Pauper Burn Testing

[DarthStabber]

[deck]Dudes
4 Goblin Fireslinger
4 Keldon Marauder

Spells
4 Chain Lightning
4 Fireblast
4 Flame Rift
4 Lava Spike
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Needle Drop
4 Rift Bolt
4 searing blaze

Lands
20 Mountain

Sideboard
3 Electrickery
4 Guerrilla Tactics
4 Red Elemental Blast
4 Smash to Smithereens[/deck]

Testing this version of pauper burn, any thoughts? Guerrilla tactics is based on a local concern, given the prevalence of discard in the local meta it might be a free burn spell, so it might be worth trying in the board.

[DocLawless]

I wish there was a way to splash black for Bump in the Night without making a totally unstable mana base. The more 3 damage for 1 mana spells the better, IMO. And Flashback could maybe be relevant in a hand disruption meta. For [mana]5r[/mana] though? May be a bit steep after all.

[DarthStabber]

I did attempt to build a "pauper fetch burn" deck. The mana base was 4 terramorphic expanse, 4 evolving wilds, 2 swamps, 10 mountains, but the damage to speed was insane. If bump in the night were red with a black flashback it might well be worth running some rakdos guildgates (maybe two), but as is it requires more contortion than a pauper deck can handle at speed.

I bit the bullet and ordered some chain lightnings, I bought them in damaged condition so they'd be cheaper, but they are still way expensive, and now I have to play pauper with sleeves (due to the damage). I am telling myself that I bought them for legacy, because I am considering going burn over RDW, but since I am feeling particularly lucid, I will admit that pauper was the main concern and the legacy concerns are a rationalization, just don't tell me that or I will deny it up and down.

[DocLawless]

If it makes you feel better, I've spent money like that on cards for decks I scrapped before the singles even arrived.

[LaZerBurn]

Sadly Tactics isn't legal as it was reprinted as an Uncommon in 8th Edition- http://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/Card/ ... rseid=3175

I found this out after I got some on MTGO and tried to put them in my deck

[DarthStabber]

I'm playing paper pauper, thus it's legal, which is why hymn to tourach is a thing that I have to deal with.

[DocLawless]

I love Hymn to Tourach, but not when it's in my face.

[DarthStabber]

So I have 2 flex slots for 3 cards.

Searing blaze, goblin fireslinger, and furnace scamp. Searing blaze is good, but not as reliable as in other formats, where as the other 2 are bad draws turn 3 and later.

[DocLawless]

Well you're already running 4x Fireslingers and Scamps, unless your list has changed since you posted it. I suppose some number of Evolving Wilds and/or Terramorphic Expanses could make Searing Blaze somewhat more reliable, albeit at the cost of speed. The only issue I have with Blaze is when there are no creatures on the board.

What about Kiln Fiend?

[DarthStabber]

Yeah, my issues with searing blaze are notable, and terramorphic expanse and evolving wilds slow the deck down pretty severely for the gain, the more I use it to help, the more damage it does to speed. It's honestly better to just let the chips fall where they may on searing blaze. Where as in modern or legacy the fetches don't slow you down, and searing blaze isn't the only card pushing you toward them, since you also have grim lavamancer and or deathrite shaman also pushing you down that road (and it actually color fixes for black and green in modern). The fetches in pauper are so much worse, and there isn't really anything else to play off of them. This turns searing blaze from a no brainer to a more questionable include. It's really good when things line up right, but when was the last time that peoplw were jazzed about first volley (outside of kamigawa block limited where just
being a splice anchor had significant value). My temptation is to just roll with it, and board it out when it's less relevant. But it's competing with the reliable but bad late goblin fireslinger, the very swingy furnace scamp, and the weird synergistic but fragile kiln fiend. My issue with kiln fiend is that he requires more effort than furnace scamp, in that scamp just works and does it all up front, kiln fiend OTOH requires a bit of setup, but does payout over time.

[DocLawless]

In my experience, in Modern burn at least, inevitability > damage right now. I like that Furnace Scamp is a bolt on legs if he gets through, but he's getting blocked whenever possible, and Scamp always dies to blockers. If Fiend gets blocked he can take some pretty sizable opposition down with him. If you're burning to remove blockers to get a dude through, then Fiend over Scamp because while they both deal 4 damage in that scenario, Fiend is still there afterwards.

How often do you cast Fireblast at full price? Here's some synergy I think we're overlooking, but it may be a little on the "cute" side. Terramorphic Expanse is in play. Crack it for a mountain to enable Landfall on Searing Blaze, then sac that Mountain plus another to Fireblast, then attack with a 7/2 Kiln Fiend. Seven upstairs and 3 to a blocker for 2 mana and you're technically only down one Mountain now instead of two. Of course, you need
to have a stable board state before you can do that... otherwise you're just behind on your curve now. Not saying run the full sets, but 2x Terramorphics to enable 2x Searing Blaze maybe? I'd personally want to see 3 Mountains before a fetch, and more if I was planning to cast Fireblast.

[DarthStabber]

Finished a pauper tourney today, and didn't lose a single game, no side boarding even. Scamp has been cut for searing blaze, and it's paid off. Played against hexproof, stompy, and rebels, and none of those decks offer a lot of resistance. Just played my game plan and it works.