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Editor: Audrey C Quan. Sunday 15 June 2003.
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Scourge Draft Review Part 4 - Red
You can read the first 3 parts of this series here
Red's strength in limited seems to go through cycles. Back in Tempest block, red dominated with common staples such as Rolling Thunder, Fireslinger, Lightning Blast, Mogg Fanatic/Flunkies, Shock and Maniacal Rage. Urza's Saga was the opposite with only a handful of really decent commons split between the 3 packs - Heat Ray, Ghitu Slinger, Parch and Reckless Abandon were the best of the bunch. Masques block pushed red back in control with a lot of decent common creatures (Wild Jhovall, Shock Troops, Flowstone Crusher, Lacoliths) and solid removal (Lunge, Thunderclap, Seal of Fire, Rhystic Lightning) but was let down again in Invasion block. Magma Burst in Planeshift was the best red common but the other 2 sets were sorely lacking. Red seemed balanced in Odyssey block (even though Torment & Judgement were weak) but came back with a vengeance in Onslaught with many powerful commons - Sparksmith, Solar Blast, Erratic Explosion, Shock and Lavamancer's Skill. Legions slowed the paced down a little, with Scourge providing a few interesting commons but nothing stellar. Overall red is not that bad in Onslaught block but not as good as black or white. So with that trend does it mean red is going to suck in Mirrodin?
We shall have to wait and see..
Here is my pick of the crop...
Torrent of Fire - 3RR
I doubt many players will disagree with this one. At best this will be a Searing Flesh or at the very worst a Solar Blast. Ideally suited to R/G, Torrent of Fire's only weakness seems to be in B/R, where the creatures are fragile and the casting costs are low. Don't let that dissuade you from picking this straight out of the booster though. A quality card which is only eclipsed by Carbonize and Extra Arms in the uncommon slot.
Scattershot - 2R
This is a good answer for the 3rd turn morph play and is also useful for picking off 1/1's later on in the game. I drafted 3 of these once in a U/R deck and was always happy to draw one. Although it lacks the efficiency of Shock, I wouldn't be unhappy opening this in Scourge. An early pick, 1st to 3rd.
Chartooth Cougar - 5R
The black landcycler is definitely the pick of the bunch but Chartooth Cougar is not far behind. Firebreathing on a stick can be a real beating and a lot of players will be forced into making unfavourable blocks with this. Like all of the other landcyclers, the Cougar is an early pick and should always be drafted early, 2nd to 4th.
Goblin Brigand - 1R
Goblin Brigand is one of those cards that you want to see on the 2nd turn but never later in the game. Sure he is good early beats as any 2 drop is highly valued, but his drawback will often result in card (and tempo) disadvantage. In this block though he should see play as he will often be able to keep the pressure on early - it just sucks if you draw him late! Ideally suited to B/R where you can keep blockers off the table. A midrange pick, 4th to 7th.
Spark Spray - R
I really like Spark Spray. Perhaps it should be lower on this list but I will run this 80% of the time. 1 damage is still useful - Mistform Seaswift/Dreamer, Coast Watcher, Death's Head Buzzard, Deftblade Elite and Sparksmith are all solid commons that see a lot of draft play making Spark Spray very effective. It cycles for R, so won't disrupt your tempo much. A great little card and a mid range pick, 6th to 9th, which will probably go a lot later..
Bonethorn Valesk - 4R
I'm not sold on this guy but his 4 power will often be more useful than his ability. I wouldn't play him in R/G but could be okay in R/W and U/R as those decks often lack power on the ground. In theory he should be playable in B/R too as a lot of early picks in Scourge will be taken up with removal and it is likely the Bonethorn will come around late. The 5 casting cost is bad because chances are you will have better cards to run in that slot, making the Bonethorn a mid to late range pick, 7th to 10th.
Rock Jockey -2R
Never having played with Rock Jockey I found it hard to really evaluate where he fits in. Typically I hate these sorts of cards and will often counterdraft a card from the pack than take him. He seems playable in a B/R deck chock full of removal as the lack of tempo won't matter when you are blasting their creatures left, right and centre but I don't think he is playable in any other deck. I could be wrong with this guy, so please play him. A late pick, 9th to 12th.
