybe my 3 sweeper slots aren't enough and only 2 bridges don't help on that also.
Against TRON, the issue is world breaker. It triggers on cast, then torpor orb does not help (I see you don't use, I think it's good against company / UWR's and grixi's snapcasters)
About Chandras.... I only replaced. I still think that Koth is the finisher we need. When it resolves = "GG" starting in 2 turns and may help on some games when there are dangerous creatures in play. Chandra Torch is a good finisher, but slow (5 damage on 1 single target each turn). On your list I would try 2 chandra Torch and 2 Koths.
A thing that's a problem to this deck (my friend that used it said to me and I see that when I played the Mtggoldfish version): Everyone comes to our table to see the "deck which resolves blood moon turn 2!!!" or "the deck I heard about and is funny to play". Then on 2nd match forwards everyone knows what we are playing
Glad there's so much passion right now.
Regarding the surprise, if you can have semi-consistent moon on T1/2 sometimes it doesn't matter if the cat is out of the bag. I've had opponents mull themselves into a loss because they're too terrified that they don't have a basic. This will sometimes happen to experienced players and it's a darned if you do darned if you don't. I'm not so much trying to make the deck that is okay against most things but one that basically auto-wins versus a good amount of things and then shore up the other matchups post board.
Read the thread while I had a minute. Have you guys considered Fanatic of Mogis at any point in time for this deck? It really seems like red devotion is automatic with this particular brew.
Standard: Temur Energy RUG
Pauper: Fireball Black B
Commander: Kaervek the Merciless BR
"Always Bolt the Bird."
I'm not much for tournament reports, but will do a cursory effort.
Round 1: U/B Faeries. Where has this deck been? Well, maybe it was never all that competitive? When ahead, few decks can hammer in a lockdown better than U/B Faeries....But? Well, it's pretty hard to get ahead in a Meta that doesn't feature long-game Control variants. So, what happened? The Blood Moon eventually locked out a win where he died to his own Bitterblossom pings behind an Ensnaring Bridge. And, Game 2? A turn 1 (off of a Gemstone cavern) Blood Moon equalled an ostensible scoop.
Game 2: Bant Eldrazi. This is one of the most competitive decks of the day. The superb bit about this matchup is that (outside of Chalice of the Void), all of our locks are crippling body blows. This occurred back to back. Once I knocked out his Thought-Knot Seer with a Chandra, Torchmaster of Defiance and then put up an Ensnaring Bridge, it was ****-knocker. The Koth ultimate emblem equalled 'Double G'.
Game 3: Mardu Control/Planeswalker. The tough part of this matchup is the long game. The Chalices get sided out, and the hope for my planeswalker control is - statistically - unmatched against his superior suite: Ajani/Elspeth/Sorin. But...But...But, their greedy manabase is their undoing when the Cherry Moon comes over the horizon. And, it shone brightly, dear mages.
Game 4: Blue Moon/Tron: Bloodmoon won the day in both games, and the critical followup is pressure. There is a careful balance of lockdown and win conditions in this formula. Luckily, the right mix hit. Like my previous matchup, Goblin Rabblemaster was an all-star. Consider that a successfully cast Goblin will deliver 7 damage in two turns. That's a wallop.
Game 5: B/W Eldrazi: It was just a bloodbath. Unlike Bant Eldrazi, all of the beefy engagers of my deck came into play with an advantageous position - as long as I can stay ahead of the Death'n'Taxes land destruction angle of his hybrid.
All in All, I am just extremely pumped. Nothing better than defeating 'net decks' with outlier mechanics. For instance,consider that platinum emperion has suddenly become a must-have (out of the blue) in some Tron constructions...I'd like to hope that we are showcasing similar groundbreakers. Indeed, there are some carefully scaled constructions to address the very explosive nature of Modern. Some card choices may raise eyebrows, but being able to compensate for a missing low-curve (Chalice means no '1' drops) requires small sweepers that don't normally get used.
As for actually making the win happen: Chandra, Torch of Defiance has been disco. Koth of the Hammer and Pia and Kiran Nalaar are complementary 4-cmc win conditions. My Kargan Dragonlord count has dropped down, yet remains an assisting companion to Rabble Rabble in enforcing that needed 'clock' which creates a guh-guh.
