Agreed on the control aspect. I had burn sitting in my hand more often than it came in handy. I cut it down to the Bonfire of the Damned and some Brimstone Volley. 5 burn spells. The Cloudshifts are more combo than control. There's just too much a Cloudshift can do, I really can't bring myself to cut them. Cloudshift combos with Fiend Hunter for permanent removal, Zealous Conscripts for two turns of theft or one permanent, removes targets from kill, and can reset a Soul Bond. I'd honestly cut all the burn before the Cloudshifts. Have you guys playtested it in this deck?
I hadn't updated the land section, slayers had already been cut down to 3, and the Caverns upped to 4. It was at 3 simply because I hadn't gotten a 4th yet.
Heroes were originally at 3. The change to 4 came from playtesting. Hitting the turn 4 Hero paired with a Lightning Mauler pretty ended any game, tournament time held that up.
That said, I'm looking at adding a few things to the curve, creature-wise. This week's playtesting will focus on adding Elite Inquisitor & Doomed Traveler. Kind of off the wall, but how does Mikaeus look in this deck?
My meta is full of delver, I really don't have room to squeeze 4 Hero's into my deck. They're far to susceptible to vapor snag and friends. If I have too many, I'm not as quick because I draw them more often. I've cut the total down to 2. I need to rely on speed.
My god draw is:
2 Maulers, Champ, Silverblade, Cavern, White Source, Any Land
Turn 1: Champ
Turn 2: Lightning Mauler, Swing for 2
Turn 3: Silverblade, Swing for 11
Turn 4: Mauler, Swing for 14
I have to admit, I have yet to try Cloudshift, but I can't imagine a moment where I would want to. Yes, there are scenarios with Fiend Hunter, but the question remains, "Is this card worth removing others?"
While I don't have her in my build, Restoration angel can triple as removal, control and aggro if played properly. She also deals with small fliers which can be the bane of your existence if the game drags out.
Also, Mirran Crusader can blow out many decks in the format. He slaughters R/G aggro, zombies, and avoids kill spells like dismember. I've won so many games by top decking a Mirran Crusader and sending him on a killing spree with slayers stronghold or equipping him with a turn five Sword of War & Peace, doubling the effects of the sword and dealing as much as 16 damage in a single swing.
Thalia is an amazing defense against board wiping spells. I've won countless games with a turn two Thalia. This card is incredibly effective, often forcing your opponent off curve without an answer they can afford.
Grand Abolisher rocks my world. This deck is full of soul-bond cards that are dependent on other creatures. Let's face it, it's not fun to top deck a Silverblade only to have it burned with a random removal spell. Grand Abolisher makes every spell you play uncounterable, and keeps your opponent on the ropes when it's your turn.
There are a lot of cards available, while Fiend Hunter and Cloudshift are great cards for this deck. I think that there are better ones.
My meta is full of delver, I really don't have room to squeeze 4 Hero's into my deck. They're far to susceptible to vapor snag and friends. If I have too many, I'm not as quick because I draw them more often. I've cut the total down to 2. I need to rely on speed.
My god draw is:
2 Maulers, Champ, Silverblade, Cavern, White Source, Any Land
Turn 1: Champ
Turn 2: Lightning Mauler, Swing for 2
Turn 3: Silverblade, Swing for 11
Turn 4: Mauler, Swing for 14
Mine is Champ, Mauler, Silverblade, Hero, Cavern, Plains, Any Land… and drawing a mana source in the first 4 turns.
Turn 1: Champ
Turn 2: Lightning Mauler, Swing for 2
Turn 3: Silverblade, Swing for 8 (little less than you here, I admit)
Turn 4: Hero, swing for 27.
Both get the job done, my meta got off the delver train a while back (I was one of the last players), has more pod, green, and RG.
I have to admit, I have yet to try Cloudshift, but I can't imagine a moment where I would want to. Yes, there are scenarios with Fiend Hunter, but the question remains, "Is this card worth removing others?"
While I don't have her in my build, Restoration angel can triple as removal, control and aggro if played properly. She also deals with small fliers which can be the bane of your existence if the game drags out.
I arrived at Cloudshift from considering Resto Angel, who I ran in Delver. I evaluated what percentage of the time i played the Angel for the body versus the flicker, and at one mana the Cloudshift won out for me.
