Gotdamn! I love PyroRed. I took the following to FNM tonight and ended up in 1st* with it. Some of the sideboard choices are suboptimal, but you go to war with the weapons you have, not the weapons you wish you had.
* Technically. See the write up for more details.
[deck]
Lands:22
19 Mountain
3 Mutavault
Creatures:20
4 Firedrinker Satyr
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Ash Zealot
4 Young Pyromancer
4 Chandra's Phoenix
Spells:18
4 Shock
4 Lightning Strike
4 Magma Jet
2 Flames of the Firebrand
1 Hammer of Purphoros
3 Chandra, Pyromaster
Sideboard:15
1 Legion Loyalist
4 Mizzium Mortars
1 Volcanic Geyser
3 Act of Treason
2 Annihilating Fire
1 Hammer of Purphoros
1 Peak Eruption
2 Burning Earth
[/deck]
1st Round vs. MonoGreen Stompy 2-1
First game he rolled me with turn one Gladecover Scout followed by 4 Kalonian Tuskers. I saw Cacklers, Satyrs, and Shock. Next game, board out all the one drops for
Mortars, Annihilating Fire, and 2 Act of Treason. Didn't need them. Ash Zealot, Young Pyro, and Phoenix along with judicious amounts of Shock, Lightning Strike, and Magma Jet carried me through even after he hit me with a 16/16 Kalonian Hydra. I killed him on the swing back. Third game wasn't even close.
2nd Round vs. BWU Control? 2-0
I kinda felt bad for this guy after he Thoughtseized me to see a fistful of Satyr, Ash Zealot, Phoenix, and Magma Jet and three lands. I threw Chandra down on the field on turn 4, and he looked in disbelief at her abilities. He was dead soon after. The second game I boarded in my Burning Earth, and that was all she wrote. Though he did have a neat play with Cyclonic Rift when he tapped all his lands in response to me casting Burning Earth and then used the mana to bounce my field of Satyr, Phoenix, Chandra, and BE. He died after the BE resolved the next turn, and I just rebuilt everything against him. Supreme Verdict sucks vs. Phoenix.
3rd Round vs. BW Aggro? 2-0
nNothing much to report except two Young Pyromancers on the field will pretty much win the game though sheer card advantage. I burned his creatures out of the way and overran him with Zealot, Phoenix, and elementals with Chandra tapping down his blockers. Second game he Thoughtseized me to see 3 Mountains, Ash Zealot, Magma Jet, Phoenix, and Chandra. He foolishly got rid of the Chandra. I killed him with Zealot, followed by Zealot, followed by Phoenix, while drawing two Lightning Strikes to complement the Magma Jet.
4th Round vs. Devotion Red Draw
I saw this deck earlier in the evening, and I dreaded facing it since I knew it would be an uphill fight. My opponent suggested that we draw to split the prize since we were both undefeated, but he wanted to play the games out just to see what would happen. That was a good thing for me since he curbstomped me both games. We played the same game of Ash Zealot, swing, destroy the opposing Ash Zealot with Shock until he landed Reckoner and Purphoros. Could not
make headway against the damned Reckoner. Second game he was able to land two of them, and that was pretty much it for me. He graciously reported it as a draw, and we split $30 in store credit.
Granted, these were not top tier decks, but the deck itself felt fast, consistent, and powerful. I never really felt overmatched in any of the games I played, even that last one, since it was surprisingly explosive. Zealot and Phoenix carried the day with Chandra herself not far behind. Hammer was nuts because of the haste and the 3/3 tokens. Shock and Zealot took down so many opposing things that I almost can't imagine playing one without the other.
Devotion Red is a powerhouse because of Boros Reckoner, so beware. Goblin Shortcutter or Seismic Stomp look like good tech against opposing Reckoners, though I don't know what I'd cut. Maybe -2 Annihilating Fire for +2 Goblin Shortcutter?
I'll be replacing the Peak Eruption with the third Burning Earth since I got one through trade, and I can replace the
Volcanic Geyser with a fourth Mutavault that I bought with store credit.
Thanks, z! I had a blast playing this deck.
