I ran three color Burn for a while, but then I got to thinking to myself. Why only limit myself to only three colors? There is so much more I can have at my disposal. Sure, you have Atarka's Command and Destructive Revelry with Naya, and of course you have
Bump in the Night
and Rakdos Charm with Mardu, but what if we combine the two?
Let's delve into the deck, shall we? (Although I am not using Delve.)
CREATURES:
All creatures in this deck basically act as reusable burn spells. If any of these deal 2 to 4 (or more!) damage to your opponent before they die, they definitely would have gotten their use.
Goblin Guide - An early attacker. A turn 1 2 damage by a creature is hard to beat. The trigger is usually irrelevant, because you can kill them before the extra draws really mean anything. Although, do not be afraid to board these out if you play against a deck that really relies on its lands, such as Amulet Bloom or Infect.
Eidolon of the Great Revel - Despite what this creature looks like on the outside, this creature is one of the most potent spells in the deck. Sure, you are gonna take damage yourself, but Burn decks do not really care about their life totals. Due to the really cheap cantrips in the format, it is not hard for your opponent to take 6 to 8 damage before it is dealt with. 6 to 8 damage for 2 mana? Sweet!
Monastery Swiftspear - She is a powerhouse in this deck. Attacking turn 1 with her then playing 2 burn spells on turn 2 then swinging for 3 is super easy to accomplish. If you do the math, that is 10 damage by turn 2! If you play her, always play your burn spells over your other creatures, as Prowess triggers are your main focus.
Grim Lavamancer - This may be one of the worst spells in the deck, but it is still very good. With the amount of cards hitting your graveyard, from fetchlands to burn spells, it will not be hard to find fodder for him. However, this creature will need more time over the others for it to have an impact, so do not be afraid to board these out during super fast games.
SORCERIES:
These spells may not be as potent as their Instant counterparts, but these really shine alongside Monastery Swiftspear, activating her Prowess triggers.
Lava Spike - This is by far the worst spell in your deck. Not being able to target a creature and only being Sorcery speed kinda puts a damper on your explosive plans. However, this card is a must and is a cheap 1 mana burn spell.
Bump in the Night
- Practically another Lava Spike, but requires black to cast. Having as many 1 mana burn spells as possible really makes Burn fast. As a plus, this card bypasses Skullcrack, as there is no damage being dealt. The Flashback mechanic is almost never used, but may be used when you have no cards in hand and it is late in the game.
Rift Bolt
- This is one of the trickier burn spells in the deck. Knowing when to cast it relies when you have it in your hand. If it is in your opening hand and you do not have a Monastery Swiftspear, usually this will be the first thing you cast, using the Suspend ability. If you have Monastery Swiftspear, cast this first then suspend
Rift Bolt
, so you can get the Prowess trigger off of it.
INSTANTS:
Atarka's Command - This spell is great because it has many modes you can choose from. It mostly acts as a more mana intensive Skullcrack, minus the damage prevention. However, the other modes available make it better in my mind than Skullcrack. If you do not have to run against lifegain, you can pump your creatures instead, or play a land if you have a land flooded hand. Always choose the 3 damage as a mode, of course.
Boros Charm - This card is an absolute bomb. 4 damage out of nowhere is really good. It is a great game finisher. You can use the other modes as well. For example, if your opponent plays a boardwipe, you can save your creatures with the indestructible mechanic.
Lightning Bolt - The quintessential burn spell, and on the best Magic cards of all time. Without this spell, Burn would not exist. 3 damage for 1 mana at Instant speed is enough to make it into any deck that uses red, and for a good reason.
Searing Blaze - This card is really good against decks with smaller creatures. With fetchlands, you can still achieve the Landfall trigger at Instant speed. Usually you only want to cast this with Landfall trigger, because 1 damage to a creature and 1 damage to a player for 2 mana is a terrible deal.
Shard Volley - I found myself using this spell as a game finisher, or as a last resort to get rid of a creature, namely Wild Nacatl. If you use this in the middle of the game, it can really set back your tempo, because you'll have one less land in play.
LANDS:
The lands are pretty self explanatory. All fetchlands help to thin your deck so you are not stuck drawing as many non-fetchland lands. Usually you will only fetch when you need it, because wasting life when you do not need lands is extremely pointless.
Arid Mesa - Fetchland
Bloodstained Mire - Fetchland
Wooded Foothills - Fetchland
Mountain - Basic land
Sacred Foundry - Provides white mana to cast Boros Charm and various sideboard cards.
Stomping Ground - Provides green mana to cast Atarka's Command and Destructive Revelry in sideboard.
Blood Crypt - Provides black mana to cast
Bump in the Night
and Rakdos Charm in sideboard.
