My wife always tells me "Pizza is like sex, because even when its bad, its still pretty good."
The idea here is to get a Nova Chaser on the field and then give double strike at instant speed.
And dont forget to scream "ITS OVER 9000!"
It is possible to swing for 20 damage in one shot on turn 4 with this deck. To do that you are going to need a the following 6 card - very flexible - opening hand: Two lands +
Smokebraider
+
Incandescent Soulstoke
+ Nova Chaser + Assault Strobe. However, if you are missing any of these components it is possible to draw them by turn four but more importantly, this opener has some flexibility. For example, Nova Chaser can be swapped out for Flamekin Harbinger. Assault Strobe can be swapped for Boros Charm.
I have no love for decks that fall apart easily so having an aggressive but flexible deck is perfect for me. I am not a eggs in one basket kinda guy. If you are like me, infinite combos leaving a bad taste in your mouth, working on a budget and enjoy decks that are flavorful as they are powerful than this deck might be for you too.
Nova Chaser is not the kind of creature your opponent wants to leave alone so
Incandescent Soulstoke
is ideally your best bet for firing Nova because it needs haste badly. Soft casting this way also saves you two mana, which you may need to cast your double strike spells, like Assult Strobe or Boros Charm. Alternatively, you can hold out and use Boros Charm to keep Nova Chaser alive but that requires having that mana available and also means giving up a double strike opportunity - but this deck is meant to be flexible in that way. It brings extreme heat but also durability.
This is why I added two Swiftfoot Boots. If I cant find
Incandescent Soulstoke
but I have Nova at the ready, I dont want to hesitate. Casting Nova without a haste option is a no go but with these flaming shoes I can get the speed I need. As a bonus, the boots can help protect my utility creatures because Nova can't hit the ground running without a friendly to pass the torch.
Flamekin Harbinger will obviously let you tutor the Nova Chaser (or who ever else you need). However, there are two important things to note here. 1st, when you champion Flamekin Harbinger with Nova Chaser, it will return to the battlefield and its ETB ability will trigger again if Nova dies. 2nd, Flamekin Harbinger does not tutor a creature into your hand but instead on top of your deck. Meaning, if you dont already have the resources to cast and protect Nova Chaser in your hand, you are not going to be able to draw it, and that can screw you. So make sure only to summon the beast when the time is right.
Spark Trooper
is a secondary damage source and viable target for double strike (because who doesn't love gaining 12 life?). Remember that with
Incandescent Soulstoke
you are casting him for two mana.
First Strike can be such a problem, but in most cases it's a problem Lightning Bolt can solve. Remember that double strike will make sure our damage gets past any first strike defenders (because trample) but the damage won't be doubled (because dead). I threw in Lightning Helix as well because lightning - and really, why not? The extra removal is great and some times you can just throw it at your opponent's face for the win. If there is a heavy source of first strike or other problematic defenders in your opponent's deck (like the
Fiendslayer Paladin
Knight deck in my play group) bring in the Fling or Oblivion Ring.
Well that's the jist of it. I know with the recent update this isn't really a budget deck anymore, but it is easy to convert to a budget version as most of the cost is in the mana base - so I'll leave it on the budget deck hub for people who are looking for inspiration. Hope you enjoyed the deck (I know I did)! Don't forget to upvote!