RED DECK WINS

[@cavedon.felipe]

Red Burn is a lesson on timing. Or, like my brother told me once: "It's the art of patience when you've got be fast".

[@ossiliere]

Perfect

[@aceundead4750]

Did he read The Art of War by Sun Tzu? That sounds like something Sun would've wrote in there.

[@horaciohernandez2850]

There's a saying in spanish which translates to "Go slow, because we're in a hurry"

[@Bluecho4]

I Have Mo' Burn, And I Must Wait

[@kirika119]

I love that

[@BlackTungsten]

I lost my best friend a few months back, and I come to this video, because this is how he played, and this is how he taught me how to play Magic in exchange for me teaching him high school chemistry. He let me rummage through the "sock full of pennies", a huge bag of chaff he kept buried in his bedroom closet. And he'd give me such a whoopin', over and over again, then asked me if I learned anything. He taught me about InQuest, the Sligh curve, Combo Winter; everything he knew about this wonderful game. Eventually I'd beat him years later; I settled into Black nicely and took advantage of Red "not wanting cards in hand" with tricks like Hymn to Tourach. I miss him every day. And this video is a warm reminder of how he used to live.

[@holy_oreoo8594]

It maybe just a game to some, but for us, it's a trove of memories we wouldn't trade for anything ❤

[@Syngraphaeor]

Rest in peace - I hope this comment finds you well, and still enjoying the best nature of Magic: to live fast and go all in ❤

[@j453]

Sorry for your loss friend

[@fedi1206]

Sorry for your loss man, may he rest in peace 🙏

[@caiubibarros6969]

No man... You made me cry.

[@maxw.2579]

"Never flinch. Never falter. Never fear." Flavortext of Fling

[@TheHive616]

Never fear... Just fling!

[@egg1645]

OMG I LOVE FLING

[@ziwuri]

something tells me goblins are involved

[@Holzfrevler]

"Life happens in the Redzone and death is the byproduct of time well spent." This stuff goes way beyong magic

[@Aluren00]

This one phrase blew my mind

[@cashclam1126]

I swear. Rhystic Studies and Jon Bois release banger videos that just suddenly have an amazing quote

[@ComradeAlpharius]

I've got tears in my eyes from that.

[@Mark-xs9wd]

Genuinely one of the hardest hitting quotes I’ve heard.

[@nvrumi]

This is my first time to this channel. However, I'll stick around just because RS is literate, his pace is perfect, and his material is articulate. Great quote.

[@Hummeldon]

Your ability to interweave "unrelated" stories into the topic you are covering is unparalleled. I have never played Magic. I've only ever seen one Magic card in person, it was sitting under my cousins bed and I vaguely remember flames in the artwork and nothing more. But experiencing the stories of this community through your videos is something special and I'm always excited to learn. I aspire to tell stories the way you do.

[@christopherlundgren1700]

I'm not sure how you got here, but welcome!

[@krekire4152]

We hsve to know what fire art card this was.

[@TheKnightguard1]

Literally subbed for this comment. You had no other reason to be on this video than a passion for storytelling as you've fleshed out, and I think there might be a kindred spirit there. I admire the things you admire.

[@GrayVMhan]

I was like you a couple of years ago, now I have around 3k magic cards and this channel plus Magic Arena is to blame Edit: I built a whole deck around auras just cause the Rancor video got my all hyped about Rancor, still one of the best flavour texts ever

[@GoodMorningMagic]

This post made me smile so wide. Magic might be one tiny corner of the universe, but the art of storytelling is universal.

[@Chill_Rogue]

My first pauper tournament I went against an infamous mono red player at our LGS. I asked him what his deck was called and he said one word to me that I will never forget. "Fast."

[@Chill_Rogue]

The game did in fact end fast

[@switchp8286]

Sounds like me, but it's more like "F A S T"

[@ELFudgeOreos]

For those who say playing mono red doesn't require a brain, the backstory of it being created because of a linear algebra class is vindicating.

[@mofire5674]

Sometimes you need a complex analysis to find the path of least resistance.

[@aceundead4750]

Monored was my first deck, knowing nothing about synergy in MTG it was just random red cards of my buddy's that i liked the look of. Now my monored decks either follow the burn strategy, or attempting non-red things in red (like making copies whilst building up counters)

[@ELFudgeOreos]

@@aceundead4750 I've been thinking of like mono red etb tribal. No decklist at all but it's been bouncing around in my head for weeks

[@logannyf]

Linear algebra is one of the easiest math classes

[@SwiftrunnerXXY]

On the receiving end, a red deck looks straightforward and simple. On the RECEIVING end. If you're on the other side of the table, piloting it well is anything but, let alone putting it together.

[@duskmantle2562]

"Just send it." The motto of every RDW player, every skateboarder, every Zerg-rusher, and every punk-rocker. Great work as always, Sam.

[@mighty6087]

Starcraft

[@hidood5th]

Also Tetris 99.

[@jurgenmeyer7602]

I'm more or less all of those things xD

[@jpmaglonzo9964]

Enduro/downhill riders

[@brunop.8745]

Also known as "F--k it, we ball"

[@bh-w2297]

"9 fancy lands and 3 wordy creatures with dice on top of them" is an incredible line!!

[@jainabraina]

"Basic mountains entering the battlefield tapped" is a beautifully poetic way to express the ethos of this archetype. Bravo.

