I am still working on getting the last few cards, but this is my beta list. I am a little unsure about Coldsteel Heart, but I will give it a shot. I will also try Ironfoot too, to be fair, but only after I give this a whirl. Again, I based this originally off Moon's Essence, then added Skred, Reckoner, and the snow package, then saw this thread. As such it is not really a child of either.
If you guys are having a lot of success with it, Boros Reckoner might actually be the best direction for the deck. I've changed up my build a little and it's performing better, here's the current list:
The Titans became Chandras, Fallouts became a Hellkite and a Moon, and I cut an Ironfoot for another Mountain. Also went up to a full 4 Magma Jet, never unhappy to see them. I think other than the 2/2 split between Ironfoots and Chandras, this is about as streamlined a direction as we can take Skred Red for now. But again, that doesn't mean it's necessarily the best!
Also, don't know how useful it'll be, but between the Hearts and the Solemns, we can pretty easily splash a second color for SB/MD cards. Just adding a Snow-Covered Forest would let us run Ancient Grudge, for instance.
EDIT -- Not too sure about Chandras anymore. Has anyone had success with her? I never get to use the ultimate and the pinging seems underwhelming. But I have been testing Boros Reckoner and he's nuts. I like him better as a 3-of than as a 4-of; I don't want too many since he can be tough to cast. Keep in mind you can hit him with Mouth of Ronom activation for a quick 4 damage.
I also tried Pyroclasm vs. Volcanic Fallout and the Fallouts are definitely better. Just one more mana for spellshroud and Instant speed is worth it every time, especially since we like leaving mana open to Scry. When you go to 3-4 after board it becomes almost impossible for aggro to win.
As a quick note, against decks that rely on Aether Vial, you're better off bringing in a couple Pithing Needle than you are your Shattering Sprees unless they're running other artifacts too (i.e. Spellskite).
It's still hard to believe how much a house Blood Moon is in this format.
I'll be honest and say that I have not tried Ironfoot in years, but I remember not liking it back when it was in Standard due to the need to feed it. If I can find some I will give it a test though.
I have played around with Scrying Sheets in Modern, and it has it uses, but it also runs in to the same problem as Ironfoot in that it's mana cost to activate gets in the way at times. Besides, I was not talking about running Chandra, Pyromaster in place of Koth, but in addition to him.
I would be inclined to ditch Volcanic Fallout MD and move it to the SB, and would also look and getting rid of Inferno Titan. I feel like that slot can be used better.
Between the high land count, Scry effects, and ramping artifacts, mana hasn't been a problem for me. Usually it's nice to leave some lands open for Bolt/Jet/Skred/Fallout, but I do wish we had some nice Flash creatures in red (all we have available is Sulfur Elemental, whose uses are pretty limited). Either way, EOT Scrying Sheets draws you a ton of gas and keeps you hitting your land drops. If we were to ditch those, we might as well ditch Phyrexian Ironfoot and Coldsteel Heart for more utility creatures like Grim Lavamancer.
That aside, I can definitely see cutting Inferno Titan and Volcanic Fallout to make room for other things. Maybe a couple more moon effects, but I'd like something that can swing the board.
That's a lot of hate in modern, and has the bonus of trolling all your opponents.
From there you could go many directions.
The problem with a Dragon Stompy shell in Modern is that it's too slow. Chalice for 1 on turn 2 is nice when you get it, but we don't have reliable 2-mana lands so Trinisphere is almost always too late. Then we're playing a deck full of duds while our opponents hammer us with a first-turn Delver. I can see some artifact disruption coming out of the sideboard, but relying on a MD suite doesn't work in this format.
I have similar beef with Kargan Dragonlord, although admittedly I've only played with him a couple times (in Legacy Dragon Stompy). We could use some two-drops, but I'm much more drawn to the Ash Zealots from AngelPagan's list (which seems really nice to me, if possessing a shell more aggro than control).
I have a weird love for snow cards so I definetely need to test this. Haven't been around when coldsnap was released but man, I loved Ice Age so much
Also, your nickname is fantastic
Thanks! Happy to hear it, report back when you've tested a bit
Got to play a few matches vs. 8Rack today, another great matchup. Topdeck mode is a joke for us since we're drawing into Hellkite and Koth. Scrying Sheets puts in lots of work here, too.
