An attempt at a G/R aggro deck
Deck Help forum
Posted on Nov. 13, 2013, 10:05 p.m. by iniksbane
I'm fairly new to Magic and I could use some advice on whether I'm on the right track with this deck or completely off base. Unfortunately, most of the builds I've seen for this type of deck include Tarmogoyf, which I can't really afford.Some of my questions are: Should I switch out the Zhur-Taa Druid for a different mana dork? Is the Savageborn Hydra viable or should I go with a different finisher? Any advice would be helpful. Thanks.
A Gruuling Challenge?
Thanks :) I agree with lightning bolt. I just haven't bought them yet. I hadn't thought about Keldon Marauders. So it sounds like I should go more creature heavy? I was thinking of using the Evolution charms to cycle the rampagers.
November 13, 2013 11:59 p.m.
Since the decks spell costs are so cheap, and Burning-Tree Emissary helps with some fixing, the deck can certainly afford to run a very heavy threat base - something like 28-30 creatures, 18-20 lands and 10-14 other spells - depending on the exactly cards.
As for Evolution Charm . It's not a bad idea per say, but the question becomes is 2 mana and a card worth another Ghor-Clan Rampager . At RG for +4/+4 and trample it's one of the best combat tricks around. At RGG1 and discard a card, it starts looking a little less exciting. I would probably want just another 3 power creature instead of that Evolution Charm . If that's still the plan you might even want to look at something like Eternal Witness . It's slower, but it's a 2 for 1 which puts a body into play - and it can get back one of your spells too if needed.
November 14, 2013 12:11 a.m.
I don't mind trading it out. I did think about eternal witness... OK. I think I just realized why I was being stupid. I was thinking I was going to have mana free during one of these turns. Mostly, I was looking for a way to finish the game in case I get stalled out by either a bad draw or not hitting the curve.
How does Firefist Striker end up playing in modern? I've only really used it in standard.
November 14, 2013 12:16 a.m.
It's not needed as much. There are a lot more decks in modern that are not going to ever try to block, but there is a lot more removal - in fact in many ways it's a format defined by the removal suite it has.
So you really want to maximize how much pressure each creature can bring by itself, since you're going to get a lot of them killed by removal spells. Which pretty much means trying to keep everything above at least a potential for 3 power, Burning-Tree Emissary gets a pass since it usually brings friends and when possible you try to get 3 toughness to dodge Whipflare and Pyroclasm . 1 toughness can be especially troublesome when several decks are mainboarding Electrolyze .
The next step up would be trying to get to 4 toughness to get past Lightning Bolt , Lightning Helix and the like, but there's not much for 1 or 2 mana that's still aggressive - it's pretty much just gofy.
November 14, 2013 12:35 a.m.
Yeah. The good thing in my meta is no one else has $170 to spend on a card either.:)
Slycne says... #2
The Gruul modern deck really works best when it's being as aggressive as it can be, your primary game plan is to try and punish anyone who stumbles by presenting a nearly consistent T4 kill if they don't interact. So you really want to bring up the speed with cards like
+2 Experiment One - this card will routinely be 3 power for 1 mana, and it keeps your T1 plays up.
+1 Kird Ape - Likewise if you can get the 4th, go for it.
+4 Lightning Bolt - It's the most played spell in modern for good reason. It gets things out of the way for cheap, provides good reaching burn damage and gives you a little more interaction against the creature combo decks.
And cut the slower stuff like
-4 Zhur-Taa Druid - Just not quite on game plan, if it was a 1 drop that could accelerate into a decent 3 CMC then it might be worth it, but that's not really the plan here. Going from 3 to 4 mana on turn 3 doesn't really do much for you, and even with the pinging an otherwise decent aggressive creature would get in more damage.
-3 Savageborn Hydra - Just a little too slow, especially with only 22 lands. You want to be ending the game, not playing a tiny hydra that might grow big over the next few turns.
Evolution Charm , Gruul Charm , Signal the Clans , Clan Defiance , Flesh / Blood . None of these are really bad per say, but they are slow. Like compare Blood to Lightning Bolt , there's just no reason to run it over the other. There might be some corner cases of bloodrush, but the cheaper more consistent option is almost always better.
Additional cards I would recommend giving consideration to.
Rancor , Goblin Guide , Searing Blaze and depending on where you end up, you may even want to shave some lands off the 22 count. Copperline Gorge is a decently cheap dual land if you're looking to keep things under budget. You could even run Karplusan Forest since your sole plan is to end the game so quickly. Other budget options, Keldon Marauders , Talara's Battalion , Stormblood Berserker , Gore-House Chainwalker pretty much anything that will give you 3 power for 2 CMC.
November 13, 2013 11:37 p.m.