Why are people such hypocrites? They will say anything to try and "prove" a point they don't have.
"Board state doesn't matter" followed by "GG's better than Spark because board state"
Searing Blaze is also a terrible topdeck you neglected to mention. No landfall means 1 damage to a creature(not likely to do anything lategame), and 1 damage to the face for 2 mana. Terrible. Not to mention it is a card purely about board state, which as you keep saying we shouldn't be caring about. Or wait, we should. It's hard to keep track of all your contradictory arguments.
There board state doesnt matter 99 percent of the time, as in we usually will not be interacting with it. I didnt mean that it had no bearing on the game. We wont care if we remove a tarm or whatever if it means we lose 3 damage to them.Obviously, if we can block a creature to get another turn, that is a plus. You need to think in draw steps - if you get another draw step out of it, that can potentially kill them or give you another - you want to do it. You also failed to notice the "you dont want to trade for there creatures" part. Trading a spark for a tarm is the same as if you had just outright bolted the tarm - a bad play
You don't usually care about board state - but your saying if you had the choice to do 3 damage and kill that deathrite, as well as do 3 damage to them, you wouldnt? How is that ever bad? And some advanced play is not cracking fetches right away, or holding back extra land in order to set up your landfall with searing blaze when you know you can.
And yet you don't see the likely hundreds of games you lost due to Magma Jet hurting your deck's efficiency. Because it's far less obvious when that happens. Not to mention Jet is only good if you're playing a slow burn deck. Which you are. I'm not. This is the key difference. Magma Jet is a great card...if you're planning on the game taking a while. I don't.
Blaze is not a 2 for 1. Because by your own words, "board state doesn't matter"(direct quote). It's 2 mana for 3 damage(sometimes), that's it. Period. Any other effects are irrelevant. And it's further limited by the fact that they need a targettable creature to do that 3 damage for 2 mana. I'd much rather have Searing Spear than Blaze. Which should say something about Blaze. You may say its inexperience(I've won my share of major events, but I don't like to tout my success), when actually it's just me understanding what burn is really about. And going all-in on that point. Playing to my strengths instead of gimping myself to hedge against weaknesses.
But you don't control if the game takes awhile or not - your opponent does. Just because you can do 20 damage by turn 4, doesnt mean thats how it works. And I would know if magma jet lost me a game - if I drew it while they were at 3, and I had to kill them that turn, thats how magma jet would lose you the game. Or if they ended the game at 1 life when I lost and I had magma jetted them - I can say with confidence that never happened.
You really take quotes way to literal as well as parts you want. It doesnt matter as in, you dont want to bolt a tarmogoyf turn 2 - because it doesnt matter - your whole plan is to kill them before attacking with creatures kills you. Do you not understand the phrase 2 for 1? You played a card that did 2 things for 1 card - it killed a creature, and did 3 damage to them - thats something you usually have to pay a lot of mana for, or play 2 cards. Sure, you need a creature for it to happen, but that isnt exactly a risk - decks play creatures, even in modern. 2 for 1's are worth the risk.
I feel like I'm talking to a brick wall here, so I'll just say we can agree to disagree. Id love to see some results - what major event's have you won? I'm more then open about mine - I dont tend to tout it either, but I'm very curious as to what you've done so well at
If you're worried about bad topdecks lategame, you should really stop running Vexing Devil. And Goblin Guides. And Searing Blazes. And Magma Jets. And Mountains, you should REALLY stop running lands altogether, they are the worst to topdeck T_T.
(you see a problem with this argument with regards to a burn deck?)
This is literally the only flaw in Spark Elemental. And it's a flaw he shares with half the deck.
Maybe half of your deck. Not half of mine. Vexing Devil isnt in my deck. Searing blaze is a lot of the time a 2 for 1 - an acceptable risk in burn where card advantage is king. Magma Jet clears away those bad mountains and still does damage. I can see how inexperienced burn piloters would see it as a bad card, but playing with it at high tier events you would realize it's effectiveness. I can't count the amount of times magma jet literally outright won me the game at the GP on two hands. It was such an all star.