SIDEBOARD:
Deflecting Palm - This is one of the most useful sideboard cards ever printed. Being able to redirect damage to 2 mana is extremely efficient. The best time to board this in is against Infect, Amulet Bloom, the mirror, and any deck that can deal a lot of damage at one time.
Destructive Revelry - I use this over Wear//tear because it deals damage in addition to blowing something up. Board this in against Affinity, Bogles, and any deck that uses Leyline of Sanctity.
Kor Firewalker - The double white can be a bit of a challenge, but this is great against any deck that uses a lot of red, mainly the mirror. In multiples this card gets really insane, and absolutely crushed Jund Burn.
Lightning Helix - I originally had this card mainboard but decided to take it out, because I found the lifegain to be useless in most matchups. It is really good against the mirror and Delver decks, for what its worth.
Path to Exile - This card can be really tricky. You may think it is good against everything, but you would be wrong. This card should only be used as a last resort, because giving the opponent another land is giving them gas to kill you faster. Normally, this is used against Abzan, Amulet Bloom, and Infect, because you can race almost everything else. Yes, you can race Tarmogoyf most of the time.
Rakdos Charm - This is used with Affinity in mind, however it can be used against any deck that pounds out lots of small creatures, like Elves and Goblins. You will normally use the damage mode, however you can use the graveyard hate if you go against a Reanimator build.
Kolaghan's Command
- This card is great against problematic artifacts and pesky little creatures, because those are the modes you will use most often. This card is great against Affinity and any Burn deck not running white, as you can kill a Goblin Guide and destroy a Dragon's Claw.
KEY MATCHUPS:
Amulet Bloom - Unfortunately, you will probably lose 50-60% of the time, because they have two ways to kill you, either by the Primeval Titan way or the Hive Mind way. Luckily, the deck is not always consistant, so you can use that to your advantage.
Sideboard In - Path to Exile, Destructive Revelry, Deflecting Palm
Take Out - Grim Lavamancer, Searing Blaze, Atarka's Command
Affinity - This matchup is kind of half and half, as you have to race tons of creatures coming at your face. Your creatures help chump block, while you spend that time trying to burn them out. Steel Overseer and Arcbound Ravager are going to be your biggest threats, so deal with them accordingly. Path to Exile may not be totally necessary, but watch to board state and use it if you have to. Grim Lavamancer shines here, as you can plink off their smaller guys.
Sideboard In - Rakdos Charm, Path to Exile, Searing Blaze, Destructive Revelry
Take Out - Shard Volley, Lava Spike,
Bump in the Night
Infect - You can usually win most of time, about 60-70%. Eidolon of the Great Revel can really do a number on them. It is imperative that you burn their creatures as soon as possible, however you may have to fight through pump spells. Inkmoth Nexus can be a challenge, so watch for it.
Sideboard In - Deflecting Palm, Destructive Revelry, Path to Exile, Searing Blaze
Take Out - Atarka's Command, Lava Spike,
Bump in the Night
Twin - This is usually about a 50-60% win. You definitely want to keep a hand that is fast, because they will combo out turn 4 if they have both pieces. Really prioritize your Instants because they will tap down your lands when they flash in Deceiver Exarch, and cast them in response. Spellskite may be a problem, so you may have to waste 2 spells to kill it, or always keep in your spells that can only target a player.
Sideboard In - Destructive Revelry, Path to Exile
Take Out - Shard Volley, Grim Lavamancer
Collected Company - This deck can be really problematic, with about a 40% win percentage. This deck provides 2 things that are good against you: a flood of creatures, and lifegain. Tarmogoyf may be a problem, but your main concern is Kitchen Finks in their sideboard. Having 2 blockers and gaining 4 life in one creature is really hard to race. Sometimes, as bad as I hate to do it, it is necessary to Path to Exile the Kitchen Finks. Path to Exile may be used against you, but usually it is not a huge loss to you. Make sure you definitely keep Atarka's Command at the ready.
Sideboard In - Rakdos Charm, Path to Exile, Searing Blaze
Take Out - Lava Spike,
Bump in the Night
Burn - Running a four-color deck against another standard three-color deck puts you at a little of a disadvantage. You will have to fetch more and shock your shocklands more. However, you have more and better choices (namely white) than traditional three-color decks. In any Burn mirror matchup, basically whoever draws more burn spells usually wins the game, so it really comes with the luck of the draw.
Sideboard In - Kor Firewalker, Deflecting Palm, Lightning Helix
Take Out - Eidolon of the Great Revel, Grim Lavamancer, 1x Fetchland
The only problem this deck may run into is being equipped with the right color of mana you need to cast your spells. Luckily, your fetchlands do the legwork for you. You will have to shock yourself more than traditional three color Burn decks, however, but the reward of having a larger pool of spells is definitely worth the cost. The mana base may need some tweaking, but it seems I have a good base for the amount of cards with specific colors in the board.
I hope you enjoy and any constructive feedback is very much appreciated.