FYI, back in the day this deck was know as Skred Red, which is a pretty cool name. I have been working on a deck like this based on DOLZero's Moon's Essence deck, though I have not finalized a list or done any testing yet. Another wincon that I came across is Boros Reckoner and/or Spitemare with a big ol' Skred aimed at it. My other off the cuff suggestion is that Magus of the Moon can up your moon count nicely (and I really would play more than four moons if I were you), though it is more vulnerable.
Yep, aware of the old name. If I hear about it again I'll change the title of my first post to include it. I've played around a lot with the Moon's Essence deck myself, but been a bit underwhelmed by its performance. My main beefs with it are I don't like the threats they run or the coin flip of an invested land destruction strategy. A green splash for Goyf and mana dorks might work a little better given the importance of 3-drops.
I'd also tested with a few Reckoners and a couple Stuffy Dolls in the main, but they're both more vulnerable than Phyrexian Ironfoot. Too much, IMO, to warrant their inclusion based on a might-kill combo you'll draw sometimes. Usually, I'd rather have a Phyrexian Ironfoot in play than either of those creatures (it's harder to kill and it can swing + block), and the artifact is Snow.
Chandra seems great for weathering creature assaults, which aren't really a problem here given our removal suite. The top-card exile is nice, but wouldn't you rather beat face with a Mountain than draw an extra card? We have Sheets for that anyway!
As of yet I haven't ever wanted more Moon effects in the main, but that might also change with more testing. I can definitely see Magus being included as a 2-of if my meta develops a little more.
Skred Red has been one of my favorite decks since its jaunt in Standard some years ago, and with the new tools available in Modern (namely, Koth and Thundermaw) I think the archetype could prove quite powerful. The deck would owe its success, of course, to MD Blood Moon, which shuts down most strategies in highly developed metas.
Grim Lavamancer - Definitely one of the greats. Absolutely dominates creature-infested metas.
Tarmogoyf - If you have the financial resources to splash green for the priciest creature in the format, I strongly suggest you do so. I've only begun testing with Tarmogoyf in the last month, but I haven't looked back since. More info on the Lhurgoyf in this post.
Phyrexian Ironfoot - Scarily underrated creature. Pseudo-vigilance, survives bolts and combat, and counts as Snow. Usually solicits a scoff or two before he starts pounding naysayers.
Boros Reckoner - An aggressively costed body with some great abilities. Especially useful with your board wipe, since he survives and deals extra damage, and can end games fast if you Skred him. The RRR can be harder to support in piles running many colorless lands. Takes out problem creatures like Restoration Angel in combination with Pyroclasm.
Magus of the Moon - Not so synergistic with Fallout effects, but nice in metas where you really want moons. He still only dies to exactly Lightning Bolt.
Solemn Simulacrum - Jens ramps us up, swings in a pinch, blocks like a champ, and draws us a card when he bites the dust. Utility city. Works best in shells with 4-8 mana rocks.
Thundermaw Hellkite - The main inspiration for re-vamping the deck. For those of you (like me) who shy away from Standard, you really have to play with this guy to believe how good he is. Turns out calling him the red Baneslayer isn't so far fetched after all.
Demigod of Revenge - A great finisher against control decks since he brings back his Mana Leaked buddies. Also significantly less expensive than the dragon alternatives for tight budget players. Run 4 if any.
Stormbreath Dragon - He doesn't come in for 5 as reliably as big bro, but his resilience could earn Stormbreath Dragon a slot. Protection from white renders him invulnerable to Path to Exile, the best removal spell in the format and one of the few that can deal with an enormous dragon. I can't imagine Monstrosity being completely irrelevant, either.
Inferno Titan - Too good not to mention. He has a great ETB, which the other bombs lack, but he's also more expensive than our other options. That said, attack with him once and the game is yours.
Godo, Bandit Warlord - One of the rarer finishers, Godo can Stoneforge out a Batterskull. Not a favorite of mine since he requires two cards, but some decks straight up fold to an unkillable Lifelinking artifact.
Coldsteel Heart - Not a terrible accelerant, and it's Snow. A playset allows the deck to curve out admirably, enabling backbreaking early-game sequences like Bolt-Heart-Solemn-Titan. You generally want less of these the more 3-drops you run and more if you have a lot of 4-drops. If you need more rocks or don't like too big a dependance on Snow, Mind Stone is nice in monored builds.
