Rx Burn

[Jojja]

This is where I'm at with my Burn deck right now. The [card]Atarka's Command[/card] has been over preforming for me so far, it might just be a lucky thing but any creature draws with the command has been nuts. Had a turn 3 Guide+Swiftspear against Junk where my opponent tapped out for his 3/4 Goyf(land, instant, sorc) to hope he would stabilize. With a Lava Spike into a post blockers [card]Atarka's Command[/card] I killed his goyf and did 9 damage total to him that turn. Next game against Tron I managed the same but with no way to block me I did 13 damage to him that turn and killed him. I'm looking at adding a 13th fetch-land to the deck just to make sure I can hit my colours, but so far it's not been a problem. So far I'm super happy with the deck and [card]Atarka's Command[/card] has been as good for me as I expected it to be, a Skullcrack with upside in that it just wins you games sometimes. The mana has not really been an issue so far since I never keep the 1land hands as a general rule when playing burn. But I still think that I want a 13th Fetch and maybe a third Stomping Ground going down to only 1 Mountain in the deck.


[deck]
Creature (12)

4x Eidolon of the Great Revel
4x Goblin Guide
4x Monastery Swiftspear

Instant (20)

4x Atarka's Command
4x Boros Charm
4x Lightning Bolt
3x Lightning Helix
3x Searing Blaze
2x Shard Volley

Sorcery (8)

4x Lava Spike
4x Rift Bolt

Land (20)

4x Bloodstained Mire
3x Mountain
3x Sacred Foundry
4x Scalding Tarn
2x Stomping Ground
4x Wooded Foothills

Sideboard (15)

2x Deflecting Palm
4x Destructive Revelry
3x Kor Firewalker
1x Lightning Helix
3x Path to Exile
2x Skullcrack

[/deck]

[Khaospawn]

4-1 with it in the 2-mans last night . The deck can still flood.

[Platypus]

Go down to 17...

[LP, of the Fires]

I'd argue that if you're flooding, it's just variance and I wouldn't care.

Couldn't pay me to go below 19 until they print another lava spike.

The other option if your concerned about flood is to play some black burn deck with bump, but that's reaching.

[Valdarith]

I'd argue that if you're flooding, it's just variance and I wouldn't care.

Couldn't pay me to go below 19 until they print another lava spike.

+1

[Khaospawn]

It wasn't that bad. I could go either way. 18 felt the same as 19.

[Khaospawn]

All the goods.

[deck]
Creature 14
4 Goblin Guide
4 Monastery Swiftspear
2 Grim Lavamancer
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel

Burn 27
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt
1 Shard Volley
4 Boros Charm
4 Skullcrack
3 Searing Blaze
3 Lightning Helix

Land: 19
4 Arid Mesa
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Wooded Foothills
3 Mountain
3 Sacred Foundry
1 Stomping Ground

Sideboard 15
4 Destructive Revelry
2 Deflecting Palm
2 Path to Exile
2 Molten Rain
2 Volcanic Fallout
3 Kor Firewalker
[/deck]

[Platypus]

That one looks really solid.

[Khaospawn]

Seems a little loose in the Twin matchup, but I like how it's pretty decent against everything else.

[Platypus]

How important do you feel the Deflecting Palms are? Those could easily become Rending Volleys.

[Valdarith]

He already has Path (a card I don't like to begin with) in his board. Don't think he can afford more cards in his sideboard that don't deal damage to the face.

[Khaospawn]

I really want to just try the Palms for now. I'm actually pretty sick of getting my ass kicked by Amulet.

[Khaospawn]

He already has Path (a card I don't like to begin with) in his board.

Neither do I, but it's applicable against many other matches than just Twin, I've been noticing.

[Valdarith]

He already has Path (a card I don't like to begin with) in his board.

Neither do I, but it's applicable against many other matches than just Twin, I've been noticing.

Sometimes you just have to do what feels right.

[Khaospawn]

Didn't Obi-Wan say that to Luke in A New Hope?

[Platypus]

I totally understand the concern for PtE, but it's such a silver bullet it's hard to let go of it. Deflecting Palm is great against Infect and Bogles, so if you're going to face those you definitely want a couple.

[warwizard87]

Ill write a report tommorow, but i won wv modern states today with naya burn. 4-0-2 swiss and won so total 7-0-2. To tired to write right now been up 24 hours had to work last night.

[Khaospawn]

Good job, dude!

I missed my States today.