Mine is Champ, Mauler, Silverblade, Hero, White Source, Any Land… and drawing a mana source in the first 4 turns.
Turn 1: Champ
Turn 2: Lightning Mauler, Swing for 2
Turn 3: Silverblade, Swing for 8 (little less than you here, I admit)
Turn 4: Hero, swing for 27.
Both get the job done, my meta got off the delver train a while back (I was one of the last players), has more pod, green, and RG.
I arrived at Cloudshift from considering Resto Angel, who I ran in Delver. I evaluated what percentage of the time i played the Angel for the body versus the flicker, and at one mana the Cloudshift won out for me.
If your meta is full of RG aggro then maindecking fiend hunter is a good option. RG Aggro barely has any burn (aside from bonfire). This makes fiend hunter a great choice. You should consider putting Elite Inquisitor and Mirran Crusader in your deck. Also, consider putting Stoney Silence in the sideboard. RG aggro tends to run 4 swords.
My FNM meta usually consists of:
- U/G Infect
- U/W Spirit Delver
- U/W Midrange
- U/W DelverBlade
- R/G Ramp
- U/W/B Tokens
- U/B Tezzeret
Note: Has anyone thought of Faith's Reward in the board to combat sweeps? That was the only thing I could come up with, and even that doesn't stop Terminus.
EDIT: Also thinking that Post-Rotation Mikaeus + Ajani might be worth looking into, over Crusader and ???. Replacement for Hero is either going to work out to be Instigator Gang, Hellrider, or Odric, IMO.
I've considered Faith's Reward, but I think it's more of a combat trick to set up an alpha strike next turn. The best defense against Terminus is resisting the temptation to overextend vs control decks.
Game 1 was a blowout because of the removal, he couldn't accelerate into his 5 mana to cast Unburial Rites (which he had 3 in hand) everything else was well fast enough to finish him off.
Game 2 I found out that his sideboard tech was Marrow Shards when it wiped my field, twice. Managed to stick a Hero of Bladehold late game and get through for just enough.
Game 3 was an absolute race. No Smelt drawn, so Sword of War and Peace started hitting me with flying. Luckily it was late so he wasn't getting too much value out of it, and I squeaked through with a victory from a one damage Bonfire of the Damned and a Champion of the Parish with 2 counters.
4-0
Semi-Finals - UW Delver Blade
Game 1, oh boy I get to play this again. A clutch Bonfire of the Damned peel off the top of the deck saved the game here.
Game 1, same guy from earlier, we lost game one here again to combo. I don't think we're fast enough to actually beat this deck before the board. That or I just drew really stinky, my money is on the first option.
Game 3 was more or less of the same, however he resolved three Myr Superions. Problem for him was I resolved two Hero of Bladeholds with a field of guys, including a Lightning Mauler, championship point.
6-0
There was a serious lack of control decks here this week, but they were supplemented by combo-ish decks. I'm not sure if 2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben are enough in the maindeck to combat this, but I don't think more of them would necessarily help this build running 12 spells.
Hey guys. I've been snooping around both Boros threads lately and I just want to share my take on boros. First, one thing I've noticed about the deck is the weakness against sweepers. So I've thrown in a singleton Inferno Titan just to get that late game reach advantage, and since he's nuts with Slayer's Stronghold. Also, another factor is the chump blocks coming off from Lingering Souls, this card may very well be the only card that can delay your clock further. So here's the list I've put up and tested:
Sideboard needs tweaking, I did like Elspeth Tirel's presence against most decks, it has its moment with Fiend Hunter exiling my creature. Odric, MT gave me an upper hand on decks that can't sweep board. I like him in the deck as a substitute to Hero of Bladehold post-rotation, although Hero of Bladehold is what makes this deck stand out, imo. Blade Splicers are in due to the heavy spot removal that most competitive decks carry, and the high population that runs Geist of Saint Traft. I haven't tried Cloudshift since I don't want to be wasting a card slot that would just flicker to save a creature, on top of that, Thalia will always be out. I've also noticed that it is hard to recover from a sweep; not suggesting any sub-par cards but I have playtested 2-of Archwing Dragon that recurs in and out of your hand for some tricky combat phase, albeit it was useless if it gets chump blocked. Therefore I just mained a 1-of Inferno Titan to get that reach if ever the game drags for so long. Thoughts?
