Every EDH player knows that the most surefire way to win a multiplayer match is by drawing the most cards. In Mono-Red, that is almost guaranteed not to happen. So how do we off-set this inherent disadvantage? Well, there are a few ways - Wheel effects, Group Hug, and of course the obvious answer for Neheb - mana sinks! While I will discuss the mana sinks later, below is a selection of some fine options on the "card parity" front.
Humble Defector - This little Mardu-turned-Jeskai defector is an absolutely incredible card for Mono-Red. I have always maintained that the best way for Mono-Red to win games is to aim for card parity, not card advantage, and the best way to accomplish that are group hug effects. Even better than group hug? Friend hug. Keep trading this bad boy back and forth with the frenemy of your choice until you have both established overwhelming card advantage. Profit.
Magus of the Wheel - With Masters 25 coming out I felt it reasonable to acquire a second copy of this fine wheel effect. This is a perfect inclusion for a Neheb deck, he wheels when we want him to, and he can swing in for 3 on a Neheb damage turn to generate some mana. Perfect draw spell, as Wheels are pretty much ideal in mono-red!
Faithless Looting - Looting effects are great. Looting effects with Flashback are great-er. In a deck with a 2 part combo (damage->big spells), the ability to loot away redundant pieces for more gas is key. This is our most efficient way to accomplish that.
Tormenting Voice - This card helps us recycle bad matchup cards at a more card-advantage-neutral rate than Faithless Looting. Quality inclusion in any Mono-Red deck.
Wild Guess - Tormenting Voice #2!
Reforge the Soul - The poor man's Wheel of Fortune. I really think an optimal Mono-Red deck plays both, but for now this is the only one I can afford. Excellent card parity effect - really embrace the Chaos! As an added bonus, once Neheb is in play emptying the hand is absurdly easy, making this an even more obvious auto-include for Neheb players.
Outpost Siege - This is an absolute staple for Mono-Red and Boros colored decks. This is essentially Red Phyrexian Arena with an alternate mode for aristocrat decks, which I really dig. There are very few situations where we would play this naming Dragons but I suppose the corner case is still there. Strong card that I hope they continue to print more of.
Vance's Blasting Cannons
- Outpost Siege #2. This is certainly weaker than the Outpost is, because not being able to play lands really makes this closer to drawing 60% of a card each turn. That being said, there are other upsides as well - notably that the corner case for the flip side of this card is stronger than the corner case for Dragons mode on Siege. Being able to flip into a split ramp/recursive direct damage card is pretty legit. Mana Sink Bolts are pretty neat!
Howling Mine - As I've stated before, I believe that group hug effects are perfect for the Mono-Red archetype. The more that I play my different variations of Mono-Red the more it confirms it for me. Group Hug is really another variation of Chaos, and when multiple players have abundance of resources games get silly quickly. Notably, the Blue player's permission usually gets heavily taxed, resulting in various threats or engines slipping through the cracks. By virtue of being underestimated, it is likely that we will be one of those threats that slips through as that dangerous looking Scion player gets countered into oblivion. I can't speak to the virtues of Howling Mine enough, I encourage all of you to run it in your Mono-Red/Boros builds.
Azor's Gateway
- I love this card for Mono-Red. This does it all for Neheb, in particular. As a loot effect, there are of course more powerful versions of the effect, but the combination of loot rock plus back-up big mana in case our Neheb plan is getting hated out makes this a stellar include.
Mind Stone - I think that 2 mana ramp spells are great. I think that 2 mana ramp spells that eventually recoup a card are even better. This should be a staple for just about any deck that is looking for incidental edges.
Hedron Archive - Mind Stone's older brother. The Archive is a great way to ramp into a huge turn 5 with multiple spells or Neheb + Protection, and it is also a great way to cash in late game to fuel up for a second round.
Chandra, Flamecaller - I love this version of Chandra. I think she does a ton for the build, and while both pricey and hate-drawing, I think she is worth it. On turns we go off she gets to help cycle into better mana sinks/win conditions, on turns we are behind she gets to wreck some token player's day, and on turns where she survives a turn or two she gets to ramp us by ~6 mana. An expensive but solid upside Wheel effect.
Scrying Sheets - While this may not be the flashiest or fastest source of card advantage, it does it's job with basically zero deck-building investment. Since we are running Snow-Covered Mountains it is an easy inclusion to dump mana in when we have no other play. Draws a card 25% of the time.
Geier Reach Sanitarium - I think this card is a bit stronger in this build than Scrying Sheets. The ability to loot away useless or redundant resources, be it excess land or combo pieces that don't fit the current needs, is a highly useful ability for a card that didn't take much to include.
Arch of Orazca - A fine printing in RIX that should make a lot of mono-red and Boros players very happy. Solid card draw with no downside out of the land slot. Little deckbuilding cost for the effect.
Mikokoro, Center of the Sea - Did I mention that I enjoy group hug in mono-red? With the price reducing effects of those previously rare Kamigawa card dropping this to under $2, I have added to multiple decks as a relatively free inclusion.
