Boros Articles... Doesn't Have the Same Flow, Does It?
CHAPTER 1: In Soviet Russia, Deck Builds You!
What pulled me out of hiding? Well, I started playing Magic again, obviously. However, this didn't get me writing. What got me writing started out as a slow day in my Cultural Foundations class:
   | ||
|---|---|---|
| Creatures: 4 Savannah Lions 4 Grim Lavamancer 4 Boros Swiftblade 4 Silver Knight 4 Goblin Legionnaire 3 Exalted Angel Spells: 4 Lightning Helix 4 Volcanic Hammer 4 Char 3 Umezawa's Jitte 2 Chrome Mox | Land: 4 Flooded Strand 4 Sacred Foundary 4 Battlefield Forge 6 Mountain 6 Plains | |
|
This is what I do in class when I'm bored. |
| | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Land: 3 Wooded Foothill 3 Windswept Heath 3 Battlefield Forge 3 Plains 3 Mountain 3 Sacred Foundry 4 Chrome Mox Creatures: 4 Grim Lavamancer 4 Silver Knight 3 Kataki, War's Wedge 3 Exalted Angel 2 Paladin en-Vec 3 Isamaru, Hound of Konda 4 Savannah Lions | Spells: 3 Pithing Needle 4 Char 4 Lightning Helix 4 Magma Jet | Sideboard: 4 Flametongue Kavu 4 Sulfuric Vortex 2 Pyrostatic Pillar 1 Paladin en-Vec 1 Kataki, War's Wedge 3 Disenchant | |
But after that short stint of Extended fame, I went back to my studies; mid-terms were peeking around the corner as well as essays, readings, and card sorting for the selling of singles. I had been trounced at States, but had acquired over $250 in traded-for material to organize and sleeve for my play group. Extended was not my priority.
Then came PT: LA.
A finals bracket less varied than T8 Gifts lists at states... Psychatog here, Wild Mongrel there, and your token crazy sub-optimal build Combo deck. But three slots brought back visions of Monday afternoons. Red Decks Win, even if they need a little push from a not-so enemy color.
CHAPTER TWO: A Summoning Spell Lights Up a Time of Bloodshed!
If you're already familiar with
Spoiler:
Each build varies from the last, meaning outside of several mirrored cards in the three decks, this post-rotation RDW has a slightly less grounded core than the RDW of my pre-rotation article.
The three have the following in common:
| | ||
|---|---|---|
| Maindeck (33): Spells: 4 Grim Lavamancer 4 Pillage 4 Lightning Helix 3 Lava Dart 2 Firebolt Land: 4 Mountain 4 Sacred Foundary 4 Wooded Foothills 4 Bloodstained Mire | Varied Presence: 3 Flametongue Kavu 3 Kataki, War's Wage | |
CHAPTER 3: RECKLESS FIRE! Boldly Burn with your Soul!
Now that we've narrowed down the selection of cards that appear in all current lists of BDW, let's see WHY they appear in each list and why they should probably appear in your final build:
|
File Footage: Pillage steals prize money from control players |
Recursive Burn- The mandate of cheap, reusable burn is also essential to neo-Extended; we're out of Cursed Scroll, Pyrite Spellbomb is not an acceptable replacement, and Firebolt had already claimed its slot prior to last season, so it's only courtesy that it reclaim its slot post rotation. The reason recursive burn is so important to RDW and its children is the need to deal with multiple creatures with a single card as well as offer compound cranial burn. As far as Firebolt and Lava Dart are concerned, they are not replacements for Scroll but are fine heirs to the slot it once held.
Lightning Helix- I don't know what justice I can give this card. Standard splashes for Helix so it's only natural that Extended, with a larger card pool to foster a splash, would follow suit. The card itself is faster than Volcanic Hammer, accomplishes the same targeting and damage, and nets you three life in the process. Helix counteracts pain from three searchlands, a searchland and a Sacred Foundry, or you can use it to put you one behind on two Foundries. Kills some mid-range creatures, weenies not named Silver Knight or Paladin en-Vec, domes the opponent for a sixth of his/her life, and always pulls you a little bit farther away from a loss (because, as we all know, "when you are gaining life your opponent is not winning as much"). If you're playing Red and White, you should also be playing Lightning Helix.