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Not sure if this card is gonna get banned sooner or maybe later...
Please don't make crap up. This is such an obvious word vomit it's ridiculous. Something about the internet and people thinking they need to say something to fit in..
Hey guys. I've been snooping around both Boros threads lately and I just want to share my take on boros. First, one thing I've noticed about the deck is the weakness against sweepers. So I've thrown in a singleton Inferno Titan just to get that late game reach advantage, and since he's nuts with Slayer's Stronghold. Also, another factor is the chump blocks coming off from Lingering Souls, this card may very well be the only card that can delay your clock further. So here's the list I've put up and tested:
Sideboard needs tweaking, I did like Elspeth Tirel's presence against most decks, it has its moment with Fiend Hunter exiling my creature. Odric, MT gave me an upper hand on decks that can't sweep board. I like him in the deck as a substitute to Hero of Bladehold post-rotation, although Hero of Bladehold is what makes this deck stand out, imo. Blade Splicers are in due to the heavy spot removal that most competitive decks carry, and the high population that runs Geist of Saint Traft. I haven't tried Cloudshift since I don't want to be wasting a card slot that would just flicker to save a creature, on top of that, Thalia will always be out. I've also noticed that it is hard to recover from a sweep; not suggesting any sub-par cards but I have playtested 2-of Archwing Dragon that recurs in and out of your hand for some tricky combat phase, albeit it was useless if it gets chump blocked. Therefore I just mained a 1-of Inferno Titan to get that reach if ever the game drags for so long. Thoughts?
I don't know exactly how I want to approach the deck at this point. Especially with the addition of Rancor and the fact that Boros won't be introduced in return to Ravnica until the 2nd set. We need some cards that get us into late game, but most of the late game strategies are just better in other colors. So frustrated right now. The super-agro boros is just not viable anymore due to Thragtusk and Huntmaster Combo in Naya Blink. We need a mid ranger Boros now... ideas?
I don't know exactly how I want to approach the deck at this point. Especially with the addition of Rancor and the fact that Boros won't be introduced in return to Ravnica until the 2nd set. We need some cards that get us into late game, but most of the late game strategies are just better in other colors. So frustrated right now. The super-agro boros is just not viable anymore due to Thragtusk and Huntmaster Combo in Naya Blink. We need a mid ranger Boros now... ideas?
Torpor Orb seems to do quite well in the SB if your meta is full of Naya/Pod/Thragtusk. I used 2-of in my zombies.dec. Just side out Thalia and win the race.
Please don't make crap up. This is such an obvious word vomit it's ridiculous. Something about the internet and people thinking they need to say something to fit in..
Torpor Orb seems to do quite well in the SB if your meta is full of Naya/Pod/Thragtusk. I used 2-of in my zombies.dec. Just side out Thalia and win the race.
Hey guys. Seems like this thread has become pretty inactive... are we pretty much of the mind that RW aggro like this is going to be very difficult to play as long as Bonfire of the Damned is a 4-of in so many decks? Anyhow here is the decklist I put together a few days ago to start testing with:
I haven't quite worked up a sideboard yet but my meta is pretty heavy on Naya and Pod and GR Aggro so it will probably be to combat those. The biggest change I've made over the last time I ran Boros a few months ago is to have made it slightly more mid-range by:
EDIT: Also thinking that Post-Rotation Mikaeus + Ajani might be worth looking into, over Crusader and ???. Replacement for Hero is either going to work out to be Instigator Gang, Hellrider, or Odric, IMO.
Don't forget about Restoration Angel and Riders of Gavony. I can't imagine Instigator Gang making much of a comeback considering how much time and effort it takes to make it usable. Even if the meta slows down with the last block and M12 rotating out I have to imagine that people are still going to want to play cards that have an immediate effect on the board like Hellrider, Resto Angel, Angel of Jubilation and Riders.
So, Bonfire is good against most decks atm, so...fight fire with fire? And also, Mimic Vat is killer against Pod. They either run, or will sideboard in Thragtusk. Sticking a Thragtusk on a Vat is an easy way to give yourself a leg up on Pod.
Edit moar: I'm in the process of playtesting this. It's way too early to tell for sure, but this looks rather good.
