$236 to spend on modern. Suggestions?

No problem, you aren't the first today.

Creatures - 8 4 Sage of Epityr - $1 4 Renouned Weaponsmith - $2 4 Simian Spirit Guide - $12

Artifacts - 8 4 Krark's Thumb - $4 4 Spellweaver Helix - $2

Spells - 24 4 Fiery Gambit - $2 4 Lava Spike - $10 4 Serum Visions - $36 4 Spiraling Embers - $1 2 Swan Song - $2 2 Pact of Negation - $22 4 Gitaxian Probe - $12

Land - 16

4 Forbidden Orchard - $24 4 Sulfur Falls - $32 1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All - $10 3 Island 4 Mountain

Total:~173

Sideboard: 3 Shattering Spree 2 Pact of Negation 2 Swan Song 2 Spellskite 4 Dismember 2 Blood Moon

  • Sage of the Epityre: our ideal 1drop, allows you plan out your next several turns. Saves us from getting hit sometimes. Expect to trade it early.
  • Renouned Weaponsmith: New card! Replaces Thought Courier. Lets us have 5 mana on turn 3 for both Krark's Thumb and Fiery Gambit. Still useful for spellweaver helix if the game makes it to turn 4.
  • Simian Spirit Guide: if Fiery Gambit goes off on turn 3, we need the extra mana to cast Spiraling Embers.
  • Krark's Thumb: makes Fiery Gambit "playable". Best not to cast it unless you can counter the inevitable hate.
  • Spellweaver Helix: Fiery Gambit probably won't go off on turn 3. This is how we cast it again. Typically feeding the helix with Gitaxian Probe (ideally), but it's likely you'll have 2 of any 1mana sorcery between your graveyard and hand.
  • Fiery Gambit: Has a 42% chance of giving you 9 cards, hitting your opponent for 6, and giving your lands back. Unsurprisingly, I don't see this countered very often. Nobody wants to waste a counter on the spell that probably won't resolve anyways. Instead, they try to kill or exile the creature you picked as a target so the damage doesn't resolve and the whole spell does fuck-all. You should keep your counter spells to protect this creature with everything you've got.
  • Spiraling Embers: I don't cast this unless I just got 9 cards. If I did, my opponent is already out of mana or can't do shit, otherwise I wouldn't have those 9 cards. Best case scenario, you can hit for 12 on turn 3 (SSG) right after 6 damage from Fiery Gambit. Most opponents have hurt themselves for that last 2 with assorted lands, so GG. That's the best case, though, and you'll likely leave them dangling at 3 or 4 without being able to finish them off from this card alone. When that happens, it may be more useful to discard Spiraling embers, and try to use spellweaver helix to cast it multiple times on turn 4.
  • Lava Spike: Bolts would probably be better in a LOT of matchups, but I like to keep the sorcery speed for Spellweaver Helix. Remember, 42% chance of Fiery Gambit going off means that you usually needs cast more than twice.
  • Serum Visions / Gitaxian Probe: Sorcery Speed Cantrips. Nothing Fancy.
  • Swan Song: Fiery Gambit MUST have a valid creature target at the beginning and end of the cast. This card is one of the ways to make sure there's a creature to be hit. Bonus: it counters a spell. Expect to use it most often against those scapeshift, living end, or splinter-twin decks that don't run many creatures.
  • Pact of Negation: This is how you protect your Fiery gambit when you don't expect there to be another turn. Counter that bolt to the swan ;)

Land: About that 19.... You should never need more than 3 in play. Frankly, I think I'm running too many, but 19 gives us roughly 3 in 10 cards, which is what we want for a land drop every turn without casting our cantrips. * Forbidden Orchard: Any color and guarantees a creature to target with feiry gambit. I love this card. * Sulfur Falls: I chose it because this deck doesn't have a lot of ways to prevent damage taken and absolutely no way to gain life. If the game lasts more than 4 turns, you'll need every point you can get. * Boseiju, Who Shelters All: only 1 because this deck needs as much colored mana as it can. I'd rather never have it early game than have multiples, even "late" game. * 7 Basics to make Sulfur Falls viable

Sideboard: Incredibly flexible.
* Swan song can be boarded out for more pacts of negation against big creature decks.
* Dismember can be brought in for counter spells against affinity matchups. * Shattering spree can be brought in for weaponsmiths against affinity matchups. * Bring in more counterspells against any kind of blue control. * Bloodmoon helps beat Tron decks or anything that relies heavily on nonbasics and barely hurts us at all. * Pod isn't a problem anymore * Lose the weaponsmiths for swans and dismembers to make that $200 Tarmogoyf a bird. * Spellskite is nice if you can't seem to keep the thumb alive. Maybe redirect your own fiery gambit to this creature to make sure the spell resolves.

/r/magicTCG Thread