Valentin, a highlander staple from Turku, starts off a multi-part article series of midrange staple cards in European Highlander. In this sixth part, he will go through red.
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Colorless
Part 3: White
Part 4: Blue
Part 5: Black
Part 6: Red
Part 7: Green
Part 8: Multicolor
Red has a lot of strong proactive threats that provide value. There is also the burn angle, which is why I feel that midrange decks with red tend to perform better than other colors. An interesting point of tension is that red has been getting a lot of cards that exile top card(s) of the deck and allow you to play them during this/next turn. There are a lot of good cards with those types of effects, but they do not work that well in decks with a high number of reactive cards. Most notably, they are bad when combined with a large number of counterspell-type effects, which is why they can be very strong in non-blue decks and bad in blue ones.
As with other colors, cards will be separated into three categories based on functionality, but many of the cards fit into multiple categories at the same time, so the distinction is rather arbitrary.
Burn / Removal
Abrade (B-)
A very versatile answer to artifacts. It’s a bit weak as a creature removal but the option of destroying annoying artifacts fully makes up for this. If green decks with manadorks are prevalent in the metagame or if there are otherwise a lot of creatures with one toughness, then Cast into the Fire goes ahead because it can also get rid of opponent’s or own The One Ring, but on a general level Abrade is stronger. It’s also notable that neither of the cards is strong enough that you would want to run both. The only reason is if there are too many artifacts in the metagame. I would usually run this in 2 color decks (unless it’s RW, which has Rip Apart), while in 3 color decks would try to make room, but could also see it being cut in favor of something stronger.
Arc Trail (C+)
Admittedly, I have a bit of bias against this card. Sorcery speed, 2 mana and cannot kill anything with 3 toughness or more is a bit of a tough sell. Still, splitting the damage makes this very strong in metagames that have a lot of small creatures. Haven’t really seen this do any broken stuff for quite a while, but I have some very vocal fans of this card, so can’t really disregard this card.
Bonecrusher Giant // Stomp (B)
Lately I have been feeling that the age is catching up with the card and it’s getting powercrept. 2 mana for 2 damage is difficult as it kills less and less stuff… BUT on the flipside, the utility card is getting more important than ever. Stomp can allow you to get around True-Name Nemesis and The One Ring, while the card is a burn spell and a threat in one package. I could see this getting cut from some focused decks, but even with the powercreep, the versatility is worth it.
Bottle-Cap Blast (C-)
Admittedly, quite a restrictive burn spell as 5 mana is A LOT. On the other hand 5 damage is also quite a lot, so if the deck runs enough artifacts and artifact synergies, this becomes both a payoff and an artifact generation card.
Chain Lightning (A)
The versatility of dealing 3 damage to creature, planeswalker or opponent’s face means that it is still one of the best burn spells in the format.
Fiery Confluence (C+)
The effect is very strong and this works as a finisher, which makes this a very strong opinion. Still, this is mainly a reactive card.
Forked Bolt (B)
2 damage for 1 mana on sorcery speed is not a lot, but potential for killing 2 manadorks is there and.
Fury (A+)
A “free” mass removal and a decent body. I don’t really see myself cutting this from red decks as if I am not playing enough red cards to evoke this, then it is questionable whether it makes sense to run red in that deck altogether.
Galvanic Blast (C+)
I am quite a big fan of this card. Worst case scenario, this is Shock. Best case it deals 4 for 1, which is more than any other burn spell in the format. I would actually rank this closer to B for powerlevel, but it does have notable requirements on deck, which is why it would be unfair to other cards of B rank. The good thing is that enabling this is not that hard, since there are cards such as Urza’s Saga and Third-Path Iconoclast that enable metalcraft by themselves. Decent base-mode and strong payoff make this a very strong consideration for any deck that has chances at enabling it.
Galvanic Discharge (B+)
3 damage for 1 red at instant speed is strong enough for any 2 colored red deck. Even when adding a third color, this has high enough versatility that this will still be left in the deck even without energy synergies.
Improvised Club (C)
Sacrificing a creature or artifact is a very real cost, but 4 damage is a lot and this can sacrifice a creature from under a removal spell or The One Ring when needed. Not a strong card but a good filler for midrange decks that have uses for both parts of the effect.
