Do You Think Less Of Mono Red Players?
General forum
Posted on June 1, 2014, 2:45 p.m. by InnerFlame
I was playing online the other day and I found myself receiving a lot of hate for playing my mono red deck. It even escalated to a point where it was discussed in the lobby. I was referred to as a noob (even though I've been playing for a couple years) and called a bad magic player for playing mono red. Their arguments were it requires zero skill to play and is a bad deck in general.
I obviously disagree with most of them. I love my mono red deck! I'll be the first one to admit it requires little skill to play since the decks usually pilot their selves, but it requires some. You do have to make a decision every now and then, and side boarding can be interesting for a lack of a better term. As a player who plays with only his constructed deck, I also think that constructing the deck so every hand is a good hand requires some skill.
I especially disagree that mono red is a bad deck. I'm a strong believer that a deck should be fast to be considered good, aside from control. Mono red is one of the fastest deck styles which I'm sure can't be argued since it looks to win somewhere around turn 4. It can be walled, but that's what a good sideboard is for. Is it fair to call such a fast deck bad? It can also be relatively cheap depending on how competitive you want it to be in your local meta.
I just want to know what all your opinions are on mono red players and the deck itself. Do you agree with what I said above or what others subjected my playstyle to?
It's certainly easier to play than other archetypes. I've played A LOT of decks at a fairly high level now and find myself less stressed when I play RDW and variants. However, the point of magic is to make your opponents life total go from 1 to 0 as quickly as possible - and that's what it does. It's not a noob deck - they're probably just pissed because they can't beat it. I respect monored and dislike it because it's I find it to be an annoyingly effective archetype but I would not consider it in any way indicative of an inexperienced player.
June 1, 2014 2:55 p.m.
MTG is a game that you can play whatever you want. You mustn't care about what the others say. Last season I was a big fan of Mono Red. I was playing it for months and I had some good results with it. Now I'm playing White White, which is basic the same as Mono Red. RDW is definitely not a bad deck. It just not shows up in Top 8 decklists and that's why people think is a bad deck.
June 1, 2014 2:59 p.m.
Blizzicane says... #5
I don't know the format so I will assume we are talking about mono-red in general. Anyways, for standard and modern mono-red is in no way a bad deck as it actually has plenty of competitive results as seen here and here (not sure which format were talking about). It is easier to pilot than some decks but it still requires a degree of skill. People just don't like when they lose to burn in general as they find it a cheap strategy. So when piloting such a deck expect hate, so all you can do is savor in their anguish. >:3
June 1, 2014 3:01 p.m.
InnerFlame says... #6
I couldn't agree more DMR. If you make one mistake with it, you lose. The deck really makes you think about how you should play and makes you predict your opponent.
I appreciate your respect ChiefBell. Thank you. I will be one of the first to say it can be easier to play than other decks. But with the higher amounts of competition you put as much thought into as you want. But that can be said for any deck. Easier, but not complete no skill.
June 1, 2014 3:02 p.m.
InnerFlame says... #7
White really is mono red (with better removal), spyroswiz lol. Does it really not cracked the top 8 that much? I saw website once that said it has 5 percent top 8 appearances where the other highest percentages were 13 and 7.
My deck is modern, but I was referring to mono red on general, Snowstorm. I do get a bit of enjoyment in beating them after hearing them say how bad it is.
June 1, 2014 3:08 p.m.
Dalektable says... #8
Mono Red is by no means a bad deck, they must just be upset because they can't beat it. I played it last standard season because of It's cheapness yet ability to win games. I will say it doesn't require much skill to pilot, which is where the noob comments might be coming from. I find it to be an annoyingly consistent archetype, and as much as anyone hates it that doesn't change that a nine year old at my shop got 1st place at my FNM with his mono red deck up against a lot of esper and mono black devotion.
June 1, 2014 3:13 p.m.
Blizzicane says... #9
Actually it does show up in Top 8 as shown in the links I provided spyroswiz not as much like Affinity/Pod/Twin if we are talking modern or Mono Black/Blue Devotion if we are talking about standard but it does have a presence in the meta.
