With burn being so common online and picking up in popularity in paper I've decided that it might be worth it to add in 1-2 cards specifically for it in my sideboard. Being on a control plan (currently esper) it tends to be a pretty rough match that requires some luck to win. After looking through gatherer for anything that said "gain life" on it, I saw a number of options but I am undecided which ones would actually work best. I've tested out a handful of them, but with me being on control it's very hard to identify which ones are the best because of the hands I'll typically have to keep making it hard to identify their power level. Here's the ones that I'm considering:
Pulse of the fields - can easily gain 12 life in a game and then can be snap casted back once you get back into the game to seal the deal. The down side is that it is ONLY for burn.
Dragon's claw - Reduces all of their damage by 1 and only requires the initial 2 mana payment. The downside is that this is also just for burn and nothing else, but also just reduces the damage you take and isn't capable of giving you a life buffer to safely tap out. In a UWR shell, this would easily be the choice since it triggers off both players, but as I'm testing out esper right now, it loses a lot of value.
Timely reinforcements - A solid boost of 6 and either chump blockers or a clock to get things moving. It has value against other aggro decks, but only gets one use without a snapcaster.
Kitchen finks - Presents a clock to end the game sooner rather than later, but only gains 2 life without dropping a kill spell on it intentionally. Also can be brought in against control decks when they cut their paths for an annoying and cheap threat.
Syphon life - A mix of kitchen finks and pulse. It's a little slow, gains 2 life a crack, but is also a clock that's hard to interact with.
Leyline of Sanctity - A complete shut out with fringe usability against some combo decks. Downside is that if it's not in your opener, 4 mana is a ton to tap out for.
Circle of protection: Red - Probably as hateful as it gets against burn but has absolutely zero utility elsewhere. At least pulse of the fields might come in against some aggro deck where you don't want any of your counter magic. Also of note is that it does not stop flames of the blood hand and can be worked around with skull crack.
Of all of these options I'm deciding between timely reinforcements and pulse of the fields. I like the constant gain of 4 life and I like the versatility of timely, but the other times that timely would come in I already have a good match up against them, both pre and post board. If you wanted to board a card specifically with burn in mind, what would you be running?
Consistent lifegain, effectively unburnable, stops any of their creatures like Spark Elemental or Goblin Guide in their tracks.
That said, Leyline really is the way to go. No matter how much they try, they can't get rid of it unless they're running green or playing some really weird cards, and its almost as good against stuff like Scapeshift and Storm (though not amazing in either matchup).
I play four Elixir of Immortality and four Nature's Claim in my sideboard. The Elixir are for the burn matchup, because I can use Ancient Stirrings and the basic function of my main deck to get and play one extremely quickly and nearly every turn. I use the Nature's Claim as additional lifegain, targeting my own extra permanents for the most part, but I found it's also useful for killing off an Eidolon of the Great Revel if I need to. I played Burn at States last weekend and I never ended up needing the Nature's Claims, but I did pretty much win the round off the back of Pithing Needles and Elixir of Immortality.
Leyline of Sanctity is definitely the best of them.
Yes I keep my hand and put this Leyline into play. Mono-red/RB/RW/RWB opponent immediately scoops.
It's a strong one, but I wouldn't call it the best. If its not in your opening hand, you don't necessarily want to mull for it, and if you draw it, its way too costly to actually cast against a burn deck.
Rest for the weary is a good one. Nullifies nearly 3 lightning bolts. Very narrow, though. Its only good against burn or other very aggressive aggro decks.
Honestly, Kor Firewalker gives me the most fits. While Leyline of Sanctity is also strong, I typically side in more creatures against decks that could bring it in.
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No love for Chalice? Chalice of the Void at 1 shuts a lot of burn's cards down. Chalice also has the added benefit of coming in against other decks as well if need be.
Honestly, Kor Firewalker gives me the most fits. While Leyline of Sanctity is also strong, I typically side in more creatures against decks that could bring it in.
