Dragonstorm

skilla420 · Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 258

I know that dragonstorm has been around basically since the beginning of magic, but I was curious to know what a good one would look like in standard format.
So far, I know it consists of a combo with dragonstorm and the hellkite, but's thats really it. What else would be in it? What do you do the first 9 turns? How doesn't dragonstorm deal with counters?

There was one I heard of at my local FNM that everyone feared, but I was never able to see it in action.

gypsy · Joined: 15 Jun 2007 Posts: 904

how has it been around since the beginning of magic? you cast ritual cards like rite of flame and seething song to get mana and get the storm count up then play dragonstorm for 4 hellkites. you cant counter storm copies you have to have a counterspell for each copy

kfcman · Joined: 16 Sep 2006 Posts: 672

Ok. First off, the deck does not go off on turn 9. It uses "rituals" (defined as spells that make mana at a profit such as rite of flame and more recently manamorphose. The profit in manamorphose's case is drawing the extra card, but not actually turning a profit mana wise) to accerelate and play D-storm earlier than that. These rituals also pump the storm count. The deck beats counters because if they counterspell your D-storm, you still get all of its storm copies onto the stack so they have only countered 1 copy so you will most likely have 2 or 3 more on the stack waiting to resolve.

Decklists of late have been of the Gassy Knoll deck variety made by Patrick Chapin, Gabriel Nassif and Mark Herberholz for Worlds '07.

4 Lotus Bloom
4 Bogardan Hellkite
2 Pyromancer's Swath
3 Incinerate
4 Shock
4 Dragonstorm
4 Grapeshot
4 Rift Bolt
4 Rite of Flame
3 Tarfire
11 Snow-Covered Mountain
4 Fungal Reaches
4 Molten Slagheap
1 Saltcrusted Steppe
4 Spinerock Knoll

Sideboard:
4 Howling Mine
3 Pyrohemia
4 Sulfurous Blast
4 Ignite Memories

That list is the one used at Worlds '07.

However, i would suggest going to deckcheck.net going to the standard section and perusing the different storm decks. Many of the new versions do not use Dragonstorm and go for just the Pyromancer's Swath + Grapeshot or Ignite Memories win. Using rite of flame and manamorphose + cheap burn spells + spinerock knoll to win.

It's a fun deck to play, have fun tinkering.

coolcreep: I rofl'd too, for about five minutes, before i could write this post.

ILikeBananas · Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 157

It hasn't been around since beginning of magic. When it was printed first is scourge, there were no hellkites to combo it with.

It goes off typically on turn 4 or 5. Original build contains basic package of lotus bloom, rite of flame, seething song, dragonstorm, hellkites + 1-2 hunted dragons.It splashed blue for gigadrowse and cantrips to dig for combo. It also has the TS storage land to help with building mana on the first couple turns.

After the loss of gigadrowse and seething song after rav and 9th rotated out, the deck isn't that good. New dragonstorm uses the red hideaway land and burn spells to do 7 damage and activate the land for dragonstorm hopefully. The burn spells act as both storm builder and activate the land.

Vedrfolner · Joined: 04 Apr 2006 Posts: 1399

skilla420 · Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 258

PsyK · Joined: 24 Jan 2006 Posts: 129

Lol i remember when people first started talking about d-storm deck on the m-l irc, so many people were like "that deck sucks so much, play a real deck like solar flare"

PS the original dstorm deck was actually a blue deck that splashed red (and black sometimes) because to go off you only ever needed 1 red to start rituals, but to guarantee you get combo off you needed a lot of blue.

shawn0003 · Joined: 05 Sep 2004 Posts: 56

yea i remember this deck. never really had a problem against it in the past and i doubt it could be competetive right now with the lack of blue. you could throw it in the swath deck but i dont find it will add anything to the deck. it may even make it less consistent.

skilla420 · Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 258

What is the point of having snow-covered mountains in kfc man's decklist?

Malice · Joined: 02 Sep 2004 Posts: 81

I played Dragonstorm at regionals yesterday and missed top 8 by 1 win in the last round of swiss. I was 6-1 and a draw wouldnt have done it. The deck is hands down the most underrated deck in the format. I beat: GW Aggro, Faeries, Reveilark, MBC, some GWB aggro control deck and a mana ramp. I lost to merfolk over a bad draws and lost last round to a mono green elves that drew god hands both games. I used the list kyle sanchez made for Star city.

skilla420 · Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 258

was your deck similar to the one kfc man suggested, or better?

kfcman · Joined: 16 Sep 2006 Posts: 672

skilla420 · Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 258

I actually found the sanchez version, but I will check out deckcheck, thanks.

Orlandu · Joined: 25 Sep 2004 Posts: 195

You doubt it could be competitive without blue? Er you do realize that I think it was Finkel, Nassif, and Chapin being the only three playing it at worlds, and Nassif and Chapin both semifinals, with chapin ending up 2nd. It's not a bad deck.

Vedrfolner · Joined: 04 Apr 2006 Posts: 1399

storm combo decks punishes those decks who are not prepared for it, so as long as it is not "the best deck in the format" and it sneaks up from behind, it will do okay.