the following is a Pyro Prison variant that I've been developing for several months. It includes ALL of the "Archetypes-Modern" variants listed on the left of your screen and even more - Silver Bullet spells are in the side trunk. The collective contributions of testing & discussion from the mountainfolk community have resulted in a NAYA Pyro Prison archetype. Utilize all (3) of the Power Locks and then add more Planeswalkers and Stompy Muscle than ever.
Latest Record: 11-3 on MTGO
It began with my interest in a brew by AspiringSpike: 5-Color Superfriends Planeswalkers https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2855046#paper and then evolved into what's listed below.
Original 5-Color Planeswalker Deck by AspiringSpike
Hmmmm......How Would You Make It More Competitive?
THIS IS WHAT I DID..........
Raystack KalhounToday at 3:17 PM
FIRST - LET'S BREAK DOWN THE MECHANICS OF THIS DECK, SO THE INFUSION OF PYRO PRISON TECH CAN BEST BE UNDERSTOOD:
Early Game Interplanar Beacons and Oaths of Nissa give you all 5 colors - Arbor Elves, Utopia Sprawl, and Birds of Paradise give you acceleration.
Turn 2 Cast a Planeswalker. Period. If you can not forecast a Planeswalker hitting the board on Turn 2, then ship your hand.
Karn, The Great Creator is the #1 Card in this deck. All 5 colors at your availability and yet a colorless 4-drop is your signature spell. Yup.
Control & Lock Use your Planeswalkers to effect a lock, and only then do you attempt to implement a win condition - from the sideboard.
Sideboard Almost exclusively: Your win conditions and hard locks are coming from the sideboard.
The Master Locks Knowledge Pool + Baby Teferi = An opponent can not cast spells anymore. Puzzle Box + Narset = an opponent can not draw cards anymore. Liquimetal Coating + Karn = an opponent loses all of his lands.
Stalemate Wins Jace upticks on a fateseal to tank an opponents library. God-Pharaoh's Statue pings an opponent to death. Wurmcoil Engine or Heart of Kiran get fetched into play and attack for the win.
Raystack KalhounToday at 3:43 PM
PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED:
I watched 25+ hours of gameplay by the creator on Twitch. FIRST, the deck is extraordinarily complex with razor thin margins for error - merely playing/fetching the correct land and naming the correct color for a utopia sprawl is difficult. SECOND, it is atrociously slow. I can not tell you how many rounds I lost due to time when I first started piloting Superfriends. THIRD, the win-cons are few in number & complicated to deploy. FOURTH, the deck is extremely vulnerable to Burn/Tribal Swarm - if an opponent drops a T1 goblin guide on the Play you are in trouble Unless you get out multiple interplanar beacons and an early Dovin.
BRAINSTORM SPELLS TO ADD:
Mox Amber:: speed. Cyclonic Rift:: spot removal and board sweeper. Karn Liberated:: a house with a huge back porch. Wurmcoil Engine:: immediate control against Burn/Tribal and a win-con against creature light decks - I toggled my count from 1-4 in testing.
(2) CONFIRMED SPELLS TO ADD:
Blood Moon - Seeming lunacy for a 5-color deck, but fetching helps as well sprawls and birds/arbors. This is an attrition play. It will hurt me, but it may hurt my opponent so much more. With my deck's acceleration and (4) attack monkeys, I can easily land it on turn 2.
Klothys, God of Destiny - The Swiss Alps Army Knife of Modern Magic just found a home atop OUR new mountain range of Naya. For all that this god does, perhaps the most important trick is his ability to kill the opponent autonomously.
NEXT CHAPTER:
Altering the Color Count, Infusing the 'Power Lock Suite' & Discovering Jurassic Park.......Pyro Prison finds a way
I was trying to force a 4th-Wall lock with Phyrexian Revoker in the main as a 4-of, but it wasn't all that successful. But, the Mentor is a Revoker-of-sorts with the added shock value to ALL activated abilities (except mana and planeswalkers). And, Eidolon is also an antagonistic little son of a *****. I'd like to see your decklist!
Current Deck - This is *after* I tried a variant with (4) Phyrexian Revoker in the main deck! 8 Rabble bolstered by Eidolons/Pizzamen and strangely enough NO bridges as just a singleton got moved to the sideboard - to be wishfetched by the (4) Karn in the mainboard. Honestly, this deck isn't doing as well as I'd hope, but it's as best as I can muster in this meta.
This deck began with an iteration named 'Dark Master' some months ago by another player, and I have been ceaselessly refining it since. It's essentially a 'fair' deck with devilishly 'unfair' underpinnings. Analysis:
Lands. Pretty straightforward.
Sideboard. (4) Leyline of the Void will likely be the only change seen in today's post-ban meta AND that's only if Dredge doesn't do as anticipated. Otherwise, toolbox of 1-ofs.
Locks. No surprises here.
Creatures. 5 Rabble - 2 Sauceman - aaaaaaaaaand, 2 Master. The master is the most underrated son-of-a-***** out there. A Bridge and a Game Ender.
Removal Collective Brutality's ability to adapt is unmatched and Damnation makes Anger of the Gods look like a joke. Dreadbore is a titan on its own terms. Engineered Explosives? Here's a hoot. A friend fanned through the deck, and said it looks good. The only recommendation: more EE.
Acceleration No Hot Air. Just Monkeys.
Once MTGsalvation (my baby) got seemingly shut down, I took the opportunity to take a vacation. Packed up my things and went into seclusion on the far side of the mountain about 6 weeks ago. I did continue to independently develop my PYRO PRISON decks online, and develop my Rakdos PYRO PRISON decks at my LGS, but did not read any Discord postings. All the while, I have been anxiously looking forward to the date when I'd read up on the missed posts, and see what the kinfolk have developed.
As for Mono-Red Pyro Prison, hold tight - my decklist will soon be posted. NOTE: my decks are already 'pre-designed' for the bannings. Strategically observing the meta, with Modern becoming so linear and accelerated, I shrewdly decided to ALREADY abandon winning contingencies (both MD and SB) against the single most winning strategy of the day: Hogaak. Punt. Defeating graveyard strategies is too demanding and narrow. I opted to focus on broad-based 'fair' strategies with the hope that Hogaak (and F. Looting) would soon be banned. Uh, SUCCESS! Nevertheless, this scorched earth tactic really stung. Why?
Until recently, Pyro Prison has been able to manage all competitive decks with attrition based soft-lock methods of winning. But, that changed months ago. Karn builds granted us a temporary spike in unprecedented success, but then our win percentages began to tumble. Opposing decks got optimized and began operating at Legacy-Like speed and efficiency. Modern went turbo with singular focus constructions. We tried to compensate, but it was a darker time for us. Happens. Like any archetypal deck, this is a natural pattern: Ups and Downs.
