Just a bit of housecleaning to start, here are the two previous threads on this topic: here, and here. You’ll notice the first post in the second thread is very similar to this one, as this is primarily an update and restart. I’ve tried to collect the conclusions and changes into this primer to help anyone new to burn see where the deck is currently at. But they are still available for anyone interested in reading through them.
Burn Why play burn?
So you’re looking to get into Legacy, but you don’t want to drop a lot of money in order to get in. Well you’re in luck; Burn is by far one of the easiest decks in the format to assemble. Just about all the cards in this deck are inexpensive, and few of them are even rare. The only catch is they can (sometimes) be hard to come by because they are old cards. It is also one of the easiest decks to play, and a good way to find out how other decks play. Although it may look simple enough from the get-go, the theory behind it actually runs pretty deep.
Pfft, all you do is aim for the head… right?
Well, you’re only half right. While playing the deck, this is effectively true (for the most part), but there’s a little more going on behind the scenes.
What do you mean?
Well Burn’s biggest leg up comes in the way of card advantage. I know what you’re thinking; “But burn has no card draw!” True, but that’s not exactly what I mean. Burn’s card advantage comes from depreciating the opponent’s cards. Burn runs no non-basic lands, in fact almost no permanents that aren’t basic lands. So all the opponent’s removal is useless, and simply clogs their hands and draws. Cards like: Wasteland, Swords to Plowshares, Wrath of god, and many more, the list goes on of excellent cards played throughout legacy, that simply have no affect on this deck. Aside from improving our matchup, that is.
As an added bonus; Burn, when built properly can be one of the most consistent decks in the format. It has to be. There is very little deck manipulation available to us, so burn has to be able to draw threats virtually every turn. And because of this burn is capable of winning on or by turn 5 consistently, even through speed bumps. By consistently aiming for the dome, and clearing the board with cards that still hit the opponent, we can run right through any aggro deck and beat them to the punch.
The thing to keep in mind when building a burn deck is that after the initial seven cards, you are relying entirely on the draw to keep you going. So keeping the cards that do not do damage directly to the opponents head at a minimum, is of utmost importance. Keep that in mind both when reading through this post and designing your own build. Same for the actual casting cost of cards. Keeping the mana curve low, and keeping the high cost card to a minimum, is very important. This helps to keep the curve low and the draws consistent almost regardless of what you happen to draw. Keeping in mind what you’re likely to draw, can be a big aid in deciding what to play to maximize your mana usage, and keep as efficient as possible.
I don’t mean you should know all the ratios and figures every time a card leaves your deck. But just be aware of what you’re running, and what you can expect to see. I know this is a good way to play any deck, but it can have a strong outcome on how this deck will play for you. As a general rule, I like to use a 2-cost spell on turn 2 as often as possible, as it leaves me with smaller spells to fill in any gaps. Just remember to cast instants as late as you can, more often than not on their turn. And it is always a good idea to spend your sorceries first, as by nature they’re less flexible than the rest.
What goes into the deck?
Let’s go over some of the card choices, some are more obvious than others, but still all have their place, and reasoning. I’ll even include some of the less spectacular card choices, both the cards that are actually worse, and the cards I just think are bad. Don’t worry I’ll mention which is which. I will also keep the splash cards and alternate build cards (that aren’t strictly burn cards) in a separate section. Both for ease of reading, and to clarify that they don’t really follow the proper game plan in terms of consistency.
The Mana Sources: Mountain
Like I said, obvious, but keep in mind there’s nothing here but the basics, I’ll be bringing up some alternatives later, but for now: I’ve always found this the best method, simple, and much, much harder to disrupt. And with nothing choking our mana quality, they can even be another resource when it comes to sideboarding, as I’ll go through shortly.
Barbarian Ring
Though initially the community was opposed to the inclusion of this card, testing and demonstrating have shown that having access to this make for a strong addition to the deck. Running more than 2 is strictly a player decision, if you feel you can take proper advantage of it. It is a strong card, but it can tie down your Fireblasts, as well as fall prey to wasteland.
Lotus Petal/ Simian Spirit Guide
These can be good, depending on how you play them. They can speed up your turn 1 play, but to be played even remotely well they shouldn’t. If you are using these, or the next card in our list, in your deck you are likely focusing on a balls-to-the-wind strategy. I’ll get into what I mean in a bit, but the point is you’ll want to use these to play two 2cc spells on turn 3, as opposed to two 1cc spells on turn 1. Of the two I prefer the monkey. The Petal can improve a splash or work with an artifact based strategy, but for a straight to the head ideal, the monkey lets you hide mana. And that can be the difference between resolving a spell vs daze, to flat out catching the opponent unawares. Plus in an incredibly poor situation it even doubles as a beater.
Bloodstained Mire/ Wooded Foothills
This is another option that falls mainly to preference, although it can still have an effect on the outcome of the game. The advantage to Fetch lands is they thin your deck, giving you a better chance to draw into more burn (keep in mind statistically for this to work properly you need to be running 6-8). And due to the numbers required to run them properly the life loss can actually have an effect on the game. Another thing to keep in mind is that they open you up to some forms of disruption that the opponent was otherwise unable to use (for example stifle, or mainboard pithing needles).
The Creatures: (something to keep in mind is that decks of this style with plenty of creatures tend to fall under the heading of Sligh decks, and not the pure burn we’re talking about.) Mogg Fanatic
One of the only creature truly worth running in this archetype. Seriously. He does guaranteed damage, and more often than not will provide you with a 2 for 1 trade; killing an enemy creature, or just blocking, and still getting damage through. And though it has become less relevant it is guaranteed to kill a lackey on table. Plus throwing him in the path of an oncoming Tarmogoyf, and still dealing damage to the dome is far too much fun.
Keldon Marauders
This is the only other creatures that continuously sees play in burn. Much like the fanatic it is guaranteed to deal damage, and more often than not it will deal 2 to the dome, and kill or block a bigger creature, and that’s at worst case scenario, best is a 2 cost 5 damage spell, against which there are really no complaints. When building your list, it’s really just a matter of numbers between this and fanatic, depending on your preference. Of late the trend has fallen more towards the marauders than fanatics, as they provide a better cost to damage ratio.
Hellspark Elemental
A new contender for the creature slots in this deck, he has been seeing some paly of late, as his unearth ability effectively gives him flashback, and who wouldn't want an Incinerate with flashback at the same cost. Only downside is he suffers from similar problems to Spark Elemental (below), as later in the game it's less likely he'll get through, and top decking into blockers is no fun.
Grim Lavamancer
In the past this was usually one of the most contested cards in terms of burn creatures. And it is a strong card, but it simply does not belong in this deck
Don’t get me wrong he’s a great creature, just not in this deck. Putting resources into something that won’t deal damage immediately, and may never, just isn’t worth it in this deck. If you are looking to put him in a deck, look to sligh.
Spark Elemental
Really should never be played in this deck. Yes it looks tempting, but it’s just not good enough. It looks like a lightning bolt on paper, but in all reality, lightning bolt can’t be blocked. Consider it an equivalent to lava spike, without the guaranteed damage.
Ball Lightning
Bigger Spark Elemental, but the same reasoning applies. It does swing for more, and can actually kill that blocking Goyf. But it still stands little chance of connecting flat out with the opponent. This could easily cost you 3 mana for absolutely no effect, other than relieving the opponent of removal they couldn’t otherwise use.
The Burn The Good Stuff: (these are cards that should be considered almost regardless of build. Most of these should never be dropped from a burn list for any reason.) Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, Rift Bolt, Lava Spike
If you change anything in this deck it should not be these. Without a suite of cheap burn this deck does not perform, and nothing beats out these four cards in that category. And yes lava spike is bad. There I said it. But there’s nothing to be done, it does what we need it to, and that’s that.
Price of Progress
It can cause some serious damage to an unsuspecting, or otherwise helpless opponent. This choice is the most meta dependant of the lot, as it really depends what you may or not be playing against. But in any developed metagame you can usually count on this for at least 4 damage if not upwards of 8, all on its own. Unless your meta is extremely evolved, I wouldn’t consider this a 4 of main board. Try 2-3 mainboard with the excess in the side.
Fireblast
An auto include in any burn deck, it does four damage… for free… not too much needs to or should be said about this card. It is just simply good.
The Usual Suspects: (Cards that are often included, but are more contested than the previous group.) Magma Jet
This is true quality burn, true it has the least potential for damage, but being able to control your draws in this deck is priceless. Typically aimed at threatening creatures due to it’s lower damage count. This is another card I would highly recommend unless you are going for a combo burn win. Where you don't feel the loss of damage is worth the card quality fixing.
Fork
This is likely the most up for debate choice in here. They add an extra amount of chance, as they can be a terrible top deck, but they can double back most anything cast at you, and have incredible synergy with Fireblast. I recommend not exceeding 2 if including in a build. Excluding drawing it on the topdeck, at best it meshes perfectly with fireblast or a later game Price of Progress, and at worst it’s an incinerate. Still the risk involved can be more than people care to work with.
Incinerate
This is a great little card both for competitive lists and anyone building with budget in mind. This is the usual benchmark for 2 cost burn spells. It’s an instant speed 2 for 3 damage spell, with some extra influence added to it in the form of “cannot be regenerated”. One thing to keep in mind when deciding on burn spells for a deck, is how flexible the card is. Instant speed > than sorcery, without fail, so there is absolutely no reason to run a card like Volcanic Hammer over this one.
Chain of PlasmaAnother quality instant speed 2 cc, 3 damage spell. It's generally worse than incinerate, missing the non-regenerative clause, but it can still be useful. Could easily be run in place of Magma Jet in a dek that needs all the damage it can pump out.