Grim Lavamancer- I know it's not really considered high brow to refrence yourself in an essay, but I will completely stand by the claim that, "Grim Lavamancer is the best Red creature ever printed. Whether or not I get flamed heavily for this remark is irrelevant- you need 4 copies of this in your deck. Brother Grim provides two crucial elements of the core RDW philosophy: he is a cheap and reusable source of creature removal and he doubles as a cheap and reusable source of burn for your opponent's cranial orifices. Even in instances when you are landlocked with your opponent, Matoc provides a steady source of two damage that your opponent can only take for so long." Most of the graveyard filling resources are still present; fetchlands, burn, and kamikazi creatures are all available. However, we must collectively lament the passing of Wasteland from Extended, not only as a control resource, but as fuel for the greatest creature in Red.
Fetchlands- Much like the power of Grim Lavamancer, there's not much I can say that I already haven't,
While it's been proven by the likes of Zvi (and others with degrees in math or a lot of spare time and a TI-83 Graphing Calculator) that the Fetchlands only thin your deck out a fraction of a fraction of a percent, that minute piece of your deck is still smaller than it was without a search. These lands provide that extra ounce of magic I like to call "Making your draws slightly less random"- less lands in your library means less of a chance that you'll draw a land...The greatest benefit of the fetchlands with the introduction of the new duals is the greater range of color fixing each fetch permits you. While this was irrelevant in previous iterations of RDW not splashing the occasional Forest for Naturalize, this is clearly a prominent bonus to the new age of Red Decks Winning.
|
Once Wizards puts Birds of Watery Plateu in Coldsnap, Boros Deck Wins will be unbeatable. |
Mountain- I know you expect me to put a pun here, but I won't. These slots should clearly be dedicated to Birds of Paradise. Metagame this land slot appropriately.
CHAPTER 4: One of These Slots is Not Like the Other
I've detailed for you the maindeck "plants." The following appear in each PT: LA build but their presence alternates from sideboard to main from deck to deck:
Kataki, War's Wage- How do you keep one of the two most aggressive decks in the format down? Maindeck hate for it. At least, that's what some iterations of BDW decided to do. As long as Kataki remains present in maindecks and sideboards, Affinity's attendance in top 8 slots and metagames alike will see a decline. But Kataki doesn't just effect Artifacts in Affinity. Isochron Scepters, Chrome Moxen, Artifact Lands, Pithing Needles, and many more are within range of Wage's splash damage. From a personal standpoint, I would include Kataki 100% of the time in creature heavier builds like Fujita's, especially with a slightly heavier balance between White and Red slots.
Flametongue Kavu- Four-mana thermo-nuclear loogies have been a sideboard option for Red Deck Winses past, so it's not surprising to see the Kavu dance in and out of the maindeck when a rotation of maindeck slots permits it. Additionally, Extended is a creature heavy format, but a wealth of decks without creatures (especially StarWarsKid's version of Desire) may begin springing up in the post PT:LA metagame. Keeping this possibility in mind, I firmly believe FTK should stay in the sideboard unless you can predict a local metagame devoid of mono-Teeth decks and Brainfreeze combo. However, due to the nature of post-PT deckbuilding patterns (see also: Goblins), I would be inclined to believe that Tog and Freeze will be very present.
