Yup. You know it's been around forever. You either love it or hate it. You also know it's far from optimized, so let's hear me out on this one.
Primer
Lightning Bolt
It's first-rate removal early game, and second-rate reach late game. Works well with Goblin Dark-Dwellers and Kari Zev's Expertise. If you're playing red in Modern, chances are you're also playing 4 of.
Skred
The deck's namesake card! We play this card along with a full land-base of Snow Permanents, so it works out. Works well with Goblin Dark-Dwellers and Kari Zev's Expertise.
Fiery Temper
We have a slew of ways to discard cards, and this is the best madness card in our colors to help take advantage of that fact. It makes the front end of Faithless Looting retain card parity for one more mana.
Sweltering Suns
This card recently replaced Pyroclasm and Anger of the Gods, however the latter is gone, but not forgotten. Works well with Goblin Dark-Dwellers, as you can either cast it normally, but the Cycling cost is prime card replacement, and we can flash it back with GDD. We have 2 Anger of the Gods in the SB for those Chord/Company decks that care about creatures hitting/being in the yard.
Kari Zev's Expertise
This card is the worst card in the deck, however we play it for a good reason. It helps us cast (almost) any spell in our hand, while stealing an opponent's creature (in the proper matchups, obviously). The most important reason for playing this card is Wheel of Fate. We can fill our graveyard with awesome cards that love being in the graveyard, like Demigod of Revenge, Faithless Looting, and Wheel of Fate. We only play 1 because it's awful when it's bad, as the most it can do is give us a free spell from our hand, and give one of our creatures haste/untap it. It's the only red card in the format that lets us cast a spell from our hand for free, so that's the main reason I included it. Sideboard it out against any control deck and most combo decks.
Faithless Looting
The best early-game spell to cast, as we can start sculpting our graveyard, filling it with Demigod of Revenge, Faithless Looting, Wheel of Fate, and just instants and sorceries in general for the likes of Goblin Dark-Dwellers and Bedlam Reveler. We care about filling up our graveyard for supreme value, and this is the card that most easily lets us achieve that goal.
Wheel of Fate
This card is a beast when it's good. At it's worst, it's a turn two play that lets us refuel for mid-game. At it's best, we can cast it for free without waiting those four suspen(d)seful turns. Bad joke. We throw a bunch of Demigod of Revenges in there, then get them back when we cast one, since we're also getting 7 cards deeper into our deck. We don't mind pitching our meat-and-potatoes spells either, since we can get them back with Goblin Dark-Dwellers. Sideboard this card out against Burn and Affinity, we don't need to reload their hands, it's okay against the decks where it's not bad, like Jund, Death's Shadow, and Ad Nauseam.
Demigod of Revenge
We love this card. Let me say it again; WE LOVE THIS CARD. It's the best thing to pitch to the yard and say a prayer it doesn't get exiled, because if we so much as cast another one, they're all coming back. With Haste. Play 4 of, no less. Unless you're afraid of graveyard hate, then play a different deck.
Goblin Dark-Dwellers
At first glance, you'd think this card is too much mana. You would be correct. However, when you rationalize it in the context of our deck, it's no more mana than Snapcaster Mage hitting a 3-drop. We love Love LOVE LOVE casting Wheel of Fate from the GY with this guy, as we get to refuel for the low-low price of 5 mana, and no suspend counters. He also lets us flashback any spell in our deck, so we can re-Bolt our opponent, or their creatures. We can reSkred their board, if they manage to keep one through turn 5. We can Sweltering Suns their tokens, cheap dudes, mana dorks, etc, again. Play this guy, maybe not 4 of, but some; there aren't that many mono-red cards that care about the graveyard.
Combustible Gearhulk/Bedlam Reveler
This bad mother is good at scaring your opponent into letting you draw 3 cards, since they don't often want to take damage since we have a slew of aggressive cards in Demigod of Revenge, Koth of the Hammer, Lightning Bolt, and Kari Zev's Expertise. He competes with Bedlam Reveler in the Mainboard, and they both feel great when they're good, but terrible when they're not.
Koth of the Hammer
Mono-Red in Modern demands you play this guy. If you have the removal to support him on the board (which you do), then he'll ult in 2 turns, and you cannot lose. Period. Not to mention dropping him on turn 4, then -2 into a Blood Moon kills ~50% of the field right now. Play 4 of or face crucifixion.
Chandra, Torch of Defiance
This new Chandra lets us draw extra cards, ramp up to our bigger threats, remove 4-toughness dudes that don't die to Lightning Bolt, and the ultimate is super synergistic with Kari Zev's Expertise and Goblin Dark-Dwellers. It makes for a great planeswalker. You could get away with only playing 1, but why not play two?
Blood Moon
This card wins games. Play 4 between the Main and Sideboard.
Snow-Covered Mountain
This card lets Skred deal more than 0 damage, and doesn't get turned off by your own (or opponents') Blood Moons. Play between 20 and 22 of them.
Scrying Sheets
Lets us potentially nab a land off the top for virtually no drawback if you have nothing else going on, so it's worth playing, since we don't have too much color devotion to cater to. Any more than 2 is risky however, since we have a RRRRR Demigod of Revenge to satisfy eventually.
Sideboard
Dragon's Claw
Play this against Burn. It lets you win the game.
Pithing Needle
Play this against combo decks. Name Lightning Storm, Saheeli Rai, Tasigur, the Golden Fang, Arcbound Ravager (if you're feeling saucy), Walking Ballista, you get it. Play it when you need it.
Blood Moon
Play it when your opponent wants to make mana besides Red mana. Remind them of their superior Mono-Red overlords.
Anger of the Gods
As previously mentioned, play it when you need more boardwipes, like against Affinity, Chord decks, other lame decks that play cards that die to it, etc.
Kari Zev's Expertise
Surprisingly good against Tron, Affinity, Death's Shadow, and Midrange decks. Still lets us play our Wheel of Fates without waiting five turns.
Shattering Spree
Easier to cast than Shatterstorm, and is helpful against Lantern Control, Affinity, and other decks that play artifacts a-plenty (Tron, Pillow-Fort).
Molten Rain
For when Blood Moon just isn't enough, play this bad boy against control decks, Tron, and any other deck that has lands that offer value. Just about whenever you're siding in Blood Moon #4, you're bringing in these bad boys. Note that they can be cast again with GDD.
That's all folks, please leave comments, and a +1, as I have been testing Skred Red since 2014. This version cares about the graveyard, and a 1-shot combo with Demigod of Revenge. Thanks for reading!
