Topic: Standard RDW, help?

Hello everyone. I was wondering if anyone could offer some advice on my standard RDW. I built this deck when Innistrad was still in standard and it worked fairly well, however since it rotated out the lack of haste seemed to really set the win rate lower.

It just seems impossible to run RDW this format, as each tournament I go to often ends up in losses to aggro and control alike. There's just so much removal that Fanatic of Mogis just doesn't seem to get the job done when I need it.

Any help? I'm guessing the sideboard at the very least could be changed.

I also haven't added anything from BNG yet. I have a few Searing Bloods I plan to put in but I don't think anything else is worth it.

http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/standard … or-theros/

For the lazy...

Total Cards: 60
21x Mountain
4x Rakdos Cackler
4x Firedrinker Satyr
3x Shock
4x Ash Zealot
4x Burning-Tree Emissary
3x Firefist Striker
3x Magma Jet
2x Mizzium Mortars
2x Lightning Strike
4x Boros Reckoner
2x Chandra's Pheonix
4x Fanatic of Mogis

Last edited by TheWaddleDeeKing (2014-02-11 16:46:11)

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Re: Standard RDW, help?

One thing I notice immediately is the inclusion of 4 Burning-Tree Emissary. I can understand that getting the free creature and 2 devotion to red is very tempting; however, I can't help but question how effective it can be, given that it generates off-color mana for you. Also, I notice that you haven't included any Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx. Is there a reason for that?

Re: Standard RDW, help?

Don't have any would be the main reason. Same with Mutavaults

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Re: Standard RDW, help?

Just a few quick thoughts:

1) Firedrinker Satyr is a total trap card.  For every time you will really make a dent on the opponent's life total with it, they will end up blowing you out with damage by just blocking or burning it.  Turning their Mizzium Mortars into an upgraded Searing Blaze/Searing Blood for them isn't really a good idea.  I get that typically RDW doesn't care much about it's life total, but if you're playing another aggro deck, it matters if they can use that exchange to out-race you.

A replacement 1-drop that would work out for you is Foundry Street Denizen - in theory you should be dropping creatures every turn, meaning it will often be pumped and can deal added damage.  Alternately you could go with Akroan Crusader in the one-spot, but then you have to toss in heroic enablers to really get some power out of him... possibly the way you have to go, but also probably not ideal.

2) You have 10 burn spells.  In some match-ups this will be epic, but in most, you're likely not drawing the sort of gas you need to finish off the opponent.  Your creature count is reduced, your devotion count is reduced, your consistency is reduced, essentially EVERYTHING is reduced by the fact you have so much burn.  I would cut it to 4-6 burn spells at most with some added pieces in the SB in the event you'd need them.

3) You're going to have to pick up the Nykthos to really make this work.  Those and probably 2x Stormbreath Dragon to serve as a high end finisher.

4) Personally, I can see where Hammer of Purphoros has a place in this deck as it allows you to play around sweepers much more effectively, ups your devotion count, and turns late game land draw into 3/3 creatures (currently larger than every creature you have in here shy of Reckoner).

5) Have you looked into cards like Dynacharge as ways to slide that last bit of damage in?  It seems gimmicky, but nobody would see it coming and it can easily turn into some considerable damage... I'm pretty much drawing straws here, but it could be worth considering if you find yourself coming up short most games.

The biggest problem is that the super-powered four-drop that was Hellrider hasn't really had a suitable replacement in straight RDW.  If you were to splash other colors you have options,  but if you intend to stay just straight red, you'll continue to struggle.  Pair that with the fact that ANY life-gain will likely take the game out of reach and, well, it's just not the best strategy at the moment.

Personally I would suggest splashing another color as the payoff really is much more than you realize.  R/G gets Xenagos (v 2.0 - God) which absolutely changes the entire dynamic of the game.  All your creatures from then out might as well have double-strike and haste (giving you two of the biggest parts of Domri's emblem without the trouble of actually getting a Domri to ultimate).  R/W gets Chained to the Rocks, arguably the most efficient removal in the entire format at the moment, along with Boros Charm, Warleader's Helix, and even Assemble the Legion for your SB to deal with those longer games.  R/B gets access to all of Rakdos' shenanigans, Dreadbore, Desecration Demon, etc etc etc.  The payoff at the moment, ironically, seems enough to push you away from the mono-colored strategies outside of mono-black and MAYBE mono-blue (which I think will be in decline now that BNG is legal).

I hope some of this is helpful.  I know it's probably not the input you wanted to hear, but RDW is just poorly suited to be consistently competitive at the moment.

Re: Standard RDW, help?

TyWooOneTime wrote:

I hope some of this is helpful.  I know it's probably not the input you wanted to hear, but RDW is just poorly suited to be consistently competitive at the moment.