Don't forget about Restoration Angel and Riders of Gavony. I can't imagine Instigator Gang making much of a comeback considering how much time and effort it takes to make it usable. Even if the meta slows down with the last block and M12 rotating out I have to imagine that people are still going to want to play cards that have an immediate effect on the board like Hellrider, Resto Angel, Angel of Jubilation and Riders.
Do we have any opinions on what works well in the sideboard here? I feel kind of iffy sideboarding into reactive cards that aren't attached to a body considering how aggressive this deck is intending to be. That being said, I run into a lot of decks running Birthing Pod, Sword of War and Peace and/or Bonfire of the Damned. A lot of these just completely destroy this deck so I did want some hate I could bring in and this is what I came up with:
I've looked at your lists and seen some similar selections for the sideboard. Is there anything that hasn't already been discussed that I am overlooking? Anything new in M13 worth looking into other than War Priest of Thune? Pillar of Flame?
Grafdigger's Cage beats Pod too, and it's faster. Nevermore for Bonfire might be a bit too slow, maybe Mental Misstep? As for Sword of War and Peace, I run Smelt in the board. All fast answers, you don't want to lose steam having to react.
Edit: Also, I've branched off from Red recently to give G/W Humans a try. I feel with Rancor it might be more durable, along with Avacyn's Pilgrim for the possibility of a t3 Hero of Bladehold. It also has Mayor of Avabruck to give a little bit more resilience to Bonfires.
I liked the article. I think this will be a little bit more of what this deck will look like once SoM rotates. We'll lose the swords, lose the hero of bladehold and mirran crusader, so the Resto-Angel combos seem more likely for the Innistrad block. Depends on what we get for RtR though.
I just made some bumps in my Boros...kinda tried to keep the 3 bladeholds with 2 hellriders...And since I included the devil in my deck, I also adjusted my mana base. Although I haven't tested it in a real tournament and just had a couple of playtest with my friend's RG aggro, I can race him fast enough that even a SOWAP is not enough to finish me off...I just really need to manage my curve well to maximize damage by turns 4-6...
I just made some bumps in my Boros...kinda tried to keep the 3 bladeholds with 2 hellriders...And since I included the devil in my deck, I also adjusted my mana base. Although I haven't tested it in a real tournament and just had a couple of playtest with my friend's RG aggro, I can race him fast enough that even a SOWAP is not enough to finish me off...I just really need to manage my curve well to maximize damage by turns 4-6...
btw my decklist's at my sig.
It can work...I've run my Hell Boros list with a full playset of Hero alongside Hellrider (2-3 usually) without issue. However, as I often run Vexing Devil in my list, I sometimes dedicate a Cavern to "Devils" to help make the mana run smooth.
The Vexings are kinda unstable IMO, you always get the least benefits from it since it's the opponent's choice, given that your opponent is skillful enough to see the best play.
I am thinking of removing the last Slayers' Stronghold in my deck (I used 2 before) to give way for a 4th Mountain...but that means I will not have that much "surprise" Mirran Crusader/Hero of Bladehold topdeck against decks with board wipes...
Maybe I'll just try to playtest more with 1 Slayers' Stronghold before completely removing it.
I'm thinking about changing Doomed Traveler for Reckless Waif i've made a few tests and i think it's the right choice, what do you guys think about my list? Need suggestions ^^ =D
Rotation is less than a month away now. And I have absolutely no idea what to replace for Mirran Crusader. It needs to be a 2 or 3 drop, with a decent effect that is worth bonding with a Lightning Mauler. Out of the cards available now Kessig Malcontents seems like the best, although crappy option. Any other suggestions? I'd prefer 2cmc or 3cmc humans, but if nothing worth comes along might have to break the human tribe theme a bit...
My meta is full of delver, I really don't have room to squeeze 4 Hero's into my deck. They're far to susceptible to vapor snag and friends. If I have too many, I'm not as quick because I draw them more often. I've cut the total down to 2. I need to rely on speed.
My god draw is:
2 Maulers, Champ, Silverblade, Cavern, White Source, Any Land
Turn 1: Champ
Turn 2: Lightning Mauler, Swing for 2
Turn 3: Silverblade, Swing for 11
Turn 4: Mauler, Swing for 14
I have to admit, I have yet to try Cloudshift, but I can't imagine a moment where I would want to. Yes, there are scenarios with Fiend Hunter, but the question remains, "Is this card worth removing others?"
