After a year of casual play and struggling to understand the Magic: The Gathering "meta-language," I am finally able to glean valuable technical information from reading strategy articles. Type II is very interesting to me these days, since I know many of the cards being played. Below is a Type II Fires deck that my eight-year-old son plays (he always takes the deck past the first round). Some may be unimpressed at the list, since it does not include Birds of Paradise or other broken cards. To be honest, I don't actually own any Birds of Paradise.
This article is meant to appeal to those who are not on a first-name basis with the Birds. I will review some of the more important, yet subtle, combinations this deck can produce. For a review of a true Tier 1 Fires deck, see Zvi Mowshowitz's article My Fires, Parts 1 - 7 at http:// www.wizards.com/sideboards/article.asp?x=sb20001215a. There is also a good article on how Fires can match up against other Type II archetypes by Kamui Toriyama: Fires: How to Play It in the Current Environment, which can be found at http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/print.php?article=1187.
Deck List
Main Deck
4x Llanowar Elves
4x Quirion Elves
4x Fleetfoot Panther
4x Blastoderm
3x Ancient Hydra
2x Rith, the Awakener
2x Hull Breach
2x Breath of Darigaaz
2x Assault / Battery
2x Hurricane
4x Fires of Yavimaya
3x Saproling Burst
10x Forest
6x Mountain
4x Plains
4x Rith's Grove
Sideboard
2x Gaea's Herald
3x Flametongue Kavu
2x Blaze
2x Canopy Surge
2x Lightning Dart
4x Armadillo Cloak
General Play
The first thing to understand about Fires is that the whole game is a race to deplete twenty life from an opponent. The general idea is to burn out any potential blockers, attack with fat creatures, then lay down more fat creatures. Fires moves fast enough that big threats are possible on turn three.
Throughout this article, I will use some play examples; these are contrived in order to best display the interaction of cards. What is in each player's hand is somewhat irrelevant to the example of how a single play or combination can work out. Take the situations, as they are examples of how to play.
The Best of Fires
On the draw, the Fires player really wants to see the following in their hand: Llanowar Elves, Fires of Yavimaya, Blastoderm, Saproling Burst, Forest, Forest, Mountain.
With that, this is how the game should go:
Turn 1: Drop a Forest, play the Elf
Turn 2: Drop the Mountain, play the Fires
Turn 3: Drop the Forest, play the Blastoderm, attack for 5.
Turn 4: Drop a Forest (drawn some time in the first three turns), play the Burst, make four tokens, attack with everyone and sacrifice the Fires for 19 damage.
That is probably game.
The Tempo of Fires
Beyond the perfect draw above, the Fires player needs a plan. Get into the habit of playing your cards wisely. There is a time and a place for everything. Even though Fires is a fast aggressive deck, resist the urge to rush through a turn. In general, follow this approach.
In the first main phase, cast burn spells to kill blockers. Burn spells are generally red cards that target creatures with direct damage (Hurricane is a green card that gives useful burn). A lethal dose of damage sends the creature to the graveyard. Few blockers mean more damage will get through to the opponent and less threats on the opponent's turn. Even if a creature does not take lethal damage, the condition remains until the end of turn. This has the affect of softening any fat defensive creatures so they cannot effectively block smaller creatures.
Example: My opponent has two Steadfast Guards (2/2) and a Jhovall Queen (4/7). I play Breath of Darigaaz with the kicker to deal four damage to each ground creature and each player. Sadly, I lose my Llanowar Elf - but this is war. From now until the end of my turn, the Jhovall Queen only needs to take two more points of damage before being sent to the graveyard.
With Fires on the table, cast creatures right away to take advantage of haste. Be careful not to rush to cast a creature before a successful burn to clear out defenders.
Example: Continuing from above, I use four more mana to cast a Blastoderm. Since I have Fires of Yavimaya in play, I can attack with the Blastoderm. The Jhovall Queen cannot block without losing its own life, and it cannot deal lethal damage to the Blastoderm (5/5).
Use the Combat Phase to do the most damage possible; that almost goes without saying. Fires produces creatures that do damage, so avoid being too conservative, as there are many threats in a Fires deck and it is likely that something will be drawn to cast next turn. Some players take time to debate and weigh the options of attacking versus defending. As mentioned, take time and avoid rushing, but do not forget that this is a race to zero.
EXAMPLE: Without too much hesitation, I attack with the Blastoderm. My opponent takes the damage. That makes nine total to my opponent in this turn, and I have taken four. If he attacks with the Jhovall Queen next turn, so be it - I am still a half a turn ahead when swapping damage.
Hold off casting creatures that cannot or will not attack until the second main phase. The opponent will block based on what is actually on the table during the attack. Avoid giving the opponent a clue what to hold back.
EXAMPLE: I note that I have one more Forest untapped. I go ahead and tap it to play a Llanowar Elves. At the least, I can chump block the Jhovall Queen on his turn.
Individual Card Play
Fleetfoot Panther
There is an interesting creature in the deck that is covered in the article Planeshift Sneak Preview - Fleetfoot Panther by Darwin Kastle, located at http://www.wizards.com/sideboard/article.asp?x=sb20001225a. Fleetfoot Panther is very useful because of the combination of its gating ability and its ability to be played as an instant. Green has no bounce - the ability to return creatures to the hand - available to it, and the subsequent surprise value of the card is immeasurable.