For reference to my claim, look at the data. Fluffy nailed a 15-0 record upon Karn, the Great Creator's release (Caligula inspired deck idea) and Russ and I screwed down somewhere around a 5 count of 5-0s in the preceding tournament season. Our MTGtop8 numbers have held constant, but I believe that's a result of increased numbers of players running Pyro Prison.
To wrap for now - apparently MTGsalvation is still alive, so I will cross post - I will put up my Rakdos Pyro Prison decklist below (in short time). Yes, you are reading that correctly: 2 Master of Cruelties. Essentially, I believe this deck would be a house with a huge back porch 1-2 years ago, but now it's getting outpaced on the track. My record in limited data contests is about 60%. However, maybe that all changes for the better with the new banning.
I put up the 1st Comprehensive Sideboard Guide ever for Pyro Prison. I always was stubborn about that kind of thing – people should learn the sense of correct swaps, not be instructed. Also, this is the 1st time the codified “Stock List” of Pyro Prison was set in stone (again, this sideboard guide kind of made it official) – November 8th, 2017
The Mountainfolk elders for the first time collectively start buzzing (Russ, Fluffy, Caligula & Raystack) as Russ charges into (2) Top-8 in fields of over 300 people. November 29th, 2017. NOTE: #771 begins the most in-depth tournament report ever.
After this? With a solid foundation of a ‘Core Deck’ and experienced minds to enhance it, the refining continued with each meta shift and saucy, new card being printed. Give it a read, and now you know the highlights of the history. The rest is…..history?
Lotta success out there with varying Pyro Prison builds. Below is my most recent decklist, and it is a synthesis of allllll of those builds.
You all recall the recent schisms experienced betwixt the elders?
*Seasoned Pyromancer*
Some were backing the up-and-coming new spice: Seasoned Pyromancer and Some saw him as under-powered utility creature bested by the current champ Legion Warboss. There was no common ground.
And, who can forget the previous Yoko Ono mere months old now? *Karn, The Great Creator*.
Some struck silve…Err, gold with immediate success: Fluffy’s 19-1 and Caligula’s 10-0. Tool Box style Prison never had it so good. Chandras were shuffled aside and sideboards became wishboards. Some kept the spitfire as a 4-of alongside rattling goblin guns. Again, there’s very little common ground.
As Braveheart once shouted, “Unite the Clans!”
Taking inspiration from my current non-Karn, traditional STOCK LIST variant of Pyro Prison, *Maximum* -- my most up to date list can always be found in MTGsalvation - Official Primer on the bottom of the post 1 (at least until July 8th) -- It’s called Maximum, because it uses all of the tools on the Pyro Prison carousel. Similarly, the new deck balances threat/control/utility (not a whole lot of 4-ofs).
So, in my Stock variant, I split Eidolons between the MD and SB – I run only 2 Warboss – Mid-range cards like Pia and Kiran & Hazoret & Walking Ballista are MD. Basically, in the new deck, all I have done is add Karn, Seasoned Pyromancer, and beefed up the silver bullet count in the sideboard – kind of elementary, really.
Seasoned Pyromancer, like a fine rug, ties this whole deck together, dudes. Not so much that a single Warboss is without necessity for aggression. The 4-of counts are shaved down into manageable complements that aren’t redundant and answers are now accessible from the wishboard.
Attempting to solve the original conundrum…..
As I wrote earlier, the 'off-axis' shift of executing an 8-Rabble assault into a skidding, red light stop: casting a 4-cmc Planeswalker who doesn’t impact the board, and ultimately wins with a 6-cmc artifact? The tactic seems counterproductive. But, the design is surprisingly effective: EITHER win with a swarm or exhaust your opponent's resources, and then win with a 'wished out' lock. Of course, there are times where an early-mid game explosive move into a timely traditional power lock against your opponent might be just enough to shut them down.
NOW, I’m laying off the gas a little. 5-Rabble and the remaining 3 slots are filled by The Sauceman.
Will this unite the clans? Well, I ask you: what better food to bring everyone to the table than….pizza?
I know that 8-Rabble is the crowd favorite right now, but I think that The Spicemaster (still looking for that cool new nickname :laughing: ) has unseated numbers 4-8. The Aggro Pyro Prison has been winning for @Zarukai @Muddy15 and others - understood. But, Pyro Prison has long rotated varying players in the 'supplementary aggressive win-con roles', and none have earned a coveted spot in the lineup of the "The Core 50" - must haves.
Kargan Dragonlord - Eidolon of the Great Revel - Scab-Clan Berserker - Avaricious Dragon - Pia and Kiran Nalaar....and most recently: Legion Warboss.
First, I like 8-Rabble. I play 8-Rabble. And, I think it works, but only when paired with Eidolon of the Great Revel in the (75). Why? Because, attempting to swarm attack with (8) 3-cmc Creatures is not a reliable and threatening game plan.
VS. creature decks, they are faster than you are. You can not hope to overwhelm with a comparatively slower construction.
VS. control/combo decks, they are better prepared for you, because they are already prepared for faster creature decks.
Thus, the addition of Eidolon smooths the ramp, doubles as block/removal, and punishes spell-heavy deck. It's a simple matter of threat density.
Alrighty, so why is 8-Rabble winning then? I believe that It is not the actual 8-Rabble that is winning. Nor were any of the other creatures of whom I listed above 'winning' during their days of use. They held the spotlight for a while, and were reasonably serviceable - just like Legion Warboss is today. What has always won is the 'Power Lock Suite' - Chalice/Bridge/Moon.
Find the right lock, and deploy it as quickly as possible. Period. The win will come later. Skeptics will claim, 'What about the times that I slammed a turn 1 Rabblemaster and drove it all the way to victory?' My mountain friend, that win is entirely predicated upon an opponent's stumble in the early game. This is what some might call a 'stolen win'. Don't get me wrong, that win is 100% earned and legitimate. It probably occurred against Tron or Ad Nauseam, and I say **** those guys. If they are so greedy that they believe that 3 turns of total inactivity is acceptable, then they deserve to lose. But. Let's be honest, we got lucky.
Seasoned Pyromancer gives us the ability to better face down 'Creature Decks' and 'Control/Combo' decks - when paired with (4) Eidolons in the sideboard. Step aside Warboss.
Against creature: Warboss will spit out a 1/1 that will run into a larger creature and die immediately. Then Warboss will get knocked dead in a desperation block on the swing back from an opponent's hoard which is superior. Very Common occurrence.
BUT, with Pyromancer, I get 3 blockers that do not have to attack, AND I get to dig 2 cards deep looking for what will actually win in this matchup: 'Power Lock Suite'. Later after the Pyromancer has died defending his mountain home on a blocking play, I ship him off to Valhalla in an exile casting of Lingering Souls - creating 2 more blockers. COMPARISON: Legion Warboss was a 1-for-1 play under the worst circumstances. Seasoned Pyromancer was a 7-for-1 play under the best circumstances. Yes: SEVEN for ONE.