[BlakLanner]

Tournament Report - SCG States NY - Standard (33rd)

[deck]Burn[/deck]

Round 1 - Burn (2-1)
Win die roll
Games 1 and 2 were very straightforward affairs where the player on the play won the damage race. I drew a few extra land in game 2 but I don't think it mattered much.
Game 3 went T2 Firewalker, T3 Firewalker, T4 Eidolon, Scoop.
1-0

Round 2 - Grixis (0-2)
Game 1: Stuck on one land the whole game. Got him to 5 but couldn't get any further.
Game 2: He played a T2 Dragon's Claw and I drew 9 lands. I got him to 3.
1-1

Round 3 - Affinity (1-2)
Game 1: He gets an early Plating but Lavamancer and Blaze keeps me in it for a while but I saw 8 lands and died.
Game 2: He plays a T1 Ensoul Citadel, T2 Plating. I Revelry the Ensoul on his attack and hold him off. I hit him for 11 to win with Swiftspear + Charm + Command.
Game 3: I kept a one land hand with Foundry, Swiftspear, Palm, Spike, and 3 Bolts. He played 6 cards on T1 including a Ravager. I never see land 2 and just die.
1-2

Round 4 - Grixis (2-1)
Game 1: I drew 5 lands. Lavamancer keeps me running for a bit before it dies to a Kolaghan's Command that also strips what would have been a lethal Searing Blaze after he cast a YP the next turn.
Game 2: Eidolon carries me past an early Dragon's Claw.
Game 3: A long affair. Lavamancer keeps his YP in check while I sit on a Command with 3 Foundry in play (all naturally drawn). I finally find a fetch on T10 to finish him with the command.
2-2

Round 5 - Abzan (2-0)
Aside from beating two Lilianas in game 1, all I can say is that good matchups are good.
3-2

Round 6 - Esper Tokens (1-2)
Game 1: He cast and flashed back two Lingering Souls while I see 7 lands. I barely squeak by since he took early damage with 2 Thoughtseize.
Game 2: I saw 10 lands. I still had 4 turns at the end of the game to draw any burn spell to kill and bricked. He was stuck on 3 lands for a little while to give me the time.
Game 3: An interesting game. I stall on one land for 5 turns but hit him with Swiftspear and Spikes. He Flashfreezes my Lavamancer and taps out on his turn. I am at 11 facing Snap and 2 Spirits with Souls in GY. I have the option to drop an Eidolon but decide not to in fear of getting trapped under it. Next turn he Snap Flashfreezes my next Charm. I land an Eidolon and trade with a Snapcaster. I am holding a Command and have three turns to draw another burn spell, Swiftspear, or Guide (I had more than enough mana to cast anything). I brick again.
3-3


After it was over, I check the standings to find out I ended up in 33rd (payout to 32nd). My buddy loses his win and in and ends up in 17th. Much salt.

I have no idea how to beat the variance demon. I seemed to either draw 1 land or way too many. Even with all the flooding, I don't think I can go to 18 since I need both white and green regularly. While I only had real color problems once, I did feel the pressure of getting both white and green. I may cut two basics for another of each shock to help out.

Atarka's Command is indeed awesome. I may shave a Skullcrack to add a 4th since it is live even when I don't want Skullcrack. I don't think I would make any other changes to the deck at the moment.

The Grixis matchup is somewhat new but I believe that it is a positive one for us. Remember to bring in a few Revelry since they will always bring in Dragon's Claw against you.

[warwizard87]

Here is the promised report.

First off the most Important thing, the deck list.

[deck]

4 Goblin Guide
4 Monestary Swiftspear
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
2 Grim Lavamancer
1 Zurgo Bellstriker

4 Lighting Bolt
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt

4 Atraka Command
4 Boros Charm
3 Searing Blaze
2 Skullcrack
1 Shard Volley

3 Mountain
12 red fetch
2 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground

Sideboard
3 Destructive Revelry
2 Molten Rain
2 Pyrite Spellbomb
2 Path to Exile
2 Deflecting Palm
2 Lightning Helix
1 Skullcrack
1 Searing Blaze[/deck]

Notes, 4 Command, no less, seriously. i was averaging 4 damage every time i cast it ( average obv it ranged from 3 to 6( depending on lifegain and number of guys) i really feel its wrong to shave any number of these.

Zurgo, he was okay. nothing i want to write home about. his benefits where simply another 2 power 1 drop and another late game haste guy, also his synergy with command is real. First cut would be him for the 4th Skullcrack.

