Adapting the budget 8-Alchemist burn deck from HOU Standard to Pauper, where I think it will be a very playable and competitive deck. I'll be testing it against other pauper decks and I'll be updating the mainboard/sideboard with cards to test how well they interact with other decks in the format.
Feel free to leave feedback if you think I've missed some bomb burn spell, I don't know every card that's been printed ever so I might have missed one as I was making this list.
Also, if you think this list is good enough to be popularised, please consider giving it an upvote as it really helps get this list out there in the public eye. Thank you for your consideration, and now, cue the rambling...
So why even bother making this version of burn?:This is actually a perfectly legitimate question. In plenty of ways this deck is less powerful than your typical mono-red burn deck, it is made slower by the presence of creatures and cantrips that don't deal damage like Lightning Bolt does and creatures die to removal (duh) so actually the centrepieces of the deck can be very vulnerable.
However, dealing 5 damage with a lightning bolt is incredibly satisfying if two copies of Firebrand Archer are out, and the presence of Goblin Fireslinger and Thermo-Alchemist allow for consistent damage without the need for attacking when we start topdecking those dreaded lands. Despite seeming unoptimised, this deck can be very consistent with a turn 5 kill. And that my friends, is why I have made this version of burn.
Card Selection/Justification:
Creatures:Monastery SwiftspearOkay so TIL that this beauty is legal in Pauper. Moral of the story is don't listen to your friends when discussing cards. This list used to have Goblin Fireslinger for consistent damage but Swiftspear is just too good to pass on.
Thermo-Alchemist & Firebrand ArcherThese are the big boys of the deck and are both fantastic in their own rights. Thermo-Alchemist copes well in bad situations as it can consistently deal damage without needing to cast spells, while Archer is much more aggressive and can deal additional damage when your opponents have no defenders. As a fun aside, these cards also gives you much more freedom in how you interact with your opponent's board as using lightning bolt to kill an opponent's dangerous 3/3 will still deal damage straight to their face provided one of these boys is around.
Spells:Lightning Bolt, Rift Bolt, Chain Lightning, Searing Blaze & Lava SpikeIt goes without saying that these cards should be a consideration for every burn deck, as 1 mana for 3 damage (or more if alchemists/archers are around!) is too good to pass up. They're cheap, they're effective, 'nuff said.
Renegade Tactics & Needle DropCantrips are good fun in decks that rely on casting spells and while there are a plethora to choose from, I decided on these two. Needle Drop actually deals damage when you play it (plus extra from alchemists/archers) and it draws you a card to stop you from running out of spells. Renegade Tactics doesn't deal as much damage as Needle Drop but it can clear the board for a cheeky attack with Firebrand Archer for an extra 2 damage.
FireblastThanks to Austin_Smith_of_Cards for all of his help (see comments below) and suggestions, I found out about this gem of a finisher. It's only a 2-of in the deck because obviously I'd rather not see it in my opening hand, but drawing this on turn 5 feels incredible.
Rite of Flame Additional mana is always nice in this deck, and this card has a wide variety of uses from casting Thermo-Alchemist on turn 1, to setting up a huge turn of damage where otherwise not enough mana would be available. The fact that casting this deals damage when alchemists/archers are around is sweet, and the fact that the amount of mana provided increases for each casting is even sweeter. Might drop this to 3 copies as I'm finding myself with 2 copies in hand but with nothing to spend it on.
Lands:MountainI'm running 13 of these to make a total of 17 lands. Getting mana-flooded kills burn decks and this list is no exception to that. At 18 lands I felt like I was getting too many, at 16 lands I felt like I was getting too few. 17 seems to be a nice middle ground for now.
Forgotten CaveLike I said before, getting mana flooded kills burn decks and having a land that can be cycled helps prevent that. In the standard version of this deck, there were 4 copies of Ramunap Ruins to turn lands into sources of 2 damage but it's not legal in this format and this is the next best alternative. It is also worth noting that the standard version had 4 copies of Sunscorched Desert for additional damage and to feed Ramunap Ruins, but they become irrelevant as being mana-screwed by colourless lands is not ideal in any deck and the additional damage didn't feel worth it.
End of Selection/Justification
Thanks for reading my (probably) awful description! Apologies for the terrible formatting and the worse card analysis, but I'm aiming to keep making improvements to this list and how it's presented. Cheers again!