Flame Rift
A card I’ve never felt the need to run, but should always be considered. Two mana for 4 damage, is nothing to scoff at, and it can just about replace fork for what it does. As the best use of fork will always be to use the 2 mana you slip into your pool when playing a Fireblast. The thing to keep in mind is the symmetrical aspect of the card. The reason it is not in the above section. No matter how strong this card is the 4 damage you deal yourself, can lose you games against quick aggro like Goblins.
Browbeat
Punisher cards without drawbacks are always a wonderful thing. That’s not strictly true, but for the most part this card might as well read: If your opponent is above 12 life deal 5 damage, to him or her, otherwise draw 3 cards. And drawing into more burn is always nice. The exception of course is combo, as they will always prefer you to draw cards then deal damage immediately, prolonging their chances of winning. Again, wouldn’t recommend a full set, as it is still up in the air how it will work.
Board-Sweepers: (For anyone not running the strictly speed gambit, these can be important inclusions.) Rolling Earthquake
If you are willing to shell out the money for them these can be one of the most effective board sweepers around, variable damage, that hits all creatures and players. Nice and flexible, but these can be extremely hard to come by, and in terms of effect, unless you already have them they probably aren’t worth getting just for this deck. Like most of these the damage is symmetrical, but the advantage here is that in addition to sweeping the board we get to continue dealing damage to the opponent. This helps to maintain our overall strategy.
Earthquake
Cheaper and easier to come by, these can be strong cards, the problem is it can’t hit flyers. Which really isn’t the biggest detriment, but in terms of decks like Faerie Stompy or Counter Sliver, it can be relevant.
Flamebreak
This is the sweeper I and most find themselves using as it works similarly to Earthquake in that it can’t hit flyers, but is generally cheap to acquire. The real bonus with Flamebreak is that it maximizes damage to cost, while still dealing damage to the opponent. Plus it rounds out the curve of any deck pretty nicely.
Volcanic Fallout
The newest addition to the arsenal of sweepers, doesn't have the damage that Flamebreak has, or the versatility of quakes. But what it lacks in range it makes up for in consistency. Instant speed sweeping is nice to have access to, and uncounterable means it gets extra mileage against decks like Merfolk, or Landstill.
Cave-In
Is a card under a certain amount of contention for the board sweeper slot as it has the free spell thing going for it much like Fireblast. This can be a strong advantage in that you can cast it while still playing out other burn spells. The problem (rather my problem) with it is that it does so at the cost of damage potential, both in the amount it deals, and in the card lost to cast it. Not to mention drawing it off the top with nothing in hand just sucks.
Some Less likely choices: (that still work their way into some builds. Warranted or not.) Shard Volley
One of the more recent additions to the roster, this one brought up some interest as it seemed to give us bolts 17-20. Unfortunately, despite it's instant speed status the cost of an additional land lost can be very prohibitive. Those that still run this card tend to only run 2, in order to get a couple extra bolts in, while mitigating the possible lost lands. One advantage this has is that unlike Fireblast, you can sacrifice any land to this, so no need to worry about the inclusion of Barbarian Ring.
Scent of Cinder
Looks good on paper, but in practice ends up as a terrible topdeck. Unfortunately not consistent enough for most decks.
Flames of the Bloodhand
The damage prevention clause of this card is the real push for it. Otherwise standard three casting cost 4 damage spell.
Flame Javelin
This is the other card that usually takes top billing for 3 for 4 damage spells. As that is exactly what it is. Instant speed and hits critters and players. It also has an effective CMC of 6 making it hard to stop with Counterbalance or Chalice. Char
Not a bad card at instant speed, but in terms of usefulness the majority of the other 3 for 4 damage cards just beat it out in terms of effect or efficiency.
Pulse of the Forge
Again, looks good on paper. But getting the most use out of it requires you to be behind on the life count, at which point you're likely losing the game anyways.
Shrapnel Blast
Needs to be built around. And requires an artifact in play to be effective work.
Cursed Scroll
Cheap to play, and provides recursive damage. But not immediately, and may not always perform to expectations, depending on draws. Also vulnerable to removal.
Ankh of Mishra
Recursive damage based on the opponent playing lands (pretty standard plays…). But again easily removed, and does not deal damage immediately. This is mainly a hold-over from the very first burn lists. It may be worth looking into again, depending on the sorts of decks that start coming out.
Mishra’s Bauble / Urza’s Bauble
Used to reduce the overall card count of the deck. Can also be used to flesh out an artifact build. The new Street Wraith might be a better option now, if we feel the life loss is acceptable.
And more, to be added as pointed out, this section is not as important as the rest and deserves considerably less attention. Except to say these are not recommended venues.
Some Sideboard Options: Tormod’s Crypt
The ever present, and ever handy solve-all for any deck to combat graveyard abusive decks. Crypt can be a boon to any sideboard but much like everything else here, it is meta dependant, and up to the player. Of late Relic of Progenitus has become a more common sideboard option, as it clears out both yards against the threat of Tarmogoyf.
Red Elemental Blast / Pyroblast
Counter blue spells at a very low cost. Well worth running 4 of in the board, helps against most any deck involving blue.
Pithing Needle
Should be in every burn sideboard, when factoring for the cost of building this deck, it’s recommended you include 4 of this card in the total cost. Needle can be useful to shut out most anything that could hamper you or slow you down. Anything from CoP: Red, to Aether Vials, to Survival of the Fittest, and many others. It can even be used to shut out fetchlands and the like in decks that heavily rely on them.
Shattering Spree
Can be an important card in the right meta, as it can be played through Chalice of the Void, Trinisphere, Counterbalance, and can take out many important artifacts at once, or make multiple copies in order to ensure removing a particular one, for example Phyrexian Dreadnought.
Smash to Smithereens
Another option for taking out artifacts that still continues through on our main strategy. This can be a strong option when you only need to take out one artifact at a time, it just doesn't have the same flexibility as Shattering Spree.
Anarchy
One of the few red cards that can actually solve the problem of Circle of Protection: Red. Same goes for Pro Red creatures or cards like Solitary confinement. It is unfortunately expensive (casting cost), so should really come into consideration in white heavy metas. But it can’t hurt to be prepared…
Pyrostatic Pillar
Combo-killer, of sorts. Greatly improves your chances against combo decks once it’s in play. They have to deal with it before they can continue comboing, and that can set them back enough to help you win. Both in terms of life total, or in terms of the turn clock.
Price of Progress
If you aren’t mainboarding them, or aren’t running a full set mainboard, it can help to flush them out in the sideboard. They really can turn some games around.
Sulfuric Vortex
Was originally in the board to shut out Ravenous Baloth recursion in RGSA. But can still come in handy against different decks. This is more of a meta decision though.
Blood Moon
Turns off non-basics and can win games by itself. However it doesn’t really fit the goal of the deck otherwise. Again really a meta choice, but will often get cut for more useful cards.
Splash Kits: ( to help build splash variants, keep in mind that while adding the advantage of a second colour, you are diluting the deck and opening yourself up to wasteland hate and the like. It’s up to the deck builder to decide whether or not it is worth it.)
The standard of 4x R/x Dual land, and 4-8x Fetch land, applies to each of these.
R/W:
Probably the best, and most usual choice when splashing. Even if it seemingly provides little, access to enchantment removal is an incredible gain. The list is small, and really doesn’t look like much, but it’s a simple change, and doesn’t leave you too vulnerable or to any real change in tempo. If you are looking for a stronger splash than this, I’d recommend Grunt Burn, or Boros, which also pull in creatures like Jotun Grunt for a play style closer to Sligh.
R/U:
The Second best choice for different reasons. There are r/u burn spells, but none can really compare or replace a mono red card like Lightning Helix can. The blue splash can come into effect in the area of card draw. My recommended blue splash would simply be:
R/B:
Not a great choice, there is nothing in black for damage dealing, at least nothing that improves this deck. The advantage to black comes in with the sideboard. Though most of the options can be solved through artifacts, or through a different, more effective splash.
R/G:
There is virtually nothing to be gained by this splash. It provides the same sideboard options that white does, but without the mainboard option of useful burn. For a strong splash, that strays from the general burn plan I’d recommend Goyf Sligh.
Ok so what do I do?
Playing the deck is a relatively simple process. You start by aiming for the head. Then you aim for the head some more. That’s not really the whole of it, the important part is what to play when. There aren’t a lot of options throughout the deck, just a couple of things to keep in mind. Most of it is simple common sense. Things ike pointing cards that do less damage towards creatures, rather than higher damage cards.
Play cards as late as you can, this is just about a standard for magic, but it is especially true for this deck. Wait to see what the opponent has played on their turn before deciding your card play. And when deciding on what to play for 1 drops the order of priority (from least versatile to most, and therefore what should be played out first) is: Mogg Fanatic, Rift Bolt, Lava Spike, Chain Lightning, Lightning Bolt.
Lightning bolt should just about never be played on your turn, as it is the most versatile card of the lot, and the only instant. Rift bolt comes in before lava spike simply because in order to get the best use of its 1 turn wait it needs to be down as soon as possible.
Decklists:
Just a couple of the lists you’re likely to see floating around.
This is the list I personally run. I find it to be the most balanced, keeping the ability to win turn 3-5, and keep the board sweeps in. I’ll be using this build for the comparisons, as it is the most average of the lot.
I’ve included the board I use, but it is hard to gauge what the expected board for any other list would be. The board for Burn as much as any other deck is dependant on meta, and is really up to the pilot.
This is one of the other primary builds, you throw the boardsweeps, and flexible cards like Fanatic and Magma Jet. And opt for one single strategy, aim for the opponent’s head. This deck aims to increase it’s chances of winning on turn 3-4. It doesn’t have the same breadth of stability as other builds, instead looking to increases its consistency.
