Hazoret Indestructible Burn

Commander / EDH shixzo

SCORE: 43 | 13 COMMENTS | 5192 VIEWS | IN 16 FOLDERS

Oct. 24, 2020

Okay, so a lot of very experimental changes over 2020. Again, sadly, without any actual experimenting, so I may have ruined everything.

There have been a lot of promising cards released for this deck over the last few sets. Underworld Breach, Fiery Emancipation, Twinning Staff, Brash Taunter, Deflecting Swat, Double Vision, Bonders' Enclave, Valakut Exploration - the list goes on. Most, though not all, have been somehow squeezed into the deck, It has been immensely difficult to work out what they should replace, and it really depends on which aspect of the deck you want to emphasise and to what extent that weakens other aspects. Damage multiplication? Card draw? Spell copying (which also helps cards draw)? Ramp? Spell based ramp (which works with copy effects), or artifact based ramp (which is more consistent, and supports metalcraft for possibly my favourite card in the deck)? Is treasure generation a good middle ground? If I remove too many cards which allow me to attack or block with a creature or token, will I just die to aggro? Will I be able to trigger raid reliably for Howl of the Horde? There are now a lot of parts of this deck which depend on others, and it's not easy to guess the ratios required for them all to work reliably, especially when I haven't been able to test it beyond goldfishing.

So here's what I've ended up with, and it may still change a lot. Firstly, some new cards that didn't make the cut, and some cards I really think should be in there but can't work out how to fit them in. Bonders' Enclave and Double Vision haven't made it in. I think they are both a bit too expensive in their own ways. Some cards that I really want to put in, or put in again - Quest for Pure Flame (maybe for Furnace of Rath?), Chandra, Flame's Catalyst, Mirrorpool, Ignite the Future, Brass's Bounty and Curse of Opulence. Not sure how well they will work, but I'll probably try and test them at some point.

A special mention to Brash Taunter, which sadly I don't think makes it in. The Taunter seems perfect for the theme and I really want to try it (if only as a much needed blocker), but I don't want to further weaken Shifting Shadow. I've considered testing whether I can still get my Pariah's Shield or equivalent protection with enough frequency to make do without Godo, Bandit Warlord (especially because since Dominaria opponents assume that are you using him to fetch Helm of the Host to combo off). However, Brash Taunter is essentially just a limited Arcbond effect (if repeatable), and might not be that impactful in practice. I think fetching the Shield better fulfills the need of this deck to survive both aggression and itself, and there are enough other ways to multiply damage.

Now, some specific substitutions, starting with the one I am most dubious about. First, Ugin, the Ineffable has been replaced by Fiery Emancipation. Not a replacement in function, but on the basis of CMC. I am anxious about further weakening the non-creature removal of this deck, and Ugin's plus ability also creates useful blockers/attackers (for raid) while potentially drawing cards of our board wipes. However, I don't want to keep raising the average CMC of the deck, especially as I move towards "one-shot" ramp effects (see further below), I'll have to see whether player removal is an adequate replacement for enchantment removal in practice. Otherwise, Ugin (either one) might come back in, perhaps instead of Godo or maybe Dictate of the Twin Gods or Furnace of Rath.

Deflecting Swat was obviously going to come in, but I've agonised a bit over whether to replace some existing interaction or something else. Ultimately, I've decided to take out Red Elemental Blast. Bolt Bend might be the better choice, but if I can reliably cast it for one mana it is in theory a lot more flexible than Blast and can save Hazoret or Pariah's Shield from timely removal (overloaded Cyclonic Rift aside). Testing required.

Pirate's Pillage is out, Valakut Exploration is in. I am reluctant to take out Pillage because it also ramps, in a way that works well with copy effects and supports metalcraft for Molten Psyche, However, it's a bit expensive and copying it is usually going to be at least six mana. I've also been trying to keep most of my instants and sorceries below 3CMC, to keep the deck efficient and to work with Chandra, Acolyte of Flame. Valakut Exploration seems great, especially given I'm already playing so many fetchlands, and I've added in Prismatic Vista to help.

Dual Casting is out for Reverberate, which makes its triumphant return. The former works well with an indestructible commander, but I value the interaction made possible by the latter.

Underworld Breach replaces Shreds of Sanity, although there is an argument for both in this deck. I'll have to see how often I can afford to pay the escape costs, and it may be that Shreds actually works better, despite the clear power of Breach. Otherwise, maybe Past in Flames is worth another shot?

I've continued my experimental shift towards one shot ramp effects, that can be copied. Thran Dynamo and Cultivator's Caravan are out (there goes another attacker/blocker). Seething Song is in. However, I've re-added Ruby Medallion now that the deck is much less artifact focused in general, and there's much more emphasis on multiple spells per turn. Bit anxious about losing the Dynamo and still sceptical about Irencrag Feat, so it might come back in.

In terms of lands, the main additions are the new modal double-faced cards, Shatterskull Smashing  ^Flip and Valakut Awakening  ^Flip, both replacing basics. They are more or less free value, though I don't want to add many more taplands. Shatterskull Smashing  ^Flip can't hit players but is just decent removal and might surprise someone with Repercussion or Arcbond. Valakut Awakening  ^Flip doesn't put things in our graveyard and is mediocre with copying but is still very useful (and also can be pulled back from the graveyard with both Chandra or Crucible of Worlds). Given the further reduction in actual snow basics, I've taken out Scrying Sheets. I also wanted to try Emergence Zone again, and don't want to remove any more red sources - I've definitely hit the problem of having too many colourless sources of mana while goldfishing.

My vision for the deck has probably been increasingly distorted by the fact that I've forgotten that opponents might actually try to interact with my game plan, but I can always reverse some of the changes. One final change that I'm considering, which will definitely make the deck a little bit worse - should I replace Wheel of Fortune with Reforge the Soul, so that I can reduce the number of cards I use from the reserved list?