i love what they did to Jace's character. so much improved. also, Vraska's someone i didn't give much thought before, but her interactions with Jace made me quite a fan of hers. heck, i'm one of those who ship Jace x Vraska. no more manipulative, centuries-old necromancers for Jace, please!
good work Alison and the rest of the team!
i see. if Chandra's good vs U/W Approach, does that leaves no room for Vance's Blasting Cannons, then?
Authority of Consuls is real bad for us if played T1, so i guess we have to play the deck as if our creatures have no haste.
i think U/W Approach won't be popular at the LGS where i play. i'm more concerned about Temur/4 Color Energy, which is played by 2 out of 3 of the best players there. and by best i mean the top 1 and 2 players here in my country (top planeswalker points), so yeah i feel the pressure.
isn't playing around board wipes a requirement for aggro decks in general when facing control?
anyway i agree that Chandra is helpful against U/W Approach considering they have an instant speed 4 mana board wipe that they can flashback with Torrential Gearhulk.
i am still on the fence regarding Ferocidon, though. i think Lathnu Hellion's better. in my mind, closing the game early beats trying to prevent life gain, simply because U/W Approach can win in 8 turns.
yeah, Captain Storm may be the missing piece in R/b aggro decks that wish to rely on artifact synergy. good call on its synergy with Fatal Push.
4 Ahn-Crop Crasher
4 Bomat Courier
2 Captain Lannery Storm
4 Earthshaker Khenra
3 Glorybringer
1 Hazoret the Fervent
3 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
4 Soul-Scar Mage
4 Built to Smash
4 Lightning Strike
3 Shock
2 Vance's Blasting Cannons
Lands 22
15 Mountain
4 Ramunap Ruins
3 Sunscorched Desert
2 Pia Nalaar
1 Rampaging Ferocidon
3 Abrade
4 Magma Spray
1 Shock
2 Hour of Devastation
2 Crook of Condemnation
i like the deck.
Captain Storm provides the needed ramp so that he could safely run only 22 lands and 3 Glorybringer.
Built to Smash is like a worse Lightning Bolt, speeding up the clock.
this deck proves one doesn't need 3-4 Hazoret in the main to be effective.
ah. didn't notice Caracal's only 3/3. i thought it's 3/4, beyond Abrade's reach.
but isn't Chandra too slow? 2 damage per turn is not 4 damage per turn for 2 turns like Lathnu Hellion. on the other hand, she doesn't get exiled by Settle the Wreckage. still, i am concerned she may not do much work before the opponent wins via casting another Approach.
i managed to defeat U/W approach decks pre rotation even with Blessed Alliance.... though by a very slim margin. i too am hoping the black splash for hand disruption can help me win against U/W Approach because that deck looks better now.
ah yes those cats. i forgot about them. fortunately,Regal Caracal is 5 CMC so it will take a while before they hit the board. so what do they board out when boarding in Caracal and/or Gearhulks?
i haven't tested those, as i don't have any copy. sounds good in an R/b deck with lots of removal. what's your list? thanks!
i think RR's better than R/b vs U/W Approach simply because of its raw speed and consistency game 1.
with my deck, i plan to remove the dead cards like Fatal Push x 2 and Unlicensed Disintegration x 2 and replace them with Duress and Lathnu Hellion. Abrade and some Unlicensed Disintegration might still be needed post board if ever opponent decides to use Torrential Gearhulk. i took a look at the R/b deck you posted at the first page. i think trying to match RR's speed and power is not the ideal game plan for splashing Black. might as well play RR that doesn't have lands that come into play tapped. R/b should instead take advantage of the black splash for hand disruption like Duress and Harsh Scrutiny post board.
of course, most of what i said are theoretical, but it's a reasonable game plan nonetheless that i have tested against G/B constrictor to satisfying results.
i tried something similar and posted my results in the previous R/x thread. R/b is not as fast as Ramunap Red, as evidenced by even matchup vs a supposedly slow (but explosive) deck B/G Energy.
so i modified the list so that it could have removal at instant speed and got rid of Key to the City, which was lackluster unless Hazoret is in play. the loss of Keys means Inventor's Apprentice got worse, so i got rid of those too. Unlicensed Disintegration stayed because it's unconditional removal for big creatures regular burn can't deal with and it has an upside.
