Peekaboo!
Modern
SCORE: 31 | 30 COMMENTS | 6655 VIEWS | IN 17 FOLDERS
Ironing out the problems —Dec. 25, 2012
Two updates:
1) To my dismay and embarrassment, I realized that Forked Bolt is a sorcery, not an instant. Since this deck is pretty interactive and aims to sabotage the opponent's game during the first couple of turns, I need something that can kill off opponent's creatures during the turn he/she summons them. There two candidates: Magma Jet or Dead / Gone. Both have their distinct advantages: Magma Jet may help tremendously in establishing the game with its deck manipulation while stalling the opponent by killing off his/her creatures. Dead / Gone is a versatile solution for those creatures that are indestructible or just outside the burn range but its function tends to overlap with Stingscourger but with a more expensive mana cost and no creature ETB.
For now, I've decided to roll with Magma Jet. I've removed one Searing Blaze out of the equation to make room for 3 jets to make the game less of a gamble: While blaze is an ideal 2-cmc burn that hurts both the opponent and gets rid of any squishy early-game creatures, it becomes significantly weaker during the opponent's turn. The lack of land drops to trigger landfall buff is also a problem, especially since this deck has only 22 lands. Making room for a third magma jet alleviates both of these problems since it can deal 2 damage regardless of whose turn it is or whether or not a land drop has occured.
2) I knew that 1-of Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle was always a bit of a gimmick in this deck. There has been only two instances in which I've managed to gather enough mountains to start shooting with valakut and even in these cases, I've managed to use the ability just once or twice. To make this deck more resilient and to take further advantage of Slagstorm, I've decided to include two Ghitu Encampments. More than two would pose a risk clogging my early-game mana base - an issue that becomes even more pronounced when opponent utilizes cards such as Thalia, Guardian of Thraben.
Overview:
-2 Forked Bolt
-1 Searing Blaze
-1 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
-1 Mountain
+ 3 Magma Jet
+ 2 Ghitu Encampment