"I has creature. Creature big now. You no can block creature. CREATURE SMASH!!!"
OPTIMAL DRAW:
City of Brass, Steam Vents, Duress,
Kiln Fiend
, Distortion Strike, Mutagenic Growth, Assault Strobe.
Turn 1: City of Brass, lose 1 to Duress. Take their removal spell/hand disruption spell that could throw a wrench into our plans.
Turn 2: Lose 2 life to play Steam Vents untapped, tap 2 to play
Kiln Fiend
.
Turn 3: Tap 2 and pay 2 life to play Assault Strobe
+
Distortion Strike
+
Mutagenic Growth
.
Kiln Fiend
becomes a 13/2 unblockable with double strike and swings for 26.
Really, this combo works if I get three one-mana/one phyrexian instants/sorceries, as long as one of them is an Artful Dodge, Distortion Strike, or Apostle's Blessing (although this doesn't always make the creature effectively "unblockable" depending on what they have out), and one of them is Assault Strobe, Tainted Strike, or Fling. In play testing, it seems to be able to win by turn 4 or 5 a good percentage of the time. Turn 3 happens some games, and once in a while it stalls to the point where I'll probably die. Additionally, early removal or Thoughtseize hoses it pretty well, but there are mainboard and sideboard cards intended to be answers.
CARD-BY-CARD BREAKDOWN:
CREATURES (8):
4x
Kiln Fiend
:
A fantastic creature and one of the main engines of the deck. Low toughness makes it vulnerable, but with the right opening hand that shouldn't matter too much.
4x
Nivix Cyclops
:
Another creature with the same ability as
Kiln Fiend
, but it comes out a turn later and has a much better body to block with (also impervious to Lightning Bolts). Once again, with the right opening hand this can power to a solid Turn 4 victory.
SORCERIES (17):
2x Duress: While the splash is primarily for Tainted Strike, it has its other uses. This will be replaced with Inquisition of Kozilek when my budget increases. You get the idea -- hopefully play this on turn 1 to get rid of their hand disruption or removal spells and make it easier for me to go off on turns 3 through 5.
4x Artful Dodge: A great spell to make something bigger and unblockable. Even on its own, with a Fiend/Cyclops out and two blue mana up, you can play it and flash it back to make a 7/2 or 7/4 that can't be blocked. That will be a finisher in some games. Additionally, if you manage to strike on two creatures and have them both on the board, it becomes twice as good, making them both unblockable and 7 power. All-around a great card to have in this sort of deck.
3x Assault Strobe: This card is one of the major enablers of the "Oh hey look you're dead on turn 3" aspect of the deck. It is one of the most important pieces in any of the "killing combos" I might find. The significance of it on an unblockable Fiend/Cyclops really cannot be stressed. Instant speed would make this card ridiculous, and I'm aware of Temur Battle Rage, but I'd rather not pay 2 mana for it.
2x Distortion Strike: Fulfills almost the same role as Artful Dodge, but has a slightly different purpose. This card allows my winning combos to be two cards instead of three, albeit spread out over two turns. A turn 3 Assault Strobe
+
Distortion Strike
allows me to go through to the opponent for 16, but then the rebound next turn ends the game.
2x Gitaxian Probe: Although its usual purpose is to find that last missing piece to a good combo, it also allows me to see the opponent's hand. If they've got any sort of removal, I'll realize the necessity to leave one mana up, playing a
Kiln Fiend
on turn 3 instead of turn 2 and leaving one back for an Apostle's Blessing or
Mizzium Skin
(or a sided-in counterspell) in response to any shenanigans. Did I mention it gives my creatures +3/+0 and I can do it without paying mana?
4x Serum Visions: Probably the best legal draw spell in Modern. If my opening hand has 3 lands but is missing a creature, or missing an unblockable spell, etc., but I see one of these babies, I'm more likely to keep that hand. It's incredible filtering and the use and effectiveness of this card really doesn't need to be explained. Also, if I'm playing it at the beginning of turn 3, it's also pumping my
Kiln Fiend
and could possibly draw into that last card I need for the kill.
INSTANTS (16):
4x Apostle's Blessing: This card is extremely strong in this deck. Its effect is two-fold: not only does it save my stuff when needed, but it can also function as another rudimentary unblockable spell, giving my creature protection from whatever colors their blockers are. Definitely a useful card, although paying 1 mana and 2 life can get a little rough and it's usually not something I want to play more than once in a single game.