Notable Exclusions
You probably have ideas from other Neheb decks that you will suggest, and I absolutely encourage you to do so! Here are some cards that I have tinkered with or used to be considered worth a slot that I no longer feel the same way about, or that I would like but do not currently own.
Sin Prodder - Cut for Magus of the Wheel
Wheel of Fortune - The Wheel effect upon which all Wheel effects are judged. I want to acquire one of these and I plan to eventually.
Font of Mythos - Currently featured in my Norin the Wary deck, This may eventually port over to Neheb as well. This is Howling Mine on crack.
Temple Bell - I think this card is good, but positioned in a weird mana slot for drawing but 1 card per turn. If I really embrace the Group Hug more completely this may find it's way in.
Knollspine Dragon - I know a lot of people will disagree with this, but after a lot of thought I have excluded this card drawing beast. My reasoning is simple - it only plays well while we are ahead. If we successfully cast a Neheb, got a big damage spell or swing off, and had Neheb survive to the 2nd main phase, a lot has gone right for us. To then cast a 7-drop and draw a ba-jillion cards is all icing at that point and hopefully lets us win on the spot. But let's look at any other scenario of the Quadrant Theory - Early game - useless. Behind - useless. At parity (stalled board state) - at best Okay. I really prefer my card draw engines to do something when we are not having success - we need to be able to draw out bad spots, I really believe card draw is most important in two quadrants - At Parity and From Behind. This plays marginally in those slots. Wheel effects and Efficient Draw Engines play Amazingly in those slots, and Wheel Effects Also play well while ahead. Ergo, prioritize Wheel Effects and Efficient Draw Engines.
Mind's Eye - This card was sort of a mixed cut for me. For starters, I would have had to acquire the card, and it isn't necessarily expensive, but it also isn't cheap. Additionally, I just think that having to pay 6 mana before seeing the first card from this is a lot. 6-drop draw to me needs to immediately change the complexion of the game. A lot of people compare this card to something like the closest thing non-blue can get to Rhystic Study, but I couldn't disagree more. Rhystic Study's power is that it is a 3-drop. There is almost no opportunity cost to playing a turn 3 Study. Playing this on turn 5 is risky, because it is likely to get blown up, and palying it on Turn 6 will also very likely net us 1 card as people recognize the long-term threat it poses. If someone disagrees or can explain why I am wrong, please leave a comment but for now I think I will leave this out of my decks.
Seer's Sundial - This is actually a lot more interesting to me than Mind's Eye. 4 mana base investment is actually miles better than 5 in terms of opportunity cost, plus this flies under the radar as people throw a lot of shade at it as compared to the massive target that Mind's Eye is. Paying 2 mana per turn to draw a card isn't the most exciting thing ever, but it is a good rate for Mono-Red. Plus, it play nicely with fetch-lands. All-in-all, for now this does not make the cut, but I could see myself playing this as a draw engine in this build.
Sea Gate Wreckage - There is an argument to be made for packing the deck full of low opportunity cost value lands, but at some point we also need to consider our density of Snow lands. For now this does not make the cut over Scrying Sheets, Geier Reach Sanitarium, or Basic Snow lands.
Chandra, Torch of Defiance - I think that many people would argue that Chandra, the Mind Sculptor is simply the better walker over Big Chandra. While I won't argue that point at face value, I do think there is an argument to be made for The Flamecaller in Neheb builds. I think it basically boils down to the slots they fill. Chandra, the Mind Sculptor is really a mid game do everything spell, some combination of Outpost Siege, Flame Rift, and Hedron Archive, with a little kill spell sprinkled on top. Big Chandra is a late game spell with a personal Wheel+1 and Board Wipe mode plus a direct damage spell tacked on for Neheb synergy. I would absolutely include Chandra, Torch of Defiance if she was less expensive, but would consider running both, not either/or. That is a big concession for me, because I traditionally hate 'Walkers in EDH, but I just think they both do that much.
Rummaging Goblin - I absolutely love looting effects. Rummaging effects aren't much worse in my opinion, as there is usually something obviously dead in hand to drop to create some card velocity. In my Norin the Wary deck I run a slight goblin sub-theme, which is where this card really shines. Pairing this with a Squee, Goblin Nabob really gets my value-senses tingling. When we tutor them up with a Goblin Recruiter it starts to feel a little unfair. I may endeavor to add this combo down the line, plus adding a few nice utility goblins and Goblin Matron, but for now it is out of the picture.
Squee, Goblin Nabob - Seperate line for my boy Squee. First of all, Mercadian Masques was one of my fondest recollections of magic as a child. Not because the set was great, because it wasn't, but because it was just the right timing for my coming of age as a magic player. The Nostalgia feels, if you will. But more importantly, Squee is just a great value card. Whether you are perpetually chumping that Shu Yun player or value-training with Faithless Looting, Rummaging Goblin, and Tormenting Voice effects, the use cases for Squee are multitudinous. Icing on the cake - Squee is featured on all sorts of funny artwork and flavor texts from that era of magic.
Commune with Lava - Stroke of Inspiration is a solid little Draw X spell. It can set up some massive turns, or be used as a shot-in-the-dark on Neheb combo turns. I may add this eventually, it was one of my final cuts.