Blood Moon - This card is pretty unfair in Modern. Shuts down greedy manabases in most popular decks, including UWR, Tron, Jund, Midrange, Zoo, and even Boros. One of the main reasons to play Skred Red.
Koth of the Hammer - Koth is extremely strong and our win-con of choice. His ultimate wins you the game, and it only takes 2 activations of Psionic Blast-ing Mountains to get there. Coldsteel Heart accels into him as early as turn 3. If you want other Planeswalkers, I advise you avoid a split and run 4 Koth first.
Chandra, Pyromancer - Probably our Chandra of choice. When there aren't many dudes to ping, she's basically Bob. If you can get it off, her ultimate will usually find you a Lightning Bolt and burn for lethal. All that said, there are much better things we can do with four mana.
Magma Jet - Sets up your draws and make sure you get business. Alternatively, makes your Scrying Sheets feel like Confidants. Opponents can get pretty discouraged when you're getting free cards off a land every turn.
Volcanic Fallout - The "Can't be countered" clause really brings this spell over the top. Kills Geist, Kiki-Jiki, tokens, and just about anything else you need gone, but on a large scale. Also hits Planeswalkers.
Anger of the Gods - Deals with the creatures the rest of our suite doesn't - namely, Voice of Resurgence and Kitchen Finks. Incidentally, God-tier tech against fringe archetypes like Zombies.
Land
Scrying Sheets draws you ridiculous amounts of cards. Close to half of our MD is Snow, which means even with no Magma Jet setup there's a 50% chance you'll get a card for nothing at the opponent's EOT.
Mouth of Ronom - You don't want too many of these, but in my testing 1-2 seems gravy for land-heavy, control-oriented builds. Burns out tough creatures without even making you cast a spell.
Sideboard
Shattering Spree - Ensures wins vs. Affinity. Volcanic Fallout and all the other MD removal is already great against them; even Thundermaw can knock them out. Spree also helps with cards that actually pose a problem for Mono-Red Snow, like Batterskull and a blue Vedalken Shackles. Torch Fiend might be worth testing here, too. Ancient Grudge is much better in versions with a green splash.
Eidolon of the Great Revel - Storm just can't beat this card, and it puts a lot of pressure on UWR-style decks: Snap-Bolt to remove it cost them 1UR and 6 life.
Ratchet Bomb - A catch-all that helps shore up our nastiest matchup, Bogles. That matchup swings in our favor once we resolve a Blood Moon, but if they have pressure on board, Ratchet Bomb makes sure they don't run away with the game.
Chalice of the Void - In decks that run Simian Spirit Guide, Chalice can be great in the side against decks like Delver and Bogles.
Stuffy Doll - The Doll used to be a staple of this archetype since you could hit it with Skred for massive damage, but in an environment filled with Darkblast and Path to Exile, it's best relegated to the Sideboard. Bring it in against decks that have no real answer to it and the card will put in some serious work.
Combust - Stops Twin and gives you some more options against Baneslayer and Restoration Angel. Also nice against Merfolk, since you want as much removal as possible in that matchup.
Batterskull - A beating against aggro decks if you can resolve it, which shouldn't be too hard since the burn spells hold them off for the early game.
If anyone wants to help out with matchup analysis, I'll post what you've got. Just put it in the thread! Happy brewing.
Just wanted to say that I've been having great success with a 17-land build (14 Island, 4 Vaults) and more cantrips (4 Serum Visions, 4 Spreading Seas, 4 Remand, 2 Thirst for Knowledge). I also run 4 Spellskite and 4 Aether Vial for Thirst. I never get screwed! Just dig for land early and for business later.
I've lurked for awhile and finally made an account to share deck ideas. I love to brew and never bring netdecks to events or play them online, and I'm up for a few games in Cockatrice every day. Expect to see me in the Modern, Legacy and Vintage forums!
One of the most exciting cards spoiled in awhile was M14's Young Pyromancer. I've fiddled around with him a lot in Modern, but his applications in the Eternalest of formats interest me the most. Been playtesting heavily and finally found a decent starting list, tweaked with some help from Pacifist:
Grim Lavamancer
A U/R Fish classic if there ever was one, Lavamancer isn't also an all-star in TMWA and other Vintage strategies for nothing. He deals with problem cards like Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Dark Confidant and Vendilion Clique better than just about anything in the 75. Not stellar against decks with few creatures or MUD, so just 3.
