seen this yet?

http://mtgtop8.com/event?e=8243&d=247415&f=ST

I have done a major change to this deck, what does everyone think?

I like your direction and i absolutely love Iroas, God of Victory ! However, I think cards like Brave the Sands and Ruthless Ripper work against your plan.

I recommend removing:

Sorin, Solemn Visitor

Brave the Sands

Ruthless Ripper

Add:

Wingmate Roc

Return to the Ranks

Disowned Ancestor

consider:

Tymaret, the Murder King

good luck!

Tymaret, the Murder King : Previously in here, found to be too slow. She's not going to sac something when she can play something else instead.

Disowned Ancestor : A big butt. So what? Ruthless Ripper is better because trades with any creature that's not indestructible.

Return to the Ranks : Previously in here, found to be inefficient since only 2ish creatures are being brought back.

Wingmate Roc : Interesting option. I don't think it's been in here since the deck's creation, so I don't have any criticism for it.

Did I get that mostly right, FF?

Wingmate Roc would be a good addition in here, but I do not agree with taking out Sorin, Solemn Visitor . But Wingmate Roc will get you ridiculous life gain every turn.

Also, and this is more of a one of, Ankle Shanker . He is a great finisher, giving all your creatures first strike and death touch. Annihilation at it's finest!

Ankle Shanker is also inferior to the pseudo indestructibility that Iroas, God of Victory gives, AND to the indestructibility that Iroas, God of Victory has. Ankle Shanker dies to literally everything rochdalekilla9, and at 5 mana I want something that can survive a Magma Spray .

GoldGhost012 has the mark on those Diet_Pepsi_Rox. Past discussions are in the updates, and you can look at the "Card's I Will Not Use" list. It's what I put it there for.

The spot Wingmate Roc fills is currently being slotted by two different cards. Sorin, Solemn Visitor and Butcher of the Horde . The flying lifegain is accomplished by both of these cards. The problem Wingmate Roc has is that it is dependent on my board state for giving me life, whereas Butcher of the Horde just needs one other creature and Sorin, Solemn Visitor can grant 8+ life from just two creatures. A lot more than what Wingmate Roc will ever give. The second problem I have with it is that including it would require the addition of 1 or 2 more lands. As those who playtested have found out, I can go entire games in a row without every hitting that 5th land. It fits wonderfully in this deck style, but it won't work so much when I start adding more cards that mess with this curve and mana base.

Hey now... Ankle Shanker doesn't die to Spark Jolt . :P

Like anyone would run Spark Jolt beyond Jeskai Ascendancy shenanigans. So keeping it in there because of one deck is like, running Leyline of Sanctity mainboard because it shuts down RDW.

Nombo. Didn't notice that Bloodsoaked Champion couldn't block, nice catch. It doesn't harm the deck too much because I've got a lot of other creatures and Brave the Sands is only at 2 and the other 4 in the resiliency plan still work with Bloodsoaked Champion .

It actually has more red or an equal amount than my past iterations, and that's because of Iroas, God of Victory was added, and Mardu Ascendancy bumped up to 4. My sideboard also has 6 instances of red as well.

I've been meaning to ask why you don't use the cards on your "Cards I Will Not Use" list? Some of them are pretty good so I am just curious as to why you're opposed to using them?

My specialty in deck-building is consistency rochdalekilla9. I can tell really quickly whether or not a card is pulling its weight by how consistent it's board presence or how much it impacts the board presence. For example, Ruthless Ripper and Bloodsoaked Champion have superior board presence in any state of the game whereas the other one drops, Tormented Hero and Soldier of the Pantheon are really weak in comparison as they only impact the early game.

This is a topic branch off off consistency called "dead cards". We all know what a dead card is, it is that 6th land you draw in a RDW deck. It is that mana dork you draw in the stalemate. It is that god you draw when you already have one on the field. Basically, any card that has some sort of situation in which it doesn't develop the game plan at all, is a card that I will not use. Currently, any dead card in this deck is the 2nd copy to a legendary card, Launch the Fleet in the early game, Brave the Sands when I have no creatures, and Purphoros, God of the Forge when I've just been wiped of all my creatures on the field and in my hand. Hell, every single card is dead in some situation, but what I determine is how OFTEN the cards are dead vs how often they are NOT.

Another topic branch is the number of resources a certain card requires to be effective. In order for Wingmate Roc to be effective I have to up the amount of land I have, thus dipping into other cards that I would rather not remove. This is the reason why 3 card infinite combos can never take off, they require too many resources in order to work effectively. Tutors, multiple copies of each combo piece, and cards to protect the combo all end up taking a huge chunk of the deck that doesn't leave room for resiliency against things like counterspells or discard spells. In that, effectively drawing all three cards in one situation is really inconsistent, there is too much that can go wrong for anything to happen. This is why Splinter Twin is really popular because it combos off with two different creatures and is a 2 card combo. Requires very little resources and is much faster and more consistent.

The other reasons why they are in there, is because A) there is something that is BETTER than them, B) they are practically useless in a certain meta C) the cards that will make them good have yet to be released and D) the people who suggested them haven't suggested them properly. When I say this I am referring to how people suggest the WRONG parts of a card. The best example of this is Iroas, God of Victory . People said it was a really good card, but didn't say that his pseudo-indestructibility made all my tokens stay on the field permanently while attacking, nor did they say that he made Goblin Rabblemaster so much more powerful.

Thank you for that explanation! I also have only one more question. In regards to Purphoros, God of the Forge , what is your reasoning to having 2 instead of 3? It seems like a great win condition, and I understand you don't want to get stuck with more than one in your hand, but I was wondering if that was the only reason you included just two?

Sorry to keep commenting, but I really do love this deck and will be constructed one very similar to this, which I will credit you for! Have you ever considered using Hordeling Outburst ? I didn't see it in the "Cards I Will Not Use" section so I figured I'd ask. It can really help to beef up Goblin Rabblemaster , PLUS, if Purphoros, God of the Forge is on the battlefield, it'll do 6 damage automatically to your opponent. Just a thought!

Hordeling Outburst is pretty inferior to Launch the Fleet rochdalekilla9. Launch the Fleet has the compatibility to be used for any amount of mana, meaning it is flexible and allows itself to be used at any point in time. Sure there is the fault of not having a board presence with it, but Hordeling Outburst doesn't really present a significantly powerful board presence, and if I'm using by relying on another card it doesn't really fit work very well. The token creatures also don't have haste, and Launch the Fleet has my tokens attacking the moment they come out, so it can be used as a win condition with or without Purphoros, God of the Forge , Hordeling Outburst cannot. I also have far too many 3 and 4 drops and cannot afford to add anymore.

Purphoros, God of the Forge isn't at 3 because Deicide is a thing, and the fact that I don't ever put in more than 2 legendaries in a deck unless it is extremely pivotal to that deck, very easy to remove, or extremely versatile. The two that come to mind with this are Azusa, Lost but Seeking and Liliana of the Veil . This is due to the consistency concern of that card being more dead that good at multiples. There is also the point that Purphoros, God of the Forge is almost never going to become a creature, so all it is is a legendary indestructible enchantment. It also relies on other cards to present its significance. I can't just plop it down and have it win games in any situation, no, I need other cards to pull out its power. So in otherwords, it is a situational card that doesn't always win me the game by just being there.

Herald of Anafenza produces warriors on the midrange play