Mono Red Burn?

[Shean]

A friend of mine has been working on a Mono Red Burn deck and I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with it.  I know that red burn doesn't seem to be the most exciting thing, but red is my favorite color.  In addition, I think it would be a great deck to play - if I can get it to a competitive level - solely because so many Type 1 matches are decided by play mistakes.  I mean that, this deck would be good to play because its hard to make a lot of play mistakes with a mono red burn deck.

This is the list that I have for now.  It's not great, but I feel like I'm up against a wall.  I just don't know what to do with the deck.  The main problem is that you usually crap out when the other guy's at less than 6 life.


Mana Base

4 Bloodstained Mire
8 Mountain
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Emerald

Creatures

4 Genju of the Spires
4 Jackal Pup

Burn

4 Lava Spike
4 Chain Lightning
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Magma Jet
3 Shrapnel Blast
2 Price of Progress

Tempo

4 Tangle Wire

Recurring Damage

3 Ankh of Mishra
2 Sulfuric Vortex
2 Spellshock


As of now, I'm just not sure what to do with the deck.  I feel like it could be better as it only needs to do about 5 more damage a game, but I don't know where to get it.  It needs some better recurring damage.

Some cards I've been thinking about:

Sirocco - While it's a pretty unheard of card, it can easily win games if it resolves on turn 1 or turn 2.  Almost every deck out there gets hurt by this card, but the problem is, I don't feel like it can be played maindeck, simply because the deck cannot afford to have any dead cards against any decks.

Cursed Scroll - The most famous RDW card.  I don't know if it belongs in this deck, but it's great recurring damage.  It's been played in almost every other RDW, so maybe it belongs in this deck.

Grim Lavamancer - He's great for recurring damage, but he never seems to seal the deal.  On the other hand, he is very good in the deck because you are constantly throwing Lightning Bolts etc. in your graveyard.  The main problem is that you would probably need to run a couple more fetchlands to ensure a thick graveyard, but you end up taking 5 damage from a fetchland when Ankh is in play.

Like I said, this may or may not be a viable deck, but I feel that it could be with the correct build.  Any ideas?

[Fall-Titan]

Firstly i dint see how any burn deck can be viable without FireBlast. As the most potent of free burn spells i think the card deserves to be in the deck. With the addition of Fireblast, grim lavamancer becomes much more of a powerhouse and he is one of the best red card around (decks splash for him (fish)). Also red has horrible draw with the exception of wheel of fortune so i think it deserves a spot if u truly want to make this deck competitive. The only disadvantages to it are u refuel opponets counterspells but burn has too many threats to counter if your worried about that aspect of it. Cursed Scroll obviously deserves consideration. Burning wish seems like it would be a saviour in a deck like this. Whether u need to get a *cough* Cave-In *cough* to deal with foodchain or other threats such as pulverize against stax i think u should throw it in there. Also in the board u need Goblin Bombardment which is just hot against oath (which outraces u most games otherwise).Another honorable mention is the "Magic Stick" which i must say is absolutely ridiculous with a price of progress on it.

Basically what I'm saying is i think you need to re look this deck. Mono-Red is a favorite among budget type oner's but i feel your friend is trying to take a type 2 deck and throw in some decent type 1 spells and see if it flies (which is a horrible way to play competitive although it is a good starting point for new vintage adepts).

[warble]

4x Cursed Scroll would be the main reason people CHOOSE to play this deck.  Put them in.
4x Grim Lavamancer WILL seal the deal, especially with 4 cursed scroll, it seems like your ideal first turn play is jackal pup whereas these two should be IT for you.

On another note, you are running enough acceleration for a race car, but you don't have anything to do with all that fast mana.  I would rethink your strategy here and instead go for either a second color + null rod (probably better then the alternative) or you can go for higher CC/activation "win" spells.

If you do indeed intend to use the higher CC spells 4x Cursed Scroll and 4x Mishra's Factory will suck your mana from your parched mana pool like a desert.  My red/green aggro deck wins with 2/3 kird ape beatdown/fireblast/ghitu slinger typically but it has some naturalize/greenness going which is really what makes mono-red dumb in vintage (you have dual lands and 5 color lands why limit yourself?)
If you do have to keep your deck mainly the same then only change:
+ 4x Cursed Scroll
+ 4x Mishra's Factory
+ 4x Fireblast

It will be better, but still not ideal.  Red/green(FCG) or Red/blue(Welder) or Red/Black(Reanimator) would be better here.

LoL and you have tangle wire so this may sound strange but given you like to have creatures, has your friend tried Mono-green?  If he likes one color green, blue and black are the only "uber" colors that can really survive on their own.  Red kinda takes it up the butt when it comes to flying solo...

[Klep]

Pyrostatic Pillar is much better than Vortex.  2 damage per spell is better than 2 per turn, and no one plays life gain anyway.

[Dr. Sylvan]

Please, please, please stop playing such awful cards.

I played this deck in two events at GenCon and did okay with it, so try some of the following: Jackal Pup should be Grim Lavamancer. All those Moxes should be Mishra's Factories (activate them, attack, sac to Shrapnel Blast) and more Mountains. You need those Mountains so that you can play Fireblast instead of Tangle Wire. Then you can cut the Sulfiric Vortex for more Price of Progress, which is secretly the best card ever. At the risk of sounding like Kowal, double PoPing someone makes you feel like a ninja. Spellshock might be better as Viashino Heretic;  you really want maindeck answers to Chalice for one, and Pyrostatic Pillar was the card that most frequently underperformed for me at GenCon. Play the Pillars and Spellshocks in the sideboard against combo.

Cursed Scroll is too slow. Genju of the Spires seems fine as recurring damage.

[warble]

Cursed Scroll is too slow. Genju of the Spires seems fine as recurring damage.

You're missing the point here, which is that Null Rod is not maindeck.

Creature control, especially utility creature control, is going to win the early game, not an extra 1 or 2 damage.  Goblin Welder, Exalted Angel(unmorphed), Goblin Piledriver!!!! will all get owned by that darn scroll, and if you want genju for more damage run it in addition (no idea how you're gonna get 6 mana/turn . . . except you're running the only red deck with 5Mox+sol ring+lotus)

If there's one reason to run Cursed Scroll over Genju, it's Goblin Welder.  For this deck running full acceleration, it can probably afford to run both.

*note* - actually, you're completely modifying the game by running full acceleration in a deck that doesn't need it.  I'm not going to comment any more on this deck aside from stating you need NULL ROD and shouldn't have any Mox in here.  This deck just rolls over and dies to Dragon/Workshop/CS/Tendrils/Belcher.

[Fall-Titan]

I must agree with everyone. After thinking about it my first post was close but not perfect. Mono red Burn should play as a control aggro deck not just an aggro/combo deck.If u want spped play combo. If you play control style then this deck just can beat control slaver/oath/FCG/ and most workshop aggro. This of course is assuming you play the deck perfectly and the opposing player is average at best. U have more threats then they can counter and u have so many ways of stopping there combos or win conditions that they cant do anything. However this deck rolls over to combo like a dead fish. This is why u must PLAY NULL ROD without it your deck is just too slow to combat with theirs. also with shrapnel blast in the main u never have a dead card.