NO FIREWALKER! WHAAAA.. yeah i know, i decided to be reactive to firewalker and go through him instead of trying to bomb him out in the mirror, this had the benefit of giving me percentage points in other matches while only shaving a few off the mirror match.

I worked the night before so i wasn't sure how i would be with 0 sleep, so i was downing caffeinated MIO energy, a couple of caffeine pills, trail mix and a protein bar, hoping i would of tested enough to generate the needed muscle memory if i started falling asleep.

My team showed up in charleston wv at lost legion games 6 of us, me on naya burn, Richard adams on u/r twin, brandon harless on esper gifts, Kody Faulkner also on gifts, Brian Means on mono blue merfolk, and a new guy Thomas on grixis Delver.

Yeah bunch of dirty Island playing bastards right?

61 players turned out for the event including, Tom "the Boss" Ross and Chris Van Meter, Really guys you come to spike Wv states, bring it.
Tom is on infect (duh) CVM was on bloom titan. CVM had placed 2nd the day before at the T2 states and had won Wv states the previous year.

Round 1: Gabriel on naya burn mirror ( also the winner of the t2 states the night before so i know he is actualy good)

Game 1: I mulligan to 5 on the play vs the mirror.....yeah...i still won guide gets there.

Game 2: Out goes my eidolons and some rift bolts, in come skull crack, spellbombs, palms and helices.
I can't remember the exact game but I remember deflecting palm wrecking me.

Game 3: Back in goes the Eidolons out comes the commands.
this game is interesting, i have a board presence and am beating down turn 3 he drops a Eidolon!!! I respond with 2 spells to the dome and spellock him at 5 life. we play the looking at each other game for a bit since he cant attack or dies to my guys and if i attack i unlock his hand. I build my mana then vomit my hand, helix, he responds with palm going to 3, i respond with crack, he responds with palm, going to 1, i respond with bolt.

I hear from the crowd, MONO RED COUNTER WAR!! Many laughs are had.

1-0

I talk to him after the match and asked why he kept the eidolons in, he said he hadnt tested the deck and didnt know they where supposed to go out of the deck on the draw in the mirror. He spends the rest of the day asking me match up specific questions.

Round 2: cant rember his name but he was dressed, and im not kidding like a 1950s newspaper man, stripped shirt black suspenders, hat with, i shit you not, a badge that said "Press Pass" on it LULZ freaking win. also i got paired down blah.

oh yeah he was Mardu burn controlish thing...

We shuffle for game 1 aaaaaand judge comes gets me problem with my deck list....fuck... I miss registered wrote 2 Destructive revelries instead of 3... so game loss and fixed deck list.

Im kind of salty now, figure im just gonna lose the next game and my day just sucks. But thats why we play right?

Game 1: open hand goblin guide, and beats insure. main deck deflecting palm keeps him alive for a turn but i have to much avalanching damage.

Game 2: Out goes Eidolon and searing blaze, in comes spellbomb, skullcrack, helices.
This game wasnt even close, fast start guide and double swiftspear, he tries to palm to keep alive and skullcrack counters it and he dies to the prowess damage.

Dodged bullet, talked to him he is new to competitive magic, he wanted to play burn but he couldn't afford guides so he played more control, so i told him i had a extra set to get ahold of me next time and if no one else was using them he could.

2-0

Round 3: Garret meadows on esper gifts.

Garret is a friend who does pretty well, he topped 8ed the tcgplayer modern the week prior with that list

game 1: I win the dice roll and, well this happens the count to 20 was fast.

game 2: in comes rains, path, skullcrack, and 2 reverly, out 3 blazes, grim, and something else. (cant rember now) Guide starts things off, and the game snow balls for him, turn 3 he kitchen finks, crack. i burn some on my turn not willing to attack into finks. he durdles a couple turns, then drops trading post with no mana up. I swing in he blocks with finks, i crack and trigger prowess killing him before post became active. To be fair he had some mana issues game 2 and stalled on 4 lands.

3-0

Round 4: this is a 6 round event so if i win here i should be able to draw in. My opponent ( who manages to top is on tribal zoo.

Game 1: bit of a blur, i know it was turn 1 guide, turn sac land into shock wild nactal, into searing blaze into scoop.

Game 2: Much the same but a goyf joined the fray and i just went over the top with my burn spells.

4-0
round 5
me and brian are now both 4-0, richard, brandon and kody are all 3-1 the new guy thomas is out. We realize that 4-0-2 is in, but me and brian decide that if our team needs it we would play for them on the last round.