CHAPTER 5: Two Paths
PT:LA has shown us two slightly different builds for BDW. One has more weenies, the other has more burn and uses Genju of Spires. Tomos and Chang's lists have a core creature base of Lavamancer and Frostling then they branch off slightly. Chang goes the route of Slith Firewalker and FTK. Obviously the pair combos well- drop the FTK to clear a path, swing with the Slith. However, Tomos vies for more control in his choices, opting for Goblin Legionnaire and Hearth Kami. The two builds bring in Violent Eruption and Genju of Spires. The former is a extremely controlling burn spell that takes out numerous creatures, larger creatures, mid-creatures, all the while allowing you to ping your opponent, while the latter, like the FTK/Slith pairing, swings through with a clear field. These builds rely heavily on synergy; you need the FTK/Eruption/Legionnaire/Burn to clear a path for your Genju/Slith and then peck through with your other weenies.
Fujita takes a different approach:
| | ||
|---|---|---|
| Creatures: 4 Grim Lavamancer 4 Savannah Lions 3 Isamaru, Hound of Konda 4 Goblin Legionnaire 3 Kataki, War's Wage Spells: 4 Firebolt 4 Lava Dart 4 Lightning Helix 4 Molten Rain 4 Pillage 1 Pulse of the Forge | ||
In an interview given by Brian David-Marshall at PT:LA, Fujita had this to say about his deck choice:
"I did not think the deck would be more than a fun deck to play," explained Fujita, who has been dealing with some personal issues regarding the health of his father. "I only had three days for the deck construction process. I just adjusted Red Deck Wins to the new format. Goblin Legionnaire replaced Mogg Fanatic, Savannah Lions replaced Jackal Pup, and Molten Rain came in for Wasteland. I just adjusted Red Deck Wins to the Boros colors..."In an ironic turn of events, Fujita's theory of adjustment goes in tune with the adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." The same essential RDW deck works in the format but at the cost of having to play with new cards. Not a very difficult trade, in my opinion.
"When I arrived here on Wednesday I played some games and I was able to win some of them with it so I though it would be good. But actually the deck turned out to be so strong."
CHAPTER 6: Filling Out the Deck I. Land
With three top 8 builds to select from and a healthy pool of additional cards to select from, BDW's remaining 27 slots are rather flexible. Let's begin with lands-
Mountain- There is nothing wrong with adding more Mountains to lower the opportunity for colorscrew to rear its ugly head at you. In very much the same way, adding Plains to the deck is also an option. The peak number of Mountains in top 8 builds is 7, while Plains didn't appear as frequently, only poking their head in in Fujita's White-focused build.
Blinkmoth Nexus- Flying weenie damage is never a bad thing to have. Like pre-Ravnica Standard RDW builds, using Nexi to swing over a cluttered field or to add points of damage to combat just for playing land makes up for a lack of maindeck creatures, such as in Chang and Tormos' build.
Barbarian Ring- The major problem I have with the Ring is that it has no synergy with Grim Lavamancer, which is why it was barely present, if not absent entirely, from past seasons' Red Deck Wins builds. However, if your metagame calls for colorless damage to oust first striking creatures with Protection from Red (especially in builds playing the fragile Genju), Barbarian Ring is a better source for that than Pyrite Spellbomb.
Other Possibilities- Shrapnel Blast goes well with Great Furnace and Ancient Den. Chrome Mox speeds up tempo a little, but can lead to hands that burn themselves out too quckily. Legendary Lands work with maindecked Kataki. The inclusion of maindeck Plains allows you to splash Windswept Heath.
CHAPTER 7: Filling Out the Deck II. Creatures
Whether you decide on creature heavy builds or creature light builds, you need a decent number of beaters. Each list plays a minimum of 16 creatures and even these bare-bones lists play more things that turn into creatures. Here's an overview of the best candidates for your maindeck slot that have not previously discussed:
Frostling- Oh Frostling, I know you want to be like your older brother Mogg Fanatic, but face facts- you're never going to be a Goblin and you're never going to become a demented Lava Dart incarnate... Frostling allows you to have some board presence as well as make your opponent's math a bit shakier and fuel The Best Red Creature Ever (TM). A favorite in builds playing Genju of the Spires as it provides cover fire so your animated land actually sneaks through.
