{"ops":[{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"TL:DR"},{"insert":"\n\tRagost is a Boros artifact burn engine. The main goal is to eat 'rocks' and accrue resources for both eating those rocks whilst burning your opponents with plenty of cheap artifacts and artifact recursion. This deck was built "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"before "},{"insert":"the SOS set came out with more graveyard synergy for Boros, and on a tight budget of £40.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"What the deck is / isn't"},{"insert":"\n\tThis isn't a combo deck. This deck, however, can play with Ragost's activated ability every player turn with a sufficient lifegain engine. It is not primarily a lifegain deck, it has just enough to self-sustain.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Mulligan Priorities"},{"insert":"\n\tKeep: 2+ lands, a cheap artifact / multiple artifacts. Incredibly helpful to keep hands with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Lifelink"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Rune of Sustenance"}},{"insert":", or any other way to quickly establish the lifegain triggers. Without tutor density, it can be difficult to find these cards.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Deck Flow"},{"insert":"\n\tEarly game: Set up rocks, Ragost, and a repeatable artifact engine. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Weapons Manufacturing"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Loyal Apprentice"}},{"insert":" are especially good at this role.\n\tMid Game: Other players will play haymaker strategies. Try not to be the bad guy. The deck cannot sustain itself against repeated hits. Don't deploy haymaker damage increasers just because you can, once a card like that is down the deck will draw too much aggro for it to sustain itself. This is the main point where you just want your engine to function. Sac artifacts, burn, make artifacts, allow people to hit you just 'because you have the most life'.\n\tEnd Game: Play a haymaker spell like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"City on Fire"}},{"insert":", and immediately burn the table for 9 damage with each Ragost ping. With a damage doubler / tripler, you can reasonably see the game end in a single turn cycle when each player is around 20 life.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Major Cards"},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Weapons Manufacturing"}},{"insert":" Allows targeted removal of small creatures whilst acitivating Ragost.\n\t"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Crime Novelist"}},{"insert":" + "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Patriar's Seal"}},{"insert":" Allows Ragost to double tap extremely efficiently.\n\t"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Junk Diver"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Myr Retriever"}},{"insert":", and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Scrap Trawler"}},{"insert":" are important recursion pieces, which are artifacts to be sacrificed. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Pia's Revolution"}},{"insert":" is also an extremely good piece, which also synergises with damage increasers since it is doing damage rather than lifeloss.\n\t"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Treasure Nabber"}},{"insert":" shuts off most opponent's mana rocks out of fear of Ragost eating them, since he steals the rock, it becomes a food artifact on your board, and then on your turn, after it untaps, you can use "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"its "},{"insert":"mana to use Ragost's ability to eat the rock itself.\n\t"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Artist's Talent"}},{"insert":" does just about everything, and for that reason is the most expensive card in the deck by quite a shot.\n\t"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Wake the Past"}},{"insert":" returns every artifact from your graveyard to the battlefield. This can set up a hugely efficient turn cycle provided the game has gone on for a while.\n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Weird Rules, Sequencing Notes, and Common Mistakes"},{"insert":"\nActivate Ragost at the "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"second main phase "},{"insert":"of your opponent's turns. Activating at their end step is too late for Ragost's triggered ability to function. Since his ability cares about you having gained life in that turn, you should activate him before your opponent's end-step begins."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Since Ragost is doing the damage, giving him lifelink does in-fact gain you life how you'd expect. This means even at a base level in a 4-player pod pinging the table will gain you 9 life."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"You cannot use the same treasure token to pay for both {1} and 'Sacrifice a Food' in Ragost's activated ability."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"If you have both a damage increaser (e.g. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Artist's Talent"}},{"insert":") and a damage multiplier (e.g. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Gratuitous Violence"}},{"insert":") it is "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"your opponent "},{"insert":"who gets to decide in which order those replacement effects happen when effecting them. (Check CR 616.1 for more detail, and pay attention to which types of damage the multipliers + increasers actually change. All the ones in the deck effect Ragost, but not every card)"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Do not eat every artifact just because you can. Prioritise artifacts with 'leave' triggers which can be helpful. Only eat your "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sol Ring"}},{"insert":" if that's going to put you far enough ahead that you can win the game."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sierra, Nuka's Biggest Fan"}},{"insert":"'s second triggered ability will activate for every food you sacrifice, even with a small number of quest counters, you can massively buff a single creature just in-case you need to do some combat damage."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"You can use the Powerstone tokens created by "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Slagstone Refinery"}},{"insert":" to pay for activated abilities, such as Ragost's burn."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Academy Manufactor"}},{"insert":" does "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"not "},{"insert":"turn every artifact into a clue + treasure also. (Check CR 701.6b) Ragost's continuous ability applies too late for manufactor to apply the replacement effect when making, for example, a Powerstone or Thopter."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Lembas"}},{"insert":" + "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Pia's Revolution"}},{"insert":": When Lembas is put into a graveyard, it triggers both cards. You get to choose the order these effects are placed on the stack. I suggest placing Pia's Revolution above Lembas, allowing you a chance to recur it to your hand before it is shuffled back into your library."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Power Expectations"},{"insert":"\n\tThis deck plays at bracket 2 fairly firmly. Due to its budget restrictions, it is difficult to get the power-level to keep up with other decks. The deck's interaction is limited, probably damningly so. Only use removal to keep yourself alive. Runs at a fairly slow pace and a single removal spell can set you back significantly.\n\n"}]}