Get Your Money for Nothing, So You Can Bolt for Free.

Coming in Hot with Red in Commander

Because we are going to crash Elturel directly into the board, hard, with Descent into Avernus right away. If there ever was a perfectly designed card in Commander, this is it. An enchantment that gets two Descent counters every upkeep. Then each player creates a number of treasure tokens equal to the number of Descent counters, AND takes that much damage.

It speeds up the game for everyone, adds an element of fun and/or terror to your turns, and is guaranteed to generate hilarity. Every deck with Red in it should play this card. Or for a bit of extra chaos, with your pod's permission, start turn three with a Descent into Avernus "Emblem" on the table for everyone. It's the zoomies of Commander.

Burning Down the House

Now that you've taken two damage, and made two treasures, what will you play to get ahead in the war of life total attrition? Why not go for a classic Lightning Bolt to the face. Cheap, efficient with three damage to any target, instant speed, and readily available.

This is perhaps what mono-Red is best known for: burn. Hitting your opponents and their board with aggressive, direct, and inexpensive damage. Play off the impulsivity that runs deep in Red mana's tendencies: Burn. It. All. Down.

Rift Bolt is a fun alternative to the original bolt. At you deal three to target creature or player; however, you can Suspend 1 for , and watch your opponent(s) sweat for a turn while you choose where to strike.

If you prefer a slower burn, add a Delayed Blast Fireball to the mix. If you cast the spell from exile, it deals five damage instead of two. The card has built-in passage to the void with foretell, placing it face down for all to wonder. Red does offer some alternatives for exiling cards that you can cast, giving you the option still to cast for the main cost with the benefit of increased damage. Don't ask how big the room is, just cast Fireball.

Groundhog Day

Don't be angry when your creatures die. Just like the necromancy of mono-Black, sometimes they come back in Red - or just create havoc from the afterlife. In fact, put that Anger straight into the yard to give all the creatures you control haste. Don't forget to strike first with it though, a nice 2/2 with haste on its own can get things started.

Now remember those quick burn spells? Let's do that whole routine once more from the top with feeling by way of Return the Past. On the pricier side, each instant and sorcery (on your turn) has flashback equal to its mana cost. Be prepared with Burning Vengeance on the field so that whenever you cast a spell from your graveyard it deals 2 damage to any target for just a little extra. Have some non-instant or sorcery spells you want back? Consider Underworld Breach to give nonland cards an escape cost equal to their mana value plus exile three additional from the yard. Save this one for just the right return though.

Mono-Red even has its own Puxatony Phil in the form of Squee, the Immortal. A nice 2/1 Goblin you can cast from your graveyard or from exile. Just keep bringing him back and letting the Burning Vengeance, well, burn... or maybe just singe a little.

Make a Goblin, Fling a Goblin

Sometimes you need to move from stacking the deck to stacking the board, and Goblins are like a little treasure that infests the battlefield. Ignoring most of the legendary creature goblins found in the command zone, Goblin Slide will reward you for casting noncreature spells with a 1/1 Goblin token with haste for the price of 1. Want to have the gobbos on the upkeep instead? Try Goblin Assault. Cards such as Goblin Wizardry (prowess), Krenko's Command, Hordeling Outburst, Gleeful Demolition (artifact removal), Empty the Warrens (storm), and many more give you a number of 1/1 goblin tokens with or without an added keyword advantage. After you've filled the board with an army, bring in the big guns with Chancellor of the Forge - by now you should have plenty of treasured from Descent into Avernus if you are keeping track of triggers still. You can reveal Chancellor from your opening hand to start the first upkeep with a 1/1 Goblin token with haste on the battlefield, otherwise when it enters the battlefield make X 1/1 Red Goblin creature token where x is the number of creatures you control.

Too many Goblins, but none of them can get through your opponent's defenses? Then get them OVER the line with Goblin Bombardment. For a two-mana enchantment, you can sacrifice a goblin to deal one damage to any target. Need to deal a bit more? Pull the pin on a Goblin Grenade, sacking a Goblin as an additional cost, to deal five damage to target creature or player. Leadership figures in the horde such as Siege-Gang Commander or Siege-Gang Lieutenant, give you both ammunition in the form of Goblin Tokens, and the means to launch them (for a small cost) to deal damage to any target.

Lastly, make sure you have Boggart Shenanigans in play along with Warstorm Surge and/or Impact Tremors before you start creating gobbos - you'll want the damage triggers on entry and exit from the battlefield.

There are near 400 cards that are, or create, Goblins in paper. All unique in their own way. And all aerodynamic.

On Flinging

There is only one Fling in the true sense allowing you to sacrifice a creature to deal damage equal to its power to any target. But there are more ways to fling spells across the battlefield. We spoke of damage dealing already, but let's look at "flinging" spells into exile.

Another card more people should play is Ensnared by the Mara from Universes Beyond: Doctor Who. A sorcery leading to a villainous choice for your opponents. They exile cards until they hit a non-land, then you may cast that card without paying the mana cost, OR they exile the top four cards of their library and take damage equal to the total mana value of the exiled cards.

There are plenty of cards to give you the cast or the damage trigger from exile. Mysterious Stranger pulls from opponents' graveyard to possibly get a free instant or sorcery.

Chandra, Torch of Defiance brings the choice to you. Another four-drop with +1 activation to exile your top card. You may cast it, or, if not, Chandra deals two damage to each opponent.

Honorable mention for a true staple of Commander, Chaos Warp. Target permanent is shuffled into the owner's library, then they reveal the top card. If a permanent, it goes onto the battlefield. While it's a gamble, and not that Gamble, it leads to more legendary moments with your pod that any other.

Stoking the Fire

Sure you gained treasures through the course of reading this piece, but what if you need more? Red offers some easy ramp. From recently reprinted Ruby Medallion to Seething Song or Mana Geyser for instant- and sorcery-speed boosts. If playing more aggro attack, consider Battle Hymn to add mana for each creature you control at instant speed. Or the, see it coming from a mile away when asks about cards in hand, Jeska's Will.

With all that mana on the board though, who wouldn't want some Sticky Fingers? A common aura, target creature gains menace and whenever it deals combat damage to a player you make a treasure token. Just add your favorite evasion, and profit.

I. Am. Speed.

Red offers an aggressive ramp package to fill your coffers and your order of battle in the early game. The selection of Commander options fit the bill for a myriad of synergies geared to bring a boost, bring something back, or simply bring the pain.

Be impulsive.

Be passionate.

Be chaotic.