Against Control/Combo Admittedly, Legion Warboss may be a better option here - in some circumstances. But, certainly not most. How do we win this matchup? Like all properly won matchups on the back of the 'Power Lock Suite'. Take the word proper for what it's worth. Point being that against Combo, we need to find the right Lock as soon as possible, if it's not in our starting 7. Pyromancer provides the dig. Against Control, we need threat density, and the ability to rummage away dead/redundant spells in hand OR (if hellbent) draw 2 cards for free.
Seasoned Pyromancer might be the BEST red creature ever printed.
Seasoned Pyromancer is the new deal. I believe that development at Wizards of the Coast specifically crafted him for Pyro Prison. He works on so many obvious levels, but I have to mention that I recently had a 1-lander starting hand with a simian and a ritual in hand. I kept the hand, and cast out the S.P.
Sure enough, I land 3 creatures, cycle away 2 dead-ish cards, and draw into a critical land. There will be more examples - similar examples - of this to come.
Seasoned Pyromancer is the best thing to happen to Pyro Prison since Chandra, Torch of Defiance.
Blitzkrieg - 1,300 posts and nearly a 200,000 views. To be archived for future views, but no longer can we chirp in as new cards get printed -- hope beyond hope that B/R Discard || Heavy Tanks can one day become premier deck material.
It's a sad day for the whole community. I know so many of us have benefited from the collective game enrichment and fellowship here at MTGsalvation.
Wow. We lost a titan today. Perhaps our greatest achievement was SmashPacMan getting a Top 8 in a large tournament 4 years ago PAIRED with Demigod of Revenge build winning a 1K in Florida which got a deck spotlight by Frank LePore. I had a pile of FNM wins and 12th place in Massachusetts States. But, unfortunately 2-for-1 discard started losing ground to fast/linear/redundant decks years ago.
We'll continue on until July 8th. Special petition: if anyone sees or intuits a winning list for Rakdos Karn BLITZKRIEG, I'd love to see it. And, all thoughts about Blitzkrieg past and present are encouraged to be shared in these final weeks.
If you're ever feeling nostalgic or looking for a spark of inspiration in the coming years, flip through some of these old pages. Who knows - maybe one day B/R Discard can get some serious traction.
THE FINAL CHAPTER
Well, we haven't had much activity here in years, there were the good times & we still sport one of the most badass art banners you've ever seen. So, hearty backslaps to all. See you around the next battlefield.
Pyro Prison - 164 pages and nearly a 1/4 million views. To be archived for future views, but no longer can we add wisdom to the campfire gathering.
It's a sad day for the whole community. I know so many of us have benefited from the collective game enrichment and fellowship here at MTGsalvation.
Wow. We lost a titan today. The good news is that our sister site, Discord - Pyro Prison Channel, is growing and becoming more refined with each day due to the noteworthy efforts of our Veterans.
Pyro Prison - Goblinized Mono-Red Control || The Sideboard Deck
Perhaps our greatest achievement was becoming the 73rd deck in all of competitive Modern archetypes to be recognized by MTGsalvation as 'ESTABLISHED'. Shortly thereafter, with Fluffywolf's help, I successfully petitioned MTGtop8 to also use the name Pyro Prison. Starcitygames and Channelfireball later followed suit. We are now legal tender, mountainfolk.
We'll continue on until July 8th, kin. I'll constantly update my premier decklists for 'Classic' and 'Karn' at the bottom of the Official Primer (I'm particularly pleased with my Karn list right now). Special petition: if anyone sees or intuits a winning list for Rakdos Karn Pyro Prison, I'd love to see it. And, all thoughts about Pyro Prison past and present are encouraged to be shared in these final weeks.
Good News: the Discord Channel is thriving and becoming more refined every week under the leadership of Fluffywolf and Cashewlol with a panel of moderators soon to be announced - maybe you'll recognize at least 1 face The Discord Channel has some real advantages with the real-time interactivity in conversation. If you haven't yet, join in. The place is positively electric with ideas and enthusiasm and best of all: Winning Reports!
If you're ever feeling nostalgic or looking for a spark of inspiration in the coming years, flip through some of these old pages. Thar' be some gold in these hills. Those who have read every page of this thread have told me that it's like reading a novel. Even though you know how it ends, it's fascinating to see the development of the deck - ideas championed or ignored at player's peril or success.
Indeed, the storybook nature is captured brilliantly with the permanence of the writings here. Knowing that one's thoughts were being logged and catalogued for(ever) really inspired the contributors to carefully craft their contributions. For instance, light that fireplace up, lean back in your chair, and flip back a few pages in this storybook to 2016...
GREATEST HITS
Here's One: A fan fiction tale of Pyro Prison that blends a tournament report with the storyline of Star Trek II the movie:
The Wrath of Koth
THE FINAL CHAPTER
I don't have the words...heh, you all know that's not true - with this being the 3,456th post - but let's just say that words can't say enough. Yeah, that's it - Words can't say enough. So, huzzah & hearty backslaps to all. It may only be a game, but we did something special here. And now? The mountain path continues on a different site. See you around the next rising ridge.
All that said, none of what I said can be considered etched in stone. Magic has a lot of variance. No one card is the correct solution upon it's singular selection. It's all part of a assemblage.
Siege-Gang Commander only makes sense as the 9-10th goblin.
Goblin Cratermaker only makes sense as the 3-4th abrade.
I did say the term 100%. But, that's not a fair assessment --- never can be in this game. For instance, I've already moved away from Grafdigger's cage counts in favor of an extra Anger of the Gods in the sideboard. Also, I miss the Ratchet Bomb slot there. It's the eternal struggle. It's also why I have always been averse to drafting up a strict 'Sideboard Guide'.
Slagstorm has always been an all-star. I was its biggest advocate for years - it's quintessential Pyro Prison. UNTIL, we hit 8-Rabble. IF we initially draw a Slagstorm in our starting 7, then we can sculpt our play. But, if we top deck it, as we are trying to develop a swarm kill, then it's far more useless. Note: it no longer can redirect to a planeswalker for damage.
Big loss as it now either serves as a lightning bolt to an opponent's melon OR as a sweeper, but -again- it kills all of our Goblins. Whereas, Bonfire can both kill a planeswalker and sweep a board without destroying our own side of the battlefield. Also, Bonfire is far easier to dump down in the event that you need to turtle up on a bridge. Those are (3) significant advantage points. 2 of which have become far more valuable in recent months.
