Dies to Removal

FNM Report to come later.

[deck]Creatures 27
3 Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Rakdos Shred-Freak
4 Tormented Hero
4 Spike Jester
4 Mogis's Marauder
4 Thrill-Kill Assassin

Spells 11
4 Lightning Strike
3 Magma Jet
2 Dreadbore
2 Madcap Skills

Land 22
4 Blood Crypt
2 Rakdos Guildgate
9 Swamp
7 Mountain

Sideboard
2 Dreadbore
2 Chandra, Pyromaster
3 Doom Blade
4 Chandra's Phoenix
2 Rakdos's Return
2 Mizzium Mortars[/deck]

Game 1:Esper 0-2 - against my brother
Throughout all testing I manage to beat him. This time he managed to pull his one ofs every match. In a haste heavy deck Blind obedience slowed me down enough so he could get Elspeth out. To make matters worse my extra boarded in Dread Bores never showed up.
Game 2 board: -4 Tormented Hero -2 Mapcap Skills +2 Rakdos Returns +2 Dreadbore +2 Chandra, Pyromaster

Match 2: UB Homebrew mill 2-0
Not much to say. I got milled for 20 cards by turn 3. I
swung for 5 on turn 2, swung for 7 on turn 3 and for 14 on turn 4 both games.

Match 3: Esper Control 1-2
Took over game one pretty quick. Played through removal and kept steady pressure. Game 2 he won by stabilizing with Blind obedience and using Silence and Essence Scatter. He closed out the game with Aetherling.
Game 2: -4 Tormented Hero -2 Mapcap Skills +2 Rakdos Returns +2 Dreadbore +2
Game 3 kept pressure up but flooded for 4 turns which allowed him to stabilize and gain back life though extorting Blind Obedience and finish the game with Aetherling.
Game 2: +4 Chandra's Phoenix -4 Rakdos Cackler

Game 4: 1-2 Big Red
Game 1 lost to Chandra. +1 did me in.
Game 2 I played control. Killed anything that hit his board then landed my Chandra. Took over the game.
Game 2: -4 Tormented Hero -4 Rakdos Cackler -2 Madcap Skills +3 Doom Blade +2 Chandra, Pyromaster +2 Mizzium Motors +2 Dreadbore +1 Rakdos Returns
Game 3 I was stuck on 3 land and he had the nut of double Ash Zealot and double
Phoenix. Not enough land to remove his board and keep up.

Overall the matches I lost I never felt unwinnable. Only thing I felt the deck needed was some sort of mana sink to when flooding out. May try 2 hammers of purphoros somewhere in the 75.

Hi there! I've just joined and was hoping I could get some pointers on the following-

[deck]
Creature (30)

4x Ash Zealot
4x Chandra's Phoenix
4x Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch
4x Firedrinker Satyr
4x Rakdos Cackler
4x Rakdos Shred-Freak
2x Rubblebelt Maaka
4x Spike Jester

Land (22)

4x Blood Crypt
12x Mountain
2x Rakdos Guildgate
4x Swamp

Instant (5)

1x Doom Blade
4x Lightning Strike

Sorcery (3)

3x Dreadbore

Sideboard (15)

3x Act of Treason
3x Chandra, Pyromaster
2x Flames of the Firebrand
2x Peak Eruption
3x Thoughtseize
2x Underworld Cerberus

[/deck]

My aim was to create an r/x aggro deck that could compete in a midrange and control infested meta- the slower selesnya decks and UW especially. My plan was to be able to out attrition them over time with haste creatures and removal that can deal with there bigger dudes whilst simultaneously being just straight up more efficient
than your stereotypical noobie brews (inb4 "you're playing one").

Whilst the deck's biggest weakness is its inconsistency (one week I won my local FNM the next came 4th to last ) both strategies have shown to have some legs. One easy correction is that I've flooded out more than in games that have dragged on, leaving me wanting to cut a land and/or work some scry effects in but have a limited idea of how.

So can anyone help me or am I just backing the wrong horse?