[@xero1134]

It's amazing to know that the concept of a mana curve came from the color and deck type that was designed to run near the bare minimum of what we could call a "curve"

[@MrTheWanz]

1-2-3 baby thats all i need les gooooooooooooo

[@FlyingDominion]

That's where the curve is most critical. Past that it might as well be a slope. Red brought calculus into what was the domain of algebra.

[@cookiebombcasualemail5284]

it's less of a curve and more of a handicap ramp because that's all we need babey

[@thecookiemeister5374]

Who better to know the curve than the one who rides its edge?

[@gg1223lol]

Actually having chills for that Hazoret missplay The heartbreak of seeing the finish line but not noticing the small obstacle on the way and tripping over it is an integral part of the learning experience of playing RDW

[@ОлегКостенко-з9б]

I almost cried out "NOOOO" at 4 in the morning

[@Verlisify]

"The theoretical Red Deck with 40 Lightningbolts and 20 Mountains wins in 4 turns" "Sock full of pennies" "Lands entering tapped" So many banger lines

[@daplague7282]

"A bunch of basic mountains and a grip full of fire" is also solid

[@PsychoDiesel48]

100% This os why I love aggro. Gruul is my favorite for a reason. Love big creatures and fast mana.

[@Diana-tx2iz]

I think the line "The aptly-named Glorybringer that Darby peeled off of the top of his library" might be responsible for getting me into Magic

[@IslandPonder]

“Life happens in the red zone and death is a byproduct of time well spent.”

[@sablesalt]

"Base liquids" has got to be my favorite line from you

[@CHEFPKR]

What I enjoy about Mono red the most is the risk versus reward in its play style. Either you burn bright and light everything up or you go out swinging. It's the best.

[@InsolentCrow]

CHEFPK only has enough time out of the kitchen to play Red.

[@thomasfox0]

Ive been playing Burn since i was a child. I love the deck a ton, in all its iterations. It has some great advantages that are not known outside of the actual gameplay. First, your matches are usually quick. The best part of this is that you get time between rounds to chill or breathe. I cant say the same for Control (i will NEVER do control again in SCG major events). Second is mentioned here, pricetag. barrier of entry is VERY low. Lastly, low salt level. Either you win or lose and its quick. no swinging for an hour only for nothing to happen. I do hate when people say "BurN iS fOR simPLe PlaYeRs". its not. the plays are complicated and your timing has to be perfect. too late and you lose, too soon and you will lose. the mirror match is very enjoyable (control mirror makes me wanna gouge my eyes out). All around burn/rdw is amazing. everyone should play it.

[@BeCurieUs]

In a lot of ways, mono red lives the life mono black is themed to be.

[@itsacopy]

That's why Last-ditch effort is the red card that summons best the way of the RDW in one single flavor text. "If you're gonna lose, at least make sure they don't win as much."

[@shaetane]

i love it cuz it really speeds up games. Whether you win or die (usually first), you'll always have taken a hefty chunk out of the life of everyone around the table, including yourself, it's a great deck to bring to play with my very durdley friends. And staring at your hand mathing out whether you can make enough mana to kill the entire table in one turn is always exciting, I particularly love Neheb the eternal in commander for that.

[@jaydenyamada2916]

"You Char to the face and knock the top of your deck, that's the play." Amazing work as always.

[@zingyllama4730]

-izard

[@traviswilson36]

Cringe

[@styfen]

I was part of the group who built that 2000 English Championship deck. It was created at Hampton Court Palace the very night before the English Nationals. Dan had sat down in the servant quarter's kitchen with John, myself and several others. Dan in particular was at a complete loss of what to play because he did not like Counter-Rebels as an archtype. So he plumped to play through John's "mad science" box of deck ideas. When Dan asked about one deck, John called it "just a stupid red deck he threw together". Dan gave it a try and by the end of the first game, someone asked from another table "who won?" and someone else simply stated "Red Deck Wins". The deck went against another deck and won, again the phrase "Red Deck Wins" was uttered. After the third game this phrase became a mantra that we were all calling out with a mixture of surprise and delight. Dan decided to refine and pilot the deck for the English Nationals, and as a Welsh national who was already qualified I built a second copy of the deck for someone else to pilot. That deck I loaned made it all the way to the finals, losing to a Counter-Rebels deck also built with my cards. It was defeated because the Counter-Rebels deck had multiple Circle of Protection:Red which I had put in the sideboard after very firm requests from the deck's pilot player (due to their concerns over the RDW/Counter-Rebel match up). Great times.

[@aiden1988]

Damn. This is really cool : ) Thanks for bothering to type all this out

[@samditto]

Turn one: draw, play no lands, discard Iona, Shield of Emeria Turn two: play swamp, cast reanimate, Iona, Shield of Emeria enters then you choose red. My only loss when i played burn

[@AlleonoriCat]

That's just a clean gg, nothing but respect for that play.

[@LinkEX]

Interestingly, these very early knockouts are something you can't get with RDW. Despite probably being the quickest deck on average.

[@Booklat1]

@@LinkEX can always use swiftspear and blazing shoal in monored decks lol

[@AncientTyrant]

Nah: P1 Turn 1: Mountain, Grim Lavamancer P2 Turn 1: Island, Ponder, pass P1 Turn 2: Attack w/ Grim Lavamancer, P2 at 19 life. Mountain, pass. P2 casts Entomb, fetching Iona, Shield of Emeria P2 Turn 2: Swamp, Reanimate targeting Iona - P1 casts Lightning Bolt x2 + Fireblast. P2 dies to his own Reanimate.

