Keening Apparation is the main reason I'd want to be in white. Boros Charm is very, very good, but it's not really worth the splash on its own. Being able to bring in Keening Apparations when you suspect Leyline of Sanctity is awesome. It means you actually have an out to Leyline that isn't dead if they don't have it or don't turn 0 it.
my land base is a bit different though, although im not sure if ill kill myself with the moons...havent really tried it. maybe i should just proxy stuff up...before i go buy/trade for the moons...
Keening Apparation is the main reason I'd want to be in white. Boros Charm is very, very good, but it's not really worth the splash on its own. Being able to bring in Keening Apparations when you suspect Leyline of Sanctity is awesome. It means you actually have an out to Leyline that isn't dead if they don't have it or don't turn 0 it.
but couldnt they remove the creature before they drop their leyline in that case?
my land base is a bit different though, although im not sure if ill kill myself with the moons...havent really tried it. maybe i should just proxy stuff up...before i go buy/trade for the moons...
You should never run Swamps and Plains in this deck. Every one land hand is a keep, and that's not true if that land is a Plains or a Swamp. Every land in this deck has to produce red mana. You should also max out on Scalding Tarns.
hmm...only running the swamps and plains because of red moon...guess im still being a bit too greedy...
and ya, if no swamp and plains then of course ill be switching 2 flats to 2 more tarns.
[COLOR=DarkOrange]
I'm a firm beleiver in the card now that Ive seen it save me enough times. Helixes dont gain life, finks is more useless, I think your looking at it wrong. It has a bigger life total swing then you give credit for. Lets compare hellspark elemental to it.
This is my blurb on Skullcrack in the Primer I'm writing:
Lifegain is the bane of Burn. As such, I feel warranted in considering Skullcrack a part of the Core of Modern Burn. It stops random lifegain like Finks or lifelink guys for a turn, which is sometimes all you need. You will never be sad to see this card, as it will often be more like 5+ damage than 3. Run 4 maindeck.
but couldnt they remove the creature before they drop their leyline in that case?
Yep. But then they are spending at least 5 cmc. I should be winning at that point anyways. Speed bump, but the more I play the deck the more Im sure the archtype is Aggro-tempo. Speed and maximizing our turns is important, And I dont wanna hold potential mana/spells back just incase. With Spirit I get at least a bit of time against someone before they drop the enchantment, and make them waste a spell.
This is my blurb on Skullcrack in the Primer I'm writing:
Lifegain is the bane of Burn. As such, I feel warranted in considering Skullcrack a part of the Core of Modern Burn. It stops random lifegain like Finks or lifelink guys for a turn, which is sometimes all you need. You will never be sad to see this card, as it will often be more like 5+ damage than 3. Run 4 maindeck.
Its true. After all people see baneslayer as a 10 point life swing, even if shes only a 5/5. I think this is the same deal, in reverse. Rather than lifegained is extending a difference, life gain prevented is insuring our gap from 20-0 is assured.
It's easier to win off of one land than four. You always want to hit your second land drop, but it doesn't matter much past that. This suggests that roughly 17 lands would be correct number, but I'm somewhat cautious on cutting down to that low of a number. I am only running 8 2 drops, and will be trying a build that has -2 Searing Blaze -2 lands +4 Spark Elemental (is there a better one drop I'm not playing?)
Skullcrack is very good. I've been liking the full playset. There's enough incidental lifegain in the format that you want to stop.
I'm unimpressed with Blood Moon in the board. Sometimes you don't hit three mana quickly. It doesn't really beat Jund if the player is sensible enough to fetch a Swamp and a Forest quickly. It hurts your off color spells. It beats decks you're going to beat anyways. If you need land hate, I think Molten Rain is the better card.
In the combo matchups, it sometimes feels better to just race rather than try to have hate. I'm almost tempted to side in Keldon Marauders for combo (in place of the Searing Blazes) rather than actual hate, because who cares about their combo if they're dead? I bring this up because I lost a game where my opponent went off through a Rakdos Charm when he was just dead to me having an Incinerate or something instead.
