Lessons from the Past: Red Beatdown

David Price

In the beginning, there was Sligh.
"History will be kind to me for I intend to write it."
- Sir Winston Churchhill (1874-1965)

An odd name for a deck, to be sure, but that is what people chose to call it. It was originally designed by a fellow named Geeba and Geeba's friend, Paul Sligh, used it to come in 2nd place at a 2 slot Pro Tour Qualifier (PTQ). When the tournament report and decklist hit the internet, it created quite a stir, much like 'Trinity Green' and 'Red Deck Wins 2000' did before US Nationals and the World Championships in the summer of 2000. It's hard to tell why a given deck will attract the attention of the internet reading public, but the so-called 'Sligh' deck was one of these decks. It featured cheap red creatures and lots of burn spells, but it was far more of a control deck than people realized. It used Lightning Bolt and Incinerate largely to remove blockers and pesky attackers, and in the three casting cost spot it used Orcish Artillery and Brothers of Fire, creatures that didn't have a very high power to casting cost ratio, but had useful abilities with which to deal with the opponent's creatures.

After experiencing it first hand at Pro Tour - Dallas in the hands of Patrick Chapin (I was playing Counterpost at that time), I decided to try it out on my own and I proceeded to get 1st place and 3rd place in two separate PTQs, earning myself an invitation to Pro Tour - Paris. While I was playing the deck, not a carbon-copy of anyone's version but a deck based on the same principles as the original 'Sligh' deck, I learned what made the deck tick and I fell in love with it.

Much to my dismay, as I was preparing for US Nationals in 1997, I discovered that Lightning Bolt was removed from Standard. Would Red be able to compete without Lightning Bolt, the most efficient spell in the deck? As much as I tried, I couldn't get a control red weenie deck, like the one used by Paul Sligh, Patrick Chapin, or myself, to work in the new environment.

What to do? I combed the card lists, looking for replacements for the cards that we'd lost. In Visions, I stumbled upon Fireblast. A great card, to be sure, but not a replacement for Lightning Bolt. If you were sacrificing two Mountains to kill a creature, you were in trouble. Still, it had potential as a finisher, so I filed that away. In Fifth Edition, despite the absence of Lightning Bolt, there were a few gems to be found. Ball Lightning, which took a backseat to creatures like Orcish Artillery and Brothers of Fire in the 'Sligh' deck appeared to have potential, as a quick way to deal damage to the opponent. Similarly, in Weatherlight, a card called Lava Hounds caught my eye. Add that together with Fireblast and Viashino Sandstalker from Visions and Ball Lightning from Fourth Edition and we were looking at a whole different kind of deck.

This deck was willing to sacrifice card economy and card advantage for quick damage to the opponent's head. Ball Lightning, a 6/1 trampler with haste, died at the end of the turn. Not too useful if you were in need of a blocker or if the opponent was at 20 life. Paying the alternative casting cost of Fireblast would cost you three cards and for what? To deal four damage to a creature or player? You put them all together, however, and it made for a fast and furious red beatdown deck.
1997 US Nationals

18 Mountain
4 Dwarven Ruins
4 Goblin Vandals
3 Goblin Digging Teams
4 Ironclaw Orcs
2 Dwarven Soldier
4 Ball Lightning
2 Viashino Sandstalker
4 Lava Hounds
4 Incinerate
4 Hammer of Bogardan
4 Fireblast
3 Fireball

This deck carried me to 6-0 in the Standard portion of 1997 US Nationals. Along the way, I beat Bob Maher, Jr., Nate Clarke, and Justin Gary, all of whom made Top 8, two of whom made the US Nationals team. In addition, I beat both John Chinnock, former teammate of Jon Finkel, and David Humpherys of Your Move Games. These guys weren't slouches. Despite my poor performance in the Limited portion of Nationals, my run in Standard almost made up for it. I fell short of making the Top 8, but I had built a new deck and it worked.

I took what I'd learned from that and applied it to the Tempest only environment, in preparation for Pro Tour - Los Angeles 1998. Now, however, there were even more efficient creatures like Jackal Pup and Mogg Conscript and there was a new engine to provide staying power instead of Hammer of Bogardan: Cursed Scroll. With a greater emphasis on one casting cost creatures and the mana curve and with the help of my fellow Deadguys, I designed a red beatdown deck for Tempest only and took it to a 1st place finish in Pro Tour - LA 1998.
Pro Tour - LA 1998

16 Mountain
4 Wasteland
4 Jackal Pup
4 Mogg Conscript
4 Mogg Fanatic
4 Mogg Raider
4 Canyon Wildcat
4 Fireslinger
2 Rathi Dragon
4 Kindle
4 Giant Strength
4 Cursed Scroll
2 Scalding Tongs

Key Concepts
Creature Efficiency: a high power to casting cost ratio

Creature efficiency - One of the most important features of red beatdown, especially in contrast to its predecessors, is its singleminded focus on efficient creatures, specifically creatures having a high power to casting cost ratio. At a minimum, one wants creatures with power equal to their casting cost: 1/1s for 1, 2/2s for 2, etc. Certain creatures like Jackal Pup, a 2/1 creature for one red mana, far surpass that guideline and became one of the trademark creatures of red beatdown.