Goblin Legionnaire- I am in full agreement with Fujita that this takes up a noble endeavor in trying to replace rain man. The soldier isn't only a bear, isn't only a shock, and isn't only half of Mending Hands. He's like all three at once... like some kind of weird hellspawn between Grizzly Bears, Seal of Fire, and Healing Salve. He offers you a bear and tremendous utility for his cost. I would make him a plant in your final build of BDW.
Blistering Firecat- Much like Genju and Slith with several times less worry about a clear field (save for the
|
Have the days of guaranteed Firecat slots ended with BDW? |
Darkblast
Lava Dart
Lightning Helix
Ravenous Baloth
Loxodon Heirarch
Putrefy
Char
Gempalm Incinerator
Goblin Sharpshooter
"First Strike"
Sparksmith
Goblin Legionnaire
Fire // Ice
Sharpnel Blast
Moment's Peace
Frostling
Night of Souls' Betrayal
Shock One point of Violent Eruption
Now, "Kijin," you may say, "Aren't Slith Firewalker and Genju of Spires (which will be discussed momentarily) just as succeptable to <list> as Blistering Firedude?" To which I would first stroke my soul patch like those Fu-Manchu patches the elder Kung-Fu masters have in those Chinese Martial Arts films and grin incessantly. Then I would tell you two things: 1. Blistering Firecat is a burn spell, while Genju is a threat that recurs after death and Slith is a threat that stays in play and 2. Slith and Genju cost half as much to activate to not only do what the Firecat does, but to stick around and keep doing it. Blistering Firecat is not unplayable (otherwise I wouldn't be talking about him here). He is, however, significantly less powerful than he was in previous seasons.
"Genju of the Spires"- Ok, so not only is it NOT a creature, but it's just as prone to death as the card I just finished discussing AND lacks trample. So why in Holy Hell is Genju of Red a significant player in BDW and worthy of time and space consideration? The answer, like with Firecat, is twofold. 1. It provides the same massive damage output you would need in playing Firecat (oh, like you can't find a way to supply a shock to the dome against your opponent playing this deck...) and 2. unlike Firecat, it doesn't stay dead or kill itself after use. However, Genju consumes resources like nothing else and acts as a double-edged sword in that respect. I prefer less risky creatures over Genju, but that's not to say Genju isn't worth consideration as its negatives are definately edged out by its positives.
Slith Firewalker- You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes,
You’re paralyzed
(get ready for it...)
’cause this is thriller, thriller night...
I couldn't resist. Firewalker fits in well because, like Genju, he thrives with the deck's ability to burn any creature that comes into play. Also like Genju, he's another source of damage that, if not delt with appropriately, will kill your opponent quickly. However, as ANOTHER slot predicated on having a clear field and being weak to any removal your opponent has (your opposing Tog player will thank you for the Darkblast target), I would not recommend him very highly.
Savannah Lions and Isamaru, Hound of Konda- The theory behind Savannah Lions in BDW is that it's a replacement for Jackal Pup. With the inclusion of White in RDW, not only is the theory logical, it's almost better than Jackal Pup could ever hope to be in that it doesn't kill you, meaning you can block an opposing Genju of the Spires and not take six to the dome in spite of your better efforts. Including Isamaru in addition to this accounts for Sakura-Tribe Elder and a stronger force of weenies (which replaces the reliance on Genju non-Fujita builds have; essentially, "would you rather have three 2/Xs attacking or one 6/1?" is what it comes down to). The weenies go into BDW to provide early damage, just like Jackal Pup did in RDW. The reason the option of playing both Genju and Isamaru/etc is so convoluted is because of deck space; Fujita's BDW tried to parallel previous RDW builds and, in the process, replaced Wasteland and Rishadan Port with LD spells, taking up five more maindeck slots than the lands would originally have. However, Kataki could be traded for Genju in Fujita's build and, essentially, you'd have a fully modernized recreation of RDW.
