[ARTICLE] How to get there with Chandra, Pyromaster

[zemanjaski]

Getting the Most out of Chandra, Pyromaster

This is a brief guide to the best card in standard, Chandra, Pyromaster. The new red walker isn't easy to use and hopefully this article will give you a ideas to keep in mind when making your decisions.

Let's begin with an examination of her abilities:

+1 Chandra, Pyromaster deals one damage to target player and one damage to up to one target creature that player controls. That creature can't block this turn.

This is probably my favourite ability on the card to be honest, even more than drawing a card. If you can ping and kill a creature, then your +1 was better than draw a card; it was draw and cast a card for free. There are a lot of relevant x/1 creatures in the format:

Firedrinker Satyr, Firefist Striker, Young Pyromancer, Soldier of the Pantheon, Dryad Militant, Imposing Sovereign, Tormented Hero, Lifebane Zombie, Cloudfin Raptor, Judge's Familiar, amongst others.

That's a lot of card which see a lot of play, which makes Chandra's +1 sometimes absurdly powerful. Even if you cannot ping and kill a creature, simply having Chandra in play will null a small amount of your opponent's draws by forcing them to keep their x/1 creatures in hand. The principle of fire finds that a card not play is the same as a card not drawn, so Chandra will also generate virtual card advantage against some decks simply by being in play.

The one damage also combines nicely with whatever removal package you're running to help you kill larger creatures. This is approximately equal to drawing half a card, sometimes a full card if it allows you to remove a tough creature without 2-for-1ing yourself.

The third mode of the ping is purely as a falter. Against decks relying on a
single blocker, this mode is devastating. When your opponent is trying to hide behind a Loxodon Smiter or Nightveil Spectre to shut down your board of 2/1s and 2/2s, the ability to falter a blocker and turn on all of those attackers is usually overwhelming. Importantly, you're adding loyalty when you do this, making it very difficult for your opponent to attack and kill Chandra to prevent another falter; usually they'll have to pick between attacking with multiple creatures to get rid of her, which then allows you to attack with your board again; or allow her to live in which case you can either ping again or draw a card. Both outcomes are typically good.

Adding a loyalty each turn can be very relevant in creature matchups. Chandra already has a high starting loyalty of 4, frequently going up to 5 as soon as she is cast. This makes her very difficult for most creature decks to remove and can sometimes result in your opponent investing a
substantial amount of resources into killing her that were really better spent elsewhere. It isn't uncommon for a red opponent to spend two spells to kill her, putting you comfortably ahead in the resource battle.

0: Exile the top card of your library. You may play it this turn.

-7: Exile the top ten cards of your library. Choose an instant or sorcery card exiled this way and copy it three times. You may cast the copies without paying their mana costs.

Now that we know a little bit more about the functions of each ability, I want to give some real world examples to help illustrate the variables you might want to consider when choosing between them.

Basic Situation 1: +1 or +0 on an open board
Basic Situation 2: +1 or +0 on a stalled board
Advanced Situation 1: +1 or +0 vs. Mono Black Control
Advanced Situation 2: +1 or +0 vs Blue based Control decks[/u:
3cha58pe]
Conclusion

[Wrathberry2]

the article will follow i guess? or do i somehow miss a link or something?^^

[zemanjaski]

Nah this is just to tease you in the tradition of I know sonething you don't know, doo-dah, doo-dah...









Ill be writing it up throughout the week so check back.

[Jack]

I'd love to read this. Usually, I'll go for the +1 unless I know she's going to die or if my only out is potentially sitting at the top of my deck (or even if she is going to die, I might make it harder for them to kill her now that she has one more loyalty). I doubt this is correct, as I probably undervalue the raw card advantage she provides.

[LP, of the Fires]

When I untap with her, I'm generally only plus 1-ing when I see the win in a turn or two. Most of the time though, I'm happy drawing cards. Of course, if there's a poor elf sitting on the other side of the board....dat value.

[zemanjaski]

All will be revealed. I think you'll find you're right quite often; her +1 is ridonkulously good. I won a game vs. ramp last night faltering a blocker than playing a second Chandra to falter his other blocker to swing for lethal. I hear eating random creatures is a pretty good PW +1; or recurring a Phoenix.

[Calamity]

I think my favorite play I've done ever is having two phoenixes dying to a verdict vs. UW then slamming Chandra next turn and using her +1 to get them both back.

