Any feedback or suggestions are appreciated as I want to make this deck as good as it can be. Alright, time for a quick guide to piloting Burn's shadow. I built this deck with inspiration from a friend who, on two separate occasions said that 1) Eidolon deals more damage to the user than the opponent and 2) that Death's shadow would be good in a burn deck since a typical burn deck deals itself so much damage. Here is the result; a burn deck that relies on damaging itself and fighting for board control so that Death's Shadow can do work.
Card Choices
Creatures:
Goblin Guide: One of the best red creatures in Magic, Goblin Guide is great for aggressive strategies. A 2/2 haste for one mana is ridiculous and being able to see your opponent's next draw is just icing on the cake.
Monastery Swiftspear: Swiftpear is great in this deck as there are a ton of cheap burn spells (Lightning Bolt, Lava Spike, Bump in the Night) that can trigger prowess. Ideally Swiftspear should be swinging for 2 or 3 each turn.
Eidolon of the Great Revel: Normally I don't run eidolon in burn as it usually deals more damage to me than my opponent. However in this deck this drawback becomes a strength. All of the spells in this deck are less than three mana so Eidolon of the Great Revel is a reliable way to get our life total low enough for Death's Shadow.
Grim Lavamancer: Lavamancer is a solid creature that is good against small-creature based strategies (Affinity and Infect) and control decks. If you are desperate for damage in the late game, this guy is an all-star.
Death's Shadow: And finally, the main bomb of the deck. Death's Shadow requires the player to damage themselves efficiently and play him as early as possible. Eidolon of the Great Revel and our fetch and shock lands bring us down to a low life total very quickly. This card forces our opponent to side in mass removal for our low cost creatures (Pyroclasm, Whipflare, Anger of the Gods) or powerful single target removal (Path to Exile). If they choose both, their deck becomes less consistent.
Spells:
Lightning Bolt: Being the best red spell in the eternal formats, four of these is automatically included.
Rift Bolt: While slower than Lightning Bolt, this card is a nice addition to this deck as it still functions as a source of three damage.
Lava Spike and Bump in the Night: While these cards are very limited in what they can target, they are very efficient spells that make the deck more reliable.
Searing Blaze: One of the best cards in this deck, Searing Blaze is a two-for-one spell that helps clear the board so our creatures can get through while dealing extra direct damage.
Atarka's Command: This card is just another efficient spell for the deck. Each of its four modes can be useful to this deck. The first option prevents our opponents from gaining life which can be crucial when this deck starts to run out of gas. The second option is just another three damage to our opponent. The third option can be used with Searing Blaze to trigger landfall. And the fourth option can be used to buff our creatures for extra damage or, in dire situations, be used to prevent flying damage that would otherwise kill us.
Sideboard:
Destructive Revelry: Use against Affinity, Bogles, Lantern Control, WR Prison, or Control match-ups that run Leyline of Sanctity.
Fatal Push: Use against Infect, Jund, Abzan, Bant Eldrazi, Eldrazi and Taxes, or UR Prowess.
Grafdigger's Cage: Use against Dredge, Titan Shift, Nahiri Control, or RG Breach.
Leyline of the Void: Use against Dredge and Living End.
Searing Blaze: Use against Infect, Jund, Dredge, Naya Burn, or Affinity.
Skullcrack: Use against Elves, Mono White Martyr, or any deck that sides in either Kitchen Finks or Lone Missionary.
Strategy
The strategy is much like a normal burn deck. Play efficient creatures and spells to get your opponent to zero as fast as possible. With the addition of Death's Shadow, the play-style changes a little bit. If you have a Death's Shadow on the field, you change the target of your Lightning Bolt's and Rift Bolt's to clearing the board so your Death's Shadow can hit. Unless you have the creature damage to kill them, don't use two burn spells on one creature. It is more efficient to save that damage for later on other, smaller creatures or for direct.
Deck Variants
Mardu:
Boros Charm for Atarka's Command
Wear for Destructive Revelry
Rakdos:
Skullcrack for Atarka's Command
Smash to Smithereens for Destructive Revelry
Flames of the Blood Hand for Skullcrack (for the empty sideboard slots)
