What are the best burn spells in standard?

[happybounce]

I don't really play red ever, and I'm looking for decent burn spells in addition to Incinerate and Disintegrate. I could just go onto gatherer and spend hours looking through what's standard legal, but that sucks. Instead I thought I'd ask here. Thanks in advance!

[Simic_Mongoose]

Rift Bolt is still pretty good.

Lash Out is a decent Incinerate knock-off, with Scry 1 and a chance to be 6 damage for two mana.

[dday3six]

Depends on the deck.

Tarfire sees a lot of play because it's +2 for Tarmogoyf.

Lash Out sees play in both the many and SB of many red decks, it smooths out draws and it's 3 damage for 2 mana is good for combating other creature decks.

Thunderblade Charge is reusble damage, and can turn a late game 1/1 into a threat with 5 mana setting on your side of the table.

Beacon Of Destruction sometimes sees play in those Mana Ramp decks.

I'd have to saw those are the better of the options out there. Of course there is always Ghostfire, Shock and Fiery Temper, but all of those lack the oomph for serious competitive play.

[Koschei]

Rift Bolt, Skred and Molten Disaster are probably the most efficient spells in their own categories.

[Se_Oikea]

I have to agree with koschei, that Molten Disaster is amazing. Especially in the new competitive deck, Mono Red Snow Control, but it can find it's place in many other decks too.

[dodo]

Y is it that everyone forgets ghostfire! gets straight past pro-red! so cost wise its not amazing but the colorless part makes it great.

[ShadowBlaze]

Originally Posted by dodo

Y is it that everyone forgets ghostfire! gets straight past pro-red! so cost wise its not amazing but the colorless part makes it great.

What's relevant that has pro-red? Hmmm.... Nothing? Paladin en-Vec and Burrenton Forge Tender are the only things I can think of but they aren't played much and by no means justify running ghostfire (unless your meta is full of these cards).

[Simic_Mongoose]

Question: Is Sudden Shock worth talking about?

[evil_weevil_666]

if ur meta is 90% control it is...

[Lhefriel_Medies]

Originally Posted by evil_weevil_666

if ur meta is 90% control it is...

It's not horrible even otherwise, as a lot of decks run Martyr either main or side, and without a clock like Dstorm in the format, decks can afford to run slower burn that usual in compensation. Which is, more or less, still another argument for Ghostfire, as, while not very efficient, it still does deal 3 damage for 1 card, and it can serve nicely as the last spell to cap a game off.

Also, a good portion of the time, Lash Out is horrible. Don't run it. The only real scenario that it's even playable in is when you treat it as early game removal with slight benefits (Scry 1, mostly), as its almost impossible to use aggressively. If you need burn to stall with, its fine, but a good portion of the time it either can't find a target, with only a 40 or so percent chance of winning the clash in every other situation.

Tarfire is fine as a Shock, but its a bit inefficient at 1 card for 2 damage without Tarmogoyf, or, if your playing Goblins, Wort, in the same deck. Its a bit underwhelming as far as efficiency goes, but its okay. I'd probably say Ghostfire if your also running the mana to back up a decent Disintegrate, as a slower format, as said above, allows for slower burn. Splashing Blue for Psionic Blast is always an option, if you need it. If you are actually looking for fast damage, Brute Force is okay as a straight damage spell in the early game, as its still 1 card for three damage, even if it does have drawbacks (although, most of the time, the 1 CC makes up for it). If your playing enough burn so that its significant, your usually not worrying too much about card economy in the first place. Although, it would definitely be helpful if you were to give an outline for the rest of the deck; it's hard to gauge what speeds are viable without context.

[BOP™]

Originally Posted by ShadowBlaze

What's relevant that has pro-red? Hmmm.... Nothing? Paladin en-Vec and Burrenton Forge Tender are the only things I can think of but they aren't played much and by no means justify running ghostfire (unless your meta is full of these cards).

Lol, I would say a player with story circle. you can't prevent a colorless spell. lol.

It depends, how do you define burn??? Is it the type that burn creatures, or the one that hits only creatures, or the one that hits only players, or the one that hits both?