4-0-1

round 6

looking at the pairs brandon, richard and kody are all 4-1 and me and brian playing our matches would not help them out so we drew locking us into top 8.

Kody is paired vs Tom Ross here, Gifts vs infect. i watched it, it was amazing Tom got a bit unlucky but kody played perfectly and beat him. when the dust cleared brandon lost richard and kody both where 5-1 and in the top 8. our 6 person group had gotten 4 peeps in the top 8 and seeded 1,2,3,5 so we would not get paired against each other until the semifinals.

top 8 was 2 naya burn, 1 esper gifts, 1 u/r twin, 1 death and taxes, 1 tribal zoo, 1 merfolk, 1 Abzhan.

Quarterfinals:

I get paired vs Abzhan. I know this guy we have played several times in the past and he IS a good player. So i am a bit nervous.

Game 1:
He was 4th i was 5th he goes first.
Leads things off with a Mana dork ( Hierarch) I send guys to the dome. he drops a dark confidant ( Thank you?? ) to try to draw some stabilization and block. I just let it sit and send burn over the top. he drops a vault of the archangel and attacks with goyf and Bob i command and on to game 2.

Game 2: im on the draw so i bring in Palm, crack, and rain taking out 4 guides and a lava spike.
Things where looking good until he dropped phyraxian unlife!!! DOOOM DOOOM. I just couldn't deal enough damage to it before lingering souls and goyf ate me followed by a Rhino.

Game 3: In comes some Destructive revelries and the guides come back in due to the play.
I start things off nice and quick and land a early lavamancer, he slams a unlife. but i chip him down and skullcrack his life gain. i brick for a couple turns on lands, they where sac lands so i was able to keep feeding lavamancer. turn before he kills me i rip command off the top with him at 7 poison.

SemiFinals. HOLY HELL.....ALL 4 OF US WON OUR QUARTER FINALS!!!
The entire top 4 was my team.

Im paired vs Kody on gifts, Richard and Brian vs each other ( twin vs merfolk)

Game 1: he is on the play but mullys bad down to 5 on the play vs burn GG.

Game 2: in come, crack, path, spellbomb, rain, and 1 reverly. out go blazes, shard volly, i shave some other spells cant rember what atm)
how did this game count LOL. at the end of my turn 3 he thirsts for knowledge dumping Iona and unburial rites, turn 4 gets iona. NICE DECK heh

Game 3: im on the play with a hand full of spells and 2 lands keep. turn 1 spellbomb shuts off his firewalker if he has it,he drops turn 2 spellskite but all my spells are target opponent and i just jam spells on his upkeep to the face. skullcrack stops his batterskulls game saving attack ( god damn skullcrack is good) counting to 20 is hard work.

Finals!!!
Richard beat brian so its naya burn vs twin.

Game 1 Richards on the play and, it dosnt matter i come out swinging for a home run and find it never giving him the breathing room to combo and smash face.

Game 2: in 3 destructive revelries and 2 path. This game is CLOSE, we battle back and forth jockeying for board position. he knows I have both white and green ways of stopping combo so he has a 50/50 chance when comboing off and decides to out tempo me, looks like it will fail but i drop eidolon and he responds with Vendilion Clique. eating my removal spell then racing me to spell lock.

Game 3: im on the play so i bring in 2 Rains. and take out 2 skullcracks.
My open hand is 0 lands and ship it back. My 6 is sacred foundry, bolt, spike, guide, charm, molten rain. Yeah its risky but i didnt think i was going to see a better 5 and with 2 top decks i would be back in business.
Foundry into guide. swing for 2. him sac land take 1 go. me top deck fetch. swing burn go. him island grim lavamancer go. me top deck fetch crack both take 4 stomping ground, mountain rain your steam vent swing.

he plays another blue source snap caster block kills guide. now i am playing burn on his upkeep. and he has no red source. finally tops deck one but its to late and i burn him out in the next 2 turns.

he shows me multiple lighting bolts in hand. he could of raced me but the rain did it. The rain won me the finals!

got a sweet play mat , states medal, a box of dragons, 15 points and a invite to the invitational in columbus.

for a photo of my ugly ass,

https://www.facebook.com/events/1397061 ... 091715222/

any questions?