He mad

[Jack]

She's also very good with Magma Jet. Each is able to recur Phoenix, and just the combination of these three cards can lead to many play decisions. Do you cast Magma Jet precombat to recur Phoenix and then scry, helping you decide whether or not you want to 0 Chandra or +1 her? Do you use the +1 to get back Phoenix and falter their flier, then hold up mana for Magma Jet to fix your next draw step and possibly recur Phoenix if they happen to kill it, or, if need be, shock one of their creatures? What if you have a Pyromancer on the field? Does that change your decision? What if you also have Hammer? This is why I love Pyro Red.

She's also great with Sensei's Divining Top.

[Elricity]

My biggest question is playing with scry lands, when is it worth playing the scry land to peek at the top. If you scry down and then reveal another land, you've basically lost your draw and if it was a mutavault, then...yeah. I tend to consider it a desperation move.

[F.I.A]

By default, you will want to use Chandra's 0 before you use whatever you've drawn for the turn to prevent yourself from getting two lands.

So yeah, scry lands are out of question. I guess you can still remove the top card if it's a land and hope for the best.

[RaidaTheBlade]

Hate to bump, but I'mma bump. I still really wanna see Z's thoughts on this

[zemanjaski]

Keep waiting.

[Khaospawn]

Waiting is for Blue Mages.

[RaidaTheBlade]

And Maze's End players. Are you a dirty Maze's End player, Z?

[TubeHunter]

And Maze's End players. Are you a sweet Maze's End player, Z?

Patience is a virture..

[Purp]

I piloted Mazes End to much success in the beginning of the season. However Obzedat and Mono Black are too prevalent to be playing it.

[RaidaTheBlade]

And Maze's End players. Are you a dirty Maze's End player, Z?

Patience is a virture..

It's a virtue I don't have.

[Zooligan]

And Maze's End players. Are you a dirty Maze's End player, Z?

Patience is a virture..

It's a virtue I don't have.

it's why you're not a doctor...


(no patients)

[TubeHunter]

I piloted Mazes End to much success in the beginning of the season. However Obzedat and Mono Black are too prevalent to be playing it.

Hah!

I've taken it to a couple of tournaments, but my magic playing has been very disrupted since theros.

[Khaospawn]

Maze's End pilots have no penis.

There. I said it.

[Zooligan]

I still wanna get there with Chandra. Is this article still on your "to do" list, James?

[Elricity]

Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker

[Zooligan]

Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker

Do you really want a sauced-up flame-slinger in your bachelor pad?

[Purp]

Liquor? I just met her.

[Elricity]

Come on, you don't let the crazy ones know where you live. Motels save lives.

[zemanjaski]

This article is pretty far down my to do list, so sit tight.

[Purp]

Poker? I barely know her.

[RaidaTheBlade]

This article is pretty far down my to do list, so sit tight.

Well, whenever you do write it, please at least let us have it for a little while before the plebs at cfb get it ;P

[windstrider]

Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker

Do you really want a sauced-up flame-slinger in your bachelor pad?

My wife's a redhead. It's about the same.

[zemanjaski]

When you start paying me Raida, you can move up the totem pole.

[RaidaTheBlade]

Heh, touche.

[Elricity]

Liquor? I just met her.

Poker? I barely know her.

I don't see the problem

[zemanjaski]

Article 1/3 complete. Open to suggestions for difficult situations in which to use Chandra. Feel free to provide a theoretical situation or a concrete one from your own experiences and i'll work through it in the article.

[Mage of hot stuff]

Nice start to guide Z. looking forward to the rest.

[Helios]

Casting Chandra, 0 on an empty board with 1 mana open / 2 mana open. Control opponent at 3, 0 or +1. Saying something about Magma Jet / Temples being delightful with Chandra is probably worth doing.

[Jasper]

[zemanjaski]

I write for CFB now.

[Jasper]

You mean to tell me that I'll never get to actually see Chandra "Get there"? This is terrible. It's like a porno that ends right before the money-shot.

[Purp]

You mean to tell me that I'll never get to actually see Chandra "Get there"? This is terrible. It's like a porno that ends right before the money-shot.

Or cuts to the guy right before your money shot.

[zenbitz]

Attempting to Bump Uglies with my dearest Chandra...

Here is a thought provoking question. I have been playing a singleton Chandra in Rw burn. She always dies before I do anything beyond a single ping (maybe 2). At best she's +5 life for 4 mana and maybe uses an opponents card. Other times she just turns on d-sphere, dreadbore, etc. (WHEN SHE SHOULD BE TURNING ME ON).

So clearly I am doing it wrong. Either I am not boarding her out for fights with people who have bunches of answers, or I need to be putting up blockers (Phenoices or zealots or whatever) before I cast her. Or maybe running 1 is just silly and she want a commitment.