Home Gaming MtG Dark Ascension: Gleeful Flames Review – We don’t need no water…

MtG Dark Ascension: Gleeful Flames Review – We don’t need no water…

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Interested in playing, but not sure how to get into competitive Friday Night Magic? Perhaps the last time you looked at Magic cards they had white borders, and you have no clue what is good or handy to use now that the bug is biting again? Get into Friday Night Magic with one of the new event decks from Dark Ascension.

These event decks are supposedly ‘made for FNM’ as it proudly states on the box. Unlike Intro Packs, which are limited to two rares and will probably result in you being obliterated at FNM, event decks include a lot more value, and are designed to have a fighting chance from the get go. Of the two event decks, I ended up with Gleeful Flames on my desk. If you are anything like me, and have a proclivity for fire and evil laughter, this deck is for you!

Gleeful Flames is a mono red burn deck. Armed with 12 spells that can do 5 damage as your arsenal, you only need to get 4 straight into your opponent’s face to win. Add to this some explosive goblins and nasty devils, and you have multiple ways to melt faces off.

Meet the goblin army:

Goblin Fireslinger Goblin Arsonist

Goblin Gaveleer

Small, weak, puny and cheap. With 4 of each of these horrid little blighters, how will you ever win against those massive giants that everyone else is using? Thankfully, these guys are just a means to an end. Keep them safe, because you need them for this:

Goblin Grenade Brimstone Volley

With 12 targets, this Goblin Grenade will strike fear into your enemies. Pop this on a Goblin Arsonist for 6 damage, making it capable of killing a titan! Because you sacrifice the goblin as part of the cast of this spell, your enemy can’t respond by attempting to bounce or kill that goblin. Try not to cackle too loudly as your meat bomb rips a chunk out of your opponent. If you have some spare mana at this point, it is time to unleash a Brimstone Volley, a firm favourite of mine. Because a creature just died, the card’s morbid ability activates, meaning you get another 5 damage to add some serious hurt. So in the above example, you have just done 11 damage. Gleeful flames indeed!

ArtillerizeInfiltration Lens

In case you didn’t feel that was enough, You have Artillerize, which turns any creature or artifact you control into a living cannon. Now all those devils in the deck are also bombs. Even that Infiltration Lens has a use once your Goblin Gaveleer eventually dies after getting blocked. When he IS blocked, you can draw two cards, which are hopefully more damage dealing spells.

As an added bonus, this deck comes with 2 Inkmoth Nexus (Nexuses? Nexii? What the hell is a nexus anyway and how does it fly?) and 1 Dismember. Both are highly sought after cards, and the nexus offers another avenue for victory. Turn this land into little flying infect creatures to poison your opponent or to weaken their flying armada. Artillerize and Brimstone Volley can also work off this land, making it a very handy last resort. Dismember is a handy way of getting rid of a big threat for 1 mana and 4 life. 3 Torpor Orbs are in your sideboard, ready to help deal with all those bothersome creatures that trigger abilities when they enter the battlefield. Suddenly that Huntmaster of the Fells doesn’t arrive with a friend and 2 life.

Inkmoth Nexus Dismember

Torpor Orb

If you are looking to improve this deck, Koth of the Hammer will suit your sacrificing needs perfectly. Turn your mountains into 4/4 creatures, attack with them, and then Artillerize. Your enemy will never know what hit them! If Koth seems too expensive, add more Gut Shots other burn spells like Incinerate or even Chandra’s Phoenix and Stormblood Berserkers, both of which will apply more pressure to your opponent. Enjoy setting everything on fire, I know I am. *Mad cackling*.

 

Main Deck

60 cards

 

Haunted Fengraf
Inkmoth Nexus
17  Mountain


22 lands

Forge Devil
Goblin Arsonist
Goblin Fireslinger
Goblin Gaveleer
Hellrider
Torch Fiend


20 creatures

Artillerize
Brimstone Volley
Curse of Stalked Prey
Faithless Looting
Goblin Grenade
Infiltration Lens


18 other spells

Sideboard

Act of Treason
Arc Trail
Dismember
Gut Shot
Into the Core
Torpor Orb


15 sideboard cards

 
     

Gleeful Flames is now available at any reputable Magic outlet. Buy the cards, and come join me at FNM!

Oh, I guess you want to win something right? If you want to stand a chance to win an Event Deck, head over to http://sadrobot.co.za/ and find the most expensive card on the site. Then send the name and price of the card to geoff@lazygamer.net before 7 March and you could be a winner.

Last Updated: February 29, 2012

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