The Pioneer RCQ season has begun and I’m preparing for RIW’s event on May 11. I’m choosing to play Izzet Phoenix as it’s not only very powerful, but the lines are becoming more familiar with practice.
Today I’m going to discuss the Pioneer metagame, my card choices in Izzet Phoenix, and a sideboard guide.
Rakdos Vampires and Izzet Phoenix are vying for the best deck.
Since we have clear frontrunners it creates opportunities to play decks designed to beat Vampires and Phoenix.
I see more Phoenix players because the deck is relatively cheap compared to acquiring Sorin and Vein Ripper for Vampires.
Mono Black Waste Not has game against both Vampires and Phoenix, but can fall short against other decks in the metagame. You can’t discard the top of their deck (except with Geier Reach Sanitarium). I need to watch out for Sheoldred since Lightning Axe requires discarding. Extinction Event out of Mono Black is a clean answer to Arclight Phoenix, Ledger Shredder, and Vein Ripper.
Vampires create a baseline for how to go over the top which leaves room for Niv to Light. A 6/6 flier that generates card advantage survives Lightning Axe and replenishes the hand after Thoughtseize.
Pillage the Bog is a new Golgari gold card to find from Niv Mizzet making a splash from Outlaws of Thunder Junction.
Amalia Combo is the top creature deck to fight. The combination of Wildgrowth Walker and Amalia creates an extremely favorable position and is very redundant to assemble.
I want to make sure to exile creatures instead of simply destroying due to Return to the Ranks and Extraction Specialist. The combo requires life gain to initiate, causing players to sideboard Knight of Dusk’s Shadow, Rampaging Ferocidon, and Quakebringer. Note: Amalia can deal with cheaper creatures effectively with Fatal Push and Skyclave Apparition; Quakebringer costing five mana is more resilient.
Izzet Phoenix mirrors are prevalent and difficult to navigate.
Ashiok, Dream Render can be played in the maindeck to fight the mirror while milling yourself as a proactive hedge. The prevalence of Ashiok has helped keep Lotus Field Combo at bay.
Here’s the list I intend to play at RIW’s RCQ:
The core of Izzet Phoenix is hard to change, but there’s room to maneuver in the flex slots. Phoenix is looking to add cards to the graveyard to recur Arclight Phoenix and cast powerful delve spells- Treasure Cruise and Temporal Trespass.
The glue of the deck are the cantrips:
Consider, Opt, and Sleight of Hand. Consider and Opt can be played at instant-speed which is especially valuable in game one before you know what deck you’re facing. Consider putting a card into the graveyard makes it the most powerful as milling Phoenix is a high ceiling.
Sleight of Hand is the preferred cantrip when you are less certain of what card to add to your hand. It’s an easy choice to scry and surveil when you’re looking for lands or spells. The sorcery speed aspect of Sleight can be awkward when holding up interaction. I cut the fourth Sleight for another flex slot since the Phoenix sideboard has so many powerful options.
Picklock Prankster isn’t a cantrip as it provides extra utility for an additional mana. Finding Faeries on top of instants and sorceries make Brazen Borrower a more effective utility slot. It might feel like spinning your wheels, but finding additional pranksters from Free the Fae leads to over the top board states quickly.
The ⅓ body of Picklock Prankster is more effective in post board games as the opponent hates out your graveyard. A ⅓ can be Vein Ripper fodder when you use Lightning Axe, too. It can also be a second spell to trigger Ledger Shredder in the mid game if the creature itself isn’t relevant.
Brazen Borrower is a solid flex slot and I play the second in the sideboard against Leyline of the Void, Rest in Peace, and Unlicensed Hearse. The 3/1 flyer is stronger in post board games as you hold up matchup-specific interaction. Most creatures are even-costed making a three-drop better against potential Extinction Events.
Proft’s Eidetic Memory has been a very impressive flex slot. It works best with Ledger Shredder as looting adds additional counters. Since the ability triggers at the beginning of combat it cannot target an Arclight Phoenix that just came back from the graveyard as you must declare the creature before it’s on the battlefield.
Sleight of Hand doesn’t draw cards so it doesn’t add counters for Proft’s. Picklock Prankster becomes a serious threat with Proft’s on the battlefield. Once I have Proft’s in play adding counters I can sit back and draw cards until I can win on a single turn as it creates quick inevitability. It’s sometimes a drawback not having a hand size as Phoenix can no longer be discarded at end of turn.