Props:
my whole team, we dominated this year.
CVM and tom ross, I know you guys came here looking for a easy win and more points. but props because good players coming here forces us to be more competitive. So yall come back now.
skullcrack and Molten Rain: Just my MVPS.
Lost legion, well run no real errors, needed a time clock to be sure but smooth as usual.

Slops:
Charleston Wv convention center, why you cancel the reservation 3 weeks before the event and force Lost legion to have states in a cramped shop.
Lost Legion, really not the best prize support. 61 players 30 bux entry and what 5 boxes given out at the most? and you didnt have to rent the center? come on =/

[Khaospawn]

Good job, dude!

[Platypus]

Congrats! I love the deck, although I'm not fully convinced of that single Zurgo. But I'm not opposed to trying it either.

[warwizard87]

Congrats! I love the deck, although I'm not fully convinced of that single Zurgo. But I'm not opposed to trying it either.

im not either, i just felt the need to have a 11th one drop that had staying power, could easily be the 4th skullcrack.

[Jojja]

Congrats on the win man!



How did you feel the Lavamancers where preforming for you? Iv not played mine for 6-7 months now, but with Atarka's in the deck I think it might be worth running 1-2 of them?

[Khaospawn]

They are essential right now.

[BlakLanner]

They are essential right now.

To expand on this: Lavaman is one of our best tools to help us fight Infect and Affinity, two of the more popular decks in the format. It gives us a chance to control their board and hold up damage without using cards that need to eventually go to their face.

[Platypus]

I agree, Lavaman is quite necessary. It's very hard to get to stick, because people fear it a lot more than Goblin Guide and try to remove it ASAP. I'm even tempted to put a third one in the SB against the aforementioned decks.

[Khaospawn]

I'm almost at the point where i want 3 in the main, especially for Command bodies.

[Jojja]

Fair enough, Iv been looking at them lately since I started playing my burn deck again post-Dragons. I'm trying to get as many games testing in as possible before GP Copenhagen where I'm looking to play burn. I'll start running 2 of them in my testing and have a look at running a third in the SB.

[warwizard87]

What they all said about him. Grim is very good in this format, i dont think they are weak in any major match up, with the expetion of bloom titan and scapeshift. zurgo slot has been the 4th crack 3rd grim and zurgo i only picked zurgo because i wanted to try going really wide on the 2 power one drops. He was fine but grim or crack are also fine there .

[GoblinWarchief]

I've been playing 3 lavamancers maindeck for months now and they never disappointed me.
I also tested 4 atarka's command and 4 boros charm main deck and came to the conclusion that going full 3 color requires too much damage from fetching (i already knew it, but every time they spoil a good new card i get excited and try to play it at any cost). Now i only play a couple commands in sideboard, alongside 3 destructive revelries for a total of 5 green cards.

[Khaospawn]

Smart man.

[LP, of the Fires]

I really like warwizards deck minus the abomination that is 17 lands.

I'd cut at least zurgo for the 18th(probably a fetch) and probably a searing blaze or skullcrack for another mountain.

[Khaospawn]

He played 19

[LP, of the Fires]

I kept seeing 17 cause I'm illiterate.

Wizards deck is almost perfect then and validates all my theories about the archetype.

[warwizard87]

thanks guys.
I havent had ANY trouble with pain from my lands. If you are you are most likely doing something wrong in the way you fetch. 9 times out of 10 the right fetch is a basic mountain as your first fetch. lets put it this way we played 3 colors when we played cruise, how many mana issues did we have? why is command any different?

[LP, of the Fires]

Evaluating cards for burn 101:

Does it cost 2 or less and deal 3 or more damage? Probably good.

Can it deal 4 or more damage and cost less then 3? Probably good.

Does it cost 2 or less and can it deal 4 or more damage? You probably HAVE to play the card as it's on par with boros charm, the second best spell in the deck.

Burn is basically birthing pod in that every set, it gets better and better. Here instead of value creatures, all we look for are cheap red burn spells and cheap haste creatures.

For modern to succeed as a format, wizards has to handicap themselves on the burn spells they're willing to print, print RETARD STRONG hate cards, ban burn spells. Since none of these are really viable options, it's on us to recognize the efficient spells and punish the format by honing our lists creating the most deadly efficient killing machine possible.

It's not a job, it's a mission. That's how you have to approach burn in modern whenever a new set comes out. Did they make my deck more powerful to the point where I can make it banworthy? You do that, and you'll constantly build increasingly powerful decks and won't miss cards.

[Platypus]

Amen.

[Khaospawn]

Can't argue with that

[warwizard87]

preach it!