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3 months ago ::
Feb 19, 2013 - 3:23PM
#1
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Date Joined:
May 25, 2012
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So I spent the long holiday weekend in South Lake Tahoe playing in the snow during the day and playing Magic over mugs of hot coco at night. I like Red builds and favor a RDW style of play. As such I have been scrambling to figure out a solid build that I really like to take down to Game Day – well both Game Days. I’ve been testing Islands RDW build, various Boros-DW builds (as well as Boros Aggro and Boros Aura Tokens), a couple of Naya Human builds, and a solid RgDW build. After reviewing my notes from the weekend when I got home last night I tweaked my RgDW build just a little and I do believe I have found the build I want to take to Game Day. So now I am posting it here to get any feedback that you folks want to give. Lands – Twenty 1 x Kessig Wolf Run 11 x Mountain 4 x Rootbound Crag 4 x Stomping Ground Creatures – Twenty Nine 4 x Ash Zealot 4 x Boros Reckoner 4 x Burning-Tree Emissary 4 x Flinthoof Boar 2 x Ghor-Clan Rampager 3 x Hellrider 4 x Rakdos Cackler 4 x Stromkirk Noble Other Spells – Eleven 3 x Pillar of Flame 4 x Rancor 4 x Searing Spear Sideboard – Fifteen 4 x Reckless Waif 4 x Skullcrack 3 x Traitorous Blood 4 x Volcanic Strength
This build’s style is to have the game won as quickly as possible, as efficiently as possible. Burning-Tree Emissary is a heavy lifter in the early game, helping you to get creatures down fast in Turn 2 or giving your One-drop Rancor or Volcanic Strength without having the land to do it normally – Flinthoof Boar is another favorite target, although I think this combo is better Turn 3 when you can tap the extra mana to give the boar haste, but only when you don't have a Reckoner in hand. The Boros Reckoner is simply awesome at the Three-drop slot, establishing a board presents all by himself. The Four-drops ( Hellrider and Ghor-Clan Rampager ) are the cards that help you close out the game – although the Rampager is used just as much as a Two-drop Combat Trick FTW (especially on a blocked Reckoner). Sideboard use: Reckless Waif is used versus Control/Slow decks. -4 Rakdos Cackler Skullcrack is used versus mid-range life gaining decks and anybody running Nearheath Pilgrim and Boros Reckoner . -2 Ghor-Clan Rampager , -1 Rakdos Cackler , and -1 Searing Spear . Traitorous Blood is used versus reanimator decks and aura ( Ethereal Armor ) decks. -2 Ghor-Clan Rampager and -1 Rakdos Cackler Volcanic Strength is used versus a mirror match or really anyone using Mountain s or red shock lands. -2 Ghor-Clan Rampager , -1 Rakdos Cackler , and -1 Searing Spear . Let me know what you think. What have I missed? Comments on the sideboard and its use?
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3 months ago ::
Feb 19, 2013 - 3:37PM
#2
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Check this thread community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/758...(Version_1.0_-_2.0_to_drop_after_Spoilers_finishWarning:Spoilers)?pg=1
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3 months ago ::
Feb 19, 2013 - 4:30PM
#3
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Date Joined:
May 25, 2012
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You should really read the post if you are going to comment on the post. First sentence, second paragraph "I've been testing Islands RDW build," - so a link to Islands RDW thread is not really helpful. The reason I am not playing Islands RDW build is because this build beats it consistantly, it has a similar curve and with the larger creatures it can run over the 1-drops and 2-drops that Islands build is so full of. I don't run Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded because of the use of Rancor . I splash green for the Burning-Tree Emissary , Flinthoof Boar , and Rancor for the most part - the Ghor-Clan Rampager is just icing on the cake. Islands build is fun and I ran it at the first FNM of the season, it's red hot burn. I've been using it for testing every since. If a build I am working on cannot beat Islands RDW in two back-to-back matches then it doesn't make the cut for further testing. My current RgDW build hasn't lost to Islands RDW build in any of my play tested matches. It's lost a Game here or there, but not a Match.
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3 months ago ::
Feb 19, 2013 - 4:45PM
#4
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The "Island's Style" RDW will always loose to similar decks, of only because your guys are bigger. It's the nature of how decks function, in the similar deck match up, the deck that can go bigger usually wins. If you're already running 4 Rancor, and the miser Wolf Run, Rampager doesn't seem to be needed. Seems like it'd be just win more here. I think I'd like to see 4 Lightning Mauler . Turn 2 Emissary + Mauler, swing for 4 + your 1 drop seems good. Shahar Shenhar ran a similar list and came out at 22nd place in standings. Not a bad showing for an aggro deck at an event where everyone was expecting lots aggro.
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3 months ago ::
Feb 19, 2013 - 4:53PM
#5
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Whoops. Totally blanked 2nd paragraph. Sorry long day. Surprised at no 4th hellrider. Seems really solid. If you can get to the finish line before turn 4 sweepers come out, should work wonders. Even then reach gets you home if you are close. Vs the other staple aggro decks, it seems at least 50/50 depending on pilot. Should hose midrange pretty well. The control MU seems a little hard without strangleroot and predator ooze to stave off spells. Not sure if you'll have enough speed to go through 20 points fast enough there. May seem silly, but something reactive like ranger's guile to stop some removal could be a cute trick. Solid over all.
