pie chart

Vegas Burn (GP Vegas 2019)

Modern RW (Boros)

PrinceofAsphodel


Sideboard


I have written out a description of the meta because a lot of my card choices are clearly built with it in mind.
Hogaak- This deck will no doubt soon be banned but we have it for now so there won't be a deck at the Grand Prix that doesn't have a plan for it.
Izzet Phoenix- One of the most objectively powerful decks in the game that is hard to hate out.

Boros Burn- A deck that can punish Hogaak's greedy manabase and has good mainboard cards vs Phoenix.

Mono Red Phoenix- another deck that's fast enough to compete with Hogaak's draws.

Humans- Undoubtedly one of the strongest decks in the format but it simply doesn't have the greatest matchup vs Hogaak.

Eldrazi Tron- The best draws from this deck can still steamroll and strategy. Sideboarding 4 Leylines of the Void hardly hurts its strategy.

Tron- it has a fair matchup vs Hogaak and a good matchup vs many decks that try to counter it.

Jund- One of the modern classics that's been made more consistent by the printing of Wrenn and Six. While it's matchups aren't amazing, it can still beat any deck with the right draws.

Whirza- The new artifact deck that is both resilient and quick it boasts a better matchup vs Hogaak than many other decks in the meta.

U/W Control- The printing of many new planeswalkers has made this strategy even more viable. It has many tools to fight faster strategies.

Hardened Scales: This artifact aggro deck is fast and difficult to play against, meaning it rewards piloting skills more than other strategies, it has a fair match against the Hogaak menace.

Burn is one of the decks that has the best matchups against Hogaak. So much so that Hogaak lists have begun adding more copies of Collective Brutality to beat aggressive strategies. Nevertheless I still believe Burn to be one of the better deck choices for a competent pilot. Sideboard cards like Path and Tormod's Crypt have been known to be weak against Hogaak because they only slow the deck down a bit; however, Burn is one of those decks that can use the extra turn to win the game. Additionally, It is the deck that's best equipped to punish the damage Hogaak decks deal to themselves with their mana base.
-No Grim Lavamancer- This card is decent in a Humans/Company meta, but it's simply too slow against decks like Hogaak and Izzet Phoenix.

-Mainboard Skullcrack- I like Skullcrack because it stops a lot of random effects; however, I don't believe it's good enough to warrant a sideboard slot, so I have my pair in the mainboard. I trim the fourth Skewer the Critics for the second copy of Skullcrack. It's also nice to keep my instant count just a tad higher for those draw step Cliques and K-Commands.

-Landbase: I haven't gone up to 20 lands in a few years. Nineteen is the sweet spot for me. I'm not sure if I would run a fourth Canyon if I had one but, if I did, it would replace the fourth Inspiring Vantage. Six or seven fetchlands is a fine number now that we have Burnrizon Canopies. I like to split them to fight random Pithing Needles.

Path to Exile: This card is a necessary evil in the deck. It deals no damage but it gets rid of many troublesome creatures. It also happens to come in against most of the top decks right now. I could play 3 but I'm on two because a hand full of Paths won't win the game. You still need to win through damage at the end of the day.

Tormod's Crypt- Grafdigger's Cage is usually my favorite piece of Graveyard hate but Hogaak can be cast over it from hand. Rest in Peace is too slow against Hogaak if you're ever on the draw. This means Tormod's Crypt is the best form of graveyard hate against the best graveyard deck. You just need to know what resources are needed to cast Hogaak so you can crack the Crypt at the right moment.

Smash to Smithereens- I was originally on Shattering Sprees as my artifact hate of choice but I switched because I like Smash just a little bit better vs Eldrazi Tron. Killing Chalice is great but dealing damage while you do it might help you win. And no, I don't run enchantment hate in this list. If you have Leyline of Sanctity, congratulations, you beat me. It's been my experience that sideboard slots are too tight for decks to be running Leyline and Worship effects, so I'll take my chances.

Kor Firewalker- Since I am of the opinion that Burn and Mono Red Phoenix are some of the best deck choices, then I must, on principle, respect those matchups, even though I hate Firewalker as a card. I don't cringe quite as much at it as before because Burn decks run less Skullcracks and Burn dropped green so forcing two white lands early on is not nearly as suspicious or painful.

