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Standard Big Red Deck Guide: Red Deck Wins Big

Can't decide between aggro and midrange? Skura says you don't have to! Learn about Standard's newest Midrange deck and why Big Red is a real force to be reckoned with!

While most players associate the colour red with aggression, there are more archetypes that red can support. Another pretty popular yet not always viable strategy is Big Red. It’s a take on an otherwise aggressively slanted deck which aims to play a longer, more interactive game, where burn spells are targeted more often at creatures than at the opponent.

This type of strategy is especially good when you expect smaller aggro decks as you have a similar plan to theirs, but you’re just a bit bigger, so you’re generally going to come out on top. Additionally, you can go toe to toe with other midrange decks on the grinding axis as your resources don’t deplete after turn four, contrary to all-in aggressive red strategies. Last but not least, it’s a good blend of value, interaction, and being able to turn the corner. Against decks which want to prolong the game, you can be the one who puts the pedal to the metal and tries to win fast, putting pressure on them.

Big Red
by Skura
Buy on TCGplayer $245.99
Standard
best of 3
7 mythic
10 rare
12 uncommon
31 common
0
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Planeswalkers (7)
Creatures (10)
Instants (10)
4
Play with Fire
$17.96
2
Volt Charge
$0.98
Enchantments (8)
Lands (25)
25
Mountain
$8.75
60 Cards
$214.24
Sideboard
4
Abrade
$1.40
3
Strangle
$1.05
15 Cards
$28.27

Deck Tech

Threats

As it ought to be in a red deck, this shell is flush with threats of different kinds. Let’s start off with the planeswalkers.

There is nothing better in an interactive deck than establishing an early planeswalker, immediately putting the onus on the opponent to deal with it. Chandra, Dressed to Kill‘s plus ability generates mana which allows us to follow her up with another play, still on turn three. The best-case scenario would include deploying Chandra, adding mana, and then casting Play with Fire to get rid of a threat on the board. While the damage part of the ability is not going to matter in grindy games, it can certainly add up over time.

The second +1 ability is pure card advantage. If you’ve got the game under control, you can keep activating it and get a steady stream of cards. The curve of the deck is relatively low so it’s going to be trivial to multi-spell every turn.

While I wouldn’t expect you to ultimate Chandra very often, once you do the game is generally going to be over. This is true for most planeswalkers anyways.

With Phyrexia: All Will Be One, this Big Red archetype gets another planeswalker that truly benefits from being played in a mono coloured shell. Koth, fire of Resistance is centered around Mountains and, not coincidentally, the deck plays Mountains only. With the curve being low-ish, as I’ve mentioned earlier, getting additional Mountains won’t be very relevant. However, what it does is allow you to march Koth up to his ultimate, which comes on line after just two pluses. The plus ability also fuels the minus ability.

Speaking of the minus ability, it’s what I like the most about Koth. In this deck, it’s going to deal upwards of 4 damage which is going to kill most threats in the format. In longer games, you will have enough lands to literally be able to kill anything that you’re presented with.

The ultimate predictably is game-ending but it’s pretty easy to get to. I would actually expect Koth’s ultimate to be one of your main long-game win conditions thanks to the ease with which you can pull it off. It’s not an instant win as you have to play more lands and shoot the opponent down, but it’s going to feel like a trap, slowly but surely strangling the prey.

I would say this is the most flex slot of all in the deck. This card can be a huge hit or miss, depending on the texture of the game. If unchecked, it can flip the game around, providing you with fresh four cards. However, when it doesn’t do that, it’s a 1/2 creature that doesn’t attack or block too well.

This uncommon is going to prove really strong in your games. While not playable in purely aggressive shells, it does shine here. Early in the game it’s an 0/4 wall that’s tough to attack through. The blocking duty benefits your life total, but also helps protect planeswalkers. On top of that, starting turn four, it can get in the red zone and bash for 4+ damage a turn. This ability is huge as most Walls in Magic lose a ton of their value after blocking has stopped being relevant. This Barbarian blocks early and pushes damage late, a truly excellent creature for this style of deck.

Monored’s Snapcaster Mage is here. Bloodthirsty Adversary is a way to assume a more aggressive role against slower decks or push your advantage on the play. However, the true value is its triggered ability. In the late game stages it gets bigger and allows you to recast burn spells from the grave which can decimate the opponent’s field or go straight to the face in order to close the game fast.

The most frequent situation is going to be kicking it just once but don’t forget you can do it as many times as your mana allows you to. It’s a great way to sink in all the mana you’ve been able to generate with Koth’s tutored up Mountains.

