Bovine073,
I love Gut Shot as sideboard tech in UG Infect, but in anything with actual Red, I prefer Sudden Shock or Lightning Bolt.

Siding out Beast Within? That's super-interesting! I have to confess I would never have thought of that .... I always think about pulling more in, I don't think I've ever thought about pulling any out! I think you just leveled me up ... yet again! :-)

I like the idea of another Bonfire of the Damned too. Three in the main is great (because I generally hate having one in my opening hand), but they're SO nice for killing mana-dorks ... I'll take a look!

Chameleon Colossus has been amazing. I've had 2-3 in mainboard for 30 matches now, and I'm 23-7 (77%). In the 30 matches before that, I was 17-13 (57%). Some of that is just beciuase I'm more comfortanble with the deck now, but a lot of it's Colossus. Also, this is just casual play (e.g., the Tournament Practice room and Friendly Leagues on MTGO, and pickup games/tournaments at my LGS), so your mileage may vary.

Colossus' protection from Black is of course great, but I think the real value is that it absolutely preys on people who don't RTFC ... I've frankly lost count of all the people who don't really 'get' the card until they declare no blocks and I pump to 8/8 (or twice now, 16/16). All props go to Spijker.

As always, thanks tons for the thoughts and tips. Draw well!

Molten Rain in place of Stone Rain?

cmsrDPM, no because double red is harder to get, and Stone Rain is mainly used on basic lands anyways. It isn't worth it to not be able to cast it easily.

I like it. What do u normally bonfire?

ElfQueso,
Thanks much and sorry it took me so very long to get to your comment!

Bonfire of the Damned is an amazing topdeck which will usually create a commanding lead in the mid-game and finish off an opponent off in the late-game. It's best though against fast-and-wide decks like Affinity, Goblins, Elves, and anything with Collected Company or Aether Vial. It's terrible to have in an opening hand though, do I don't like running four at all. That said, I recently put another in the sideboard for dealing with Mana dorks (in Bant Eldrazi) and anything with Lingering Souls. I like it so far, but we'll see ...

Another important option though is Anger of the Gods ... its ceiling isn't as high (compared to Bonfire), but it's great against Dredge, since it exiles Bloodghast and Prized Amalgam.

Thanks again!

Affinity isn't a good matchup at all, I'm surprised you're 2-0! Good for you though. Grixis Shadow in my experience has been the matchup from hell. Jund shadow is a lot better.

Bovine073,
Yeah, I've only played Affinity twice now and they were both very tough 2-1 matches. The Game 1s were pretty much auto-losses, and Games 2 and 3 were all about mulliganing for Ancient Grudge and Shatterstorm.

For me, Grixis Shadow has probably been the highest-variance matches of any deck I've ever faced. I've gone 2-0 (with an earlier version of the deck), 2-1, and 0-2. Almost all the wins were due to an early game Chameleon Colossus plus a mid-game Beast Within to nerf or Primal Command to kill their Death's Shadow. Though I pulled off a Game 2 win where my opponent let his or her (online game) Shadow get too big and I top-decked a Bonfire of the Damned for lethal. They had never played Ponza before and was not expecting a Miracle card at all. It was absolutely SUPERB though, because they totally played around it in Game 3, allowing me that win as well. One more thought: I don't mind keeping a bad hand against them at all, since their hand disruption and early removal takes such a toll on a good one, and since our deck tends to top-deck very well.

By the way, I say all that with the total realization you've been on the deck WAY longer than me, and that I only have a few matches against these decks. So please take my thoughts with more than a little skepticism! :-)

Have you considered the madcap-imperion combo? My brother runs this deck and that combo is devastating to my main deck which is eldrazi tron.

Bulldawg1310,
Yeah, I looked at Platinum Emperion very early on (the points raised by Bovine073, Moonbar, and GeminiSpartanX back in Posts #1-6 are still valid, if you're interested).

The short story though: I originally passed on Big Robot for budget reasons, and then I've been pleased enough with my current list that I just haven't been in a big rush to try it out.

That said, while I don't have a ton of Eldrazi Tron in my meta, I know it's a HUGE part of the competitive scene and I've certainly struggled against the deck. If I can't figure out a way to deal with it within the current framework, I'll definitely give Emperion a closer look!

Thanks tons!

You struggle against E-Tron? That really surprises me. I mean, 4 moons maindeck should really be making it a good MU.

