Maybe it's too slow, but I thought Hell's Thunder would be better than Hellspark Elemental with all the Zoo decks running around. If I am wrong and this is simply too slow, please tell me, lol. Otherwise, it looks an awful lot like all the Overextended burn decks running around and I agree, I don't really like Grim Lavamancer. Then again, the only real purpose for the sac lands would really be Searing Blaze. I am not a big fan of them in this deck for purposes other than Lavamancer(which is arguably not right for this deck) or a 3 point Searing Blaze on your opponent's turn. Otherwise you are simply hurting yourself fetching the mountain, considering the overall speed already prevalent in the format.
Lightning Serpent is versatile. It functions well early game and late game. And is very rarely a bad top deck if you are close to winning. It has trample. This card is good, folks.
Lightning Serpent is versatile. It functions well early game and late game. And is very rarely a bad top deck if you are close to winning. It has trample. This card is good, folks.
Lightning Serpent is laughably bad in a format where the number 1 Tier 1 deck is Zoo. In most situations, it would be better to draw either Flame Javelin, Flames of the Blood Hand, or even Char (if you wanted to get more old school).
Hellspark Elemental is not that great in a Zoo metagame, especially if your local Zoo decks run the Fires/Grove engine. If that is the case, then you definitely need to cut out Sparky and Hellsparky. Thunder is a suitable replacement. While he is a bit slow, in a deck that also packed Blood Moon/Magus of the Moon you could easily stall long enough to get the unearth mana. The only way to get rid of him in Zoo is with Path, and if you can play the Blood Moon first, then there is basically a 1 in 23 chance that they are going to be able to cast Path (their lone plains). All in all, a deck that also ran Blood Moon would be able to live long enough to get to 5 mana in most matchups.
Lightning Serpent is versatile. It functions well early game and late game. And is very rarely a bad top deck if you are close to winning. It has trample. This card is good, folks.
Not saying this is a good idea, but Banefire would be better. Just need to worry about counter spells when spending less than 5 mana, then over that you don't need to worry about anything. With the Serpent, you need to not only worry about counters at all costs, but you need to worry about removal as well.
Is Volcanic Fallout still viable despite the fact that Faeries have essentially gotten banned? I was running four Volcanic Fallouts and two Flamebreaks before the bannings were announced. Now, for a more control-like Burn deck, should I being playing a 3/3 split of both cards or should it be a 4/2 split in Flamebreaks favor?
As a splash whats beter? G or w? Im worried about leyline, but im much more worried about combp. Deceiver twin outraces us and hive mind can also easily win. I suppose then that cheap enchantment removal is clear sb. Then again, we could always cram the sb with creatures. That way we can overrun the opponent who sides in leyline. Thoughts?
Oh and can somebody explainwhy marauders is better than hellspark? It seems like hellspark gets more damage in.
Hellspark costs 2RR total with unearth and has a maximum potential of 6 and a minimum of 0 if it gets chump blocked or killed. Marauders costs 1R, and has a maximum damage of 5, and a minimum of 2.
Marauders has a much better mana/damage ratio and it is always guaranteed to get in for 2.
With Mutavault and the 12 post lands you always have targets for Molten Rain.
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In case I didn't tell you, I don't care about your opinion I just want your facts. And not the facts that make you seem smart. I want the ones that are actual facts.
I think it's a bad idea to run board sweepers. With almost everyone running fetches and shock lands it's much better to just race them. If zoo is really gonna be big then just run grim lavamancer and searing blaze. Since there's no real replacement for sulfuric vortex, i think figure of destiny is worth playing for the constant damage.
Volcanic Fallout has the added benefit of being a sweeper and a burn spell since it still does 2 to the dome. If its an all out race a well times sweeper is going to set your opponent back. If you are racing, you might as well play dirty and trip the other guy.
Until a meta develops, searing blaze is probably safer in the SB. It is definitely a powerful card against the right match ups, but it is also potentially a dead one. I think its best to maximize the MB to be as aggressive as possible against as many decks as possible until we get a better idea of how the meta shapes up.
Blood Moon does seem like a solid enough MB card though. Aside from Red, there won't be many mono decks and it hits 12 post as hard as it hits everyone else. t3 bloodmoon should be a free win against the majority of the field.
I think it's a bad idea to run board sweepers. With almost everyone running fetches and shock lands it's much better to just race them. If zoo is really gonna be big then just run grim lavamancer and searing blaze. Since there's no real replacement for sulfuric vortex, i think figure of destiny is worth playing for the constant damage.
In my experience, Grim Lavamancer is horrendous against Zoo. He never lives for longer than a turn, especially in the Zoo decks packing Punishing Fire/Grove engines. If you want to race Zoo, just pack in the bigger burn spells like Flame Javelin, Flames of the Blood Hand, and even Char. Another amazing option is Flamebreak, which kills everything in Zoo except Goyf and Knight, and puts the burn pressure on them. Flamebreak deserves serious consideration, especially because it remains powerful in all other aggro matchups.
On the topic of Flamebreak in the old extended I found it to be best utilized against ZOO when on the draw and when on the play its better to just attack their life total and not worry about their critters as much. I usually only boarded Flamebreak in when on the draw and occasionally on both draw/play when my opponent was playing more of a mini zoo style with mostly 1-2 drops and not stuff like KoTR.