Legion Extruder (C+)
For any deck that runs artifacts this provides an additional way to utilize them while having a passable burn spell. Not strong enough by itself but it doesn’t require much for this to start being good. An option to generate infinite blockers is also notable (chump block and sacrifice golem to make new one).
Lightning Bolt (A+)
Still the best burn spell in the format.
Maddening Hex (C+)
Not a creature so doesn’t apply pressure by itself and is easily destroyed by disenchant effects. This is quite weak in creature-heavy matchups and not that strong against midranges. On the other hand when playing against various control and combo decks (and blue in general) this wins the games. This is definitely strong and sees a lot of play (deservedly so), but is getting powercrept out of the format by low versatility.
Price of Progress (B+)
This is bad in the metagame full of 1–2 color decks, but a card that single handedly wins games against 3+ color decks is just too strong not to play. Oftentimes even against 2 colors this deals 4–6 damage, which is very strong. I have cut this from the deck due to the local metagame, but considering how popular 3+ color decks are in bigger tournaments I don’t think it is correct to cut this from any red 1–2 color decks.
Pyrokinesis (C+)
Instant speed mass removal that can be free. Unlike Fury, the full mode does not give you a threat, but instant speed sweeper is quite strong. I tend to cut this normally; when I expect to play against a lot of creature-heavy decks (mainly monored, green decks with manadorks or creature-based combo), then this is one of the first cards that come to mind because of the option to play it for free.
Shrapnel Blast (C-)
5 damage for 2 mana is a lot, but unlike other artifact synergy cards, this requires quite a lot of artifacts to be playable.
Shatterskull Smashing (C-)
Considering all the new MDFC cards, I don’t really see this being played in the decks anymore, but it’s still an okay MDFC.
Invasion of Tarkir (C)
2 damage for 2 mana is not a lot by itself and unlike Legion Extruder this is not as easy to make work. There are less good dragons than artifacts for midrange, but if there are enough in the deck, then this becomes a decent option.
Unholy Heat (B)
A staple removal for creatures and planeswalkers. Does require to have delirium, but still one of the better removals that red has.
Ghostfire Slice (C)
In my experience the metagame has surprisingly low amount of multicolored permanents, so oftentimes this becomes a 4 damage for 3, which doesn’t feel strong enough. I would normally run something more efficient, but when the metagame has enough multicolored creatures or when Sanctifier en-Vec starts becoming too big of an issue for a red deck, this is an option.
Chainsaw (C)
An artifact, a removal and a buff for creatures. Feels a bit weak, but an option for when searching for equipment that does interesting stuff.
Magmatic Sinkhole (C)
There are a lot of cards that care about a grave and this is among the weaker ones that use it up. Generally I would avoid this, but sometimes you need more removal for big creatures, which is when the cost of this becomes bearable.
Roiling Vortex (C-)
Sulfuric Vortex is purely an aggressive card and doesn’t fit into midrange, but this is cheaper and can punish an opponent for free spells as well as deny lifegain one-sidedly. Not that strong, but an option to consider for monored and maybe some 2-colored decks that want to punish free spells and negate lifegain.
Flame Slash (C+)
4 damage to a creature means it can kill most threats for 1 mana. The downside is that it hits only creatures and only on sorcery speed, so when playing against decks that are light on creatures, it becomes bad. Current metagame is dominated by creature strategies, so oftentimes it’s correct to play this in 2-colored decks, but I prefer something more versatile. For 3 colored decks there are usually better options, so I wouldn’t play it in those.
Spark Spray (C-)
I have seen this mainly in duel commander due to synergies, but it’s a bit too weak for European Highlander. There is nice versatility in the card, so the only reason I could see this as a reasonable inclusion is when the metagame has a lot of creatures that have 1 toughness or when your deck has enough payoffs for cycling/discard, which might happen very soon when looking at all the payoffs for discarding cards that have been printed recently.
Spikefield Hazard (C-)
New MDFCs pushed this down. Having the option between a land and a burn spell for 1 damage is nice, but not when it is competing with all the new MDFC stuff. Still, a reasonable option if a deck with a lot of manadorks starts dominating.
