ha ha. All of this is a moot point as I just looked on gatherer, and the dragon isn't legal in extended. Extended goes as far back as zendikar block and Voracious dragon was last printed in shards of Alara.
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As for the artifact, yes you get them all the time. 1 in 10 to be precise. This means on average you should one by turn 3. The draw also allows the deck to not stall out, as it draws 2 cards as well as get the 3 1/1's. Which for 2R is not a bad investment. As one of the draws happens when it enters play it replaces it self, so extra draws can be used to gain card advantage even if you don't have a rebirth in hand. The Land draws from mycosnth can be particularly handy for hitting 5 mana as the deck only runs 21 lands.As for the tapping it is a moot point, if I ever cast burn at the stake it is for the kill. The dragon is nice as it allows you to swing in the pop sac and win that way. Though it can also leave you with no board presence if it is countered, burn at the stake does not. I have tried the dragon before and personally I find it just isn't worth sacing my board in the hopes it is not countered. I would rather take 1 turn of them free swinging at me than have no board at all.
As for voracious dragon it in essence is a toned down version of burn at the stake, that sacrifices creatures for a trade of a 5/5 body. I would prefer 3x damage and keep my goblins than 2x and sack them.Also due to the creature limitations of the format I would be force to place the dragon over removal or burn at the stake.
both of the above cards are 2 1/1's for 2 . Where as rebirth is 3 1/1's for 1 and powers my draw / land fetch to get out of tight spots. I have run them in the past, but found the 2 cost just wasn't worth it. If i were to take them it would be over the boros charms, which i personally like better due to flexibility
the one plains is in there in case they have cards like tectonic edge which blow up non basics and allow you to fetch a basic. Most the time I don't need it, just helpful if I do. As a single it rarely if ever comes out and doesn't affect the curve too much.
for starters why no lashwrithe? http://www.mtgvault.com/ViewCard_Popup.aspx?CardName=Lashwrithe&Edition=NPH&Print=1 more powerful than flail by far in a mono black deck, also is far too slow for the meagre amount of removal you have. For a cheap entry level deck is ok, but leaves a lot lacking for any sort of competitive play
have you considered running caged suns over mana flare? it adds +1/+1 to the color of your choice and doubles only your mana. If you surge or song to play it just as early as a flair but only benefits you. Just an option, over all I really like where this concept. everything benefits from having more dragons, so keep up the good work.
I just have one question for you. If gitaxian probe is just a precaution vs a certain kind of deck wouldn't it belong sideboard? I see the point as a draw / information gatherer, but will it be useful against non blue decks? Personally I would move gitaxian to side and bring in shock or arc trail (for tokens mainly, may not be an issue in your meta). Also have you looked at balefire dragon as a replacement flameblast? Doesn't require the pump that flameblast does, so you are free to inflate the whelp and can clear the board at the same time, something that flameblast can't do. All in all though, this is a nice dragon deck. Dargons are one of those iconic creatures that all to often get left behind because they are too costly or too hard to play. Nice to see somebody giving them some love. Keep up the good work.