[@KFin1337]

@@AncientTyrant they always have force

[@tdimensional6733]

I love the line "A hasty dragon dropping in from the topdeck". It makes it sound like Glorybringer is body pressing you off the top ropes and that's hilarious to me

[@EthanEvans-nx7dn]

"... And here comes Glorybringer with the steel chair!"

[@Kaleidoscope2412]

No colour has continued to epitomise the character that was laid out for it in the foundation of the game. Red is passion and energy; those that play mono red are much the same. Another wonderful video.

[@Doodle_Dud]

That and struggle to afford other modern decks. By no means knocking mono red, I love me some prowess burn :)

[@hectorloza5234]

Ironically after getting your Lightning Bolt video some odd months ago in my recommended, I got completely swept with every single one of your videos, from your showcases of the talented artists in Magic, the gameplay analysis and card theory, to a video that's so simple as looking at the frame that adorns the card. I've played Yugioh for almost 20 years and have been obsessed with cardboard and the game that goes with it, and have always wanted to watch something more entertaining and analytical; the algorithm tossing your videos my way brought me into a game that's now becoming my favorite. It so hard to describe how much I enjoy watching your videos, but its literally like a new episode of my favorite show dropped and when I get home it becomes an event. Thank you so much for sharing your your work, and putting so much effort into it, we love it and you alike.

[@RhysticStudies]

i'm saving this comment. thanks so much. i really appreciate it.

[@clayvision]

@@RhysticStudies just want to say as a former grinder and aggro/burn specialist, this video made my heart so happy

[@arenkai]

God I miss live coverage... Imagine all the crazy plays and neat decks we're missing !

[@joe.5103]

It’s a hallmark of the game. Without it MTG doesn’t feel the same unfortunately.

[@TMOSP1]

12:00 had me jump out of my seat with excitement when I caught what happened. Can't destroy two of your own lands with a tapped Wasteland. God, that play was sick.

[@chaotemagick3]

I do not miss the abysmal camera work for live coverage. Unless you knew every card to the T you have no idea what's happening

[@joshturner9443]

@@TMOSP1 Oh man thank you for explaining, I figured there was something smart going on but I had no idea what

[@arenkai]

@@chaotemagick3 I'll take that over no coverage at all.

[@joachim160664]

The interesting thing about aggro, is that while the gameplan is simplistic, there are some big decisions to be made, that are VERY make or break. Sometimes you gotta hold an attack even though you really wanna go all-in.

[@ThelastProdigy]

Some of the most difficult games are usually against other aggro decks

[@owenheller378]

Red: All In Green: Go Big or Go Home White: Strength In Numbers Black: Sacrifices Must Be Made Blue: There's Always a Chance

[@traviswilson36]

You forgot one; Magic players: let's blow all our money on a useless hobby!

[@thefastestlink5637]

@@traviswilson36 let people like what they like. There’s no need to berate others for playing a game that to you is stupid, but for them is a hobby.

[@J3Puffin]

@@traviswilson36 what’s your hobby, then?

[@traviswilson36]

@@J3Puffin your mom

[@Foxpawed]

Correction; Black: Greatness At Any Cost.

[@Interesting_Failure]

I always liked how the razor's edge of viability that red aggro constantly rides was proved so thin when Ramunap Ruins, a card that looks completely stupid from every other perspective (five mana, sac a land, deal 2 damage? I'm paying 1 life for my colored mana so I can get extra Ember Shots?) tips it over the side into a level of brutality that breaks the format in half.

[@Xenothios]

Leave it to Mono-R to beat the opponent to death with their own severed limb when their weapon gets knocked out of their hands

[@tinfoilslacks3750]

Critical Mass baby!!

[@egoalter1276]

Its useless outside of standard. Mana is the locus minoris for RDW. You can count on a total of 7-10 mana a game if you are aiming for a turn four win. Taplands are a nonstarter. Ramunap is a midrange deck in an eternal context. Limited just tends to be that much slower. Now sac a land, 2 damage to target opponent on your lands would be busted in eternal. An extra 4-6 damage to face for free is enough to push it over the edge.

[@sarosu9999]

My favorite magic deck I've ever played with I call "24-bolt". 4 copies of every lightning bolt variant I can fit into a deck, a few wizards and discard outlets to enable them, and 17 mountains. Games with that deck are always short, but never boring, and I love every minute.

[@LinkEX]

"Games with that deck are always short, but never boring." Do your opponents agree with that notion? Lol.

[@pnyhmsmx]

@@LinkEX they have fond memories. They simply call it PTSD

[@ich3730]

if just turning mountains sideways and playing 1-3 random cards from your hand is "not boring" for you then we have very different views on fun

[@cashclam1126]

I need that list bro sounds sick

[@ToxicAtom]

@@ich3730: "Magic is a lot more fun when I just draw, play a land, and then watch my opponent do stuff. When I get to 3 Islands I can start actually doing stuff." Me: "Swiftspear, Shock, Skewer the Critics, punch for 3?"