Strangle (C)
More versatile than Flame Slash, but less damage, means there are notable creatures that this does not kill. In my experience the 4th damage from Flame Slash is more important than added versatility, but oftentimes it feels you either run both if you need that effect or you run neither.
Seal of Fire (C-)
2 damage is not a lot, but if you need more card types in the grave or want to pay mana upfront so that you have a burn spell ready for when you need it, this is an option. Also a good setup for when you have multiple cards that trigger from committing crimes. Though the main reason you might want this or Tarfire is for when you have 3 Lhurgoyfs in the deck and want more card types in the grave.
Invasion of Regatha // Disciples of the Inferno (C)
This provides a very good value if it can kill one or two creatures from an opponent. If not, then the ability to flip is not that relevant and you would run this only in very aggressive decks that want more face-burn.
Delayed-Blast Fireball (C)
Pyroclasm on steroids. This works as a one sided mass removal in early game, one side removal in late-game and as a finisher. The downside is that it costs a lot, which makes it inefficient in midrange decks, but in a metagame full of creatures that have 1 or 2 toughness this is a good versatile option.
Scorching Shot (C-)
Sometimes you are too afraid of big creatures (Murktide Regent, Psychic Frog) and are not playing black or white, which is when you might want to consider this.
Channeled Dragonfire (C)
A Shock variant with harmonize is actually quite decent. The main problem with Firebolt is that 5 mana flashback is unrealistic and it is better to simply run nearly any other variant. 2–4 mana that this costs is still a lot, but notably better and Firebolt was already borderline playable.
Plasma Bolt (C+)
A card that can potentially deal 3 damage for 1 mana is worth a consideration in most 2 colored red decks, but sorcery speed and condition make it a bit difficult to use.
Suplex (B-)
Similar to Abrade, but is instead sorcery speed which is much worse, but on the other side it can get rid of The One Ring, so worth consideration when that option is relevant in the metagame.
Threats
Amped Raptor (B)
The card is very strong by itself and one of the reasons why energy based synergies make sense in European Highlander. The notable caveat with this is that this requires the curve to be quite low (which you want to do anyway in midrange) and it does not work well in decks with a lot of reactive cards (for example blue counterspells). For these reasons you want to have other energy cards in the deck and play it in non-blue midrange decks.
Bomat Courier (B+)
Considering how often I see this card being cut, I either have a strong positive bias on this card or people underplay this a lot. There aren’t that many one-drops that are capable of generating as much value as this card. If left unchecked, this can give a lot of card advantage (especially if your deck has free spells and you can cast stuff quickly), so it demands quick answers, which is a hallmark for good one-drops. Being easily splashable and a good back-up target for Urza’s Saga is a nice bonus. The obligatory downside is that in mid- to late-game it is very hard to make it survive more than one turn so usually it either dies or draws you one card.
Broadside Bombardiers (B+)
The upside of throwing evoked elementals and The One Ring anywhere you want is very high and can oftentimes can win the games. On the other hand the downside is that it requires you to have other cards in play and is not good by itself. It’s an S tier card when it works and C tier card when it doesn’t. The conditionality of the effect and slight requirements on the deck is why I shy away from giving it A… Overall this is more of an aggressive threat than a value engine, but a strong enough threat that it is a good inclusion for the majority of red decks. There is also the big upside that you can use this card to throw your 1–2 drops that aren’t relevant in late game at different stuff, working both as a finisher and removal.
Carnage Interpreter (A)
This card is one of the reasons why I rank so many 3-drops as B or C. This is both a big threat with evasion and a source of card advantage. Has some anti-synergies with decks that have a lot of reactive cards and double-cost can sometimes be difficult, but as long as manabase allows it, this is worth the cost.
Caves of Chaos Adventurer (A-)
An initiative, a decent body and an additional attack trigger. This does everything you want your 4-drop to do and is one of the reasons why other decent 4-drops get ranks below A. Lately I have been feeling that even this is not strong enough for what you want to do for 4 mana (mainly when I compare this with Pyrogoyf), but if the deck has room in that manacost, then this is one of the top picks.
Clockwork Percussionist (C)
Surprisingly decent 1 drop for non-blue decks. Has artifact synergies, replaces itself and a surprise haste creature to fetch initiative/monarch or deal that one extra damage. On the flipside it’s only a 1/1 that dies when the opponent wants it to, so not that threatening.
