The Best Deck on the Lorwyn Block

 

Hey everyone. Today I wanna talk about a deck that has brought me nothing but success in Lorwyn Block Constructed… Yeah, it’s a format. Yeah, it’s not relevant right now… so? Hmmm… maybe I should start a little farther back.

 

            So I’m trying to prepare for PT Hollywood. The only problem is that PT Hollywood is Standard with Shadowmoore and up until this week, we knew very little about the set. So I wanted to come up with ways that I could prepare that wouldn’t involve testing the new decks. The solution I settled on involved two parts:

 

1)      I need to get better at Magic so I need to get together with good players and talk through some plays. This could be done using any format as long as I could talk about different plays I would make and compare them to plays other players were making. I tried to accomplish this by drafting online over at friends’ places and discussing draft picks and plays together on a laptop. Another way I tried to accomplish this was by playing some of the common standard matchups and talking during and after each game and set.

 

2)      I need to get better at building decks. This doesn’t necessarily mean building a deck from scratch but also adjusting existing decks to manoeuvre within the metagame. To accomplish this I decided to play relatively new formats. Standard was my first attempt which led me to a couple of adjustments of Red Deck Wins and a twist on the Reveillark deck. Eventually I moved away from standard because the format was becoming stagnant so I moved into Block.

 

Now some people may say that building decks for block is completely different than building decks for standard. I think they are different but I think that understanding the ins and outs of block help build a foundation for understanding future block and future standard. So, to better understand the upcoming standard format, there is little else to do than try to understand how the cards interact in different environments such as the one provided by current block constructed. This may open your eyes to synergies, or maybe just little tricks that some cards can be used for.

 

Ok, I think that brings us sufficiently up to date. So I was looking at Lorwyn Block and trying to find patterns in what decks were being played online and IRL. Essentially the metagame was pretty random. There were some Kithkin, Faerie, Elf, and Treefolk decks but there were also a bunch of multicoloured decks that just tried to jam all the best cards in using Vivid lands and Fertile Ground. While watching one premiere event online, I noticed a red deck that played with a bunch of aggressive elementals to try and win quickly. The deck had potential but also seemed to have a lot of holes. Ultimately, this is where the deck building began.

 

            The deck I first saw had some number of the following cards: Flamekin Bladewhirl, Flamekin Harbinger, Ashling, the Pilgrim, Sunflare Shaman, Smokebraider, Incandescent Soulstoke, Rage Forger, and a bunch of unknown cards. The curve seemed ok for the format and the creatures could get out of hand. The most interesting thing about the deck was its ability to end the game using Rage Forger. All of the creatures were both Elementals and Shamans except for the Flamekin Bladewhirl. So I tried tinkering with the list a bit. I’ll skip through some of the rough builds and just show you what I settled on after a few games in the casual rooms and a couple of 8-man constructed queues:

 

4 Flamekin Bladewhirl

4 Flamekin Harbinger

4 Smokebraider

4 Sunflare Shaman

2 Soulbright Flamekin

4 Incandescent Soulstoke

4 Rage Forger

2 Spitebellows

 

4 Lash Out

4 Tarfire

2 Shard Volley

 

4 Mutavault

18 Mountain

 

SB:

3 Hurly Burly

3 Heat Shimmer

2 Thornbite Staff

2 Spitebellows

2 Chandra Nalaar

2 Nova Chaser

1 Shard Volley

  

            The only card in this list that I’m disappointed with is the Soulbright Flamekin. Other than being a 2/1 for 1cc, he has done absolutely nothing and gets sideboarded out in almost every match. He’s basically there to fill the curve. I would want two more main deck Spitebellows or even Shard Volleys but he helps increase the number of times the deck can play an attacker on turn two. The sideboard may also seem a bit random but each card and the number of each card has its place in the sideboard strategy.

           

So you might be thinking at this point: “What a pile of crap!” PSamms, a good friend of mine said it best with: “Your deck is a pile of bad cards.” Well… that part is true… but the deck has a lot of synergy, is amazingly consistent, and actually has a solid gameplan against every deck in the format. I have played in six Magic Online 8-man queues and have had a record of 17-1. I have only played the deck once IRL but when 4-0 in matches and 8-0 in games for the one tournament. The deck is real.