While I don't have her in my build, Restoration angel can triple as removal, control and aggro if played properly. She also deals with small fliers which can be the bane of your existence if the game drags out.
Also, Mirran Crusader can blow out many decks in the format. He slaughters R/G aggro, zombies, and avoids kill spells like dismember. I've won so many games by top decking a Mirran Crusader and sending him on a killing spree with slayers stronghold or equipping him with a turn five Sword of War & Peace, doubling the effects of the sword and dealing as much as 16 damage in a single swing.
Thalia is an amazing defense against board wiping spells. I've won countless games with a turn two Thalia. This card is incredibly effective, often forcing your opponent off curve without an answer they can afford.
Grand Abolisher rocks my world. This deck is full of soul-bond cards that are dependent on other creatures. Let's face it, it's not fun to top deck a Silverblade only to have it burned with a random removal spell. Grand Abolisher makes every spell you play uncounterable, and keeps your opponent on the ropes when it's your turn.
There are a lot of cards available, while Fiend Hunter and Cloudshift are great cards for this deck. I think that there are better ones.
Mine is Champ, Mauler, Silverblade, Hero, Cavern, Plains, Any Land… and drawing a mana source in the first 4 turns.
Turn 1: Champ
Turn 2: Lightning Mauler, Swing for 2
Turn 3: Silverblade, Swing for 8 (little less than you here, I admit)
Turn 4: Hero, swing for 27.
Both get the job done, my meta got off the delver train a while back (I was one of the last players), has more pod, green, and RG.
I arrived at Cloudshift from considering Resto Angel, who I ran in Delver. I evaluated what percentage of the time i played the Angel for the body versus the flicker, and at one mana the Cloudshift won out for me.
If your meta is full of RG aggro then maindecking fiend hunter is a good option. RG Aggro barely has any burn (aside from bonfire). This makes fiend hunter a great choice. You should consider putting Elite Inquisitor and Mirran Crusader in your deck. Also, consider putting Stoney Silence in the sideboard. RG aggro tends to run 4 swords.
4 Champion of the Parish
3 Mirran Crusader
3 Silverblade Paladin
4 Hero of Bladehold
2 Zealous Conscripts
4 Lightning Mauler
2 Doomed Traveler
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Bonfire of the Damned
4 Pillar of Flame
4 Gather the Townsfolk
Lands
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Clifftop Retreat
2 Slayers' Stronghold
9 Plains
5 Mountain
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
3 Smelt
2 War Priest of Thune
3 Grafdigger's Cage
3 Ratchet Bomb
2 Zealous Conscripts
My FNM meta usually consists of:
- U/G Infect
- U/W Spirit Delver
- U/W Midrange
- U/W DelverBlade
- R/G Ramp
- U/W/B Tokens
- U/B Tezzeret
Note: Has anyone thought of Faith's Reward in the board to combat sweeps? That was the only thing I could come up with, and even that doesn't stop Terminus.
EDIT: Also thinking that Post-Rotation Mikaeus + Ajani might be worth looking into, over Crusader and ???. Replacement for Hero is either going to work out to be Instigator Gang, Hellrider, or Odric, IMO.
Watch my Twitch.tv stream.
Take the Ham Challenge.
Match 1 - R/G Frites
Game 1 was a blowout because of the removal, he couldn't accelerate into his 5 mana to cast Unburial Rites (which he had 3 in hand) everything else was well fast enough to finish him off.
+3 Grafdigger's Cage
-1 Bonfire of the Damned
-2 Doomed Traveller
Game 2 was an even bigger blowout as Grafdigger's Cage stopped him from doing anything at all
1-0
Match 2 - U/B/R Heartless Summoning
Game 1 I got comboed out of the game. There's nothing we can do to stop them midcombo sadly.
+2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
+3 Grafdigger's Cage
+2 War Priest of Thune
-2 Bonfire of the Damned
-2 Zealous Conscripts
-2 Doomed Traveller
-1 Gather the Townsfolk
Game 2 was a whole different story. My opening hand had two Thalia, Guardian of Thrabenn and a Grafdigger's Cage... Let's move to game three.
Game 3 was sketchy. I was stuck on 3 mana for a while but managed to destroy the Heartless Summoning with War Priest of Thune for the stall. Resolved Hero of Bladehold and we're on to round 3.
