Dealing 120 DAMAGE in 4 Turns?! (Purphoros Primer)
Commander / EDH* Burn Competitive Group Slug Mono-Red Primer Tokens
Token Makers (17)
- 1x Aether Chaser
- 1x Blade of Selves
- 1x Elemental Mastery
- 1x Genesis Chamber
- 1x Goblin Rabblemaster
- 1x Hanweir Garrison Meld
- 1x Heat Shimmer
- 1x Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
- 1x Kher Keep
- 1x Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
- 1x Krenko, Mob Boss
- 1x Mogg Infestation
- 1x Splinter Twin
- 1x Tilonalli's Summoner
- 1x Tooth and Claw
- 1x Twinflame
- 1x Warchief Giant
Ramp (11)
- 1x Ancient Tomb
- 1x Coldsteel Heart
- 1x Everflowing Chalice
- 1x Expedition Map
- 1x Fellwar Stone
- 1x Fire Diamond
- 1x Mana Crypt
- 1x Mind Stone
- 1x Sol Ring
- 1x Star Compass
- 1x Thought Vessel
Self-Flickerers (5)
ETB Synergy (12)
- 1x Blade of Selves
- 1x Cloudstone Curio
- 1x Conjurer's Closet
- 1x Divergent Transformations
- 1x Flamerush Rider
- 1x Heat Shimmer
- 1x Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
- 1x Mogg War Marshal
- 1x Panharmonicon
- 1x Shifting Shadow
- 1x Splinter Twin
- 1x Twinflame
Manabase (37)
- 1x Ancient Tomb
- 1x Cavern of Souls
- 1x Command Beacon
- 1x Expedition Map
- 1x Kher Keep
- 1x Mana Crypt
- 1x Mind Stone
- 27x Mountain
- 1x Ramunap Ruins
- 1x Sol Ring
- 1x Strip Mine
Infinite Combos (8)
- 1x Combat Celebrant
- 1x Dualcaster Mage
- 1x Heat Shimmer
- 1x Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
- 1x Lightning Crafter
- 1x Splinter Twin
- 1x Twinflame
- 1x Zealous Conscripts
Draw (4)
Commander (1)
ETB Creatures (11)
- 1x Beetleback Chief
- 1x Emrakul's Hatcher
- 1x Fanatic of Mogis
- 1x Ghirapur Gearcrafter
- 1x Goblin Matron
- 1x Iron League Steed
- 1x Pia and Kiran Nalaar
- 1x Pia Nalaar
- 1x Precursor Golem
- 1x Siege-Gang Commander
- 1x Thopter Engineer
Extra Damage (8)
- 1x Dictate of the Twin Gods
- 1x Eidolon of the Great Revel
- 1x Embermaw Hellion
- 1x Fanatic of Mogis
- 1x Furnace of Rath
- 1x Heartless Hidetsugu
- 1x Impact Tremors
- 1x Manabarbs
Tutors (5)
Maybeboard
Other (2)
Some decks like to grind out value through out a game. Some decks like to play politics and pit opponents against each other. Some decks like do what seems like nothing important until winning with a combo out of nowhere. Those are some decks. THIS is not one of those decks. This deck doesn't just run, it LEAPS out the gate as soon as the game starts, and it is not afraid of when opponents all turn against it. It LAUGHS in the face of politics, the silly concept of "value", and the idea of avoiding becoming Public Enemy #1. If you like playing red decks that just burn your opponents' faces until it wins, then this is definitely the deck for you!
History of the Burn-to-the-Face Design
So how old is burn to the face exactly? Well, it turns out, as old as it can get. Back in Alpha, the very first set of Magic: the Gathering, we got A LOT of cards that dealt noncombat damage to players, but one stood the test of time (thanks at least in part to its repeated reprinting), and that card is Lightning Bolt. So when it comes to these types of cards, it turns out that burn spells have always been fired up and ready to go.
