CardShark Content - jvoilleq (2/16/2004)

There’s an old adage about not doing a certain thing in a place that you normally eat. That’s the first thing I thought of when I saw Furnace Dragon

Furnace Dragon
	Set: Darksteel Cost: 9 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Dragon Rarity: R Number: 62 Artist: Matthew D Wilson Power: 5 Toughness: 5 Text: Affinity for Artifacts, Flying. When Furnace Dragon comes into play if you played it from your hand remove all artifacts from the game.

. On review, however, I realized that there’s some chance that this card could see play in Mirrodin Block Constructed. Now, bear with me while I justify that statement.

First, you can’t swing a cat without hitting an Affinity deck in regular old Type 2, so one would assume that you’ll see it quite a bit in block. In the endless stream of Affinity v. Affinity matchups, Furnace Dragon

Furnace Dragon
	Set: Darksteel Cost: 9 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Dragon Rarity: R Number: 62 Artist: Matthew D Wilson Power: 5 Toughness: 5 Text: Affinity for Artifacts, Flying. When Furnace Dragon comes into play if you played it from your hand remove all artifacts from the game.

is one heck of a board sweeper. Symmetrical effects are always tough to gauge, but there’s a very significant factor in evaluating Furnace Dragon

Furnace Dragon
	Set: Darksteel Cost: 9 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Dragon Rarity: R Number: 62 Artist: Matthew D Wilson Power: 5 Toughness: 5 Text: Affinity for Artifacts, Flying. When Furnace Dragon comes into play if you played it from your hand remove all artifacts from the game.

’s effect: you get to keep the dragon. And regeneration effects don’t help, because the cards are leaving the game, not heading to the graveyard. So, you’re opponent’s mana base goes away, his Broodstar

Broodstar
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 10 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Beast Rarity: R Number: 31 Artist: Glen Angus Power: * Toughness: * Text: Affinity for artifacts (This spell costs 1 less to play for each artifact you control.) Flying Broodstar's power and toughness are each equal to the number of artifacts you control.

is dead, and he’s staring at a four-turn clock. Nasty. Odyssey Block had Worldgorger Dragon

Worldgorger Dragon
	Set: Judgment Cost: 6 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Nightmare Dragon Rarity: R Number: 103 Artist: Wayne England Power: 7 Toughness: 7 Text: Flying, Trample. When Worldgorger Dragon comes into play, remove all other permanents you control from the game. When Worldgorger Dragon leaves play, return the removed cards to play under their owner's control.

, which removed only your board from the game, but promised to return it, for a 7/7 flyer. Furnace Dragon

Furnace Dragon
	Set: Darksteel Cost: 9 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Dragon Rarity: R Number: 62 Artist: Matthew D Wilson Power: 5 Toughness: 5 Text: Affinity for Artifacts, Flying. When Furnace Dragon comes into play if you played it from your hand remove all artifacts from the game.

is strictly better, because it simply resets a large portion of the board on both sides.

Second, you can take advantage of some of the faster cards in Mirrodin. Slith Firewalker

Slith Firewalker
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 2 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Slith Rarity: U Number: 107 Artist: Justin Sweet Power: 1 Toughness: 1 Text: Haste Whenever Slith Firewalker deals combat damage to a player, put a +1/+1 counter on it.

s are an excellent way to shave some points off your opponent’s life totals, and Shrapnel Blast

Shrapnel Blast
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 2 Color: Red Type: Instant Rarity: U Number: 106 Artist: Dave Dorman Text: As an additional cost to play Shrapnel Blast, sacrifice an artifact. Shrapnel Blast deals 5 damage to target creature or player.

is simply insane. A bigger-than-usual commitment to red can take the edge off nasty artifact combos and provide some early board control.

Sidebar: For a while, during Onslaught

Onslaught
	Set: Exodus Cost: 1 Color: Red Type: Enchantment Rarity: C Number: 92 Artist: Paolo Parente Text: Whenever you successfully cast a creature spell, tap target creature.

Block, I had a mono-red deck that used Dragonspeaker Shaman

Dragonspeaker Shaman
	Set: Scourge Cost: 3 Color: Red Sub Type: Barbarian Rarity: U Number: 89 Artist: Kev Walker Power: 2 Toughness: 2 Text: Dragon spells cost 2 less to play.

, Kilnmouth Dragon

Kilnmouth Dragon
	Set: Legions Cost: 7 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Dragon Rarity: R Number: 104 Power: 5 Toughness: 5 Text: Amplify 3 (As this card comes into play, put three +1/+1 counters on it for each Dragon card you reveal in your hand.) Flying T: Kilnmouth Dragon deals damage equal to the number of +1/+1 counters on it to target creature or player.