[@thedeadmeme7877]

always remember "life points are a resource" and "the only point that matters is the last"

[@UrAvgDMG]

Your life total can make you lose, but your opponents life total can make you win

[@robbylava]

You hear that? That's the sound of control players everywhere hissing and making the sign of the cross

[@TheDisquietingNight]

Which is fitting choice of response, since one of their colors is white, color for both clerics and (some) vampires

[@TheMartianBotanist]

Control player here, one of your ilk once Skullcracked me for lethal in response to a Sphinx's Revelation x=10 and I'm still in therapy about it.

[@heronator]

@@TheMartianBotanist You deserved it.

[@ToxicAtom]

@@TheMartianBotanist _"The lawmage's argument was clever and well reasoned, but Blunk's response proved irrefutable."_

[@DemonchefSakoto]

Bro I’d take getting my ass wrecked by the tony hawk pro skater deck over another 600 phrexian or eldrazi deck.

[@meatwad7133]

This man legit created one of the core fundamentals of all Tcgs, holy shit his importance reaches far beyond magic the gathering, and not many people even know his name.. Great video !

[@WereInHell]

Great video plus love to see the PUP love. I’m seeing them on the 15th and it’s gonna be my first mosh pit in 2 years. Gonna get so many bruises 🥲

[@RoofTopRenegade]

I saw them in colorado 2 weeks ago! first shows for me post panini and it couldnt have been better

[@jcpoly3205]

I saw them in chicago! it was an absolute blast, you’re gonna have an awesome time

[@Smilotron95]

Good to see you in the comments of a magic video! Didn't know you were a fan. Their set was nothing but bangers when I saw them last month.

[@davidv9286]

Had an amazing time in the pit when they played in LA a few weeks ago.

[@connorthorud631]

Oh man, have a blast! They were the very last show I saw before the pandemic.

[@Siiromo]

The use of PUP as a musical through line in this video is going underappreciated and I can't believe how I had never made the conscious connection with their style and the all-in nature of aggressive strategies. Phenomenal video.

[@christopherlundgren1700]

I remember when I was first introduced to the concept of the "Sligh" deck, as I recall, back in an issue of The Duelist. I believe the article was titled "Thrash With Trash". Since the deck was full of attainable low-cost cards, I tried it out and immediately started obliterating my friends. It definitely changed the way I saw the game. RDW is not my favorite archetype, but I respect the hell out of it. There was a time when an early "Lightning Bolt you" was a sign that you were against a player that was new to the game; now, it's a terrifying declaration that you're already dead.

[@joshturner9443]

There's an equivalent in hearthstone too, miracle rogue type decks are often combo/burn style decks, and there's a joke that when a rogue Hero Powers on turn 2 and hits you in the face to deal 1 damage, they're either a new player or a very good player.

[@SeleenShadowpaw]

@@joshturner9443 you wouldn't believe how often that turn two dagger actually got me the win in the end, it's almost absurdly hillarious how much 1 damage so early can decide so much.

[@cormoranoimperatore8413]

@@joshturner9443 I haven’t played hearthstone in a while but the old miracle rogue with the arcane giants was my favorite deck, incredibly fun. Last time I saw a standard miracle deck it just looked like aggro though. I say red deck wins looks more like a pirate warrior.

[@basabromander2778]

Still remember seeing that glorybringer topdeck for the first time. I had just started watching magic competitions, and that moment made my jaw drop. Last game, last round, last life point, last card. Absolutely incredible. Only wish we could've seen their faces at the exact moment he drew and played it.

[@shayneweyker]

Another iconic quote from Dave Price was "There are no wrong threats, only wrong answers". While a good rule of thumb, even he realized it's not true when a dominant combo deck is just faster (he played Stasis vs. Jar combo) or midrange is too popular.

[@claytonnewlon3747]

I mean, that’s exactly why it’s true, right? Jar was the right threat, there just weren’t any “right answers” to it in the format.

[@CyreniTheMage]

Memory Jar? Or something else?

[@shayneweyker]

@@CyreniTheMage Yes, Memory Jar. Just before it got banned in Extended

[@chucklemaster9809]

In my experience, Red aggro is frequently criticised as "mindless" or even "braindead", but I think it's more about where the thought takes place. My red aggro decks require a lot of forethought in their design and construction, so that when I play them, I don't **need** to think. I did all my thinking before I got to the table so that the fire and lightning can do the rest.

[@pnyhmsmx]

Yeah, preparation before combat. Tactics and strategy are concepts that people misuse too. Even if Red's strategy is simple, knowing what are the best tactics according to the meta and deck you play against aren't always easy to make.

[@matthewradabaugh1635]

Oh yeah. Me and my burn friend have spent countless hours debating one land slot and one spell slot.

[@wizardsmix7961]

You guys do realize that every other deck also does this, except to an even greater extent. In comparison to all these other decks it’s still brainless lmfao.

[@oORoOFLOo]

that's with every deck tho...

[@jackstrawFW]

Exactly!

[@kylegonewild]

Red Deck Wins is the great equalizer. Even when it's not a top-tier deck, it's sitting there in the wings just waiting for that next piece of fuel to stoke the fires once again.

[@Xenothios]

It's the check that keeps combo and control decks from getting too out of hand. If your deck can't get on its feet by around turn 4, it's not gonna last long in the meta even if it's currently winning games because eventually the aggro decks will crawl out of the woodwork and take advantage of that space.

