A neat little aggro prowess deck, built mainly around Monastery Swiftspear. It's proved very effective in 1v1, and completely useless in FFA-games, as it lacks the means to reach the same level of pressure as in 1v1.
The deck revolves around the mechanic of using instants and sorceries to trigger prowess and the TA on Kiln Fiend and Blistercoil Weird, the former being a necessity to kill off your opponent as quickly as possible.
This deck is geared towards casual play only.
Opening Hand - You want to start with a maximum of three lands and one or two creatures, a card to power creatures, and a burn spell. For a bit more risky gameplay, you can start with just two lands, but you'll run into trouble if you don't draw one land by turn 3. The deck does well with just 2 mana on the table, due to its cheap spells, but it can restrict you a bit. If you open with Rite of Flame in your hand, you don't want more than 2 lands, but be careful using it too early, in case you don't draw another land by turn 3.
Worth noting is the deck runs with as few lands as it does because if you have 4 lands, you don't want to see another land draw. If this doesn't fit your style of gameplay, you can replace Rite of Flame with two lands instead. If you do, I'd recommend adding at least one or two more Magmatic Insight to avoid excessive mana flooding.
Deck Mechanics in no particular order:
Monastery Swiftspear - The main inspiration for the deck; although not its main staple card (that honour goes to Kiln Fiend), it's a token of the deck's theme, hitting fast and hard. Combining it with Rite of Flame on turn 1 to give it an extra edge with Titan's Strength will show that you mean business. If you're not able to follow up turn 2 with equally threatening damage, however, I'd advise to conserve your cards for turn 3 destruction.
This card should be a part of your opening hand, although it's not an absolute must.
Kiln Fiend - The very reason this deck is as dangerous as it is, Kiln Fiend is a massive threat to the board state, as it grows to huge sizes with any one of the instants and sorceries this deck has.
Although it won't hit the table until turn 2 and start doing damage until turn 3 (unless you use Rite of Flame), you'll want this card in your opening hand, or hope it's the first or second card you draw.
Arena Athlete - A card mainly included because it was on the list that I pulled this deck from; a standard-legal deck that featured a few cards I didn't much like or care for. I haven't seen it a lot in play due to its low deck-presence, but the ability to be able to make a potential threat not be able to block is too good to pass up, in a deck that relies this heavily on its creatures getting through.
Not something you need in your opening hand unless your opponent is quick to bring out blockers or defenders. Could be considered for sideboarding, since it doesn't synergize that well with the deck.
Blistercoil Weird - While the deck isn't lacking in one-drops, the low mana-cost of cards means that more things can happen each turn. As a drawback, this deck burns out very quickly (turn 3-4, depending on draw and starting hand), and needs to deal with its opponent quickly. Blistercoil Weird is a step down from prowess, but it's potentially more fun than Mage-Ring Bully, which has been used as placeholder in this deck while I looked for alternatives. As a recent addition, Blistercoil will need to be gauged in gameplay to see how it works.
Good for opening hand,especially if you don't have a Swiftspear.
Cinder Pyromancer - An early addition to the deck, that hasn't seen a lot of play. For this deck it's very expensive, it doesn't have haste, and it requires a few red spells to start kicking. If you're stuck with a slow start, however, and have a lot of spells on hand as late as turn 4 or 5, it can prove useful in dealing a bit of extra damage as you beef up your creatures for a big assault, softening your opponent, potentially forcing them to change their tactics to survive.
For the moment, it could be removed (or sideboarded), since it doesn't synergize too well with the decks early threat theme.
Not something you want in your opening hand.
Abbot of Keral Keep - This one can be a bit finicky, since playing it on turn 2 means you won't be able to play the card you exile, unless you used a Rite of Flame. Even so, there's a fairly big chance of pulling something with CMC higher than 1, or a land that you can't play.Playing it on turn 3 or later makes it stronger, but while it does have prowess, its too slow for the deck's needs. Often, it won't see play if a turn 2 Kiln Fiend happens.
Not ideal to start with in opening hand, top-decking it is better.
Bloodfire Expert - Too expensive to keep in opening hand, it's best for dropping in turn 3-4, possibly rushing it with a Reckless Charge.
Temur Battle Rage - This one is particularly useful together with Kiln Fiend, as it triggers its TA, making Fiend a 4/2 before the spell resolves, triggering Ferocious.
Too good for this deck to pass up, it's a good thing to have in your opening hand, especially if you have a Kiln Fiend as well.
Titan's Strength - The main strength of this card is its ability to let you scry, seeing if you want to keep the next card or not. Together with Magmatic Insight (should you find the need to use it), it allows you to see if you want to draw the card or not.
Arguably one of the strongest cards in the deck, this should be in your opening hand.
Magmatic Insight - This isn't a very great draw card; it's place in the deck is to push you a bit forward should you find that you're stuck with too many lands during draw. It's presence in the deck is fairly low though, so it's not very likely to be drawn. With the deck also having only 18 lands, it might be removed in a future update, depending on how its usefulness turns out. Its perks include low mana-cost, the ability to trigger prowess, Kiln Fiend and Blistercoil Weird, and getting rid of a land isn't so much of an issue if you find yourself flooding a bit.
Not an opening hand-card, and not really useful until turn 4-5 if you happen to be drawing a land.
Brute Strength - Trample is one thing this deck is badly in want for, since a beefed up Kiln Fiend easily can be chumped with a 1/1 token if it doesn't have trample. Brute Strength is added mainly to provide another source for trample, and with no requirements of a creature being 4+ power to gain trample, making it useful for other creatures of the deck that requires a bit of pump to reach those levels.
It can replace Temur Battle Rage in your opening hand, as it works wonders with Kiln Fiend, and other creatures with prowess will also get huge benefits from it.
Rite of Flame - This one's a quite recent addition, not yet playtested as of writing. The idea is that it can add a bit of extra punch by opening for an additional mana on turn 1 or 2. Drawing it when your hand is nearly empty isn't particularly helpful, which is why its deck-presence is low. Starting with one in your opening hand however, it could be useful on turn 3, if you're short a land; or on turn 2, to hasten Kiln Fiend with a Reckless Charge.
Good for opening hand if you want to start with 2 lands, which allows for a bit different gameplay.
Coordinated Assault - Triggers prowess and TA's across the board (only once, mind you; not once per target), it's OK for opening hand, but not necessarily the best card to draw later in the game.
Lightning Bolt and Wild Slash - One or two of these in your opening hand is useful if you're expecting resistance.
Reckless Charge - Not necessarily good in opening hand, it's best used in turn 4-5. Does give haste, if you're in a hurry to beat your opponent before that.
Sideboard
Arc Lightning and Twin Bolt - These are ideal only if you're dealing with decks with a lot of small creatures, as they're very expensive to play. Twin Bolt is good for opening hand if you need it, Arc Lightning is too expensive to keep in your opening hand.
Magma Spray - Should the need to kill and exile creatures, this one is useful. Whether you want it in your opening hand or not is something you have to evaluate yourself. Needing to exile something with this kind of deck is rare, and if it's a big creature, you're not gonna kill it with this spell alone.
