A New Approach to Standard Mono-Red Aggro

Note: This article was translated from Chinese by AI and may contain errors. Read the original Chinese version.

Introduction

Do players who often play Mono-Red Aggro frequently run into the following situations?

1. If only I had one more turn, I’d win!
2. Argh!! I was just one creature short of getting through!
3. The opponent’s creature is huge! How do I get past it?

Perhaps this article can help ease these problems.

Deck Construction

This is my decklist from the MITQ at ALG on 20240106: Deck construction

Looking at it, my main deck is practically already half a sideboard plan, and unless I face something like Azorius Control, most cards get used; the difference is only whether a card can reach its maximum effect.

The Cards I Chose That Differ From Other Mono-Red Aggro Decks

Some players do run it too. Its greatest value is of course against creatures that give Mono-Red Aggro a headache, like Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Phyrexian Obliterator. But it’s also quite valuable against midrange or aggro decks: when you cast it successfully, you get one more creature that can attack, and your total power on board goes up by 1 because of the attached Wicked Role, while the opponent has one fewer creature that can block; when the opponent’s life isn’t so healthy, you may even see the opponent block the stolen creature with their own creatures!

When the opponent plays Wedding Announcement thinking they can block for three turns, this is the best time to cast it. Three mana to deal 4 to the face is already very good on its own, and it can also remove a blocking 1/1 creature; it’s even better if it can take out other annoying creatures with 1 toughness, like Deep-Cavern Bat. When the opponent has no creatures to ping for 1, you can also ping Feldon, Ronom Excavator to gain an extra card.

Of course, after playing this card please don’t attack the Battle; when you attack the Battle, you’re tacitly giving the opponent 5 life, and the opponent easily kills it for two mana.

This sideboard card is a surprise for your opponent!! It makes the opponent misjudge your lethal range. Imagine a scenario: the opponent is at 15 life, your total power on board is 6, and the opponent may think they’re still safe and tap out; then with one extra turn you only need to deal those extra three damage, and with so many haste creatures and burn spells in the deck, that’s actually not hard! However, casting it when there are many uncertain factors can have unthinkable consequences; it’s an extremely high-risk card with a remarkable return, and the timing of use is very important!

The Cards Other Mono-Red Aggro Decks Use That I Didn’t

Without Kumano Faces Kakkazan it’s just a 1/1 flying creature that can’t block; personally I think the chance of its graveyard-recursion effect triggering is low (not enough mana or not enough attacking creatures), and by the time the Phoenix triggers and can fly back to attack, I could win with other cards anyway.

Although it gives you plenty of explosive power in the first few turns, it’s still easy to get countered by the rules; when you have no cards in hand and no creatures, you won’t want to draw this card.

I didn’t pick it because the three-mana slot in my deck is too crowded. A three-mana 2/2 that makes an extra Goblin each turn can easily trigger the celebration ability of Goddric, Cloaked Reveler for decent explosive power, but personally I felt its body lost out a little, so it wasn’t selected.

My 20240106 ALG MITQ Report

44 players in total registered for the tournament, six Swiss rounds with a top eight cut. After the preliminary rounds I went 4 wins, 2 draws and ranked second into the top eight; although I lost to Dimir Midrange in the end and stopped at the top four, I still earned entry to MIT Season 6.

Round 1: 2-0 vs. Azorius Prowess

• Game 1, on the play, the opponent’s Monastery Mentor was easily removed on time by me, and I won directly on total power.
• Game 2, on the draw, I forgot that the 1/1s the opponent’s Mentor makes have prowess, and because of that I paid for an extra Play with Fire + lost a Kumano in a trade; later I directly used Twisted Fealty on the opponent’s Haughty Djinn to end the game.

Round 2: 2-1 vs. Domain

• Game 1, on the play, the opponent missed land drops on turns 3 and 5 once each, couldn’t keep up with the tempo, and blew up.
  For the sideboard games I brought in Alchemist’s Gambit and Invasion of Regatha
  For Twisted Fealty, considering the opponent’s Atraxa would come down, I only added one more.
• Game 2, on the draw, the opponent gained 12 life in total and I couldn’t win.
• Game 3, on the play, I had two Kumano + Goddric + Play with Fire.
  On turn 4 I later drew Alchemist’s Gambit; at the time the opponent was at 12 life, my total power on board was 6, and the opponent had tapped out, so one extra turn won the game directly.

Round 3: 2-1 vs. Domain

• Game 1, on the draw, the opponent mulliganed to five, and Archangel of Wrath was easily removed on time with Witchstalker Frenzy.
• Game 2, on the play, both players mulliganed to six; the opponent gained life and my extra total power couldn’t get through, and when the opponent’s kicked Angel entered, I conceded directly.
• Game 3, on the draw, the opponent mulliganed to six, and on turn 3 I played Urabrask’s Forge,
  and the opponent’s Leyline Binding directly pinned the Goddric I called on turn 4; next, the opponent played an unkicked Angel on turn 4, which I also easily removed on time, and later the creatures made by the Forge won the game.
  Post-match thoughts: it might have been better for the opponent to pin the Forge with Leyline Binding, but maybe the opponent considered dealing with the more explosive Goddric first.

Round 4: 2-0 vs. Domain

• Game 1, on the draw, the opponent used a twice-kicked Angel to remove a 2/3 Monastery Swiftspear with a counter, and a turn later I used Witchstalker Frenzy to easily remove the kicked Angel and win.
• Game 2, on the draw, on turn 4 the opponent cast Sunfall to sweep the board and made an Incubate 3; the opponent then flooded and passed two turns, only flipping the 3/3, and in the end I won using Twisted Fealty twice to apply damage.

Rounds 5 + 6: Draw, intentional draws, against Golgari Midrange and Azorius Midrange respectively.

Second place after six rounds.

Top 8: 2-1 vs. Esper

• Game 1, on the play, I had a pretty good opening hand and won outright; I’ve forgotten some of the details.
• Game 2, on the draw, the opponent gained a fair amount of life and many of my creatures were removed; the opponent took this game by gaining a lot of board advantage from Preacher of the Schism.
• Game 3, I flooded and the opponent was stuck on two lands for three turns; later I drew a Twisted Fealty to steal their creature and ended the game directly.

Top 4: 0-2 vs. Dimir Midrange

• Game 1, the opponent and I each mulliganed to six, I got an opening hand that wasn’t very smooth and my draws weren’t smooth either, then I got color screwed; Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor drew them a lot of cards, and in the end the opponent played Sheoldred, the Apocalypse and drew cards and gained life like crazy.
• Game 2, the opponent mulliganed to six; Urabrask’s Forge got countered by Tishana’s Tidebinder, and afterwards I couldn’t produce creatures at all; lacking damage I couldn’t kill the opponent and conceded.

Conclusion: My Takeaways From Playing Mono-Red Aggro

I loved red deeply from the moment I got into the game, and I’ve played Mono-Red Aggro ever since my beginner days, perhaps related to my working style of liking to decide things in the most efficient way; but after playing for a while I found that Mono-Red Aggro isn’t simply about burning the opponent’s life total to zero, and how to put pressure on the opponent is also an important topic!