I saw some interesting discussion on Illness in the Ranks a while ago, specifically against Splinter Twin decks. It's cheap, hard to remove and doesn't require holding 2 mana up.
I was thinking about that. The issue is that its more narrow then rakdos charm is. I wouldnt want to cut charm in my sideboard for illness, as while maybe better in that specific matchup (and tokens of course), it def makes others worse losing rakdos charm.
Big, do you against Pod use burn spells other than Searing Blaze to kill their mana guys just to cut off their acceleration? Or do you just ignore them?
Ignore. Searing Blaze, of course is a huge 2 for 1. But apart from that, I ignore unless I know I need to kill a Kiki or something in order to not get comboed out. Wasting burn on creatures is so bad.
So, step 1. Have no valid argument regarding magic.
step 2. Resort to personal attacks for your lack of arguments.
Guess I know your gameplan now. Every card in burn IS huge, which is why you should stop wasting space on bad things.
If you drew a Guide on turn 3 or 4, you run into the exact same problem. How hard is this for people to understand? Does this mean you shouldn't run GG because he's a bad lategame topdeck? According to you, yes. And yet you still run him. But since you're just gonna call me bad and dodge the question...
Reading back, it seems lot's of people have had many valid arguments. I'm not going to go over them all again - I've sounded like a broken record in burn threads enough in the past few months. And it wasnt a personal attack - I was generally curious, and wanting to see any high level play results from you
Guide is so much different then Spark Elemental though. how dont you realize that? It is very rare you wont get 2 damage out of a guide. And the upside is that you can get so much more - spark will NEVER be more then 3 damage. It will also never impact the board. Goblin Guide can block a 5/6 tarm and give you an extra draw step. Ect. Guide and grim are the only bad late game topdecks I'll run - because seeing them before that swings games in our favour so much it is worth the risk. Guide and grim can be 2, 4 6, ect damage. They can also be exra turn 1, turn 2, turn 3 of drawing. I dont see spark being worth said risk. He is 3 damage at best. Never more. Never an extra draw step.
Well I don't waste deck space on terrible cards like Magma Jet, so I never have this problem. If I drew him, or GG, or Vex on turn3 into a field of blockers, they'd sit in my hand while I burned for the win. As the deck is supposed to. And yes, there is a shortage of burn, when you drop the 'false good.' Even with 3 colors, I still have 1 slot in dire need of improvement, and there's nothing currently that I want to put there(Wizards needs to reprint Flame Rift already).
As for trading, it's a "worst case scenario" for 1 mana to kill a creature and do 1 damage to them. Worse case. 90%+ of the time, he's a Lava Spike. Which is more than good enough odds.
Haha. Okay. Do you even play magic, or just goldfish and "burn for the win". Every single card in burn is huge. You can't afford to have anything sit in your hand. I'll be waiting for any premier results from you with baited breath.
It's funny that nobody had a second thought about your PTQ winning decklist being posted in the Burn thread despite it running as many creatures as mine. One of those being Ash Zealots. I don't get people sometimes.
And not to feed the fire, but I just can't see an argument against Sparky. At least not for Burn. Everything that applies to him also applies to GG in spades. And it should be evident that 3 for 1(bolt ratio) is efficient enough for the deck to run the risk. But he should honestly almost never come out after turn 2, and what blockers are common by then? DRS, tinyGoyf, delver. None of these are bad things to trade with for 1 mana. Thalia is the only problem, but isn't Thalia always a problem?
You obviously dont understand the idea of burn. You don't want to trade for there creatures. There board state 99 percent of the time has zero impact on our game plan. Trading a Spark Elemental (a bad card in burn already) for anything is terrible. They will get to zero life long before they kill you with goyfs or what not if you are playing properly.
How can you even say "he should honestly almost never come out after turn 2". What happens if you draw him turn 3? Turn 4? And it's not even like there is a shortage of good damage spells where running spark is a neccesary evil.
My list that I've done quite well with in modern runs 8 creatures - theres no other ones I'd even consider. And if there was, spark elemental is very very far down that list.
No, he probably meant Guildgate.
I actually like Moment of Heroism. That's interesting.