The original Pioneer Phoenix deck played two Temporal Trespass and Galvanic Iteration, but has slimmed down as there becomes more efficient tools. I typically board out Iteration and Trespass as they are a combo that’s most reliant on the graveyard.
Ledger Shredder is the most well-rounded creature to enable your Phoenix game plan. In paper I use the physical card to represent the looting trigger on the stack to keep my thoughts organized. I can lead off with Sleight of Hand and then Opt with Ledger’s trigger on the stack for more looks at discarding Arclight Phoenix.
Lightning Axe is powerful for enabling a quick turn three Arclight Phoenix. The metagame has adjusted for Lightning Axe by playing six-toughness creatures like Niv Mizzet and Archfiend of Dross. It’s a key removal spell against Vein Ripper, but watch out for Sorin putting a +1+1 counter on it.
Izzet Charm takes the place of the fourth red removal spell alongside three Fiery Impulse. I value the counter in the first game against Lotus Field and Azorius Control to hedge. It’s a fifth way, alongside Ledger Shredder, to discard Phoenix in matchups where Lightning Axe doesn’t have many targets.
I play the stock nineteen lands. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
I have been on Island from Urza’s Saga, but am going to switch it up soon.
Two Anger of the Gods is the sweepers of choice to exile creatures against Amalia Combo.
Make sure to sequence your Arclights around Anger of the Gods and remember assembling double red is more important in post board games.
Thing in the Ice is a two-drop in matchups where Anger of the Gods shines. I could morph into a pure control deck with three Crackling Drake, but that’s too many expensive threats. Thing in the Ice is good glue for creature matchups. Think of it as a fifth Ledger Shredder that’s able to swing games that would otherwise be lost. When you board in Thing it will be the best card in the matchup.
Torch the Tower is for Amalia as the eighth nimble red removal spell. It also exiles Arclight Phoenix in the mirror.
Two Mystical Disputes are for Phoenix, Azorius Control, Niv, and Lotus Field. I didn’t like the third Dispute as there were too many soft counters in the seventy-five. If Phoenix is very popular I would rather have a third graveyard hate card over the third Dispute in the sideboard.
Disdainful Stroke counters large creatures that block Arclight Phoenix such as Niv Mizzet and Cavalier of Thorns. I typically find myself wanting to counter spells that would be hit by Disdainful Stroke over Negate.
The first Unlicensed Hearse is for the mirror. Ashiok is less powerful in the sideboard as it’s only for the mirror and Lotus, which is less played at the moment. Hearse evades Mystical Dispute after board in the mirror.
Young Pyromancer is part of the transformational creature sideboard. It creates creatures to sacrifice to Vein Ripper and provides a clock while holding up counters against Azorius Control and Lotus Field.
Two Crackling Drake is as many as I want to play because of the restrictive mana cost. I board them in pretty aggressively as most opponents will have graveyard interaction.
+1 Brazen Borrower +1 Young Pyromancer +2 Crackling Drake
-1 Temporal Trespass -1 Galvanic Iteration -2 Fiery Impulse
Spell Pierce and Izzet Charm shine on turn three against Fable and Sorin. Fiery Impulse is fairly weak in the matchup as it mainly hits Mutavault and Bloodtithe Harvester. I’m considering a fifth sideboard card for this matchup to cut the fourth Treasure Cruise in anticipation of Leyline of the Void; this would most likely be a Beacon Bolt.
Archfiend of the Dross evades Lightning Axe making the Picklock Prankster dealing a damage relevant. It’s a tall order to have Archfiend kill the opponent in game one due to the triggered ability, but it doesn’t work with Leyline of the Void on the battlefield. It’s reasonable to gum up the board with Picklock Pranksters and have oil counters take the game.
+2 Mystical Dispute +1 Torch the Tower +1 Ashiok, Dream Render +1 Unlicensed Hearse +1 Negate
-3 Fiery Impulse -1 Izzet Charm -1 Lightning Axe -1 Spell Pierce
If Phoenix is big in your metagame it’s reasonable to play another Hearse or Ashiok in the sideboard. The mirror can be tricky as both players can gas up with Treasure Cruise and recur their Arclight Phoenixs.