Magma Jet helps immensely. I would cut the Rubberbelt Maaka, cut 1 Exava and move the Doom Blade to the side somehow. This will let you fit 4 Magma Jets to smooth out your draws.

Magma Jet helps immensely. I would cut the Rubberbelt Maaka, cut 1 Exava and move the Doom Blade to the side somehow. This will let you fit 4 Magma Jets to smooth out your draws.

thanks for the reply but I'm still missing something- wouldn't that wreck my curve?

Exava sadly can't be played in multiples. Having 3 still means you will see at least one and if you are running 4 Magma Jets it will up your chances.

Exava sadly can't be played in multiples. Having 3 still means you will see at least one and if you are running 4 Magma Jets it will up your chances.

My point was more that the Maaka is technically a one drop spell meaning my curve shifts to 1: 8 2: 23 3: 4 4:3 which just seems ultra awkward, I can see that leading to crappy turn 3's with wasted mana. I'll still test it but just noting my reservations.

Also drawing multiple exava's isnt an issue, by the time I'm dropping her either I've already got a game winning team or they see a 4/4 they aren't beating in combat and kill her only for me to drop a second next turn that they can't deal with.

Maaka is just bad and is never something you want to have other than being a non counter able pump. Instead you could play more burn (Magma Jet). Magma Jet overall is a better quality card that sets up your next 2 draws & does 2 damage. Maaka gives a guy 3/3 for a turn for a mana but with nothing on board it doesn't do much.

Having Ash Zealot being able to take out Smiters AND smooth out your draws is a great thing in an aggro deck.

Maaka is just bad and is never something you want to have other than being a non counter able pump. Instead you could play more burn (Magma Jet). Magma Jet overall is a better quality card that sets up your next 2 draws & does 2 damage. Maaka gives a guy 3/3 for a turn for a mana but with nothing on board it doesn't do much.

Having Ash Zealot being able to take out Smiters AND smooth out your draws is a great thing in an aggro deck.

I'm slightly starting to feel like I'm being trolled here, running 23 2 mana spells makes for a terrible curve- you know that thing that makes us an aggro deck? efficient use of mana and all that? I've also already mentioned that I live in midrange dominated meta, yes it's nice for an ash zealot to
be able to kill a smiter and live, it's even nicer to have my other creatures be able to do the same.

[deck]Creature (30)

4 Ash Zealot
4 Chandra's Phoenix
3 Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch
4 Firedrinker Satyr
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Rakdos Shred-Freak
4 Spike Jester

Land (22)

4 Blood Crypt
12 Mountain
2 Rakdos Guildgate
4 Swamp

Instant 7

3 Magma Jet
4 Lightning Strike

Sorcery 4

4 Dreadbore[/deck]

My suggested list based on your lists and what you want. Definitley not trolling but if Maaka is being used to trade wouldn't you be better off just having more removal? Dreadbore is strong in a meta with planeswalkers and big creatures. Magma Jet should help you set up your draws and prevent flooding.

I understand you are worried about curve but aggro is also about your power relative cost. Magma Jet costs 2 but its power exceeds its cost. Magma Jet also lets you buy back Chandra's Phoenix.

This is i'm play now, very good against mid range and control decks (Have incredible results at the moment). Hope u like it, thoughts are welcome

[deck]
Creatures (27)
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Firedrinker Satyr
4 Ash Zealot
4 Spike Jester
4 Boros Reckoner
4 Chandra's Phoenix
3 Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch

Planewalkers (11)
2 Chandra, Pyromaster

Instants and Sorcery (9)
4 Magma Jet
3 Lightning Strike
2 Dreadbore

Lands (23)
4 Blood Crypt
4 Godless Shrine
4 Mutavault
11 Mountain

Sideboard (15)
2 Rakdos's Return
2 Doom Blade
2 Skullcrack
2 Mizzium Mortars
1 Rakdos Charm
3 Ratchet Bomb
3 Frostburn Weird
[/deck]

It's not exactly B/R Aggro, but it is B/R and this seems to be the thread with the best fit for this info.

http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/article.asp?ID=11468

Highlights:

