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A Standard, Rakdos, high-aggression Dragon deck.
STAY AGGRESSIVE.Most of the deck is relatively cheap, so this allows you to pump mana into your firebreathers to keep the pressure on.Play cards fast but save your removal for serious threats; this will require some foresight into your opponent's deck. Ideally you'll want to sacrifice either a Dragon Hatchling or Dragon Egg when you play Altar's Reap.Scourge of Valkas is your A-game creature; the more of them you have out, the better. Once you get them keep using Archwing Dragon to give yourself a dragon spell every turn. Doing this ends up stacking up for a LOT of damage.If all else fails, pump all your red mana into your biggest fire-breather and cast Essence Harvest for some good damage and lifegain.
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wow, I just built a mono-red dragon deck for my locals (placed second) but I never had considered mixing in black. Great idea! I could never quite understand why Altar's Reap was released, there was plenty of other draw avenues in the set. But now I guess, you found it. And Dreadbore you say? I can see why it's played, but wouldn't generic burn spells be just as good to save on resources? You should at least sideboard a few Shocks in any case.I take it this is also what you play currently? If it isn't and you just wanted to build something fun, perhaps you should think of adding in Utvara Hellkite? It combos so well with Archwing and can easily replace Dragon Egg if need be. Anyway, I hop you have a good time with this deck. It looks very fun indeed. Good luck to you.
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Why would anyone get rid of dragon egg he's super cool, but I agree on the need for some utvara hellkite.
3 Doom blade? You clearly don't know the power of the Doom
@Kraimer: I agree. Although with the amount of mono-black and black/red being run at the moment, Doom Blade is definitely not to be played in a playset and it is much better to side in than main. Although, Palad's siding of artifact hate is interesting.
You need 4 dragonskull summit, those land will not come tap and wont cost you 2 life, they are not really expensive to buy(cheaper then blood crypt)have you though about "Infernal Plunge", sacrifice a creature to get 2 additional mana, it would let you ramp early game, sacrificing your eggs to get the big dragon earlier?
Plus DRAGONskull summit, you need 4 if your going to make a dragon themed deck yo.
Thanks for all the comments! And yes, this is one of the two decks I currently play. The other is:http://www.mtgvault.com/paladinvito/decks/scavenged-supremacy/@Darkvisor66: My original build of the deck was also a mono-red burn machine, but after some play testing I found that I typically ended up using the burn spells to control the battlefield, and that's when I mixed in black for direct creature removal. Putting some in the sideboard is a good idea, though; I'll do that. I also had an Utvara in the original build, but 9/10 times the game was over long before I could even cast him, so I took him out (which made me sad).@Kraimer: Between Doom Blade and Murder, I'd prefer Murder for pre-sideboard. The dooms are in the sb for if their deck is non-black and really, really creature heavy.@coldbeer666: Good suggestion on the Summits; I always forget about those dual-lands. I had Infernal Plunge in the original build of the deck, but with this build it's really not necessary; I would lose more utility than I would gain to take anything else out in favor of the plunge.
I've noticed that people tend to forget about "Ultimate Price" from ravnica block. It's definitely an option for creature removal as well.
I don't think Diabolic Tutor is a good card in here. It's not really a combo deck (except for the bonus of the archwing dragon + scourge combo) and the altar's reap smoothes out your draws enough. I'd add in 2 Thundermaw Hellkites if you have them or even Furnace Whelp. Have you thought about Door of Destinies too? With Archwing it could get a lot of counters.
no thundermaw hellkite? what are you bad?
Hey, mate. While we all respect your opinion, try to stay polite. And no decent punctuation? Perhaps you should proofread your own stuff before posting a reply. Only a friendly suggestion!
shivan dragon? utvara hellkite? come on bro
Too slow dragons
True the cost is high, but thats why were talking about the plunge. kraimer bro come on , don't hate on dragons
This deck is beautifully evil, and I love it. Kudos.
Wow, so many comments! Many thanks!@JaceTheMindsculptor: Good suggestions! It's very true that this isn't really a deck which requires the tutor, and the door is a great replacement. Thanks!@azoriuslikeaboss: Shivan Dragon and Utvara Hellkite are both far too slow; the whole idea of this deck is to beat them down fast and hard. As for Thundermaw Hellkite: while a fantastic dragon, it's far from necessary for the deck, and there would be a significant loss of overall versatility in making room for another dragon, especially one with a cmc of 5.
thundermaw will be the best dragon available in standard until it rotates out. hands down. even if you play it turn 6 after a scourge. it taps all flyers and makes a hole for your dragons to get damage through.
Cavern of Soul's maybe? It's nice to see a good standard dragon deck, well done!
