Hello and welcome back to Attacking 4 Lethal!
Here it is: my first post with a decklist in it! Today we are looking at a recently revitalised deck: Red Deck Wins!
Earlier in the year, I ran RDW, as it was one of my favourite decks at the time. However, it didn't contain many of the powerful red cards in Standard at that time (eg. Stromkirk Noble, Chandra's Pheonix). As far as I recall, I went 1-3.
However, a new Standard format and 4 Stromkirk Nobles (and various other rare cards) later, and a true RDW decklist was born!
Here is the deck:
4 Dragonskull Summit
2 Hellion Crucible
15 Mountain
21 Land
4 Ash Zealot
2 Goblin Arsonist
2 Gore-House Chainwalker
4 Hellrider
3 Pyreheart Wolf
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Rakdos Shred-Freak
4 Stromkirk Noble
27 Creatures
2 Brimstone Volley
2 Nightbird's Clutches
4 Pillar of Flame
4 Searing Spear
12 Other Spells
2 Annialating Fire
2 Electrickery
1 Pithing Needle
2 Reckless Waif
2 Slaughter Games
1 Smelt
2 Tormods Crypt
3 Traitorous Blood
Deck Tech - Creatures
I'll just put it out there now, the deck techs I do won't go for long. I am still in high school, so I can't always be writing posts (with homework and all). However, if you notice anything that could be changed in the deck techs I do, be sure to send any feedback!
About the deck- RDW is a real 20-0 kind of deck. Using efficient creatures and burn to finish off the opponent. While probably not the best choice with Thragtusk running around, because I have played the deck before I am willing to give it a shot.
What was I talking about? Oh, creatures...
Ash Zealot
Ash Zealot is there to punish control (and bash for 2). She has first strike too, which is relevant against Geist of Saint Traft and Huntmaster. She is very efficient, so a playset seemed like the best choice.
Goblin Arsonist
The arsonist isn't the best, but he is a one-drop, and that is why he is here. His ping ability is quite relevant, with mana dorks, Lingering Souls and Rakdos Keyrune running around. Like I said, he isn't the best, so I decided to play 2 of him.
I wish Grim Lavamancer was still legal I will always be happy to have him here.
Gore-House Chainwalker
Gore-House is okay. He provides you with a 3/2 if you are the aggressor, of a 2/1 if you are in trouble in the late game (there should hopefully not be a late game though).
There are some other 2-drops that I decided to play over him, but he is good enough that I am willing to play 2 of him.
Hellrider
Oh, yes, the icing on the cake. Hellrider gives you an excellent late game threat. If you curve out with Rakdos Cackler, Ash Zealot, Pyreheart Wolf, then this guy, your opponent will be getting hit for 12 on turn four, plus whatever other damage you have dealt in the early game. Even though he is 4 mana, he is so good I decided to play a playset.
Pyreheart Wolf
With Thragtusk being a force to be reckoned with, Pyreheart Wolf seems to be an excellent choice. First, your opponent will have to kill him twice (minus Pillar of Flame). Second, decks that play Thragtusk usually aren't that creature heavy, making the Wolf even better. He isn't great in multiples, but he is good enough that I am willing to play 3 of him.
Rakdos Cackler
Rakdos Cackler is one of my favourite cards in Return to Ravnica. He is a 2 power one drop that can't block (so why isn't he a zombie?), or he can be a 1/1 that can chump-block or attack for 1. The versitility of unleash is extremely underrated, I believe.
If I wasn't playing 4 of these in my RDW deck, I think I would have been doing it wrong.
Rakdos Shred-Freak
RtR has given the Standard format not one, but 2(!) 2 mana haste guys! There isn't really much to say about Shred-Freak. While definitely outclassed by Ash Zealot, I am still willing to play 4 of him.
Stromkirk Noble
As mentioned earlier in this article, the Noble is a very efficient creature. There are a lot of heavily played creatures he gets past (Avacyn's Pilgrim, Thalia, Huntmaster). Best of all, he gets bigger every time. While not a good late game draw, 4 is the right number of copies when it comes to this Vampire.
Deck Tech - Other Spells
Burn - Brimstone Volley, Pillar of Flame, Searing Spear
This is just what you expect in a RDW deck, efficient removal that can also remove your opponent and their planeswalkers. I only played 2 Volleys because they are clunky in multiples, but Pillar and Spear are cheap, (also efficient) burn spells, so I played a playset of each of them.
Nightbird's Clutches
This card was a last minute add for this deck. It provides you with the safety of getting through Thragtusks, Huntmasters or a Pike-equipped Geist. While not quite as good when you flash it back with a Zealot in play, it's still a very good and interesting card, so I decided to play 2 of it.