2-0
Match 3 - B/W Tokens
Game 1 Bonfire of the Damned just wrecked his day, coupled with a Thalia Guardian of Thraben and he couldn't get a Sorin, Lord of Innistraddown to stabilize.
+3 Ratchet Bomb
-2 Doomed Traveller
-1 Pillar of Flame
Game 2 was really close as he resolved double Blood Artist and a Suture Priest. I managed to kill off the Suture Priest, and the kill came a turn before he'd swing over and finish me off by Zealous Conscripts stealing one Blood Artist and pushing in with Hero of Bladehold and friends.
3-0
Match 4 - U/W Delver Blade
Game 1 I got thrashed down by Geist of Saint Traft and a hand full of Vapor Snags. Bonfire of the Damned was too slow to help out sadly, by the time I could resolve it the damage had been done.
+3 Smelt
+2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
-2 Zealous Conscripts
-2 Gather the Townsfolk
-1 Mirran Crusader
Game 2 I found out that his sideboard tech was Marrow Shards when it wiped my field, twice. Managed to stick a Hero of Bladehold late game and get through for just enough.
Game 3 was an absolute race. No Smelt drawn, so Sword of War and Peace started hitting me with flying. Luckily it was late so he wasn't getting too much value out of it, and I squeaked through with a victory from a one damage Bonfire of the Damned and a Champion of the Parish with 2 counters.
4-0
Semi-Finals - UW Delver Blade
Game 1, oh boy I get to play this again. A clutch Bonfire of the Damned peel off the top of the deck saved the game here.
+3 Smelt
+2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
-2 Zealous Conscripts
-2 Gather the Townsfolk
-1 Mirran Crusader
Game 2, I was staring down a flying Delver of Secrets, and a Restoration Angel, sadly this came too late for him as he kept a hand with Gitaxian Probe, Ponder, and Island and then couldn't hit land drop #2.
5-0
Finals - U/B/R Heartless Summoning
Game 1, same guy from earlier, we lost game one here again to combo. I don't think we're fast enough to actually beat this deck before the board. That or I just drew really stinky, my money is on the first option.
+2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
+3 Grafdigger's Cage
+2 War Priest of Thune
-2 Bonfire of the Damned
-2 Zealous Conscripts
-2 Doomed Traveller
-1 Gather the Townsfolk
Game 2 Grafdigger's Cage showed up again and stalled long enough for me to fish out a Hero of Bladehold and go for the throat.
Game 3 was more or less of the same, however he resolved three Myr Superions. Problem for him was I resolved two Hero of Bladeholds with a field of guys, including a Lightning Mauler, championship point.
6-0
There was a serious lack of control decks here this week, but they were supplemented by combo-ish decks. I'm not sure if 2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben are enough in the maindeck to combat this, but I don't think more of them would necessarily help this build running 12 spells.
I acquired 4 Thundermaw Hellkites over the weekend. I'm going to try replacing conscripts with them to see where I get.
The next deck:
4x Champion of the Parish
2x Doomed Traveler
3x Elite Inquisitor
3x Grand Abolisher
2x Hero of Bladehold
3x Lightning Mauler
4x Mirran Crusader
3x Silverblade Paladin
3x Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1x Thundermaw Hellkite
4x Cavern of Souls
4x Clifftop Retreat
2x Evolving Wilds
4x Mountain
7x Plains
2x Slayers' Stronghold
Instant (2)
2x Gut Shot
Sorcery (4)
4x Bonfire of the Damned
Enchantment (3)
3x Honor of the Pure
2x Oblivion Ring
2x Ratchet Bomb
2x Surgical Extraction
2x Sword of War and Peace
3x Fiend Hunter
2x Grafdigger's Cage
2x Thundermaw Hellkite
10 Plains
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Clifftop Retreat
4 Mountain
2 Slayers' Stronghold
Creature (28)
4 Champion of the Parish
4 Doomed Traveler
4 Lightning Mauler
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
3 Blade Splicer
3 Silverblade Paladin
4 Hero of Bladehold
2 Odric, Master Tactician
1 Inferno Titan
2 Brimstone Volley
2 Oblivion Ring
4 Gather the Townsfolk
3 Nevermore
3 Warpriest of Thune
3 Tormod's Crypt
2 Zealous Conscripts
1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Fiend Hunter
2 Elspeth Tirel
Sideboard needs tweaking, I did like Elspeth Tirel's presence against most decks, it has its moment with Fiend Hunter exiling my creature. Odric, MT gave me an upper hand on decks that can't sweep board. I like him in the deck as a substitute to Hero of Bladehold post-rotation, although Hero of Bladehold is what makes this deck stand out, imo. Blade Splicers are in due to the heavy spot removal that most competitive decks carry, and the high population that runs Geist of Saint Traft. I haven't tried Cloudshift since I don't want to be wasting a card slot that would just flicker to save a creature, on top of that, Thalia will always be out. I've also noticed that it is hard to recover from a sweep; not suggesting any sub-par cards but I have playtested 2-of Archwing Dragon that recurs in and out of your hand for some tricky combat phase, albeit it was useless if it gets chump blocked. Therefore I just mained a 1-of Inferno Titan to get that reach if ever the game drags for so long. Thoughts?