Can you give a few examples of what your man plan looks like? On the control side I tend to keep in at least 4 path no matter what because hell's thunder and the like are SO good that I can't afford to not have path available. That and taking 6 from a single goblin guide is unacceptable. I'm not entirely sure what the average burn SB looks like aside from bridges, blood moon, and maybe extra skull cracks or flames.
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And on that day, Garfield said unto the world "Go ye forth and durdle!"
No love for Chalice? Chalice of the Void at 1 shuts a lot of burn's cards down. Chalice also has the added benefit of coming in against other decks as well if need be.
Chalice is hard to use in this format due to the lack of ancient tomb and city of traitors. It is definitely one you could use; at 1, it neuters a lot of their deck, but there aren't many decks that can actually utilize chalice in a reasonable way.
Honestly, Kor Firewalker gives me the most fits. While Leyline of Sanctity is also strong, I typically side in more creatures against decks that could bring it in.
Can you give a few examples of what your man plan looks like? On the control side I tend to keep in at least 4 path no matter what because hell's thunder and the like are SO good that I can't afford to not have path available. That and taking 6 from a single goblin guide is unacceptable. I'm not entirely sure what the average burn SB looks like aside from bridges, blood moon, and maybe extra skull cracks or flames.
Either way, you should expect most Burn players to keep both Goblin Guide and Eidolon of the Great Revel in after sideboarding. (And if they are on the fetchland plan, probably some number of Grim Lavamancers would stay in if Electrolyze hasn't been sighted.)
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Eternal Masters 2015 Legacy Champion. Has an unnatural love towards perfectly reasonable respect for Lightning Bolt.
Probably the best way to defeat burn is to beat down rapidly with some life gain on the side. To that effect, some cards besides the ones already mentioned that you may be able to include depending on your colors:
I'm on esper control (wafo-tapa style) currently so ending the game fast is not something I'm equipped to do since I don't have the burn that UWR has. The creature plan shouldn't be a problem from burn, but the bolts are what I'm mostly worried about. It seems that leyline or timely is what I'm in need of most because against any matches where other things would come in my main is already modular enough that I really don't have any room. I could in theory use another card against zoo, but that's not a terrible match up to warrant another SB slot and I'd rather have a massive game ender against burn. Still undecided, but I'm currently leaning towards leyline even though just running the 1 just feels like it has to be wrong.
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And on that day, Garfield said unto the world "Go ye forth and durdle!"
I'm on esper control (wafo-tapa style) currently so ending the game fast is not something I'm equipped to do since I don't have the burn that UWR has. The creature plan shouldn't be a problem from burn, but the bolts are what I'm mostly worried about. It seems that leyline or timely is what I'm in need of most because against any matches where other things would come in my main is already modular enough that I really don't have any room. I could in theory use another card against zoo, but that's not a terrible match up to warrant another SB slot and I'd rather have a massive game ender against burn. Still undecided, but I'm currently leaning towards leyline even though just running the 1 just feels like it has to be wrong.
So run Chalice of the Void. Its also helpful against some versions of Zoo, it renders half their deck blank, and while it doesn't come down on turn 0, it does come down turn 2 every time you draw it by that point, making it potentially more consistent.
Leyline of Sanctity is definitely the best of them.
Yes I keep my hand and put this Leyline into play. Mono-red/RB/RW/RWB opponent immediately scoops.
That would seem very stupid of them. Burn decks are still capable of beating down with creatures. Obviously this is a very suboptimal strategy, but you still have the possibility to get there in doing so.
I'm on esper control (wafo-tapa style) currently so ending the game fast is not something I'm equipped to do since I don't have the burn that UWR has. The creature plan shouldn't be a problem from burn, but the bolts are what I'm mostly worried about. It seems that leyline or timely is what I'm in need of most because against any matches where other things would come in my main is already modular enough that I really don't have any room. I could in theory use another card against zoo, but that's not a terrible match up to warrant another SB slot and I'd rather have a massive game ender against burn. Still undecided, but I'm currently leaning towards leyline even though just running the 1 just feels like it has to be wrong.
So run Chalice of the Void. Its also helpful against some versions of Zoo, it renders half their deck blank, and while it doesn't come down on turn 0, it does come down turn 2 every time you draw it by that point, making it potentially more consistent.