Detective’s Phoenix (A-)
Granting haste to anything is a very scary thing. When playing RW decks I have found this to be one of the best targets for Enlightened Tutor (alongside Urza’s Saga). It’s generally easy to have enough stuff to bestow this (running Oliphaunt helps) and it also generates value when you discard it to effects. Versatile and effective threat.
Fable of the Mirror-Breaker // Reflection of Kiki-Jiki (A+)
This does everything. This is not as aggressive as some decks might want, but the versatility and value are very high. Has a lot of synergies and is difficult to deal with.
Fear of Missing Out (A-)
A 2 drop that has immediate effect and can do broken stuff later on. The powerlevel on this card is high, but there are plenty of cards that are stronger. The actual strength of the card lies in versatility as this is an okay beatstick with decent effect early and a very threatening effect on delirium. There are decks that do not have room for this, but you rarely are wrong for running this. Being an enchantment is also very useful for goyfs and delirium.
Headliner Scarlett (B)
Denying blocks can sometimes win you the game on the spot and additional card advantage can help you grind the games out. Initiative-, monarch enablers and some other 4-drops are more resilient to removal and better value engines, but this is better at aggroing and finishing the games.
Hired Claw (C)
Not as good as other one drops that can provide value, but this has a manasink option and a decent aggressive option with decent stats and no drawbacks like Goblin Guide.
Inti, Seneschal of the Sun (B)
A very strong card that enables card filtering, discard synergies and makes your guys bigger. Doesn’t work that well in blue decks with counters, but one of the stronger 2 drops for other decks.
Ivora, Insatiable Heir (B)
Good with artifact and discard synergies. Grows surprisingly fast and provides card filtering. Relatively new, so haven’t seen it in play as much, but it always felt quite strong.
Kellan, Planar Trailblazer (B)
A one-drop that hits for 2 and can provide card advantage later is a good baseline. It also helps a lot that this works at instant speed, so blue decks have instant manasink for when the opponent doesn’t play anything and for other decks it is good to pump him when it is unblocked. It’s not as good as some other one-drops, because it needs mana to work, but still a very solid one.
Kumano Faces Kakkazan // Etching of Kumano (C)
When searching for decent strong one-drops, this is quite decent. Doesn’t provide that much value, but +1/+1 counter can be surprisingly relevant and the first chapter can be used for reach even in lategame. Admittedly a weak option for midrange, but decks like monored just need one-drops that are decent and this is among the better ones.
Laelia, the Blade Reforged (B)
A staple midrange threat from red. Easy to play out and quick to grow. If the opponent doesn’t answer this quickly, it runs away with the game. The downside is that it is legendary (weak to Karakas) and that any 2 damage instant speed spell kills this.
Monastery Swiftspear (C)
Aggressive one-drop that can deal a lot of damage. Not good for midrange, but an option to consider when trying to make the deck more aggressive.
Party Thrasher (B)
Bad in blue, but provides card selection and can actually discount stuff. Very versatile and annoying creature. 4 toughness is very hard to deal with. Nice with discard synergies and counts as a lizard for random tribal cards like Hired Claw.
Professional Face-Breaker (C+)
Slow and weak for a 3-drop. The upside is that it both generates treasures and works as a treasure payoff. Of course it also works as a card for artifact synergies. It’s important to note that it can work as soon as it comes into play if you have something to attack with. Could even consider Treasure Map with this.
Pyrogoyf (S)
This just wins the games and is a very strong threat. I think I had played with the card for multiple months before I realized the part of the text box about dealing damage when any other Lhurgoyf comes into play… Anyways, it’s nice to remember that Nethergoyf and Barrowgoyf become even scarier when this is in the deck.
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer (S)
I don’t think I need to explain this one.
Robber of the Rich (C+)
Before MH3 this was one of the better 2-drops for red because it was giving card-advantage, reach was randomly relevant and haste made it strong. On the other hand now there are noticeably more 2 drops that are good. I struggle to find room for this in any 2-colored red deck that I try to build.
Seasoned Pyromancer (B-)
For a long time this was staple in all red decks, but double red in the cost and powercreep made it so that you don’t want it as often anymore. Many decks have better options for a 3-drop, but this is still a strong option, especially when the deck runs out of cards fast or likes discard-synergies.