Deck Tech - Lands
Nothing much to say here. This is actually not a fully red deck. There is a very powerful, underrated new card from RtR in the sideboard (more on this in a moment) that is definitely worth splashing for (hence the playset of Dragonskull Summits). The Hellion Crucibles are there as a powerful late game tool. It is very underrated right now, and I like having 2 of them in the deck as it helps your matchups against control.
Other than that, just Mountains... yay!
Deck Tech - Sideboard
The sideboard is nothing special. Annialating Fire is extra backup against Zombies, however Zombies has dropped in popularity since the beginning of the new format. Electrickery is against the Lingering Souls token decks and decks with all lot of 1-toughness creatures (obviously). Pithing Needle for cards like Jace, Architect of Thought, other planeswalkers and Deathrite Shaman. Reckless Waif is for the control decks that don't have many turn one plays, most of the time replacing Goblin Arsonist in that matchup. Smelt for Runechanter's Pike and other various artifacts. Tormod's Crypt for reanimator and control. Traitorous Blood for the Midrange decks that play Huntmaster, Olivia Voldaren and Thragtusk.
Now here is an interesting card...
Yes, Slaughter Games does have black in its mana cost, however, it is worth splashing. Slaughter Games is one of the most underrated cards in Standard right now, and it is yet to make a proper appearance in some decks. I had 2 in my binder and thought,"Sure, I can name Thragtusk if I want, or Restoartion Angel or Lingering Souls." There is so much this card does, and the money spent on the missing Dragonskull Summits was worth it.
Anyway, that was my first deck tech! Hope you enjoyed it!
But wait... its not over yet.
I took this deck to my LGS about 20 minutes down the road, to Friday Night Magic. For those who don't know, if FNM didn't exist, then I don't know what I would do with my Magic decks. It's just one of the best things ever!
Anyway, I "magically" memorised my opponents decks and names for the rounds at FNM, so here is a little bit about each round.
Round 1 - vs. Tim (Jund Midrange)
I sat down for the first round against Tim, a polite gentleman who looked very serious while we shuffled up. As far as I recall, I won the die roll, and chose to play. I started with a Goblin Arsonist, followed up with an Ash Zealot on turn 2 and bashed for 3. Tim, meanwhile, played about 3 Farseeks and a Rakdos Keyrune, developing his mana. I eventually got him down to just 1 life, after we had traded creatures and removed others. I still had my one Arsonist on the battlefield, and because Tim was at 1 life, I thought I was home free.
However, he had a Sever the Bloodline in his graveyard, and with a tonne of mana, was able to EXILE the Arsonist. My first thought was,"If I still had my Ash Zealot, he would have been dead anyway." But because he EXILED my Arsonist, I was bummed. Out of cards in hand, I was playing off the top of my deck, trying to draw the ONE BURN SPELL I needed to win. However, I was drawing land and creatures. The creatures looked good, until he played a Dark Imposter. He then attacked continuously until I was reaching for my sideboard.
For sideboarding, I brought in 2 of my Traitourous Bloods and both Slaughter Games, hoping to either steal his threats, or just remove them entirely.
Unfortunately, in game 2, I mulled to 5 on the draw. I kept a burn heavy hand, going on the "Kill him with my removal" path. However, he developed a solid board, and
attacked 4 lethal.
0-1
I was very disappointed with this match. I came very close to winning game 1 with my Arsonist, but I couldn't keep up in game 2. What was even more disappointing was that I had a Slaughter Games in hand, ready to name either Thragtusk or Huntmaster, but I didn't hit my fourth land drop.
Anyway, after seeing how some of my friends went in the first round, it was time to start round 1+1 (which equals 2, by the way)
Round 2 - vs. Joshua (Junk Token/Midrange)
Josh, an old friend that I have seen here on numerous occasions, was piloting another midrange deck. Yay!
After being sent to the back room to play our match (they didn't have enough room in the front room), and exchanging some Standard Metagame opinions (boo, Thragtusk. I just DETEST THRAGTUSK!), we got underway, with me on the play (that rhymes!). I got a nice aggressive start, curving out with Cackler, Shred-Freak, Ash Zealot, and Hellrider, and, after keeping a two land hand (2 forests, as he told me later), we was dead by turn 5.
For sideboarding, I (surprisingly) sided in Slaughter Games, mainly to exile his Lingering Souls or his Rootborn Defenses (he only had 2 copies in his maindeck, but that card is annoying!). I also sided in Electrickery, hoping that, if I didn't hit a Slaughter Games, I could wipe most of his creatures of the board with one card.
For game 2, Josh mulled to 6, keeping, once again, a 2 land hand (2 plains, as he told me later). Just like game 1, a curved out well, while Josh was still stuck on 2 land. After casting Slaughter Games naming Lingering Souls (because I could), he extended his hand as I
attacked 4 lethal.