Chalice also gets hit by Smash to Smithereens . They can easily expect a batterskull so seeing smash show up would be very bad news. Granted it's not a guarantee to show up, it is still worth noting as it is something to be worried about.
Leyline of Sanctity is definitely the best of them.
Yes I keep my hand and put this Leyline into play. Mono-red/RB/RW/RWB opponent immediately scoops.
That would seem very stupid of them. Burn decks are still capable of beating down with creatures. Obviously this is a very suboptimal strategy, but you still have the possibility to get there in doing so.
Obviously depends on the their deck and that from the opponent.
If the opponents deck doesn't fold to angry bears then things look bad for them.
Leyline of Sanctity is definitely the best of them.
Yes I keep my hand and put this Leyline into play. Mono-red/RB/RW/RWB opponent immediately scoops.
That would seem very stupid of them. Burn decks are still capable of beating down with creatures. Obviously this is a very suboptimal strategy, but you still have the possibility to get there in doing so.
Obviously depends on the their deck and that from the opponent.
If the opponents deck doesn't fold to angry bears then things look bad for them.
Still can happen, especially with Eidolon around. I once lost to a burn deck with a Leyline of Sanctity in play, though admittedly it was close and they drew well.
I play Leyline of Sanctity in the majority of sideboards i play, mostly because i play combo and discard wrecks me. But they have the added benefit of hosing Burn too. I would say at least 60% of the time the burn player just scoops rather than even trying to play it out. Of course it does depend on the build.
They are decent in a ton of match up though. Good against Burn, Discard(8-Rack, GBx, etc),Mill(fringe but you see it online occasionally), Storm(if you have sweepers for goblins), you can even catch decks like Scapeshift off guard, as they probably won't expect you to be bringing in a Leyline.
All in all i find them to be pretty decent. It's a plus if you can actually play them though, as mid-game Leylines can be huge bricks.
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Not just the Tendo King, the power of the Galactic Leyline surpasses that of the Tempa Emperor, No!, It's magnificent power is even greater than that!
As a burn player the two major headache for the deck are life gain and Leyline.
If I know life gain is in my opponent's deck, I will hold a Skullcrack. But with Leyline, it's harder to deal with. The best I can do is beat with creatures for the win.
As a burn player the two major headache for the deck are life gain and Leyline.
If I know life gain is in my opponent's deck, I will hold a Skullcrack. But with Leyline, it's harder to deal with. The best I can do is beat with creatures for the win.
this. I find that if I have Spark and Hellspark Elemental, Eidolon, and GG, it is GG. Leyline + Lifegain though is something Burn decks can't deal with. If you're playing Esper, Leyline and maybe Nyx Fleece Ram might do it. With Kor, if the Burn player is smart and desperate enough, they will attack into Firewalker and before damage cast Skullcrack on themselves.
And any RWx Burn player auto scooping from a turn 0 Leyline obviously didn't build a good deck.
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Pulse of the fields - can easily gain 12 life in a game and then can be snap casted back once you get back into the game to seal the deal. The down side is that it is ONLY for burn.
Dragon's claw - Reduces all of their damage by 1 and only requires the initial 2 mana payment. The downside is that this is also just for burn and nothing else, but also just reduces the damage you take and isn't capable of giving you a life buffer to safely tap out. In a UWR shell, this would easily be the choice since it triggers off both players, but as I'm testing out esper right now, it loses a lot of value.
Timely reinforcements - A solid boost of 6 and either chump blockers or a clock to get things moving. It has value against other aggro decks, but only gets one use without a snapcaster.
Kitchen finks - Presents a clock to end the game sooner rather than later, but only gains 2 life without dropping a kill spell on it intentionally. Also can be brought in against control decks when they cut their paths for an annoying and cheap threat.
Syphon life - A mix of kitchen finks and pulse. It's a little slow, gains 2 life a crack, but is also a clock that's hard to interact with.
Leyline of Sanctity - A complete shut out with fringe usability against some combo decks. Downside is that if it's not in your opener, 4 mana is a ton to tap out for.