Siege-Gang Commander is one of those cards that 'turns a corner' faster than any other goblin. If you untap. Then you you can attack for 5 & goblin gun for 6 = 11 damage. That's the most modest expectation. That's not a dismissal of P&K. It's just the opposite. It's a respect for The Parents and their closing speed for a win --- now, I'm investing the extra colorless mana upon casting.
Walking Ballista is the perfect filler card - a little of everything. But, almost never 'overwhelming'. This list is looking to pick a side and go hard on its motif.
Cavern of Souls is not an overwhelming card either. If there's a principal concern about U/W, then simply play our original beater: Mutavault. Trinisphere is better manifested as a Damping Sphere. DS limits low-curving decks from 'going off' and it destroys Tron. A late drawn Trinisphere is a wicked disappointment, whereas a Damping Sphere can rally back against an exhausted opponent's hand who might be left hell-bent.
Welding Jar is just too narrow. It was almost never see in traditional Pyro Prison, so the case is easily made for spellskite in this slot.
Am I 100% on this design? Yes. Yes, I am. It's finely tuned for today's meta: Humans, Tron, U/W Control, Arclight Phoenix, and Dredge. Further, the slots in both the mainboard and sideboard ignore some matchups which are already favored (GDS/Infect/Phoenix) and hit with smashing force against the tougher decks (Humans/Tron/U-W).
OUTLIER REMOVAL SPELL SELECTIONS
One particularly unusual addition is Bonfire of the Damned. Too often Slagstorm was self-defeating or Anger of the Gods was a blank - so Zero traditional sweepers in the maindeck. Now, Bonfire is never a blank, and it finally gives us a way to target Planeswalkers again. With little draw in the deck, it's safe to say that it will be the '1st card drawn' enabling Miracle. || Another bold addition is Dismember. I saw a couple in Pascal Classen' Top 8 list, and I'm following his lesson. Despite the heavy cost, its impact is worth it. Particularly against an early Noble Hierarch or Thalia.
THE CANNONBALL
Siege-Gang Commander. Goblins all over creation, thus the bringing back of my original name for '8-Rabble outfitted with On-a-Stick spells' (like Goblin Cratermaker) Goblin' Gun. This dude is a 4-for-1 at a minimum. Caligula overlayed the Karn Package onto an 8 Rabble Stock List of Pyro Prison, and I'm turning this one up to 11. Yup, where I was once trying to sculpt a more elegant construction of synergies, now I am counting upon plentiful & consistent hammer blows of goblinized machinations.
LANDS
Mutavault - hey that's another goblin! Blast Zone for random clean-up since I'm light on sweepers & Zhalfirin Void to assist with dig in a deck that has never tried harder to be "The Sideboard Deck".
SIDEBOARD
Torpor Orbs abound and a special effort was made to shut down decks that exploit greedy land bases/tron land bases. The overall approach is one of a 'silver bullet' arsenal. The threats are all front-loaded into the mainboard.
100% -- It's a culmination of so many styles of Pyro Prison that we have collectively mined and crafted. We all share in this 5-0, and I predict more to come....
DECK UPDATES
I have been making alterations with each league that I've joined. The first cards to be cut from the original list were Tormenting Voice and Collective Defiance. Those cards, alongside Faithless Looting, provided the acceleration/dig that I was pursuing. They're basically 'place holders' for cards not yet approved to join the line-up. There is still a little jiggle left, so the Faithless Looting remains. I am not 100% settled on this list.
8 RABBLE vs. ACCELERATED MANA/DRAW
What I discovered is that the original concept of 8 Rabble by Caligula is more effective, despite the gear shift to Karn/Lattice, than I suspected. Bottom line: pressure. Present a clock. I have already upped the Warboss count to 3 in future lists, and 4 may be the wiser choice still. 8 Rabbles work so terrifically in concert when they hit the board in multiples - that argument is self evident.
PLANESWALKERS & LOCKS - LANDS/RITUALS
No matter how much I test, the original formula is still the best: 21 Lands and 9 Rituals. With Karn, it looked like we could go 'Big Red' and load up on a high ramp with more rituals/land, draw-loot, and just slam a game changer before an opponent knows what hit them. The reasoning was sound, but what looks good on paper doesn't always play out correctly on the battlefield. And, hey, it's not as if it was a flop -- just bold.
So, with a more traditional mana scheme, the 4-cmc drops had to be cut back. Chandra is down to 2. The Locks saw the 4th Chalice get put back in the main. How often, if you need a chalice, do you prefer to get 1 through a 4-cmc expense?
REMOVAL
Again, there is a lot of variety. Not just the typical 2-3 Anger/Slags in the main. I'm trying 1 Anger, Chainwhirler, and Blast Zone MD and 2 Anger and 1 Ratchet Bomb SB. Testing continues here. The abrade count in the main deck may rise to 4 with a liquimetal coating main deck. There's a lot of flex in this area of the deck.
THE PUZZLE
Humans? Torpor Orb. I'm going over the top. Three. This speaks to what DuceMc brought up, and what we've all been trying to solve: when do you pull cards in from the sideboard that you know you'll need, and when do you leave them there and hope you can Wish them. One way to answer that is multiples. (3) Torpors and (2) Grafdiggers. As for Humans, a torpor is so damned critical that I'm willing to sleeve up that many.
As for Duce's questions about what a good hand looks like and how much do you want to mull? It's not all that different from traditional Pyro Prison. The new element is Karn. But, I always hope for an early Moon/Chalice first and foremost. Then, Bridge/Rabble as a 2nd deployment. Now - Karn or Chandra as the 3rd up-at-bat.
NEXT 3.0 VERSION UPDATES
I'll likely drop the Chainwhirler (especially since I just went up to 3 T-Orb), and add a 3rd-4th Warboss. Somehow, I'd love to squeeze in the 4 Abrade/1 Liquimetal package into the main deck. DATA ANALYSIS - has been coming from my own leagues and looking at other Karn lists getting published. Mycosynth Lattice is exploding, and there is a lot of info out there to soak up.
Latest Record: 11-3 on MTGO
It began with my interest in a brew by AspiringSpike: 5-Color Superfriends Planeswalkers https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2855046#paper and then evolved into what's listed below.
Original 5-Color Planeswalker Deck by AspiringSpike
Hmmmm......How Would You Make It More Competitive?
THIS IS WHAT I DID..........
Raystack KalhounToday at 3:17 PM
FIRST - LET'S BREAK DOWN THE MECHANICS OF THIS DECK, SO THE INFUSION OF PYRO PRISON TECH CAN BEST BE UNDERSTOOD:
Early Game Interplanar Beacons and Oaths of Nissa give you all 5 colors - Arbor Elves, Utopia Sprawl, and Birds of Paradise give you acceleration.
Turn 2 Cast a Planeswalker. Period. If you can not forecast a Planeswalker hitting the board on Turn 2, then ship your hand.