A card that needs no introduction. Fable of the Mirror-Breaker is an all-star in Standard, Pioneer, Explorer, Historic, and even Modern now. If you still don’t know what it’s capable of, fasten your seatbelts and prepare for a proper ride.

The first chapter creates a 2/2 Goblin Shaman. While it can block, it excels when it enters combat as it generates a Treasure every time it attacks. This extra mana is a way to play a more expensive spell earlier or start multi-spelling. Even if you think that getting those Treasures might be redundant, remember about Bloodthirsty Adversary who is an excellent mana sink.

The second chapter is pure card filtration. Discard excess lands, useless removal, or redundant copies of planeswalkers. Red decks never have access to card selection and with Fable they actually do.

The last chapter is a creature that can copy other threats. From the opponent’s perspective, it’s a must-kill. You can copy the first-chapter-made Goblin Shaman to make even more Treasures every turn or Sardian Cliffstomper to attack for additional 4 damage.

All in all, it’s a powerful package of three relevant effects. Don’t play fewer than four.

An early play that contributes to the aggressive plan. It’s pretty good in multiples and is annoying to deal with. It represents a lot of damage for a one-drop:

  • One from the first chapter
  • One from the +1/+1 counter
  • Two from the creature it flips into
  • Two more for each combat it’s able to connect

I will be happy to open any number of those in my opening hand.

Burn Spells

As you’d expect there are multiple burn spells in a red deck. Contrary to what they do in purely aggro shells, here you will frequently aim them at creatures to buy yourself more time and protect planeswalkers. Let’s see what we’re working with.

The best Shock variant in Standard. Play with Fire is an efficient answer to early creatures with the infrequently used bonus of getting a scry when aimed at the opponent’s face.

This is the best Lightning Bolt variant we’ve got access to. The difference between 2 and 3 damage is hugely as it kills an additional large swathe of creatures.

This is a slot that I am still on the fence about. It’s an overpriced Lightning Strike that has a proliferate clause. In this deck it will have two main uses – upticking our planeswalkers and our sagas. This can be a sneaky way to get to a faster walker ultimate which I like. You can also proliferate Fable of the Mirror-Breaker from 2 to 3 on the opponent’s end step so that you untap with not-summoning-sickness Reflection of Kiki-Jiki.

Clearly, there are some cute uses for the card so it may be worth just a couple of slots.


Best of One

Bo1 Big Red
by Skura
Buy on TCGplayer $227.6
Standard
best of 3
7 mythic
10 rare
12 uncommon
31 common
0
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Planeswalkers (7)
Creatures (10)
Instants (10)
4
Play with Fire
$17.96
2
Volt Charge
$0.98
Enchantments (8)
Lands (25)
25
Mountain
$8.75
60 Cards
$214.24

The Best of One list is the same as Best of Three. There is nothing that changes the dynamic drastically when you switch to Bo1.


Budget

Budget Big Red
by Skura
Buy on TCGplayer $159.65
Standard
best of 3
0 mythic
8 rare
15 uncommon
37 common
0
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Planeswalkers (4)
Creatures (7)
3
Flame Channeler
$1.05
Instants (12)
4
Play with Fire
$17.96
4
Volt Charge
$1.96
Sorceries (4)
Enchantments (8)
Lands (25)
25
Mountain
$8.75
60 Cards
$121.32
Sideboard
3
Giant Cindermaw
$1.05
4
Abrade
$1.40
3
Strangle
$1.05
15 Cards
$8.53

There are some cards that we absolutely need to keep, namely Fable of the Mirror-Breaker and Koth, fire of Resistance. However, we can change to rest to some budget alternatives like Unlicensed Hearse or Chandra or change cards altogether like Dressed to Kill. I think if we keep Fable and Koth, the rest can easily be budgetified.


Matchups and Sideboard Guide

Squee, Dubious Monarch Art by Zoltan Boros
Squee, Dubious Monarch Art by Zoltan Boros

Grixis Midrange

INOUT
+3 Squee, Dubious Monarch-2 Vindictive Flamestoker
+2 Abrade-2 Play With Fire
-1 Sardian Cliffstomper

Squee, Dubious Monarch is your best friend against removal-heavy strategies. It does the best Goblin Rabblemaster impression and is actually better here! The fact that you can keep replaying him is what makes it so good against opposing Cut Down or Abrade.

