[Modern] By Zeus's blessing, I'm on the Pro Tour thanks to Boros Burn

Created a Reddit account just to post this tournament report. Seems like lately people are down on Burn so at the very least let this result be encouraging. Yesterday, I competed in a 44 person RPTQ which meant 6 rounds cut to top 8 with top 4 invited to next RPTQ (will there even be a next one?!) and top 2 invited to Mythic Championship Cleveland.

My list was nearly identical to the list that finished 11th at GP Atlanta with the following changes:

Mainboard:

-1 [[Skullcrack]], + 1 [[Lightning Helix]] : Lightning Helix is more versatile, is a bigger life point swing, and game 1 most opponents don't try to gain much life.

-2 [[Arid Mesa]], -1 [[Wooded Foothills]], + 3 [[Scalding Tarn]] : Scalding tarn looks more like UR Phoenix even after fetch, mountain, swiftspear. It's marginal information value. If I had three snow-covered mountains i would have played them over the regular mountains.

Sideboard:

-1 [[Grim Lavamancer]], -2 [[Kor Firewalker]], -1 [[Rest in Peace]], + 1 [[Path to Exile]], + 2 [[Stony Silence]], +1 [[Skullcrack]]

My hardest match-ups that I expected to see a lot included humans and spirits, so adding the extra path allowed for more flurry of 1-mana spells to kill freebooters, quellers, and meddling mages. Also your best defense to creatures with toughness > 3, which comes up in a lot of match-ups. The 1 extra skullcrack comes in almost any matchup post board. even a single life gain spell can set burn back 2 turns so you want to be ready if you think there's even a chance they'll play something to gain life, or prevent damage. The 2 stonies are lights out for KCI turning off engineered explosives. They have to find nature's claim and if they are destroying my stony, they aren't gaining 4 life.

As for what I took out, there are very few match-ups where grim lavamancer felt like my best card, I more often wanted to take him out, and couldn't conceive of a match-up where my opponent feels like the second would be crushing. My starting list had 1 firewalker but I cut it because it just isn't relevant in a lot of matchups besides mono red burn and phoenix. It's not great even in burn because to take so much damage finding white sources to play him, and they still have skull-cracks to kill him. Down 1 Rest in Peace because the only time I want 4 is against Dredge, and my sideboard plan needs to be more flexible for an unknown meta. 3 RiPs felt like the right number to answer Dredge and KCI without taxing the other slots. As it turned out there were zero players on dredge at this rptq.

Tournament Report: I haven't played Burn, or even constructed, for very long. But I am a long time limited player. Pro Tour Richmond in 2018 was my first Pro Tour which I also qualified for through an RPTQ (Sealed Rivals of Ixalan). This was perhaps my fourth time piloting Burn period, not including testing. My results during practice were mixed depending on how often I was on the play game 1, kept 7 cards, and had a turn 1 creature. If all those conditions are true for a majority of rounds, Burn is hard to intercept. If none of these conditions are true, I don't think the deck will win a game. I do not recommend Burn for someone who wants to put the time into "getting good" at a deck because you have no way to filter your deck and you're at the mercy of the top-deck gods. Draw two lands after starting with three in hand? You're done. Never draw a second land after keeping a 1-lander? You're probably done. It's a straight-forward plan with a lot of counting burn damage plus combat damage. If you want to be close to 50% to win every game you play no matter your starting seven, die roll, and cards on top of your deck, I'd recommend playing something else.

Sideboard Guide which I adapted from the wonderful template by xDingusKhan

Rounds:

1. Jeskai Control - Win - 2-1
2. UW Control - Win - 2-1
3. KCI - Win - 2-0
4. BG Rock - Lose - 0-2
5. Humans - Win - 2-0
6. Draw into top 8 - This was a tough decision, as drawing into top 8 would guarantee I would be on the draw in quarter-finals and probably semis. My opponent sat down and I suspected they were on Jeskai Control, which I felt favored. But jitters got the best of me and I accepted the draw and the break. Sure enough I started on the draw the entire top 8.
7. Quarterfinals - KCI - Win - 2-0
8. Semifinals - Jeskai Control - Win - 2-1

Rather than post lengthy match reports (which I'm honestly too tired to do in one sitting), I'll give full round reports If you ask for a specific match-up. I'll answer other questions about Burn, but please keep in mind that I'm still a Burn newbie with not many reps under my belt. I did originally play 20 lands and go down to 19, started on the RWg builds but cut the [[Stomping Ground]] for a [[Shard Volley]] and removed [[Destructive Revelries]] in the sideboard, messed around with [[Risk Factor]] in side and main, and tested a lot of keep or mull hands with friends beforehand. Happy to share what I know, but by no means claiming to be the authority.

To win an event with burn, you truly have to spike, but isn't that why we run 4 in the deck?

Thanks for reading!

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*Full Deck list for convenience:

Main Deck:

19 Lands

3 Mountain

2 Sacred Foundry

4 Inspiring Vantage

3 Wooded Foothills

4 Bloodstained Mire

3 Scalding Tarn

13 Creatures

4 Monastery Swiftspear

4 Goblin Guide

4 Eidolon of the Great Revel

1 Grim Lavamancer

28 Bolt + Friends of Bolt

4 Lightning Bolt

4 Rift Bolt

4 Lava Spike

1 Shard Volley

3 Skullcrack

4 Searing Blaze

4 Lightning Helix

4 Boros Charm

Sideboard:

3 Path to Exile

2 Smash to Smithereens

3 Rest in Peace

2 Searing Blood

2 Exquisite Firecraft

1 Skullcrack

2 Stony Silence