Whoops! Haha. Yes, Guildgate : )
It is really good. Great against other aggro decks (usually at least gaining 4 life with it, or if you're really sneaky, using it on a Hellrider before his 1 damage triggers :D)
and still allows you to do the infinite life trick. My favourite play was using it to save a Boro's reckoner from a searing spear (didnt have a boros charm at the time). Having to spear a reckoner is bad enough, having it not die when you do must be even worse.
I played in my third standard event now with Boro's last night, was about 30 people. I went 5-0, then won it. I lost 2 games all night, and no matches. I've now won the last 3 event's I've gone too, and only lost 2 games across them all.
The only changes I made since last week was the sideboard. Zealous Conscripts is insane. Theres so many good steal targets now. I also prefer Moment of Heroism too Nearhearth Pilgrim. While the pilgrim is good, I find he has a big target painted on his forehead, and rarely last's more then one turn. Moment not only doubles as a combat trick, but can still give you the infinite life combo, and come out of nowhere, as opposed to the pilgrim where they know it's coming.
My only game losses were dropping one game against a R/B zombies deck where I got mana flooded ( I believe I ended the game with 14 lands in play)
and against a Naya Midrange type deck where he played all 3 thragtusk and I could only skullcrack one of them. I may make a few more changes to the sideboard, but I cant forsee much changing in the main deck. If anything I'd cut either the Lightning Maulers or stonewrights for something, but it's tough when they can be so nuts sometime.
So, one of the reasons I've subbed some Ash Zealots for Keldon Marauders is because Ash zealot holds the ground against geist and finks (esp. with anti lifegain).
You dont need to "hold the ground" so to speak - burn is much faster then any deck playing creatures. Ash Zealots major pro was that it was very good against storm - with the banning of seething song, storm has been neutered and I really see zero reason to run her.
Agree on the iffiness of the last three sideboard spots However, I still think the question is: How do you determine whether to bring them in or not?
I'll admit, it is hard to tell. Which is the issue. The main reason I have them in my sideboard currently is locally there is a ton of familiar faces who include them. Sometimes though you need to be just good and get a read. The last big tourney for me was the GP and most of the time after games my opponent's shared there sideboard strategy with me after I correctly guessed it aloud. Guess you gotta have that feeling.
My main goal is to shore up red's weakness with a small white splash, while ideally somehow furthering the damage gameplan, or being a total blow out card for the matchup, since it is pretty easily accessible with 8 fetches and 2 sacred foundry.
Have you considered running Back to Nature in the side? (opting for a green splash instead of white) It isn't a body, but it'll get rid of all enchantments, double leylines, and everything an opponent playing boggle built up.
And what about Sudden Shock instead of shattering spree? It hits infect, pod, affinity, and unlike shattering spree, you can just send it to the dome if you need to 'get there'
The body is really what attracted me, as it isnt a total dead card in the chance you are wrong. Back to Nature is a good suggestion.
Sudden shock is okay. Infect is already a great matchup for us (unless they get out multiple spellskite, its really hard to lose if you just take your time and hold back any creature - target able burn). It's okay against pod, but it only really buys you a bit of time. Torpor orb pretty much stops it outright as most if not all of there artifact hate is comes into play based. It's mediocre against affinity. Shattering spree, as I said is just such a blow out card against affinity, which is a match which is definitely loseable.
As you know I run the same maindeck list. However, I disagree with siding against Leyline for the following reasons:
- The only deck I have seen use it is Eggs, and that deck is not very popular anymore.
- You always play a guessing game for game two, and you might not see it in that game win or lose, so odds are you are not bringing the War Priests in in game three either.
- If they don't have it in their opening hand it will usually be too late when they hard-cast it, making the Priest superfluous.
- They may not draw it while you draw the Priest, which at that point either sits in your hand or is a 2/2 vanilla without haste.
- They may have it without you drawing the priest.
- Even if you have Priest in your opening hand and they have Leyline, it still effectively buys them a couple of turns, and that is a lot in modern, seeing as the card is most common for combo sideboards.
It is important to note, however, as many of those arguments are not that strong individually, it is their combination that makes me shy away from Leyline. Would love to hear your opinion on this, however.