Karn, The Great Creator is the #1 Card in this deck. All 5 colors at your availability and yet a colorless 4-drop is your signature spell. Yup.
Control & Lock Use your Planeswalkers to effect a lock, and only then do you attempt to implement a win condition - from the sideboard.
Sideboard Almost exclusively: Your win conditions and hard locks are coming from the sideboard.
The Master Locks Knowledge Pool + Baby Teferi = An opponent can not cast spells anymore. Puzzle Box + Narset = an opponent can not draw cards anymore. Liquimetal Coating + Karn = an opponent loses all of his lands.
Stalemate Wins Jace upticks on a fateseal to tank an opponents library. God-Pharaoh's Statue pings an opponent to death. Wurmcoil Engine or Heart of Kiran get fetched into play and attack for the win.
Raystack KalhounToday at 3:43 PM
PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED:
I watched 25+ hours of gameplay by the creator on Twitch. FIRST, the deck is extraordinarily complex with razor thin margins for error - merely playing/fetching the correct land and naming the correct color for a utopia sprawl is difficult. SECOND, it is atrociously slow. I can not tell you how many rounds I lost due to time when I first started piloting Superfriends. THIRD, the win-cons are few in number & complicated to deploy. FOURTH, the deck is extremely vulnerable to Burn/Tribal Swarm - if an opponent drops a T1 goblin guide on the Play you are in trouble Unless you get out multiple interplanar beacons and an early Dovin.
BRAINSTORM SPELLS TO ADD:
Mox Amber:: speed. Cyclonic Rift:: spot removal and board sweeper. Karn Liberated:: a house with a huge back porch. Wurmcoil Engine:: immediate control against Burn/Tribal and a win-con against creature light decks - I toggled my count from 1-4 in testing.
(2) CONFIRMED SPELLS TO ADD:
Blood Moon - Seeming lunacy for a 5-color deck, but fetching helps as well sprawls and birds/arbors. This is an attrition play. It will hurt me, but it may hurt my opponent so much more. With my deck's acceleration and (4) attack monkeys, I can easily land it on turn 2.
Klothys, God of Destiny - The Swiss Alps Army Knife of Modern Magic just found a home atop OUR new mountain range of Naya. For all that this god does, perhaps the most important trick is his ability to kill the opponent autonomously.
NEXT CHAPTER:
Altering the Color Count, Infusing the 'Power Lock Suite' & Discovering Jurassic Park.......Pyro Prison finds a way
I was trying to force a 4th-Wall lock with Phyrexian Revoker in the main as a 4-of, but it wasn't all that successful. But, the Mentor is a Revoker-of-sorts with the added shock value to ALL activated abilities (except mana and planeswalkers). And, Eidolon is also an antagonistic little son of a *****. I'd like to see your decklist!
KARN PYRO PRISON VARIANT
3 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Blood Moon
Creatures (13)
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
4 Legion Warboss
2 Seasoned Pyromancer
2 Eidolon of the Great Revel
1 Magus of the Moon
Planeswalkers (5)
4 Karn, the Great Creator
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Desperate Ritual
1 Pyretic Ritual
Lands (22)
11 Mountains
4 Gemstone Caverns
3 Zhalfirin Void
3 Ramunap Ruins
1 Sunbaked Canyon
2 Leyline of Combustion
2 Torpor Orb
2 Phyrexian Revoker
2 Sweltering Suns
1 Walking Ballista
1 Dismember
1 Abrade
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Liquimetal Coating
1 Mycosynth Lattice
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Blood Moon
3 Ensnaring Bridge
--Creatures-- (9)
2 Master of Cruelties
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
1 Legion Warboss
2 Seasoned Pyromancer
--Planeswalkers-- (6)
3 Karn, the Great Creator
2 Liliana of the Veil
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
--Removal-- (8)
4 Collective Brutality
2 Dreadbore
1 Damnation
1 Engineered Explosives
4 Simian Spirit Guides
--Lands-- (22)
7 Swamp
1 Mountain
4 Bloodstained Mire
2 Graven Cairns
2 Blood Crypt
2 Dragonskull Summit
2 Polluted Delta
1 Ramunap Ruin
1 Lavaclaw Reaches
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Torpor Orb
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Damnation
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Leyline of Combustion
1 Sorcerous Spyglass
1 Boil
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Liquimetal Coating
1 Mycosynth Lattice
This deck began with an iteration named 'Dark Master' some months ago by another player, and I have been ceaselessly refining it since. It's essentially a 'fair' deck with devilishly 'unfair' underpinnings. Analysis:
Lands. Pretty straightforward.
Sideboard. (4) Leyline of the Void will likely be the only change seen in today's post-ban meta AND that's only if Dredge doesn't do as anticipated. Otherwise, toolbox of 1-ofs.
Locks. No surprises here.
Creatures. 5 Rabble - 2 Sauceman - aaaaaaaaaand, 2 Master. The master is the most underrated son-of-a-***** out there. A Bridge and a Game Ender.
Removal Collective Brutality's ability to adapt is unmatched and Damnation makes Anger of the Gods look like a joke. Dreadbore is a titan on its own terms. Engineered Explosives? Here's a hoot. A friend fanned through the deck, and said it looks good. The only recommendation: more EE.
Acceleration No Hot Air. Just Monkeys.
Once MTGsalvation (my baby) got seemingly shut down, I took the opportunity to take a vacation. Packed up my things and went into seclusion on the far side of the mountain about 6 weeks ago. I did continue to independently develop my PYRO PRISON decks online, and develop my Rakdos PYRO PRISON decks at my LGS, but did not read any Discord postings. All the while, I have been anxiously looking forward to the date when I'd read up on the missed posts, and see what the kinfolk have developed.
As for Mono-Red Pyro Prison, hold tight - my decklist will soon be posted. NOTE: my decks are already 'pre-designed' for the bannings. Strategically observing the meta, with Modern becoming so linear and accelerated, I shrewdly decided to ALREADY abandon winning contingencies (both MD and SB) against the single most winning strategy of the day: Hogaak. Punt. Defeating graveyard strategies is too demanding and narrow. I opted to focus on broad-based 'fair' strategies with the hope that Hogaak (and F. Looting) would soon be banned. Uh, SUCCESS! Nevertheless, this scorched earth tactic really stung. Why?
Until recently, Pyro Prison has been able to manage all competitive decks with attrition based soft-lock methods of winning. But, that changed months ago. Karn builds granted us a temporary spike in unprecedented success, but then our win percentages began to tumble. Opposing decks got optimized and began operating at Legacy-Like speed and efficiency. Modern went turbo with singular focus constructions. We tried to compensate, but it was a darker time for us. Happens. Like any archetypal deck, this is a natural pattern: Ups and Downs.