Watch out for countering Free the Fae (adventure half of Picklock Prankster) only to have an Ashiok resolve the following turn.
Ledger Shredder is both very powerful in the matchup and a liability because it’s the only juicy target for opposing red spells to bring back Phoenix. Fiery Impulse can kill Shredder with the loot on the stack as long as it’s the first spell played so consider your cantrips accordingly to play around the bird.
The combo of Temporal Trespass and Galvanic Iteration is strong in the mirror as a way to go over the top of vast resources being obtained each turn.
+2 Mystical Dispute +1 Negate +2 Disdainful Stroke +1 Brazen Borrower +2 Crackling Drake
-3 Fiery Impulse -4 Lightning Axe -1 Galvanic Iteration -1 Temporal Trespass
If Azorius Control is big in your metagame it’s reasonable to play a tenth sideboard card to cut for the fourth Treasure Cruise.
This matchup is about hitting your land drops to leave up counters for Teferi, Sunfall, and The Wandering Emperor. Since Axe gets cut after board there are fewer ways to discard Phoenix which means casting a four-drop and holding up counters.
In game one Fiery Impulse can destroy your own Archlights to avoid them being exiled by The Wandering Emperor. Galvanic Iteration and Temporal Trespass is a way to steal the first game, but gets much weaker after board due to Rest in Peace.
Hall of Storm Giants should be powerful in theory, but is the only juicy target for Field of Ruin. You can tempt the opponent’s Field by showing a single red source as the stock Phoenix manabase doesn’t play Mountain. Leaving Hall as the last land in hand could sneak seven damage on a Trespass turn.
+2 Mystical Dispute +1 Negate +2 Disdainful Stroke +1 Brazen Borrower +1 Young Pyromancer +1 Ashiok, Dream Render
-1 Treasure Cruise -4 Lightning Axe -3 Fiery Impulse
Lotus is a tough matchup game one. The red spells are weak and they can combo quickly. It’s important to establish a clock quickly and ideally finish off with the Temporal Trespass. Spell Pierce and Izzet Charm can help stave off defeat the most effectively.
Archdruid’s Charm can tutor the sideboard Dragonlord Dromoka; Brazen Borrower shines to deal with this common threat.
Ashiok is the best card in the matchup as it stops Emergent Ultimatum, Sylvan Scrying, and Dark Petition. They can proactively search for Otawara to deal with Ashiok as it’s common knowledge it’s the haymaker in the matchup. If Phoenix and Lotus field are popular in your metagame a second Ashiok in maindeck or sideboard is best.
+1 Brazen Borrower +2 Disdainful Stroke +1 Young Pyromancer +2 Crackling Drake +2 Mystical Dispute +1 Negate
-4 Lightning Axe -3 Fiery Impulse -1 Galvanic Iteration -1 Treasure Cruise
Niv can be a tough matchup as a 6/6 flyer with card advantage stapled on is difficult to fight. There needs to be a balance between going for an early Phoenix and being able to stop their large spell on the following turn.
Vanishing Verse can exile a Phoenix making Fiery Impulse once again relevant to put your bird in the graveyard instead. They don’t play Field of Ruin making Hall of Storm Giants a better late game threat. If you sneak through seven damage the opponent may have to play more scared in the late game.
+1 Unlicensed Hearse +2 Crackling Drake +2 Anger of the Gods +1 Torch the Tower +1 Thing in the Ice
-4 Arclight Phoenix -1 Spell Pierce -1 Galvanic Iteration -1 Picklock Prankster
Amalia is a very redundant combo deck so you must go fast, but also be disruptive. This is a good matchup for Izzet Charm as Spell Pierce can be dead in some cases, but killing creatures is rarely bad.
Anger of the Gods sets the stage to become a control deck with Thing in the Ice and Crackling Drake surviving. The opponent will be aware of Anger of the Gods after sideboard so expect a fight.
Unlicensed Hearse can deal with Return to the Ranks and Extraction Specialist.
The Pioneer RCQ season is in full swing and there are plenty of decks to play despite Phoenix and Vampires making up a bulk of the entries. Phoenix is a very powerful deck I feel confident registering.
Hope to see you at the RIW RCQ on May 11!