June 1, 2014 3:17 p.m.
InnerFlame says... #10
Did he really, Dalektable?! I know what my next standard deck is going to be ha.
Thank you for the link, Snowstorm! People with the facts, like you, are the best. Those are the exact decks that I thought were in front of it. But other than those, it's a top threat.
June 1, 2014 3:27 p.m.
aeonstoremyliver says... #11
I play Legacy and Modern Red Deck Wins with great results. It's a consistent, fast clock that makes the opponent try and beat you. I concur that every play is extremely important, as one misplay can cost the game. I've experienced it first hand as a pilot.
As far as being a 'noob deck,' meh. RDW and it's variants are easy to understand, but as stated previously, plays are crucial. Holding on to a Skullcrack or Lightning Bolt could make or break the match.
Red Deck Wins has had a loooong history of wins in various formats and builds. It isn't called "Red Deck Loses," hehe. I digress. I have had some negativity in regards to playing the deck. Haters wanna hate, it's cool. My $400 RDW Legacy deck just stomped your $3000 Delver deck. People hate out of jealousy and ignorance.
Keep doing what you do and sideboard accordingly :-)
June 1, 2014 3:30 p.m.
InnerFlame says... #12
aeonstoremyliver, well said. You just did the whole run down ha.
Mine deck runs around $210 dollars and I love it more than my $400 gruul deck. And it whoops on all those like $500-700 dollar control/combo decks. Especially when they rely on fetch lands and non basics. Side in Blood Moon . Oh that's a cool $70 fetch land that's now useless to you, and you know have mana problems? Oh dear. Sideboards are so important for mono red decks. I think mine is almost perfect. Here's my deck, Red Deck...You Won Already?!(Creatures).
I think when the game is only suppose to last 4 or 5 turns that automatically says every move matters lol. When I first played it I made so many mistakes. Even a misplay on turn 1 can cost you. It's all predicting your opponent and having a game plan.
June 1, 2014 3:42 p.m.
I don't think less of RDW decks. I just find it to be lackluster gameplay. A guy at FNM used to play RDW and I basically knew I was about to lose 2 rounds, and the only reason I didn't just concede the second I knew I was playing him, was because a few minutes of magic is better than none. There are no complicated interactions, or shock and awe moments. OK there are plenty of Shock moments, but at the time that he was playing RDW, I was just starting to get the hang of magic, and playing him made me feel like I was wasting the money I was spending to attend FNM, cause it meant sitting around like a chump for an extended period of time after being taken out swiftly. I'm sure he was happy though cause he was regularly in the prize pool, which is good cause he had plenty of time after a game to figure out what he wanted to do with the store credit after he won. Now, when his deck didn't win, this was also the only player in the shop who would go ballistic when his deck didn't perform right. He would be cursing and banging on the table whenever he got mana screwed for flooded.
June 1, 2014 3:44 p.m.
InnerFlame says... #14
maxon every local game shop has to have that player that gets to into his deck lol. He's like the sour patch kid of the candy shop.
Red does have its downfalls. It's easy to win, but also easy to lose--hence the above comments about how every move matters. And every deck gets flooded or screwed. It's just with mono red you'll never have the wrong mana. But flooding and especially not having enough mana happens to every deck.
June 1, 2014 3:56 p.m.
You can build mono red goblins in modern for like $100 and it's really not bad.
June 1, 2014 4:17 p.m.
InnerFlame says... #16
ChiefBell I actually just saw that today. It might be my next build.
DMR says... #2
I definitely disagree. Firstly, every deck requires some amount of skill to play, and whether the deck has a synergy that generally makes it flow easier or not doesn't affect if the player is a "noob" or not. Secondly, at high competitive levels, Red Deck Wins and other extreme aggro decks are the hardest to pilot in my opinion. You've got a very limited window to take the game early on, and if you don't play PERFECTLY, your decisions will easily win/lose you the game. RDW is very unforgiving with your bad decisions, if you lose your tempo and aggression, it's over. Just a little rant for you, that's my argument :P
June 1, 2014 2:51 p.m.