the result was a much better win rate. i do hope my deck's effective vs other decks too. we'll find out this FNM.
i've not been a fan of it, as i posted in the previous R/x aggro thread. slow and gimmicky. Soul Scar's better because it has prowess and wither effect and can be dropped T1 without feeling bad about it.
ah. well, it's early morning here, i just woke up and tuned in to SCG Dallas when i saw your post so i search for the list. i missed the difference.
i missed seeing the final round, but it seems RR took top 2 at SCG Dallas, beaten by Sultai Energy. no decklists available as of this post, though.
update: the top 2 RR list
4 Bomat Courier
4 Ahn-Crop Crasher
4 Earthshaker Khenra
4 Soul-Scar Mage
4 Hazoret the Fervent
3 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
Spells 12
4 Abrade
4 Lightning Strike
4 Shock
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Lands 24
14 Mountain
4 Ramunap Ruins
2 Scavenger Grounds
4 Sunscorched Desert
4 Glorybringer
1 Harsh Mentor
4 Chandra's Defeat
2 Pia Nalaar
3 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
1 Mountain
looks similar if not identical to the top MTGO PTQ lists.
the top 3 RR decks appear to be clones of each other.
seems like the rest is "play cheap creatures, top with Hazoret, have Ramunap Ruins" decks.
what's the target against U/W approach? they don't run any creatures, based from the lists i saw at MTGO. thus the only ways to put Cut//Ribbons in the GY are:
1. target your own creature
2. discard via Hazoret
3. discard via Bomat Courier
so i feel Cut//Ribbons i feel is actually bad against them. no targets, Cut side doesn't go to the dome, and no element of surprise because Ribbons should be in the GY to cast so the opponent will be ready with a counterspell.
i think R/x Aggro should just focus on aggression and playing around board wipes when dealing with U/W Approach. in my deck's case, it will do just that plus some number of Duress from the SB (Fatal Push doesn't do anything against them either, so i'll board them out) to catch those board wipes or Approach of the Second Sun itself.
as for the card Cut//Ribbons, it could fit in the deck, maybe replace some Shock or be in the Sideboard against grindy matchups. i don't know for certain, though. i'll find out next FNM.
thank you for bringing up that important topic. gave me the opportunity to think and reconsider.
4 Bomat Courier
4 Earthshaker Khenra
3 Hazoret the Fervent
4 Inventor's Apprentice
4 Ahn-Crop Crasher
4 Scrapheap Scrounger
4 Lightning Strike
4 Shock
4 Unlicensed Disintegration
Artifacts 2
2 Key to the City
2 Canyon Slough
4 Dragonskull Summit
13 Mountain
4 Spire of Industry
it's basically 50-50. whoever was on the play won.
i adjusted the deck and playtested again this morning. win rate is now around 70%. definitely can win even on the draw.
4 Bomat Courier
4 Earthshaker Khenra
2 Hazoret the Fervent
4 Soul-scar Mage
4 Ahn-Crop Crasher
4 Scrapheap Scrounger
4x Shock
4x Lightning Strike
2x Fatal Push
2x Abrade
4x Unlicensed Disintegration
4 Dragonskull Summit
2 Canyon Slough
4 Swamp
12 Mountain
with 12 removal that can deal with T2 Constrictor and Longtusk Cub with 2 Energy from T1 Attune with Aether, the deck can really run ahead fast.
of course, the true test of the deck is vs Temur Energy and Dinosaurs, but i believe that with luck, the splash black for sideboard card Harsh Scrutiny the deck can hopefully pick off T4 Bristling Hydra or Ripjaw Raptor before they hit the board.
hopefully, i can playtest the deck vs those 2 before FNM, because i know for sure there will be people running those.
i can't play with anything other than red KMC sleeves, though. even my Dragons EDH deck is in red KMC sleeves.
in at least 3 LGSs i am am already known as the Red deck player. i could try something else (i dabbled with Temur Energy before but i am mediocre at best with the deck) for variety, though, but for now i'm centering my efforts on an R/x deck for week 1 Standard.