Creatures (11)
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
2 Kargan Dragonlord
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
2 Spellskite
1 Magus of the Moon
Accelerators (5)
4 Simian Spirit Guide
1 Desperate Ritual
Enchantments (4)
4 Blood Moon
Instant/Sorcery (5)
2 Arc Trail
1 Slagstorm
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Earthquake
3 Koth of the Hammer
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Artifacts (7)
3 Ensnaring Bridge
3 Chalice of the Void
1 Ratchet Bomb
Lands (23)
19 Mountains
2 Mutavault
2 Gemstone Caverns
3 Dragon's Claw
3 Shattering Spree
2 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Chalice of the Void
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Batterskull
Fanatic of Mogis, eh? Cheers to the thought, Smashpacman. It's been considered. As you well know and have emphatically emphasized, Modern is waaaay fast. Any 4-cmc spot has to have a board/game altering effect. The Fanatic has a splash effect for damage, but we aren't an overly aggressive archetype - mostly control. So, for most of the variants here, it is a 1-shot uppercut that won't be a knock-out blow. Just can't see this bully-titted tough guy making the cut.
So I just played Raystack and he encouraged me to post this deck. It is actually mostly a copy of an All-In-Koth deck i found some time ago but it may pan out to help give some ideas. The focus of the deck is to power out Koth and/or Chandra as quick as possible (turn 1/2/3 is common) and disrupt the opponent enough to use the plainswalkers ultimate and proceed to win. The strategy I chose to slow opponents down are blood moon and Magus of the Moon. These allow me to wreck the mainly non-basic land bases of decks that would otherwise ruin my plan. Pithing needle is there to deal with an array of threats including plainswalkers and activated artifacts to stopping man lands and sac lands in a pinch. the rest should be rather self explanatory. I removed 2x shattering spree and added 2x Earthquake (at the suggestion of Raystack) as it seems it would be more useful for lowing opp life and clearing boards. more important than artifact removal game 1.
// 7 Artifact
3 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Pithing Needle
// 8 Creature
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Magus of the Moon
// 4 Enchantment
4 Blood Moon
// 7 Instant
3 Pyretic Ritual
4 Desperate Ritual
20 Mountain
// 8 Planeswalker
4 Koth of the Hammer
4 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
// 6 Sorcery
4 Wild Guess
2 Earthquake
Prison Elements: Pithing Needle, eh? A new Masterlock added to the pantheon of our prison implements. Fascinating. You did mention that you haven't kept up on the recent meta, so I don't know if this is clutch or not as a Main Deck element. Again, thanks for the offering - cool to see some raw, uber-focused Red Prison in action. I find it interesting that you don't have any other 1-cmc spells...that leads me to consider Lightning Bolt or Gut Shot in the absence of Chalice of the Void. Without the outside chance of a Simian Spirit Guide or Gemstone Cavern (do you not dig this land?), your turn 1 play is a blank....and, an early pithing needle is difficult to forecast against an unknown opponent, so it will often be held back. Have you tested other 1-drop spells, Fyro?
Creature Control: Earthquake doesn't see a lot of play, but consider how many games you are looking at a swarm board or an opponent barely holding on for life. A li'l seismic activity is just the ticket. For your deck, I might consider Pyroclasm instead...or anger of the gods. These cards can serve to clear the way for a planeswalker to be protected, whereas Earthquake comes in (not always) a little later for clean-up/kill. Since you play no creatures - not really - I would consider upping your bridge count to 4.
Land: There's always the case for consistency, but by swapping in Tormenting Voice for Wild Guess, you can gain access to a couple off-red mana sources that might serve you well? Scrying Sheets comes to mind.
Planeswalker or Bust: How often do you brick? Is there another win condition you'd entertain to bolster yourself against bad draws. Or, double down on the theme and consider something like additional draw/loot enablers and reset buttons like Serum Powder?
Thanks for posting up, and giving us some ideas to kick around!
With some dramatic revisions, the hammer blow still struck paydirt at my last FNM of 14 people, I put up a 2nd 5-0 finish with a match record of 10-2. What was the difference this time? Rather than trying to double up on the sneaky creature attack and the bridge lock down, I chose one side and focused on it: Control. Another poster was mentioning that it's the best way to go. Is it? Well, it worked on Friday.
