(M11) Magic 2011 Draft Strategy | The Refreshing Taste of Big Red

In our continuing look at the strengths of different colors in M11, here we take a look at red, one of the less obvious colors to analyze in terms of drafting strength. Is it worth fighting for red as a color, or should you really stay away and only splash for the more obvious bombs?

Chris G:
In M10, red was pretty much unplayable unless you went Mono Red, and even then the deck wasn’t very consistant, forced to rely on Jackal Familiars going the distance. In M11 things have gotten a bit better, but the color still drags behind the others in terms of creature quality, with beaters like Goblin Piker and Canyon Minotaur none-too-exciting. However; many times I’ll enter a draft, see a powerful red burn spell like Chandras Outrage, and pass it along not wanting to get pulled into a substandard color. It’s about the time that the 7th pick Cyclops Gladiator comes around that I’ve realized I’ve made an awful mistake.

Red is a color that’s going to vary in power according to strength of the other drafters at the table. Fireballs and Lightning Bolts are recognized by seasoned players as great cards to splash for, and that can damage the dedicated red player severely. My only real advice is to never plan on going red, but to be very open to the suggestion. A third pick Chandra’s Outrage should tell you that your fellow drafters are equally skittish about the color, and being able to overcome this fear will pay off in the long run.

Also know that Fire Servant + Fireball is simply a two card win the game combo. Once you’ve got a Fireball, you should take that Servant over just about anything.

Jon A:
I actually think that red has taken a step down in playability since M10. While Chris dismisses it, the mono-red weenie rush archetype in M10 was actually fine. The loss of Jackals has made this much worse. However, there are two cards which can completely change your draft if you manage to get them. First, Shivs Embrace is quite possibly the best card in the deck if you are heavily red. Yes it is an enchantment, and yes, you can get two-for-one’d. It doesn’t matter, because if they don’t kill it immediately, you will most likely win very quickly. The other card is, as Chris mentioned above, Fire Servant. The servant turns the substandard burn spells (hello Lava Axe) into game winning spells. If you are attempting to play a heavy red deck, then these are must-haves, as the color is not deep enough without them. Everyone and their mother will be stealing your Bolts and Fireballs to splash in whatever they are playing, so it is unlikely that you will get many of these premier burn options, which is why the color is so hard to play heavily, there is just too much competition.

Kevin:
Man. New red’s trick slot is off the freakin’ hook. Typically I hate playing the little weenie rush in drafts, so old red’s strategy didn’t really appeal to me at all. Now though, I can play the more expensive guys in red with the amazing tricks to keep the beats flowing. For me the all-star common creatures have been Firey Hellhound and Vulshock Berserker[card]. At uncommon, the personal [card]Furnace of Rath on legs; Fire Servant; alongside Chandra’s Spitfire can result in your opponent finding themselves suddenly very dead.

Now none of these creatures really win the game by themselves but look at the tricks we have in our pockets:

Commons
Fling – Sacrifice board presence for winning the game, seems like a fair trade to me
Act of Treason – This makes it really hard for them to stop your creatures, also see Fling
Lightning Bolt – Obv
Chandra’s Outrage – Kills 100% more Serra’s Angels than Lightning Bolt and turns on Spitfire to boot.
Lava Axe – This card is very playable if you have either of the uncommon creatures mentioned. 10 Damage to the face is nothing to scoff at.
Volcanic Strength – While not the best card in the world, people splash red all the time for fireball and bolts. The mountainwalk part of this card can be suprisingly useful.

Uncommons
Shiv’s Embrace – This card is redonkulous. Watch out for Plummet from green though.

Rare
Reiterate – Typically I would not talk about rares in a color strategy article, but this one is special. If its at the table, you will usually see it spinning around. This card is so good in the deck described above. Opponent has 2 creatures? Act of Treason->Reiterate solves that problem. Opponent got 20 life? Fire Servant->Lava Axe->Reiterate fixes that mighty quick. Want to do something silly? Cast Fling twice while only sacrificing one creature.

While red might not be as fast as it was before, it has much more late game utility and reach now, as opposed to what it had before (Fireball).