Typical artifact splash, mainly needs to splash enough dual purpose artifacts to fuel shrapnel blast. And still keep the game plan similar enough to run as usual. The problem with all artifact builds is that they run artifacts… This typically means you are relying on board based damage, and requires running permanents and lands that are more susceptible to removal.
I’m including this because it’s close enough. Just keep in mind it does play differently. You’re running with threats off the board, as much as in hand so it doesn’t have the same advantages as Burn, but it has the added bonus of reusable damage.
The Matchups
Ah the fun part, here’s where I have the greatest potential to overhype this deck! I kid of course, any problems with these will likely be fixed before I actually post this onto the forums. But until I’m told otherwise, here are the matchups as I’ve always seen them, and played them.
You’ll notice I drop lands when sideboarding. This is simply my way of doing things, it’s relatively unorthodox, and not something to consider unless you’re comfortable with it. And you should only do this when reducing the mean casting cost of the deck.
Goblins
(Slightly favorable)
Both decks are equally fast, but being able to reset the goblin meter, or kill off any especially threatening goblin (Lackey, Piledriver; I’m lookin’ at you…) with virtually any card in the deck really helps Burn ride this one out. The biggest problems come from being shut down by Rishadan Port with an active Aether Vial on the table.
Sideboard gives us Pithing Needle for whatever we find most threatening, or just block access to their Fetch land of choice (only if you’re really sure of what you’re doing.
Goblin splash variants don’t change the numbers too much, they may have access to more specialized sideboard options, but mainboard Swords to Plowshares in white, or Warren Weirding in black are even more useless than gempalms vs Burn. And Green changes virtually nothing, just don’t board in needle against it.
-3 Browbeat -1 Land, +4 Pithing Needle (if need be)
Threshold
UGR (Slightly unfavorable ) UGW ( Slightly less un-favorable)
In the UGR Match we run into some problems, there are very few dead cards for them in this match, their removal can still be used on you. UGW is better with StP and the like slowing their draws. Don’t even try to kill a Tarmogoyf, it’s not worth it, use Fanatics to block and plink away. Go for the win at the end of their turn, and only with a back up of more burn on your turn.In both matches Price of Progress is your friend. The longer this game goes the better this card gets.
If you’re seeing an abundance of counters, then REB can always come in. From the board, the fourth Price of Progress can come in over a Browbeat. It will easily outshine anything else already in the deck in this matchup.
Team America
(Favourable)
Burn was originally popularized to beat Landstill due to their high number of creature based removal cards and limited threats. This is the role that Team America has more or less fallen into, and as such we have a reasonably strong game against them. Their land disruption suite is limited against us as we don’t have fetch lands or any real non-basics, and they’re removal serves them little to no purpose. The only thing to watch for is keeping a land light hand as they still have access to Sinkhole, and our land is by nature limited in and of itself. Their threats are limited to a couple creatures and both rely on the graveyard. If you strongly fear this deck sideboarding Relic of Progenitus is probably your best bet.
From the board we have a couple things that come in handy, REB’s help vs their permission suite, Pithing Needle can hit their fetchlands, and Pyrostatic Pillar or Sulfuric Vortex can both put them onto a reasonable clock and keep the pressure on them.
Landstill
(Very Favorable) W/Counter-Top (Unfavorable) w/R (Slightly favorable)
A re-emergence of Landstill would cause me the greatest amount of joy. Unless the deck to com out of it was the Counterbalance + Sensei’s Divining Top Build. The difference is so great it’s frightening. If playing against countertop, Do what you can to twist the counters, sacrifice bolts to land bigger cards. It’s still an absolute pain. Against regular old landstill, you’re so much better off it’s not even funny. Landstill is slow, and can do very little to you. A Standstill in play actually works in your favor. Remember those dead cards I was talking about? Well while they are drawing into them you are setting up your hand with quality burn and still playing lands. You can play far more spells at once than they can, and with plenty of lands and a full hand, you can pop the standstill and begin burning through the end of their turn and straight into yours. They only have so much mana available and so many counterspells. UR is better for them, but you’ve still got the advantage in quantity.
Sideboarding Red Elemental Blast and Pithing Needle are both good options. Against countertop both are necessary just to try and compete. Price of Progress helps with this one too, your best bet is -3x Flamebreak -2x Earthquake -2x Fork -1 Land, +4 REB +4 Pithing Needle. Against a regular build don’t worry about the needle unless you desperately feel you need to block out the manlands.
Dreadstill
(Even, though more testing would be helpful)
This can be an interesting match, as it relies heavily on their access to and use of Counterbalance. This can make it tough to play much of anything, the faster you can play out cards the better off you’ll be. On top of that there’s the primary threat of Dreadnought to worry about. They do however have very few basics in their decks so baiting counters to allow a Price of progress through can be a big swing. Much like any other Landstill match a Standstill in play is actually in your favour (unless there’s a nought on the table). Use it to your advantage, and stockpile for the win.
From the board you have a couple options, you can bring in REB’s to serve as a counterspell for their stifles or counterbalances, and Shattering Spree to deal with nought. Pithing Needle can also be an aid in hitting their fetchlands or SDT’s.
Solidarity
(Highly Unfavorable, but this match, more than any, is very player dependant.)
The numbers there are rough, against someone who really know what they are doing with solidarity you stand little chance. Burn can play with the stack, but a proper solidarity player will manipulate you in circles. Try and run out your sorceries as quickly as possible to leave you the most options to try and win. If you can get them into the threatening zone (7 or less life), where a bolt + fireblast can finish them, you can try to bait them with soreries, but keep in mind if they go off during your upkeep and don’t force the card draw you can conceivably burn them after they’ve done their thing, but this is by no means a good matchup.
After board we’ve got REB and Pyrostatic Pillar (-3 price of progress – 3 Browbeat -2 Earthquake), just don’t rely to much on the pillar, though if you can get them low enough it can conceivably shut them out. Remember they can bounce it from the board off a wish. But this can also be a good opportunity to trump them on the stack, burning in response to the bounce. Against a skilled opponent this isn’t spectacular, but any less developed player can get caught by this. In a meta where this is prevalent, Sirocco is probably your best bet as a side board card. It backed by an REB can end the game by itself.
Mono Black or Black/X
(Favorable, the bigger the splash, the better the match.)
I know the numbers there look odd, considering how badly discard can hamper this deck, but keep in mind that on average their creatures will be coming across for less than you will be dishing out. It’s important to empty your hand as quickly as possible, just to get everything you can in before the discard hits. Which will be soon, but playing out discard lightens their hand as well. And we recover faster. Outside of Green splash for Goyf, their creatures will always be small enough to be unthreatening.
No board is really required for this match up, nor is there really anything available for this.
Stax and Angel Stax
(Unfavorable), Angel Stax (Worse).
This one is not fun. They won’t win quickly, and unless you do, the game may not end for a while. Your best bet is to try and win quickly, which may or may not be resolved off the draw. Depending on their start you might be able to squeak out a win quickly. If you don’t, you can always allow yourself to be slow rolled in the hopes of hitting some sort of mistake. Chalice of the Void, and Trinisphere are the cards in here that will really hurt you.
Angel Stax just gets worse with the inclusion of Exalted Angels. Through them they can entirely shut you out of the game regardless of any mistakes they may or may not make.
Sideboard doesn’t offer up much, my suggestion is that if these decks are very prevalent in your meta sideboard something like Shattering Spree. Null Rod and Kill Switch the usual suspects don’t really offer up enough, and Shattering Spree can get around Chalice.
Dragon Stompy
(Favourable)
This one is highly dependant on what they draw, Trinisphere and Chalice of the Void both ruin us, but by the same token the other half of their turn 1 plays, Blood Moon, and Magus of the Moon, simply don’t do anything to us. Arc-Slogger aside most of their creatures tend to fall into burn range pretty easily, so if something is threatening you don’t hesitate to off it. Otherwise play out your normal game, and play smart, hit the head, and burn anything that will kill you before you can them. Also their Ancient Tombs are going to help you out a lot along the way, easily hitting them for 4 damage a game.
Out of the board you’ve got access to Shattering Spree, which is going to be by far one of your best tools in the match.
What’s Next for Burn?
This is really up to the players, and the designers in what they give us. We’ll keep our eyes out for faster, more efficient burn. And continue to filter through the available options for cards we can use or abuse.
Alara Reborn
As the entire set is multi-coloured, there really isn't much of use to us. On top of that the quality of burn, even for splash builds is fairly limited, so I don't expect it too make too much of an impact for us.
Anyways…
That's it for now. I will be keeping a close eye on the thread, regardless of posts, I will gladly change anything I've got wrong, or have forgotten. And any help or comments are welcome and appreciated. Thanks for reading, I hope you've enjoyed it.
~ Matt Lehoux
Currently Running Legacy: Burn; Various Stompy's; Food Chain Goblins; FC Elves Standard: Junk Super Friends, Elf-Wave Elder Dragon Highlander: Animar, Skithiryx, Bosh, Konda, Wort, Ezuri, Patron of the Moon
Looks like a good primer, same as last time. The only major issue I noticed was Grim Lavamancer being spelled incorrectly.
I may be able to get some more experience against Dreadstill if I get a chance to play some games against my friend who runs it. From my experience, you tend to lose to Counterbalance + Top if they land it. Shattering spree helps take out Dreadnaught, but generally they can stop all 1 drops with Counterbalance, and have good luck stopping 2 and 3 drops. The best you can hope for is stopping Counterbalance with REB/Pyroblast or stopping Top with Pithing Needle and then Shattering Spree on their Dreadnaughts. I haven't spent enough time tinkering with my board options to figure out the best combination, and I also didn't have a full set of Pithing Needles to use.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
MTG Rules Advisor
I currently play only two formats, what I play in them is:
Legacy: Domain Zoo, RGW Zoo, Merfolk, Solidarity, Mono Black Aggro
EDH: Kagemaro, First to Suffer
Honestly, I've never really felt the need to run it, compared to the versatility with Shattering spree in dealing with Chalice of the Void and Trinisphere. And with them being the only really dangerous artifacts for us, it just fit's better to board something that combats them, and can still deal with other artifacts that might pop up.