For reference to my claim, look at the data. Fluffy nailed a 15-0 record upon Karn, the Great Creator's release (Caligula inspired deck idea) and Russ and I screwed down somewhere around a 5 count of 5-0s in the preceding tournament season. Our MTGtop8 numbers have held constant, but I believe that's a result of increased numbers of players running Pyro Prison.
To wrap for now - apparently MTGsalvation is still alive, so I will cross post - I will put up my Rakdos Pyro Prison decklist below (in short time). Yes, you are reading that correctly: 2 Master of Cruelties. Essentially, I believe this deck would be a house with a huge back porch 1-2 years ago, but now it's getting outpaced on the track. My record in limited data contests is about 60%. However, maybe that all changes for the better with the new banning.
My final post is a hyperlinked review of the early highlights of Pyro Prison. How did it all begin?
1K report – June 10th, 2017 // 72 Person – Undefeated Day. It begins…..
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/established-modern/control/663335-pyro-prison-goblinized-mono-red-control-the?comment=386
500 posts on MTGsalvation was Celebrated and a T-Shirt gets made for the ‘Grandaddy of Pyro Prison’
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/established-modern/control/663335-pyro-prison-goblinized-mono-red-control-the?comment=501
I put up the 1st Comprehensive Sideboard Guide ever for Pyro Prison. I always was stubborn about that kind of thing – people should learn the sense of correct swaps, not be instructed. Also, this is the 1st time the codified “Stock List” of Pyro Prison was set in stone (again, this sideboard guide kind of made it official) – November 8th, 2017
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/established-modern/control/663335-pyro-prison-goblinized-mono-red-control-the?comment=692
The Mountainfolk elders for the first time collectively start buzzing (Russ, Fluffy, Caligula & Raystack) as Russ charges into (2) Top-8 in fields of over 300 people. November 29th, 2017. NOTE: #771 begins the most in-depth tournament report ever.
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/established-modern/control/663335-pyro-prison-goblinized-mono-red-control-the?comment=749
After this? With a solid foundation of a ‘Core Deck’ and experienced minds to enhance it, the refining continued with each meta shift and saucy, new card being printed. Give it a read, and now you know the highlights of the history. The rest is…..history?
You all recall the recent schisms experienced betwixt the elders?
*Seasoned Pyromancer*
Some were backing the up-and-coming new spice: Seasoned Pyromancer and Some saw him as under-powered utility creature bested by the current champ Legion Warboss. There was no common ground.
And, who can forget the previous Yoko Ono mere months old now? *Karn, The Great Creator*.
Some struck silve…Err, gold with immediate success: Fluffy’s 19-1 and Caligula’s 10-0. Tool Box style Prison never had it so good. Chandras were shuffled aside and sideboards became wishboards. Some kept the spitfire as a 4-of alongside rattling goblin guns. Again, there’s very little common ground.
As Braveheart once shouted, “Unite the Clans!”
Taking inspiration from my current non-Karn, traditional STOCK LIST variant of Pyro Prison, *Maximum* -- my most up to date list can always be found in MTGsalvation - Official Primer on the bottom of the post 1 (at least until July 8th) -- It’s called Maximum, because it uses all of the tools on the Pyro Prison carousel. Similarly, the new deck balances threat/control/utility (not a whole lot of 4-ofs).
So, in my Stock variant, I split Eidolons between the MD and SB – I run only 2 Warboss – Mid-range cards like Pia and Kiran & Hazoret & Walking Ballista are MD. Basically, in the new deck, all I have done is add Karn, Seasoned Pyromancer, and beefed up the silver bullet count in the sideboard – kind of elementary, really.
Maximum + Karn/Metal Artifacts =
3 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Blood Moon
Creatures (11)
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
3 Seasoned Pyromancer
1 Legion Warboss
1 Walking Ballista
2 Eidolon of the Great Revel
Planeswalkers (5)
3 Karn, the Great Creator
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2 Abrade
1 Slagstorm
Accelerators (9)
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Desperate Ritual
1 Pyretic Ritual
Lands (21)
14 Mountains
3 Gemstone Caverns
4 Ramunap Ruins
3 Ravenous Trap
1 Eidolon of the Great Revel
1 Magus of the Moon
2 Anger of the Gods
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Sorcerous Spyglass
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Witchbane Orb
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Torpor Orb
1 Liquimetal Coating
1 Mycosynth Lattice
Seasoned Pyromancer, like a fine rug, ties this whole deck together, dudes. Not so much that a single Warboss is without necessity for aggression. The 4-of counts are shaved down into manageable complements that aren’t redundant and answers are now accessible from the wishboard.
Attempting to solve the original conundrum…..
As I wrote earlier, the 'off-axis' shift of executing an 8-Rabble assault into a skidding, red light stop: casting a 4-cmc Planeswalker who doesn’t impact the board, and ultimately wins with a 6-cmc artifact? The tactic seems counterproductive. But, the design is surprisingly effective: EITHER win with a swarm or exhaust your opponent's resources, and then win with a 'wished out' lock. Of course, there are times where an early-mid game explosive move into a timely traditional power lock against your opponent might be just enough to shut them down.
NOW, I’m laying off the gas a little. 5-Rabble and the remaining 3 slots are filled by The Sauceman.
Will this unite the clans? Well, I ask you: what better food to bring everyone to the table than….pizza?
Kargan Dragonlord - Eidolon of the Great Revel - Scab-Clan Berserker - Avaricious Dragon - Pia and Kiran Nalaar....and most recently: Legion Warboss.
First, I like 8-Rabble. I play 8-Rabble. And, I think it works, but only when paired with Eidolon of the Great Revel in the (75). Why? Because, attempting to swarm attack with (8) 3-cmc Creatures is not a reliable and threatening game plan.
VS. creature decks, they are faster than you are. You can not hope to overwhelm with a comparatively slower construction.
VS. control/combo decks, they are better prepared for you, because they are already prepared for faster creature decks.
Thus, the addition of Eidolon smooths the ramp, doubles as block/removal, and punishes spell-heavy deck. It's a simple matter of threat density.
Alrighty, so why is 8-Rabble winning then? I believe that It is not the actual 8-Rabble that is winning. Nor were any of the other creatures of whom I listed above 'winning' during their days of use. They held the spotlight for a while, and were reasonably serviceable - just like Legion Warboss is today. What has always won is the 'Power Lock Suite' - Chalice/Bridge/Moon.
Find the right lock, and deploy it as quickly as possible. Period. The win will come later. Skeptics will claim, 'What about the times that I slammed a turn 1 Rabblemaster and drove it all the way to victory?' My mountain friend, that win is entirely predicated upon an opponent's stumble in the early game. This is what some might call a 'stolen win'. Don't get me wrong, that win is 100% earned and legitimate. It probably occurred against Tron or Ad Nauseam, and I say **** those guys. If they are so greedy that they believe that 3 turns of total inactivity is acceptable, then they deserve to lose. But. Let's be honest, we got lucky.
