I've won FNM with this deck a couple weeks ago 3-0 and got second place this past weekend going 2-1. It has done really well against everything I've gone against, except Abzan Control. I am looking for some tips on what to put in my sideboard to help against it.
Well, you could always load up on counterspells. Beyond that, though, it'd be helpful to know what particular parts of Abzan control cause you problems. Just the infinite removal? Or . . . Siege Rhino?
If you want to give them a general "Don't touch my stuff" message, you could add more Icefall Regents and put in a copy or two of Mystic Monastery. Keep some Thunderbreaks in, though, for the extra deterrent.
Well, you could always load up on counterspells. Beyond that, though, it'd be helpful to know what particular parts of Abzan control cause you problems. Just the infinite removal? Or . . . Siege Rhino?
If you want to give them a general "Don't touch my stuff" message, you could add more Icefall Regents and put in a copy or two of Mystic Monastery. Keep some Thunderbreaks in, though, for the extra deterrent.
Hope this helps!
My issue was the removal, the creatures I can deal with either through trade or my own removal/counters. Sagu Mauler and Savage Knuckelblade both are good idea's that I didn't think of.
My issue was the removal, the creatures I can deal with either through trade or my own removal/counters. Sagu Mauler and Savage Knuckelblade both are good idea's that I didn't think of.
Sorry. Meant Monastery Siege. If you choose Dragons, it makes your permanents that much harder to deal with. Eats mana and limits their ability to answer your threats. Abzan doesn't have access to counterspells, the only way they can answer you is with spot removal, which targets, or with board wipes, which you can save your counterspells for. When you have that and one or two Icefall Regents out, you have a lot of deterrent for players who just try to load up on removal and blow up everything. You force them to play a better game, and choose carefully which threats they don't want to deal with.
That's where I get kinda lost, to be honest. I'd probably end up making some tweaks with the main deck, also. For example, you could take out your Elvish Mystics, since you have plenty of other ramp. Temur Charm is versatile, but it's also pretty impotent in all of its modes. You might just want to boot it and move Treasure Cruise to the main. You could maybe move Deathmist Raptor and Den Protector to the main, 2 of each. Rending Volley is pretty narrow, so unless you face an absolute ton of Dragonlord Ojutai at FNM, you could probably get rid of that. Much as I love Ashcloud Phoenix, I'm not sure that's really doing a whole lot of work for the deck as a 1-of in the sideboard.
Really, though, it depends on the meta you're playing in. What match-ups are you most likely to encounter? Which of those do you not actually have an answer for? What 15 cards allow you to best answer all of them?
Edit: Xenegos could also stand to come out. The ramp is okay, but his minions die to Bile Blight, Drown in Sorrow, Anger of the Gods . . . a lot of stuff. I just don't feel like it offers enough. Up to you, though.
3x Forest
2x Frontier Bivouac
4x Haven of the Spirit Dragon
3x Island
3x Mountain
1x Polluted Delta
1x Shivan Reef
3x Temple of Abandon
4x Wooded Foothills
Sorcery (2)
2x Crater's Claws
Creature (22)
3x Courser of Kruphix
2x Dragonlord Atarka
3x Elvish Mystic
1x Icefall Regent
3x Rattleclaw Mystic
1x Shaman of the Great Hunt
2x Surrak, the Hunt Caller
3x Sylvan Caryatid
4x Thunderbreak Regent
1x Sarkhan Unbroken
1x Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
2x Xenagos, the Reveler
Instant (8)
2x Atarka's Command
2x Disdainful Stroke
2x Negate
2x Temur Charm
1x Ashcloud Phoenix
2x Deathmist Raptor
2x Den Protector
2x Encase in Ice
2x Rending Volley
2x Roast
2x Treasure Cruise
2x Wild Slash
If it's the Rhino and planeswalkers, Fated Conflagration is an option worth considering. For the removal, you could try Sagu Mauler and Savage Knuckleblade.
If you want to give them a general "Don't touch my stuff" message, you could add more Icefall Regents and put in a copy or two of Mystic Monastery. Keep some Thunderbreaks in, though, for the extra deterrent.
Hope this helps!
My issue was the removal, the creatures I can deal with either through trade or my own removal/counters. Sagu Mauler and Savage Knuckelblade both are good idea's that I didn't think of.
What is Mystic Monastery going to do?
Sorry. Meant Monastery Siege. If you choose Dragons, it makes your permanents that much harder to deal with. Eats mana and limits their ability to answer your threats. Abzan doesn't have access to counterspells, the only way they can answer you is with spot removal, which targets, or with board wipes, which you can save your counterspells for. When you have that and one or two Icefall Regents out, you have a lot of deterrent for players who just try to load up on removal and blow up everything. You force them to play a better game, and choose carefully which threats they don't want to deal with.
Really, though, it depends on the meta you're playing in. What match-ups are you most likely to encounter? Which of those do you not actually have an answer for? What 15 cards allow you to best answer all of them?
Edit: Xenegos could also stand to come out. The ramp is okay, but his minions die to Bile Blight, Drown in Sorrow, Anger of the Gods . . . a lot of stuff. I just don't feel like it offers enough. Up to you, though.