This deck primarily wants to race other linear decks like Dredge, Phoenix, Storm, Tron, Amulet, Zoo, and Grishoalbrand. It doesn't play well through premier disruption, but can otherwise consistently win on the third turn of the game. The plan is quite simple: create a lethal threat, make blockers irrelevant, and attack the opponent.
Combo 1:
Nivmagus Elemental
+ free spells + double strike +
Ground Rift
, exile extra storm copies for +1/+1 counters
Combo 2:
Kiln Fiend
+ free spells + double strike + evasion (trample,
Apostle's Blessing
, or
Ground Rift
)
A similar style deck exists with one mana prowess creatures and pump spells:
Monastery Swiftspear
,
Soul-Scar Mage
,
Brute Force
, and
Titan's Strength
and that deck is more likely to achieve its turn 2 kill. The problem I have found with such a build is that not only does it has fewer outs to
Chalice of the Void
, but also the burn matchup is nearly unwinnable.
Nivmagus Elemental
helps to hedge both of these issues, enough so that I think it makes up for losing an occasional turn 2 kill, as this usually only works in matchups that are good to begin with.
After the prowess plan is cut,
Flamekin Harbinger
is added to improve consistency and fetch the better creature depending on our hand and/or the matchup. The deck is still quite vulnerable to a single
Fatal Push
or
Path to Exile
, but post-sideboard we have access to
Pact of Negation
which was unplayable in the deck without the option to exile it with
Nivmagus Elemental
(we are going to lose anyways if our opponent has more than one or two answers, so its usually fine that we can't pay for the pact). Taking a page from the phoenix book, we play maindeck
Surgical Extraction
for four reasons: it operates as a free spell to trigger
Kiln Fiend
and also add to storm count, it can be exiled to
Nivmagus Elemental
for extra power, it can slow down a linear graveyard strategy, and perhaps most importantly it can be free information. This deck sorely misses
Gitaxian Probe
but surgical can improvise, at least in the current metagame.
Our only hope to win matchups with a lot of spot removal is the sideboard
Blood Moon
s. Even then, UW control and BG rock play enough basics to beat us unless we can also correctly sequence
Apostle's Blessing
and
Pact of Negation
. Sounds like magical Christmas land, but I believe the old
Young Pyromancer
+
Akroan Crusader
plan is not good enough anymore.