Have you considered dropping in withstand death. On its own merit is pretty average but with precursor it can become a game winner. You can drop a day of judgement (or your opposition can seeing as you don't have any) and this will keep your guys running while clearing the board for an alpha strike that will most likely end the game. It can also save you from people using targeted removal to clear you out, or can just give you a free swing forcing a mass block opening the way for killer blow next turn . Well that's my 2 cents any how. While I am here can you take a look at the deck idea I am currently working on. I am sick of the current meta, locally there are only 2 deck types being run by the regulars (mono white tokens and U/W control) and I want to stir things up a bit. Your input would be greatly appreciated. http://www.mtgvault.com/ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=272318
I used to rule FNM then i took a high priest to the knee PLease comment / suggest http://www.mtgvault.com/ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=272318
you sir are an idiot. kuldotha ribirth is the staple of this deck, it is what allows it to out number the opposition and push the damage as fast as it can. It also has 7 other cards that are put into the deck purely for the ability to power it. To remove it is to completely change the deck and its intended focus. Now if you were looking for a planeswalker, the best option is koth, he is red like the deck, his abilities have good synergy with the deck ( 4/4 is quite nasty when you are runing a decent amount of war cry) and only adds more pressure to the goblin horde. Also acts as a clock that if the opposition can't beat through to win quickly they will be finished off by koth + grenades
here are some options from my goblin deck that you may want to think on: chancellor of the forge infernal plunge ichor wellspring adaptive automaton / phyrexian metamorph spellbombs reverberate chancellor of the forge, on its own a bit expensive but combos well with other cards. It can also supply a free starting goblin and adds end game punch infernal plunge, sack 1 goblin for 3 mana making chancellor easier to cast (turn 4) or cast turn 1 sacking free goblin to play ichor wellspring and kuldoth rebirth. Ichor wellspring, as fuel for rebirth. It might as well read (2) draw 2 cards Adaptive automaton / phyrexian metamorph. useful for even more pumping , automaton lacks chieftains haste but may be chosen over meta due to not needing another in play to work. Meta has more late game aplication thanks to being able to copy chancellor to swell the ranks even more. spellbombs are very useful, nihill can be used vs decks like solar flare (even know it is falling out of favor) or can use panic to limit blockers. The important thing is that it allows draw cards which i have found to be an issue for this deck, as you quickly run out of steam reverb is pretty obbvious, doubling up on a rebirth, grenade or plunge is just win just some ideas to think on here is a link to a modern deck that is very similar that I plan to run at a local modern comp. coming in late jan. Stills needs some work and will probobly kull a bit but the idea is there. http://www.mtgvault.com/ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=257575 please tell me what you think. comments / suggestions are always welcome
Am I missing something or has nobody read the flashback rules. "You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it." When you cast a spell via flashback it is exiled after it resolves. Hence snappy doubles the use of spells (which is still good) but does not turn a 1 of into effectively a 4 of. Is snappy is good, definantly. Is he overpowered, no. Having said that the deck is great and I like it a lot. It has great synergy and can really lock people down. I especially like the addition of surgical extraction, it can destroy decks like pod if played well. I am wonder how it would fair though vs. one of the may mono red becks out there atm. The are amazingly fast thanks to the qualty 1 drops out there atm like reckless waif and stromkirk noble and pack a nasty punch. any how just my 2 cents, good job and good luck with future decks
I like the idea but sadly it doesnt work. The reason is the way mass polymorph works, the creatures come into play in the order they are revealed and as such you have no control of the order. Still dropping multiple massacre wurms will pretty much end the game anyhow.
Have you looked into ichor wellspring, is a 2 drop that allows you to draw when it enters & leaves play. Using Sacking to a rebith basically changes it to : (2) draw two cards. I run it in my rebirth deck i have been tinkering with. For those interested i have been working on a rebirth style deck with a twist, let me know what you think http://www.mtgvault.com/ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=234250
May want to grab a copper squire makes using the sword a lot easier as you dont need to pay for equip. Also have a look at platnum angel (with forge out its just anoying as hell to get around Also put in a set of spellskite they will help a lot early on before you hit indestructable Another interesting one you could use is mirroworks, can anybody say copying lands Any how just food for thought. If you get a chance check out my decks: hyper infect : http://www.mtgvault.com/ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=230222 valkut : http://www.mtgvault.com/ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=228580
With 50% of this deck costing 3 mana and 30% 4 or more , and having no ramp it is going to be pretty slow. May want to look at dropping some high end stuff, probobly one or two angelic destiny and add some spellskite. The combo of skite / abolisher is hell to get around and will buy you some valuable time. Focus down your control and add some life gain (probobly just 1 more timely reinforcements) to help last til you can drop titan. I would also replace demystify with something more useful, either the always useful O-ring or swap in more day of judgements. If you go the day of jusdgement rout, may look at dropping lawkeeper / avenger, as they will be rmoved and will never get to reach a point where they will greatly impact on the game. Some replacements that could work for you as far as creatures go are suture priest, abuna acolyte or leonin arbiter. The core concept of the deck is good just needs to be a bit more focussed. look forward to seeing what you do.
This is a nice deck, pitty most of the useful cards in here will cycle out come september 30