1998 Deadguy Red David Price (Casual)

David Price was famous in that era for always playing Mono-R (or Mono-B) in every format. Evolving the Sligh deck that I used in the Junior Division of Dallas in 1996, Dave began the push away from midrange control Mono-R towards what would today be called Red Deck Wins.

In 1997, he won the Standard portion of U.S. Nationals, pioneering such hits as 4 Ball Lightning (back when it was good) and 4 Fireblast. When Tempest Block Constructed became the format of the day, everyone knew that Mono-R was going to be good. It was not surprising in the least that the best Mono-R player of the era went on to win it, in great part due to the unlikely technology of Giant Strength which allowed him to attack into Bottle Gnomes without a care in the world.

This deck marked the true overtaking of Sligh that Red Deck Wins had accomplished. Jay Schneider’s Sligh deck (Geeba) was probably the more important deck of the two (though it was created in 1996), as it taught the world the value of the mana curve. Still, David Price introduced the world to the philosophy of fire in action and from this day forward, Red Deck Wins was no longer just a fringe deck.