Thank you for your advice. Yeah, I feel RDW just can't function by itself anymore. I've been kicking around splashing another color, but for know I might just shelve the deck as I have a WW deck that's almost done.

Out of curiosity, what color do you believe would be best? I've been kicking Rakdos as a reasonable idea as it probably has the best matchup against control (Dreadbore mostly for ruining planeswalkers, it would only be a splash I think so Hero's Downfall would be kinda meh) while retaining its good aggro matchup with cards like Spike Jester and Exava (who might be better than fanatic).

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Re: Standard RDW, help?

Realistically, I think that all the color pairings have a shot.  It's still far too early to make heads-or-tails out of what new decks will come out of BNG.

My current sense is the following:

1) Mono-Black Devotion just got the pieces it was lacking to benefit one of its worst match-ups, aggro.  As a result, there will be no shortage of MBD players out there.  That and everyone already dropped the cash to build the damned thing before BNG...

2) Mono-Blue Devotion didn't really get much in this set and, much to their dismay, actually lose ground as MBD scored some rather effective removal against them.  Whereas it was a 50/50 match-up before, I really think it's probably a 70/30 split in MBD's favor now... meaning that Mono-Blue is likely going to decline a fair degree.  It won't disappear completely, but it's going to be less of a powerhouse than it has been as of late.

3) Azorius Control also got stronger with added card draw (Ephara) and, most importantly, its scry lands.  Expect this deck to continue being competitive and it should grow to a larger portion of the meta.

4) Other fringe decks that were teetering on the edge of Tier 1 either just got the bump they needed to be Tier 1 or fell clearly down to Tier 2
     - RDW - clearly Tier 2 for the time being

     - R/W devotion - likely very low end Tier 1 or Tier 2 (it just isn't consistent enough)

     - White Weenie - likely just made the jump to clear Tier 1 (did you pre-order Brimaz at the low-low price of $25 each?)

     - R/G devotion/stomp - Xenagos, God of Revels has completely transformed this build and I envision it   
       moving up to clear Tier 1 standing

     - W/G aggro - this was a well suited deck before and now it has better mana... likely a clear Tier 1 deck

     - Orzhov humans/mid-range - both appreciate a few cards from BNG, but Drown in Sorrow really hurts
       them.  They'll likely hang around at the lower end of Tier 1, but will be less common.

     - Others?  Well, that's certainly a good question...

5) I envision some other build(s) coming out of nowhere to really put up good numbers.  Whether it's U/B control/mill, some heroic build, Conley Woods' G/B "Dredge" that he refuses to let go, or something else that comes out of left field... well... this is sort of the point of brewing


So, what's the best route to go?  I can see where R/B is well suited against a fair number of match-ups but you really have to choose whether you're going a more mid-range/control direction or aggro... sadly outside of getting access to both Anger of the Gods AND Drown in Sorrow there isn't much sense to go this route.  B/W humans aggro was a better aggro build than R/B aggro and it's not like Rakdos scored a major hit with BNG.  For the mid-range or control build, you get some added power, but MBD really just does that better.  So, outside of a few tools here or there, I don't see Rakdos dominating anytime soon.

R/W is inconsistent in how it plays.  As I heard from an opponent at GP Vancouver, you either pulled the nut draw and nothing could stop you or you didn't and you probably lost... not exactly a recipe for continued success.

R/G I think is the safest route to go, but also likely the most followed path.  Xenagos really is that good.  Things like Savageborn Hydra and Kalonian Hydra can literally end the game the turn they hit the field.  MBD only has so many instant speed removal options and the haste from Xenagos really just punishes them over and over.  Mono-blue can't deal with threats which are THAT large on a consistent basis, nevermind siding in 3x Mistcutter Hydra and pairing them with Xenagos.  You have Anger in the SB for more aggro decks and just waltz through games.

Personally, I like the idea of going full three-color either into Jund or Naya as some of the combinations are just nasty (and you have almost all the temples you need!).  Sylvan Caryatid is fun to accelerate out a T3 Desecration Demon or to pair Xenagos with said demon is fun.  Toss in Rakdos's Return and you're having a good time (don't forget Bile Blight, Drown in Sorrow, Anger of the Gods, Dreadbore, AND Hero's Downfall).  The mana might be a bit sketchy at first, but it works out well enough to be powerful.  Naya... go read Aurelia, the Warleader and then re-read Xenagos, God of Revels... yeah.  Toss in the fact you have all the temples and shocks, Anger, Chained to the Rocks, Brimaz, Smiter, Fleecemane, etc etc.

I can link you to preliminary builds I've been tinkering with in both those color combos if you like, but realistically I think you have all the pieces you need to be REALLY competitive and possibly Tier 1 with those builds.