Both Blastoderm and Ancient Hydra have fading. It is possible to save a depleted fade creature during the upkeep. This involves the stack and a little knowledge on how to manipulate it.
EXAMPLE: During my last turn, I attacked with a Blastoderm who is also out of fade counters. Unfortunately, I am tapped down to only two mana sources this turn and cannot cast the Fleetfoot Panther. My opponent takes his turn and says, "Go." I untap everything and move on to the upkeep. At this point I stop and say, "Fading on the stack." This is normally the time when Blastoderm goes to the graveyard. Instead, I cast Fleetfoot Panther. Upon resolution, the Panther comes into play and I pick up the Blastoderm as the gated creature. The fading resolves, but there is no more Blastoderm; he is safe in my hand.
The Panther and the Stack can also be used creatively to save creatures in combat.
EXAMPLE: I assign my Ancient Hydra to block a Blastoderm. I wait for my opponent to resolve damage and state, quite clearly, "Okay, damage on the stack. Anything to play before damage resolves?" When my opponent passes priority to me, I declare, "I am going to play Fleetfoot Panther." With damage on the stack, I can resolve the Fleetfoot Panther and gate the Hydra. The creature essentially leaves his damage behind. Blastoderm takes five damage while the Ancient Hydra is safe in hand.
Saproling Burst
Technically Saproling Burst is not a creature, which can be a two-edged sword. It is susceptible to enchantment removal, but as long as the counters remain on the enchantment, there are many creatures that need to be targeted to remove its effectiveness. The first thing to remember about making Saproling tokens is to wait for the right time. The right times are: Attacking with Fires on the table, defending after the opponent declares attackers, readying tokens at the end of the opponent's turn so that they can attack next turn.
EXAMPLE: I have a Saproling Burst in play with six counters and two Elves (1/1) in play. My opponent is itching to attack with his two Blastoderms. He burns with a Breath of Darigaaz without kicker. This sends my elves to the graveyard, and hits both of us for 1 point of damage each. On his Combat Phase, he sends the Blastoderms to attack. In response, I create two Saproling tokens (4/4) to block the Blastoderms. When they deal damage, all creatures go to the graveyard, as the Blastoderms already have one point of damage assigned to them this turn.
The above illustrates an opponent's error in accounting for the Saproling Burst. This is something that takes practice. Work with the Burst in creating tokens and seeing what the power/toughness of the tokens become. Be sure to account for the fading effect each turn. The Saproling Burst is very powerful, but a little confusing. Start with the easiest and best example.
EXAMPLE: I have Fires of Yavimaya in play and no opposing blockers. I play Saproling Burst. I immediately make three tokens (4/4) to attack for twelve damage. Next turn I can attack with three 3/3 tokens for nine more damage. On the following turn, the attack is three 2/2 tokens for six damage. The final attack is three 1/1 tokens for three damage. My opponent takes a grand total of thirty damage in four turns.
Note that fading counters are taken off of the enchantment. Creature tokens are not lost due to fading. Also be aware that if there is more than one counter on the enchantment, more tokens can be made at any time. If there ever are no counters on the enchantment, all tokens are sent to the graveyard (and thus lost) since they are effectively 0/0 creatures.
Ancient Hydra
Ancient Hydra is first a creature, then a source of burn. It is a self-contained beating machine. Judicious use of its ability and five power for damage is key.
My opponent attacks with a Chimeric Idol (3/3) and two Rishadan Airships (3/1). I am particularly annoyed with the Airships, since they fly over my army. I notice that the Ancient Hydra in play has two fading counters on it. I tap two mana into my mana pool and shoot down the 3/1 creatures before declaring my blockers. Then I assign the Hydra to block the Idol in an attempt to deal it lethal damage.
Flametongue Kavu
An alternate to the Ancient Hydra is Flametongue Kavu. This Kavu should be regarded as a burn spell foremost, then a creature. It is not practical to cast this as a creature when there are no opposing targets, so do not count on it as an additional beatdown instrument. Instead, think of it as four damage that leaves a 4/2 creature behind. Do not worry if the Kavu "only" targets an opposing 1/1 when it comes into play, since that damage is not "lost." Any time a potential blocker can be eliminated is good usage of a spell in this deck.
Armadillo Cloak
Armadillo Cloak is an excellent card. Even if a Cloaked creature is blocked by a weenie (slang term for a 1/1 creature), the life gain is still the full power of that creature. What many players stumble on is its passive aggressive use. It is possible to Cloak an opponent's creature so that it is effectively neutralized. It deals damage that is recovered in life gain. That is zero net damage. (Be warned that if someone can actually deal damage that would kill you with a Cloaked creature, however, the damage will kill you before the lifegain effect ever triggers... And the game is then OVER - The Ferrett)
Conclusion
The Fires archetype is quite simple. Cast creatures, and use them to beat down. Include some burn spells to clear the way or take out flying threats. I have not discussed why some cards are included or excluded. I think that is a matter of personal taste, and, just as likely, having or not having the card.
I hope that this article helps to inform players new to the game. Fires is a very viable archetype for the newcomer as it relies on creature damage and fairly common cards. Blastoderm is the best of the commons. I certainly hope that the information above helps to elevate the game so that readers become just a bit more competitive and the game much more enjoyable.
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