By Humberto, 01/16/21
Grade
0
Kaldhem's Standard Metagame: the next steps
BG Infect Deck Tech: making Infect more lethal
Kaldheim Draft: The format's evolution
Brave New Pauper World
IT'S FREE! A guide to the free tournaments on Magic Online and MTGArena !
Weekly Metagame: Tibalt's Ascension
Ad
Sligh
,Burn
,Red Deck Wins
, among other aggressive red decks can be considered the predecessors of the original concept of Tempo in Magic: The Gathering. Before the concept became the basis of an archetype of blue-based decks and had a life of its own, Tempo was a term used literally, derived from musicology, where it represents the duration of each unit of the measure and the movement with which it must be performed an excerpt from a song. In Magic, Tempo meant dictating the pace of the game, setting the clock and making the opponent play at your own pace, and just as some musicians have great difficulty keeping track of other musicians or certain songs, the Red-Based Decks strategy is based on making the opponent fail to keep up with the pace and lose the game. After all, playing a game of Magic in some ways is a lot like playing a song, but that's a story for another article. In summary: The original concept of Tempo, before becoming its own archetype, means the number of turns you need to take win the game and make your opponent fail on keep up with it.Ramunap Ruins
, in addition to the inclusion of the Standard staple,Bonecrusher Giant
in the list due to the absence of Lurrus, and uses cards likeGoblin Chainwhirler
andChandra, Torch of Defiance
on the Sideboard. And the list that we’ll cover today: Boros Burn, which uses an extremely low curve to play "under" the main decks of the format while managing to keep its breath in the late game thanks toLurrus of the Dream-Den
, which allows you to reuse your creatures and demands an immediate response from the opponent at a moment in the game when, normally, he has already spent all his resources dealing with other threats. So let's get down to the list:Lurrus of the Dream-Den
serves as the deck's mana sink, that card you usually get when you get to the late game and have little interaction, or when you can establish a good strategy at the table if you can put it into play. There are many games where you simply won't need it because the game is over before you run out of breath or have enough mana to pull you out of the sideboard and play another spell, but it makes an essential difference when you need it. Thus, one of the most important tips I can give you regarding this deck is:Don't forget Lurrus, remember that you can search for him whenever there is mana left for that.
It is very common to forget him in the heat of the moment, especially the first few times piloting the deck.Ad
Soul-Scar Mage
andMonastery Swiftspear
basically have the same function of being low-cost threats that grow by the deck doing what it already does naturally and become a clock that the opponent needs to respond to as soon as possible. They are also cards that have great interactions with combat tricks that can lead the opponent to under-optimized blocking options. It’s worth remembering thatSoul-Scar Mage
’s ability causes any damage spell to become -1 / -1 counters on the opponent’s creatures, which can be an important interaction for dealing with larger creatures or it even invalidates them on some occasions.Ghitu Lavarunner
is the worst one-drop on the deck, but it is a creature that has an immediate impact on the table in mid-game, where it becomes a slightly better version ofGoblin Guide
, and can mess up the math for the opponent on whether attack with his creatures or not. Finally, we also haveZurgo Bellstriker
, which enters the flex-slot of the deck and is another creature with a CMC 1 in a 2/2 body, with the advantage of being able to be used with Dash to protect itself from sweepers. The deck's 2-drops are cards that have an immediate impact on the board.Viashino Pyromancer
is a 2/1 body that comes with aShock
that can only be targeted at players or planeswalkers attached to it, potentially reaching 4 or even 6 damage done to the opponent until the opponent resolves spend resources dealing with a measly 2/1.Eidolon of the Great Revel
has the function of being the punitive card for the opponent when you are ahead in the game. Unlike the other formats where it is commonly the best play of Turn 2,Eidolon of the Great Revel
is better at Pioneer when you have already used your initial resources and are moving to mid-game. There are exceptions to this rule. For example, if you are facing combos or if you are facing a Control, it is preferable to make Eidolon as soon as possible to serve as a card that will severely punish for any play that the opponent tries to make to answer it or to give more range. . It is very important to measure the value thatEidolon of the Great Revel
can have when it comes into play when you have it in hand. If you still have other things to play, in most games it is preferable to wait to play it at the right time where your life is superior to your opponent's by a significant margin. Your burn spells.Wild Slash
is basically aShock
that, on very rare occasions, can serve to disrupt damage prevention by opponents if there is any. But most of the time it is just a low cost interaction against other aggro decks and another low cost Prowess trigger for your creatures.Lightning Strike
andWizard's Lightning
are cards that you should preferably target your opponent, unless there is a creature that needs to be answered at the board. Both are the cards that go into the famous "math of 3" that Burn uses in most formats. It is worth mentioning thatSoul-Scar Mage
,Viashino Pyromancer
andGhitu Lavarunner
are Wizards and consequently transformWizard's Lightning
intoLightning Bolt
by reducing their cost. Take this into account when sequencing your creatures.Ad
Boros Charm
is the deck's best damage spell as it deals 4 damage for 2 mana, but it also has two other important functions, since Double Strike given to any creature can make it survive the combat, while the ability to make your permanents indestructible can serve to protect your threats from removals or a sweeper likeSupreme Verdict
. Usually,Boros Charm
is the last spell I want to use blindly in the opponent's life because it has the most range, being best used to end the game due to its flexibility.Light Up the Stage
is our engine to have more range in games, being commonly a card that, for one mana, allows you to "draw" two cards. There are many situations whereLight Up the Stage
saves your game by finding the land that you lack or the interaction or threat that was missing to end the game. On the other hand, the card is a terrible topdeck, perhaps the worst outside the lands because you often need more damage cards and don't have enough mana to castLight up the Stage
and one of the revealed cards on the same turn, giving space for the opponent to then plan according to what is revealed. Although considered essential for Burn, it is one of the cards that most often comes out post-sideboard. Your red and white sources that comes untapped. Some lists useNeedleverge Pathway
as another way to access white, but the fact that you need to choose the color and there are times when Burn needs a lot of red mana, in addition to includingChained to the Rocks
on the sideboard makes me keep some distance from the card and choose this base of twelve dual lands.Path to Exile
we have on Pioneer. It is usually the most sided-in card in games as it serves against a significant range of decks and is your best response against large threats that demand immediate response such asUro, Titan of Nature's Wrath
,Omnath, Locus of Creation
,Niv-Mizzet Reborn
, among others. More removal because the deck usually has difficulties against decks that have a significant number of creatures. It usually goes against most aggro decks and it is worth remembering that the controller of the creature affected bySearing Blood
will be dealt damage even if the creature was not killed by the spell, but by another effect such as combat damage or other removal. The best card that came out for the archetype recently.Roiling Vortex
is your safety valve for dealing with lifegain as well as adding yet another way to reach with a threat that is not easily answered by conventional cards. Usually it goes against decks where the lifegain is relevant and / or matches against decks that usually last until the late game, like control decks or most midranges. The Ikoria common started to gain slots in Burn's sideboard according to how the mirror and matchup against Auras became more recurrent. The card has multiple uses between removing problematic enchantments likeAll That Glitters
, taking a few extra turns when gaining 4 life, or serving as a good combat trick when adding a + 1 / + 1 counter.Ad
Soul-Guide Lantern
tends to get into more matchups than it initially looks, since in addition to handling decks like All Spells and Soulflayer well, the deck plays a significant part in being a disruptive element againstUro, Titan of Nature's Wrath
and also serves as a card advantage engine alongsideLurrus of the Dream-Den
, which can be recast every turn to draw a card.Ad