Hey guys!
I've played Boros for a long time in the casual format ever since I started playing in Rise of the Eldrazi. This deck has a lot of nostalgia and has won me so many games. With the release of Gatecrash, I found a treasure trove of new cards that forced me to pick and choose between what I used to run and what I am looking to run. This deck is not hyper-aggressive with the likes of Steppe Linx and
Goblin Guide
, no, this deck is based on
Balefire Liege
, the POWERHOUSE of the deck. This is the 5th version of the deck I've built, thus Mark V.
I decided that since this is a casual deck, there is no need to create a sideboard for it. I am very happy with the performance and I will describe why each card is in the deck below. If you don't want to read a novel, skip it.
The goal is to abuse the power of this card. Balefire Liege is very cost-effective because it fulfills the role of a 2/4 creature with
Honor of the Pure
,
Lightning Helix
,
Lightning Bolt
and
Healing Salve
that can be used over and over and over again.
This card can be looked at as a centerpiece to the deck, which means that you wait to play the majority of your cards to maximize the value and play defensively. This is best if you are playing multiplayer or want to play the role of a control deck.
This card can also be looked at as a complement to the deck, which means that all of your cards are good enough on their own and play aggressively. This is best in a 1v1 matchup and want to use it as a finisher.
I could never believed I had looked over this value-packed card! Early game, he is a 1/1 for 1 or a 2/2 for 2. Mid game, he is a threat as a 4/4. Late game he is a 8/8 that is a nasty finisher. He is the 1-drop that is good in all stages of the game. We never have to worry about mana colors since it is either red/white to level-up or level-down. I like being able to invest in a card in order to create flexibility and card advantage, not to mention triggering all of the
Balefire Liege
effects. 1 mana never felt so justified.
Gatecrash gave me a replacement for my
Cerodon Yearling
! I always liked being able to have a vigilance creature with haste, but honestly it fell off in the late game being a one-trick yearling.
Truefire Paladin
is the cousin of
Figure of Destiny
in the fact that it creates value for your mana spent. 2 mana for a 2/2 with vigilance is good, but being able to activate first strike, give it a hefty power boost, or both from that point forward is beautiful. This means he scales well later in the game because he makes use of excess mana. Since his mana requirements are high, we don't want too many copies on the field. I love early game cards that are good later on.
Double Strike, one of the most potent keywords in the game. Early on, he skirmishes and trades well. Later on is where he shines, since a single
Balefire Liege
has a 2-drop slashing for 6 damage. Not much more to say, except that he is good on his own, but really needs backup to be an all-star.
Another double striker! The only difference is a power increase and a cost change. The extra mana is well worth it early since it can trade even better and deal 4 damage. Same speech as before, scales well with backup. It's no
Boros Reckoner
, but I am on a budget.
Mirran Crusader
is another option here.
It's a red deck, no reason not to play bolts! I don't need to explain, but if you want... It cooks small creatures, scorches planeswalkers, brings the game 3 damage closer to winning, WHENEVER YOU WANT!
This iconic card swings life totals by 6 points, making it harder for your opponent to come back. It also fills in when
Lightning Bolt
is out of town. Playing this with a single, double, triple, or quad
Balefire Liege
on the field makes your opponent cry. This is my favorite card that defines the red/white function.
Charms have always given a player options in building the deck. I especially like it because it is VALUE (word of the deck). At worst, it is 4 damage to your opponent, meaning that it is always a welcome draw. Being able to make your creatures indestructable is great because you can hold down the fort or survive a boardwipe. It can even be looked at as a response to a kill spell targeting a creature that is critical at that moment, maintaining tempo. If all that isn't good enough, being able to give a fully leveled-up
Figure of Destiny
or a beefed-up
Truefire Paladin
DOUBLE STRIKE is just crushing. So many functions, such a good card. I just prefer having 4
Lightning Helix
for removal purposes.
Honor of the Pure
for my deck! It's like God was listening and said that my deck needed this. Giving all my red/white creatures a boost is nice, but the real reason to play it is in the ability. Being able to mass-
Cloudshift
my creatures and give them haste is extremely good. Once again, we meet another answer to boardwipes, but being able to give my field haste is great. My double strikers benefit most from this card, by being able to counter attack stronger. Chalk up another point for value...
O-boy it's O-ring. I like having an answer to a targetable threat. Even if it gets out of my face for a few turns, the 3 mana is worth it. Not much to say. It is removal that is flexible and doesn't allow graveyard interactions.
I'm a nasty sonofagun. Remember all I said about boardwipes? Yes, I like to pack a couple of my own just in case the enemy field gets too massive or I have a
Legion's Initiative
on the field or a
Boros Charm
in hand. It really doesn't hurt to play them. Since I don't play with regeneration, I play this over
Day of Judgment
. I'm a Christian :D so it is spiritually satisfying having such flavorful cards in the game. (I also like the book of Revelation). >:D Classic card.
Good ol' Johnny. Although he only comes in with 3 loyalty counters, he is very underestimated. Sometimes, he is even a decoy due to the threat of his ultimate.
+1: You don't tap anything down, you just keep it tapped. This lets you keep lands tapped, making spells harder to cast. This also keeps artifacts tapped, rendering abilities useless. Finally, it allows you to keep creatures tapped down so that it opens up gaps for your creatures or keeping a monstrosity at bay.
-2:
Lightning Helix
: See above.
-7: One-sided
Armageddon
. Very hard to keep him out for 4 turns, but if you can pull it off, victory is neigh.
My favorite planeswalker who performs well in either the aggro or control strategy. Coming in at 6 loyalty, he is tough to take out He synergizes well with Ajani. Not to mention his name is a Biblical reference too!
+2: Gideon becomes your decoy. This opens up a path for your creatures to charge through for the win. This also buys you the time
you need to get that extra draw or play that extra creature. Buying an extra turn is great. Gives Ajani something to tie in a net.
-2: Gideon
Assassinate
s someone. With Ajani keeping something tapped buys Gideon enough time to deal with it. It works if you have nothing else.
0: Gideon gets down, dirty, and threatening. Having a 6/6 charging into a tapped-down field is fantastic. He can be killed with creature removal that turn, so be careful. SO MUCH FLAVOR.
LAND BASE: 20 total
If you look at this card, you see it comes into play tapped and you need to return a land to your hand. Sadly, that means if this is your only land in your hand, you will waste a turn. These are reasons that most people steer away from these and choose others instead.
HOWEVER, notice that it adds RW to your pool. Yes, TWO mana for one land. That, my friend, is value. Since it adds both R and W, it conveniently casts
Lightning Helix
,
Boros Charm
,
Boros Swiftblade
,
Truefire Paladin
(and its abilities!), and
Legion's Initiative
(and the ability!) all on its own!!! Also, since it is 2 mana for one land, it allows you to play with fewer lands in the deck, keeping the mana base slimmer gives you more slots for spells... You get the point. Suddenly that drawback doesn't seem too bad, does it?
As of today, it's one of the more affordable lands and it has a minimal chance of coming in tapped. More of a budget choice than anything else. Careful though, since
Boros Garrison
is neither a
Mountain
or a
Plains
it will set you back a turn if you bounce it.
Having the option for both colors is nice.
If you read my novel, I appreciate it and thank you for taking the time to understand the deck more. :D
If you have any comments or thoughts, I am accepting budget answers for casual play. I know that it is not amazing for modern, but it could hold its own.
Thank you very much for your time and I will be glad to answer any questions if you like the deck. Have fun!
