FNM deck, Help me Please!

[DarthFerret]

Ok, I just participated in my first FNM in over 4 years. It was 3 rounds for me, and i went 1-2 / 2-0 / 0-2 for a total 1-2 record. I played a monored deck that I have listed below. Please help me get it up to par for next Friday.

Btw....format is Type 2

Creatures:

2 - Shivan Dragon
4 - Viashino Sandstalker
3 - Lightning Elemental
1 - Two-Headed Dragon

Spells:

4 - Lightning Blast
2 - Shock
3 - Lava Spike
2 - Inferno
3 - Electrostatic Bolt
2 - Shatter
1 - Crushing Pain
1 - Yamabushi's Flame
1 - Blaze
1 - Furnace of Rath
1 - Desperate Ritual
1 - Incite War

I really want to keep the current L/D maybe up to 4 stone rains. I am going to put in 4 Fireballs somewhere now that I found out those are still legal. I want to get rid of the higer cc for some lower, but to replace inferno, I still need a non-targeting en masse direct damage spell.

Well, what do y'all think?

Edit: Here was my sideboard, which I did not need to use at all.

4 - Flashfires
4 - Shatterstorm
3 - Blood Moon
2 - Boil
2 - Shatter

As you can tell, I sideboarded mainly for Blue Control, White Weenie, and Mirrodin.

 

[Istanbul]

It's a good thing you didn't use your sideboard; Shatterstorm isn't in Standard, and you would have been disqualified if it was in your deck at any time.

I dislike 1's. I really dislike 1's a lot. 1's are for when you don't really care if you ever find the spell, and if that's the case, why play it?

First, let's get rid of your bad creatures.

-4 Viashino Sandstalker - An opponent with most any creature can block and kill it.
-3 Lightning Elemental - See above
-1 Two-Headed Dragon - You can do better
+3 Arc-Slogger - 4/5 body, comes equipped with free Shocks out the wazoo
+2 Shivan Dragon - If you're gonna play Shivan Dragon, play Shivan Dragon
+3 Ryusei, the Falling Star - Big beefy body that sweeps the ground if it dies

Now, let's get rid of your bad spells.

-4 Lightning Blast - Too inefficient for this format
-2 Shatter - Move to sideboard
-1 Crushing Pain - Useless
-1 Yamabushi's Flame - Not bad burn, but you can do better
-1 Furnace of Rath - Will usually help your opponent more than you
-1 Desperate Ritual - Useless
-1 Incite War - Useless
-1 Blaze - Replace with Fireball
-1 Electrostatic Bolt - With the loss of affinity, Shock is better
+2 Shock - For efficient burn
+4 Volcanic Hammer - 2 mana for 3 damage is good
+4 Magma Jet - 2 mana for 2 damage + scry is also good
+3 Fireball - Because with it in the format, Blaze is obsolete

And now, your sideboard.

-4 Shatterstorm - Can we say 'DQ'?
-2 Flashfires - 2 should be enough
+1 Shatter - Vedalken Shackles? Don't think so.
+3 Pyroclasm - For the inevitable weenie hordes
+1 Boil - Because blue is everywhere these days

By the way, I count only 32 spells. So we're going to put in 4x Extraplanar Lens for that mana boost we need.

So, here's your new deck.

4x Shivan Dragon
3x Arc-Slogger
3x Ryusei, the Falling Star

4x Shock
4x Volcanic Hammer
4x Magma Jet
3x Lava Spike
3x Fireball
2x Inferno
2x Electrostatic Bolt
4x Extraplanar Lens

Land:
2x Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep
22x Mountain

Sideboard:
3x Flashfires
3x Blood Moon
3x Boil
3x Shatter
3x Pyroclasm

Now go smash some face.

 

[jorael]

Now go smash some face.

I second that (and all the advice he gave).

I have my doubt however about the lava spikes. Without any splice and spiritcraft effects ("whenever you play a spirit or arcane spell...") they only do 3 damage, nice but not flexible or spectacular.

I'd add more mountains to the deck and play mountains only if you are going to use extraplanar lens. 24 lands and removing some in play to imprint will screw you big time if your opponents packs artifact removal... It might be cool to board the lenzes out after your first game for something else. Any artifact kill they board in will be useless

How would slith firewalker do in the new type 2? Or how about hearth kami for early beats and additional artifact kill?

Scrabbling Claws may be a good sideboard card vs all the graveyard recursion. It stops Eternal Witness and soulshift and Hana Kami. I don't know the metagame, but I bet these show up a lot... The claws can be boarded in without fear of having 4 dead cards, because you can sac them for a new card!


These are my thoughts, note that I only play casual and prereleases...

 

[DarthFerret]

Well...I saw Eternal witness a few times, but not much. I can try to aquire the above mentioned cards, but it will be tough. One other thing, I would love to have a Charbelcher in this deck. I saw one in action in a red deck last night....wooooooo weeee was that nasty.

 

[Istanbul]

Charbelcher is cool in the right deck.
This is not the right deck.

 

[Exaulted_Leader]

Slith Firewalker.

Get them in this deck. Now.

Might also want to look into Hearth Kami. It's a Detonate on a 2/1 body for 2. Artifact kill that's never dead in your hand is pretty cool.