History of the Burn-to-the-Face Archetype
However, it took a while before those cards were used to their greatest potential. According to the MTG Wiki page on "Sligh", the name of the first highly successful deck that prioritized burning opponents utilizing a lot of noncombat damage to the face, the first player to play such a deck to a high degree of success was Paul Sligh piloting a deck designed by Jay Schneider:
"It all started at a PTQ in Atlanta, during the first high point of Necropotence's long and decorated history. An odd looking deck with some atrocious synergies made us re-think how Magic is played, how we should put together decks, and when a game begins.
"This deck was played by Paul Sligh to a second place finish in that PTQ, which explains the moniker 'Sligh'. In those days, second place would pick up a PT slot, so, along with a tiny bit of Internet hype, the name stuck. In reality, the deck (alternately called 'Geeba' or 'The Orcish Librarian Deck') was designed by Jay Schneider, a significant deck builder even today, whereas Sligh's namesake has been little seen or heard from in the past eight years."
Ever since these humble beginnings in 1996, Sligh decks and Red Deck Wins decks have been some of the most successful decks many formats have ever seen. If you don't believe me, check out this fantastic article on the history of red decks by Alex Shvartsman. It's definitely a great read!
History of Burn-to-the-Face Commanders
So, the question remains: did this successful strategy translate to the inconsistent Commander format, which features twice as much life and at least twice as many opponents? Well, since the first commander to deal noncombat damage (Axelrod Gunnarson, who is an 8-drop that deals damage to players 1 point at a time whenever it fatally damages another creature... slow as molasses...) came out 5-8 years before Elder Dragon Highlander was created, the real question is this: how soon into the format did a strategy of trying to burn opponents become successful? Over the many years, we have seen quite a few commanders that could directly deal damage to opponents outside of combat, but by far the most popular in mono red is Purphoros, God of the Forge. Why? First of all, he eliminates the problem of multiplayer formats for burn, which is the fact that it's nearly impossible to use traditional burn to kill multiple players. Add to that the fact that players start with 40 life in commander, and burn has a real problem. Luckily, Purphoros outputs lots of damage very quickly, so he is perfect for Commander RDW.
Infinite Combos
We are going to start with this portion of the deck, because I want the majority of any infinite combo pieces to have function outside of the combo. So basically, the infinite combo pieces will dictate the themes of the the entire deck.
Combat Celebrant, Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, Splinter Twin, and Zealous Conscripts: These four pieces make four combos. When Combat Celebrant is copied via Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker or Splinter Twin, the copy can attack and exert to untap whatever made the token, giving another token to attack and exert and continue the process. Making a copy of Zealous Conscripts will similarly go infinite if the copy of Zealous Conscripts targets whatever made the token copy. In terms of the deck, this means that Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker and Splinter Twin will want lots of creatures with enter-the-battlefield abilities (ETBs) to be able to retrigger those each turn. In all four of these combos, you will get infinite attackers, but if there is some problem with attacking, then all four will also trigger Purphoros an infinite number of times.
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker and Lightning Crafter: Before moving on to the most important combo, I want to talk about a combo that goes infinite with our commander and can be tutored with any of our creatures that can tutor up a goblin. Regardless of which of the three cards in this deck you use, you can get Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, which allows you to reuse that goblin tutor to get Lightning Crafter. This combo is a bit complex, so here is the run down:
- Dualcaster Mage, Heat Shimmer, and Twinflame: If you cast Dualcaster Mage in response to Heat Shimmer or Twinflame (or any spell that makes a copy of a creature, such as Rites of Replication or one of the MANY spells that do this outside of mono-red), you get a creature that can copy that spell on that stack that can target the creature, getting another spell and another creature, and so on until you have as many of those creatures as you would like! If attacking with all of them isn't a possiblity, then Purphoros, God of the Forge will trigger infinitely as well. This combo again wants ETBs because of Heat Shimmer and Twinflame, but also instants/sorceries for Dualcaster Mage.