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3 months ago ::
Feb 19, 2013 - 5:59PM
#6
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Looks pretty good. I might do 1 more land, but that's probably just personal preference. I'm not sure about the sideboard plan of -4 rakdos crackler for 4 reckless waif. A flipped waif is only marginally better than crackler (3/2 vs 2/2) and you're playing a deck that always plays a spell on your turn and often plays two spells. Reckless waif is only good if it flips and never flips back. That doesn't happen enough for me to take out a 1 mana grizzly bears for it.
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3 months ago ::
Feb 19, 2013 - 6:09PM
#7
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Concerning your sideboard comments, you remove both Ghor-Clan Rampager in 3/4 of those scenarios; seems to me like you should be main-decking something else. Two copies of Thunderous Wrath could be pretty sexy here.
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3 months ago ::
Feb 20, 2013 - 9:10AM
#8
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Date Joined:
May 25, 2012
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Thank you everyone for your very helpful posts! The "Island's Style" RDW will always loose to similar decks, of only because your guys are bigger. It's the nature of how decks function, in the similar deck match up, the deck that can go bigger usually wins. If you're already running 4 Rancor, and the miser Wolf Run, Rampager doesn't seem to be needed. Seems like it'd be just win more here. I think I'd like to see 4 Lightning Mauler . Turn 2 Emissary + Mauler, swing for 4 + your 1 drop seems good. Shahar Shenhar ran a similar list and came out at 22nd place in standings. Not a bad showing for an aggro deck at an event where everyone was expecting lots aggro.
Concerning your sideboard comments, you remove both Ghor-Clan Rampager in 3/4 of those scenarios; seems to me like you should be main-decking something else. Two copies of Thunderous Wrath could be pretty sexy here.
You are both right. The Rampager is the weakest link and I know it - when I described it as "icing on the cake" that should have set the alarm bells off. So I will be replacing it.
Whoops. Totally blanked 2nd paragraph. Sorry long day. Surprised at no 4th hellrider. Seems really solid. If you can get to the finish line before turn 4 sweepers come out, should work wonders. Even then reach gets you home if you are close. Vs the other staple aggro decks, it seems at least 50/50 depending on pilot. Should hose midrange pretty well. The control MU seems a little hard without strangleroot and predator ooze to stave off spells. Not sure if you'll have enough speed to go through 20 points fast enough there. May seem silly, but something reactive like ranger's guile to stop some removal could be a cute trick. Solid over all.
Thanks for coming back with some solid advice . I didn't put in the 4th Hellrider because of the mana count. The mana requirements for the 'root and the ooze are why I don't have them in this build. I was working on a rGDW, but I just couldn't get it going fast enough using Dryad Militant and Experiment One in the 1-drop slot. I've got some more testing to do with your ranger's guile suggestion. It does seem silly, but versus control aggro NEEDS silly and this type of trick might be good in the main deck as well.
Looks pretty good. I might do 1 more land, but that's probably just personal preference. I'm not sure about the sideboard plan of -4 rakdos crackler for 4 reckless waif. A flipped waif is only marginally better than crackler (3/2 vs 2/2) and you're playing a deck that always plays a spell on your turn and often plays two spells. Reckless waif is only good if it flips and never flips back. That doesn't happen enough for me to take out a 1 mana grizzly bears for it.
I only side her in versus control or slower decks that are not casting spells every turn, especially on their own turns (leaving their mana open to react to me) - so she flips. If I cast two spells during my turn (or my controlling opponent does) then she does not flip back over until the end of the turn. Then during the opponent's turn they HAVE to cast a spell to keep her from flipping back - I like to control the control player whenever I can - if they don't cast then she flips back over just in time for your turn. If not, she's a chump blocker. She remains a viable option throughout the entire (long) game. In the control match up I am sad to draw a cackler after about Turn 3 when they lose out to bigger dudes or they need to come down as a 1/1 so I can chump block with them. All that being said, I think Reckless Waif is one of the weakest members of the sideboard - I just don't see what I would replace her with because I'm thinking about main decking the Ranger's Guile combat trick. Now I need to do some testing. Any more suggestions anyone?
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3 months ago ::
Feb 20, 2013 - 11:08AM
#9
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It's not a combat trick per se, but if you're thinking of testing Ranger's Guile then I would test Alpha Authority as well. It costs an extra  , but the hexproof is persistent and the creature becomes more problematic to block. Just a thought.
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3 months ago ::
Feb 20, 2013 - 11:20AM
#10
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I woudn't use Alpha Authority here. A lot of the guys are 2 power, meaning they only need to be blocked by 1 guy. And I can think of no one who would want to double block a Reckoner, it's just gain firststrike, kill 1 creature right away, then use it's retaliation to off the other that damaged it if it's toughnes is <= to it's power, otherwise, it'd just dome your face.
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