Yes it helps a lot thanks

Hey man, I finally made the change to 0x Young Pyromancer and once again used your guide as my jumping-off point. Came in 2nd in my first paper event with it out of 17, so a pretty nice start :) One of my only differences so far is putting Kaya, Orzhov Usurper in the board. I liked it as

1. additional gy hate
2. lifegain & 1 drop removal against burn and blitz
3. death's shadow removal
4. additional answer to Chalice of the Void

In practice I saw that it can work alongside Leyline of the Void in the Death's Shadow matchup as a wincon as they are geared to fill the yard and lower their life total, which plays well into Kaya's ultimate. It also would have been handy when and opponent dropped a Marit Lage against me, but that was a pretty fringe case!

Anyway, thanks again!

I really feel like Unearth is still worth using here just to pitch pyro and reanimate for 1 mana.

fasmith718 that's sweet to hear you killed it at a paper event! I've been competing on MTGO and doing decent. Kaya, Orzhov Usurper has been a popular discussion point in that discord that I shared in the description. I, personally, am not a fan of planeswalker cards, but that's the aggro in me. Kaya, Orzhov Usurper is good as a recurring grave exile threat, and as a small cmc creature threat. However, Kaya's Guile can be at instant speed, adds to grave for Bedlam Reveler and can force opponent to sacrifice an expensive creature (which has come in hand against Primeval Titan, Gurmag Angler, Bedlam Reveler, and other big creatures we find it difficult to remove at instant speed. As for the synergy with Leyline of the Void, I agree that that could close out games really well IF opponent lets Kaya, Orzhov Usurper get there. Generally, you don't judge a planeswalker based on ultimate alone, but you do bring up very strong points. If you like the synergy, and it works for you, keep it! Keep reporting back to us on how it works for you. Also, as for Chalice of the Void, I usually use Kolaghan's Command or Wear when I know opponent uses it. Usually, Mardu Pyromancer can work at the 2 or 3 cmc range really well, until artifact hate is found. Opponent usually doesn't have 6 mana super early to use Chalice of the Void to counter 3cmc spells.

YamishiTheWickedOne there are new Rakdos lists that use Lightning Skelemental, Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger, Dreadhorde Arcanist, and Seasoned Pyromancer to absolutely blaze through opponents. I think I've generally seen them forgo to also threaten with Blood Moon and Magus of the Moon. They are somewhat susceptible to early interaction and grave hate, so that's why I've kept my list this way. That being said, Unearth doesn't work here super well, since most creatures are not 3 cmc or lower pre-sideboard. I actually just did a league and I found myself not needing more card draw. I had plenty of threats and just had to "toolbox" and figure out which I needed to cast at that moment.

Thank you for your comments! Please feel included and encouraged to critique and suggest anything else to the deck, or even the primer to make it better! :)

Why add in Yidaro? Also, what do you think about adding path to exile in, bc I've been running them for quite a while now and they have been doing me justice against Tron and Eldrazi Tron

PeachJuice112233 thanks for the comment!

Yidaro, Wandering Monster is nice for long drawn out games that we have difficulty closing. Also, the cycle is nice.

If you don’t like Yidaro, Wandering Monster, replace it with 2 Bedlam Reveler, 1 Ox of Agonas, and 1 Hazoret the Fervent. That’s what I had before. It’s experimental.

As far as Path to Exile, it competes against Blood Moon; they don’t play well together, and I think Blood Moon is more valuable. It’s a meta call, and also depends on how the rest of your deck is built. If you run Path to Exile, I would consider Dreadhorde Arcanist to continually abuse it.

nUKe13 I too had got the Orzhov lifegain standard precon from Battle for Zendikar. Those were fun times.

+1 from me!

Destroyerbirb thanks for the upvote and the comment!

I got the Boros BFZ Hero of Goma Fada deck as my first introduction. It’s not my all time favorite card (Aegis Angel was from my first booster back and has sentimental value) but holds a place in my heart.

Glad to see someone else got into the game around the same time! Hope you benefited from the primer!

nUKe13 I actually got into magic around m15, but found myself diving deep in around BFZ. The lifegain precon is my second favourite precon, (My first is a dash deck which I remade here: Rakdos Dash Remake), but the lifegain precon was scary. Evasive threats, constant removal, and a long game plan, something precons lack nowdays. I also got the GW support/allies deck once Oath was released.

nUKe13 Congratulations on the 61 upvotes!