CHAPTER 8: Filling Out the Deck III. Spells
Aside from Genju of the Spires, the non-Creature spells of BDW mostly consist of burn and control. Since there isn't much else to say, here are your best options in greater detail:
Molten Rain- Burn and LD in one; I don't know if BDW could ask for a more progressive card. The number of Nonbasic Lands played at PT:LA was staggering, as are the number of lands that should be present at PTQs not taken by Brain Freeze Combo. Fujita compared Molten Rain to Wasteland, but many don't believe the comparison is correct. Wasteland was an uncounterable LD "spell" that could come down and kill non-Basic Lands without fear of reprisal; it was a force against decks reliant on a wealth of Multilands and control decks stacked with non-Basics. Molten Rain is a 3cc spell, meaning it's not only counterable but slower than Wasteland. However, Molten Rain can target any land and provides a bonus when that land happens to be Nonbasic. I've discussed on the forums the pros and cons of playing Pillage and/or Molten Rain. The consensus of those against Molten Rain and the like is that they aren't productive when played after turn 6, they can be countered, and they aren't Rishadan Port and Wasteland. The lattermost arguement is almost void- there is no Wasteland in Extended, just as there are many other cards previously available to decks that are no longer present. The second arguement can be countered (my puns are invincible) with the very same logic- every counter your opposing control player spends on LD spells is another counter they have NOT spent on a spell that will reduce their life total to 0. With the addition of Shocklands to the format, color fixing becomes another huge issue that, whether it be on turn three or three hundred, if your opponent has only one Green producing land in play and you manage to destroy it, there goes their ability to play Green spells. Finally, the felxibility of Pillage in being able to be used against artifacts as well as the damage offered by Molten Rain makes up for a late draw of LD that may come. In the same respect, early (or even mid-range) LD slows down your opponent's tempo while your tempo is maintained. LD/Land control as a whole turns good starts into slow starts and slow starts into game losses. In a deck that plays weenies and is as tempo-dependant as RDW and any of its offspring, giving yourself additional time by cutting into your opponent's time control and/or advantage is a tremendous boon. This is the lesson taught from the fatherland of RDW that should be passed down and understood by BDW.
Magma Jet- Scry is a really good ability in a deck so fervent about topdecking good cards, keeping tempo, etc. etc.. However, the flaw in it is that it only does two damage and does so for two mana. If you find your final build craps out on you, your draws are poor, or you need more burn that offers card selection, add Magma Jet. I'm not the biggest fan due to its cost-to-effect ratio but I'd be a fool to discount it as a very solid and playable card in the deck.
Violent Eruption- Pro: Violent Eruption deals four damage or any number of less than four damage to up to four targets. Con: Violent Eruption costs four mana. Pro: Violent Eruption has Madness and can be played for less mana. Con: Your deck has no Madness outlets and so Violent Eruption costs four mana. Pro: Violent Eruption is undoubtably the best crowd control spell that doubles as high damage to your opponent. Con: It costs four mana. In a weenie heavy environment, Violent Eruption can win you the game. Otherwise, Violent Eruption is a highly costed burn spell that may or may not be able to be played during your match.
Char- I have eight. If I could play all eight, I would. Char takes off one fifth of your opponent's life for three mana and takes out creatures much larger than your own. So does Violent Eruption and it can deal with multiple creatures and even split damage between creatures and player. So why would you play Char? Char's cost is smaller and less awkward than Eruption. Tempo is an almost personal concern while playing this deck; if you're expecting a wealth of little beaters, you can pass on Char. Otherwise, I would value it highly in your final build.
Pulse of the Forge- One way to view Pulse is as an awkwardly costed Char that only hits players and will rarely return to your hand. Another is that if you're preparing for a game against control matchups, can't withstand the damage delt by Char, and find that Violent Eruption costs four mana (which it does), Pulse is worth consideration. It only appeared once in the top 8 in Fujita's list in the form of a single copy. There are many valid arguements against it. In Fujita's build, taking more self-inflicted damage was game losing (the man plays ten Fetchlands, people). If you take this into consideration, it should be understood that Pulse goes in when further self mutilation is irresponsible and tempo costs are necessary.
