[pre-Primer] AIR / BAI

[Aodh]

Love this deck. Definitely running some version of it for states.

[Den18]

I like this deck. I started with with a similar list based on Sullivan's block version, left for fanatic builds then came back. I enjoy lands that do not enter play tapped.

Is Satyr still better in this type of build then Foundry-Street Denizen? Zem, what is your gameplan against GW and aggro if you don't mind my asking?

[dpaine88]

GW is a tough matchup but you have some good cards/strategies against them.

Chained to the rocks is great vs reckoner, voice, smiter etc
Dynacharge letts your crappy guys trade with their big guys. You have more guys overall.
Loyalist is helpful and awesome against Voice tokens and Wurms. Paired with Dynacharge is hard to lose.

Mono-Red aggro can be tough too but try to keep them on their heels and overpower them with creatues. Hope they don't burn your Firedrinker. Chained for their Reckoner is nice. If you are racing, Dynacharge can really win the game unexpectedly for them if you crack with say 4 guys make it 16 damage pretty much.

A couple of games I was sitting there with like 3-4 guys out and just like wow...this paired with Dynacharge is like 12-16 damage which could easily be lethal if I hit with my 1 drop and they took a shock.

[dpaine88]

I thought Satyr was fine. Your life total is pretty irrelevant with this deck in most matchups. If you are getting attacked to where your life matters, you better fuckin win the next turn. This deck basically has 0 defensive ability aside from Boros Charm.

One thing I thought of as a possible idea to help against Aggro decks is Weapon Surge instead of Dynacharge. Lots of x/3s around and FS would help but it does add reduncy to Loyalist. Maybe cut 1 Loyalist 1 Charge for 2 Weapon Surge. It also is easier to cast at only 2 Overload.

[Den18]

I was actually thinking the same thing. I tested the AIR pre-theros and this deck post and honestly I haven't been a huge fan of dynacharge. When it works its amazing but when it doesn't it clogs up the hand similar to Fanatic of Mogis. I was testing Weapon Surges in place of Dynacharge before rotation and I think I will try the same here. It is not as explosive but it still adds damage and is more consistent in my opinion.

[dpaine88]

Also considering swapping a Plains for Mountain

[zemanjaski]

Yeah Plains for a Mountain is probably OK. Hitting your first red mana is more important than your first white mana, so it's a logical switch.

vs. GW you want to use FFS, Chained to the Rocks or Loyalist plus Dynacharge. They're usually playing only 1 creature a turn, so either of those effects sets them way back. Definitely a harder matchup.

One thing that's important in this deck against other weenie decks is that you usually don't want to trade down against other creature decks; Loyalist, Dynacharge, FFS all want you to have a flooded board. Same logic as not trading when you could draw into Hellriders last season; you want to leverage the threat of you alpha striking into creating a board stall, giving you turns to find a key card and win.

[zemanjaski]

Oh and I think -1 Dynacharge +1 Weapon Surge is probably good to.

[Narcasus]

Ive been testing the deck quite a bit on cockatrice and its been going well. I had a question though. What are your guys thoughts on keeping a 1 lander on the draw? its worked out for me almost every time so far, but that just might be luck and im playing with fire

[zemanjaski]

Depends on what's in your hand and what land it is redbro. Need more info.

[BigMana]

Would the BAI list benefit from running Ghor-Clan Rampager?

[zemanjaski]

The mana isn't good enough, not even close.

[Narcasus]

The two i remember off the top of my head were both with a red/white shockland, the first having 4 one drops a gorehouse with a boros charm. The other one was a cackler as the one drop boros charm, dyna charge with a BTE, striker, and gorehouse. The first one i never drew the 2nd land till turn 6 and i ended up losing with the other an easy win getting the 2nd land drop right away and the third 2 turns after. My line of thinking is the 4 one drops is safer since i have cards to play even if i dont hit my lands, with the 2nd one a higher risk/reward situation.

[dpaine88]

As good as this deck is, I think Mono-Red Sligh might be the best choice. The mana is a little inconsistent and power level is lower.

I feel like Mono-Red is probably better in most matchups except maybe control but Hammer really shores that matchup up and is probably just as good as Boros Charm. Additionally, Mutavault REALLY shores up the control matchup.

[Den18]

I am also a huge fan of consistency but I really like the answers splashing white gives. Chained to rocks answers pretty much every creature and Boros Charm is good against control as you said but also has other relevant effects.

I am also a big fan of BTE/Red Drop/Dryad Militant. I just feel like white gives you all the answers you want against things you normally struggle against. Will need more testing to see if the additional answers is worth the loss of consistency.

[dpaine88]

Mutavault is awesome though as well...

[Aodh]

I took BAI to TNM yesterday to a 4-1-1 finish, with the loss because I didn't get there until Round 2 and the draw intentional into Top 8. I lost in Top 8 to BUG Control.

Round 1: 0-2, absent.

Round 2: 2-1, Boros Heroic. Game 1: I just ran him over with dudes; he mulled to 6. Game 2: He had a nutty white ordeal/Boros Charm draw that owned me. Game 3: I drew two Boros Reckoners.

Round 3: 2-0, Gruul Midrange. Game 1: FFS is the nuts against them. Game 2: I put a few dudes out and proceeded to mortars his Ghor-Clan Rampager, chain his Kalonian Hydra, and
mortars his next Hydra.

Round 4: 2-1, Junk Reanimator. Game 1: Millions of dudes gets there; I think he missed a land-drop. Game 2: He whipped an Ashen Rider and had a loaded graveyard. Game 3: I had a reasonable draw and he almost stabilized with a demon/troll defense, but I loaded up on satyrs and got the concession.

Round 5: 2-1, UW Control. Game 1:
Millions of dudes killed him; he kept two land and two charms but couldn't find more land. Game 2: I mulled to 4 and blind kept. I think I hit a naked BTE on turn two, then a Hammer of Purphuros, then drew guys and sac'd lands getting him down to 9 before I conceded; I think he Sphrev'd for 2 somewhere in there too. Game 3: I had a decent start that got Supreme Verdicted, then Hammer of Purphuros golems and hasty dudes got him.

Round 6: ID, Esper? Control.

Top 8: 1-2, BUG Control. Game 1: Overwhelm him and see Putrefy, four lands, and Sylvan Caratid out of him. Game 2: I keep a slowish 6 and he plays Ashiok -> 4-for-1'd me with charm -> Jace. Game 3: I go down to 6 again, he gets a 2-for-1 with charm, then it goes down-hill from there.

Conclusons: This deck's pretty sweet, but I felt like a lot of the draws were awkward. Not really sure how to explain it, but it felt like the manabase was kinda' off (mountain/plains draws that can't cast BTE, WWR draws with a bunch of red one-
drops, etc.) and I had a few 3-4 non-creature spell draws. Because of this, I think mono-R is where it's at. I'll miss Boros Charm, but it wasn't terribly relevant in a lot of match-ups, kinda' just strains the manabase. We can probably just run Fanatic AIR (FAIR, lols) and be okay. Basically just a port of previous versions:

[deck]Creatures
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Firedrinker Satyr
3 Legion Loyalist
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Firefist Striker
4 Gore-House Chainwalker
1 Goblinshortcutter
1 Skinbrand Goblin
4 Chandra's Phoenix
4 Fanatic of Mogis

Non-creature Spells
3 Dynacharge
2 Hammer of Purphuros

Lands
19 Mountain
3 Mutavault[/deck]

It's still easy to get Fanatic procs (compared with the Fanatical red from this last open), and it seems really consistent. What do you guys think?