I have added a little sideboard tech card for the Mono Red in their matchup against control and midrange decks. Due to the recent build of the deck which focuses on Goblin tokens and Dash creatures, I think this card will work well on that strategy.

The card is Impact Tremors:

Here is the current Mono Red decklist with that card sideboard:

Maindeck
21 Mountain

4 Foundry Street Denizen
3 Goblin Rabblemaster
2 Lightning Berserker
2 Mardu Scout
4 Monastery Swiftspear
1 Goblin Heelcutter
3 Zurgo Bellstriker

4 Stoke the Flames
4 Lightning Strike
3 Wild Slash
4 Hordeling Outburst
4 Dragon Fodder
1 Searing Blood

Sideboard
1 Arc Lightning
1 Goblin Heelcutter
1 Goblin Rabblemaster
4 Impact Tremors
1 Magmatic Chasm
2 Roast
2 Scouring Sands
3 Searing Blood

It is just an easy sideboard plan by boarding out the Wild Slashes and Searing Blood and substitute the four copies of Impact Tremors. You can also cut some Lightning strikes for the fourth Goblin Rabblemaster and another Goblin Heelcutter. For Abzan Midrange/Control matchups, you can cut all the strikes for two Roast.

We didn’t include Eidolon of the Great Revel but I think this sideboard plan would still have an impact (no pun intended) on the mentioned matchups.

I’ll give it a try for tomorrow’s FNM tournament and we shall see what happens.

Red Deck Wins has again shown its potential to be one of the tier one decks in the current Standard metagame as two of the archetype finished into the Top 8 of the recent Grand Prix in Miami. While the metagame moves to the slow midrange and control decks, it is no surprise that this deck will gain and abuse that advantage. Here is a decklist played by Brian Lee:

Maindeck
4 Firedrinker Satyr
4 Foundry Street Denizen
2 Goblin Heelcutter
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
2 Mardu Scout
4 Monastery Swiftspear
2 Eidolon of the Great Revel

3 Lightning Strike
2 Searing Blood
4 Stoke the Flames
4 Wild Slash
4 Hordeling Outburst

21 Mountain

Sideboard
1 Goblin Heelcutter
2 Outpost Siege
2 Eidolon of the Great Revel
2 Searing Blood
2 Hammer of Purphoros
3 Arc Lightning
2 Scouring Sands

The current deck changes was the inclusion of Hordeling Outburst and they have removed the Heroic package in Akroan Crusader, Dragon Mantle and Titan Strength. Though this has somewhat affected the speed of the deck, the late game plan of burning out the opponent would still suffice instead of drawing the Aura spells without decent creatures to enchant.

I will implement this list on our RDW deck for the coming FNM this week and I hope the changes will work on the local meta.

Here is a quick update on the possible decks in M15 Standard. Last weekend were the major tournaments in the updated format and in the SCG Standard Open, Black Devotion dominated and finished first place. As for this post, I made a possible decklist of the Mono Red Aggro post-M15. Here is the list.

Lands
2 Mutavault
20 Mountain

Creatures
2 Frenzied Goblin
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Fanatic of Mogis
4 Boros Reckoner
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Firefist Striker
4 Firedrinker Satyr

Spells
4 Lightning Strike
2 Searing Blood
2 Stoke the Flames

Sideboard
SB: 2 Hammer of Purphoros
SB: 1 Harness by Force
SB: 3 Mizzium Mortars
SB: 1 Ratchet Bomb
SB: 2 Searing Blood
SB: 2 Seismic Stomp
SB: 4 Skullcrack

The M15 cards I have added are Frenzied Goblin and Stoke the Flames, replacing Chandra’s Phoenix. I added the goblin to complete the ten one-drop critters and also help to get through blockers. Stoke the Flames is the new burn that works well with the thirty creatures in the deck.

No M15 changes in the sideboard though I have wanted to tech Ratchet Bomb to deal with Elspeth’s Soldier buddies or that of Master of Waves’ Elementals.

Is this list looks promising for Standard? Let me know what you think.

In preparation for the Gameday tournament this Saturday, it was my task again to build and update the decks of the card pool. Hence, I shall entitle myself as the Deck Technician. Anyway, I have finished the update of three decks so far and the latest archetype that was edited and somehow upgraded was Mono Red Aggro a.k.a. Red Deck Wins.

The changes on the main board list was referenced from Tom Ross’ Red Blitz build from the StarCityGames.com Invitational Qualifier last December, and on various RDW lists that gained top finishes on MTGO Standard Daily events.