Seasoned Pyromancer gives us the ability to better face down 'Creature Decks' and 'Control/Combo' decks - when paired with (4) Eidolons in the sideboard. Step aside Warboss.
Against creature: Warboss will spit out a 1/1 that will run into a larger creature and die immediately. Then Warboss will get knocked dead in a desperation block on the swing back from an opponent's hoard which is superior. Very Common occurrence.
BUT, with Pyromancer, I get 3 blockers that do not have to attack, AND I get to dig 2 cards deep looking for what will actually win in this matchup: 'Power Lock Suite'. Later after the Pyromancer has died defending his mountain home on a blocking play, I ship him off to Valhalla in an exile casting of Lingering Souls - creating 2 more blockers. COMPARISON: Legion Warboss was a 1-for-1 play under the worst circumstances. Seasoned Pyromancer was a 7-for-1 play under the best circumstances. Yes: SEVEN for ONE.
Against Control/Combo Admittedly, Legion Warboss may be a better option here - in some circumstances. But, certainly not most. How do we win this matchup? Like all properly won matchups on the back of the 'Power Lock Suite'. Take the word proper for what it's worth. Point being that against Combo, we need to find the right Lock as soon as possible, if it's not in our starting 7. Pyromancer provides the dig. Against Control, we need threat density, and the ability to rummage away dead/redundant spells in hand OR (if hellbent) draw 2 cards for free.
Seasoned Pyromancer might be the BEST red creature ever printed.
Seasoned Pyromancer is the new deal. I believe that development at Wizards of the Coast specifically crafted him for Pyro Prison. He works on so many obvious levels, but I have to mention that I recently had a 1-lander starting hand with a simian and a ritual in hand. I kept the hand, and cast out the S.P.
Sure enough, I land 3 creatures, cycle away 2 dead-ish cards, and draw into a critical land. There will be more examples - similar examples - of this to come.
Seasoned Pyromancer is the best thing to happen to Pyro Prison since Chandra, Torch of Defiance.
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/articles/49777-the-end-of-an-era
The end of MTGsalvation.
To Conclude on July 8th
Blitzkrieg - 1,300 posts and nearly a 200,000 views. To be archived for future views, but no longer can we chirp in as new cards get printed -- hope beyond hope that B/R Discard || Heavy Tanks can one day become premier deck material.
It's a sad day for the whole community. I know so many of us have benefited from the collective game enrichment and fellowship here at MTGsalvation.
Wow. We lost a titan today. Perhaps our greatest achievement was SmashPacMan getting a Top 8 in a large tournament 4 years ago PAIRED with Demigod of Revenge build winning a 1K in Florida which got a deck spotlight by Frank LePore. I had a pile of FNM wins and 12th place in Massachusetts States. But, unfortunately 2-for-1 discard started losing ground to fast/linear/redundant decks years ago.
We'll continue on until July 8th. Special petition: if anyone sees or intuits a winning list for Rakdos Karn BLITZKRIEG, I'd love to see it. And, all thoughts about Blitzkrieg past and present are encouraged to be shared in these final weeks.
If you're ever feeling nostalgic or looking for a spark of inspiration in the coming years, flip through some of these old pages. Who knows - maybe one day B/R Discard can get some serious traction.
THE FINAL CHAPTER
Well, we haven't had much activity here in years, there were the good times & we still sport one of the most badass art banners you've ever seen. So, hearty backslaps to all. See you around the next battlefield.
-Raystack
Ray Karkman
The end of MTGsalvation.
To Conclude on July 8th
Pyro Prison - 164 pages and nearly a 1/4 million views. To be archived for future views, but no longer can we add wisdom to the campfire gathering.
It's a sad day for the whole community. I know so many of us have benefited from the collective game enrichment and fellowship here at MTGsalvation.
Wow. We lost a titan today. The good news is that our sister site, Discord - Pyro Prison Channel, is growing and becoming more refined with each day due to the noteworthy efforts of our Veterans.
Pyro Prison - Goblinized Mono-Red Control || The Sideboard Deck
Perhaps our greatest achievement was becoming the 73rd deck in all of competitive Modern archetypes to be recognized by MTGsalvation as 'ESTABLISHED'. Shortly thereafter, with Fluffywolf's help, I successfully petitioned MTGtop8 to also use the name Pyro Prison. Starcitygames and Channelfireball later followed suit. We are now legal tender, mountainfolk.
We'll continue on until July 8th, kin. I'll constantly update my premier decklists for 'Classic' and 'Karn' at the bottom of the Official Primer (I'm particularly pleased with my Karn list right now). Special petition: if anyone sees or intuits a winning list for Rakdos Karn Pyro Prison, I'd love to see it. And, all thoughts about Pyro Prison past and present are encouraged to be shared in these final weeks.
Good News: the Discord Channel is thriving and becoming more refined every week under the leadership of Fluffywolf and Cashewlol with a panel of moderators soon to be announced - maybe you'll recognize at least 1 face
If you're ever feeling nostalgic or looking for a spark of inspiration in the coming years, flip through some of these old pages. Thar' be some gold in these hills. Those who have read every page of this thread have told me that it's like reading a novel. Even though you know how it ends, it's fascinating to see the development of the deck - ideas championed or ignored at player's peril or success.
Indeed, the storybook nature is captured brilliantly with the permanence of the writings here. Knowing that one's thoughts were being logged and catalogued for(ever) really inspired the contributors to carefully craft their contributions. For instance, light that fireplace up, lean back in your chair, and flip back a few pages in this storybook to 2016...
GREATEST HITS
Here's One: A fan fiction tale of Pyro Prison that blends a tournament report with the storyline of Star Trek II the movie:
The Wrath of Koth
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/established-modern/control/663335-pyro-prison-goblinized-mono-red-control-the?comment=2819
THE FINAL CHAPTER
I don't have the words...heh, you all know that's not true - with this being the 3,456th post - but let's just say that words can't say enough. Yeah, that's it - Words can't say enough. So, huzzah & hearty backslaps to all. It may only be a game, but we did something special here. And now? The mountain path continues on a different site. See you around the next rising ridge.
-Raystack
Ray Karkman
- Siege-Gang Commander only makes sense as the 9-10th goblin.
- Goblin Cratermaker only makes sense as the 3-4th abrade.