[@dontmisunderstand6041]

@@Xenothios It's the opposite. Combo, control, and midrange are only ever viable when RDW isn't. It's an existence that forces power creep, because RDW is either a tier 0 deck or a tier 2 deck. In concept alone, it's impossible for it to be equally strong as a non-aggro strategy, because paradoxically that means its win rate would match hypergeometric calculations precisely. If it is *as* strong as other good decks, it can only lose to the inherent luck within card draws. Its strategy is to end the game before the opponent gets to play. At its worst, it's everything wrong with Yugioh, but with zero possible counterplay. And at its best, it's a noninteractive waste of time. Aggro decks are not a check that keeps control from getting out of hand. It's the reason they get out of hand in the first place.

[@egoalter1276]

I feel some trauma here. Aggro is the baseline. It is against which all meta is defined. It is the base mode of play. In its purest form, it is a hurdle to clear for any other strategy ro be viable, and in its optimal form it is closer to poker than a tcg. Much more based on mindgames then lomg complex interactions.

[@dontmisunderstand6041]

@@egoalter1276 As someone quite good at poker... you're wrong about that comparison. Aggro is the only style of deck that doesn't play like poker.

[@kylegonewild]

@@dontmisunderstand6041 Aggro already has a playing card game equivalent in Speed and similar shedding games.

[@tehlime]

I knew almost nothing about Magic the Gathering (aside from the fact that boys I went to grade school with loved it) before I found your channel about a year ago, and I absolutely love hearing you explain the nuances of card designs, decks, games, etc - you craft your videos extraordinary well, and it’s genuinely exciting to learn more about Magic through your work!

[@Floodle9358]

As a resident mono-red warrior, I started tearing up a bit at the end. I love your videos, they are great and I’d say this is the first time the video subject was about a deck that I play. My RDW journey started in Amonkhet block when I first learned to play Magic, seeing the Ramunap Red decks played at the pro tour I just had to build it myself. Eventually I built a cheap version of the deck with cards that I thought were fun and good. But that dinky deck paid for its self in winnings at my LGS. Once I had gotten the turn 4 kills I was hooked for life! Now, I’ve gotten to #1 mythic on arena playing Red Deck Wins. I was jamming out to some punk rock, and when I got to the top I piped out of my chair and celebrated. This video has captured that feeling exactly. Of style and fun and flamboyance that goes in to it all! Absolutely wonderful video! Probably my favorite yet due to the personal connection I feel to RDW! Can’t wait for many more videos from you in the future!

[@ThomasCann]

Haha, same! Somehow my eyes were all glossy when he stuck the landing.

[@leClyks]

@@ThomasCann I feel you

[@somefishhere]

He connects with the vibe

[@ontil68]

The beginning is the same bud! 👏

[@theprojectdaemon]

I'm the kind of person who plays just about every style of deck, I'll give anything and everything a shot, but nothing is more consistent to me in every format than RDW; the one deck that I will always build, the one deck I will always play, the one deck that has me doing what, on the surface, looks like the most straightforward, simplistic plays, while doing turns and turns worth of math in my head.

[@TheKingNaesala]

This episode hit me right in the guts. You make RDW feel punk as hell. I've dropped the game over shitty business practices in the past few years but man if hearing about the badassness doesn't make me want to swing by the boxes of cheap cards at my LGS and slam together a RDW to play with friends.

[@pnyhmsmx]

If you've got friends, might as well play with them. Just don't buy sealed since Wizards makes money selling sealed products to distributors and stores unless it's direct to the customers like Secret Lairs or digital micro transactions on Arena.

[@TheIronRegalia]

Sam, this is by far my favorite video you have put out. I watch it all the time, especially when I am feeling down or discouraged. It helps remind me of my roots in magic, my first deck being a terrible mono red aggro, but it also reminds me of who I am as a person. My ambitions, that fire I have inside me to accomplish my goals and dreams, that spark of creativity. Thank you for taking the time to make this beautiful homage for those red mages everywhere, to keep our proverbial mountains “entering the battlefield tapped”. Cheers, to many more inspiring videos.

[@ExhaustedElox]

Oh God, that Hazoret misplay is so crushing.

[@_jase]

I'm so glad you included jaws epic Ollie in describing red decks because it is excaltly like that

[@radical_ans]

Imagine being the random person on the walkway looking over as he lands the 25 step ollie. Witnessing a feat of athletic greatness as you walk to the store or something.

[@ThorsShadow]

As a control player, I despise RDW, but am utterly fascinated by good RDW players. It's often very annoying, when you know you're facing a bad RDW player (doesn't bait counters, doesn't play around board wipes, doesn't use their burn to remove serious threads etc.) and they still win because RDW sometimes is just "random bullshit go!"... And then you play against someone actually proficient with the archetype and they actually challenge you. It's lovely.

[@adbirk19]

The nostalgia is fucking real with this one. I remember watching live like half of these matches in my teenage years. It brings back the whole meta-game of the time, pros I'm now big fans of first being seen. Whole thing was a trip.

[@MrDfrose]

When I'm playing my mono-red aggro deck on mtg arena and i lose a match in a frustrating way, I always come back to 19:39 and it helps me reaffirm my chosen path. Great video

[@Mr_Myst13]

I love every single second of this... It reminded me of my love for the simplistic yet intense strategy of red deck wins, and just what red as a color in Magic is for me in general... Keep up the good work, as always!!!