Really like the deck.Any suggestions on mine would be appreciated.http://www.mtgvault.com/marbrand/decks/standard-simic/
I have been looking for a dragon deck that was cost effective in both mana and $$. Very nice job. I am seriously considering building this deck and playing it against my friends and at FNM. Good job.if youve got some time check my Liquimetal coating destruction deck out :) thanks!http://www.mtgvault.com/jnmugno/decks/annnd-its-gone/
nice one, I just built a deck based on the liquidmetal coatinghttp://www.mtgvault.com/coldbeer666/decks/cheap-control-red/
Removed an Archwing Dragon and a Swamp to make room for 2 Thundermaw Hellkites.
How about Heartless Summoning to play your big dragons faster at a cost? Getting Innistrad stuff is risky because of the block change, but still it's a very cheap card that might be able to help.
Heartless Summoning is really not that effective in a deck like this. The key as stated is aggression, and aggression comes from being able to beat through defenses easily, when playing with dragons. Sure, it helps if speed is needed, but it really isn't needed here. The only thing that could really benefit from it is Archwing dragon. Being able to play a 2/2 haste flyer for RR is indeed amazing. Unfortunately, the rest of the deck would likely suffer from it, as far as I can see. Good suggestion though. Look up Heartless Angels. That's the best example of its use.
Is Heartless Angels a deck or a card?
it would be a 3/3 haste flyer for RR, which is relevant. Heartless summoning is great in any deck with large, expensive creatures, and the best example of its use is not a cheap plug for your deck. it would be SUPER effective in a deck like this, as playing a summoning on turn 2 allows him to play basically any of his dragons on turn 3. scourge for RRR? seems good.
Yeah, I read -2/-2. My bad guys. Anyway, the point still stands. Heartless Summoning isn't too useful. Perhaps it can help set up for the long game, but by itself and top decking, which seems likely, it's simply not that useful. I imagine it could remain interesting and amazing if it kicks off properly. Anyway, creatures are still better than enchantments in a deck like this.
it gets your large creatures out two turns faster at the cost of one p/t. you are wrong. these are exactly the kinds of decks Heartless Summoning was created for.
I actually agree with Darkvisor66 on this particular point. No, heartless summoning wasn't made for a deck like this; simply casting it would instakill 4 of your own creatures. In addition to that, I would have to completely retool the deck to use heartless in it, and I have no desire to further tinker and finesse another extra card into the deck.No, heartless summoning doesn't belong in this deck. Why? I made the deck, and I don't want it in the deck, and I have enough cards I need to replace when the blocks change already. ;)I appreciate the feedback! Here is how the deck would change to accomodate heartless:http://www.mtgvault.com/paladinvito/decks/heartless-dragons/
you not wanting it in the deck is reason enough for it to not be there, however, it helps this deck, and decks like it, out a lot. you wouldnt have to retool at all. drop the 4 creatures that heartless summoning kills, add 3 HS and a kill spell. its really quite simple, and that turn 3 4/4 thundermaw looks pretty nice coming across.
PaladinVito is right on the ball though about Innistrad (and M13) rotating out in a matter of weeks. Afterwards, dragons are going to lose their big players, so it looks like M14's Scourge and yes, even Shivan, will see play as the replacement lizards. Disregarding the rotation times, Balefire Dragon is another awesome lizard that has been often underrated. Back when Innistrad first came out, I remember opening this guy in my first draft. It was an instant in with it's ability to evade, then absolutely NUKE the field. SO dragons are competitive in Modern, but once Theros rotates in, they will be pretty much unplayable as a tribal deck. Perhaps some are splashable, but that's about it.
the rotation is like 5 weeks away. its in the picture, but shouldnt govern what you do now. the cards are standard, and good, so why not use them? thats all im saying. if theres an upgrade to a deck it shouldnt be ignored because of a looming rotation.
Yes, five weeks that will creep up on you like it's just next week. While I for one am looking forward to the pre-release, I'll be sad to see Innistrad go. It seems to me that decks should be gearing towards the rotation, adapting to what will undoubtedly be a fairly controversial block. Therefore, more cards should be invested in that will survive the block. If Heartless Summoning isn't going to Standard for much longer, PaladinVito needs to rebuild it according to the coming set. Sure, keep the essentials in. But get rid of anything surplus. Dragons will still work (Theros mythology pertaining) but not with a card whose use is fluctuating at best.Looks like it's time to pull out Rakdos again...