, and Rorix as the only creatures, and utilized Lightning Rift

Lightning Rift
	Set: Onslaught Cost: 2 Color: Red Type: Enchantment Rarity: U Number: 217 Artist: Eric Peterson Text: Whenever a player cycles a card, you may pay 1. If you do, Lightning Rift deals 2 damage to target creature or player.

and a ridiculous number of cycling cards to keep the board clean in the meantime. It’s obnoxious how many times I ended up simply burning my opponent to death before a dragon hit the board. With the Sliths and the Blasts, this deck can accomplish the same thing. It’s deceptively quick out of the box, and depending on circumstances, a turn one Slith Firewalker

Slith Firewalker
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 2 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Slith Rarity: U Number: 107 Artist: Justin Sweet Power: 1 Toughness: 1 Text: Haste Whenever Slith Firewalker deals combat damage to a player, put a +1/+1 counter on it.

can simply outrace your opponent.

Here’s the deck as it stands:

Furnace Affinity:

4x Furnace Dragon

Furnace Dragon
	Set: Darksteel Cost: 9 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Dragon Rarity: R Number: 62 Artist: Matthew D Wilson Power: 5 Toughness: 5 Text: Affinity for Artifacts, Flying. When Furnace Dragon comes into play if you played it from your hand remove all artifacts from the game.

4x Slith Firewalker

Slith Firewalker
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 2 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Slith Rarity: U Number: 107 Artist: Justin Sweet Power: 1 Toughness: 1 Text: Haste Whenever Slith Firewalker deals combat damage to a player, put a +1/+1 counter on it.

4x Shrapnel Blast

Shrapnel Blast
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 2 Color: Red Type: Instant Rarity: U Number: 106 Artist: Dave Dorman Text: As an additional cost to play Shrapnel Blast, sacrifice an artifact. Shrapnel Blast deals 5 damage to target creature or player.

4x Override

Override
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 3 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 45 Artist: Hugh Jamieson Text: Counter target spell unless its controller pays 1 for each artifact you control.

2x Annul

Annul
	Set: Urza's Saga Cost: 1 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 59 Artist: Greg Simanson Text: Counter target artifact or enchantment spell.

3x Thirst

Thirst
	Set: Mirage Cost: 3 Color: Blue Type: Enchant Creature Rarity: C Artist: Roger Raupp Text: When Thirst comes into play, tap enchanted creature.During your upkeep, pay U or bury Thirst.Enchanted creature does not untap during its controller's untap phase.

IGZvciBLbm93bGVkZ2U=
3x Thoughtcast

Thoughtcast
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 5 Color: Blue Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 54 Artist: Greg Hildebrandt Text: Affinity for artifacts (This spell costs 1 less to play for each artifact you control.) Draw two cards.

3x Shatter

Shatter
	Set: Revised Edition Cost: 2 Color: Red Type: Instant Rarity: C Artist: Amy Weber Text: Shatter destroys target artifact.

4x Pyrite Spellbomb

Pyrite Spellbomb
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 1 Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Rarity: C Number: 232 Artist: Jim Nelson Text: R, Sacrifice Pyrite Spellbomb: Pyrite Spellbomb deals 2 damage to target creature or player. 1, Sacrifice Pyrite Spellbomb: Draw a card.

4x Chromatic Sphere

Chromatic Sphere
	Set: Invasion Cost: 1 Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Rarity: U Number: 299 Artist: Luca Zontini Text: 1, T, Sacrifice Chromatic Sphere: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool. Draw a card.

3x Talisman of Indulgence

Talisman of Indulgence
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 2 Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Rarity: U Number: 255 Artist: Mike Dringenberg Text: T: Add 1 to your mana pool. T: Add B or R to your mana pool. Talisman of Indulgence deals 1 damage to you.

3x Talisman of Dominance

Talisman of Dominance
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 2 Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Rarity: U Number: 253 Artist: Mike Dringenberg Text: T: Add 1 to your mana pool. T: Add U or B to your mana pool. Talisman of Dominance deals 1 damage to you.

4x Chrome Mox

Chrome Mox
	Set: Mirrodin Color: Colorless Type: Artifact Rarity: R Number: 152 Artist: Donato Giancola Text: Imprint - When Chrome Mox comes into play, you may remove a nonartifact, nonland card in your hand from the game. (The removed card is imprinted on this artifact.) T: Add one mana of any of the imprinted card's colors to your mana pool.

4x Vault of Whispers

Vault of Whispers
	Set: Mirrodin Color: Land Type: Artifact Land Rarity: C Number: 286 Artist: Rob Alexander Text: (Vault of Whispers isn't a spell.) T: Add B to your mana pool.

4x Great Furnace

Great Furnace
	Set: Mirrodin Color: Land Type: Artifact Land Rarity: C Number: 282 Artist: Rob Alexander Text: (Great Furnace isn't a spell.) T: Add R to your mana pool.

4x Seat of the Synod

Seat of the Synod
	Set: Mirrodin Color: Land Type: Artifact Land Rarity: C Number: 283 Artist: John Avon Text: (Seat of the Synod isn't a spell.) T: Add U to your mana pool.

3x Mountain

Mountain
	Set: Arabian Nights Color: Land Type: Land Rarity: C Artist: Douglas Shuler Text: Tap to add R to your mana pool.

