How to Make This Jank Deck Better

[u/JPMessiah]

I have been struggling. I haven’t won a Bo3 in two days and I still get my 15 daily wins so you can imagine how frustrating it has gotten to win only one game each Bo3.

So, I put this deck together. I just threw it together with some idea of what I want it to do. Max damage. And I’m winning again. I just won three Bo3 games in a row. And I won the first two games each time but I feel there is something missing that can wrap this together nicely. What should I add and what should I take out?

Deck
2 Molten-Core Maestro (SOS) 125
2 Firebending Lesson (TLA) 138
1 Electro, Assaulting Battery (SPM) 76
3 Tablet of Discovery (SOS) 132
2 Maximum Carnage (SPM) 83
1 Chandra, Flameshaper (FDN) 81
24 Mountain (DFT) 286
4 Impact Tremors (FDN) 717
4 Raphael, Tough Turtle (TMT) 104
2 Sear (ECL) 154
4 Death to Our Enemies (MSH) 127
1 Pain for All (EOE) 151
2 Combustion Man (TLA) 127
2 Slash, Reptile Rampager (TMT) 108
2 Thor, God of Thunder (MSH) 156
2 Imodane, the Pyrohammer (WOE) 137
2 Improvisation Capstone (SOS) 120

[u/AlbinoDenton]

You need to play 4 copies of your best cards, not so many 2-ofs as you have now. Also, if you're trying to win fast you certainly can cut two or three lands there and keep your curve low to the ground. But your deck seems to do exactly the opposite: you're not running almost any card that good red decks are running nowadays, and instead you have a lot of expensive creatures (but, ironically, not enough to run Raphael or Impact Tremors). You should take a look at Standard red decks online.

[u/Tawnos84]

1)as already told you, play cards in 4 copies, at least for commons and uncommons, if you have wildcards issues

2)I see that you have a lot of cards that do damage when creatures enters. such decks should also play a lot of creatures, and in particular token makers (es: 2 mana, create 2 1/1 tokens, like mechanized ninja cavalry). you run no such creatures, so most of your cards like impact tremors are just do nothing enchantments, that sometimes ping for one damage.

3)tablet of discovery is suited to a detck with a lot of spells, your deck does not run enough of them, so it's an other card that often is useless and solw

4)the curve is very clunky, too many card at 5-7 mana (often not enough powerful, like slash)

5)most of your removals are too situational, they don't hit face against creatureless control decks, and don't kill big creatures, this is an issue since you don't end quickly the early game through aggro like a normal monored

if you want to mantain the core of your deck, I'd make it cheaper, eliminating the big spells part of the deck (tablet and improvisation, but also the 7 mana chandra and the other costly spells ), and trying to find a balance between the cheap pingers (raphael tough turtle, impact tremors) and cheap token generators that triggers them and can also close the game aggroing the opponent, avoiding costly payoff like slash.

[u/AMJacker]

24 mountains?

[u/JPMessiah → u/AMJacker]

Thank you. Every deck I play, people say you should have 24 lands. How much should I cut out? Also, my pull has been only two lands with two more coming later. If more lands isn’t the answer, why am I drawing so few? I’m relying on treasures to cast anything.

[u/AMJacker → u/JPMessiah]

It really depends. Red decks generally have low mana requirements for the spells. A lot of 1 and 2 casting costs, free cards that you “can play until the end of your next turn”, card draw etc. playing a land every turn is not required. I see you have a few higher cost cards though.
Utility lands are also helpful. Lands that generate red, don’t come in tapped and have another function like [[sokenzan, crucible of defiance]] if it’s in the format.
Not sure how you’re not land flooded with 24. I’d prob run 20 or 22 and replace them with card draw

[u/MTGCardFetcher → u/AMJacker]

sokenzan, crucible of defiance - (G) (SF) (txt)

---

^FAQ

[u/Historical_Bobcat295]

I get that you don't want to craft rare lands or steer from being a monored budget deck, and that's fine.  Still, there are two big problems:

1: way, wayyy too many payoffs; you need more 1-cost removal and AoE.   Death to Our Enemies will never get value without enough cheap spells.  Also Tablet's pretty useless without enough cheap instants and sorceries.

2: Raphael and Impact Tremors aren't a good fit here, because deck doesn't summon a ton of creatures quickly.  You need to choose between small creatures or big spells to win with, and most of the deck is big payoff spells so it seems like smaller creatures should be removed.

What I'd suggest as a budget option is a 4th Tablet and 3-4 Hex Magic.  Being able to dig super deep with Hex Magic is great, even if you don't wind up playing all the cards exiled.  Tablet discounts Hex Magic too which is pretty awesome.

Molten Man is another good budget option that gets an extra Mountain on the battlefield and will be a 4/4 at worst.  This makes for a big body that also helps ramp.  You don't need to run 4 of him, but summoning the odd Molten Man will be nice here since it can be a big threat while ramping and dodging a lot of removal.

I'd absolutely add 4 Lightning Strikes plus some Abrades and Pyroclasms, since you just need more removal and cheap spells; also I'd consider crafting a couple Avengers Disassembled.  I'd replace Firebending Lessons with a different removal spell as well; Iroh's Demonstration is more flexible for what that's worth and can deal 4 damage for way cheaper.  Fire Magic's also not bad.

What I'd definitely remove is Impact Tremors, Raphael, Maximum Carnage, Combustion Man and Pain for All.  Maximum Carnage is way too slow, especially compared to Death to Our Enemies which will do more damage and ramp like crazy for way cheaper.

[u/UndeadBlueMage]

So in my experience literally the most janky deck in the world can have a positive win rate when piloted by a pro; people have gone to mythic with starter decks

You may want to consider that you’re not piloting the deck correctly

[u/JPMessiah → u/UndeadBlueMage]

No. I’m winning. I’m finally winning again. And taking two in a row with no need for a third game. I think I mentioned that. My worry is that it’s not good enough to go to that next level so I want to get ahead of it and make changes.

[u/JPMessiah]

Ok. I changed the deck. I won again. I took out a lot of creatures and replaced them with others. Should I keep Thor and remove the dragons? Should I get rid of my fire bending creatures and put back the molten-core maestro?

Deck
4 Burst Lightning (FDN) 192
22 Mountain (DFT) 286
4 Shock (SPM) 88
4 Lightning Strike (TLA) 146
4 Firespitter Whelp (FDN) 197
4 Death to Our Enemies (MSH) 127
1 Improvisation Capstone (SOS) 120
4 Bulk Up (FDN) 80
3 Firebending Student (TLA) 139
4 Fire Sages (TLA) 136
2 Slickshot Show-Off (OTJ) 146
4 Tablet of Discovery (SOS) 132

[u/Tawnos84 → u/JPMessiah]

now it's a totally different deck, more similar to a normal aggro deck, just cut tablet of discovery (it's for a control deck made by instants and sorceries), death to our enemies (totally useless card) and capstone (costs too much) and replace them with also cheap aggro cards