[Deck] Burn

[Lightning_Dolt]

I'm actually, really leaning toward blaze in the main.

[Lightning_Dolt]

[deck]Creatures (11)
4 Goblin Guide
4 Hellspark Elemental
3 Grim Lavamancer

Lands (20)
8 Mountain
4 Arid Mesa
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Bloodstained Mire


Spells (29)
2 Sulfuric Vortex
4 Fireblast
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Price of Progress
4 Chain Lightning
3 Searing Blaze
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt

Sideboard (15)
3 Ashen Rider
2 Pyrostatic Pillar
3 Smash to Smithereens
2 Surgical Extraction
3 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Pyroblast
1 Red Elemental Blast[/deck]

Trying this for the next round of testing.

[Purp]

Cutting flame rift is stupid.

[Lightning_Dolt]

Card has been nothing but bad for me.

[Lightning_Dolt]

I want to trust you guys, but it just always ends up badly for me.

[LP, of the Fires]

Cutting flame rift is stupid.

[Lightning_Dolt]

It never works out for me. Not sure what I'm doing wrong.

[Valdarith]

Well, can you go into more detail about what problems you are having with it? Everyone else is adamant that it's necessary, myself included. PSully runs it. Other successful burn players run it. I don't think it'd be a consensus four of if it wasn't good.

[LP, of the Fires]

Like, ignore your terrible matchups. Elves for instance; terrible. You can win the matchup if you're on the play and get lucky, but aside from that, dogs breakfast so I wouldn't care about it.

Flame rift is 4 damage, 2 mana. In a deck that want's a combo of 7 cards, if you draw 2 flame rifts, it's like you drew an extra card which is awesome. When you play against decks where you're in a damage race, just think of it as a card you can happily board out.

Price of Progress isn't anything I really want to play 4-of. When I used to play burn, wether I had it in my deck or not, if you played against savvy legacy players, they just fetched basics making the card absolutely miserable. Having said that, I don't know how many legacy decks even play enough basics, but I'd still expect the card to only be 2 mana, 3 damage on average which is pretty horrific at sorcery speed.

Grim vs. YP: eh? Either or? I think YP is more
reliable at generating more long term value letting you grind out games vs. fair decks(if you can play a moderately long game, you probably have inevitability). Grim is a 1-drop though which is kind of nice, at the expense of taxing your mana for the rest of the game. I'd have to test both.

Satyr firedancer is kind of terrible and kind of the sweetest 1-of ever, but I'd probably relegate it to the sideboard personally. IDK, to new to have a meaningful opinion.

[Valdarith]

PoP is actually an instant, but I agree that four in the main is too many as I said a couple pages back. I would find a way to main three and side one as it's the stone cold nuts against three color Delver which is a large portion of the competitive meta.

[Lightning_Dolt]

I will try to just play the flame rifts until I like it.

[BlakLanner]

I can totally see dropping to 3 PoP. My original list had 3 until I started shaving lands and cut my Thunderous Wrath. This is especially true if you know you will be facing decks with enough basics to function.

As for playing Flame Rift until you like it, you may never end up liking it. Think of it like guildgates in our current Standard Burn deck. Nobody likes running them but they are simply a requirement to meet certain functions of the deck. In this case, the requirement is another 3+ damage spell that bypasses Leyline of Sanctity.

[Lightning_Dolt]

Thoughts on Keldon Marauder?

[BlakLanner]

I prefer it over Hellspark Elemental. It often ends up eating a removal spell but I would rather they hit that instead of a Goblin Guide.

[Valdarith]

I think some consideration should be made for maindeck Eidolon of the Great Revel. Pyrostatic Pillar on a body seems like a great call for a format that runs 3cmc or less spells almost exclusively, and it's a fantastic hedge for Elves, ANT, etc. I think that card could really put Burn back on the map.

[Lightning_Dolt]

Not out yet.

[Lightning_Dolt]

Is Ash Zealot worth considering? Is Snapcaster seeing play?

[Lightning_Dolt]

After some testing, I think I prefer KM to YP$.

[BlakLanner]

I think some consideration should be made for maindeck Eidolon of the Great Revel. Pyrostatic Pillar on a body seems like a great call for a format that runs 3cmc or less spells almost exclusively, and it's a fantastic hedge for Elves, ANT, etc. I think that card could really put Burn back on the map.

Given the amount of damage we would cause to ourselves as well, I feel it still needs to stay in the sideboard. I will very likely replace my Pillars with Eidolon as it grants pressure as well as the effect and very few decks can deal with the creature that can't already kill the enchantment.


I agree that KM is better than YP in our deck. The effect is much more immediate and consistent. If we played a more tempo game (which we can't really afford
to), YP would be better like how it runs in UR Delver. Snapcaster is seeing a little play but not enough to warrant Ash Zealot. The decks that run Snap rarely have more than 2.