This deck takes advantage of countermagic, both to back up the dragon and to prevent your opponent from dropping their own bomb. Assert Authority

Assert Authority
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 7 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: U Number: 30 Artist: Greg Hildebrandt Text: Affinity for artifacts (This spell costs 1 less to play for each artifact you control.) Counter target spell. If it's countered this way, remove it from the game instead of putting it into its owner's graveyard.

and Last Word

Last Word
	Set: Darksteel Cost: 4 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: R Number: 23 Artist: Scott M. Fischer Text: Last Word can't be countered by spell or abilities. Counter target spell.

are very good cards, but the double blue cost, combined with the need for an early triple red, can be a bit rough. Assert Authority

Assert Authority
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 7 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: U Number: 30 Artist: Greg Hildebrandt Text: Affinity for artifacts (This spell costs 1 less to play for each artifact you control.) Counter target spell. If it's countered this way, remove it from the game instead of putting it into its owner's graveyard.

has the added disadvantage of being a dead card once the Dragon is down. I’ve been using Override

Override
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 3 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 45 Artist: Hugh Jamieson Text: Counter target spell unless its controller pays 1 for each artifact you control.

and Annul

Annul
	Set: Urza's Saga Cost: 1 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 59 Artist: Greg Simanson Text: Counter target artifact or enchantment spell.

. The current setup is four of the former and two of the latter in the main deck; it used to be four and three, but I finally dropped the Annul

Annul
	Set: Urza's Saga Cost: 1 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 59 Artist: Greg Simanson Text: Counter target artifact or enchantment spell.

count. While it’s a rare day that Annul

Annul
	Set: Urza's Saga Cost: 1 Color: Blue Type: Instant Rarity: C Number: 59 Artist: Greg Simanson Text: Counter target artifact or enchantment spell.

isn’t handy, I wanted to leave some room for some card drawing. It’s a funky two-of, and I’ve considered going to three and three – you might want to fiddle.

There’s also the usual card drawing madness with Thirst

Thirst
	Set: Mirage Cost: 3 Color: Blue Type: Enchant Creature Rarity: C Artist: Roger Raupp Text: When Thirst comes into play, tap enchanted creature.During your upkeep, pay U or bury Thirst.Enchanted creature does not untap during its controller's untap phase.

IGZvciBLbm93bGVkZ2U= and Thoughtcast

Thoughtcast
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 5 Color: Blue Type: Sorcery Rarity: C Number: 54 Artist: Greg Hildebrandt Text: Affinity for artifacts (This spell costs 1 less to play for each artifact you control.) Draw two cards.

. Basically, the faster you get the Dragon out, the better, and the card drawing helps you get the pieces together. It also helps you win the rebuilding war.

The tension, of course, is between running practically all artifact mana sources and packing a closer that will remove all your artifacts from the game. I repeat: you have to get the Dragon out as soon as possible. In the meanwhile, you’ll simply look like a weird Affinity deck.

The sideboard I’ve been using makes use of the black mana (for Terror

Terror
	Set: Revised Edition Cost: 2 Color: Black Type: Instant Rarity: C Artist: Ron Spencer Text: Buries target creature. Cannot target black creatures or artifact creatures.

and Barter in Blood

Barter in Blood
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 4 Color: Black Type: Sorcery Rarity: U Number: 57 Artist: Paolo Parente Text: Each player sacrifices two creatures.

) and additional artifact hate in the form of Detonate

Detonate
	Set: Fourth Edition Cost: 2 Color: Red Type: Sorcery Rarity: U Artist: Randy Asplund Text: Bury target artifact. Detonate deals X damage to the artifact's controller, where X is the casting cost of the artifact.

. I’m currently also running 3 Megatog

Megatog
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 6 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Atog Rarity: R Number: 100 Artist: Pete Venters Power: 3 Toughness: 4 Text: Sacrifice an artifact: Megatog gets +3/+3 and gains trample until end of turn.

in the sideboard, which is a concession to the fragility of the Dragon: against aggro Affinity builds it’s often more effective to have Megatog

Megatog
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 6 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Atog Rarity: R Number: 100 Artist: Pete Venters Power: 3 Toughness: 4 Text: Sacrifice an artifact: Megatog gets +3/+3 and gains trample until end of turn.

, as the Dragon can get gangblocked by Somber Hoverguard

Somber Hoverguard
	Set: Mirrodin Cost: 6 Color: Blue Type: Creature Sub Type: Drone Rarity: C Number: 51 Artist: Adam Rex Power: 3 Toughness: 2 Text: Affinity for artifacts (This spell costs 1 less to play for each artifact you control.) Flying

s or otherwise outraced.

Have some fun with Furnace Dragon

Furnace Dragon
	Set: Darksteel Cost: 9 Color: Red Type: Creature Sub Type: Dragon Rarity: R Number: 62 Artist: Matthew D Wilson Power: 5 Toughness: 5 Text: Affinity for Artifacts, Flying. When Furnace Dragon comes into play if you played it from your hand remove all artifacts from the game.

– it’s not a blowout card, but within Mirrodin Block it’ll steal you some wins.

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