It certainly has it's merits though, so I'll get on adding that in momentarily.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I edit after I post... just a heads up.
Currently Running Legacy: Burn; Various Stompy's; Food Chain Goblins; FC Elves Standard: Junk Super Friends, Elf-Wave Elder Dragon Highlander: Animar, Skithiryx, Bosh, Konda, Wort, Ezuri, Patron of the Moon
I notice you don't make any mention of Volcanic Fallout in the list of sweepers? Wouldn't it be a good idea in the updated information to make mention of the instant speed uncounterable pyroclasm?
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"As the size of an explosion increases, the number of social situations it is incapable of solving approaches zero." -- Varsuvius, Order of the Stick
I notice you don't make any mention of Volcanic Fallout in the list of sweepers? Wouldn't it be a good idea in the updated information to make mention of the instant speed uncounterable pyroclasm?
It's at the bottom under Conflux. I personally think if Faeries tribal start getting play in your meta it would be a great way to kill off all of them without them being able to stop it. It is the sort of card that is meta dependent on being better or worse then Flamebreak in my opinion. I have no faerie decks being played here at college, but over the summer I may have a chance to run into them and try it out.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
MTG Rules Advisor
I currently play only two formats, what I play in them is:
Legacy: Domain Zoo, RGW Zoo, Merfolk, Solidarity, Mono Black Aggro
EDH: Kagemaro, First to Suffer
I mean, hell, we're all on a forum for something that most people would describe as a "children's card game"...do what makes you happy. You are never too old to enjoy yourself.
Great work on the primer Eseph! Would it be worth touching on how to determine when You are the Control deck or the Beatdown deck? A lot of newer players I've seen with burn seem to struggle with this concept and with things like knowing which creatures to burn and when.
I think the main reason is that with Fireblast you already have a lot of cards requiring land to be sacrificed in the deck, and you don't want to run too many lands in burn, or draw into them.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
MTG Rules Advisor
I currently play only two formats, what I play in them is:
Legacy: Domain Zoo, RGW Zoo, Merfolk, Solidarity, Mono Black Aggro
EDH: Kagemaro, First to Suffer
Well thanks! Though this really is just a retool of the previous thread, updated and fixed up a bit. I've added in Smash to Smithereens and Shard Volley to the post, I'd meant to add Shard Volley, but just forgot about it. The real problem with it is that you just can't get away with more than 2 of them, not without increasing the number of lands, which really isn't much of an option. Also playing too many cards like it or Fireblast too early can worsen your draws down the road, which is why Fireblast tends to end up as a finisher.
@Davidboan, explaining who's the beatdown would probably be a pretty good step to include. It can be a little confusing if you're unfamiliar with the deck or the format. I'll get on building something to include. If anyone else thinks of anything that needs including/adding/fixing let me know and I'll do what I can.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I edit after I post... just a heads up.
Currently Running Legacy: Burn; Various Stompy's; Food Chain Goblins; FC Elves Standard: Junk Super Friends, Elf-Wave Elder Dragon Highlander: Animar, Skithiryx, Bosh, Konda, Wort, Ezuri, Patron of the Moon
I've been reading these Burn threads for quite awhile now...just finally got around to registering here (I still don't know why I ever bothered with Wizards/gleemax boards...)!!! Eseph, thanks a bunch for updating this thread again, the older two threads are packed with info!
I am going to a GPT in a few weeks and I want to take Burn!
Here is the decklist I am currently playing with, comments and suggestions appreciated:
Shusher's are in question in the SB...maybe thinking -2 Shushers, +1 Shattering Spree, +1 PoP...so I can use four if I need em'. Shusher's do look real nice against CounterTop though...I have yet to test them out though.
Sulfuric Vortex is another card I am still toying around with too. Not sure though, I only like to view it as a visual clock to the virtual clock that I am already on. Like a Flame Rift (which I don't like) that keeps on giving.
The 2 main deck StS is vs. Chalice for one in the first game. The fact that it is at Instant speed and does damage is almost too good to pass up maindeck; if your meta has lots of artifacts floating around. Also it is a nice kill against a Mishra's Factory.
Has anybody talked about Nevinyrral's Disk for the Sideboard, instead of things like Anarchy or Pithing Needle? It blows up all those pesky enchantments that Blue and/or White sometimes throw at us!?!? It is real slow though...
Disk is just so damn slow for Burn... it costs 4 to play which can be difficult when most builds play 18-19 mountains in them. Then you have to wait on your next turn to Disk the board which means you can't do anything until turn 5. Anarchy can wipe out relevant cards by turn 4 which is one turn faster than Disk... that really is pretty big.
I like the call of some maindeck StS... Chalice completely rapes Burn and you're also boned against 3sphere. Blowing up Vials, Factories, Dreadnought, Moxes, Jitte, etc. seems pretty good to me.
I've been contemplating running 2x Smash to Smithereens main-deck, to deal with chalice at 1, jitte, and all manner of threats. I'm finding that every deck seems to have at least one terribly annoying artifact that I want to kill, so I don't think they'll be dead draws.
I still think it's worthwhile to run Shattering spree in the board as a more 'real' solution to chalice, as well as affinity, etc.
Shattering Spree is definately boss against artifact heavy decks; its just that StS gives you some outs against many troublesome artifacts for game 1 especially Chalice and 3sphere.
I like the idea of mainboard Smash to Smithereens, especially as a niche 2 of, I just don't know what I would drop for them. In terms of variable utility the closest card to replace would be Price of Progress... but I really don't think I could bring myself to do that. Plus my Meta really doesn't support any real artifact basis. But for a larger more developed tournament that could be a strong call.
I like the list Yug, there's just something about it that seems off, I think it's the large number of less dependable cards (not that that's a bad thing). Just looks as though your top deck might be a little worrisome, but with the build you've got I don't know that you'd really worry about falling into top deck mode too often. How are 8x creatures working out for you? Also how are you liking Volcanic Fallout vs Flamebreak?
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I edit after I post... just a heads up.
Currently Running Legacy: Burn; Various Stompy's; Food Chain Goblins; FC Elves Standard: Junk Super Friends, Elf-Wave Elder Dragon Highlander: Animar, Skithiryx, Bosh, Konda, Wort, Ezuri, Patron of the Moon
I like the list Yug, there's just something about it that seems off, I think it's the large number of less dependable cards (not that that's a bad thing). Just looks as though your top deck might be a little worrisome, but with the build you've got I don't know that you'd really worry about falling into top deck mode too often. How are 8x creatures working out for you? Also how are you liking Volcanic Fallout vs Flamebreak?
That's why I like this deck so much, I don't usually get to top deck mode, I've already won by the time I play my hand out (especially if I got Fireblast/PoP+Fork). The 8 crits do wonders for chumping plus plugging in those last few points of damage. They still keep the virtual card advantage too. Nobody wants to take em out unless they absolutely have too (take one damage now), and most people hate blocking mauraders, yet they hate to let it through. I tested the Street Wraith maindeck too and I didn't like it. I usually take out the Mauraders and add the Bridges when I know I am facing a crit deck. Or depending how big their crits are maybe taking out Fallout/Break and putting in the Bridges leaving in the Mauraders/Fanatics to chump/ping.
Vs. any weenie strategy the 2/2 split of Fallout/Break is tremendous. I prefer Fallout vs. Fae and Elves because of the instant speed. Against WW I like the Break because most of their stuff is pumped up a bit. The synergy with my 8 crits is there too for both those spells. I can wait on Mauraders to be almost vanished before I pop a Break. The Fallout is better in response to an alpha strike or if the opponent taps out during their turn or overextends.
Fork may be what you are considering "less dependable" but I love it. It is a maindeck counter vs. blue if I need it. It is a game ender with Fireblast or PoP. I like to save it for the Fireblast though...however I have copied some insane things my opponents have played. It is one of the worst topdecks though.
Why run Volcanic Fallout? What deck would want to counter it?
Faerie Stompy could counter it. But its not in there because of the counter clause its in the deck because it is an Instant and Flamebreak is a Sorcery. Also Flamebreak doesn't hit flying creatures, while Fallout does hit flying creatures! BIG difference. I like to view it as an instant version of Rolling Earthquake for 2 in place of X. I can't seem to ever get my hands on Rolling Earthquake so I run the Fallout's.
Well, if you really wanna run StS, why not drop fork from the deck, or if you run browbeat, drop that. Personally if I were to run StS Main, I would personally run 2 and two PoPs and move the other PoPs to the side.
Why run Volcanic Fallout? What deck would want to counter it?
Another thing to keep in mind with Volcanic Fallout, I pointed this out elsewhere too, it becomes extremely relevant vs Landstill when you can sweep their Mishra's Factory(s) on the attack through Counterbalance. It may not come up often, but it's certainly something to consider. Same goes for Bitterblossom tokens actually, though that's a little less game breaking.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I edit after I post... just a heads up.
Currently Running Legacy: Burn; Various Stompy's; Food Chain Goblins; FC Elves Standard: Junk Super Friends, Elf-Wave Elder Dragon Highlander: Animar, Skithiryx, Bosh, Konda, Wort, Ezuri, Patron of the Moon
I like to play 4 Fanatic and 4 Marauders as well. They serve as great roadblocks and deterrents against your opponent's creatures and they will burn your opponent in some way no matter what.