Other Options- Maxing out on Lava Dart and Firebolt is useful in actually drawing the cards and to provide more recursive damage. Umezawa's Jitte sees sideboard play, but the way people clamour about it should leave you to believe there may not be any harm in maindecking it (keep in mind it costs four and not two when using it). Adding Pithing Needle helps pre-sideboard and fuels Shrapnel Blast.
CHAPTER 9: What Lurks Ahead in Game Two
Now that we have all the maindeck options for BDW out in the open, it's time to start developing a sideboard. I've already discussed Kataki, War's Wage and Flametongue Kavu. In addition, many of the spells (such as Molten Rain, Flametongue Kavu and Umezawa's Jitte) that I've recommended as maindeckable can also fit into the sideboard with relative ease, in the event the maindeck is overflowing.
The major common trend of each sideboard is the presence of a giant sweeping creature that should end games once it swings. However, the reason I am not discussing Exalted Angel is because it is too heavily White reliant to be as useful or fast as it should/needs to be. In Red, your options for "big giant beater" are heavily stacked, so the inclusion of a costly and difficult to cast beater that happens to be skewed towards out of color is one I cannot in good faith recommend. If you find yourself running a mana base that resembles something more of Standard's Wr Skies, you're playing a different deck but will be able to cast Exalted Angel. The heavy reliance on Red over White mana in this deck should not allow you to regularly cast WW-costed spells regularly without an almost compulsive reliance on drawing or playing Shocklands in an unhealthily immediate sense. That said, let's go on with the show:
Fledgling Dragon- When good players think of RDW sideboards, Grow-Dragons should be the first card that comes to mind. They've been a staple of the sideboard for as long as I can remember; Shivan Dragon should not cost four mana and should not be playable in a fast deck like RDW. The reason Fledgling Dragon appears even now in BDW's sideboard is that he will clean up the game for you against decks that laugh at your x/1 creature base. He devours lesser fan favorites, Wurms with attitude problems, and can go toe-to-toe with pretty much any fattie in the format with enough mana present. This should be a lock in your final sideboard.
Disenchant- RDW has never been able to deal with Enchantments, especially not to the extent that it could dispell Artifacts. Disenchant opens up a lot of options BDW and its father RDW doesn't have against decks like Heartbeat Combo and any number of Artifacts and Enchantments present in Extended. The addition of White to the original RDW should immediately draw you towards at least looking Disenchant over.
Pyrostatic Pillar and Sulfuric Vortex- Each card gives control deck fits if they can't deal with either in a hasty manner. The former also has uses against low-cost fervent decks like Goblins and Affinity while the latter hacks up the lifegain in Rock and stasis of No-Stick. Although the effect is just as damaging to your low-cost minded library, the aggressiveness and added burn present in BDW pushes and punishes opponents moreso than yourself. Each card is heavily viable in control and combo heavy formats, where low prices and mana costs are king.
Purge- This card is your answer to Psychatog in the absence of Pithing Needle. There is little else in the format that is immune to burn, Black, and troublesome enough to warrant sideboard slots. If you can't afford Matrix Input, Purge is where you need to be. In this sense, it has no other relevant matchups as Disenchant handles Artifact Creatures as well as offering flexibility with Enchantments and Artifacts of other decks (even rival Needles). It may be outmoded, but not as much so if you can't shell out $80-120 needed for a playset.
Blood Moon- Oh noes! Yor Fechlans onli taep 4 red!1 I don't need to explain this- this format is thriving off of Dual, Pain, and Fetchlands and the steady flow of six more Duals isn't going to stop or slow that down. The only problem with Blood Moon is that some decks who rely on non-Basic Lands are unaffected by the transformation (EG: the mirror, Affinity after turn 3). It is worthy of consideration at its worst.
Dwarven Blastminer- If you want to stop progress in this format against an opponent's amassing landbase, you play Dwarven Blastminer. Blastminer shines in a format ripe with Affinity, Tog, mirror, and Rock. Formats ripe with No-Stick and Heartbeat Combo are not as affected.