I don't know exactly how I want to approach the deck at this point. Especially with the addition of Rancor and the fact that Boros won't be introduced in return to Ravnica until the 2nd set. We need some cards that get us into late game, but most of the late game strategies are just better in other colors. So frustrated right now. The super-agro boros is just not viable anymore due to Thragtusk and Huntmaster Combo in Naya Blink. We need a mid ranger Boros now... ideas?
Torpor Orb seems to do quite well in the SB if your meta is full of Naya/Pod/Thragtusk. I used 2-of in my zombies.dec. Just side out Thalia and win the race.
Mid-late game, I'll say Angel of Glory's Rise atm but still getting playtested. It's harder to deal with Terminus than Bonfire imo. Other than that, Shrine of Loyal Legions or Shrine of Burning Rage gets it done.
Right now I removed my Gather the Townsfolk to fit in some Furor of the Bitten. I've goldfished the hand and card drops, and went lethal on turn 4.
T1: Champ
T2: Mauler(bound to champ)
T3: Mauler again, Furor of the bitten on champ
T4: Kessig Malcontents.
Things would also be the same if I was able to drop and use Slayer's Stronghold, take note.
If I were to go midrange with Boros, maybe I'd go for a list like this:
7 Mountain
3 Slayers' Stronghold
4 Clifftop Retreat
10 Plains
Creatures (27)
4 Champion of the Parish
4 Elite Vanguard
4 Lightning Mauler
3 Blade Splicer
3 Silverblade Paladin
3 Adaptive Automaton
3 Hellrider
3 Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer
4 Shrine of Loyal Legions
3 Oblivion Ring
2 Brimstone Volley
The only Boros card I could find was Jor Kadeen. Funny as it may seem, but he could work right now.
Unfortunately Torpor orb hoses a good portion of the power in our own deck. Soulbond is an ETB trigger.
4x Clifftop Retreat
1x Cavern of Souls
1x Slayer's Stronghold
13x Plains
4x Mountain
Creatures (28):
4x Champion of the Parish
3x Elite Vanguard
4x Lightning Mauler
3x Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2x Accorder Paladin
4x Silverblade Paladin
2x Fiend Hunter
2x Blade Splicer
3x Restoration Angel
1x Zealous Conscripts
2x Gather the Townsfolk
1x Bonfire of the Damned
2x Oblivion Ring
4x Honor of the Pure
I haven't quite worked up a sideboard yet but my meta is pretty heavy on Naya and Pod and GR Aggro so it will probably be to combat those. The biggest change I've made over the last time I ran Boros a few months ago is to have made it slightly more mid-range by:
- Adding 4x Honor of the Pure.
- Going more mono-white and mono-human (I used to run Stromkirk Noble and Hellrider and Stormblood Berserker).
- Using Blade Splicer and Restoration Angel instead of Mirran Crusader and Hero of Bladehold.
I am going to run this at FNM Friday and see how it fares. Any advice would be welcome. I will report back with results afterward.
Don't forget about Restoration Angel and Riders of Gavony. I can't imagine Instigator Gang making much of a comeback considering how much time and effort it takes to make it usable. Even if the meta slows down with the last block and M12 rotating out I have to imagine that people are still going to want to play cards that have an immediate effect on the board like Hellrider, Resto Angel, Angel of Jubilation and Riders.