[deck]Rakdos Midrange by Leo Newball[/deck]

Round 5[/b:
2meke54d] - 2-1 vs. Red Deck Pyromancer: I needed to redeem myself and came across a Red Deck Wins/Burn Deck with Young Pyromancer as its engine. This match went to rounds after we each won a game. I was still rocky form the previous matchup, but was able to gut through an amazing game three where my opponent paused and stated “whatever happens, this has been an amazing game!” My reply was that he was absolutely correct. Red Deck Pyromancer may be a thing.* Between his tokens and spells, and my removal and creatures, it came very close to a draw. However, Hammer of Purphoros and Devour Flesh saved me, being able to force him to sacrifice the only creature he had on the board at the time (a Boros Reckoner), and allowing me to swing in for 10 damage with a Desecration Demon and a 3/3 Elemental token. The two games I won, I was a Lightning Strike away from death. I was lucky he didn't pull it. After this match I needed a break.

The lesson here? Be lucky!

*
Highlighting is mine

http://www.gatheringmagic.com/mike-cann ... unleashed/

[deck]Rakdos Aggro by Mike Cannon[/deck]

I played this list to 4-2 before dropping at a Classic in Charlotte. My two losses were both to RWU. Beating a resolved Jace is very difficult if you aren't already on board or holding a Dreadbore. Addressed this with the sideboard, but it still wasn't enough.

[deck]Br Beats[/deck]

I liked the deck, I think I should have probably played with it a little bit more before the tournament. I just bought the whole list on site. I played a single Tenacious Dead because I
figured I would like him, and I was right, he was pretty good. Much better than the Rakdos Shred-Freak I cut to play him. Shred-Freak was just overall the most underwhelming card in the deck. I was almost never happy to play him. Tenacious Dead, on the other hand, set me up for some pretty interesting combat steps where I could basically ram him into other X/1s on turns where I had nothing to play postcombat anyway. Only being a 1/1 is kind of sad, but being a recurring 1/1 chump blocker is no joke in a format where Boros Reckoner sees play. He also basically turns off your opponent's Firedrinker Satrys. He's pretty underrated I feel.

I've been playing this with some amazing results in testing so far:

[deck]
Creatures
4 Firedrinker Satyr
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Ash Zealot
4 Spike Jester
3 Chandra's Phoenix
3 Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch
2 Underworld Cerberus

Spells
4 Lightning Strike
4 Magma Jet
2 Dreadbore
2 Hammer of Purphoros

Lands
4 Blood Crypt
2 Rakdos Guildgate
14 Mountain
4 Swamp

Sideboard
2 Chandra, Pyromaster
1 Burning Earth
3 Mizzium Mortars
3 Doom Blade
3 Act of Treason
3 Rakdos Charm[/deck]


Some notes:

- The obvious game here is haste, haste, haste. Put constant pressure on the opponent, all while Underworld Cerberus can either finish it off or bring back all your haste creatures for round two. Two Hammers are to make sure Cerberus can attack as soon as possible and to take advantage of the 24 land base. There's been some consideration of replacing Cerberus with Stormbreath right now though, but we'll see.
n- Rakdos Charm I feel is an underrated sideboard option for the deck. It gets rid of troublesome god weapons like Spear and Whip, and it trolls MUD pretty hard when they bring out Master of Waves with a billion devotion. Nothing's funnier than hitting them with a charm for 10 and Doom Blading it right after.
- I feel like there is no bad match-ups, especially after side boarding. There may be hickups with other Red Variant aggro, but they are rare in my meta.
- My only concern is dropping my Ash Zealot or Spike Jester reliably on turn two. There's been a few games (roughly 15%) where they couldn't be played that turn. Any suggestions with maybe changing my two drops or adjusting my mana? Maybe change Ashley for RSF and replace some mountains for more swamps?

I gave the GP list a shot (had most of the cards so it only cost me about $60 and my pride) and I got thoroughly crushed, Big Red/Red-White and Devo Red/Red-White are very common decks in the online meta game - I foolishly believe I could get lucky and face monoblack and esper, which resulted in my horrible defeat.