Pithing Needle- The reason I include this a second time is that this card will exponentially increase your Psychatog matchup, which is the single most glaring problem present in BDW. A Psychatog without an ability to pump is one that not only cannot win games, but cannot defend itself against burn. The fear that the Tog player will simply bounce the Needle is worth the risk- Psychatog is BDW's worst matchup and being able to shut off Meloku, the Clouded Mirror, king of teeth himself, along with No-Stick and at least one card from every other deck in the format (even Heartbeat Combo shudders a little at the transformation of STE into an overcosted Willow Elf). If you want to win against Psychatog and provide yourself with a wealth of additional support against a steep majority of the other cards in the format, sideboard this card.
Overload- While it's reasonable to immediately consider Disenchant over Overload, the former will usually not be available to, in response to a first turn No-Stick drop say, "Yeah, EOT, you just wasted four cards." It's also useful against Affinity, Pithing Needle, Jitte, Mox, Nexus, and Artifact Lands. It's also useful in the event you accidentally ritualistically set all of your Disenchants ablaze when you heard there wouldn't be a reprint under the new color pie.
Flaring Pain- In a world where Moment's Peace is all that lies in your periferal vision and Pro-Red Creatures dance about freely, Flaring Pain is like a Bat-Signal for victory. If you expect Silver Knight and Heartbeat Combo as a tagteam en masse, consider 2-3 Flaring Pains.
CHAPTER 10: Our Boros Deck Wins
Here is a sample build of BDW, taking the above into account:
| | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Creatures: 4 Grim Lavamancer 3 Isamaru, Hound of Konda 4 Savannah Lions 4 Goblin Legionnaire Spells: 4 Firebolt 4 Lava Dart 2 Char 4 Molten Rain 4 Pillage 2 Genju of the Spires | Land: 6 Mountain 1 Plains 2 Blinkmoth Nexus 4 Sacred Foundary 4 Bloodstained Mire 4 Wooded Foothills | Sideboard: 3 Kataki, War's Wage 3 Fledgling Dragon 3 Disenchant 3 Pithing Needle 3 Pyrostatic Pillar | |
CHAPTER 11: Debriefing and Conclusion
What I've just given you in terms of decklist is not the be all and end all of Boros Deck Wins and, for you, it should only be a start. We've covered a lot of ground in this article and hopefully you're now armed with much more knowledge and details of what goes into a successful, tournament winning BDW. The flexibility, raw power, and control elements of BDW make it a true force to be reckoned with and it has the ability to survive in any environment (although you really need to watch out for Ruel-a-Tog, as it is your worst matchup) with the right sideboard and tailored maindeck. Here is the section of the article where we part ways and I wish you all good luck in your deckbuilding, good luck at your PTQs, and when you reach for a deck that you think is going to get you into first place, make sure the deck you're reaching for is Boros Deck Wins.
My name is Kijin and if you want to send me flames, criticism, money, praise, the Ark of the Covenant, 300 tons of Jell-o, your sister, or Pizza Hut coupons, you can IM me at KijinZabuza, send me an email at blindkijin (at) gmail (dot) com, or PM me on the boards.
Thanks to:
-Goblinboy for reading my article before it was done and offering me enough kind words to keep me writing
-Dell for the free 60 day trial of Paint Shop Pro, which allowed me to make all the images you see in this article
-My girlfriend, Liz, for tolerating my ceaseless hours talking about writing, deck construction, image creation, and nerdity for an article on a website she doesn't visit for a game she doesn't want to understand
-Everyone in the Gutter who I haven't told to leave; even if I spend most of the time reminding you how much better I am than you at life, you guys are awesome
-You, for reading this ridiculously long BDW primer
"Trust me- I'll make things right for you. That's what my soul is telling me to do." - Dante; Devil May Cry 3
About the author
Find articles by category, author or month. Search for articles. Browse the best of MTG Salvation.