Locations
Fire and brimstone is what's on the menu today. Will Red get more powerful cards to play alongside Hazoret the Fervent, Rekindling Phoenix, and Chandra, Torch of Defiance? There's only one way to find out and you came to the right place; but, before we begin, I'll break down my set review rules in case you don't know them yet.
I will not be going over cards that I believe will not see play in Standard. For example, cards like Time of Ice and Gideon's Reproach will be omitted since they are just Limited cards and saying, "This is just a Limited card" repeatedly gets old rather fast. Don't worry, though, I will be covering all the rare and mythic cards in the set. So, if you like a certain rare or mythic, it will be mentioned in the review.
Keep in mind I'm rating all these cards for Standard playability. I will mention Modern applications if I believe the card has some.
Each card will be listed by color, then alphabetically by name.
Each card will given a rating of 1-5. If a card would receive a 0, meaning it will see no play in that format ever, it's rating is left off the list
RATING -- Explanation -- Standard Examples
0 -- Will never see play in this format (0 ratings are not listed).
1 -- Unlikely to see play. (Dubious Challenge)
2 -- Could see fringe play, or occasional sideboard card. (Authority of the Consuls)
3 -- Commonly played, staple in a single deck, or frequent play in several decks. (Harnessed Lightning, Cast Down)
4 -- Format staples. Sees play in multiple decks, one of the best cards in the format. (Heart of Kiran, Abrade, Seal Away)
5 -- Format warping. If you're in these colors, you play that card. (The Scarab God, [card]Chandra, Torch of Defiance" href="/p/Magic+The+Gathering/Chandra, Torch of Defiance" href="/p/Magic+The+Gathering/[card]Chandra, Torch of Defiance">[card]Chandra, Torch of Defiance">Chandra, Torch of Defiance" href="/p/Magic+The+Gathering/[card]Chandra, Torch of Defiance">[card]Chandra, Torch of Defiance
Ignite!
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2 -- Or don't Ignite . . . This card is too slow at everything. The first eruption on Dominaria must've been tiny. Only home this might go in is a dinosaur deck. |
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2 -- The Flame of Keld would go good in a deck that has permanents to ping your opponent. Anything from Siege-Gang Commander, Hazoret, or even a planeswalker like Chandra, Torch of Defiance. Could build some sort of wacky big Red deck with The Flame of Keld, Treasure Map, and then Siege-Gang Commander / Hazoret / Chandra. |
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3 -- He's a wizard and a conditional Goblin Guide.
Step 1: put him in a deck with Prowess creatures like Stormchaser Mage and Adeliz, the Cinder Wind.
Step 2: add in some cheap burn in the form of Shock, Lightning Strike, and Wizard's Lightning.
Step 3 ????.
Step 4: Profit! |
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2 -- A solid sideboard option for Mono-Red decks to beat tokens. Doesn't really fill the hole that Rampaging Ferocidon left when he got banned but it's what we got. |
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2.5 -- Amazing for Modern, but for Standard we don't have any amazing goblins outside of Siege-Gang Commander. It's too bad Goblin Chainwhirler is triple Red. A great card but not enough goblins. Maybe in the next set? |
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1 -- Pay 6 mana to kill some of their stuff at random over the course of three turns. You'll destroy three but you're not guaranteed to destroy their best permanent. No thank you. |
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2.5 -- I look at Jaya Ballard and wonder when I'd play her over Chandra, Torch of Defiance. Chandra adds one less Red mana but you can use that mana on anything. They both have plus abilities but only Chandra's nets you card advantage. Jaya can't protect herself and Chandra can. Chandra can also deal two damage to the opponent where Jaya cannot. Both Ultimates end the game in their own respect. Chandra is just far and away the better planeswalker. I'd play four Chandras before playing any Jayas. |
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2 -- Reminds me of Fall of the Titans, except ,this time, we don't have Pyromancer's Goggles. However, we do have Primal Amulet and The Mirari Conjecture. Primal Amulet seems like the best, but artifacts are just so soft to Abrade right now, and Jaya's Immolating Inferno is much harder to cast than Fall of the Titans because it's a legendary sorcery. Hopefully a lot of these sweet artifacts see some play after Abrade leaves the format. |
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2 -- A possible sideboard card for aggressive strategies. Blowing up Azcanta, the Sunken Ruin and attacking through a couple creatures might be worth a sideboard slot. |
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3 -- Worse Burst Lightning but still very playable, especially for control or midrange decks playing Red. |
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3.5 -- The best goblin in the set for Standard. Red has so many good cards at four and 5 mana. Siege-Gang will compete with Glorybringer and somehow, they'll both see play. |
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2 -- Squee is going to be hard for control decks focused on removal to deal with. Only Ixalan's Binding and Spires of Orazca can keep him at bay. Sacrifice outlets like Vicious Offering are a clever way to abuse Squee. |
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1.5 -- Just play Rekindling Phoenix, Chandra, or Verix Bladewing. Don't put your hands into RNG. |
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2 -- Reminds me of a Red Kemba, Kha Regent, except he's easier to cast and triggers off auras as well. We have some good auras in Standard, especially in the form of Cartouches. This will see fringe play but it shouldn't reach tier one status. |
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3 -- Lay off the snacks Verix, no more goblins for you! Verix is a Mono colored Broodmate Dragon that curves well into Glorybringer. The only problem is she competes with Rekindling Phoenix. Even in a   Monster deck I'd rather have more Rekindling Phoenix. Though a 4/1 or 3/2 split is reasonable in favor of Rekindling Phoenix of course. |
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2.5 -- Hopefully we will have a  wizard aggressive/tempo deck and Wizard's Lightning is going to be an amazing card in that deck. Don't forget that Soul-Scar Mage is randomly a wizard too. |
Top 5 Red Cards
Red did get more excellent cards; however, the cards compete with ones that already exist. Rekindling Phoenix and Glorybringer are both amazing cards but they play right into Vraska's Contempt and Cast Down. Siege-Gang Commander does not, so I expect Red decks to change the numbers or swap cards depending on what's good in the metagame.
Red is another excellent color for Dominaria. Tomorrow we'll go over the Green cards and everything else and have the Top 15 best cards for Standard in Dominaria. You won't want to miss it!
Until then,
Ali Aintrazi
Follow me @AliEldrazi