Young Pyromancer
The deck's namesake, I believe this M14 uncommon has what it takes to merit his own spotlight in Vintage tempo. Once you drop him he cranks out clampable beaters at virtually no cost - mere 1/1s aren't anything to laugh at in this format. He's a quick clock on a relatively empty board, and more permanents always rocks against MUD. 4-of.
Snapcaster Mage
We all know how powerful Snapcaster Mage can be alongside Lightning Bolt, Ancestral Recall and Time Walk. Just 3 to maximize relevance, but he's super flexible and even gets you a guy with Pyromancer out.
Trinket Mage
To get the most out of Young Pyromancer, Instants and Sorceries are at a premium. That unfortunately means less room in the main for luxurious Trinket flexibility, but this little dude still goes in to win. He'll usually fetch up a Skullclamp (making him a sticky clock) but can net you a Top if you need to dig, a Lotus for mana, or even Engineered Explosives for emergencies. More options in the side. 2-of.
Skullclamp
What an insane card! In matchups where you don't really need the Lavamancer, Skullclamp turns him into cards. When you drop a Trinket Mage, Skullclamp turns him into a grounded Clique... that turns into cards. And obviously the equipment's applications with Pyromancer (who can himself be clamped in a pinch) make Skullclamp far more sensible than any Null Rod strategy in our tempo shell. 2-of.
Sensei's Divining Top
A little unsure about this slot, but Top makes a good Trinket target and it never hurts to know what's coming next.
Lightning Bolt
Absolutely nuts. Gets rid of creatures or delivers extra blows to opponents. 4-of.
Ancient Grudge
Nice to have some maindeck artifact hate. Like everything else here, fetchable with Mystical Tutor if you need it. Just 1 in the main, and a pair in the board.
Preordain
Additional Ponders. Can set up the early game, but also pretty exceptional when it makes you an Elemental at the same time. 3-of.
Gitaxian Probe
I wasn't sure about these at first, but they're pretty nice. Besides potentially getting you a free guy, Probe helps you get the most out of your counterspells.
Mental Misstep
So so good. Countering spells for free is worth even more when it increases your board presence and lets you tap out for powerful shenanigans. 3-of.
Daze
Like Misstep, Daze can set up some really nice (and free!) blowouts. I opted for Misstep and Daze over Force of Will so we don't have to throw cards away or rely on extra blue spells in hand; the most relevant cards that aren't dealt with by these two can usually be hit with Bolt and Lavamancer.
Fire/Ice
Versatile and powerful, Fire/Ice is rarely a dead draw.
Land
Wasteland/Strip Mine
Our manabase can handle it, but many can't cope with uncounterable land destruction effects. Also great with Daze.
Sideboard
Grafdigger's Cage
Played around with one in the main, but by the time you can Trinket for it in the relevant matchups it's usually too late. It's also an Artifact and kills Snapcaster Mage synergy. You want this card early where it counts, and it will just win you games. 4-of.
Ancient Grudge, Nature's Claim
Even more MUD hate, but also good against a nice portion of the field. Thought about dropping one for Artifact Mutation, which turns heads with Skullclamp, but Grudge is very hard to beat. Nature's Claim can also handle threatening enchantments like Oath of Druids, and you can find either card with Mystical Tutor.
Flusterstorm, Red Elemental Blast
Nicer against control and storm than Lavamancers, unless the control in question capitalizes on Confidants. Highly flexible slots.
Before anyone says anything, I'm also working on a version with Gush (although that'll surely be a totally different deck, even if the colors stay constant). For now I want to focus on the tempo plan running more fair cards, as this type of deck has always been my favorite in Vintage. Comments and ideas welcome!
If you guys are having a lot of success with it, Boros Reckoner might actually be the best direction for the deck. I've changed up my build a little and it's performing better, here's the current list:
2 Phyrexian Ironfoot
4 Blood Moon
4 Koth of the Hammer
2 Chandra, Pyromancer
4 Thundermaw Hellkite
Burn/Board maintenance (12)
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Skred
4 Magma Jet
4 Coldsteel Heart
4 Solemn Simulacrum
Land (24)
18 Snow-Covered Mountain
4 Scrying Sheets
2 Mouth of Ronom
The Titans became Chandras, Fallouts became a Hellkite and a Moon, and I cut an Ironfoot for another Mountain. Also went up to a full 4 Magma Jet, never unhappy to see them. I think other than the 2/2 split between Ironfoots and Chandras, this is about as streamlined a direction as we can take Skred Red for now. But again, that doesn't mean it's necessarily the best!