I think I'd feel uncomfortable running pure burn in a powerful format without some untargeted burn like Sulfuric vortex. Figure of destiny might not be a burn spell, but against a number of decks, a 4/4 cast on turn 1 is guaranteed damage - more guaranteed than bolt even.
That being said, have you considered Ensnaring Bridge for the SB? I used to run it in my old burn deck back in the day (against raffinity, of all things), and I wonder how it holds up.
If I was to play burn, this is what I would play. The MD you want to be as fast and streamlined as possible, and with so many viable decks, you have no guarantee that you'll be playing against a deck that Bloodmoon will be effective.
Also, as an FYI, if your playing Magus, and you willingly play it out into an untapped Grove with a Punishing Fire in the graveyard, you deserve to have it killed. This is magic, use some smarts to win, even if you are playing burn. You know damn well what will happen in that line of play, so why even bring it up as a downside to Magus? You know what will happen if your opponent taps out instead of leaving up stuff like that? Magus ruins him.
Smart play folks, don't make stupid comments please.
How so? If its just because Lightning Seperent ends up in the graveyard, then every burn spell plays well with Grim Lavamancer.
RGStandard Gruul AggroRG
New to Commander? Read the Above article.
4x Goblin Guide
4x Grim Lavamancer
3x Figure of Destiny
Burn (28)
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Lava Spike
4x Rift Bolt
4x Magma Jet
4x Incinerate
4x Burst Lightning
4x Shard Volley
13x Mountain
4x Scalding Tarn
4x Arid Mesa
3x Searing Blaze
3x Shattering Spree
3x Ensnaring Bridge
3x Blood Moon
3x Ratchet Bomb
Kind of a hybrid between Legacy burn and old Extended (before they changed it) burn.
Edit: Got rid of Volcanic Fallout in SB in favor of Searing Blaze.
RGStandard Gruul AggroRG
Lightning Serpent is laughably bad in a format where the number 1 Tier 1 deck is Zoo. In most situations, it would be better to draw either Flame Javelin, Flames of the Blood Hand, or even Char (if you wanted to get more old school).
Hellspark Elemental is not that great in a Zoo metagame, especially if your local Zoo decks run the Fires/Grove engine. If that is the case, then you definitely need to cut out Sparky and Hellsparky. Thunder is a suitable replacement. While he is a bit slow, in a deck that also packed Blood Moon/Magus of the Moon you could easily stall long enough to get the unearth mana. The only way to get rid of him in Zoo is with Path, and if you can play the Blood Moon first, then there is basically a 1 in 23 chance that they are going to be able to cast Path (their lone plains). All in all, a deck that also ran Blood Moon would be able to live long enough to get to 5 mana in most matchups.
-ktkenshinx-
Not saying this is a good idea, but Banefire would be better. Just need to worry about counter spells when spending less than 5 mana, then over that you don't need to worry about anything. With the Serpent, you need to not only worry about counters at all costs, but you need to worry about removal as well.
Oh and can somebody explainwhy marauders is better than hellspark? It seems like hellspark gets more damage in.
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MODERN
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Marauders has a much better mana/damage ratio and it is always guaranteed to get in for 2.
RGStandard Gruul AggroRG
Cockatrice username: Blackcat77
Until a meta develops, searing blaze is probably safer in the SB. It is definitely a powerful card against the right match ups, but it is also potentially a dead one. I think its best to maximize the MB to be as aggressive as possible against as many decks as possible until we get a better idea of how the meta shapes up.
Blood Moon does seem like a solid enough MB card though. Aside from Red, there won't be many mono decks and it hits 12 post as hard as it hits everyone else. t3 bloodmoon should be a free win against the majority of the field.
RGStandard Gruul AggroRG
In my experience, Grim Lavamancer is horrendous against Zoo. He never lives for longer than a turn, especially in the Zoo decks packing Punishing Fire/Grove engines. If you want to race Zoo, just pack in the bigger burn spells like Flame Javelin, Flames of the Blood Hand, and even Char. Another amazing option is Flamebreak, which kills everything in Zoo except Goyf and Knight, and puts the burn pressure on them. Flamebreak deserves serious consideration, especially because it remains powerful in all other aggro matchups.
-ktkenshinx-
That being said, have you considered Ensnaring Bridge for the SB? I used to run it in my old burn deck back in the day (against raffinity, of all things), and I wonder how it holds up.
Modern SplinterTwin
4 Keldon Mauraders
4 Goblin Guide
4 Hellspark Elemental
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Shard Volley
4 Rift Bolt
4 Lava Spike
4 Incinerate
4 Magma Jet
4 Flame Javelin
4 Flames of the Bloodhand
4 Bloodmoon
4 Magus of the Moon
3 Flamebreak
If I was to play burn, this is what I would play. The MD you want to be as fast and streamlined as possible, and with so many viable decks, you have no guarantee that you'll be playing against a deck that Bloodmoon will be effective.
Also, as an FYI, if your playing Magus, and you willingly play it out into an untapped Grove with a Punishing Fire in the graveyard, you deserve to have it killed. This is magic, use some smarts to win, even if you are playing burn. You know damn well what will happen in that line of play, so why even bring it up as a downside to Magus? You know what will happen if your opponent taps out instead of leaving up stuff like that? Magus ruins him.
Smart play folks, don't make stupid comments please.
Thanks to Heroes of the Plane Studios for the amazing sig.
NO RUG: Primer
Tempo Thresh: Primer