I dunno. I always kept mine to twenty becaue I need two lands, sometimes 3. But if I have a 1 lander that stays 1 land til turn 4 Ive been bottle necked so much I lose.
I probably would use deathrite too I suppose if I wasnt so iffy about mana base stuff and now my list has become more spell heavy.
Id say your mana could be -2 clifftop gone, +1 city of brass in, +1 blackcleave. That would mean you get 15 black mana outlits, 11 white mana outlits, all red. Other than that, I think its around the same as our others, but let me know if searing is still better for you over helix. I opted to helix as its jobis the same "Hurt creature decks"
I probably would use deathrite too I suppose if I wasnt so iffy about mana base stuff and now my list has become more spell heavy.
Id say your mana could be -2 clifftop gone, +1 city of brass in, +1 blackcleave. That would mean you get 15 black mana outlits, 11 white mana outlits, all red. Other than that, I think its around the same as our others, but let me know if searing is still better for you over helix. I opted to helix as its jobis the same "Hurt creature decks"
Should I not keep the same amount of white/black since there is an equal amount of white/black mana occurance?
While you could cut black cleave for other lands, other lands are just weaker in the deck, so its not worth it. Fast lands do everything youd want them to do. what the deck really wants are w/r fast lands.
The good thing is we still arent a 3 color deck, least not 3 true colors. we are a 1 color deck with 2 splashes. We can operate with a single mana of each, and sometimes with out them because luck just didnt deal us those cards.
So you guys know how I'm writing a Primer? I'm having severe Writer's Block on the "Piloting" section. So I'm soliciting play advice, that I can synthesize it into a few paragraphs on how to play the deck.
This seems pretty reasonable and I don't feel we would have any problems getting the color we need personally. I've yet to have problems with my mana base and I don't run CoB yet. I run 6 mountains, 8 fetches, 3 Blood Crypts, and 2 Sacred foundry's and I haven't had a problem yet with colors personally. CoB makes it even better and we could even add the worse mana fixer Forbidden Orchard if we wanted. That may even open the green splash a little or at least allow the use of both abilities of DRS.
I've picked up most of the cards I was missing for my build tonight. I am hoping to have the rest of it together so I can play next Monday, although picking up the last of the GTC cards might be hard to come by. I currently have about half of Boros Charm and Skullcracks that I want to run. If it's as good in paper as it is on Cockatrice, I should be solid.
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Arid Mesa
1 Verdant Catacombs
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
2 Blood Crypt
1 Stomping Ground
3 Mountain
4 Goblin Guide
4 Vexing Devil
4 Deathrite Shaman
2 Grim Lavamancer
Spells
4 Bump in the Night
4 Lava Spike
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Rift Bolt
3 Shard Volley
4 Skullcrack
4 Searing Blaze
4x Goblin Guide
4x Vexing Devil
2x Deathrite Shaman
Spells: 33
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Rift Bolt
4x Lava Spike
4x Bump in the Night
2x Shard Volley
4x Boros Charm
3x Searing Blaze
3x Skullcrack
3x Lightning Helix
2x Forked Bolt
4x City of Brass
3x Gemstone Mine
3x Arid Mesa
3x Scalding Tarn
1x Sacred Foundry
1x Blood Crypt
2x Mountain
4x Rakdos Charm
3x Torpor Orb
3x Dragon's Claw
2x Shattering Spree (was Ancient Grudge)
1x Ronom Unicorn
1x Kami of Ancient Law
1x Keening Apparition
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I think it should actually be Ronom Unicorn. (or Kami of Ancient Law).
Keening Apparation is the main reason I'd want to be in white. Boros Charm is very, very good, but it's not really worth the splash on its own. Being able to bring in Keening Apparations when you suspect Leyline of Sanctity is awesome. It means you actually have an out to Leyline that isn't dead if they don't have it or don't turn 0 it.
im think about cards like these lol
my land base is a bit different though, although im not sure if ill kill myself with the moons...havent really tried it. maybe i should just proxy stuff up...before i go buy/trade for the moons...
2 scalding tarn
2 marsh flats
2 blood crypt
2 sacred foundry
1 swamp
1 plains
4 mountains
but couldnt they remove the creature before they drop their leyline in that case?