LAST WEEK'S 5-0 DECK
Creatures (11)
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
2 Kargan Dragonlord
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
2 Spellskite
1 Magus of the Moon
Accelerators (5)
4 Simian Spirit Guide
1 Desperate Ritual
Enchantments (4)
4 Blood Moon
Instant/Sorcery (5)
2 Arc Trail
1 Slagstorm
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Earthquake
3 Koth of the Hammer
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Artifacts (7)
3 Ensnaring Bridge
3 Chalice of the Void
1 Ratchet Bomb
Lands (23)
19 Mountains
2 Mutavault
2 Gemstone Caverns
3 Dragon's Claw
3 Shattering Spree
2 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Chalice of the Void
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Batterskull
OUT
Creatures: 4 Goblin Rabblemaster, 2 Kargan Dragonlord,
Control: Anger of the Gods, Slagstorm, Earthquake, Ratchet Bomb
IN
Kill/Scry: 2 Magma Jet, 1 Desperate Ritual
Creatures: 2 Spellskite, 1 Magus of the Moon
Control: 2 Arc Trail, Ensnaring Bridge, Chalice of the Void
One of the critical things that shifted was the mana curve. 2 drops came alive, and boy do they need to. I added 2 more spellskite, 2 more arc trail, 2 magma jet, and a desperate ritual. When you run 0 1-drops, then Turn 2 is critical. I'm not a huge fan of the return on Magma Jet, but Scry is underrated and early kill spells are important against infect (though overall we are pretty well appointed against them). The rest of the cards are pretty self-explanatory.
The Win: (7) Options --- 5 Planeswalkers and 2 Piran. That's it. Sometimes it took too long to find them (and sometimes Simian Spirit Guide/Magus beats occur), but mostly the board state gets slowed or locked enough that I can buy the time. It was true for my 5 opponents, but you can be sure none of them were running Affinity. I pack some hard SB against that matchup, as I believe it to be my worst matchup.
The Battles in Brevity:
R1 -- U/R Delver. Snipe away his delvers and young pyromancers. Bridge up. Planeswalkers and Pia and Kiran 2-point chuckings for the win. MVP: Arc Trail and Chalice of the Void. Least Valuable: Blood Moon
R2 -- Grixis Control. Turn 1 on game 1 is a blood moon which spelled victory. He gets me on game 2. Turn 2 on game 3 is Chalice answering his cast Delver. I cast Goblin Rabblemaster on T3 which he allows (i know he has a mana leak on the flipped delver). On T4 I arc trail his delver and his snapcaster mage. He leaks it. I tap my 2 remaining mountains and toss a SSG for the negation and pretty much scoop.
R3 -- U/W Tokens. One of our best matchups. Nothing to note here
R4 -- G/x Tron. I moon him and press with a Koth 4/4 army. He never gets to 5 mana to pop the Oblivion Stone. In game 2, I go for a T2 Chandra and her +1s assist the whole way to resolving an emblem.
R5 -- Kiki-Chord. Arc Trail is so boss here as well as the SBed Anger of the Gods. I never felt threatened in these matchups. My highlight Arc Trail was taking out a Kataki, War's Wage and Qasali Pridemage. He eternal witnessed the Kataki twice, but it never did much of a dent as my deck is 29 mana sources.
18 won packs later, I was a happy chappy. Future Thoughts? I wonder if I should put those 4 Goblin Rabblemasters back into the main. As it stands, the 'transitional sideboard' approach has been tremendous. Start creatureless and then bring in the 4 phatties to deliver unexpected beats. Should they be there all along??
So, this is the Hammer Remade:
Creatures (8)
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
4 Spellskite
2 Magus of the Moon
Accelerators (6)
4 Simian Spirit Guide
2 Desperate Ritual
Enchantments (4)
4 Blood Moon
Removal (6)
4 Arc Trail
2 Magma Jet
3 Koth of the Hammer
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Artifacts (8)
4 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Chalice of the Void
Lands (23)
19 Mountains
2 Mutavault
2 Gemstone Caverns
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
3 Shattering Spree
2 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Sun Droplet
1 Trading Post
1 Ratchet Bomb
QUESTIONS:
Is Dragon's Claw superior to Sun Droplet? I like the idea of recurring life gain, and the ability to benefit against decks like Zoo with its green threats. Am I wrong on this?
Should I consider adding Molten Rain to the sideboard to keep folks off their basic lands and cripple Tron?
What about the threat density of the deck design - do I need to up the number of ways to win?
Is my Blood Moon count too high. I think I'm going to drop it to 5 from 6.
I'm getting ready for an SCG event on the 19th...anyone else out there riding the lightning of Mono-Red??
A Mono-Red Deck just put up a 1st place finish in the largest Texas Grand Prix ever!!
http://magic.wizards.com/it/node/1085841
I'd consider leaving the Rabbles out. The control variant is at odds with it and better to stay focused game one rather than have a diluted game plan. I like to think Chandra as a one-sided Sulphuric Vortex and seems like you could get there. The Koths with parents seems good win cons along with Magus beats. Though, I wonder if shaving one Koth for Pia Nalaar is considerable.