Haste - As the primary goal of red beatdown decks is to do twenty points of damage to the opponent as quickly as possible, a high premium is placed on creatures with haste, creatures who are unaffected by summoning sickness. Creatures with haste can catch the opponent off guard or force them to play suboptimally when at a low life total. Ball Lightning, another trademark of red beatdown, is a perfect example of this. It is a 6/1 trampler with haste for three red mana, which can deal a significant amount of damage if it catches the opponent unawares.

Mana Curve - This concept, pioneered by the original 'Sligh' deck, places a high premium on creatures with a low casting cost and stresses a form of deck design that allows a player to make the best use of his or her mana. Ideally, a deck would contain more one casting cost threats than two casting cost threats, more two casting cost threats than three casting cost threats, etc. The key is to design a deck such that a typical start is: first turn - play a land and cast a one casting cost threat, second turn - play a second land and either cast two one casting cost threats or a two casting cost threat, third turn - play a third land and either cast three one casters, a two caster and a one caster, or a three casting cost threat, etc. A deck that keeps an eye on the mana curve will have a huge edge over a deck that is full of five casting cost creatures and spells, for instance.
New Additions

Keeping all of these concepts in mind, I've endeavored to make a red beatdown deck for the current Standard environment. I know that its possible for this type of deck to succeed, as Bryan Hubble did well with a red beatdown deck of his own design in the most recent Pro Tour - Chicago.

First, let's look at what cards we have at our disposal.

Mountain - The best land in the game. I think we're going to need quite a few of these.

Rishadan Port - Much like Wasteland in the deck from PT-LA 98, this card can be used to pay for the generic mana component of spells and is also great at disrupting the opponent's game.

Kris Mage - A 1/1 creature for one mana, it has an adequate power to casting cost ratio and it is useful much in the same way as Fireslinger was in PT-LA 98 and Orcish Artillery was in the original 'Sligh' deck, as a form of creature control and direct damage.

Raging Goblin - Not the biggest beatdown ever, this 1/1 creature for one mana has haste and can pull his weight as well as Goblin Digging Team could in 1997 US Nationals. His job is to get in a few points of damage and he does it well.

Firebrand Ranger and Rage Weaver - Their abilities are useless in a mono-red deck, these 2/1 creatures for one red and one generic mana are here just to bring the beats. Like Canyon Wildcat from PT-LA 98 and Dwarven Soldier from 1997 US Nationals, these fellas can do a significant amount of damage if the way is clear.

Chimeric Idol - The most efficient three casting cost creature available for this deck, Chimeric Idol is a 3/3 creature for three generic mana that gets around Wrath of God, Story Circle, and Earthquake.

Skizzik - This baby is one of the all-stars of the new red beatdown deck. At four mana, it is a 5/3 trampler with haste that dies at the end of the turn, similar to Ball Lightning. If you have the fifth mana to spare, it'll stick around until the next turn to bring the beats once again.

Seal of Fire and Shock - Two similar cards, one from Nemesis and the other from the main set, they are great for clearing the way of pesky Llanowar Elves and Ramosian Sergeants.

Urza's Rage and Hammer of Bogardan - Not only do these two gems deal three damage for three mana, a fine card in the early game, they both provide the deck with late-game potential. Hammer of Bogardan can be brought back from the graveyard to repeatedly kill creatures or damage the opponent and an Urza's Rage with the kicker can deal 10 points of damage and it can't be stopped by either a Counterspell or a Story Circle.

Ghitu Fire - Like the Fireball of old, this X spell is a flexible way to kill creatures or damage the opponent, providing the deck with a much needed answer to Blinding Angel, Rith, the Awakener, or an opponent with only four life remaining.
Red Beatdown

18 Mountain
4 Rishadan Port
4 Kris Mage
3 Raging Goblin
4 Firebrand Ranger
2 Rage Weaver
4 Chimeric Idol
4 Skizzik
4 Seal of Fire
4 Shock
4 Urza's Rage
3 Hammer of Bogardan
2 Ghitu Fire

If you consider Seal of Fire to be a one casting cost threat (this area of Magic theory is subject to debate), then the deck has a great mana curve with 11 one drops, 6 two drops, 4 three drops, and 4 four/five drops. Even if you don't include the Seals of Fire into the equation, the deck has a moderate curve similar to the original Red Beats deck from the 1997 US Nationals.
Beatdown on a Budget

Don't have all the rares? Never fear, this deck works well on a budget. Urza's Rage, Hammer of Bogardan, and Ghitu Fire are all rares, but they are easily replaceable by Scorching Lava from Invasion, Rhystic Lightning from Prophecy, and Blaze from 6th Edition. Don't have Rishadan Ports? Mountains work just fine and it might not hurt to try a Rath's Edge or a Keldon Necropolis if you have one of those handy. Finally, Skizzik is a tough one to replace, although not impossible. One solution is to add a few additional low casting cost creatures like a fourth Raging Goblin and a third and fourth Rage Weaver. Another option is to try out Kavu Runner, who will often be a 3/3 creature with haste for four mana. If all else fails, you can load up on the burn and just go straight to the dome.

Whether or not you decide to give this deck a try, good luck. Remember, while it might look like an easy deck to play, it takes a bit of practice to know when to burn up that creature or save it for the opponent, when to kill their Birds of Paradise or use your mana to cast another creature, and when to Rishadan Port their land or use it to cast threats. With a bit of practice and a good dose of luck, you'll soon be burning your way through your next Standard tournament. Enjoy.