The only viable strategy as I see it, and this harkens back to the second point, is to take out four cards and bring them in if you suspect that they will have it in game two.
I'm mainly going by what I've seen at local modern tournaments - which doesnt give a ton of insight into large events, thats for sure. But I've noticed a lot more deck's that have really bad burn match ups, as well as easily disrupted, having them in there sideboard. I've noticed some of the U/W/x aura decks are also running them, as well as eggs of course (which I rarley see) and some of the U/w control-type decks as well. It is also good in a few other matchups on its own, aura's, for example, to buy you some time. Being a 2/2 body as well, while obviously very sub par, doesnt make it as horrible. The main reason I also added it was because no other 3-4 cards screamed "put me in the sideboard". Every other card I debated/considered was a sort of "meh" option for burn. Just wasnt better then a card that does damage. Torpor orb, shattering spree, and (sort of) rakdos charm don't deal direct damage, but they have the possibility to blow out games. That's what I try to do with my sideboard. Sure, war priest doesnt do that, but it can cripple strategies of players who try to do the same thing to burn.
The other card I was debating in it's place was Aven Mindscensor. Costing 3 sort of hurts, but it can also blow out some decks, or even give you an extra turn making them whif on a fetch land or a search effect. You can *almost* guarantee that it will do 2 damage, as well.
As usual lately, the last 3-4 sideboard spots are quite iffy for me. Just thought I'd post where I'm at/what I'm thinking.
I really haven't changed much - obviously added in skullcracks and made a slight sideboard change. Dropped shattering Spree's to 3, as in affinity you'll usually bring in your 4 rakdos charms too for instant speed, and 7 artifact hate is more then enough. The War priests was a recent addition. I'm finding a lot more people are adding in Leyline's as burn and rdw seems to be even more popular as of late. I hate losing games with zero outs in the deck.
I think 24 Lands are too many but I could be wrong.
What do you side out for your sideboard cards? I can see -4 Pillar of Flame +4 Skullcrack against Bant.
To give an opponent's guy double strike and give him 10 damage straight would mean you have two Boros Charm and cast it on an opposing Thragtusk. You need Boros Reckoner to be indestructible because he would simply die to the firststrike damage.
The Flames of the Firebrand are for Esper? To destroy the Spirit Tokens? Because I have big problems with them and I try to get Thalia on the battlefield as soon as possible to race them, but Thalia is also a Problem to me because of Searing Spear and Boros Charm.
I see that you don't play Volcanic Strength and no Nearheath Pilgrim. Is there no problem with other aggro matchups?
I was debating dropping one land, but since slayers stronghold provides colorless I decided to just go with 24. Yeah pillar usually comes out against bant and the control type decks.
Yeah, that's what happened, 2 boro's charms. Obviously not gonna happen all the time but boro's charm is just so versatile in all the right ways. Yeah flames is for that and other aggro decks. Thalia is just taking a step backwards to me.
Yeah, I've played a few other aggro decks, but as long as you side in mortars and some flames, you can become the "control" deck quite easily, with 16 burn spells that can remove creatures. Then you just bide time till you can wittle them down.
Sup fellows. Figured I'd pop in and post the list I've been having great results with. I haven't lost a game in 2 weeks of FNM (Yes, I realize "Lol, fnm", but I haven't had any large events to test, and I my local store is decently competitive) I've gone 10-0 with zero game losses (2-0 every round).
I don't see how anyone drops Boro's Charm to the sideboard. The reach is great, and it's use as a combat trick is insane with all the aggro decks. Paired with boro's reckoner, giving opposing guys double strike is hilarious when you block and they take 10. O-Ring is great in the board, coming in against anything problematic. Flames of the Firebrand is also great against all of the token decks floating around. I wouldnt drop skullcrack either, lot's of lifegain has been coming in from the boards I've noticed, and thragtusk is still around.
There is not a situation where Vexing Devil will do less than 4 damage that Goblin Guide will do 4. Fact.
It offers no more an out than any other 1 drop creature, in that it isn't a burn spell, and can therefore be blocked or removed.
The only reason not to run it, is because you're running a 0 creature list.