Destroyerbirb thanks for all the support! And I’m super grateful for the upvotes, for sure!

I like lifegain, it’s just not as competitive in Modern, imo (but I shouldn’t talk, since neither is Mardu Pyromancer).

I haven’t purchased a precon recently, outside of Commander/EDH. Even still, I’ve always had my butt kicked by decks since I’ve started this game. XD

I must say, your dedication to this deck brings back such bittersweet nostalgia for me. When many said the deck was a salvage job after the loss of Faithless Looting you kept tinkering. This is like, YOUR deck now, like me with Vampires.

YamishiTheWickedOne thanks for the comment! I don’t see this as a job or an obligation. Not that you meant it that way, but I just love the deck! Faithless Looting getting the boot sucked, but the deck is still pretty resilient. Come join the discard to see some members do well in MTGO leagues!

Speaking of Faithless Looting, Ransack the Lab has actually been really nice, and on discord, some people are even starting to use Mazemind Tome to filter card draws. It’s been pretty fun to see the diversity!

+1 I find mardu to be a really weird color combination but I liked the primer so I was like why not

zapyourtumor thank you for the comment and upvote! I know Mardu is not competitive, and there are days I wish it had the big creatures from or the instant speed answers and draw from . But, honestly, this deck reminds me of playing MtG before all this insane power creep that we are seeing. Each player going back and forth, trying to make threats stick and one eventually running out of resources. It’s nostalgic. But I understand it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

I’m glad you liked the primer. I’m always updating it and trying to improve it, so if you have any suggestions, let me know!

nUKe13 yess the simic power creep is real

I think i beat this deck take a look. https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/29-08-20-boros-burnlifegain/

Meanwhile I've been branching out into other formats, namely EDH and Pioneer where vampires are quasi-meta and not just a rogue deck. I bought a lot of cards for Mardu pyro and Grixis Death's Shadow only for big meta developments to happen and toss a wrench into things. Good news is, this is Modern. Every big staple card becomes an investment.

You think Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger is worth considering here?

mikeb388 I looked at the deck. I like it! I’ve always been tempted to get into Burn and I like the synergy there. Mardu Pyromancer can have a tough time against burn. Life gain and hand disruption is usually key.

YamishiTheWickedOne I actually stepped away from Modern for a few months and focused on EDH for a long time. I loved the break and seemingly breath of fresh air.

As far as Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger, I’ve seen some people play a Smuggler's Copter and Village Rites variant that actually slaps! It’s more , with only as a sideboard splash. You need a TON of grave fill effects for Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger to work well. It’s not bad. Just requires a different shell than I like. Also, double can be hard under Blood Moon.

Hope that answers your question!

Yeah I tried playing a pioneer rakdos pyromancer deck (partly inspired by this deck, although they're pretty different) that sort of leans into the graveyard with Kroxa, Stitcher's Supplier, Village Rites (honestly such a good card, you can even sac a young pyromancer to this in response to removal for 2 cards plus another 1/1), Claim / Fame, and Dreadhorde Arcanist. Losing Seasoned Pyromancer and some other more niche inclusions like Ransack the Lab and Unearth isn't great, but what can you do.

mardu is back bb

What do you sideboard in for elves?

JacenSolo29 like most creature decks, board wipes, removal, and especially hand disruption are key. So, I’d side in cards like Engineered Explosives or Damnation . Anger of the Gods and Plague Engineer can definitely work, but if their board is too established, it doesn’t do much. Plague Engineer is great after a bird wipe though!

I’m of the opinion that hand disruption, even Collective Brutality can be kept in. Collective Brutality is nice at the beginning of the game, especially if they have Collected Company in hand. The lifegain and -2/-2 does help. Later in the game, you would mainly use it for lifegain and Duress ing something that would be problematic.

Next update to the deck?

JacenSolo29 as far as the next update goes, I’m waiting to see if there is anything else that drops from MH2, but I think we have the complete list now.

My first impressions are:

1) Faithless Salvaging - this works better than Thrill of Possibility since it can be cast on an empty hand and the rebound can’t be caught by hand disruption. Instant is nice if we really do want to cast on opponent’s end step. Then, if we draw an instant, we can cast with rebound on the stack to get full value.