Squee, Dubious Monarch (C+)
Before MH3 I would consider this to be premier recursive 3 drop for red decks, but with Detective’s Phoenix in the format, it just doesn’t do enough. Phoenix is cheaper and easier to use most of the time, which is why I tend to cut this card nowadays.
Voldaren Epicure (C)
Pings, generates an artifact and provides discard synergies. It’s weak, but does a lot of nice things. I could see this in some 2-colored decks that need discarding or have an artifact theme. Currently I like it very much in monored midrange.
Reckless Lackey (C-)
A one hasty one-drop that has interesting abilities. The statline is weak, but with artifact synergies this replaces itself and potentially ramps, so a good card to remember.
Falkenrath Pit Fighter (C-)
Decent statline for one-drop and an ability that replaces itself. It is a fine one-drop for a deck that needs one-drops that do stuff, but this is on the weaker end of the spectrum even when playing monored.
Oliphaunt (B)
Land cyclers are good and this alone enables Detective’s Phoenix. 6 mana is a lot, but in black deck you can reanimate and in green you could potentially ramp into this. I would usually play this in red midrange as it also fetches surveil lands and duals, but it is essentially a tapland, so if you never get to use the creature part, it could be reasonable to cut this.
Norin, Swift Survivalist (C)
A one-drop with good stats that makes blocking a nightmare for the opponent. Good in a deck with a lot of ETB stuff, but not worth the slot otherwise.
Eidolon of the Great Revel (C-)
Burn oriented card where you run the risk of taking more damage with this than it does to your opponent, but considering how low the curves are in current European Highlander, it might actually be a very strong tech for aggressive midrange.
Cunning Coyote (C-)
Weak stats, but haste is very strong and this has interesting versatility. It did not impress me when I saw this being played, but the stronger your creatures, the stronger it is when you grant them haste.
Synth Eradicator (B)
Good card for artifact and energy synergies that is good by itself. This is basically a hallmark of what a good 3-drop needs to do. It doesn’t ask anything from the deck, but it provides options for very strong synergies. An averagely versatile threat.
Figure of Destiny (C-)
It takes a lot of mana before this has a good statline. As the format got faster, I wouldn’t play this, but it does work as a manasink.
Sunspine Lynx (C-)
Seems strong on paper, but whenever I played it, it always felt underwhelming and I have heard similar experiences from other people as well. Not worth the slot, but in a metagame full of 3+ colored decks, this is a weaker Price of Progress, which is still very strong.
Young Pyromancer (C+)
Outside of blue, this doesn’t feel that strong. Even in blue, you have the risk of letting something very nasty resolve if you cast this on turn 2. Still, this can generate a lot of tokens with cantrips, so a staple in UR decks. Though I have found myself cutting this even from UR due to powercreep.
Razorkin Needlehead (C)
Deals surprising amount of damage, but double-red is restricting the card. Good in metagames with a lot of blue and/or combo decks. This is a good hatebear if you need one in monored or a 2 colored deck, but wouldn’t play it otherwise due to cost restriction.
Ogre-Head Helm (C-)
Another utility equipment. Potential candidate for equipment and artifact synergies but too weak otherwise.
Piggy Bank (C-)
If you have enough treasure-synergies and artifact synergies, this has an okay statline, making this fit into the deck.
Feldon, Ronom Excavator (C)
A 2-drop with haste and possibility of giving card-advantage. Before MH3 I was running this in 2 colored decks, but afterwards it’s tough to make room for this even in monored.
Coruscation Mage (C)
A 2-drop that is manasink and has good burn capabilities. Feels a bit underwhelming, but good with baubles and other free spells, allowing for a surprising amount of burn damage.
Dreadhorde Arcanist (B)
A staple in UR and URx decks because it can flashback cantrips (and Ancestral Vision if you are brave enough). On the flipside there generally aren’t enough instants/sorceries in the grave when you aren’t playing blue, so it tends to be cut from those.
Dire-Fleet Daredevil (C-)
Long time since I saw this one. A card that depends on the opponent to be good is too inconsistent.
Imperial Recruiter (C)
Can work when you have some combo that you want to tutor up and win the game, but otherwise 3 mana is just too much for this type of effect in midrange.