ETB Stuff
Beetleback Chief, Emrakul's Hatcher, Fanatic of Mogis, Ghirapur Gearcrafter, Iron League Steed, Pia and Kiran Nalaar, Pia Nalaar, Precursor Golem, Siege-Gang Commander, and Thopter Engineer: How many creatures make tokens or deal damage to each opponent when they enter? This is an important question, because some of the best ways to deal lots and lots of damage is to capitalize and synergize with enter the battlefield abilities. So we are playing all 10 possible cards that do this.
Blade of Selves, Cloudstone Curio, Conjurer's Closet, Divergent Transformations, Flamerush Rider, Goblin Matron, Heat Shimmer, Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, Mogg War Marshal, Panharmonicon, Shifting Shadow, Splinter Twin, and Twinflame: We have discussed some of these cards in previous sections, but I do want to touch on the importance on abusing the ETB ability of not only the cards that ETB to create tokens, but of Purphoros, God of the Forge himself. For example, having a Panharmonicon on the battlefield means that Mogg War Marshal will cause Purphoros to deal 12 damage instead of 4.
Flamerush Rider, Glitterfang, Grinning Ignus, Lightning Berserker, and Norin the Wary: This category is a bit strange, but the general idea behind these cards is each of these can deal 2+ damage for each mana put into them, of which can be put into them one single red mana at a time. If there were a card like Shattering Spree that made a single token instead of destroying an artifact, it would be in here, and you can take that to the bank. In a way, these cards are like having a repeatable card like that in my hand, but that can only be activated a certain number of times each turn.
Token Makers
- Aether Chaser, Blade of Selves, Elemental Mastery, Genesis Chamber, Goblin Rabblemaster, Hanweir Garrison, Heat Shimmer, Kari Zev, Skyship Raider, Kher Keep, Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, Krenko, Mob Boss, Mogg Infestation, Splinter Twin, Tilonalli's Summoner, Tooth and Claw, Twinflame, and Warchief Giant: Outside of the self-flickerers and the ETB stuff, it's good to include some of the more typical cards as well. Here's a great place to go into the math behind the deck. (Yay math!) Since I'm aiming to get a mana rock on turn two to get Purphoros on turn three, that means that I can calculate how much damage each card should cause if I want to win by a certain turn knowing how many lands the deck will have on average, how many cards I will be able to play on average, and more. Long story short, the best rate is being able to deal consistently deal lethal damage by turn 6. In those three turns after Purphoros gets down, I will have seven cards able to played with 14 mana. With that mana, I need to make a token (or deal two damage another way) for each mana invested plus one for each card lost from the hand (which is why Glitterfang is so good). These cards do exactly that.
Everything Else
Ancient Tomb, Coldsteel Heart, Everflowing Chalice, Expedition Map, Fellwar Stone, Fire Diamond, Mana Crypt, Mind Stone, Sol Ring, Star Compass, and Thought Vessel: The ramp in the deck is CRUCIAL. Getting Purphoros out on turn three means that the deck can win a full turn earlier by having a full turn's amount of mana spread over the turns after he comes out, even with one fewer card.
Humble Defector, Sensei's Divining Top, Skullclamp, and Wheel of Fortune: While the deck doesn't actually care about card advantage, these cards are so good at smoothing draws and giving extra card advantage that it can ensure that the deck wins quickly.
Expedition Map, Gamble, Goblin Matron, Goblin Recruiter, and Moggcatcher: Tutors are fantastic, especially when three of them can single-handedly get all the pieces to an infinite combo. Another is a 1 drop that can get any other piece.
Basalt Monolith, Chrome Mox, Grim Monolith, Mana Vault, and Mox Diamond: After playing with these cards known commonly as the Fast Mana Rocks in a previous version of the deck, it became clear to me why they would be bad for the deck. That's right, I'm not playing them because they use to actually SLOW the deck down. Each one of these takes up a card slot to get a one-time boost of mana or multiple card slots to get a boost of mana. That loss of tempo or card advantage prevents me from casting cards with the mana I should have or prevents me from having as many cards to cast. Either way, these cards nearly always became an obstacle to closing the game out. Now that I have taken them out, the deck runs a lot smoother and faster, as counter-intuitive as it is.
