Razor Burn
The Kitchen Table forum
Posted on Nov. 25, 2020, 7:30 p.m. by FormOverFunction
I was trying to figure out why so many of my favorite cards are artifacts, even though I never really thought of myself as an artifact guy, and that made me think of Razor Pendulum and which piece of the color pie it would fit in (that’s a totally different topic, for a different thread). And it left me wondering: should Burn decks run Razor Pendulum? First: Burn has to be one of the oldest deck archetypes, so I expect there’s a generally accepted (more or less) right way to build it. I get it. But it always seems like Burn is in a mad dash race to the bottom, and they’re often left a couple of points behind when they run out of gas. Would Razor Pendulum be a nice thing to have banked onboard? Just in case? Would it have a similar effect as planeswalkers sometimes do, where they draw so much attention to them that the opponent might waste a card on trying to deal with it, when they’d be better off ignoring it? I figured this was as good a place as any to admit to weird thoughts like this. Looking forward to everyone’s input! Er....looks like I had forgotten my “second..” SECOND: yes, it’s almost LIKELY that you’d end up killing yourself with it too...but what’s more red than THAT!? ;p
Killing yourself in order to kill the opponent is primarily a black thing. Not knowing who is going to die as a result of your actions is red.
Back to the main topic. Razor isn’t really a good card for burn mostly because it’s very slow. Best case it’s conditional more expensive Volcanic Fallout. Worst case it never procs. If you are looking to add some longevity to your burn game I think you’ll find Risk Factor to be more useful if you aren’t a fan of Volcanic Fallout.
November 25, 2020 8:30 p.m.
RNR_Gaming says... #4
No, it would be awful in a burn deck. victory at any price is more synonymous with black than red. In most cases I'd rather just smack someone with a Hellrider or Thundermaw Hellkite if I'm going to be spending 4 or 5 mana on something or just play an actual planeswalker. Chandra, Torch of Defiance is relatively cheap atm due to the spell books. Will say though the art is very nifty though.
November 25, 2020 8:45 p.m.
Sulfuric Vortex is a better option if your looking for this kind of effect
November 25, 2020 9:25 p.m.
In my previous comment I accidentally called out Volcanic Fallout when I meant to say Sulfuric Vortex. Thank you shadow63
November 26, 2020 1:54 a.m.
SynergyBuild says... #7
A Goblin Guide that costs 4 times as much and doesn't trigger until you are winning is how most burn players will see this I assume.
November 26, 2020 7:56 a.m. Edited.
jethstriker says... #8
I would just like to add in addition to already mentioned Sulfuric Vortex, if you're looking for continuous damage source, Grim Lavamancer and Cursed Scroll can also be considered in Burn.
November 26, 2020 9:24 a.m.
FormOverFunction says... #9
jethstriker I do love that Cursed Scroll. I want one for my Haunted House deck, but it’s something people actually use so it’s a little steep ;p
November 26, 2020 10:49 a.m.
SynergyBuild says... #10
FormOverFunction actually the 3 mana activation isn't too steep to use, it's a little rough, but as a late gave engine in burn lists it ranks very highly historically!
November 27, 2020 7:40 a.m.
I think they were talking about the price of the card being a little steep not the mana costs to play or activate.
The best things about either Grim Lavamancer or Cursed Scroll is that they are repeatable and targetable burn. Either one basically lets you Shock at will with easy requirements to use them.
As already mentioned, it is unlikely that Razor Pendulum will change the outcome of any game you are playing and you have zero control over the damage the card provides. Replacing it with any form of repeatable and targetable burn is a better idea than that card. Especially if you go with the assorted Chandra planeswalkers or any card with an activated burn ability like the lavamancer or scroll.
There is a giant pool of cards better than the razor to help burn decks win games. Stuff like Double Vision, Pyromancer's Gauntlet, Staff of Nin, Thermo-Alchemist, Guttersnipe, Torbran, Thane of Red Fell, Tectonic Giant, and Firebrand Archer and many more. There are a lot of choices depending on the deck and format that are better options than that Razor Pendulum.
VampDemigod says... #2
I’ll run it in my mono red aggro if you run Triskaidekaphobia in your mono black/Rakdos aggro. Deal?
November 25, 2020 8:01 p.m.