Rampaging Raptor, Hazoret the Fervent (C)
A hasty 4-drop with not irrelevant abilities. Okay option when trying to aggro opponent out, but I feel like there are enough of those already and this is not that much weaker or stronger than the rest.
Chandra, Torch of Defiance (C)
I cannot say it’s wrong to run this, but there are enough good 4-drops that I don’t feel like there is enough room for this anywhere outside monored (and even there it is on the weaker side of the 4-drops).
Screaming Nemesis (C-)
A lot of hype for this one, but I am yet to see this being abused. Feels like powercreep killed it before it had time to shine, but maybe somebody can share their success stories with this card?
Gut, True Soul Zealot (B-)
I have died to this a few times, so I know this to be a very strong threat. The issue I have with this is that it is not good on an empty board and requires stuff to sacrifice. Good when you have synergies for this, but I would prefer to run something more universally strong in a 3-drop slot. Despite my bias, when it’s good, it’s really good.
Reckless Stormseeker (C+)
The statline is a bit weak, but immediate haste to itself and ability to grant haste to others is very valuable. The card does not produce a lot of value, but is very strong at pressuring the opponent. I prefer running more value oriented cards, but giving haste to something like Pyrogoyf or Carnage Interpreter is a game winning play, so I am ready to sacrifice my preferences for this.
Rampaging Ferocidon (C)
Does not produce value, but is a very annoying aggressive threat when you are pressuring an opponent. Would not run in midrange, but would run if the deck wants to be aggressive enough.
Goblin Rabblemaster, Legion Warboss (C)
Some people like these cards a lot. They are good threats, but there are just so many more annoying 3-drops, that I do not feel that scared when facing them. If I lose to these, then usually this means that I would have lost to any of the stronger 3-drops even harder. It’s also an issue that these die to any removal that does 2 damage.
Ral, Monsoon Mage (C)
Not that hard to flip, but the discount is not that strong. Without blue this feels a bit weak and with blue you have enough 2-drops that do interesting stuff, so this becomes unnecessary. For this to be a viable option, you have to utilize a discount and have enough blue permanents for the flipside to draw you cards.
Hearth Elemental // Stoke Genius (C+)
A relatively low cost for a big body with the option to draw cards. Good versatility, but requires playing a lot of instants and sorceries and still have room for this card.
Gastal Thrillroller (C)
An averagely powerful 3 drop. Should be treated as an upgrade to Hellspark Elemental that gives your smaller creatures pseudo-haste. Worth consideration for aggressive decks that have grave- and artifact-synergies, but not as strong as better 3-drops in the format.
Draconautics Engineer (C-)
Haste and manasink options are nice, but the baseline is weak, so can’t see this being good outside some grindier mono red builds that want creatures with decent manasinks.
Greasewrench Goblin (C-)
Tempo-aggressive 1–2 colored decks need good one-drops. This one gives hand filtering and enables hand synergies on a basic body. Nothing impressive, but a fine roleplayer when needed.
Marauding Mako (B)
Considering the amount of different discard effects that all the decks want to play, this grows very easily with small investments, so a very strong candidate for a threatening one-drop that most red decks would want to consider. It’s also important that late into the game this can be cycled away when.
Howlsquad Heavy (C+)
The card itself is another variation on Goblin Rabblemaster, but with a better statline and a possibility to generate tons of mana. By itself it is borderline playable in midrange decks, but there are a bunch of better 3 mana threats. On the other side there are enough interesting/relevant goblins in the format so that even a midrange deck that is not all-in on tribal kindred theme could consider running this and have good synergies.
Cori-Steel Cutter (B)
This is mainly for decks that can doublespell consistently (which are generally blue), but this is a very powerful payoff for any deck that can. Much harder to remove than Young Pyromancer and much scarier tokens with option to give haste is quite good value.
Spider-Punk (C)
An okay set of abilities. Not too powerful but has enough of the small abilities that it is a good filler for decks that need it, which restricts it to 2 colored decks.
Utility
Arena of Glory (B+)
If your manabase can run this, you should. Haste is just that strong.
