This is part two from my last post that can be found here. Today I will be sharing how I sideboard in different matchups with my Bant deck. For reference here is the list...
Main Deck:
4 Noble Hiearch
2 Birds of Paradise
4 Steward of Valeron
4 Baneslayer Angel
4 Emeria Angel
4 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Battlegrace Angel
4 Rhox War Monk
2 Path to Exile
3 Brave the Elements
2 Ajani Goldmane
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
2 honor of the pure
4 mist rainforest
3 marsh flats
1 verdant catacombs
3 seaside citadel
4 sunpedal grove
1 kabiri crossroads
1 island
2 plains
4 forest
Sideboard:
2 battlegrace angel
4 wall of denial
2 qasil pridemage
1 world queller
3 great sable stag
2 path to exile
1 gargoyle castle
This can also be found in a much better format at http://www.mtgfanatic.com/. Click here to got to the deck.
This next part talks about why I have the cards that I do in my sideboard.
2 Battlegrace Angel- She is boarded in against other big creature decks like Naya and Eldrazi Green. Battlegrace is really just more angels and provides an already big knight of the reliquary with life link or just flys over there guys and races them.
4 wall of denial- This card is used to combat Boros and RDW... The original list played Grizziled Leotau but wall has a better matchup against RDW because they have nothing in their deck to stop it (besides an earthquake for 8 but by then they should be dead anyways...).
2 Qasil Pridemage, 1 World Queller- These are very good against Turbo Fog and Eldrazi Green because they take out their artifacts AKA their win conditions. And if Green cannot hit a Monument against you they lose. You could play 3 Quellers, or 2 Quellers 1 Pridemage... I am not sure wich number is correct I guess it depends on the player of the deck.
3 Great Sable Stag- At first Manu said the deck has a bad matchup against Vampires, and stags really help in that match... they are also better against jund and attack through wall of denial!
2 Path to Exile- These are here for more Baneslayer hate! If in game one your opponent casts a Baneslayer Angel (BSA from here on out) you should board these in.
1 Gargoyle Castle- This goes in whenever you board out War Monk in replace of the singleton Island. It is a great late game fetch with Knight.
Without further ado let's get started...
JUND~ Jund being the "Top Dog" of the format means that if you want to compete, you have to beable to beat this deck. Lucky for us, we can! In this matchup an early Rhox War Monk is a huge threat (it is lightning bolt proof and blocks Thrinax, Bloodbraid and Borderland Ranger aswel as Master of the Wild Hunt. Going turn one Hiearch, turn 2 War Monk, turn three attack for four then dropping a Knight of the Reliquary is very insane. And if you can follow that up with turn 4 Emeria angel, you can go fetchland, bird, basic land, bird, activate Knight and repeat the process. By then you have your opponent swarmed and a Goldmane, Honor or Baneslayer will seal up the game. Against Jund it is best to wait untill you have six mana up so you can go BSA with Brave the Elements backup. But if you don't have Brave go for it.
IN: 3 Great Sable Stag
Out: 2 Ajani Goldmane, 1 Battlegrace Angel.
Post board things get a bit trickey, as they have most likely boarded in more removal and the all star Malakir Bloodwitch! Bloodwitch beats BSA every time.
That is why we have stags. They cannot be killed by the removal they board in and it attacks threw Malakir Bloodwitch. An exalted stag races Malakir Bloodwitch you know! Brave the elements is also key in saving your guys. Ajani leaves because it is just a target to blightning and mostly only uses its -1 ability once. BSA War Monks and Stags should get you their...
NAYA~ This match resolves around who controls the last Baneslayer, therefore, Brave The Elements is very much needed. You want to hold path for their BSA's and try to grind out a win game one.
IN: 2 Battlegrace Angel, 2 Path to Exile, 1 Gargoyle Castle
Out: 4 Rhox War Monk, 1 Island
War monk only blocks Wild Nactil effectivly and a smart Naya player boards those out. Path takes out their angels and 3 Battlegrace means more angels for you!
BOROS~ You probably lose game one. Try to resolve a BSA and use your bird tokens as chump blockers.
After board however, things get much better!
IN: 4 wall of denial, 2 path to exile.
OUT:3 brave the elements 2 honor of the pure, 1 battlegrace angel
Wall just trumps them! the reason we board out honor is because I would rather play a creature then a spell to make my guys bigger. war monk doesn't block very well but does preform quite well on the offence so leaving it in is correct. Battlegrace is mutch to slow and BSA is just way better. Ajani goldmane is amazing because you basicaly pump your guys, attack into there small guys and you can still block their guys when they are bigger. Path is just to minimize their threat level and helps make sure you always have more walls they they do attackers. Post board this matchup is good. Also use this board plan for against RDW.
VAMPIRES~ Be as Aggresive as possible, play as many guys as you can and try to swarm them.
IN: 2 path to exile (Nocturnus is a pain) 3 Great Sable Stag (they whole deck is black)
Out: 2 Honor of the pure, 2 ajani goldmane, 1 elspeth
Again, the size of your guys doesn't matter. Try not to cast Stag when you don`t have any other creatures out because Gatekeeper of Malakir will put an end to it (Gatekeeper is the only card vampires plays that can kill it).
Eldrazi Green- Board same as Naya but also add these cards for the following cards.
IN: 2 Qasil Pridemage, 1 world queller
OUT: 2 honor of the pure 1 ajani goldmane
This is a Naya matchup, but far more easier. just keep monument off the table!
TURBO FOG- This is your hardest matchup. you want to be as fast as possible.
IN: 2 Pridemage, 1 World Queller, 3 Stag,
OUT: 3 brave the elements, 1 path to exile, 2 honor of the pure
Play guys fast and try to attack when you have the chance.
Note, an unanswered World Queller is good game.
Control (UW, UWR, Grixis)
These matchups normaly pan out in the same way, you plays guys, they wrath, you play more guys. Grixis is a great matchup because they can`t earthquake your flyers.
IN: 3 Great sable Stag, 1 Gargoyle Castle, 1 world queller
OUT: 1 brave the elements, 2 honor of the pure, 1 Battlegrace angel, 1 ajani goldmane
world queller is very, very good and I am begining to think that 3 in the board is correct. Stag is ok against UW and UWR since it attacks threw wall of denial and is very good against Grixis leaving only Bolt and earthquake to take it out.
All in all your control matchup is quite good.
IN CONCLUSION!
This deck can be very fast aggro or slower midrange. It is very difficult to take down and I 4-0ed with it at my last fnm. Manu B. put up a great record at worlds with this deck! As much as I hate playing aggro decks this deck is very fun and good! Remember, Check out http://www.mtgfanatic.com/, they sell magic cards, and at great prices too! See you all next time when I switch gears to exetended!
Phazr.