The games will be long and very interactive as both decks have got removal, card advantage, and creatures mixed in. Be ready to play an aggro, midrange, or even a control role depending on the hand you draw and how the game pans out. If your opener includes a couple of Mountains, 2 Kumano Faces Kakkazan and 2 Bloodthirsty Adversary, you will surely be the aggro deck that game.

Mono White Midrange

INOUT
+3 Squee, Dubious Monarch-4 Bloodthirsty Adversary
+2 End the Festivities-1 Play With Fire

Again, Squee is going to make an appearance, but it’s not going to be as good as against Grixis. The main reason is that white decks have got exile-based removal which won’t allow Squee to come back.

End the Festivities is there chiefly to clean up the pesky x/1s which clog up the field like Spirited Companion.

I cut Bloodthirsty Adversary as it’s virtually impossible to have a proper aggressive role in the matchup.

Azorius Soldiers

INOUT
+4 Abrade-4 Bloodthirsty Adversary
+3 Strangle-2 Vindictive Flamestoker
+2 End the Festivities-3 Kumano Faces Kakkazan

Removal. Removal. Removal.

I want to play Mono Red Control here. Kill everything I see, block everything I can, establish a planeswalker, ride it to victory. Koth, fire of Resistance‘s minus ability is very good here as it will kill everything that’s presented.

Forget about being an aggro deck here completely. You want to remove their creatures however you can.

Mono Blue Tempo

INOUT
+3 Squee, Dubious Monarch-2 Volt Charge
-1 Chandra, Dressed to Kill

Removal won’t be great here as the threats have a lot of toughness. You have to play a tempo-y game where you actually deploy threats and make them deal with it. The best openers will include early pressure in Kumano Faces Kakkazan and Bloodthirsty Adversary.

Once they drop their creatures, your best bet in removing them is Koth, fire of Resistance‘s minus ability.

Mono Red Aggro

INOUT
+3 Abrade-2 Vindictive Flamestoker
+3 Strangle-2 Volt Charge
-2 Bloodthirsty Adversary

You are the same deck, but bigger. Try to use your own creatures defensively and trade in combat. Eventually, they will keep drawing 2/2 haste creatures and you will be drawing planeswalkers. Preserve your life total as there is no life gain in the deck. You don’t want to get cheesed out by a couple of Play with Fires topdecked by the opponent. However, if you are in a position that you’re going to die to a couple of burn spells off the top, turn the corner and kill them. If you are dead to a few top decks, win the game before they get a chance to have those topdecks in the first place.

Big Red Mirror

INOUT
+3 Squee, Dubious Monarch-2 Vindictive Flamestoker
-1 Play with Fire

For the mirror, I side in additional threats that are additionally go-wide. I cut the least impactful cards. The games are going to pan out differently depending on the draw, similarly to the match up against Grixis. Be careful not to throw away your planeswalkers as they are going to play a key role. The higher the loyalty, the lower the chance they die to damage-based removal.

Tips and Tricks

Reflection of Kiki-Jiki Art by akio
Reflection of Kiki-Jiki Art by akio
  • Don’t feel pressured into discarding cards with Fable of the Mirror-Breaker. There will be spots where you’ll want all the cards or you may also just discard one.
  • Chandra, Dressed to Kill‘s second ability says ‘cast’ not ‘play’. This means that you cannot play lands that are exiled with Chandra. If it were ‘play’, then you’d be able to.
  • If you want to use Koth, fire of Resistance predominantly as a removal spell in the match up, a single uptick will allow you to minus it twice.
  • Even though Sardian Cliffstomper is a much better attacker than blocker due to its ability, it’s perfectly fine to keep it on the defensive against other aggressive decks like Mono Red or Soldiers.
  • While it’s going to be relevant sporadically, always remember about Etching of Kumano’s passive. It’s going to matter against cards like Ao, the Dawn Sky or Crawling Chorus.
  • In desperate situations, you can cast Play with Fire targeting your opponent on your own upkeep so that you get scry 1 and get smooth out the upcoming draw.
  • Using Volt Charge you can proliferate that are disadvantageous to the opponent such as their -1/-1 counters or maybe upticking their sagas to disrupt their plan.

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Skura
Skura

Also known as Skura or IslandsInFront on Twitter and YouTube, Filip started his career upon the release of Gatecrash and has been passing the turn in all formats ever since. He coaches and creates written and video content, mainly centered around the control archetype. He is passionate about Magic game theory and countering spells. Outside of Magic, he is a fan of snooker/pool, chess and Project Management.

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