Izzet tuned enough?
Pauper forum
Posted on Jan. 25, 2019, 11:59 a.m. by captainamerica
Hey guys I want to get into pauper and want to keep my deck around $40. I'm currently looking into Izzet Blitz and I think I like the tempo of 3x Fire / Ice .
Please let me know how I could improve this.
Dracoson says... #2
Let me preface this by saying I've been playing Blitz for the last few years, and I love playing it. Having said that, I have several notes on this, so bear with me.
First things first, where's the combo? Temur Battle Rage is the soul of this deck, and it isn't present at all. That's where the deck gets its ability to finish out of nowhere. Pair it with either Mutagenic Growth or even Titan's Strength and boom. Growth tends to be preferred because you can cast it with no mana open, but either is acceptable.
Needs more creatures. I'm not talking a lot more, because you still want a certain spell density, but generally speaking, some combination of Delver of Secrets
Flip and/or
Elusive Spellfist
s are in the list, otherwise you just fold to incidental removal. I like 4x Delver, 4x Fiend, 4x Cypclops, but you should definitely have 3-5 more creatures.
Card selection. I understand shying away from Preordain if you're trying to keep to a budget, but Ponder and at least one other card selection spell is a must. I don't care for Brainstorm but anyway you slice it, you want several of these type of spells. Typically it's 8-12 with Gush on top, but this deck NEEDS to look at a lot of cards to get to the ones it needs for the situation, and targeted cantrips just don't cut it.
Mana base. I see two problems here. First is straight up number. You're running 16, when 18 is a more realistic number. Those first two-three land drops are essential. The secend issue is the number that come in tapped. There is a certain value in playing cards like Evolving Wilds , Terramorphic Expanse , and/or Ash Barrens when you are playing Brainstorm , but you don't need to pack duals on top of it. I wouldn't play more than 6, and then I would want 2-3 of those to be Ash Barrens . 4 is probably a better number. Use the duals if you move away from Brainstorm, and the "fetches' if you don't.
Don't forget protection. Apostle's Blessing is the go to, but you need some way of keeping your creature alive on your big turn. Dispel can also do that. Gitaxian Probe is also helpful to make sure the coast is clear before you commit.
Now, as for Fire / Ice , the card is fine, and there are a few flex spots to include it as a 1-3 of. When I tested it, it seemed underwhelming. It's a utility tempo card, and this deck plays more of a combo deck with a tempo back up plan.
January 25, 2019 2:57 p.m.