Currently I'm playing with Volcanic Fallout and I think the card is excellent for the deck. It fills a lot of niches into the deck that make it a card I really do like.
EDIT: I played with a couple of Merfolk and other aggro decks on MWS and Fallout is nothing short of amazing. I managed to 5-for-1 a merfolk player with Fallout for an easy win.
Surging Chaos can u post the list you are currently testing with? I too am liking Fallout more and more. Maybe even to the point of making it the only board sweeper in the deck...dunno yet. I do know that I will be using RDW in Standard again with 4 Fallout maindeck!
Another thing to keep in mind with Volcanic Fallout, I pointed this out elsewhere too, it becomes extremely relevant vs Landstill when you can sweep their Mishra's Factory(s) on the attack through Counterbalance. It may not come up often, but it's certainly something to consider. Same goes for Bitterblossom tokens actually, though that's a little less game breaking.
Yeah, I see Volcanic Fallout as a real good board sweeper vs decks that can generate hordes of creatures. Too bad we can't cast it T2 when we want to clear those damn zombie and goblin tokens.
Burn
Why play burn?
So you’re looking to get into Legacy, but you don’t want to drop a lot of money in order to get in. Well you’re in luck; Burn is by far one of the easiest decks in the format to assemble. Just about all the cards in this deck are inexpensive, and few of them are even rare. The only catch is they can (sometimes) be hard to come by because they are old cards. It is also one of the easiest decks to play, and a good way to find out how other decks play. Although it may look simple enough from the get-go, the theory behind it actually runs pretty deep.
Pfft, all you do is aim for the head… right?
Well, you’re only half right. While playing the deck, this is effectively true (for the most part), but there’s a little more going on behind the scenes.
What do you mean?
Well Burn’s biggest leg up comes in the way of card advantage. I know what you’re thinking; “But burn has no card draw!” True, but that’s not exactly what I mean. Burn’s card advantage comes from depreciating the opponent’s cards. Burn runs no non-basic lands, in fact almost no permanents that aren’t basic lands. So all the opponent’s removal is useless, and simply clogs their hands and draws. Cards like: Wasteland, Swords to Plowshares, Wrath of god, and many more, the list goes on of excellent cards played throughout legacy, that simply have no affect on this deck. Aside from improving our matchup, that is.
As an added bonus; Burn, when built properly can be one of the most consistent decks in the format. It has to be. There is very little deck manipulation available to us, so burn has to be able to draw threats virtually every turn. And because of this burn is capable of winning on or by turn 5 consistently, even through speed bumps. By consistently aiming for the dome, and clearing the board with cards that still hit the opponent, we can run right through any aggro deck and beat them to the punch.
The thing to keep in mind when building a burn deck is that after the initial seven cards, you are relying entirely on the draw to keep you going. So keeping the cards that do not do damage directly to the opponents head at a minimum, is of utmost importance. Keep that in mind both when reading through this post and designing your own build. Same for the actual casting cost of cards. Keeping the mana curve low, and keeping the high cost card to a minimum, is very important. This helps to keep the curve low and the draws consistent almost regardless of what you happen to draw. Keeping in mind what you’re likely to draw, can be a big aid in deciding what to play to maximize your mana usage, and keep as efficient as possible.
I don’t mean you should know all the ratios and figures every time a card leaves your deck. But just be aware of what you’re running, and what you can expect to see. I know this is a good way to play any deck, but it can have a strong outcome on how this deck will play for you. As a general rule, I like to use a 2-cost spell on turn 2 as often as possible, as it leaves me with smaller spells to fill in any gaps. Just remember to cast instants as late as you can, more often than not on their turn. And it is always a good idea to spend your sorceries first, as by nature they’re less flexible than the rest.
What goes into the deck?
Let’s go over some of the card choices, some are more obvious than others, but still all have their place, and reasoning. I’ll even include some of the less spectacular card choices, both the cards that are actually worse, and the cards I just think are bad. Don’t worry I’ll mention which is which. I will also keep the splash cards and alternate build cards (that aren’t strictly burn cards) in a separate section. Both for ease of reading, and to clarify that they don’t really follow the proper game plan in terms of consistency.
The Mana Sources:
Mountain
Like I said, obvious, but keep in mind there’s nothing here but the basics, I’ll be bringing up some alternatives later, but for now: I’ve always found this the best method, simple, and much, much harder to disrupt. And with nothing choking our mana quality, they can even be another resource when it comes to sideboarding, as I’ll go through shortly.
Barbarian Ring
Though initially the community was opposed to the inclusion of this card, testing and demonstrating have shown that having access to this make for a strong addition to the deck. Running more than 2 is strictly a player decision, if you feel you can take proper advantage of it. It is a strong card, but it can tie down your Fireblasts, as well as fall prey to wasteland.
Lotus Petal/ Simian Spirit Guide
These can be good, depending on how you play them. They can speed up your turn 1 play, but to be played even remotely well they shouldn’t. If you are using these, or the next card in our list, in your deck you are likely focusing on a balls-to-the-wind strategy. I’ll get into what I mean in a bit, but the point is you’ll want to use these to play two 2cc spells on turn 3, as opposed to two 1cc spells on turn 1. Of the two I prefer the monkey. The Petal can improve a splash or work with an artifact based strategy, but for a straight to the head ideal, the monkey lets you hide mana. And that can be the difference between resolving a spell vs daze, to flat out catching the opponent unawares. Plus in an incredibly poor situation it even doubles as a beater.
Bloodstained Mire/ Wooded Foothills
This is another option that falls mainly to preference, although it can still have an effect on the outcome of the game. The advantage to Fetch lands is they thin your deck, giving you a better chance to draw into more burn (keep in mind statistically for this to work properly you need to be running 6-8). And due to the numbers required to run them properly the life loss can actually have an effect on the game. Another thing to keep in mind is that they open you up to some forms of disruption that the opponent was otherwise unable to use (for example stifle, or mainboard pithing needles).
The Creatures: (something to keep in mind is that decks of this style with plenty of creatures tend to fall under the heading of Sligh decks, and not the pure burn we’re talking about.)
Mogg Fanatic
One of the only creature truly worth running in this archetype. Seriously. He does guaranteed damage, and more often than not will provide you with a 2 for 1 trade; killing an enemy creature, or just blocking, and still getting damage through. And though it has become less relevant it is guaranteed to kill a lackey on table. Plus throwing him in the path of an oncoming Tarmogoyf, and still dealing damage to the dome is far too much fun.
Keldon Marauders
This is the only other creatures that continuously sees play in burn. Much like the fanatic it is guaranteed to deal damage, and more often than not it will deal 2 to the dome, and kill or block a bigger creature, and that’s at worst case scenario, best is a 2 cost 5 damage spell, against which there are really no complaints. When building your list, it’s really just a matter of numbers between this and fanatic, depending on your preference. Of late the trend has fallen more towards the marauders than fanatics, as they provide a better cost to damage ratio.
Hellspark Elemental
A new contender for the creature slots in this deck, he has been seeing some paly of late, as his unearth ability effectively gives him flashback, and who wouldn't want an Incinerate with flashback at the same cost. Only downside is he suffers from similar problems to Spark Elemental (below), as later in the game it's less likely he'll get through, and top decking into blockers is no fun.
Grim Lavamancer
In the past this was usually one of the most contested cards in terms of burn creatures. And it is a strong card, but it simply does not belong in this deck
Don’t get me wrong he’s a great creature, just not in this deck. Putting resources into something that won’t deal damage immediately, and may never, just isn’t worth it in this deck. If you are looking to put him in a deck, look to sligh.
Spark Elemental
Really should never be played in this deck. Yes it looks tempting, but it’s just not good enough. It looks like a lightning bolt on paper, but in all reality, lightning bolt can’t be blocked. Consider it an equivalent to lava spike, without the guaranteed damage.
Ball Lightning
Bigger Spark Elemental, but the same reasoning applies. It does swing for more, and can actually kill that blocking Goyf. But it still stands little chance of connecting flat out with the opponent. This could easily cost you 3 mana for absolutely no effect, other than relieving the opponent of removal they couldn’t otherwise use.
The Burn
The Good Stuff: (these are cards that should be considered almost regardless of build. Most of these should never be dropped from a burn list for any reason.)
Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, Rift Bolt, Lava Spike
If you change anything in this deck it should not be these. Without a suite of cheap burn this deck does not perform, and nothing beats out these four cards in that category. And yes lava spike is bad. There I said it. But there’s nothing to be done, it does what we need it to, and that’s that.
Price of Progress
It can cause some serious damage to an unsuspecting, or otherwise helpless opponent. This choice is the most meta dependant of the lot, as it really depends what you may or not be playing against. But in any developed metagame you can usually count on this for at least 4 damage if not upwards of 8, all on its own. Unless your meta is extremely evolved, I wouldn’t consider this a 4 of main board. Try 2-3 mainboard with the excess in the side.
Fireblast
An auto include in any burn deck, it does four damage… for free… not too much needs to or should be said about this card. It is just simply good.
The Usual Suspects: (Cards that are often included, but are more contested than the previous group.)
Magma Jet
This is true quality burn, true it has the least potential for damage, but being able to control your draws in this deck is priceless. Typically aimed at threatening creatures due to it’s lower damage count. This is another card I would highly recommend unless you are going for a combo burn win. Where you don't feel the loss of damage is worth the card quality fixing.
Fork
This is likely the most up for debate choice in here. They add an extra amount of chance, as they can be a terrible top deck, but they can double back most anything cast at you, and have incredible synergy with Fireblast. I recommend not exceeding 2 if including in a build. Excluding drawing it on the topdeck, at best it meshes perfectly with fireblast or a later game Price of Progress, and at worst it’s an incinerate. Still the risk involved can be more than people care to work with.