           

The game plan is fairly straightforward but understanding it is important so you avoid trying to alter the deck to fit in all sorts of “more powerful” cards like so many other people have tried to do with Elementals. Like any aggro deck, you want to play quick creatures in the early turns. Only cast burn spells early if your opponent has played a creature that threatens to beat you down too quickly or if you have no creatures to play. Creatures that may require immediate attention include Wizened Cenn, Imperious Perfect, or Scion of Oona. (notice a trend.) Once you have established a board, lay down any Soulstokes, then any Rage Forgers and finish the game off with burn. Simple right? Here are a few other tricks to help you along:

 

-         When searching with Flamekin Harbinger, choose Rage Forger at least 90% of the time. The only other picks that are acceptable are Spitebellows (to kill off a game breaking fatty like Doran),  Smokebraider (if you are stuck on two land and need more), or Flamekin Harbinger. The final example is probably the most common. If you count three turns ahead and see that you have a turn when you will have one mana available, then search up a Harbinger. This will give you more 2/2’s and make it easier to Rage Forger the opponent out of the game.

-         Always play out Smokebraiders and Soulstokes before going for the Rage Forgers. Your opponents will almost always kill the Smokebraider thinking it is absolutely necessary to your game plan. In reality, there are situations when this is right and your opponent isn’t willing to take the risk by letting him live. You’ll bait cards as powerful as Shriekmaw with what may be an almost useless Smokebraider.

-         Keep an eye on how many creatures are in your graveyard. Soulstoking out a Sunflare Shaman can catch people by surprise and win you games where you might have lost your Rage Forgers.

-         Don’t block. There are decks in the format who may think they can race you. Chances are, they are wrong. Damage adds up quick with two Rage Forgers. If you think you have to block, then usually the Bladewhirl is the proper sacrifice.

 

Your game plan isn’t going to change too much from matchup to matchup so I’ll skip straight to the sideboarding.

 

Kithkin:

- 2 Shard Volley

+ 2 Chandra Nalaar

            And if they have a lot of 1/1’s:

- 1 Spitebellows

- 1 Soulbright Flamekin

+ 2 Thornbite Staff (remember Smokebraider can pay for the activation cost)

 

Faeries:

- 1 Shard Volley

- 2 Soulbright Flamekin

- 2 Spitebellows

+ 3 Hurly Burly

+ 2 Thornbite Staff

 

Elves:

- 1 Shard Volley

- 1 Spitebellows

+ 2 Chandra Nalaar

 

Treefolk:

- 2 Soulbright Flamekin

- 4 Tarfire

+ 3 Heat Shimmer (For Doran and Shriekmaw. Backup use: Rage Forger)

+ 2 Spitebellows

+ 1 Shard Volley

 

Mirror:

- 2 Spitebellows

- 2 Shard Volley

+ 2 Nova Chaser

+ 2 Chandra Nalaar

 

3-5 Colour good stuff (depends on the build but generally):

- 4 Tarfire

+ 3 Heat Shimmer (against Mulldrifter, Shriekmaw, etc)

+ 1 Shard Volley

 

            That’s pretty much all there is to it. I highly recommend this deck to anyone who is planning on playing block. I also recommend this to anyone who wants to make a buck or two online. Beyond being good, the deck is cheap! Mutavaults are the only expensive card and past that you’re looking at commons, uncommons, and a few crap rares. The deck is also a blast to play. Even if you don’t pound your opponent in the early game, there are lots of opportunities to come back and win by saving up for Rage Forgers or Sunflare Shamans. I would also keep an eye on this strategy for when Lorwyn Block Constructed becomes important later this year. There will be a block constructed season for PTQ’s and, in my opinion; this is the number one deck in the format going into Shadowmoore. I hope you enjoyed this look into the deck. I’ll be back next time with an initial look at Shadowmoore for constructed and some notes from the Prerelease.

 

Please post your thoughts on this deck or the format in the forums. I will check in to answer any questions and provide feedback. You may also contact me at:

 

Magic(DOT)kelly(AT)hotmail(DOT)com