Hey guys, this past weekend was the hottest Canada Day on
record, so it only seems right to bring the heat to today’s deck. That’s right,
we’re looking at sweet a mono red deck, which, concentrates on smashing your
enemy into the ground with big creatures. Doesn’t sound like a typical red
strategy, right? Well actually, Red has a pretty extensive history in
interesting creature combat, not just its burn arsenal. Intrigued? Let’s talk
about Big Red.
It might not shock people to learn about today’s deck, as it
does have its own iterations in today’s meta games. What might interest you
however, is to see that the deck has been viable since the game’s early days.
Obviously, Red’s mainstays such as the Lightning duo are present, but you may
notice some obscure pieces, which play an important role in Big Red.
Let’s begin with the less obscure – Blood Moon and Sneak Attack. Both cards see quite some play these days, and both can be game enders when they hit the board as speedy as T1 or T2. Blood Moon can just stop your opponent in their tracks and Sneak Attack can just smash them into oblivion. It’s interesting that while the two cards can win you the game, they do so in their own unique ways. It’s also worth noting that both cards can be valuable in the late game as well, so neither is really a dead draw.
Alrighty, so now let’s look at the creatures. While Ancient magic certainly had a more conservative view on creatures, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its own game changing monsters to play with. Nicol Bolas has always been a beast, as has Akroma, and I decided on including both playsets rather than trying to employ variety in the creature-base. Not only are these two great cards, but without tutors etc you would rather draw these two rather than some situationally superior creature.
Let’s begin with the less obscure – Blood Moon and Sneak Attack. Both cards see quite some play these days, and both can be game enders when they hit the board as speedy as T1 or T2. Blood Moon can just stop your opponent in their tracks and Sneak Attack can just smash them into oblivion. It’s interesting that while the two cards can win you the game, they do so in their own unique ways. It’s also worth noting that both cards can be valuable in the late game as well, so neither is really a dead draw.
Alrighty, so now let’s look at the creatures. While Ancient magic certainly had a more conservative view on creatures, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its own game changing monsters to play with. Nicol Bolas has always been a beast, as has Akroma, and I decided on including both playsets rather than trying to employ variety in the creature-base. Not only are these two great cards, but without tutors etc you would rather draw these two rather than some situationally superior creature.
With those obvious card choices done, let’s now look at the
interesting inclusions. Disharmony is a relatively obscure card, which can
provide 2-1 exchanges when your opponent attacks with an army or simply negate
a single creature’s attack damage. It can become really interesting however,
when paired with Fling, a card that can also be paired nicely with Sneak Attack
or as a way to gain some value when an opponent tries their hand at removal on
a creature. Relentless Assault might be obscure but its inclusion should be
obvious in Big Red as it can simply win you the game.
While I rarely talk about the sideboard, I do want to mention it in this article. There is some serious room to improve it here, and as with any sideboard, the meta game should dictate your choices. Remember to consider how an opponent might try to ruin your plans, and include cards to ruin their answers. Happy Brewing!
While I rarely talk about the sideboard, I do want to mention it in this article. There is some serious room to improve it here, and as with any sideboard, the meta game should dictate your choices. Remember to consider how an opponent might try to ruin your plans, and include cards to ruin their answers. Happy Brewing!
Big Red
Land
10 Mountain
4 Ancient Tomb
4 City of Traitors
4 Wasteland
Total: 22
Creatures
4 Nicol Bolas
4 Akroma, Angel of Wrath
Total: 8
Spells
4 Lotus Petal
4 Blood Moon
4 Sneak Attack
2 Relentless Assault
4 Disharmony
4 Fling
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain Lightning
Total: 30
Sideboard
4 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Shatter
2 Red Elemental Blast
4 Nevynirral’s Disk
2 Pyroblast
2 Pyroclasm