Ive been doing this for long enough to see the flaw in your plans. 5 weeks is a long time. thats 5 FNM, thats 2 US Grand Prix, and 3 worldwide GP. there is a LOT happening in those 5 weeks before rotation, so while I agree that you should be PLANNING for rotation, I fully believe that only the bad players are PLAYING for rotation today. I will play Geist of St Traft and Liliana of the Veil until the very last second I can, and then I will have a plan to deal with losing them. PLAN for tomorrow, PLAY for today.
A strong argument, and brilliant points. And I certainly agree that we should indeed play for today. But that's sounding much too much like a perspective of LIVE for today. If we don't take the future into account, and quickly, these last five weeks are going to fly by and we'll be stuck with a whole lot of Modern cards we can't even begin to use in a GP. In this way, players like myself try to always stay one rotation ahead. I now no longer run anything from Innistrad for Standard play. And it hasn't let me down so far. My point is, by planning the game in advance, you'll know what the opponents are prone to do and it'll be easy enough to completely counteract whatever they do manage to do. And didn't one famous general say "A plan that outlives you opponent's is a plan worth saving"? I agree that Innistrad and it's friends will continue to be seen up to the last minute, but it's better to start gearing towards what will likely mean the loss of the better competitive decks. If you and I were to start playing now, I swear my Rakdos Aggro will beat you hands down. It only runs Ravnica block and M13/M14 crossovers. I've already stopped using my Reanimator deck because it's getting too predictable. PLAN for tomorrow by getting yourself ready TODAY. Brace yourself, Theros is coming.
I'd also like to add that our discussion has diverged from Dragons onto Overall strategy. I invite anyone to take this up on the forums, because this topic is supposed to be about Dragons in the current game. Sorry guys, my bad!
a bold statement from a guy playing Rakdos Aggro and not knowing what im running. I did a quick check to see if you had your rakdos deck listed, and you do not, however, I am fairly confident that Rakdos Aggro is a great matchup for me and my Jund Control deck OR my Esper Spirit deck. Neither of which are public on my profile, for...reasons. I dont care that theros is coming, Like I said, Ive been doing this for a long time. I saw the Tempest block rotate out. rotation is not a scary thing.
It's absolutely not a scary thing. Anyway, where else would I be able to waste all of my hard earned cash? I've only been playing since Shards, so I've got nothing on you there. And I can understand that you wouldn't list those types of decks. But I have run Rakdos Aggro against Jund Control AND Esper Spirits before, so I'd know how to deal with them. But it sounds like one heck of a match up to me. I'd love to be able to play it sometime. Sounds like a great deal of fun. Where are you from? I'm residing in Down Under.But can we please get back onto the subject of Diabolic Dragons like we all came here for? That's the point of this thread.
its a deck
oh ok i got it.
How well can you deal with R/G aggro and friends? For example a Burning-Tree-Emissary chain seems hard to beat with only spot removal.Mutilate works with your Swamps, often it should only be -2/-2, which is perfect as most of your dragons stay alive, making it a one-sided board wipe.Other choices could be Magmaquake / Rolling Temblor. They deal with non-flying, leaving your creatures unscathed.Finally Bonfire of the Damned can be a strong win condition while being a one-sided board wipe, however it's really expensive without Miracle.
also mizzium mortars which can be spot or mass removal
Added Mizzium Mortars to the sideboard instead of shock as a creature burn/mass removal spell.
I knew I was going to make a dragon deck I soon as I learned that dragon egg, and scourge of vilkas was a thing, im sooooo happy that dragons can walk into FNM and not be laughed at. I am also happy that your deck is begging received so well on mtg vault, were as awsome decks like this almost never make it to the front page. I made a similar deck for somthing called a bad tribal format, that is hosted by my local game shop "the deckbox". Its modern but its really close to standard. http://www.mtgvault.com/greenslag/decks/dragon-tribe-ftw/
I have an idea for this deck. I can see you replay dragons a lot, so how about trying a 3rd Door of Destinies and maybe a 3rd Archwing Dragon? IDK just a little suggestion because you can increase the power of you dragons even more with that, so maybe?
@Hydeigon: Cool idea, it may be a little tricky without ramping, and it can result in awful hands, but it would definitely be worth looking into. Door is only really there as a gimmick; it's not really needed, but it can sure be fun. With dragons though, you need to keep it fairly simple to maximize performance. Dragons don't really work with utility very well. They're just beasts with wings after all.
Love the deck, maybe I would add two or three copies of Slaughter Games from Theros instead of Rakdos's Return or Mizzium Mortars in the Sideboard. Maybe even Doom Blade for Ultimate Price or Go for the Throat I don't know when it really matters.
Cards I reccomend: terminate, night's whisper, dragon tempest, kolaghan, and because of the general high cost of the cards, graven cairns.