So, Bonfire is good against most decks atm, so...fight fire with fire? And also, Mimic Vat is killer against Pod. They either run, or will sideboard in Thragtusk. Sticking a Thragtusk on a Vat is an easy way to give yourself a leg up on Pod.
Edit moar: I'm in the process of playtesting this. It's way too early to tell for sure, but this looks rather good.
4 Champion of the Parish
3 Elite Vanguard
4 Lightning Mauler
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
3 Blade Splicer
2 Mirran Crusader
3 Silverblade Paladin
3 Restoration Angel
2 Sublime Archangel
1 Zealous Conscripts
4 Honor of the Pure
3 Bonfire of the Damned
2 Oblivion Ring
Land:
3 Cavern of Souls
4 Clifftop Retreat
4 Mountain
10 Plains
2 Slayers' Stronghold
2 Smelt
2 Celestial Purge
3 Combust
2 Fiend Hunter
2 Mimic Vat
2 Sword of War and Peace
1 Thundermaw Hellkite
1 Zealous Conscripts
Loam Pox
Standard:
Boros Burn
I like the idea of Riders of Gavony as a 1-2 of.
Do we have any opinions on what works well in the sideboard here? I feel kind of iffy sideboarding into reactive cards that aren't attached to a body considering how aggressive this deck is intending to be. That being said, I run into a lot of decks running Birthing Pod, Sword of War and Peace and/or Bonfire of the Damned. A lot of these just completely destroy this deck so I did want some hate I could bring in and this is what I came up with:
I've looked at your lists and seen some similar selections for the sideboard. Is there anything that hasn't already been discussed that I am overlooking? Anything new in M13 worth looking into other than War Priest of Thune? Pillar of Flame?
Edit: Also, I've branched off from Red recently to give G/W Humans a try. I feel with Rancor it might be more durable, along with Avacyn's Pilgrim for the possibility of a t3 Hero of Bladehold. It also has Mayor of Avabruck to give a little bit more resilience to Bonfires.
I liked the article. I think this will be a little bit more of what this deck will look like once SoM rotates. We'll lose the swords, lose the hero of bladehold and mirran crusader, so the Resto-Angel combos seem more likely for the Innistrad block. Depends on what we get for RtR though.
Currently Playing:
Standard: Jund Midrange
Modern: Mono-U Faeries, Soul Sisters, Scapeshift
Legacy: Goblins, Dredge, BUG Agent
EDH: Zur, Azusa, Gisela, Hanna
btw my decklist's at my sig.
It can work...I've run my Hell Boros list with a full playset of Hero alongside Hellrider (2-3 usually) without issue. However, as I often run Vexing Devil in my list, I sometimes dedicate a Cavern to "Devils" to help make the mana run smooth.
The Vexings are kinda unstable IMO, you always get the least benefits from it since it's the opponent's choice, given that your opponent is skillful enough to see the best play.
I am thinking of removing the last Slayers' Stronghold in my deck (I used 2 before) to give way for a 4th Mountain...but that means I will not have that much "surprise" Mirran Crusader/Hero of Bladehold topdeck against decks with board wipes...
Maybe I'll just try to playtest more with 1 Slayers' Stronghold before completely removing it.
2 Slayers' Stronghold
6 Mountain
9 Plains
4 Clifftop Retreat
2 Cavern of Souls
// Creatures
3 Kessig Malcontents
4 Lightning Mauler
4 Silverblade Paladin
4 Champion of the Parish
2 Hellrider
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
3 Fiend Hunter
3 Restoration Angel
4 Doomed Traveler
3 Gather the Townsfolk
1 Bonfire of the Damned
2 Faith's Shield
2 Pillar of Flame
I'm thinking about changing Doomed Traveler for Reckless Waif i've made a few tests and i think it's the right choice, what do you guys think about my list? Need suggestions ^^ =D
4x Doomed Traveler
4x Hero of Bladehold
4x Lightning Mauler
4x Mirran Crusader
4x Silverblade Paladin
4x Blade Splicer
3x Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2x Zealous Conscripts
4x Cavern of Souls
4x Clifftop Retreat
3x Mountain
10x Plains
1x Slayers' Stronghold
2x Angelic Destiny
2x Tormod's Crypt
3x Celestial Purge
2x Day of Judgment
2x Revoke Existence
2x Timely Reinforcements
2x Riders of Gavony