1-1
After losing the first round, winning the second was fantastic. However, I was quick to make sure I didn't get overexcited. The main reason I won was because of his scrappy hand keeps. After playing some friendly games, he smashed me 75% of the time. :)
After some more chit-chat, Round 3 was upon us.
Round 3 - vs. Nathan (Mono-Black Vampires)
Nathan, a ready-to-go, enthusiastic player started some funny conversation as we shuffled up for the match. He said some stuff that I shouldn't even think about putting on this blog, but that's beside the point.
In game 1, I was on the play (again!), and I got some nice aggression going, with a Cackler, Shred-Freak and Pyreheart Wolf. After landing a Hellrider, he was dead with only a Vampire Nighthawk and Blood Artist on board.
For sideboarding, once again, Slaughter Games came in, as I was hoping to name Blood Artist, Vampire Nighthawk or Vampire Nocturnous. I also brought a single Traitorous Blood in, hoping to steal a Nighthawk for a turn.
In game 2, it started pretty badly, with me keeping a no-land hand that was heavy on one-drops. After drawing no land for three turns, I was dead to multiple Nighthawks.
Game 3 was close. Too close. It started after I kept a more easy hand, with 3 lands and some one & two drops. He was eventually down to 1 in a few turns.
However, he was developing his own board, with 2 Nighthawks and a Blood Artist, screwing up my combat math very badly. On a very crucial turn, I attacked, forgetting to crack my Hellion Crucible, which would have won me the match.
After attacking, he gained a ton of life from the Nighthawks and Blood Artist triggers. After this, his life total was out of reach, and there was little I could do as he
attacked 4 lethal.
1-2
I punched myself over my misplay. If only if I had been paying proper attention to my lands. I had that game in the bag, just like the first game of the first match, but it just slipped away...
After night-dreaming about Ash Zealots and Chainwalkers dying to Vampire Nighthawks and Blood Artists, it was time for the final round.
Round 4 - vs. Shayne (Budget? White Weenie)
I sat down across from Shayne in round 4, a polite, quiet guy that was enjoying the fun of playing Magic. After we silently shuffled up and rolled the dice (I was on the draw for the first and last time!), we were ready to go.
In game 1 Shayne started playing odd cards like Silvercoat Lion and Angel's Mercy to pressure me. Angel's Mercy is surprisingly hard to get around with this type of deck. However, after he played an Angel of Jubilation, I landed a Hellrider, and it seemed his deck didn't contain a lot of removal, so he was dead from there.
For sideboarding, I did nothing. I was very confident with this matchup, and was hoping for a 2-0 win.
Game 2 was very similar to game 1, he played Silvercoat Lion, I played some small creatures, he played a couple of Angel's Mercy, I played more creatures and burned his Silvercoat Lion. After he landed another Angel of Jubilation, I just so happened to have another Hellrider, giving me a pretty convincing win as I
attacked 4 lethal.
2-2
That last one was relatively easy. Shayne and I talked a little after the match about his deck. I suggested cards like Doomed Traveler, Silverblade Paladin, Thalia, and maybe even Odric. He, like me didn't spend too much money on cards, so I tried to help where I could.
After finishing 2-2, I was 8th out of 15 people, winning 2 boosters of my choice. I chose RtR (who wouldn't!) The rares were a Grave Betrayal and a third Slaughter Games (sick!). Other playables included my second Rakdos Keyrune, my first Syncopate, and my second Ultimate Price. I also pulled a foil Annialating Fire (with art like that, a foil of it is sick!)
Overall, the deck performed okay. It could have done a little better, but 2-2 is better than 1-3.
MVPs: Hellrider and Pyreheart Wolf
Hellrider is excellent in this metagame. In a creature heavy deck like this one, he is an all-star! PLAY HIM!
Pyreheart Wolf is also very good in this current metagame. Limited your opponent's blocking options is huge, and if you have a Hellrider, at least 2 other creatures, and a Pyreheart Wolf, you're in good shape.
Sideboard MVP: Slaughter Games
Surprise, Surprise! This card was excellent. Even though I didn't get to cast it every match, I brought it in against 3/4 opponents.
Sideboard LVP: Annialating Fire
With Zombie falling a little out of the limelight, the Fire just didn't do anything other than gather dust in the sideboard. I might keep one in the sideboard, but not two.
Overall, RDW is a fun deck to play, and I will definitely play it again in the future :)
Well, that's the end of my first deck post! I hope you enjoyed it! I'll be on posting deck ideas every few days and asking for your opinions, and what I can do to improve them. Who knows, I might cover one of those decks in a deck tech!
Also, I live in Australia, if anyone asks...
See you next time, and good luck when you attack 4 lethal!
Callum