I gave the GP list a shot (had most of the cards so it only cost me about $60 and my pride) and I got thoroughly crushed, Big Red/Red-White and Devo Red/Red-White are very common decks in the online meta game - I foolishly believe I could get lucky and face monoblack and esper, which resulted in my horrible defeat.

Well... what did they do to beat you?

Playing this I find that madcap skill is actually amazing as a card, but having played it over the course of 2 seasons... I know it can be a 2-4-1 nightmare.

Still what is it that you think could be done better? I mean is it that they're just going over you with mogis? Are they casting everything? What seems to be the exact problem in the matchup?

Edit: They've had a little time to
consider the r/x aggro matchup quite a bit. Aside from thoughtsieze, necromancer, and haste guys... what is the major weakness.

I gave the GP list a shot (had most of the cards so it only cost me about $60 and my pride) and I got thoroughly crushed, Big Red/Red-White and Devo Red/Red-White are very common decks in the online meta game - I foolishly believe I could get lucky and face monoblack and esper, which resulted in my horrible defeat.

Well... what did they do to beat you?

Playing this I find that madcap skill is actually amazing as a card, but having played it over the course of 2 seasons... I know it can be a 2-4-1 nightmare.

Still what is it that you think could be done better? I mean is it that
they're just going over you with mogis? Are they casting everything? What seems to be the exact problem in the matchup?

Edit: They've had a little time to consider the r/x aggro matchup quite a bit. Aside from thoughtsieze, necromancer, and haste guys... what is the major weakness.

Ash, FrostBurn and Mr Rec, cut my assault rather quickly, AoG + Mortars cleaned up the rest of the show.

I find the deck very fragile, but blistering fast and highly punishing in the right meta. A meta that includes RDW doesn't' qualify as the right meta.

I decided to build with the GP winning one. It's definitely fragile like you guys said, but I've made some changes based on my meta:

[deck]Creatures
2 Stormbreath Dragon
3 Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch
2 Xathrid Necromancer
4 Mogis's Marauder
4 Rakdos Shred-freak
4 Spike Jester
4 Tormented Hero
4 Rakdos Cackler

Spells
4 Lightning Strike
2 Dreadbore
2 Doom Blade
2 Madcap Skills

Lands
4 Blood Crypt
2 Rakdos Guildgate
11 Swamp
6 Mountain

Sideboard
1 Erebos, God of the Dead
2 Chandra, Pyromaster
2 Act of Treason
2 Hero's Downfall
2 Mizzium Mortars
3 Thrill-Kill Assassin
3 Thoughtseize[/deck]


It's completely different than what I had before, but this feels to work a lot smoother and easier. It tests out pretty well with the occasional hickup against mirror or MUD.

Yeah, I like the deck, but it really needs a mana dump of some kind. The main reason I lose is to flood, so Stormbreath Dragon is probably pretty good.

I considered just building a heavier red version of the deck and playing something like Dragon Mantle to try and help alleviate the pains of flooding, but at that point you're playing an entirely different deck.

Isn't Erebos + Whip your mana dump?

Isn't Erebos + Whip your mana dump?

Nobody is playing Erebos...?

Most people are sideboarding some number of erebos.

I like the one Erebos in my sideboard against Mono Black and Esper, and possibly Selesnya Lifegain if it shows up. If games somehow gets dragged out against Esper, having both Erebos and Chandra out at the same time insures it's not an auto-lose when they can't gain life and I'm drawing a butt load more cards than they are.

Most people are sideboarding some number of erebos.

I'd sooner play Read the Bones over Erebos.

Erebos is for lifegain shutdown instead of Skullcrack.

I spied the MOCS meta game:

Black/x Devotion Decks (7/28)
MoW.deck (7/28)
Unknown (6/28)
Gx Devotion decks (1/28)
Esper Control (1/28)
UW Control (1/28)
UWR Control (1/28)
Big Boros (1/28)
Small Boros (1/28) <-- Me
Red AiR (1/28)
Br Aggro (1/28)

With such a high count of MonoU decks, I'm opting to run Br Aggro - I was wondering if anyone with experience with the deck can give me some pointers.

