Boros Combo (Modern)

Boros Combo is a Modern combo and synergistic deck that wins by either dealing large amounts of damage to your opponents or by gaining an insurmountable amount of life. When the combo plan doesn’t work out, it becomes a slow burn/life gain deck.

2 Card Combos:

Boros Reckoner/Spitemare + Volcano Hellion = Deals any amount of damage to your opponent and yourself. If your life is higher and your opponent can't remove Reckoner at instant speed in response to Hellion's trigger, you won.

Boros Reckoner/Spitemare + Blasphemous Act = Similar to the above combo, deals 13 damage to each creature and your opponent (but none to you).

Nearheath Pilgrim + Volcano Hellion = Gain any amount of life. While it is possible to lose with infinite life, it is usually enough to make your opponent concede. It is best to deal the damage to Hellion so that you don't 2 for 1 yourself.

Soulfire Grandmaster + Blasphemous Act = Gain a large (non-infinite) amount of life. This combo gets better the more creatures there are on the battlefield. Gets even better if Reckoner is on the battlefield.

3 Card Combos:

Boros Reckoner/Spitemare + Boros Charm + Nearheath Pilgrim = If damage is dealt to Reckoner/Spitemare (either just by attacking or Bolt, etc.) you gain as much life as you want.

Boros Reckoner/Spitemare + Volcano Hellion + Nearheath Pilgrim = More resilient version of the first 2 card combo. If Reckoner/Spitemare sticks around long enough to redirect the damage, you win. Giving Hellion lifelink will prevent you from killing yourself if they remove the Reckoner/Spitemare.

Mainboard Card Explanations:

Volcano Hellion - The main combo card in the deck; part of 2 potentially game-winning combos.

Boros Reckoner - One of the key cards of easiest combo in the deck.

Spitemare - Extra copies of Reckoner.

Nearheath Pilgrim - Enables the infinite life combos.

Serra Ascendant - Helps keep our life total above the opponents so that we can kill with the easiest combo in the deck (Reckoner + Hellion). Becomes a large threat late game if the opponent isn’t already dead from a combo. Works well with Boros Charm (double strike).

Soulfire Grandmaster - Part of the combo with Blasphemous Act. Synergizes really well with Bolt, Helix, and Boros Charm.

Boros Charm - Efficient burn and a combo enabler. Double Strike can be good too.

Lightning Bolt - Cheap removal of smaller creatures and sometimes goes to the opponent’s face.

Lightning Helix - Similar to Bolt, but gains life.

Path to Exile - Removal.

Mana Base:

The mana costs of the cards in the deck are basically split 50/50 between Red and White. I am testing with:
4 Arid Mesa
4 Sacred Foundry
6 Mountain
6 Plains

Maybeboard and Possible Sideboard Cards:

Kor Firewalker - Makes it hard for Burn to win

Leyline of Sanctity - Good against Burn and hand disruption

Crumble to Dust - Hoses Cheaty mana decks (Tron and Eldrazi)

Blood Moon - Hurts decks that need to access many colors as well as Tron and Eldrazi

Blasphemous Act - Bring in against wide creature strategies. Can be mainboarded to combo with Soulfire Grandmaster.

Angel’s Grace - Adds resilience to the Hellion + Reckoner combo, prevents you from killing yourself.

Apostle’s Blessing - Saves your precious Reckoner from an opponent’s removal.

Roast - Efficient removal. Sometimes targets Reckoner to send the last 5 points of damage to your opponent.

Faithless Looting - Helps dig for combo pieces.

Bonfire of the Damned - Very similar to Blasphemous Act when combined with Soulfire Grandmaster. Much more expensive but leaves your creatures alive.

Simian Spirit Guide - (Almost) free mana.

Pros/Cons:
Pros:

You’re playing a combo deck that can win on turn 4 (or very rarely turn 3).

Red and White have arguably the best sideboarding ability in Modern.

Mainboard slots are very flexible. With so many combos and synergies you can adjust the numbers to your liking.

Good against aggro. Lifegain kills Burn and 1 mana removal kills Infect.

Fairly consistent mana. Having only 2 colors makes it difficult to get color screwed.

Cons:

You’re playing a combo deck that can’t consistently win before turn 4. Decks that can combo faster than you will likely win the matchup.

Bad matchup with Eldrazi. Thought-Knot is a powerhouse in this matchup that can take a combo piece and pressure your life total on the opponent’s 2nd turn of the game. Reality Smasher is very difficult to deal with. Blasphemous Act, Roast, Blood Moon, and Crumble to dust make the game a little easier, but Eldrazi might just be too fast.

Weak to Counterspell and Leyline of Sanctity. It becomes difficult to win in a timely fashion if Hellion gets countered or Leyline hits the table. Enchantment hate in the sideboard can mitigate the Leyline issue, but Counterspells should be feared.

If not careful, Reckoner + Hellion will kill you if they kill your Reckoner in response to Hellion’s ETB trigger.