[Lightning_Dolt]

Finished 9th, just outside the money.

Played Merfolk (0-2), RUG Delver (2-0), Junk Stoneblade (2-0), USA Stoneblade (1-2), Merfolk (2-0).

All loses were to Jitte or Batterskull. Flame Rift continued to be dead in hand often and Skullcrack probably could have stole me at least one game.

UWR Delver and Merfolk were the most popular decks in the room, and I think I saw half the true name nemesises they printed in this event.

Will try to post meta breakdown and more notes tomorrow.

I am also curious to try eidolon of the great revel in Kelton Marauder's place. Kelton Marauder was on, but not exciting. I think it was better than YP $ would have been.

Thanks everyone who gave ideas and feedback.

[GoblinWarchief]

Man , if your meta is always like this, i can see shaving flame rifts. All the matchups you played involved damage races , while rift shines vs control and combo. Against the decks you listed you will be better with searing blaze i think.

[BlakLanner]

Man , if your meta is always like this, i can see shaving flame rifts. All the matchups you played involved damage races , while rift shines vs control and combo. Against the decks you listed you will be better with searing blaze i think.

I concur. If your meta is all racing and no combo, Blaze will serve you better. Also, where are you so I can bring in Sneak and Show and tear them apart?

[Purp]

You are going to cut flame rifts, and then face all combo.

[BlakLanner]

I think I am going to test Eidolon in the main for a little bit. It would require cutting the Flame Rifts as taking 6 damage is a bit much but it would also free up a few sideboard slots. I am not sure if I would put back Mindbreak Trap or Pyroblast.

[Valdarith]

I think I am going to test Eidolon in the main for a little bit. It would require cutting the Flame Rifts as taking 6 damage is a bit much but it would also free up a few sideboard slots. I am not sure if I would put back Mindbreak Trap or Pyroblast.

Yep, Flame Rift seems like the obvious swap for Eidolon.

Hellspark Elemental is also a nice card to run with Eidolon since unearthing it doesn't trigger Eidolon's ability.

[Lightning_Dolt]

Hellspark was consistently good.

[Valdarith]

There is an article on the premium side of SCG suggesting maindeck Eidolon so at least I'm not the only one advocating this idea.

[BlakLanner]

There is an article on the premium side of SCG suggesting maindeck Eidolon so at least I'm not the only one advocating this idea.

I saw that as well. I am not overly trusting of the author when it comes to Burn but it does push me further in that direction. The change is minor enough that testing should be fairly painless and the card appears to be rather inexpensive.

[Purp]

Psully artclce from today

[deck]

Creatures (8)

4 Goblin Guide
4 Grim Lavamancer

Lands (20)

10 Mountain
2 Arid Mesa
2 Bloodstained Mire
3 Scalding Tarn
3 Wooded Foothills

Spells (32)

4 Fireblast
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Price of Progress
4 Searing Blaze
4 Chain Lightning
4 Flame Rift
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt

Sideboard
3 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Sulfuric Vortex
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Searing Blood
2 Smash to Smithereens

[/deck]

[Valdarith]

Eidolon in the 75. Imagine that.

[Lightning_Dolt]

Have to wait a month for the next legacy tournament.

[Lightning_Dolt]

Does Psully just not play against decks with life gain? Lol

[Valdarith]

What kind of life gain are you referring to? The only real relevant decks in Legacy with significant amounts of lifegain are the ones with Stoneforge Mystic which maindeck Searing Blaze helps mitigate. Griselbrand decks may also be included in that list but I think it's fine not having maindeck Vortex simply to combat that matchup.

I also like the 4x Searing Blood in the sideboard for all the Delver decks. I suppose the cut is Rift Bolt?

[Valdarith]

It can't be stated enough how much Eidolon helps this deck out. I really like PSully's list. The storm matchup can still be a bit shaky but the Elves matchup postboard becomes hilarious with 8 searing effects, 4 Grim Lavamancer, and 4 Eidolon of the Great Revel.

[BlakLanner]

The cut vs Delver is more likely Flame Rift since that is a race we can easily lose to goyf. Deathrite is also a notable amount of lifegain but searing effects also help against them. I have no idea how he fights Dredge/Reanimator though.

[Khaospawn]

Flame Rift is the correct answer.

[Purp]

Sulfuric Vortex does nothing against Sneak and Show. Sure it might stop their Griselbrand from gaining life in G1, but any competent player would always play Emerkrul first vs burn (assuming they had the choice).

[Lightning_Dolt]

All my loses in my last event were to jitte or batterskull.

[Khaospawn]

It's simple, you kill the Batman. I mean, you kill the Mystic or Jitte bearer with a Searing Blaze, Lavamancer, or Bolt. Then you kill the Batman.

[Mcdonalds]

So does that mean burn players are super villains?

If so, I am totally onboard