Also, don't know how useful it'll be, but between the Hearts and the Solemns, we can pretty easily splash a second color for SB/MD cards. Just adding a Snow-Covered Forest would let us run Ancient Grudge, for instance.
EDIT -- Not too sure about Chandras anymore. Has anyone had success with her? I never get to use the ultimate and the pinging seems underwhelming. But I have been testing Boros Reckoner and he's nuts. I like him better as a 3-of than as a 4-of; I don't want too many since he can be tough to cast. Keep in mind you can hit him with Mouth of Ronom activation for a quick 4 damage.
I also tried Pyroclasm vs. Volcanic Fallout and the Fallouts are definitely better. Just one more mana for spellshroud and Instant speed is worth it every time, especially since we like leaving mana open to Scry. When you go to 3-4 after board it becomes almost impossible for aggro to win.
3 Boros Reckoner
3 Phyrexian Ironfoot
3 Solemn Simulacrum
3 Thundermaw Hellkite
Other Permanents (11)
3 Coldsteel Heart
4 Blood Moon
4 Koth of the Hammer
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Skred
3 Magma Jet
2 Volcanic Fallout
Land (24)
18 Snow-Covered Mountain
4 Scrying Sheets
2 Mouth of Ronom
As a quick note, against decks that rely on Aether Vial, you're better off bringing in a couple Pithing Needle than you are your Shattering Sprees unless they're running other artifacts too (i.e. Spellskite).
It's still hard to believe how much a house Blood Moon is in this format.
Between the high land count, Scry effects, and ramping artifacts, mana hasn't been a problem for me. Usually it's nice to leave some lands open for Bolt/Jet/Skred/Fallout, but I do wish we had some nice Flash creatures in red (all we have available is Sulfur Elemental, whose uses are pretty limited). Either way, EOT Scrying Sheets draws you a ton of gas and keeps you hitting your land drops. If we were to ditch those, we might as well ditch Phyrexian Ironfoot and Coldsteel Heart for more utility creatures like Grim Lavamancer.
That aside, I can definitely see cutting Inferno Titan and Volcanic Fallout to make room for other things. Maybe a couple more moon effects, but I'd like something that can swing the board.
The problem with a Dragon Stompy shell in Modern is that it's too slow. Chalice for 1 on turn 2 is nice when you get it, but we don't have reliable 2-mana lands so Trinisphere is almost always too late. Then we're playing a deck full of duds while our opponents hammer us with a first-turn Delver. I can see some artifact disruption coming out of the sideboard, but relying on a MD suite doesn't work in this format.
I have similar beef with Kargan Dragonlord, although admittedly I've only played with him a couple times (in Legacy Dragon Stompy). We could use some two-drops, but I'm much more drawn to the Ash Zealots from AngelPagan's list (which seems really nice to me, if possessing a shell more aggro than control).
Thanks! Happy to hear it, report back when you've tested a bit
Got to play a few matches vs. 8Rack today, another great matchup. Topdeck mode is a joke for us since we're drawing into Hellkite and Koth. Scrying Sheets puts in lots of work here, too.
Yep, aware of the old name. If I hear about it again I'll change the title of my first post to include it. I've played around a lot with the Moon's Essence deck myself, but been a bit underwhelmed by its performance. My main beefs with it are I don't like the threats they run or the coin flip of an invested land destruction strategy. A green splash for Goyf and mana dorks might work a little better given the importance of 3-drops.
I'd also tested with a few Reckoners and a couple Stuffy Dolls in the main, but they're both more vulnerable than Phyrexian Ironfoot. Too much, IMO, to warrant their inclusion based on a might-kill combo you'll draw sometimes. Usually, I'd rather have a Phyrexian Ironfoot in play than either of those creatures (it's harder to kill and it can swing + block), and the artifact is Snow.
Chandra seems great for weathering creature assaults, which aren't really a problem here given our removal suite. The top-card exile is nice, but wouldn't you rather beat face with a Mountain than draw an extra card? We have Sheets for that anyway!
As of yet I haven't ever wanted more Moon effects in the main, but that might also change with more testing. I can definitely see Magus being included as a 2-of if my meta develops a little more.
Keep the ideas and suggestions coming!