2) Prismatic Ending - I personally really REALLY like this. Great against aggro, Humans, Jund, Ponza, Death's Shadow (minus Gurmag Angler ). See (https://strategy.channelfireball.com/all-strategy/home/is-prismatic-ending-the-new-swords-to-plowshares/)

3) Damn - again, LOVE IT! Definitely love the versatility, but I don’t know if it would replace Dreadbore (hits PWs), Fatal Push (instant and cheaper), or Engineered Explosives (can be triggered at instant speed and can be cheaper). Definitely a consideration for spots that previously included Damnation or Wrath of God .

4) General Ferrous Rokiric - I personally really like this. Immune to most removal (specifically EFFICIENT removal) such as Lightning Bolt , Path to Exile , Fatal Push , and Cryptic Command bouncing it. If you play a lot of multicolor spells, like Kolaghan's Command , Kaya's Guile , Kaya, Orzhov Usurper , Nahiri, the Harbinger , Dreadbore / Terminate , and Lightning Helix , then you definitely benefit from having this.

5) Dragon's Rage Channeler - this has a Magmatic Channeler feel to it and couples well with the graveyard-centric focus. If you opt for utility ARTIFACTS, like Mishra's Bauble , Damping Sphere , or Engineered Explosives , ENCHANTMENTS, like Blood Moon , or PLANESWALKERS, like Liliana of the Veil or any of the previously mentioned PWs, then you have an even easier time to activate Delirium. You do have to attack every turn, but having flying as evasion is really nice. Surveil is good if we start running more Flashback spells, like more Lingering Souls or Smiting Helix .

6) Void Mirror - TRON HATE FTW! This would compete with Damping Sphere as far as utility goes, but still really REALLY nice.

7) Obsidian Charmaw - OMG there are SO many Tron hate cards in this set, and I LOVE it. If Tron or Eldrazi Tron get more popular through all the hate from this set, then this would be great to add create a clock.

8) Vindicate - old EDH tech being added to Modern. I like the idea of destroying anything, but sorcery speed and 3 cmc, with everything else that has come into the game (and power creep), makes me unsure of its power. Could be what we need, but 3cmc is already crowded in the list.

9) Flame Blitz - UW/x, Jund, and maybe Tron typically run more PWs, so if we forgo running PWs, ourselves, then this serves as an extremely cheap PW hate card. Cycling is nice if we draw it and the opponent has side boarded out a majority of their PWs.

10) Harmonic Prodigy - if we bring back Young Pyromancer , add in Dark Confidant , and focus on Prowess, then I think this would rather have a home in a Feather, the Redeemed /spell-slinger deck. Still, it would be ok here, with the high spell count we run.

11) Sanctifier en-Vec - I don’t think we want to use this... definitely expect it in Burn or D&T lists against us.

12) Dauthi Voidwalker - now THIS we can use. Basically Sanctifier en-Vec , but unilateral hate and can help against Dredge or other recursion based decks. I like that we can sac on targeted removal and cast one of their spell(s). can conflict with our spells, but we are usually ok. If we get Blood Moon ed, we can usually laugh it off and power through it.

13) Bone Shards - in the primer, I’ve indicated that Mardu Pyro has different variants (spells/grave, PW, and Aristocrat/tokens). I feel this would slot nicely into an token deck, along with Village Rites , Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger , and Afterlife creatures.

14) Fury - at first glance, I’ve been conflicted. Seems ok as protection from aggro strategies, but I wish it had either 1 more toughness, did more damage, hit players, or cost less. It just seems... meh... I’m skeptical, but I’ve definitely been proven wrong before, so I’ll keep my mind open.

15) Mine Collapse - great if we run a bit more heavy on lands and run late. Too bad it doesn’t hit players though... a common theme from cards this set.

16) Arcbound Whelp / Esper Sentinel /Knighted Myr - another idea that has come to fruition from this set is Mardu Affinity. No, we won’t tech for Hardened Scales , but the removal suite that we run, in addition to these new artifact creatures (and lands!) is tempting enough to test some brews.

I hope this gives an idea of what we could change for the deck. The list was roughly done in the order of what we would tech in to the current build, but anything is possible! Let me know what you all think.

Edit: some of the cards (Knighted Myr, Mine Collapse, and Bone Shards) did not have the links set up in TappedOut as of the time of this post, so I do apologize for that.