Incinerate
This is a great little card both for competitive lists and anyone building with budget in mind. This is the usual benchmark for 2 cost burn spells. It’s an instant speed 2 for 3 damage spell, with some extra influence added to it in the form of “cannot be regenerated”. One thing to keep in mind when deciding on burn spells for a deck, is how flexible the card is. Instant speed > than sorcery, without fail, so there is absolutely no reason to run a card like Volcanic Hammer over this one.
Chain of PlasmaAnother quality instant speed 2 cc, 3 damage spell. It's generally worse than incinerate, missing the non-regenerative clause, but it can still be useful. Could easily be run in place of Magma Jet in a dek that needs all the damage it can pump out.
Flame Rift
A card I’ve never felt the need to run, but should always be considered. Two mana for 4 damage, is nothing to scoff at, and it can just about replace fork for what it does. As the best use of fork will always be to use the 2 mana you slip into your pool when playing a Fireblast. The thing to keep in mind is the symmetrical aspect of the card. The reason it is not in the above section. No matter how strong this card is the 4 damage you deal yourself, can lose you games against quick aggro like Goblins.
Browbeat
Punisher cards without drawbacks are always a wonderful thing. That’s not strictly true, but for the most part this card might as well read: If your opponent is above 12 life deal 5 damage, to him or her, otherwise draw 3 cards. And drawing into more burn is always nice. The exception of course is combo, as they will always prefer you to draw cards then deal damage immediately, prolonging their chances of winning. Again, wouldn’t recommend a full set, as it is still up in the air how it will work.
Board-Sweepers: (For anyone not running the strictly speed gambit, these can be important inclusions.)
Rolling Earthquake
If you are willing to shell out the money for them these can be one of the most effective board sweepers around, variable damage, that hits all creatures and players. Nice and flexible, but these can be extremely hard to come by, and in terms of effect, unless you already have them they probably aren’t worth getting just for this deck. Like most of these the damage is symmetrical, but the advantage here is that in addition to sweeping the board we get to continue dealing damage to the opponent. This helps to maintain our overall strategy.
Earthquake
Cheaper and easier to come by, these can be strong cards, the problem is it can’t hit flyers. Which really isn’t the biggest detriment, but in terms of decks like Faerie Stompy or Counter Sliver, it can be relevant.
Flamebreak
This is the sweeper I and most find themselves using as it works similarly to Earthquake in that it can’t hit flyers, but is generally cheap to acquire. The real bonus with Flamebreak is that it maximizes damage to cost, while still dealing damage to the opponent. Plus it rounds out the curve of any deck pretty nicely.
Volcanic Fallout
The newest addition to the arsenal of sweepers, doesn't have the damage that Flamebreak has, or the versatility of quakes. But what it lacks in range it makes up for in consistency. Instant speed sweeping is nice to have access to, and uncounterable means it gets extra mileage against decks like Merfolk, or Landstill.
Cave-In
Is a card under a certain amount of contention for the board sweeper slot as it has the free spell thing going for it much like Fireblast. This can be a strong advantage in that you can cast it while still playing out other burn spells. The problem (rather my problem) with it is that it does so at the cost of damage potential, both in the amount it deals, and in the card lost to cast it. Not to mention drawing it off the top with nothing in hand just sucks.
Some Less likely choices: (that still work their way into some builds. Warranted or not.)
Shard Volley
One of the more recent additions to the roster, this one brought up some interest as it seemed to give us bolts 17-20. Unfortunately, despite it's instant speed status the cost of an additional land lost can be very prohibitive. Those that still run this card tend to only run 2, in order to get a couple extra bolts in, while mitigating the possible lost lands. One advantage this has is that unlike Fireblast, you can sacrifice any land to this, so no need to worry about the inclusion of Barbarian Ring.
Scent of Cinder
Looks good on paper, but in practice ends up as a terrible topdeck. Unfortunately not consistent enough for most decks.
Flames of the Bloodhand
The damage prevention clause of this card is the real push for it. Otherwise standard three casting cost 4 damage spell.
Flame Javelin
This is the other card that usually takes top billing for 3 for 4 damage spells. As that is exactly what it is. Instant speed and hits critters and players. It also has an effective CMC of 6 making it hard to stop with Counterbalance or Chalice.
Char
Not a bad card at instant speed, but in terms of usefulness the majority of the other 3 for 4 damage cards just beat it out in terms of effect or efficiency.
Pulse of the Forge
Again, looks good on paper. But getting the most use out of it requires you to be behind on the life count, at which point you're likely losing the game anyways.
Shrapnel Blast
Needs to be built around. And requires an artifact in play to be
effectivework.Cursed Scroll
Cheap to play, and provides recursive damage. But not immediately, and may not always perform to expectations, depending on draws. Also vulnerable to removal.
Ankh of Mishra
Recursive damage based on the opponent playing lands (pretty standard plays…). But again easily removed, and does not deal damage immediately. This is mainly a hold-over from the very first burn lists. It may be worth looking into again, depending on the sorts of decks that start coming out.
Mishra’s Bauble / Urza’s Bauble
Used to reduce the overall card count of the deck. Can also be used to flesh out an artifact build. The new Street Wraith might be a better option now, if we feel the life loss is acceptable.
And more, to be added as pointed out, this section is not as important as the rest and deserves considerably less attention. Except to say these are not recommended venues.
Some Sideboard Options:
Tormod’s Crypt
The ever present, and ever handy solve-all for any deck to combat graveyard abusive decks. Crypt can be a boon to any sideboard but much like everything else here, it is meta dependant, and up to the player. Of late Relic of Progenitus has become a more common sideboard option, as it clears out both yards against the threat of Tarmogoyf.
Red Elemental Blast / Pyroblast
Counter blue spells at a very low cost. Well worth running 4 of in the board, helps against most any deck involving blue.
Pithing Needle
Should be in every burn sideboard, when factoring for the cost of building this deck, it’s recommended you include 4 of this card in the total cost. Needle can be useful to shut out most anything that could hamper you or slow you down. Anything from CoP: Red, to Aether Vials, to Survival of the Fittest, and many others. It can even be used to shut out fetchlands and the like in decks that heavily rely on them.
Shattering Spree
Can be an important card in the right meta, as it can be played through Chalice of the Void, Trinisphere, Counterbalance, and can take out many important artifacts at once, or make multiple copies in order to ensure removing a particular one, for example Phyrexian Dreadnought.
Smash to Smithereens
Another option for taking out artifacts that still continues through on our main strategy. This can be a strong option when you only need to take out one artifact at a time, it just doesn't have the same flexibility as Shattering Spree.
Anarchy
One of the few red cards that can actually solve the problem of Circle of Protection: Red. Same goes for Pro Red creatures or cards like Solitary confinement. It is unfortunately expensive (casting cost), so should really come into consideration in white heavy metas. But it can’t hurt to be prepared…
Pyrostatic Pillar
Combo-killer, of sorts. Greatly improves your chances against combo decks once it’s in play. They have to deal with it before they can continue comboing, and that can set them back enough to help you win. Both in terms of life total, or in terms of the turn clock.
Price of Progress
If you aren’t mainboarding them, or aren’t running a full set mainboard, it can help to flush them out in the sideboard. They really can turn some games around.
Sulfuric Vortex
Was originally in the board to shut out Ravenous Baloth recursion in RGSA. But can still come in handy against different decks. This is more of a meta decision though.
Blood Moon
Turns off non-basics and can win games by itself. However it doesn’t really fit the goal of the deck otherwise. Again really a meta choice, but will often get cut for more useful cards.
Splash Kits: ( to help build splash variants, keep in mind that while adding the advantage of a second colour, you are diluting the deck and opening yourself up to wasteland hate and the like. It’s up to the deck builder to decide whether or not it is worth it.)
The standard of 4x R/x Dual land, and 4-8x Fetch land, applies to each of these.
R/W:
Probably the best, and most usual choice when splashing. Even if it seemingly provides little, access to enchantment removal is an incredible gain. The list is small, and really doesn’t look like much, but it’s a simple change, and doesn’t leave you too vulnerable or to any real change in tempo. If you are looking for a stronger splash than this, I’d recommend Grunt Burn, or Boros, which also pull in creatures like Jotun Grunt for a play style closer to Sligh.
Mainboard:
4x Lightning Helix
Sideboard:
4x Disenchant
R/U:
The Second best choice for different reasons. There are r/u burn spells, but none can really compare or replace a mono red card like Lightning Helix can. The blue splash can come into effect in the area of card draw. My recommended blue splash would simply be:
Mainboard:
8x Fetchland
4x Brainstorm
R/B:
Not a great choice, there is nothing in black for damage dealing, at least nothing that improves this deck. The advantage to black comes in with the sideboard. Though most of the options can be solved through artifacts, or through a different, more effective splash.
Sideboard Options:
Extirpate
Leyline of the Void (note: this could be run without the splash, it's just more stable with it)
Ghostflame
R/G:
There is virtually nothing to be gained by this splash. It provides the same sideboard options that white does, but without the mainboard option of useful burn. For a strong splash, that strays from the general burn plan I’d recommend Goyf Sligh.
Ok so what do I do?
Playing the deck is a relatively simple process. You start by aiming for the head. Then you aim for the head some more. That’s not really the whole of it, the important part is what to play when. There aren’t a lot of options throughout the deck, just a couple of things to keep in mind. Most of it is simple common sense. Things ike pointing cards that do less damage towards creatures, rather than higher damage cards.
Play cards as late as you can, this is just about a standard for magic, but it is especially true for this deck. Wait to see what the opponent has played on their turn before deciding your card play. And when deciding on what to play for 1 drops the order of priority (from least versatile to most, and therefore what should be played out first) is: Mogg Fanatic, Rift Bolt, Lava Spike, Chain Lightning, Lightning Bolt.
