So let's talk about money. A lot of the decks that show up to FNM are a few hundred dollars, and if anyone in your FNM shop plays in Grand Prix, then those decks can run upwards of five hundred dollars on up to several grand. So finding a highly-competitive burn deck that can run right over the big boys is extremely satisfying, and that's what this is. So far, this deck hasn't placed outside the Top Four in FNM whenever it's been placed.
It is not a difficult deck to run. Expect some retribution, but stay the course. Ideally, you want at least one one-drop and two lands in your opening hand. Bear in mind that all your one-drops are expendable: their job is to swing in twice for damage and then maybe take out a blocker; the more damage they can get in, the better. That's what Fiery Impulse is for, to clear out any potential blockers or finish off larger-size blockers that your one-drops have already damaged. Our two-drop, Abbot of Keral Keep, helps out with our card draw. With one-third of our deck being land, we run a decent chance of drawing a third Mountain and dropping it right away. Prowess can potentially make it a substantial creature to swing in with. If you have plenty of land in your hand, you may want to wait until later in the game so you can cast the Abbot, then potentially cast the revealed spell. Or cast it turn two, then say the hell with it.
All the rest of the burn is self-explanatory, except for Thermo-Alchemist. Let's talk a minute about it, because it needs some discussing. Out of all the creatures in Eldritch Moon, this has to be the most-overlooked common, but it's starting to get some attention. At first glance it's a 0/3 for two that pings players for one. But then you read this line: "Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, untap Thermo-Alchemist." So it essentially adds one damage to all your burn spells, just remember to tap it for damage first, and ping them again at the end of your opponent's turn.
If it's going to be a long slog, pop in a couple of Bedlam Revelers to help with your card draw. It seems expensive, but a graveyard full of burn should bring the cost down to something manageable, especially if you have a couple of Madness burns spells in your hand. It isn't difficult to run this with only three mana, but any more than six or seven and you flood out. If you know that you're going against a long-game deck, you definitely want to put Molten Vortex into your deck: it turns all your extra lands into Shocks and that really isn't anything to sneeze at.
The one card that may seem out of place is Goldnight Castigator. On the surface this is a risky gamble, because it runs the risk of hosing us. A single creature, unblockable, with some boost spells and Temur Battle Rage can completely hose us as soon as Goldnight Castigator hits the board. Save the Goldnight Castigator as a closer, which it admittedly does quite well.
Anyways, build it and enjoy hosing four hundred decks at your FNM!