Skred Red has been one of my favorite decks since its jaunt in Standard some years ago, and with the new tools available in Modern (namely, Koth and Thundermaw) I think the archetype could prove quite powerful. The deck would owe its success, of course, to MD Blood Moon, which shuts down most strategies in highly developed metas.
A sample monored list:
4 Boros Reckoner
4 Thundermaw Hellkite
Other Permanents (12)
4 Coldsteel Heart
4 Blood Moon
4 Koth of the Hammer
Instants/Sorceries (19)
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Skred
4 Magma Jet
3 Pyroclasm
2 Volcanic Fallout
2 Anger of the Gods
19 Snow-Covered Mountain
2 Scrying Sheets
2 Shattering Spree
2 Combust
1 Anger of the Gods
2 Stormbreath Dragon
2 Relic of Progenitus
1 Ratchet Bomb
3 Defense Grid
2 Eidolon of the Great Revel
Let's look at our options...
Creatures
Grim Lavamancer - Definitely one of the greats. Absolutely dominates creature-infested metas.
Tarmogoyf - If you have the financial resources to splash green for the priciest creature in the format, I strongly suggest you do so. I've only begun testing with Tarmogoyf in the last month, but I haven't looked back since. More info on the Lhurgoyf in this post.
Simian Spirit Guide - Helps rush out Blood Moon, Chalice of the Void, Thundermaw Hellkite, or anything else you might need a turn earlier. Doubles as a lackluster body in the late game.
Phyrexian Ironfoot - Scarily underrated creature. Pseudo-vigilance, survives bolts and combat, and counts as Snow. Usually solicits a scoff or two before he starts pounding naysayers.
Boros Reckoner - An aggressively costed body with some great abilities. Especially useful with your board wipe, since he survives and deals extra damage, and can end games fast if you Skred him. The RRR can be harder to support in piles running many colorless lands. Takes out problem creatures like Restoration Angel in combination with Pyroclasm.
Magus of the Moon - Not so synergistic with Fallout effects, but nice in metas where you really want moons. He still only dies to exactly Lightning Bolt.
Solemn Simulacrum - Jens ramps us up, swings in a pinch, blocks like a champ, and draws us a card when he bites the dust. Utility city. Works best in shells with 4-8 mana rocks.
Thundermaw Hellkite - The main inspiration for re-vamping the deck. For those of you (like me) who shy away from Standard, you really have to play with this guy to believe how good he is. Turns out calling him the red Baneslayer isn't so far fetched after all.
Demigod of Revenge - A great finisher against control decks since he brings back his Mana Leaked buddies. Also significantly less expensive than the dragon alternatives for tight budget players. Run 4 if any.
Stormbreath Dragon - He doesn't come in for 5 as reliably as big bro, but his resilience could earn Stormbreath Dragon a slot. Protection from white renders him invulnerable to Path to Exile, the best removal spell in the format and one of the few that can deal with an enormous dragon. I can't imagine Monstrosity being completely irrelevant, either.
Inferno Titan - Too good not to mention. He has a great ETB, which the other bombs lack, but he's also more expensive than our other options. That said, attack with him once and the game is yours.
Godo, Bandit Warlord - One of the rarer finishers, Godo can Stoneforge out a Batterskull. Not a favorite of mine since he requires two cards, but some decks straight up fold to an unkillable Lifelinking artifact.
Other permanents
Pyrite Spellbomb - 2 damage might seem underwhelming, but the Spellbomb handles protection-from-Red creatures like Master of Waves and Etched Champion. Highly meta-dependent.
Coldsteel Heart - Not a terrible accelerant, and it's Snow. A playset allows the deck to curve out admirably, enabling backbreaking early-game sequences like Bolt-Heart-Solemn-Titan. You generally want less of these the more 3-drops you run and more if you have a lot of 4-drops. If you need more rocks or don't like too big a dependance on Snow, Mind Stone is nice in monored builds.
Blood Moon - This card is pretty unfair in Modern. Shuts down greedy manabases in most popular decks, including UWR, Tron, Jund, Midrange, Zoo, and even Boros. One of the main reasons to play Skred Red.
Koth of the Hammer - Koth is extremely strong and our win-con of choice. His ultimate wins you the game, and it only takes 2 activations of Psionic Blast-ing Mountains to get there. Coldsteel Heart accels into him as early as turn 3. If you want other Planeswalkers, I advise you avoid a split and run 4 Koth first.