[@szadec2375]

That dude being so excited for his son is the best shit on the internet hands down

[@Gothstana]

7 years later and Aaron Homoki's Lyon 25 ollie still sends chills down my spine. What an absolute freak, love it.

[@Lava_Spike]

What a wonderful trip down memory lane! One of the earliest and memorable things about Red Deck Wins when I started playing Magic was an old article by Mike Flores for Star City Games called "The Philosophy of Fire". It talks about the calculus of trading cards for life to hopefully win. It made such an impression on me that I still refer to it to this day. So thanks again for the video!

[@Dom9606]

one of the decks I first properly built and optimised was a mono red burn deck, still very proud of it

[@marcmothersole8265]

Same, that’s why it will always be my favourite archetype :)

[@Fenzle]

Same, as a kid I dunno why but glass canons are really attractive. Same with kamikaze.

[@drudeger]

I find myself coming back to this video quite a bit, it's one of my favorite video essays on youtube. your writing style and way with words can't be overstated, this video has so many good quotes. and your storytelling abilities really just bring it all together. idk I just really love your work. also this video made me want to play mono-red aggro if I ever decide to get back into playing the game again haha.

[@miguelitomarques8]

I play red aggro 90% of the time. The other 10% is aggro rakdos. Even my red dragon deck is built on haste and damage by casting. My friends call me "Chandra's husband" lol

[@starmanda88]

Love that nickname!

[@underscore_5450]

Aggro Rakdos so much fun

[@Millus1987]

Rakdos Cackler and Foundry Street Denizen are two of my favorite creatures. So many good memories of do or die moments playing with friends at the university.

[@matterhorn731]

Great video! My favorite moment piloting a red deck was back in 2018. I was pretty new to FNM and my blue-white control opponent was one of the best players at the shop. I'd gotten him low, but he'd just slammed a sideboard Lyra Dawnbringer, hoping to stabilize off her lifelink. I did the math. I could kill him, but not if he gained 5, and I did need to attack... So I swung with everything _except_ one Fanatical Firebrand. He blocked my Viashino Pyromancer. Before damage, I sacced the Firebrand to kill my own Pyromancer. No blocked Pyromancer, no 5 points lifelink, and the rest of my board has lethal!

[@jari5790]

Beautiful line, you love to see it

[@jacobl1139]

This video is one of the few pieces of media that make me emotional and over come with tears. Not only is this a well crafted video about the style of decks I play the most, but a tribute to wearing your heart on your sleeve and giving it your all. God bless you, Sam

[@clevestinson7996]

Love this video, love the concept of rdw, love how you incorporated the story of jaws vs the Lyon 25. There is a picture of what his trucks looked like after the impact online somewhere. It’s amazing he rolled away, he bent both axles completely out of alignment

[@aaronm.885]

Another benefit to playing Red or specifically burn/aggro is time. You’re done like 30 minutes before everyone else. You have that time to use the bathroom, get water, breathe; it’s more important than you think. Imagine playing control for 70 minutes and having to go immediately to the next round before you can even reset your sideboard.

[@lightspiritz]

All cozied up in my blanket time for another great vid, thanks Sam!

[@Graxil]

I keep coming back to this vid. I started playing magic back in middle school at around 2011. A few friends played with some older dudes they met and it looked awesome, and those guys were also super welcoming and we became a considerably large group of players getting more and more people to try it out I’ve always been a red player, even if mixed with other colors. I recently got back into it on MTGA and in just 2 weeks I went from the lowest rank to mythic playing my own version of Red Deck Wins from the ground up. I had to learn a lot of new cards but it feels so good to have finally made it! Thank you so much for the video

[@monterraythehomeless]

I can't think of another channel where I'm immediately genuinely ecstatic EVERY time I see new content. Don't think you could make a bad video if you tried.

[@Martini_1911]

As a long time lover of RDW style decks, this video really spoke to me. Honestly what I love most about red decks is trying to pilot them optimally, finding the line that maximizes your damage each turn, and so many victories are won when your opponent is on the cusp of stabilizing.

[@BebehCookieIcecream]

PUP, Jaws, amazing pro play moments, wonderful writing, seamless editing. Rhystic Studies.

[@SKo.4882]

I doubt you’ll see this, but I love this video. The style, the comparison between different stories, and the beautiful music. I love this video!

[@LinkmasterZable]

Sam, this expresses everything I love about my chosen play style in words I've never thought of. Thank you

[@thedirtbagstash]

This video has actually made a huge positive impact on my life. I am an outdoor endurance athelete, as well as a long time red mage in mtg. Since finding this video a year ago, I have regularly applied more and more of the philosophy here to my sports, games, and life. "Life happens in the redzone and death is the byproduct of time well spent" is the mantra I've used when dropping into a highly technical ski mountaineering line, or fully commiting to the movement in a climb where a fall could mean death, and when deciding to send a lightning bolt to the face. Thank you for this video.

[@project_swift]

My god this was a brilliant video. Got me all teary and emotional. Well played Rhystic Studies, well played.

[@hosersupreme]

This - so much this

[@Murdrad]

I feel drawn to the red deck not for the rock and roll attraction, but for the math. High efficiency. Low drag. All the thinking is frontload into deck building, so you can just blast at the table.