Circle of protection: Red - Probably as hateful as it gets against burn but has absolutely zero utility elsewhere. At least pulse of the fields might come in against some aggro deck where you don't want any of your counter magic. Also of note is that it does not stop flames of the blood hand and can be worked around with skull crack.
Of all of these options I'm deciding between timely reinforcements and pulse of the fields. I like the constant gain of 4 life and I like the versatility of timely, but the other times that timely would come in I already have a good match up against them, both pre and post board. If you wanted to board a card specifically with burn in mind, what would you be running?
EDIT: Added in leyline and COP red.
Consistent lifegain, effectively unburnable, stops any of their creatures like Spark Elemental or Goblin Guide in their tracks.
That said, Leyline really is the way to go. No matter how much they try, they can't get rid of it unless they're running green or playing some really weird cards, and its almost as good against stuff like Scapeshift and Storm (though not amazing in either matchup).
Yes I keep my hand and put this Leyline into play. Mono-red/RB/RW/RWB opponent immediately scoops.
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It's a strong one, but I wouldn't call it the best. If its not in your opening hand, you don't necessarily want to mull for it, and if you draw it, its way too costly to actually cast against a burn deck.
Rest for the weary is a good one. Nullifies nearly 3 lightning bolts. Very narrow, though. Its only good against burn or other very aggressive aggro decks.
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Can you give a few examples of what your man plan looks like? On the control side I tend to keep in at least 4 path no matter what because hell's thunder and the like are SO good that I can't afford to not have path available. That and taking 6 from a single goblin guide is unacceptable. I'm not entirely sure what the average burn SB looks like aside from bridges, blood moon, and maybe extra skull cracks or flames.
Chalice is hard to use in this format due to the lack of ancient tomb and city of traitors. It is definitely one you could use; at 1, it neuters a lot of their deck, but there aren't many decks that can actually utilize chalice in a reasonable way.
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Either way, you should expect most Burn players to keep both Goblin Guide and Eidolon of the Great Revel in after sideboarding. (And if they are on the fetchland plan, probably some number of Grim Lavamancers would stay in if Electrolyze hasn't been sighted.)
an unnatural love towardsperfectly reasonable respect for Lightning Bolt.The Kiwi third of The Salt Mine Podcast: An Australian Legacy Podcast
I'm on esper control (wafo-tapa style) currently so ending the game fast is not something I'm equipped to do since I don't have the burn that UWR has. The creature plan shouldn't be a problem from burn, but the bolts are what I'm mostly worried about. It seems that leyline or timely is what I'm in need of most because against any matches where other things would come in my main is already modular enough that I really don't have any room. I could in theory use another card against zoo, but that's not a terrible match up to warrant another SB slot and I'd rather have a massive game ender against burn. Still undecided, but I'm currently leaning towards leyline even though just running the 1 just feels like it has to be wrong.
So run Chalice of the Void. Its also helpful against some versions of Zoo, it renders half their deck blank, and while it doesn't come down on turn 0, it does come down turn 2 every time you draw it by that point, making it potentially more consistent.
Chalice also gets hit by Smash to Smithereens . They can easily expect a batterskull so seeing smash show up would be very bad news. Granted it's not a guarantee to show up, it is still worth noting as it is something to be worried about.
Obviously depends on the their deck and that from the opponent.
If the opponents deck doesn't fold to angry bears then things look bad for them.
They are decent in a ton of match up though. Good against Burn, Discard(8-Rack, GBx, etc),Mill(fringe but you see it online occasionally), Storm(if you have sweepers for goblins), you can even catch decks like Scapeshift off guard, as they probably won't expect you to be bringing in a Leyline.
All in all i find them to be pretty decent. It's a plus if you can actually play them though, as mid-game Leylines can be huge bricks.
If I know life gain is in my opponent's deck, I will hold a Skullcrack. But with Leyline, it's harder to deal with. The best I can do is beat with creatures for the win.
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And any RWx Burn player auto scooping from a turn 0 Leyline obviously didn't build a good deck.