If you think it's so easy to win GP with Browbeat, then why have you only managed to top 32 without it?
But the one thing you're right about. Is that it's not worth wasting my breath on you. Because you're too stubborn to listen to any arguments no matter how well reasoned they are. You refuse to listen to anyone who doesn't blindly agree with you.
I'm pretty sure responding to people is listening, I just don't agree
Goblin Guide and Vexing Devil I think are hard to compare. Goblin Guide has haste, a huge factor. You can hold him in your hand for an opportune moment if you need to that can get through and at least get in. Vexing Devil, unfortunately lacks haste (or it would be broken) which means you are more at the mercy of the other player (in both choice and getting through).
I run 8 creatures, 4 Goblin Guide and 4 Grim Lavamancer. You can argue that grim lavamancer doesnt have haste, and isnt guaranteed damage either, but it gives us huge value if it lives, as well as tech to prolong the game for you to get more draw steps.
When did I say it was so easy to win a GP with browbeat? Do you even read what I said? I said IF someone did that, people would probably think that it is a good card (even with the almost universal arguments to the opposite). That is what happened with Vexing Devil - people started playing it, and now are under the false assumption that it is a staple. My argument is that due to the ease of net decking, cards that arent great are seen as neccesary if someone places well with it - not that browbeat is good
It's funny how you are calling me stubborn - you seem to be the angry one here. All I'm trying to do is help other burn players with there decks - if you don't agree with me, dont take my advice!
I don't think this is the issue. What he is getting at is that if you imagine this board state:
Him:
- 0 cards in hand, 2 life, no creatures in play
You:
- 0 cards in hand, no creatures in play
- you draw Goblin Guide or Vexing Devil
Goblin Guide is better there, in that instance. We can then expand upon the boardstate and find many more examples of positions and holdings where Goblin Guide is going to be much better (ie: gets the kill), but only a few if any realistic situations where Vexing Devil is better, this is because all the common removal in the format kills both creatures (eg: lightning bolt and path to exile). Still, the opponent may only have sorcery speed removal, for example. While it is easy to find situations where Devil is better (eg: their board is Wall of Omens) these are a less frequent occurrence I would argue (I won't put words in bigwithdraw's mouth, so this is me stating this opinion).
What he fears, and honestly, me as well, is that Vexing Devil is going to be the card you draw when you have one draw step to draw a card and win ~ and Vexing Devil can never win there. Goblin Guide can sometimes.
Anyway, thats my take on it.
Pretty much.
I just feel that while Vexing Devil HAS the chance at being great, the chance that it could be horrible (top deck when you need a bolt that turn, draw when they have a board full of creatures, play it and they just use a bolt/removal on it) turns it into a mediocre at best card in burn. Sure you can argue that goblin guide has close to the same problems, except a turn 1 goblin guide is HUGE. While a turn 1 vexing devil could be both 4 damage, and zero (bolt it next turn, path it, ect). Why take chances? Burn is about consistency.
The problem as I see it is people keep running Vexing Devil because they think it's a staple, due to people over hyping it then just believing it is good. I could win a modern GP and have 4 Browbeat in my deck, that doesn't make it good. I have tested the devil almost to the point where it was obsessive (as I initially liked the card) but if there's even a small chance he won't do his 4 damage, it feels like a waste. The way I see it (and have said a billion times) is why give them an out? But I feel like I'm mostly wasting my breath when I go on about it so I'll give it a break.
RE Ensnaring Bridge against Jund, I don't think I'd bring it in. Jund is usually a who can draw better game, and while it COULD stall them out a bit, dropping it turn 3 probably will still allow spirit tokens to get in, and it also folds to Abrupt Decay - I'd rather not time walk them on turn 3.
There board state doesnt matter 99 percent of the time, as in we usually will not be interacting with it. I didnt mean that it had no bearing on the game. We wont care if we remove a tarm or whatever if it means we lose 3 damage to them.Obviously, if we can block a creature to get another turn, that is a plus. You need to think in draw steps - if you get another draw step out of it, that can potentially kill them or give you another - you want to do it. You also failed to notice the "you dont want to trade for there creatures" part. Trading a spark for a tarm is the same as if you had just outright bolted the tarm - a bad play
You don't usually care about board state - but your saying if you had the choice to do 3 damage and kill that deathrite, as well as do 3 damage to them, you wouldnt? How is that ever bad? And some advanced play is not cracking fetches right away, or holding back extra land in order to set up your landfall with searing blaze when you know you can.