Here is my current version of Mono Red Aggro:

Lands
20 Mountain
1 Temple of Triumph
1 Temple of Malice

Creatures
4 Ash Zealot
3 Boros Reckoner
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
3 Fanatic of Mogis
4 Firedrinker Satyr
2 Gore-House Chainwalker
3 Mogis’s Warhound
4 Rakdos Cackler

Spells
3 Magma Jet
4 Lightning Strike

Sideboard
1 Boros Reckoner
3 Burning Earth
2 Harness by Force
2 Mizzium Mortars
2 Fated Conflagration
1 Hammer of Purphoros
4 Skullcrack

MWS playtest sessions and tournament report to follow.

Okay, I might confuse you with the title. I will not be posting any new deck ideas I came up with (as if I have formulated any) but rather I’ll just share with you the two decks I’m choosing to pilot for this Saturday’s Standard Tournament.

The primary cause of this very late decision was the lack of time we had to meet up and do some deck construction. We were only able to do so just hours before my shift last night. I just can’t blame my card pool buddy because of the busy schedule. Oh well, moving on the decks…

Deck Option No. 1 – Boat Brew

I always wanted to recreate a Boros (Red White Guild in Ravnica) type of aggro deck but wasn’t able to come up with a good list until this deck rose in popularity (and fulfilled my dream. lol). This deck is no doubt the number one choice of most players in the current Standard. Thus, as any economic principle would apply, popularity means more demand and that lessens the supply (availability) of the cards, which of course would lead to scarcity and higher prices.

To make it short, I couldn’t find anyone in our area who is selling their non-foil Ajani Vengeant. I would only resort to borrowing cards, which makes it unsure if the deck will be completed. I tried doing some substitutes, like using “Ajani in his Lorwyn days” (Ajani Goldmane) to fill up the two slots of his vengeant self, but that would really alter the deck’s performance.

For example, I will be sitting on a board position in our test play with my friend’s Bant Aggro deck. He was on the play, summoned a Rhox War Monk on turn three and had Rafiq on turn four. He bashed for 8 lifelinking double striking damage. I wasn’t holding any spot removal that time and got instead an Ajani Goldmane in hand. My fourth turn would have been a good play if that was Ajani Vengeant instead. The sequence would be playing Ajani and helixing Rafiq so that my 4/4 Figure will deal with the War Monk, until I swarm the board with Siege Gang Commanders. Okay enough with this rant. I know you get the idea.

Wanting to complete the deck, I messaged a few friends if they would be able to lend me their Ajani Vengeants. They said maybe they could and that made me doubt if I could complete the deck just in time, which led me to my second option (plan B)…

Deck Option No. 2 – Blightning Aggro

This is the deck that I’m definitely a fan of (obviously with the months of pilot) except for the card in the deck name itself, Blightning. I’m not sure what’s the real deal but my reason is that discarding your opponent will only do little effect on his/her board. I’d rather replace it with Puncture Blast or other burn spells.

The deck though has surprisingly become one of the top decks after Conflux. Maybe its because of the Fae hate cards Banefire and Volcanic Fallout. I’m not sure. Also, I have read that the deck can defeat 5 Color Control, in which my Blightningless build became a pawn. That led me to curiosity to try the deck in the tournament.

I looked for several lists and it was good to know that Conflux has given the deck quite a lot of card options, some worth mentioning are Shambling Remains, Hellspark Elemental and the pro-white Goblin Outlander. With these options at hand, I can go with fast aggro like what Matt Nass piloted at Superstars Standard or go with the usual build of early beats and late-game finishers like Demigod or Siege-Gang Commander. I think I’ll go with the latter and create an initial list.

BR Blightning
by Mark Ian Alloso
Main (36)
4 Boggart Ram-Gang
4 Figure of Destiny
4 Mogg Fanatic
4 Shambling Remains
4 Siege-Gang Commander

4 Blightning
4 Flame Javelin
4 Incinerate

4 ??? (I’m choosing between Stigma Lasher, Goblin Outlander and Magma Spray)

Lands (24)
4 Auntie’s Hovel
4 Ghitu Encampment
4 Graven Cairns
6 Mountain
2 Reflecting Pool
4 Sulfurous Springs

I haven’t come up with the sideboard yet but the cards I’m looking forward to adding are Infest, Thoughtseize, and Volcanic Fallout. No Banefires because I have none at the moment and no plan of buying with its current overpriced value.

So there, the two-deck options I needed to finalize and decide which to choose. If you would be asked, which of these two would you prefer?