Chandra, Pyromancer - Probably our Chandra of choice. When there aren't many dudes to ping, she's basically Bob. If you can get it off, her ultimate will usually find you a Lightning Bolt and burn for lethal. All that said, there are much better things we can do with four mana.
Burn/Board maintenance
Lightning Bolt - Best burn spell ever printed.
Skred - Best burn spell ever printed if you're running Snow lands. Takes out Goyf, Celestial Colonnade, Deceiver Exarch, and Restoration Angel, which is huge - and all for one measly mana.
Magma Jet - Sets up your draws and make sure you get business. Alternatively, makes your Scrying Sheets feel like Confidants. Opponents can get pretty discouraged when you're getting free cards off a land every turn.
Pyroclasm - Cheap, classic board wipe. Great with Reckoner.
Volcanic Fallout - The "Can't be countered" clause really brings this spell over the top. Kills Geist, Kiki-Jiki, tokens, and just about anything else you need gone, but on a large scale. Also hits Planeswalkers.
Anger of the Gods - Deals with the creatures the rest of our suite doesn't - namely, Voice of Resurgence and Kitchen Finks. Incidentally, God-tier tech against fringe archetypes like Zombies.
Land
Scrying Sheets draws you ridiculous amounts of cards. Close to half of our MD is Snow, which means even with no Magma Jet setup there's a 50% chance you'll get a card for nothing at the opponent's EOT.
Mouth of Ronom - You don't want too many of these, but in my testing 1-2 seems gravy for land-heavy, control-oriented builds. Burns out tough creatures without even making you cast a spell.
Sideboard
Shattering Spree - Ensures wins vs. Affinity. Volcanic Fallout and all the other MD removal is already great against them; even Thundermaw can knock them out. Spree also helps with cards that actually pose a problem for Mono-Red Snow, like Batterskull and a blue Vedalken Shackles. Torch Fiend might be worth testing here, too. Ancient Grudge is much better in versions with a green splash.
Eidolon of the Great Revel - Storm just can't beat this card, and it puts a lot of pressure on UWR-style decks: Snap-Bolt to remove it cost them 1UR and 6 life.
Vexing Shusher, Defense Grid - These help against blue control, since nothing's less fun than having your Inferno Titan eat a Remand.
Relic of Progenitus - Great against Tarmogoyf, grave strategies, and even Snapcaster decks. At worst, it cycles for cheap.
Ratchet Bomb - A catch-all that helps shore up our nastiest matchup, Bogles. That matchup swings in our favor once we resolve a Blood Moon, but if they have pressure on board, Ratchet Bomb makes sure they don't run away with the game.
Chalice of the Void - In decks that run Simian Spirit Guide, Chalice can be great in the side against decks like Delver and Bogles.
Stuffy Doll - The Doll used to be a staple of this archetype since you could hit it with Skred for massive damage, but in an environment filled with Darkblast and Path to Exile, it's best relegated to the Sideboard. Bring it in against decks that have no real answer to it and the card will put in some serious work.
Combust - Stops Twin and gives you some more options against Baneslayer and Restoration Angel. Also nice against Merfolk, since you want as much removal as possible in that matchup.
Batterskull - A beating against aggro decks if you can resolve it, which shouldn't be too hard since the burn spells hold them off for the early game.
If anyone wants to help out with matchup analysis, I'll post what you've got. Just put it in the thread! Happy brewing.
I've lurked for awhile and finally made an account to share deck ideas. I love to brew and never bring netdecks to events or play them online, and I'm up for a few games in Cockatrice every day. Expect to see me in the Modern, Legacy and Vintage forums!
Ashton
3 Grim Lavamancer
4 Young Pyromancer
3 Snapcaster Mage
2 Trinket Mage
Artifacts (8)
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Black Lotus
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Skullclamp
1 Sensei's Divining Top
Instants/Sorceries (22)
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Mental Misstep
3 Preordain
2 Gitaxian Probe
1 Fire/Ice
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Ponder
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
3 Daze
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Time Walk
3 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Volcanic Island
2 Tropical Island
1 Taiga
2 Island
Onto the card choices.
Creatures
Grim Lavamancer
A U/R Fish classic if there ever was one, Lavamancer isn't also an all-star in TMWA and other Vintage strategies for nothing. He deals with problem cards like Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Dark Confidant and Vendilion Clique better than just about anything in the 75. Not stellar against decks with few creatures or MUD, so just 3.
