[ARTICLE] How to get there with Chandra, Pyromaster
Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 10:18 pm
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
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