Deflecting Palm- This card is very good against three of the best decks in the format: Hogaak, Izzet Phoenix, and Eldrazi Tron. Unfortunately, "good against Hogaak" is a phrase that deserves an asterisk since one of their best cards against Burn, Carrion Feeder, can simply sac the creature you chose with Palm. It's still good enough to run, in my opinion.

Searing Blood- I love this card because it's a sideboard card that actually deals damage and therefore, does not create tension with your win condition. Company decks are not popular right now but it still creates an important tempo swing vs Humans, Burn, and Mono Red Phoenix.

I came up with these numbers using just my recent experience. Many factors such as my opponents' skill levels, sideboard cards, etc. could result in me being wrong on a few of these.

Hogaak: 50/50. If I had to choose a winner in this matchup, I'd say Hogaak more consitently draws god hands than Burn; however, the margin is close enough for me to call it even. Whoever loses the die roll in this matchup should be sweating bullets.

Burn: 50/50 (obviously). If you plan to take Burn to the GP, and you don't have much experience with it, I'd recommend searching around for other Burn players' descriptions of how the matchup goes and how you should approach it.

Izzet Phoenix: 60/40. Remember when I said it's hard to hate on Izzet Phoenix? Eidolon of the Great Revel is an exception, Phoenix cannot win through Eidolon unless they are already ahead. This alone puts Burn at an advantage. Additionally, the matchup is basically 50/50 even without Eidolon and Burn has better sideboard cards.

Mono Red Phoenix: 60/40. Don't make the mistake of assuming Mono Red Phoenix is basically Izzet Phoenix with some minor differences. Arclight Phoenix is merely a backup plan in this deck, which aims to kill with Prowess creatures 80% of the time. With that said, Lightning Helix and Searing Blaze are better than any mainboard card in Phoenix. Try to board in a piece of artifact hate or two because these decks are notorious for running Dragon's Claw.

Eldrazi Tron: 50/50. Yeah, Chalice is great against Burn but sometimes it doesn't lock out enough spells by the time it comes down. Eldrazi can just as easily get overrun, especially if it loses the die roll. Thought-Knot is a great creature in the matchup but it can't block spells that fly directly to the face. I'd call this one even.

Humans: 50/50. I've heard players of both these decks complain about this matchup, and for good reason. They're both packed with mainboard cards that are great in the matchup, from Thalia to Searing Blaze, Freebooter to Lightning Helix. You just have to hope your draws line up well against theirs. Remember to respect the sideboard Auriok Champions.

Tron: 55/45. I had recently begun to lose more matches to Tron once Karn, the Great Creator as printed, mostly because Trinisphere kept coincidentally locking me down. However, a lot of lists aren't even playing that card anymore. Additionally Tron can't do a single thing if they get killed on turn 3, which we can sometimes pull off. The matchup is still fairly good, possibly even better than I give it credit for.

Jund: 55/45. Jund has been running smooth as butter recently thanks to their new 2 mana planeswalker but I think Burn still has the speed to kill them a little more often than they have the cards to stabilize.

U/W: 40/60. Some Burn players claim this matchup is good. I believe it used to be, but it plays a lot lower to the ground than before and a lot of lists are prepared to fight aggro. Being as I didn't fit any Skullcracks or Exquisite Firecrafts in my sideboard this time around, I have effectively forfeit the result of this match to luck, as I don't believe either of those cards improve the matchup by a wide enough margin. I am at peace with this fact since I like my sideboard against every other big deck in the format.

Whirza: 55/45. There are quite a few x/4 creatures in this deck that don't die to a single bolt but Searing Blaze combines with pressure from attacking creatures can often trap them after they block. Since the archetype is low on removal, I really want to try to race this deck more than anything. They're generally the slower deck.

Hardened Scales: 45/55. This matchup could also be close to even but Arcbound Ravager is just a headache. I would try to control the ground in this matchup as much as you can so our creatures can get in for as much damage as possible. Then Burn their face and hope they die before you get to 10 poison of 0 life.

Suggestions

Updates Add

Comments

Date added 5 years
Last updated 5 years
Legality

This deck is Modern legal.

Rarity (main - side)

24 - 2 Rares

26 - 10 Uncommons

7 - 3 Commons

Cards 60
Avg. CMC 1.78
Votes
Ignored suggestions
Shared with
Views