But you don't control if the game takes awhile or not - your opponent does. Just because you can do 20 damage by turn 4, doesnt mean thats how it works. And I would know if magma jet lost me a game - if I drew it while they were at 3, and I had to kill them that turn, thats how magma jet would lose you the game. Or if they ended the game at 1 life when I lost and I had magma jetted them - I can say with confidence that never happened.
You really take quotes way to literal as well as parts you want. It doesnt matter as in, you dont want to bolt a tarmogoyf turn 2 - because it doesnt matter - your whole plan is to kill them before attacking with creatures kills you. Do you not understand the phrase 2 for 1? You played a card that did 2 things for 1 card - it killed a creature, and did 3 damage to them - thats something you usually have to pay a lot of mana for, or play 2 cards. Sure, you need a creature for it to happen, but that isnt exactly a risk - decks play creatures, even in modern. 2 for 1's are worth the risk.
I feel like I'm talking to a brick wall here, so I'll just say we can agree to disagree. Id love to see some results - what major event's have you won? I'm more then open about mine - I dont tend to tout it either, but I'm very curious as to what you've done so well at
Maybe half of your deck. Not half of mine. Vexing Devil isnt in my deck. Searing blaze is a lot of the time a 2 for 1 - an acceptable risk in burn where card advantage is king. Magma Jet clears away those bad mountains and still does damage. I can see how inexperienced burn piloters would see it as a bad card, but playing with it at high tier events you would realize it's effectiveness. I can't count the amount of times magma jet literally outright won me the game at the GP on two hands. It was such an all star.
I was thinking about that. The issue is that its more narrow then rakdos charm is. I wouldnt want to cut charm in my sideboard for illness, as while maybe better in that specific matchup (and tokens of course), it def makes others worse losing rakdos charm.
Ignore. Searing Blaze, of course is a huge 2 for 1. But apart from that, I ignore unless I know I need to kill a Kiki or something in order to not get comboed out. Wasting burn on creatures is so bad.
Reading back, it seems lot's of people have had many valid arguments. I'm not going to go over them all again - I've sounded like a broken record in burn threads enough in the past few months. And it wasnt a personal attack - I was generally curious, and wanting to see any high level play results from you
Guide is so much different then Spark Elemental though. how dont you realize that? It is very rare you wont get 2 damage out of a guide. And the upside is that you can get so much more - spark will NEVER be more then 3 damage. It will also never impact the board. Goblin Guide can block a 5/6 tarm and give you an extra draw step. Ect. Guide and grim are the only bad late game topdecks I'll run - because seeing them before that swings games in our favour so much it is worth the risk. Guide and grim can be 2, 4 6, ect damage. They can also be exra turn 1, turn 2, turn 3 of drawing. I dont see spark being worth said risk. He is 3 damage at best. Never more. Never an extra draw step.
Haha. Okay. Do you even play magic, or just goldfish and "burn for the win". Every single card in burn is huge. You can't afford to have anything sit in your hand. I'll be waiting for any premier results from you with baited breath.
You obviously dont understand the idea of burn. You don't want to trade for there creatures. There board state 99 percent of the time has zero impact on our game plan. Trading a Spark Elemental (a bad card in burn already) for anything is terrible. They will get to zero life long before they kill you with goyfs or what not if you are playing properly.
How can you even say "he should honestly almost never come out after turn 2". What happens if you draw him turn 3? Turn 4? And it's not even like there is a shortage of good damage spells where running spark is a neccesary evil.
My list that I've done quite well with in modern runs 8 creatures - theres no other ones I'd even consider. And if there was, spark elemental is very very far down that list.