Barbarian Ring (C+)
Constant pain to yourself and requirement for threshold makes this quite limited, but an uncounterable Shock is still very strong. I have seen this win multiple games, so would heavily consider this for any 2-colored deck.
Blood Moon (A)
One of the reasons to play red and 1–2 colors in general. Without this, the format would have been much more boring, dominated by 3–5 color decks.
Den of the Bugbear (B)
I consider this to be the best of the cycle because it gets activated most often. I could see this being cut in 2 colored decks when trying to keep nonbasic count to a minimum, but oftentimes I would rather have this as an option for attacking.
Gamble (B+)
Creates a lot of excitement when you have to tutor for some specific answer with one other card in hand, but it’s important to remember that this is only a backup option. Mainly you either tutor for something important with a large hand or with an empty hand for something like Detective’s Phoenix, Ox of Agonas or Kroxa. The card is very versatile and the more I play with it the more I like it. This is one of those cards that gets stronger with power creep.
Goblin Cratermaker (C-)
The abilities are not that strong anymore and cost is a bit prohibitive as even in monored you want to run colorless lands, so this is not as easy. Could be worth consideration in a metagame where the ability to break colorless non-lands is relevant.
Goblin Engineer (C+)
This is a red version of Stoneforge Mystic. The main target for this is the Phyrexian Dragon Engine, with Scrapwork Mutt, Mishra’s Research Desk, Scrapheap Scrounger and Triarch Praetorian as backups. Usually you want one backup, as that way if you have Phyrexian Dragon Engine in the grave, you can return the other one you searched and sacrifice it to return the Engine. If left unanswered, this can give you a lot of value that would win you the game. There are also interesting combos with cards like Winter Orb, that you can sac at the end of an opponent’s turn to untap and return on your own turn. This does require some artifacts in the deck, but there are a lot of good artifacts to run in midrange and even without them, this card is a potent threat.
Light Up the Stage (B)
For any non-blue deck this is as close as possible to draw 2 for 1 mana. There are limitations and I could see myself cutting this even in some 2 colored decks, but you can rarely go wrong running this.
Magus of the Moon (A)
A red Harbinger of the Seas… Yeah, I don’t think this needs an explanation. One of the best nonbasic hate cards. If you play 2 colors with red, then this is probably the reason.
Mishra’s Research Desk (C)
Card draw for red and artifact synergies. Usually not strong enough by itself, but a decent option as a package for Goblin Engineer.
Phyrexian Dragon Engine (C)
Weak by itself, but can sometimes be a bearable play on turn 3. Main usage is to be discarded to something or Entomb:ed by Goblin Engineer.
Pyroblast, Red Elemental Blast (C+)
What are you going to do in a metagame full of blue decks? Not play Pyroblast? This card works surprisingly well. Especially when combined with various looting type effects that red is getting more and more of. On the other hand if blue decks aren’t in a noticeable majority, then there are better options to run than a card that is dead half the time.
Ramunap Ruins (C)
A good card for burn and a good backup target for Sand Scout. Has synergy with Lazotep Quarry if you run that. Simply a good land for monored.
Rite of Flame (C)
There aren’t that many options for fast mana. If you need it, this has the upside of being a card in your grave and you can cast this from different “exile from topdeck” effects. I have found myself liking this more than the Simian Spirit Guide due to various synergies.
Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance (B+)
Very strong utility land. Could see myself cutting this in 4–5 colored decks, but feels like mandatory inclusion in anything that runs 3 colors or less.
Sundering Eruption // Volcanic Fissure (C)
This is MDFC with good versatility. Not the best one but not the worst one either. Generally you wouldn’t want to be running more than 3 and would rather have no more than 2 MDFC cards. I can’t advocate too much for this or against this, because I am yet to see a situation where this would be that good or that bad.
Generous Plunderer (C)
Very strong in commander variants, but in European Highlander we either need to have Tolarian Academy unbanned for this to be good or you have to run a deck that focuses heavily on treasure synergies. Still a decent card for a midrange, but unless you run good synergies or the metagame is full of artifacts, I would cut this.
Faithless Looting (C)
Discard synergies, but at a price of card disadvantage. I have found myself cutting this from midrange decks simply because I would rather do something else. For discard synergies I would rather run cards that cycle or discard themselves. Still, the card is strong and if you have some reanimation in the deck this is a potent option.