4 Spellskite seem super important if upping it to a full playset. Shutting off auras or which permanents are you trying desperately to protect?
I like Dragon's Claw for its ability to trigger immediately. Sun Droplet is slow enough that sometimes I think you'll just die whereas claw will have kept you alive.
Seems like you have enough room in the board for Molten Rain. Can you talk about the Trading Post?
Which decks are you bringing the Rabbles in against?
Loving the look of this one. Grats on your finish.
Surprised there isn't more action in this thread since Saffron's revisiting of the "free win red" deck recently cause the price on Koth to move up a bit... [edit] and the GP win you mentioned.
http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=109860
Granite-fisted uppercuts landed hard on November 19th. SCG just published the results from an IQ I attended in Westborough, Massachusetts, Second Place. We got published again, fellow mountainfolk - feels good. And, to echo Octopusman's sentiment, I'm also: "surprised there isn't more action in this thread". Red is doing some damage these days, and it's not just Skred Red that's giving the Modern meta a Kickin'. Let's hear some more voices in here. I should note that Octopusman is Pete N. who put up that Bloody Humans deck which helped to kickstart the idea behind Hammer's Slammer, Koth's Mono-Red Prison archetype.
FIRST: Some feedback on the questions asked in the previous post --
1. Goblin Rabblemaster: As it stands, I have him down as a 1 count in the MD. He's a good threat, and when it occurs as a turn 1 drop, he can go the distance similar to how Delver of Secrets - when defended - is a brutal quick drop/game winner. Rabblemaster comes in against Tron/Ad Nauseam/Scapeshift and Ensnaring Bridge comes out.
2. Dragon's Claw vs. Sun Droplet. After careful review of my red spell count after sideboarding, the droplet makes more sense. Particularly when you face a burn player that drops early critters that keep bonking you.
3. Molten Rain vs. Fulminator Mage. These two are the 16-19th spells in the SB. Maybe mage is better since it's a stick that can keep hitting.
4. Trading Post: It was in previous deck iterations. It came in against Grixis Control, Burn, and Jund. Ultimately, it does a lot, but not enough of one thing - pet card that might get revisited.
So, The Tournament List after some final tweaks.....
Creatures (8)
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
4 Spellskite
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Goblin Rabblemaster
Accelerators (6)
4 Simian Spirit Guide
2 Desperate Ritual
Enchantments (4)
4 Blood Moon
Removal (6)
3 Arc Trail
2 Magma Jet
1 Earthquake
3 Koth of the Hammer
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Artifacts (8)
4 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Chalice of the Void
Lands (23)
19 Mountains
2 Mutavault
2 Gemstone Caverns
3 Goblin Rabblemaster
3 Anger of the Gods
2 Shattering Spree
2 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Sun Droplet
1 Witchbane Orb
1 Torpor Orb
1 Ratchet Bomb
I'm really not much for Tournament Reports. Nonetheless, I'll just list out what I faced with some highlights:
ROUND 1: Mono-Blue Tron - He tagged me in game 1 with an Oblivion Stone, and then rolled over the top as Tron does so well. I shattered the stone in G2 and Blood Moon/Koth for the win. Game 3 was similar to Game 1.
ROUND 2: JUND - Both games were won with Blood Moon
ROUND 3: G/W/R | CoCo Chord Knightfall - Both Games were won with Bridge / Koth Ultimate with a noteworthy performance by Earthquake as a sweeper in game 1.
ROUND 4: Affinity - I get blasted in game 1. I fear this matchup. The sideboard is gangbusters as a result. Shattering Spree knocked him for a loop and swept away his glimmervoid at one point. Close wins.
ROUND 5: Intentional Draw into Top 8
ROUND 6: Burn - In one of the most ironic twists of the genre, it turns out that Blood Moon is more devastating to burn than Chalice of the Void. Moon/Chalice/Sun Droplet/Anger of the Gods delivered Games 2/3 wins.
ROUND 7: Affinity - Similar to the previous bout.
ROUND 8: Death's Shadow - Heartbreaker. I feel sooooo favored in this matchup. Well, unless I brick on my draws, and he nuts on his draws. Guess what happened.
As always, it's fun to roll out a win with a rogue deck. People were continually surprised by the transitional sideboard into Goblin Rabblemaster, and the additional buttressing of specified 'hate' cards coming in had me feeling pretty confident throughout the day. Bummer I didn't get the 1st place invite to an SCG premier event - next time, my mountainfolk kin. Next time!