I did say the term 100%. But, that's not a fair assessment --- never can be in this game. For instance, I've already moved away from Grafdigger's cage counts in favor of an extra Anger of the Gods in the sideboard. Also, I miss the Ratchet Bomb slot there. It's the eternal struggle. It's also why I have always been averse to drafting up a strict 'Sideboard Guide'.>>> Take this option for example:
+ Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin
(+) 2nd Pyretic Ritual
That's where I am right now........now
Round 1 - Burn
Round 2 - RUG Wizards Stompy
Round 3 - Humans
Round 4 - Affinity
Round 5 - Infect
3 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Blood Moon
Creatures (10)
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
4 Legion Warboss
1 Siege-Gang Commander
1 Goblin Cratermaker
Planeswalkers (5)
3 Karn, the Great Creator
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Removal (4)
2 Abrade
1 Dismember
1 Bonfire of the Damned
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Desperate Ritual
1 Pyretic Ritual
Lands (21)
12 Mountains
3 Gemstone Caverns
3 Ramunap Ruins
1 Zhalfirin Void
1 Mutavault
1 Blast Zone
3 Torpor Orb
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Sorcerous Spyglass
2 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Spellskite
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Damping Sphere
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Liquimetal Coating
1 Mycosynth Lattice
Am I 100% on this design? Yes. Yes, I am. It's finely tuned for today's meta: Humans, Tron, U/W Control, Arclight Phoenix, and Dredge. Further, the slots in both the mainboard and sideboard ignore some matchups which are already favored (GDS/Infect/Phoenix) and hit with smashing force against the tougher decks (Humans/Tron/U-W).
OUTLIER REMOVAL SPELL SELECTIONS
One particularly unusual addition is Bonfire of the Damned. Too often Slagstorm was self-defeating or Anger of the Gods was a blank - so Zero traditional sweepers in the maindeck. Now, Bonfire is never a blank, and it finally gives us a way to target Planeswalkers again. With little draw in the deck, it's safe to say that it will be the '1st card drawn' enabling Miracle. || Another bold addition is Dismember. I saw a couple in Pascal Classen' Top 8 list, and I'm following his lesson. Despite the heavy cost, its impact is worth it. Particularly against an early Noble Hierarch or Thalia.
THE CANNONBALL
Siege-Gang Commander. Goblins all over creation, thus the bringing back of my original name for '8-Rabble outfitted with On-a-Stick spells' (like Goblin Cratermaker) Goblin' Gun. This dude is a 4-for-1 at a minimum. Caligula overlayed the Karn Package onto an 8 Rabble Stock List of Pyro Prison, and I'm turning this one up to 11. Yup, where I was once trying to sculpt a more elegant construction of synergies, now I am counting upon plentiful & consistent hammer blows of goblinized machinations.
LANDS
Mutavault - hey that's another goblin! Blast Zone for random clean-up since I'm light on sweepers & Zhalfirin Void to assist with dig in a deck that has never tried harder to be "The Sideboard Deck".
SIDEBOARD
Torpor Orbs abound and a special effort was made to shut down decks that exploit greedy land bases/tron land bases. The overall approach is one of a 'silver bullet' arsenal. The threats are all front-loaded into the mainboard.
100% -- It's a culmination of so many styles of Pyro Prison that we have collectively mined and crafted. We all share in this 5-0, and I predict more to come....
But, not a finalized deck list just yet - another prototype
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
3 Karn, the Great Creator
POWER LOCK SUITE (11)
4 Blood Moon
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Ensnaring Bridge
CREATURES (9)
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
2 Legion Warboss
1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
1 Goblin Chainwhirler
1 Walking Ballista
1 Anger of the Gods
3 Abrade
ACCELERATION (10)
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Desperate Ritual
1 Pyretic Ritual
1 Faithless Looting
LANDS (21)
13 Mountain
2 Ramunap Ruins
3 Gemstone Caverns
2 Zhalfirin Void
1 Blast Zone
3 Torpor Orb
2 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Anger of the Gods
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Sorcerous Spyglass
1 Spellskite
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Liquimetal Coating
1 Mycosynth Lattice
DECK UPDATES
I have been making alterations with each league that I've joined. The first cards to be cut from the original list were Tormenting Voice and Collective Defiance. Those cards, alongside Faithless Looting, provided the acceleration/dig that I was pursuing. They're basically 'place holders' for cards not yet approved to join the line-up. There is still a little jiggle left, so the Faithless Looting remains. I am not 100% settled on this list.
8 RABBLE vs. ACCELERATED MANA/DRAW
What I discovered is that the original concept of 8 Rabble by Caligula is more effective, despite the gear shift to Karn/Lattice, than I suspected. Bottom line: pressure. Present a clock. I have already upped the Warboss count to 3 in future lists, and 4 may be the wiser choice still. 8 Rabbles work so terrifically in concert when they hit the board in multiples - that argument is self evident.
PLANESWALKERS & LOCKS - LANDS/RITUALS
No matter how much I test, the original formula is still the best: 21 Lands and 9 Rituals. With Karn, it looked like we could go 'Big Red' and load up on a high ramp with more rituals/land, draw-loot, and just slam a game changer before an opponent knows what hit them. The reasoning was sound, but what looks good on paper doesn't always play out correctly on the battlefield. And, hey, it's not as if it was a flop -- just bold.
So, with a more traditional mana scheme, the 4-cmc drops had to be cut back. Chandra is down to 2. The Locks saw the 4th Chalice get put back in the main. How often, if you need a chalice, do you prefer to get 1 through a 4-cmc expense?
REMOVAL
Again, there is a lot of variety. Not just the typical 2-3 Anger/Slags in the main. I'm trying 1 Anger, Chainwhirler, and Blast Zone MD and 2 Anger and 1 Ratchet Bomb SB. Testing continues here. The abrade count in the main deck may rise to 4 with a liquimetal coating main deck. There's a lot of flex in this area of the deck.
THE PUZZLE
Humans? Torpor Orb. I'm going over the top. Three. This speaks to what DuceMc brought up, and what we've all been trying to solve: when do you pull cards in from the sideboard that you know you'll need, and when do you leave them there and hope you can Wish them. One way to answer that is multiples. (3) Torpors and (2) Grafdiggers. As for Humans, a torpor is so damned critical that I'm willing to sleeve up that many.
As for Duce's questions about what a good hand looks like and how much do you want to mull? It's not all that different from traditional Pyro Prison. The new element is Karn. But, I always hope for an early Moon/Chalice first and foremost. Then, Bridge/Rabble as a 2nd deployment. Now - Karn or Chandra as the 3rd up-at-bat.
NEXT 3.0 VERSION UPDATES
I'll likely drop the Chainwhirler (especially since I just went up to 3 T-Orb), and add a 3rd-4th Warboss. Somehow, I'd love to squeeze in the 4 Abrade/1 Liquimetal package into the main deck. DATA ANALYSIS - has been coming from my own leagues and looking at other Karn lists getting published. Mycosynth Lattice is exploding, and there is a lot of info out there to soak up.