Hordeling Outburst, Tempt with Vengeance, Dragon Fodder, Krenko's Command, Firecat Blitz, Empty the Warrens, Goblin Rally, Goblin Offensive, Molten Birth, Release the Gremlins, Price of Progress, and Thatcher Revolt: I can't afford to run cards that neither fulfill the ratio of the 1:2 (mana+card):damage that is required for this deck to win as fast as possible nor the theme of ETB synergy to make the deck's synergy lead to the maximum amount of damage as soon as possible. Running these would slow the deck down.
Neheb, the Eternal, Solemn Simulacrum, Mana Geyser, Burnished Hart, Gauntlet of Power, Extraplanar Lens, Koth of the Hammer, Worn Powerstone, Gilded Lotus, and Mana Echoes: Once I get three mana, it's too late to be ramping. Since these cards are dead/win-more cards, the deck would be slower if replaced other cards for these.
Reforge the Soul, Outpost Siege, Chandra, Torch of Defiance, and Mind's Eye: Same as above, except "four mana" and "drawing".
Ruby Medallion: This doesn't help me cast expensive artifacts, so it's the worst 2-mana rock available to me, and I only need 11 to optimize my chance of having exactly 1 in every 9 cards (the number of cards I should have been able to play by turn 2).
Vandalblast, Blasphemous Act, Chaos Warp, Shattering Spree, and Indomitable Creativity: The deck's answer to problematic board states is killing other players. Running these would slow me down. If Torpor Orb is heavily played in your meta, than it would be good to use the two cards here as ways to get rid of it. Some other cards good against the Orb are By Force, Shattering Spree, and Release the Gremlins.
Chancellor of the Forge, Myr Battlesphere, Kindred Charge, Caged Sun, Descent of the Dragons, Chandra, Flamecaller, Skittering Invasion, Thopter Assembly, Hellion Eruption, Rapacious One, and Warstorm Surge: This deck aims to win before I get a sixth mana source, so these are dead cards except when I don't have enough cheap cards to win earlier, which having dead cards can cause.
Goblin Bombardment, Ashnod's Altar, and Spawning Pit: The deck aims to win before opponents can take advantage of the few times that Purphoros is a creature, so sac outlets aren't necessary for that. In addition, none of the effects are that necessary to have
Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle, Hanweir Battlements, Forgotten Cave, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Temple of the False God, Buried Ruin, Myriad Landscape, Spinerock Knoll, Smoldering Crater, Spawning Bed, Great Furnace, and Desert of the Fervent: Lands that enter tapped slow the deck down, and other utility lands don't actually do anything to accelerate my clock.
Skirk Prospector, Goblin Marshal, Goblin Warchief, Brightstone Ritual, Goblin Chieftain, Goblin King, and Goblin Ringleader: Running a goblin theme would slow the deck down.
Can an aggro deck win faster than this deck? I think that it's impossible. This deck will not make you friends, unless you and your friends like to play Archenemy, and you want a deck just for playing as the Archenemy.
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| Top Ranked |
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| Date added | 9 years |
| Last updated | 6 years |
| Legality | This deck is Commander / EDH legal. |
| Rarity (main - side) | 5 - 0 Mythic Rares 38 - 0 Rares 20 - 0 Uncommons 10 - 0 Commons |
| Cards | 100 |
| Avg. CMC | 3.04 |
| Tokens | Beast 3/1 R, City's Blessing, Copy Clone, Eldrazi Spawn 0/1 C, Elemental 1/1 R, Elemental 1/1 R w/ Haste, Goblin 1/1 R, Golem 3/3 C, Human 1/1 R, Kobolds of Kher Keep 0/1 R, Myr 1/1 C, Ragavan, Servo 1/1 C, Thopter 1/1 C |
| Folders | Test out., Awesome Decks, primer, Favorable Fodder, Commander Ideas, Copys, Upgrades, EDH Mono Red, Mazirek, Interesting Commander Decks |
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