[@metalblizzard6024]

When Eidolon dropped, I built mono red for standard and modern, and after 1-week I said this card is a bomb and bought 100 of them. Best random investment of my life lol.

[@pnyhmsmx]

Did you sell the extras?

[@metalblizzard6024]

​@pnyhmsmx I kept 8, for two decks and sold the rest. I only actually bought 88. But I did make a good chunk of change I sued to fund modern junk

[@zeearrgunn]

It's bewildering just how emotional I am feeling after watching this. Thank you. THANK. YOU.

[@williamchristensen7354]

"It started with a daydream." What a hell of an opening line!

[@blade6321]

"Who says you have to be at fenway to watch the fireworks?" I came here to escape from my beloved Sox's abysmal start to the season, how could you! This video reminds me of King Felix. It was a different era of baseball then, when you could throw 110-120 pitches as a starting pitcher. I think it's healthier for the game, but there's something beautiful about that commitment and recklessness.

[@jari5790]

I got into bouldering and playing rdw around roughly the same time. Ever since that I'd always compare the two. The single minded drive to reach your goals, no matter what obstacles you face. Obvious aesthetic similarities aside, the feeling I get when I reach the top of a problem is the same as the feeling of a lethal lightning bolt at judt the right time

[@CanBamBoo]

I remember everyone talking about the PT hour of devastation. 5 years later it still hurts to watch.

[@captainchaos5705]

Red Deck Wins is a deck I have an odd relationship with. I'm a control player at heart, and maaaan does it hurt to play against RDW. But it's not the unga bunga caveman deck a lot of people assume it is. There's a lot of math involved and there's strategy in when to use what abilities. It's not a deck I care to play, but I respect those who do

[@pnyhmsmx]

One of the most effective ways to play red is to weaponize blue magic philosophy against the blue mage. Abusing the effectives of the stack versus commitment to the board state. Burn spells nullify the blue mages tools that happen to be : bounce spells, tap spells, stat/ability modifiers, creatures only good for blocking. Blue mages also hate when you use abilities to replace actions performed by spells, i.e. Barbarian Ring dealing shock damage.

[@captainchaos5705]

Ironically my favorite deck of all time is burn's old cousin storm. I don't wanna play 7 bolts, I wanna play 20 grapeshots

[@egoalter1276]

In my experience RDW is the gameplan that plays most lime a traditional trick taking cardgame, like bridge. You have a short gameplan, and so a small number of game peices, most of them known in advance. Your mode of intefaction is simple, mostly direct damage, either to board or face, and your primary resource is cards in hand. And you have to abuse information assymetry, and your occasional "trump" card, be those combat tricks, or highly cost efficient and versatile direct damage removal, or treason effects. Essentially you look at your starting seven, and work out whats the most damage you can wrangle out of them in 4 turns, whilst maintaining potential cou terplay in hand up for as long as possible. Sometimes you deliberately miss out on a play to bait out counterplay. Its a suprisingly deterministic way of playi g a game thats usually very random.

[@johnsanko4136]

I fell in love with Red Deck Wins when everyone else was playing clunky decks that needed time to produce combos, and just couldn't deal with a deck continually punching them in the face. It seems simple, just counting to 20 as fast as you can, but the nuance comes into learning the best ways to actually do damage, and where to throw your spells. Since I started in 1996 I have played every combination of colors in magic imaginable, but mono-red is my first love, that old flame in my heart that never extinguished.

[@ReplayStation]

One of my favorite decks is a huge cheap mono red glass cannon. A bunch of hasty 1/1s and Cavalcade of Calamity and either Torbran or Chandra's Spitfire as finishers. It's a dumb, but effective and only costs like $12 in paper.

[@loungegod]

Yo, thanks for this video. It means a lot to me. Like a lot. It has permanently altered my brain and how I think about things, it got me genuinely interested in Magic, and it introduced me to PUP. I don't think I'd still be here if it wasn't for this video.

[@motw_ru]

This ending is unbelievably good. Sam’s storytelling definitely got better with time. What a live letter to magic.

[@matthewgagnon9426]

Mono-Red being on the field keeps people honest. If decks get too durdly and can't handle pressure before turn 3 then the games are going to slow way the hell down.

[@runic6668]

It's brilliant, I've watched this video like 20 times, has genuinely made me wanna build burn in modern and legacy

[@AIMLESS-NAMELESS]

Throw your self into the things you love and even if you get hurt it will be worth it

[@SilverAlex92]

"...He looks at Hazoret, asking what would him do... He turns siedways and attack". Probably my favorite momment of the entire video. Both heartwarning and heartbreaking how the kid found the winning lining, trusting everything on hazoret, cardinal god of mono red players, and it payed off. Except that he missed the executionand ended up loosing. It emcapsulates everything about Red Deck Wins. Its high risk high reward plays, its phyolosphy of always being on the offensive, and how despite how simplistictic it looks, its actually a surprisignly deep and nuanced archetype, full of choices that often look very simple (do I bolt the blocker or face?), but making a single mistake can totally cost you the game. Thats the power of red deck wins. Its fast, its cheap, its powerful, execute it perfectly and your opponent will die before they even get to the lategame, but miss a single step and it will punish equally hard if not harder than your opponent.

[@Pighway]

This is probably the video I've watched the most in the last year.