You should never run Swamps and Plains in this deck. Every one land hand is a keep, and that's not true if that land is a Plains or a Swamp. Every land in this deck has to produce red mana. You should also max out on Scalding Tarns.
and ya, if no swamp and plains then of course ill be switching 2 flats to 2 more tarns.
This is my blurb on Skullcrack in the Primer I'm writing:
Lifegain is the bane of Burn. As such, I feel warranted in considering Skullcrack a part of the Core of Modern Burn. It stops random lifegain like Finks or lifelink guys for a turn, which is sometimes all you need. You will never be sad to see this card, as it will often be more like 5+ damage than 3. Run 4 maindeck.
Yep. But then they are spending at least 5 cmc. I should be winning at that point anyways. Speed bump, but the more I play the deck the more Im sure the archtype is Aggro-tempo. Speed and maximizing our turns is important, And I dont wanna hold potential mana/spells back just incase. With Spirit I get at least a bit of time against someone before they drop the enchantment, and make them waste a spell.
Its true. After all people see baneslayer as a 10 point life swing, even if shes only a 5/5. I think this is the same deal, in reverse. Rather than lifegained is extending a difference, life gain prevented is insuring our gap from 20-0 is assured.
My deck, for reference:
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Arid Mesa
1 Verdant Catacombs
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
2 Blood Crypt
1 Stomping Ground
3 Mountain
4 Goblin Guide
4 Vexing Devil
4 Deathrite Shaman
2 Grim Lavamancer
Spells
4 Bump in the Night
4 Lava Spike
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Rift Bolt
3 Shard Volley
4 Skullcrack
4 Searing Blaze
Edit: And I need a list of sideboard cards, I know what I put in my board, but I don't really remember what other people use.
Now the deck:
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Goblin Guide
4 Vexing Devil
Spells [29]
4 Boros Charm
4 Bump in the Night
4 Lava Spike
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Lightning Helix
4 Rift Bolt
3 Searing Blaze
3 Skullcrack
4 Arid Mesa
3 Blackcleave Cliffs
2 Blood Crypt
2 Clifftop Retreat
2 Mountain
2 Sacred Foundry
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Keening Apparition
2 Molten Rain
3 Rakdos Charm
2 Torpor Orb
2 Volcanic Fallout
Id say your mana could be -2 clifftop gone, +1 city of brass in, +1 blackcleave. That would mean you get 15 black mana outlits, 11 white mana outlits, all red. Other than that, I think its around the same as our others, but let me know if searing is still better for you over helix. I opted to helix as its jobis the same "Hurt creature decks"
Should I not keep the same amount of white/black since there is an equal amount of white/black mana occurance?
Well my mana base is pretty much the same (If I were to spend money on city of brass) it would be 16 white sources, 20 black sources rest red.
4 scalding tarn
3 city of brass
1 blood crypt
1 sacred foundry
4 blackcleave
While you could cut black cleave for other lands, other lands are just weaker in the deck, so its not worth it. Fast lands do everything youd want them to do. what the deck really wants are w/r fast lands.
The good thing is we still arent a 3 color deck, least not 3 true colors. we are a 1 color deck with 2 splashes. We can operate with a single mana of each, and sometimes with out them because luck just didnt deal us those cards.
So maybe it should look like this:
3 Blackcleave Cliffs
1 Blood Crypt
4 City of Brass
2 Mountain
1 Sacred Foundry
4 Scalding Tarn
Which nets me:
13 white, 16 Black, 19 red. Is 13 white enough.
2x Sacred Foundry
3x City of Brass
4x Arid Mesa
4x Scalding Tarn
4x Mountain
This seems pretty reasonable and I don't feel we would have any problems getting the color we need personally. I've yet to have problems with my mana base and I don't run CoB yet. I run 6 mountains, 8 fetches, 3 Blood Crypts, and 2 Sacred foundry's and I haven't had a problem yet with colors personally. CoB makes it even better and we could even add the worse mana fixer Forbidden Orchard if we wanted. That may even open the green splash a little or at least allow the use of both abilities of DRS.
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