At SCG CON Las Vegas, Mike “FBB-Beast” VanDyke carved his way through the Crossroads field with Infernal Burial, a fire-forged Druid list designed not just to race other aggressive strategies, but to beat them at their own game.
We caught up with Mike to learn more about his journey, his deck, and the decisions that led him to the top of the Las Vegas Crossroads Championship.
Looking to see the deck in action? Watch the Gameplay video here:
From the Bay to the Battlefield
Mike: “I live in the California Bay Area and work as a software and infrastructure engineering manager for a biotech company. My primary hobbies are playing games, guitar, and piano. I’m married to a wonderful woman who encourages me to pursue my hobbies, and we have a nearly 3-year-old daughter that I can’t wait to share them with when she’s older.
I’ve been part of the Beasts of the Bay Old School Magic group since moving to California in 2017. I backed the Sorcery Kickstarter, along with many others in the group, and we immediately started playing once our product arrived. As someone who started playing Magic: The Gathering back in 1994, the hand-painted art and fantasy elements of Sorcery are incredibly nostalgic. These days, I play far more Sorcery than anything else! Most Beasts of the Bay meetups involve a significant amount of Two-Headed Dragon, of which I am part of the rules committee (look out for a post-Gothic update!).”
View Mike's Infernal Burial on Curiosa.io
How do you approach piloting this deck?
Mike: “The main concept behind my Infernal Burial deck is to have a positive matchup against Fire-based strategies while also playing the high-powered aggressive Fire cards. After trying out Fire Druid, I realized that it’s very difficult to remove Askelon Phoenix or Ignis Rex and has no answers to auras like Jihad. I set out to build a version of Fire Druid that changed that.
The deck is primarily looking to end the game quickly, but that can be difficult against other aggressive Druid decks since most of the three and four-cost minions trade. I think the old adage that midrange beats aggro is sort of true in Sorcery, as well. As a result, I wanted the mana curve to go up a little higher than usual Fire Druid, topped off with both copies of Infernal Legion and the Ignis Rex.”
Key Cards of the Infernal Burial
Mike: “The most essential changes, compared to usual Fire Druid, are the addition of the Earth cards. In particular, the Common Sense package includes 1 Dispel and 2 Bury to address the weaknesses I mentioned earlier.
My favorite addition that naturally comes along with the Earth addition is Rift Valley. It works perfectly with the aggressive nature of the deck and leads to interesting board states. It also supplements Sinkhole and Smokestacks of Gnaak in answering problematic sites like Perilious Bridge or Troll Bridge by moving them to another lane.”
Were there any key inclusions or exclusions that defined your build?
Mike: “Infiltrate is probably the most notable, since Bury is potentially filling the same role if you’re looking for additional answers to Aseklon Phoenix or Ignis Rex. I’m not a huge fan of that card, however. There are just too many answers to it these days. Bury is much more versatile, in my opinion.
In general, I also cut a lot of the 4-cost removal spells for cheaper options (like Bury). The player who can play 2 meaningful spells in a single turn first usually ends up in the driver’s seat. Having cheaper removal that you can combine with a threat goes a long way, e.g. Bury their best minion and play a Redcap Powries on turn 6.”
What are this deck’s greatest strengths and weaknesses?
Mike: “I really enjoy playing midrange decks because the best strategy to take is heavily dependent on whether your opponent’s hand is faster than yours or slower than yours. This deck can play well from either position, which is a huge advantage.
Its biggest weakness is control decks with Earthquake and Poison Nova, I think. I also found Brandon Posey’s Dragonlord deck to be terrifying to play against!”
A Championship Run to Remember
Mike: “The deck performed wonderfully all day. My favorite game was the finals match against Battlemage, it was a ton of fun and really intricate. Without spoiling details for those that want to watch it first, I’ll just say that I don’t think I have ever flipped Druid so early before.
I think the Sand Worm was a mistake. I included it because I thought that non-Water decks would be more popular given the rise of Fire Druid. You can play it into Jihad, it doesn’t die to Root Spider + 1 Torshammar Trinket, and it can even be discarded to Ignis Rex’s ability. Unfortunately, there was still plenty of Water floating around. I should have just played Cave Trolls.
I’m definitely excited to try something else, especially given the recently announced errata to Druid. I’m looking forward to new things in Gothic, especially the Savior Avatar. Ward seems like a great ability.”
The Last Crossroads of 2025
Thank you to everyone who joined us across all six Crossroads events this year and helped make 2025 an unforgettable season for Sorcery. We’ll be sharing more about Organized Play in 2026 soon, but for now, all eyes turn to Gothic, arriving December 5.
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