Twinshot Sniper (C-)
Both modes are overcosted and feel weak. On the other side this is an uncounterable burn combined with artifact and discard synergies. Though I am not sure there is room in a deck for a card like this even if the synergies are in place.
Experimental Synthesizer (C-)
Manasink with card draw, but a bit too weak. Could work if there are enough cards that require you to sacrifice permanents or artifacts, but I am yet to see this being good in Highlander.
Rabbit Battery (C-)
Even bad haste enablers are worth mentioning. This is one of the worst that could potentially see play.
Bedlam Reveler (C)
Was a staple many years ago. Now this just feels too inconsistent and weak. For all the times it won the games and for its statline it gets to avoid the dreaded C- ranking.
Vindictive Flamestoker (C-)
This is just too hard to make work.
Untimely Malfunction (C+)
A misdirection in red stapled onto artifact removal alongside the option of making the opponent unable to block. Very high versatility and I look forward to all the shenanigans people will try to pull with this card. It is a bit costly, so not going to fit into 3+ colored decks, but an option to keep in mind for RW and RG.
Powerbalance (C-)
A fun card that can potentially give card and mana advantage. It is also notable that fetch into surveil allows for topdeck manipulation. The potential is definitely there for this to be strong, but because I have never seen this work, I cannot rank this any higher.
Magda, the Hoardmaster (C+)
A treasure generator and a payoff stapled onto a 2 mana body. I have found myself cutting this from the deck after MH3, but Ghost Vacuum gave us a repeatable way to commit crimes for any deck.
Horned Stoneseeker (C-)
Artifact synergies with ramping, but too conditional.
Pinnacle Monk (C)
MDFC that I think I have seen played once. I like the Sundering Eruption better, because there is actually a relevant chance of casting the front side on that. It’s a good creature, but it just felt so hard to cast no matter what I play, that I have found myself cutting this in favor of anything else.
Ox of Agonas (C+)
Needs a lot of food from the grave, but a good source of card advantage from the grave. Even on some 3 colored decks like Jund this is a strong option to use.
Wild Wasteland (C+)
A 3 mana engine for additional cards. Not going to work with blue, but a good way to gain value in 2-color combinations without it. For 3+ colors there usually are better things to do turn 3 than casting an enchantment that draws cards.
Bitter Reunion (C+)
Haste is strong, looting is strong. I cut this most of the time because I prefer to do something more proactive on turn 2, but this is a strong setup card.
Kickoff Celebrations (C)
Haste and looting are still strong, but getting to max speed takes so much time that it is often irrelevant. The fact that it’s free makes it easier to use, but still less versatile than Bitter Reunion.
Footfall Crater (C)
Low opportunity cost for a card that can grant a lot of haste. It’s essentially a cantrip for red that fills the grave with a relevant card type. A bit weak by itself, but still worth consideration.
Virtue of Courage // Embereth Blaze (C)
The burn mode is a bit expensive and the second mode comes down a bit too late, so it is very hard to utilize. That being said, the baseline of 2 for 2 is bearable so opportunity cost is not that high if the deck is able to cast this for 5 mana and utilize it.
Artist’s Talent (C)
The base effect is interesting and the levels are relevant. The issue is that it needs a lot of mana to properly utilize and it doesn’t affect the board while you are dumping the mana into it. There are many decks that want to loot cards, but for this to be worth the inclusion, you need to also run enough sources of non-combat damage for the last level to be relevant.
Count On Luck (C)
An enchantment that gives +1 card every turn is a very good way to generate value in decks without counters and where the mana curve ends around 4 mana. The biggest restriction is triple-red, which restricts this mainly to mono red decks.
Zenith Festival (C+)
A card advantage engine for red that is a bit expensive. The best value for this is when a deck can discard it and then harmonize later, so best fit for monored and red-green decks (other combinations have better ways to generate advantage).
Gwen Stacy (C+)
Essentially a 3 colored card, but the main question for the deck is if it wants a simple 2 drop that draws a card. If a deck does want it, then this is good fit for that deck.
Heroes’ Hangout (B+)
A red Sleight of Hand with an upside. The biggest downside is that it doesn’t work well with counters, but a very good fit for nonblue red decks.
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