2x Fling: This card fills the same sort of slot as Assault Strobe but usually happens later in the game. It's worth the extra mana to play it, though, because removal in response to it does nothing. The sacrifice is part of the cost, which happens before it resolves. It can be countered (which would suck super hard) but it's fantastic in reaction to removal spells. Additionally, it can be hilarious in the midgame. Opponent says "Oh, yeah, I can take 10, I'll just kill you next turn anyways," and then I say "Oh LULZ take another 13."
3x Lightning Bolt: The prototypical red spell. As a former burn/red deck wins player, I feel rather obligated to play this in essentially every red Modern deck. It's fantastic for the cost and can eliminate a lot of early threats. The fact that it can target a player can also make a difference, if my combo doesn't quite push through 20.
3x Tainted Strike: This card essentially functions as copies 4-6 of Assault Strobe. This might actually be better, since you might not even need an unblockable spell. The following exchange is totally possible: "Attack with
Nivix Cyclops
." "No blocks." "Before damage, Mutagenic Growth
+
Tainted Strike
. You have 10 poison counters."
4x Mutagenic Growth: This card is fantastic in here for a few reasons. 1., it's great as a final piece for my killing combo, 2., opponents might not block (if I'm not playing any unblockable spells) and I make something significantly bigger without using mana, 3., it has limited use to protect my stuff, such as making a
Nivix Cyclops
impervious to a Dismember. Had Titan's Strength in this slot for a while, but the advantages of Phyrexian mana won this spot for Mutagenic Growth.
SIDEBOARD:
1x Dismember: Murk your Tasigur, the Golden Fang, Tarmogoyf, Siege Rhino, or any other problematic creature. Useful in a pinch, although the 2-4 life loss that will come with it is often pretty harsh.
2x Echoing Truth: A catch-all answer to whatever ails me. Sometimes it's a Tarmogoyf that's in the way. Other times it's a Chalice of the Void set to X = 1. It can also keep me from just dying to Affinity, which is nice.
2x Izzet Charm: This is a great card in here that has multiple uses. Firstly, I can bring it in for the 2 damage mode against Infect/Bogles if I need more interaction with the opponent's creatures. It's also great as a Spell Pierce if needed against an opponent's removal. Finally, if all else fails it's effective as Faithless Looting. There really isn't a single mode to this card that doesn't help our deck in some way, and it's totally possible it ends up in the mainboard at some point. CMC is its only drawback.
3x
Mizzium Skin
: Counter your Lightning Bolt, Terminate, Dismember, Path to Exile, even Abrupt Decay, Maelstrom Pulse...the list goes on and on and on. Effective against any sort of targeted removal. In fringe cases the toughness boost can also be relevant (saving
Kiln Fiend
from Pyroclasm, for example).
2x Rakdos Charm: This is such a utility card that there's no reason to leave it out, since we're already splashing black. Affinity deck, Spellskite, or Chalice of the Void at 1 keeping you down? Destroy it. Crazy graveyard deck bringing back Griselbrand, or even Grixis Delver trying to cast Tasigur, the Golden Fang next turn? Exile their yard. The most elegant and most hilarious counter to the Splinter Twin combo ever made? You got it.
2x Spell Pierce: To pretty much stop any attempts to interact with my hand or board state. Trollololol
3x Stubborn Denial: Absolutely fantastic against removal targeted on any of my creatures, seeing as they will always be "Ferocious" after I play this instant. It's also fantastic every once in a while to just say "no" to Liliana of the Veil.
LAND (19):
While the manabase would technically be more efficient with Scalding Tarns and some number of
Watery Grave
s, I already have a playset of Wooded Foothills, so my plan is to make the manabase work with those. It's rudimentary and extremely painful, but we mean to win by turn 5 anyways:
4x Wooded Foothills
3x Steam Vents
2x Blood Crypt
4x City of Brass
1x Mana Confluence
2x Shivan Reef
2x Mountain
1x Island
Really trying to strike a good "sweet spot" between keeping enough pump/unblockable stuff to maintain the deck's potency, but also including enough things to protect my invaluable creatures (seeing as there are only 8) and prevent my opponent from doing things that hose me. It's a delicate balance, and if you have any suggestions, let me know. I do have an extensive "maybeboard," and if you'd like to argue for any of those cards to make it in, go for it!