Still focusing on the GP List:

[deck]BR GP[/deck]

Except I'll cut Burning Earth (not enough shard decks) and the extra land in the boards which makes no sense to me.

What are your thoughts?
How would you improve this deck?
How do you board?

(Yes, I know this is frowned upon but if you don't ask the questions you won't get the answers)

Rakdos shred-freak is by far the worst card in the deck, so if you want to cut stuff from the main, I'd start trimming there. In the board, I like either skullcrack or Flames of the firebrand for agro and/or control, whatever you're more afraid of. Another option is adding slaughter games.

The extra land in the board is for when you bring in mortars/BE/Erebos/Whip I'd imagine as your deck becomes more mana-intensive postboard and you have more color requirements. When I was developing the deck with Fate and Nuwen before states(well, they developed it, I helped tune it) The first thing I did was go down to 3 shred freak and add a land.

The guy who won said he wishes that he mainboarded thoughtseize. I'm personally unsure how I feel about that.

I'll do some research and try to add more later. But I do agree with cutting BE. If you feel like going DEEP pyreweild seems good in this deck as a 1-of. Not sure what I
would cut or how that would influence boarding.

Desecratiooooooooooooon Demon. That was something Fate had added as a 2-of to his board when he wanted to transform into a more midrangey deck. Seems decent.

Rakdos shred-freak is by far the worst card in the deck, so if you want to cut stuff from the main, I'd start trimming there. In the board, I like either skullcrack or Flames of the firebrand for agro and/or control, whatever you're more afraid of. Another option is adding slaughter games.

The extra land in the board is for when you bring in mortars/BE/Erebos/Whip I'd imagine as your deck becomes more mana-intensive postboard and you have more color requirements. When I was developing the deck with Fate and Nuwen before states(well, they developed it, I helped tune it) The first thing I did was go down to 3 shred freak and add a land.

The guy who won said he wishes that he mainboarded thoughtseize. I'm personally unsure how I feel about that.

I'
ll do some research and try to add more later. But I do agree with cutting BE. If you feel like going DEEP pyreweild seems good in this deck as a 1-of. Not sure what I would cut or how that would influence boarding.

...I read about MU against Red and notice he sided in Thoughtseize in THAT mu... if he is willing to TS red, I'm fairly sure he is willing to TS every deck.

Now how would one configure the deck to include 4x thought-seize MD hmmmmm.

Swapping TS for Rakdos Shred-Freak in the board seems to be the correct choice here (I'll keep some for the control and monoblack MU) but it kinda worries me about the low creature count due to the lack of vaults, gah so much too do but so little time to do it.

The problems with audibling last minute

Rakdos shred-freak is by far the worst card in the deck, so if you want to cut stuff from the main, I'd start trimming there. In the board, I like either skullcrack or Flames of the firebrand for agro and/or control, whatever you're more afraid of. Another option is adding slaughter games.

The extra land in the board is for when you bring in mortars/BE/Erebos/Whip I'd imagine as your deck becomes more mana-intensive postboard and you have more color requirements. When I was developing the deck with Fate and Nuwen before states(well, they developed it, I helped tune it) The first thing I did
was go down to 3 shred freak and add a land.

The guy who won said he wishes that he mainboarded thoughtseize. I'm personally unsure how I feel about that.

I'll do some research and try to add more later. But I do agree with cutting BE. If you feel like going DEEP pyreweild seems good in this deck as a 1-of. Not sure what I would cut or how that would influence boarding.

...I read about MU against Red and notice he sided in Thoughtseize in THAT mu... if he is willing to TS red, I'm fairly sure he is willing to TS every deck.

Thoughtseize lets you better know how to use your removal, so it seems perfectly reasonable to play against every deck. Against red it could be the difference between "Magma Jet you EoT" or "hold this Jet for the YP$ I know that you have in your hand." I should try that, it has got to be better than these Shred Freaks, which I have hated every single time I've drawn them.