Lightning bolt should just about never be played on your turn, as it is the most versatile card of the lot, and the only instant. Rift bolt comes in before lava spike simply because in order to get the best use of its 1 turn wait it needs to be down as soon as possible.
Decklists:
Just a couple of the lists you’re likely to see floating around.
Lands:
17x Mountain
2x Barbarian Ring
Creatures:
3x Mogg Fanatic
4x Keldon Marauders
The Rest:
4x Lighting Bolt
4x Chain Lightning
4x Lava Spike
4x Rift Bolt
4x Magma Jet
3x Price of Progress
4x Flamebreak
3x Browbeat
4x Fireblast
4x Red Elemental Blast
4x Pithing Needle
3x Pyrostatic Pillar
3x Anarchy
1x Price of Progress
This is the list I personally run. I find it to be the most balanced, keeping the ability to win turn 3-5, and keep the board sweeps in. I’ll be using this build for the comparisons, as it is the most average of the lot.
I’ve included the board I use, but it is hard to gauge what the expected board for any other list would be. The board for Burn as much as any other deck is dependant on meta, and is really up to the pilot.
Mana:
17x Mountain
4x Simian Spirit Guide
The Rest
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Chain Lightning
4x Lava Spike
4x Rift Bolt
4x Flame Rift
4x Chain of Plasma
4x Incinerate
3x Fork
4x Flames of the Bloodhand
4x Fireblast
This is one of the other primary builds, you throw the boardsweeps, and flexible cards like Fanatic and Magma Jet. And opt for one single strategy, aim for the opponent’s head. This deck aims to increase it’s chances of winning on turn 3-4. It doesn’t have the same breadth of stability as other builds, instead looking to increases its consistency.
Mana:
13x Mountain
4x Great Furnace
3x Lotus Petal
Artifacts:
4x Ankh of Mishra
2x Cursed Scroll
4x Mogg Fanatic
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Lava Spike
4x Chain Lightning
4x Magma Jet
4x Shrapnel Blast
3x Flamebreak
3x Browbeat
4x Fireblast
Typical artifact splash, mainly needs to splash enough dual purpose artifacts to fuel shrapnel blast. And still keep the game plan similar enough to run as usual. The problem with all artifact builds is that they run artifacts… This typically means you are relying on board based damage, and requires running permanents and lands that are more susceptible to removal.
Land
19x Mountain
Creatures
4x Mogg Fanatic
4x Grim Lavamancer
4x Slith Firewalker
4x Cursed Scroll
The Rest
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Chain Lightning
4x Incinerate
4x Magma Jet
3x Price of Progress
2x Browbeat
4x Fireblast
I’m including this because it’s close enough. Just keep in mind it does play differently. You’re running with threats off the board, as much as in hand so it doesn’t have the same advantages as Burn, but it has the added bonus of reusable damage.
The Matchups
Ah the fun part, here’s where I have the greatest potential to overhype this deck! I kid of course, any problems with these will likely be fixed before I actually post this onto the forums. But until I’m told otherwise, here are the matchups as I’ve always seen them, and played them.
You’ll notice I drop lands when sideboarding. This is simply my way of doing things, it’s relatively unorthodox, and not something to consider unless you’re comfortable with it. And you should only do this when reducing the mean casting cost of the deck.
Goblins
(Slightly favorable)
Both decks are equally fast, but being able to reset the goblin meter, or kill off any especially threatening goblin (Lackey, Piledriver; I’m lookin’ at you…) with virtually any card in the deck really helps Burn ride this one out. The biggest problems come from being shut down by Rishadan Port with an active Aether Vial on the table.
Sideboard gives us Pithing Needle for whatever we find most threatening, or just block access to their Fetch land of choice (only if you’re really sure of what you’re doing.
Goblin splash variants don’t change the numbers too much, they may have access to more specialized sideboard options, but mainboard Swords to Plowshares in white, or Warren Weirding in black are even more useless than gempalms vs Burn. And Green changes virtually nothing, just don’t board in needle against it.
-3 Browbeat -1 Land, +4 Pithing Needle (if need be)
Threshold
UGR (Slightly unfavorable ) UGW ( Slightly less un-favorable)
In the UGR Match we run into some problems, there are very few dead cards for them in this match, their removal can still be used on you. UGW is better with StP and the like slowing their draws. Don’t even try to kill a Tarmogoyf, it’s not worth it, use Fanatics to block and plink away. Go for the win at the end of their turn, and only with a back up of more burn on your turn.In both matches Price of Progress is your friend. The longer this game goes the better this card gets.
If you’re seeing an abundance of counters, then REB can always come in. From the board, the fourth Price of Progress can come in over a Browbeat. It will easily outshine anything else already in the deck in this matchup.
Team America
(Favourable)
Burn was originally popularized to beat Landstill due to their high number of creature based removal cards and limited threats. This is the role that Team America has more or less fallen into, and as such we have a reasonably strong game against them. Their land disruption suite is limited against us as we don’t have fetch lands or any real non-basics, and they’re removal serves them little to no purpose. The only thing to watch for is keeping a land light hand as they still have access to Sinkhole, and our land is by nature limited in and of itself. Their threats are limited to a couple creatures and both rely on the graveyard. If you strongly fear this deck sideboarding Relic of Progenitus is probably your best bet.
From the board we have a couple things that come in handy, REB’s help vs their permission suite, Pithing Needle can hit their fetchlands, and Pyrostatic Pillar or Sulfuric Vortex can both put them onto a reasonable clock and keep the pressure on them.
Landstill
(Very Favorable) W/Counter-Top (Unfavorable) w/R (Slightly favorable)
A re-emergence of Landstill would cause me the greatest amount of joy. Unless the deck to com out of it was the Counterbalance + Sensei’s Divining Top Build. The difference is so great it’s frightening. If playing against countertop, Do what you can to twist the counters, sacrifice bolts to land bigger cards. It’s still an absolute pain. Against regular old landstill, you’re so much better off it’s not even funny. Landstill is slow, and can do very little to you. A Standstill in play actually works in your favor. Remember those dead cards I was talking about? Well while they are drawing into them you are setting up your hand with quality burn and still playing lands. You can play far more spells at once than they can, and with plenty of lands and a full hand, you can pop the standstill and begin burning through the end of their turn and straight into yours. They only have so much mana available and so many counterspells. UR is better for them, but you’ve still got the advantage in quantity.
Sideboarding Red Elemental Blast and Pithing Needle are both good options. Against countertop both are necessary just to try and compete. Price of Progress helps with this one too, your best bet is -3x Flamebreak -2x Earthquake -2x Fork -1 Land, +4 REB +4 Pithing Needle. Against a regular build don’t worry about the needle unless you desperately feel you need to block out the manlands.
Dreadstill
(Even, though more testing would be helpful)
This can be an interesting match, as it relies heavily on their access to and use of Counterbalance. This can make it tough to play much of anything, the faster you can play out cards the better off you’ll be. On top of that there’s the primary threat of Dreadnought to worry about. They do however have very few basics in their decks so baiting counters to allow a Price of progress through can be a big swing. Much like any other Landstill match a Standstill in play is actually in your favour (unless there’s a nought on the table). Use it to your advantage, and stockpile for the win.
From the board you have a couple options, you can bring in REB’s to serve as a counterspell for their stifles or counterbalances, and Shattering Spree to deal with nought. Pithing Needle can also be an aid in hitting their fetchlands or SDT’s.
Solidarity
(Highly Unfavorable, but this match, more than any, is very player dependant.)
The numbers there are rough, against someone who really know what they are doing with solidarity you stand little chance. Burn can play with the stack, but a proper solidarity player will manipulate you in circles. Try and run out your sorceries as quickly as possible to leave you the most options to try and win. If you can get them into the threatening zone (7 or less life), where a bolt + fireblast can finish them, you can try to bait them with soreries, but keep in mind if they go off during your upkeep and don’t force the card draw you can conceivably burn them after they’ve done their thing, but this is by no means a good matchup.
After board we’ve got REB and Pyrostatic Pillar (-3 price of progress – 3 Browbeat -2 Earthquake), just don’t rely to much on the pillar, though if you can get them low enough it can conceivably shut them out. Remember they can bounce it from the board off a wish. But this can also be a good opportunity to trump them on the stack, burning in response to the bounce. Against a skilled opponent this isn’t spectacular, but any less developed player can get caught by this. In a meta where this is prevalent, Sirocco is probably your best bet as a side board card. It backed by an REB can end the game by itself.
Mono Black or Black/X
(Favorable, the bigger the splash, the better the match.)
I know the numbers there look odd, considering how badly discard can hamper this deck, but keep in mind that on average their creatures will be coming across for less than you will be dishing out. It’s important to empty your hand as quickly as possible, just to get everything you can in before the discard hits. Which will be soon, but playing out discard lightens their hand as well. And we recover faster. Outside of Green splash for Goyf, their creatures will always be small enough to be unthreatening.
No board is really required for this match up, nor is there really anything available for this.
Stax and Angel Stax
(Unfavorable), Angel Stax (Worse).
This one is not fun. They won’t win quickly, and unless you do, the game may not end for a while. Your best bet is to try and win quickly, which may or may not be resolved off the draw. Depending on their start you might be able to squeak out a win quickly. If you don’t, you can always allow yourself to be slow rolled in the hopes of hitting some sort of mistake. Chalice of the Void, and Trinisphere are the cards in here that will really hurt you.
Angel Stax just gets worse with the inclusion of Exalted Angels. Through them they can entirely shut you out of the game regardless of any mistakes they may or may not make.