Anyway, I would say Rift Bolt, psionic blast, incinerate, tarfire(better than shock in most decks), Fiery Temper(better than Incinerate in certain decks), Molten Disaster, sulfurous blast, chandra, disintegrate if you want to hit both.

If you want to hit only critters. there's lash out, pyroclasm, skred, dead//gone.

that's all I the best burn in standard I think. Lol.

[dday3six]

Originally Posted by Lhefriel_Medies

Also, a good portion of the time, Lash Out is horrible. Don't run it. The only real scenario that it's even playable in is when you treat it as early game removal with slight benefits (Scry 1, mostly), as its almost impossible to use aggressively. If you need burn to stall with, its fine, but a good portion of the time it either can't find a target, with only a 40 or so percent chance of winning the clash in every other situation.

You clearly don't understand the usefulness of Lash Out as a sideboard option for red decks. It's not often main-decked because it's not good in all match-ups, however it's 3 instant speed damage for which is good in it's own right. You board it in against the match ups where removing creatures to get in damage with your own is often more important then being able to go to the face with burn. If you they have no targets 9 times out of 10 you should be winning in the first place, so the fact you can't get in with Lash Out to the dome doesn't matter. The Clash part of the card is just sort of there, but it's not useless even if it doesn't hit the player you get to look at your top card and keep it or sock it to the bottom of your library.

[Lhefriel_Medies]

Originally Posted by Babbler

You clearly don't understand the usefulness of Lash Out as a sideboard option for red decks. It's not often main-decked because it's not good in all match-ups, however it's 3 instant speed damage for which is good in it's own right. You board it in against the match ups where removing creatures to get in damage with your own is often more important then being able to go to the face with burn. If you they have no targets 9 times out of 10 you should be winning in the first place, so the fact you can't get in with Lash Out to the dome doesn't matter. The Clash part of the card is just sort of there, but it's not useless even if it doesn't hit the player you get to look at your top card and keep it or sock it to the bottom of your library.

Sideboard against creature decks? If I can find room, almost definitely. Main deck? Inversely, almost definitely not. Very probably not for fast builds of aggro either, as shooting a creature is usually left to 1 mana spells there, as clearing the way for attacks usually isn't quite as valuable as late game reach, and where, more often than you would think, using the mana to remove a creature for two usually severely hurts the decks tempo; oftentimes, Shock variants fill the role much better. For decks more focused on staying power, then yes, it could be extremely valuable, if you can make room in the board for it. Similarly, I'm fairly sure that the original poster was asking for burn spells to maindeck, not board; at least, that's what I do with cards I consider to be the best of any particular subset in any particular format.

[dday3six]

Originally Posted by Lhefriel_Medies

Sideboard against creature decks? If I can find room, almost definitely. Main deck? Inversely, almost definitely not. Very probably not for fast builds of aggro either, as shooting a creature is usually left to 1 mana spells there, as clearing the way for attacks usually isn't quite as valuable as late game reach, and where, more often than you would think, using the mana to remove a creature for two usually severely hurts the decks tempo; oftentimes, Shock variants fill the role much better. For decks more focused on staying power, then yes, it could be extremely valuable, if you can make room in the board for it. Similarly, I'm fairly sure that the original poster was asking for burn spells to maindeck, not board; at least, that's what I do with cards I consider to be the best of any particular subset in any particular format.

Yeah, well I'm not sure how you've trouble with SB slots in a format swarming with 3/3 elves, elephants, beasts, and double Cenn draws, and 3/3 normally 2/2 white weenies singing a Glorious Anthem, all of which Shock variants don't kill, and said 3/3's stand like a wall against the 1/1's of most red decks. You find room for cards like that in the board, cause they stop things you can't otherwise handle often. Not all that hard in fact, most of the RG list that top 8'ed at States and are doing well in the GP have Lash Out either in the SB and even some in the main.

Fact of the matter Lash Out is great right now, test it and see, don't talk about theories, when I can present you with facts proven through lots of hours of testing.

I guess the "Best Sideboard Options" were not a particular subset of any particular format that you think about often either.

[Exalted Angel]

Skred
Rift Bolt
Incinerate