Bovine073,
IKR? Though I guess the situation is more nuanced than it sounds above. My first tournament ever with the deck (5/4/2017), I got completely run over by Eldrazi Tron (0-2 in games). I returned the favor on MTGO a few days later (beating the deck 2-0 in games). Both of those matches occurred during my first month of serious play with the deck, and I've obviously evolved a TON as a player since then. And of course the deck has evolved a little too. Since those matches, even though Eldrazi Tron is supposed to be something like 8% of the meta, I just haven't seen the deck around. I've tested against it of course, but while I certainly think I've "figured out a way to deal with it within the current framework", I don't really know for sure.

I recently put Ponza together myself. Interesting include of Chameleon Colossus! I like it with all the Death's Shadow variants floating around.

I'm currently testing out Goblin Dark-Dwellers and Rishkar's Expertise. Obviously those two cards together are nuts, but Expertise can give you some fantastic grinding fuel should games go long. Dark Dwellers bringing back Stone Rain or Beast Within is a fantastic feeling, btw.

aeonstoremyliver,
Yeah, Chameleon Colossus is amazing in the current meta. All credit goes to Spijker though, as he or she was the first person I ever saw to use it. One thing to keep in mind: It's also hilarious vs. Fish, since Lord of Atlantis buffs it and grants Islandwalk.

GDD sounds intriguing ... I ran it for a while in an SOI Standard RDW build, but am embarrassed to say I never even thought about it for this deck. I'll give it a hard look for sure. Rishkar's Expertise though, I'm less sure about. It seems like it could be a REALLY frustrating topdeck when dramatically behind, and kind of a win-more when ahead. That said though, I'll check out your deck and I look forward to hearing how it goes in testing!

Thanks much!

I really like this deck idea, I need to try it :P I'll probably make a couple change and order it, thanks for this deck!

Arakismo,
Thanks much! I'm really enjoying the deck, and I'm glad I could share! There's a ton of ways to tune for your play-style and meta ... if you haven't already checked out the 'Primers and other resources' section, I rec' doing so.

Good luck (and good skill) with the build! And PLEASE let us know how it goes!

Goblin Dark-Dwellers is nuts, for sure. I like Rishkar's Expertise as a 1-2x of because it's not something you want all the time, but it is nice to have it. Against grindy decks it's super nice to have the card advantage, and even board advantage given the 4-5 drop critters that we have. I'm still testing with it, and it's definitely a flex spot.

PREVENT OPPONENT WIN-CON?!? YOU DON'T NEED ANSWERS IF OPPONENT'S DEAD!

STILL, +1 FOR FAST AND BIG. AND GRUUL!

CRUSH THEM!

aeonstoremyliver,
Yeah, definitely interested to hear how it goes!

realBorborygmos,
Well sometimes you need to smash them first, you know?
And thanks!

Hello i thoroughly enjoy the deck and will be making a variant. I was wondering if Atarka's Command would be a viable inclusion, or I it wouldn't work.

Very helpful write-up with the description, +1 for that alone. Plus Chameleon Colossus being playable is just awesome!

Tanker12,
Thanks much; I love it too! There are a bunch of flex slots so it's easy to tweak the deck for your meta and play-style ... I recommend checking out some of the other deck here on T/O and in the 'Primers and other resources' section.

I've never tried Atarka's Command nor have I seen anyone use it in Ponza, so I don't really know. It's a great card though, so would probably be solid in a meta with lots of lifegain effects and Flyers.

PLEASE let us know how it goes!

Xevran0,
Thanks so much!

I'm guessing the Chameleon Colossus is in there as a big beater win-con? Why not use something that provides a bit more stability, like Thragtusk? He's big and beefy, gains life, dodges bolt and push, and leaves behind a mini-me when he drops. Still, love the ponza deck! +1!

ancientskull

Colossus just absolutely kills Any DS or BGx deck. It's stupid powerful in the current meta.

ancientskull,
Thanks much for the love and the +1!

Yeah, like I mention in 'Strategy and card choices', Chameleon Colossus is one of my win-cons, especially if pumped to 8/8 (often) or 16/16 (every now and then). I've found it to be absolutely amazing in the current meta, sneaking right past Death's Shadow/Tasigur/Angler or blocking them for days. And it laughs hysterically at both Bolt and Push too. As I mention above, it's also great vs. Fish, since Lord of Atlantis buffs it and grants Islandwalk.

I also mention Thragtusk in 'Great cards I'm not using and why': An absolute house. Just barely misses the cut.

Of course, if Thragtusk works better in your meta, cool! But I'll take a Turn 2 Chameleon Colossus over a Turn 3 Thragtusk any day.

Thanks again!

//

EDIT: What Bovine073 said :-)