Dragon Breath - 1R
I quite like all of the dragon enchantments - except this one, oh and Dragon Fangs. Even the blue one has cycling but this just looks like filler to me. Firebreathing is only good on evasive creatures and tramplers (it wouldn't be too bad in the R/G mirror either I guess) and even then it is still an enchantment which requires mana investment and loss of tempo in the early game. I have seen Scott Hunstad play with this card so it can't be terrible, I just wouldn't maindeck it. A late pick, 9th to 12th.
Uncontrolled Infestation - 1R
This always seems to be one of the last cards you receive at the end of the draft but it does have a marginal use (no, not toiletpaper). Contested Cliffs, Unholy Grotto, Starlit Sanctum, Daru Encampment, Wirewood Lodge and Temple of the False God are all playable so this may see some sideboard use. But then again, maybe not - 12th to 15th.
Goblin War Strike - R
"Behold the power of Goblin War Strike! For one red mana I have the potential to deal an untold amount of damage to my opponent. Count yourself lucky I haven't drawn my Warbreak Trumpeter" - Timmy Powergamer. Timmy went on to lose that match and has never been back to FNM since. Take a tip from Timmy and don't play this, 12th to 15th.
Misguided Rage - 2R
After having 3 of these played against me in consecutive turns I started to question my belief in Misguided Rage. When I won the next 2 games quite easily with creatures my faith was restored. This is crap. A late pick, 12th to 15th.
Most of the commons were easy to review with the first 3 picks being rather straightforward. Goblin Brigand is high on the list but only if he is drafted in the right deck. B/R is the optimal build but he could work okay both in R/W soldiers and U/R. His drawback is pretty bad but he is quite good if you are drawing first and your opponent is applying some early pressure. Spark Spray is extremely versatile and I only wouldn't run it if my card quality was high. I'm not a fan of the Bonethorn or Rock Jockey but I can't see myself drafting these a lot in the future so I'm sticking to my guns. Dragon's Breath may see play but it is nowhere near as effective as Dragon Scales or Dragon Shadow, so it is relegated to a sideboard spot. The rest is self explanatory so lets take a look at some of the uncommons and rares that Scourge has to offer.
Siege-Gang Commander - 3RR
This may not be Red's strongest rare but it is a damn fine one. When the Commander hits the table you potentially have 8 points of damage split anyway you want (including 5 power worth of goblins!). Mix this up with other goblins and/or mistform creatures and your opponent is in a lot of trouble! He combos nicely with Warbreak Trumpeter but that could be considered overkill. Siege-Gang Commander works well in any archetype and a bomb to boot! A first pick.
Decree of Annihilation - 8RR
The black, white, green and red decrees are all very playable (the black and white decrees are powerhouses) even if they are cycled. An instant speed Armageddon for 7 mana is not too bad, especially if you are playing R/G and have mana acceleration and plenty of big beasts to crush your opponent. This card goes into the same category as Insurrection - players will either love or hate it but still learn to respect it. I am assuming this will be played as it's cycle cost most of the time but it is a deadly reset button if you hit 10 mana. Decree of Annihilation is a R/G card so I would draft it higher if I was in those colours, 2nd or 3rd, otherwise a later pick.
Carbonize - 2R
Hands down this is the best red uncommon. 3 damage for 3 mana is the going rate these days and it stops those graveyard shenanigans which crop up every once in a while. It is also direct damage at instant speed which is always a good thing in limited formats. Sure, there aren't a lot of 3 power creatures in this format but you would play this over Chain of Plasma. A solid first pick which suits any deck archetype.
Extra Arms - 4R
A lot of players are undecided about this, but it is targeted removal and that is never bad. 5 mana is a lot but in an aggressive deck with big beasties this will be swatting down flyers and utility creatures with ease. Better yet, once the red zone is clear start taking down your opponent's life total! It is a close call between this and Torrent of Fire (in fact it could go either way) but at this stage I'm going with Extra Arms. An early pick, 1st to 3rd.
Next week I will be looking at the strongest colour in Scourge - Black. Please keep your lists coming into the forums as I am always interested in what you guys think.
Until next time
Dan
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