Whoops! Haha. Yes, Guildgate : )
It is really good. Great against other aggro decks (usually at least gaining 4 life with it, or if you're really sneaky, using it on a Hellrider before his 1 damage triggers :D)
and still allows you to do the infinite life trick. My favourite play was using it to save a Boro's reckoner from a searing spear (didnt have a boros charm at the time). Having to spear a reckoner is bad enough, having it not die when you do must be even worse.
4 Stromkirk Noble
4 Ash Zealot
4 Boros Reckoner
4 Hellrider
2 Lightning Mauler
2 Stonewright
4 Searing Spear
4 Pillar of Flame
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Clifftop Retreat
1 Boros Guildgate
14 Mountain
1 Slayer's Stronghold
2 Oblivion Ring
4 Skullcrack
3 Mizzium Mortars
3 Zealous Conscripts
3 Moment of Heroism
The only changes I made since last week was the sideboard. Zealous Conscripts is insane. Theres so many good steal targets now. I also prefer Moment of Heroism too Nearhearth Pilgrim. While the pilgrim is good, I find he has a big target painted on his forehead, and rarely last's more then one turn. Moment not only doubles as a combat trick, but can still give you the infinite life combo, and come out of nowhere, as opposed to the pilgrim where they know it's coming.
My only game losses were dropping one game against a R/B zombies deck where I got mana flooded ( I believe I ended the game with 14 lands in play)
and against a Naya Midrange type deck where he played all 3 thragtusk and I could only skullcrack one of them. I may make a few more changes to the sideboard, but I cant forsee much changing in the main deck. If anything I'd cut either the Lightning Maulers or stonewrights for something, but it's tough when they can be so nuts sometime.
You dont need to "hold the ground" so to speak - burn is much faster then any deck playing creatures. Ash Zealots major pro was that it was very good against storm - with the banning of seething song, storm has been neutered and I really see zero reason to run her.
I'll admit, it is hard to tell. Which is the issue. The main reason I have them in my sideboard currently is locally there is a ton of familiar faces who include them. Sometimes though you need to be just good and get a read. The last big tourney for me was the GP and most of the time after games my opponent's shared there sideboard strategy with me after I correctly guessed it aloud. Guess you gotta have that feeling.
My main goal is to shore up red's weakness with a small white splash, while ideally somehow furthering the damage gameplan, or being a total blow out card for the matchup, since it is pretty easily accessible with 8 fetches and 2 sacred foundry.
The body is really what attracted me, as it isnt a total dead card in the chance you are wrong. Back to Nature is a good suggestion.
Sudden shock is okay. Infect is already a great matchup for us (unless they get out multiple spellskite, its really hard to lose if you just take your time and hold back any creature - target able burn). It's okay against pod, but it only really buys you a bit of time. Torpor orb pretty much stops it outright as most if not all of there artifact hate is comes into play based. It's mediocre against affinity. Shattering spree, as I said is just such a blow out card against affinity, which is a match which is definitely loseable.
I'm mainly going by what I've seen at local modern tournaments - which doesnt give a ton of insight into large events, thats for sure. But I've noticed a lot more deck's that have really bad burn match ups, as well as easily disrupted, having them in there sideboard. I've noticed some of the U/W/x aura decks are also running them, as well as eggs of course (which I rarley see) and some of the U/w control-type decks as well. It is also good in a few other matchups on its own, aura's, for example, to buy you some time. Being a 2/2 body as well, while obviously very sub par, doesnt make it as horrible. The main reason I also added it was because no other 3-4 cards screamed "put me in the sideboard". Every other card I debated/considered was a sort of "meh" option for burn. Just wasnt better then a card that does damage. Torpor orb, shattering spree, and (sort of) rakdos charm don't deal direct damage, but they have the possibility to blow out games. That's what I try to do with my sideboard. Sure, war priest doesnt do that, but it can cripple strategies of players who try to do the same thing to burn.
The other card I was debating in it's place was Aven Mindscensor. Costing 3 sort of hurts, but it can also blow out some decks, or even give you an extra turn making them whif on a fetch land or a search effect. You can *almost* guarantee that it will do 2 damage, as well.
As usual lately, the last 3-4 sideboard spots are quite iffy for me. Just thought I'd post where I'm at/what I'm thinking.
