This is the deck I crossed the finish line with this month. By finish line, I mean obtained the incredible achievement of reaching the Mythic rank in the game Magic the Gathering Arena, but the run was solid. I went 26-4 through Diamond and Platinum, so there's definitely something good going on here. If I can do that, then you can probably get the clean 30-0.
There's a lot of experimentation going on with this list as posted, so it's not clean at all. It also feels a little clunky with the amount of three drop threats compared to two drop threats, but I can't really argue with the results. If you think of this as a straight Rakdos Midrange deck with a green bonus, then so far I have to say that the splash is certainly worth it.
First is Riveteers Charm, which has been worth the splash purely by itself. Not only does it turn into a late game draw engine, but it deals with whatever the biggest problem you have is at any given time, including times when most other spells wouldn't be able to deal. Planeswalkers, Hazoret, Rhonas, stuff given Indestructible by Selfless Savior or Dauntless Bodyguard, Glorybringer, Elder Gargaroth, Hall of the Storm Giant, opposing Graveyard Trespassers. All of this stuff is tough for you to deal with, and Riveteers Charm handles it.
I think that the reason behind it being so good in this list specifically is that the cards in this deck are able to be defensive or proactive depending on the situation, and Riveteers Charm fits that role too. You get around the classic midrange "wrong half of the deck" problem by having cards that able to play multiple roles. The Act on Impulse ability might not read like an aggressive one, but in this deck you can win with life total pressure or by gaining card advantage in the late game, either one will work. Riveteers Charm translates into life total pressure by drawing you in to creatures to attack, Thoughtseizes and removal to clear their way, and lands to get up to enough mana to activate your Dens.
I also like that this is a Jund list that has the ability to play Den of the Bugbear. Hive and Lair and some of the other creatures lands are also good, but Den is just the best thing going for utility lands, and when you can play it on turn two and still curve out because the mana costs of your spells works with it, it becomes excellent. Den is at its best when you've gotten yourself out to a fast start already, so if you can cast a two drop and a three drop on curve, your Den not only helped you get there but will clean up the job your quick clock started.
Of course, what I'm really saying is that Chevill isn't in the deck anymore, but I think that's okay. Some of the stuff that Chevill is great against in Historic doesn't show up in Explorer, like Gruul and Goblins and Auras. I similarly found that Chevill didn't quite do it for me in Pioneer. That could definitely change, but as for now, I like the more aggressive slant to this deck.
The sideboard is a mess but I should talk about some of the stuff there. Similarly to Chevill, Sarulf is a card that's not present here because it's not quite exactly what we want against this meta. Instead I've got Culling Ritual in that slot to help against some of the Humans decks, where Sarulf is good but liable to get hit by a Skyclave Apparition or Brutal Cathar. No, the Golgari Anti-creature Legend that we've got here is Polukranos, and Big Luke is a card that has been really good at times in the past and is solid enough as a one-of here.
Klothys is nice to have, something that the normal Red/Black decks don't get access to. I like that it's basically a better Graveyard Trespasser in the matchups where you would want to board in extra Trespassers, either to dodge removal when you're trying to be aggressive or to hit their graveyard consistently. I've never been a fan of Scavenging Ooze as a sideboard card, for what it's worth. Also, we just don't have enough green mana to utilize it fully.
I also should mention the Elder Gargaroths. I like them, they seem like they might be the best thing to have in that spot, but I'm not a hundred percent sold and could be easily swayed one way or the other. What I like about it is how well it plays against the removal you're likely to see out of Red/Black, which is usually Fatal Push, Abrade, Chandra, Stomp, or Glorybringer. It beats up on Chandra and Glorybringer pretty nicely, so it beats their best stuff and is hard to stop. Sounds great, but it might not be the best against the field at large. I enjoy the stop sign it represents against Red decks, but it's also a lot of mana to invest into a Brutal Cathar target or Absorb target. Angrath, Glorybringer, maybe even Doom Whisperer could all work as a midrange trump, and possibly the right thing to do is continue up the mana curve and try Liliana Dreadhorde General or Garruk Cursed Huntsman. The next card on my list to test in that slot is actually Workshop Warchief, of all things, which I'm hoping works out because it's a Rhino in suspenders holding a big gold wrench. Gargaroth is really only ever as good as you can expect it to live, so if you're expecting it to die, play something else, because lots of stuff out there actually is great at dying.
Again, the deck has been constantly in flux, but there's definitely something going on here that's working. The good news is that lots of stuff can slot in here if the metagame calls for it and it'll fit right in, like Witherbloom Command, more Kroxa, a higher curve with five drops in the main, a lower curve with more Underdogs, whatever feels right. Riveteers Charm, a solid mana base, and high-rate versatile threats seems to be a recipe for success.
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That's about it for today. Wanted to get something down since it's been a while, but I have been managing to find a little time to stream on twitch most weekends if you're interested. Explorer seems to be a lot like Pioneer but without some of the stuff that makes Pioneer annoying, like Lotus Field combo and Treasure Cruise in Phoenix, so it's been a lot of fun, give it a try if you have a chance. Thanks for reading.
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