Sideboard doesn’t offer up much, my suggestion is that if these decks are very prevalent in your meta sideboard something like Shattering Spree. Null Rod and Kill Switch the usual suspects don’t really offer up enough, and Shattering Spree can get around Chalice.
Dragon Stompy
(Favourable)
This one is highly dependant on what they draw, Trinisphere and Chalice of the Void both ruin us, but by the same token the other half of their turn 1 plays, Blood Moon, and Magus of the Moon, simply don’t do anything to us. Arc-Slogger aside most of their creatures tend to fall into burn range pretty easily, so if something is threatening you don’t hesitate to off it. Otherwise play out your normal game, and play smart, hit the head, and burn anything that will kill you before you can them. Also their Ancient Tombs are going to help you out a lot along the way, easily hitting them for 4 damage a game.
Out of the board you’ve got access to Shattering Spree, which is going to be by far one of your best tools in the match.
What’s Next for Burn?
This is really up to the players, and the designers in what they give us. We’ll keep our eyes out for faster, more efficient burn. And continue to filter through the available options for cards we can use or abuse.
Alara Reborn
As the entire set is multi-coloured, there really isn't much of use to us. On top of that the quality of burn, even for splash builds is fairly limited, so I don't expect it too make too much of an impact for us.
Anyways…
That's it for now. I will be keeping a close eye on the thread, regardless of posts, I will gladly change anything I've got wrong, or have forgotten. And any help or comments are welcome and appreciated. Thanks for reading, I hope you've enjoyed it.
~ Matt Lehoux
Currently Running
Legacy: Burn; Various Stompy's; Food Chain Goblins; FC Elves
Standard: Junk Super Friends, Elf-Wave
Elder Dragon Highlander: Animar, Skithiryx, Bosh, Konda, Wort, Ezuri, Patron of the Moon
I may be able to get some more experience against Dreadstill if I get a chance to play some games against my friend who runs it. From my experience, you tend to lose to Counterbalance + Top if they land it. Shattering spree helps take out Dreadnaught, but generally they can stop all 1 drops with Counterbalance, and have good luck stopping 2 and 3 drops. The best you can hope for is stopping Counterbalance with REB/Pyroblast or stopping Top with Pithing Needle and then Shattering Spree on their Dreadnaughts. I haven't spent enough time tinkering with my board options to figure out the best combination, and I also didn't have a full set of Pithing Needles to use.
I currently play only two formats, what I play in them is:
Legacy: Domain Zoo, RGW Zoo, Merfolk, Solidarity, Mono Black Aggro
EDH: Kagemaro, First to Suffer
Come join us in the MTGSalvation chat ||| My trade thread. ||| My Personal Modern Blog: The Fetchlands
It certainly has it's merits though, so I'll get on adding that in momentarily.
Currently Running
Legacy: Burn; Various Stompy's; Food Chain Goblins; FC Elves
Standard: Junk Super Friends, Elf-Wave
Elder Dragon Highlander: Animar, Skithiryx, Bosh, Konda, Wort, Ezuri, Patron of the Moon
It's at the bottom under Conflux. I personally think if Faeries tribal start getting play in your meta it would be a great way to kill off all of them without them being able to stop it. It is the sort of card that is meta dependent on being better or worse then Flamebreak in my opinion. I have no faerie decks being played here at college, but over the summer I may have a chance to run into them and try it out.
I currently play only two formats, what I play in them is:
Legacy: Domain Zoo, RGW Zoo, Merfolk, Solidarity, Mono Black Aggro
EDH: Kagemaro, First to Suffer
10th at SCG: Syracuse (2014), GP:NJ Last-Chance Grinder Winner (2014):: Former Legacy Mod
I currently play only two formats, what I play in them is:
Legacy: Domain Zoo, RGW Zoo, Merfolk, Solidarity, Mono Black Aggro
EDH: Kagemaro, First to Suffer
@Davidboan, explaining who's the beatdown would probably be a pretty good step to include. It can be a little confusing if you're unfamiliar with the deck or the format. I'll get on building something to include. If anyone else thinks of anything that needs including/adding/fixing let me know and I'll do what I can.
Currently Running
Legacy: Burn; Various Stompy's; Food Chain Goblins; FC Elves
Standard: Junk Super Friends, Elf-Wave
Elder Dragon Highlander: Animar, Skithiryx, Bosh, Konda, Wort, Ezuri, Patron of the Moon
I am going to a GPT in a few weeks and I want to take Burn!
Here is the decklist I am currently playing with, comments and suggestions appreciated:
18 Mountain
Creatures
4 Mogg Fanatic
4 Keldon Marauders
Spells
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
4 Rift Bolt
4 Lava Spike
4 Fireblast
3 Price of Progress
3 Browbeat
2 Fork
2 Flamebreak
2 Volcanic Fallout
2 Smash to Smithereens
2 Vexing Shusher
2 Pyroblast
2 Red Elemental Blast
3 Tormod's Crypt
3 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Shattering Spree
1 Smasth to Smithereens
I can't get ahold of Rolling Earthquake (I am liking Volcanic Fallout in its place though) nor can I get Pithing Needle (unfortunately).
Shusher's are in question in the SB...maybe thinking -2 Shushers, +1 Shattering Spree, +1 PoP...so I can use four if I need em'. Shusher's do look real nice against CounterTop though...I have yet to test them out though.
Sulfuric Vortex is another card I am still toying around with too. Not sure though, I only like to view it as a visual clock to the virtual clock that I am already on. Like a Flame Rift (which I don't like) that keeps on giving.
The 2 main deck StS is vs. Chalice for one in the first game. The fact that it is at Instant speed and does damage is almost too good to pass up maindeck; if your meta has lots of artifacts floating around. Also it is a nice kill against a Mishra's Factory.
Has anybody talked about Nevinyrral's Disk for the Sideboard, instead of things like Anarchy or Pithing Needle? It blows up all those pesky enchantments that Blue and/or White sometimes throw at us!?!? It is real slow though...
-Yug
I like the call of some maindeck StS... Chalice completely rapes Burn and you're also boned against 3sphere. Blowing up Vials, Factories, Dreadnought, Moxes, Jitte, etc. seems pretty good to me.
I still think it's worthwhile to run Shattering spree in the board as a more 'real' solution to chalice, as well as affinity, etc.
I like the list Yug, there's just something about it that seems off, I think it's the large number of less dependable cards (not that that's a bad thing). Just looks as though your top deck might be a little worrisome, but with the build you've got I don't know that you'd really worry about falling into top deck mode too often. How are 8x creatures working out for you? Also how are you liking Volcanic Fallout vs Flamebreak?
Currently Running
Legacy: Burn; Various Stompy's; Food Chain Goblins; FC Elves
Standard: Junk Super Friends, Elf-Wave
Elder Dragon Highlander: Animar, Skithiryx, Bosh, Konda, Wort, Ezuri, Patron of the Moon
That's why I like this deck so much, I don't usually get to top deck mode, I've already won by the time I play my hand out (especially if I got Fireblast/PoP+Fork). The 8 crits do wonders for chumping plus plugging in those last few points of damage. They still keep the virtual card advantage too. Nobody wants to take em out unless they absolutely have too (take one damage now), and most people hate blocking mauraders, yet they hate to let it through. I tested the Street Wraith maindeck too and I didn't like it. I usually take out the Mauraders and add the Bridges when I know I am facing a crit deck. Or depending how big their crits are maybe taking out Fallout/Break and putting in the Bridges leaving in the Mauraders/Fanatics to chump/ping.
Vs. any weenie strategy the 2/2 split of Fallout/Break is tremendous. I prefer Fallout vs. Fae and Elves because of the instant speed. Against WW I like the Break because most of their stuff is pumped up a bit. The synergy with my 8 crits is there too for both those spells. I can wait on Mauraders to be almost vanished before I pop a Break. The Fallout is better in response to an alpha strike or if the opponent taps out during their turn or overextends.
Fork may be what you are considering "less dependable" but I love it. It is a maindeck counter vs. blue if I need it. It is a game ender with Fireblast or PoP. I like to save it for the Fireblast though...however I have copied some insane things my opponents have played. It is one of the worst topdecks though.
Faerie Stompy could counter it. But its not in there because of the counter clause its in the deck because it is an Instant and Flamebreak is a Sorcery. Also Flamebreak doesn't hit flying creatures, while Fallout does hit flying creatures! BIG difference. I like to view it as an instant version of Rolling Earthquake for 2 in place of X. I can't seem to ever get my hands on Rolling Earthquake so I run the Fallout's.
Come join us in the MTGSalvation chat ||| My trade thread. ||| My Personal Modern Blog: The Fetchlands
Another thing to keep in mind with Volcanic Fallout, I pointed this out elsewhere too, it becomes extremely relevant vs Landstill when you can sweep their Mishra's Factory(s) on the attack through Counterbalance. It may not come up often, but it's certainly something to consider. Same goes for Bitterblossom tokens actually, though that's a little less game breaking.
Currently Running
Legacy: Burn; Various Stompy's; Food Chain Goblins; FC Elves
Standard: Junk Super Friends, Elf-Wave
Elder Dragon Highlander: Animar, Skithiryx, Bosh, Konda, Wort, Ezuri, Patron of the Moon
Currently I'm playing with Volcanic Fallout and I think the card is excellent for the deck. It fills a lot of niches into the deck that make it a card I really do like.
EDIT: I played with a couple of Merfolk and other aggro decks on MWS and Fallout is nothing short of amazing. I managed to 5-for-1 a merfolk player with Fallout for an easy win.
Yeah, I see Volcanic Fallout as a real good board sweeper vs decks that can generate hordes of creatures. Too bad we can't cast it T2 when we want to clear those damn zombie and goblin tokens.
Come join us in the MTGSalvation chat ||| My trade thread. ||| My Personal Modern Blog: The Fetchlands