4 Arid Mesa
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
3 Blood Crypt
2 Sacred Foundry
3 Mountain
4 Goblin Guide
4 Grim Lavamancer
4 Rift Bolt
4 Lava Spike
4 Bump in the Night
4 Skullcrack
4 Magma Jet
4 Searing Blaze
4 Shard Volley
4 Rakdos Charm
3 Shattering Spree
4 Torpor Orb
4 War Priest of Thune
I really haven't changed much - obviously added in skullcracks and made a slight sideboard change. Dropped shattering Spree's to 3, as in affinity you'll usually bring in your 4 rakdos charms too for instant speed, and 7 artifact hate is more then enough. The War priests was a recent addition. I'm finding a lot more people are adding in Leyline's as burn and rdw seems to be even more popular as of late. I hate losing games with zero outs in the deck.
I was debating dropping one land, but since slayers stronghold provides colorless I decided to just go with 24. Yeah pillar usually comes out against bant and the control type decks.
Yeah, that's what happened, 2 boro's charms. Obviously not gonna happen all the time but boro's charm is just so versatile in all the right ways. Yeah flames is for that and other aggro decks. Thalia is just taking a step backwards to me.
Yeah, I've played a few other aggro decks, but as long as you side in mortars and some flames, you can become the "control" deck quite easily, with 16 burn spells that can remove creatures. Then you just bide time till you can wittle them down.
4 Stromkirk Noble
4 Ash Zealot
4 Boros Reckoner
4 Hellrider
2 Lightning Mauler
2 Stonewright
4 Searing Spear
4 Pillar of Flame
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Clifftop Retreat
15 Mountain
1 Slayer's Stronghold
4 Oblivion Ring
4 Skullcrack
3 Mizzium Mortars
4 Flames of the Firebrand
I don't see how anyone drops Boro's Charm to the sideboard. The reach is great, and it's use as a combat trick is insane with all the aggro decks. Paired with boro's reckoner, giving opposing guys double strike is hilarious when you block and they take 10. O-Ring is great in the board, coming in against anything problematic. Flames of the Firebrand is also great against all of the token decks floating around. I wouldnt drop skullcrack either, lot's of lifegain has been coming in from the boards I've noticed, and thragtusk is still around.
I'm pretty sure responding to people is listening, I just don't agree
Goblin Guide and Vexing Devil I think are hard to compare. Goblin Guide has haste, a huge factor. You can hold him in your hand for an opportune moment if you need to that can get through and at least get in. Vexing Devil, unfortunately lacks haste (or it would be broken) which means you are more at the mercy of the other player (in both choice and getting through).
I run 8 creatures, 4 Goblin Guide and 4 Grim Lavamancer. You can argue that grim lavamancer doesnt have haste, and isnt guaranteed damage either, but it gives us huge value if it lives, as well as tech to prolong the game for you to get more draw steps.
When did I say it was so easy to win a GP with browbeat? Do you even read what I said? I said IF someone did that, people would probably think that it is a good card (even with the almost universal arguments to the opposite). That is what happened with Vexing Devil - people started playing it, and now are under the false assumption that it is a staple. My argument is that due to the ease of net decking, cards that arent great are seen as neccesary if someone places well with it - not that browbeat is good
It's funny how you are calling me stubborn - you seem to be the angry one here. All I'm trying to do is help other burn players with there decks - if you don't agree with me, dont take my advice!
Pretty much.
I just feel that while Vexing Devil HAS the chance at being great, the chance that it could be horrible (top deck when you need a bolt that turn, draw when they have a board full of creatures, play it and they just use a bolt/removal on it) turns it into a mediocre at best card in burn. Sure you can argue that goblin guide has close to the same problems, except a turn 1 goblin guide is HUGE. While a turn 1 vexing devil could be both 4 damage, and zero (bolt it next turn, path it, ect). Why take chances? Burn is about consistency.
RE Ensnaring Bridge against Jund, I don't think I'd bring it in. Jund is usually a who can draw better game, and while it COULD stall them out a bit, dropping it turn 3 probably will still allow spirit tokens to get in, and it also folds to Abrupt Decay - I'd rather not time walk them on turn 3.