[@SuperToastytoast]

The parallel storytelling is phenomenal

[@backgroundcharacter7987]

In 2010 I was getting back into Magic and played a draft where I got a Primeval Titan which netted me a Red Deck Wins deck with Devastating Summons, after a few sets where I replaced some cards (and borrowed fetchlands) I entered the National Qualifier Tournament in my (arguably but not really) small town, managed to win an invite to my country's National Championship and traveled all the way to the capital where the tournament was held with my friends, to this day that is one of my most cherished memories not just MtG related but in all my life (sad as it may sound). So yes, RDW will always have a special place in my heart.

[@theokchannel2081]

Love the work that you do man!, Also love Red and for vorthos reasons I started building a red deck for pioneer a couple of months ago but with the meta changing and my inner contrarian, the red in me, begs to go against the grain and be free to do what I like rather than what...wins

[@simplistic_1]

This video is a triumph, as Sam's videos invariably are. But this one warms my heart especially - my love for the art of turning mountains sideways and throwing bolts runs deep.

[@GoodMorningMagic]

A delightful watch. Nostalgia, truth, and history all in one video. Keep it up, Sam. Great stuff. :)

[@ToxicAtom]

Gavin? What are you doing all the way down here

[@rohan_christopher]

this video and Dear Gonti, Love Sophie are absolute masterpieces. gave me such intense chills. the Magic community is unfathomably fortunate to have someone making films of this caliber inspired by it

[@StoicDivinity]

been playing MTG since 2000 - Red Deck Wins is always a blast to pilot

[@janmelantu7490]

It’s fun to play and fun to play against. Nobody likes losing to a blue control deck. When you play against Red Deck Wins, even if you lose, you’re actually *playing magic*.

[@kereminde]

@@janmelantu7490 ... and then there is the evils of Izzet burn...

[@TuberTugger]

The big part of that Patrick/Ross game is that if Ross had not been greedy and just took the 2 from the vortex, he probably would have won. Price of progress only does 2 damage if Ross had wasteland open to destroy his own non-basic. Price of progress is a well known element which is why wasteland was open to begin with. But Patrick represents lethal after the 2 damage. He made it look like he was begging Ross to take the extra 2, then finish the job. So Ross fires off the destroy effect at the end of turn, opening himself up to Pat's ultimate line. It's a beautiful display of math and poker face. Representing what you want the opponent to fear, not what you have. I'm sure Ross replays that game loss over in his mind at least once a day.

[@vaporjester6523]

Ayo, that callback to the Bolt/ What Makes A Card Iconic video with the music selection when he started talking about the amount of turns it takes for a 40 Bolt deck to kill you was fire!

[@Whothefisalice]

I don't yet play a lot of red, but I can't tell you how many times I've watched jaws face down the stair set. This video was so good! Stubbornly throwing yourself at the problem until it works, very red.

[@gavcanflip]

The red deck was never my jam, but there's a poignant nostalgia for it now. What an incredible video Also, Dominic Di Tommaso, a parkour athlete with Team Farang, front-flipped Lyons a couple of years ago. Gnarly clip, highly recommend

[@davieduckett]

I have never watched a magic video that I would only be able to describe as beautiful. It left me almost teary eyed. Great job as always, I have been playing since 94, and you have the best MTG content from any source of media I have watched or read. I thought I was gonna just watch a video about burn decks and hopefully feel some nostalgia, but you have a gift that let me feel many different emotions. And I thank you for that, truly thanks in the most meaningful way possible from my heart, brain and the voice inside of what was once my inner child but is now the voice of reason, because one of us had to grow into the role of the adult.

[@murrowmench1565]

I ran stoke the flames in modern with a bunch of red creatures like Eidolon and Vexing Devil with goblin guide and monastery swiftspear. No one ever saw stoke the flames coming (which also avoided great revel damage)

[@srudd419]

Im 3 Minutes In and I already feel like this Video is made for me. The Pup track, sandlot, Jaws... I'm being show a mirror of myself. RDW was my first MTG deck, and it has been my favorite play style ever since. Sick Video.

[@spinakker14]

I'm more of an analytical and careful person, so when I started playing magic I thought I'd be a blue control player outsmarting and denying my opponent's every move, absolutely dominating the game until they give up. Then as I played more I realized that I have no patience for that and I want to go as aggressively and quickly as possible. Also, couldn't afford the expensive decks. My best moment was when I almost won a local competition with a sock full of pennies deck. I made one mistake, which is further proof that still a lot of math and thinking goes into a "dumb" deck.

[@pnyhmsmx]

When I first started playing the game, the color black got my attention for flavor and graveyard abuse. Then I eventually gravitated to blue for power and reminding me how Yu-Gi-Oh tempo works. But yeah blue being constantly pricy helped me gravitate to red. Helps that red has the option to damage the players without to commit permanents since blue has lots of options to affect the board state apart from counter spells.

[@spinakker14]

@@pnyhmsmx reminds me of a pro tour match during the ravnica-theros standard when a burn deck faced against a control deck, with relatively few creatures, really fascinating

[@destenwoodham9094]

This video takes me back to high school when my teacher said said often times it’s not the words but the emotions from a piece that makes it impactful. To me playing red in Magic regardless of the format has given me the same emotions of reading Fire and Ice by Robert Frost. Maybe that’s why I play red to this day.