Young Pyromancer
The deck's namesake, I believe this M14 uncommon has what it takes to merit his own spotlight in Vintage tempo. Once you drop him he cranks out clampable beaters at virtually no cost - mere 1/1s aren't anything to laugh at in this format. He's a quick clock on a relatively empty board, and more permanents always rocks against MUD. 4-of.
Snapcaster Mage
We all know how powerful Snapcaster Mage can be alongside Lightning Bolt, Ancestral Recall and Time Walk. Just 3 to maximize relevance, but he's super flexible and even gets you a guy with Pyromancer out.
Trinket Mage
To get the most out of Young Pyromancer, Instants and Sorceries are at a premium. That unfortunately means less room in the main for luxurious Trinket flexibility, but this little dude still goes in to win. He'll usually fetch up a Skullclamp (making him a sticky clock) but can net you a Top if you need to dig, a Lotus for mana, or even Engineered Explosives for emergencies. More options in the side. 2-of.
Artifacts
Black Lotus, Mox Sapphire, Mox Ruby, Mox Emerald
Fast mana. We just want on-color moxen to make room for Instants and Sorceries. Originally had a Lotus Petal in here too but cut it for a second Probe.
Skullclamp
What an insane card! In matchups where you don't really need the Lavamancer, Skullclamp turns him into cards. When you drop a Trinket Mage, Skullclamp turns him into a grounded Clique... that turns into cards. And obviously the equipment's applications with Pyromancer (who can himself be clamped in a pinch) make Skullclamp far more sensible than any Null Rod strategy in our tempo shell. 2-of.
Sensei's Divining Top
A little unsure about this slot, but Top makes a good Trinket target and it never hurts to know what's coming next.
Instants/Sorceries
Ancestral Recall, Time Walk, Brainstorm, Ponder, Mystical Tutor
I won't bother explaining these.
Lightning Bolt
Absolutely nuts. Gets rid of creatures or delivers extra blows to opponents. 4-of.
Ancient Grudge
Nice to have some maindeck artifact hate. Like everything else here, fetchable with Mystical Tutor if you need it. Just 1 in the main, and a pair in the board.
Preordain
Additional Ponders. Can set up the early game, but also pretty exceptional when it makes you an Elemental at the same time. 3-of.
Gitaxian Probe
I wasn't sure about these at first, but they're pretty nice. Besides potentially getting you a free guy, Probe helps you get the most out of your counterspells.
Mental Misstep
So so good. Countering spells for free is worth even more when it increases your board presence and lets you tap out for powerful shenanigans. 3-of.
Daze
Like Misstep, Daze can set up some really nice (and free!) blowouts. I opted for Misstep and Daze over Force of Will so we don't have to throw cards away or rely on extra blue spells in hand; the most relevant cards that aren't dealt with by these two can usually be hit with Bolt and Lavamancer.
Fire/Ice
Versatile and powerful, Fire/Ice is rarely a dead draw.
Land
Wasteland/Strip Mine
Our manabase can handle it, but many can't cope with uncounterable land destruction effects. Also great with Daze.
Sideboard
Grafdigger's Cage
Played around with one in the main, but by the time you can Trinket for it in the relevant matchups it's usually too late. It's also an Artifact and kills Snapcaster Mage synergy. You want this card early where it counts, and it will just win you games. 4-of.
Pithing Needle, Tormod's Crypt
Self-explanatory Trinket targets.
Trygon Predator
Thought about including a couple of these MD, but the Trinket effects seem better at this point. A beating against MUD.
Energy Flux
More MUD hate. Very hard for them to win through this, especially if Wasteland handles Tolarian Academy.
Ancient Grudge, Nature's Claim
Even more MUD hate, but also good against a nice portion of the field. Thought about dropping one for Artifact Mutation, which turns heads with Skullclamp, but Grudge is very hard to beat. Nature's Claim can also handle threatening enchantments like Oath of Druids, and you can find either card with Mystical Tutor.
Flusterstorm, Red Elemental Blast
Nicer against control and storm than Lavamancers, unless the control in question capitalizes on Confidants. Highly flexible slots.
Before anyone says anything, I'm also working on a version with Gush (although that'll surely be a totally different deck, even if the colors stay constant). For now I want to focus on the tempo plan running more fair cards, as this type of deck has always been my favorite in Vintage. Comments and ideas welcome!