Sideboarding

[LostButSeeking]

I play in a fairly scrubby metagame. We get maybe 15 people, but only (maybe) six of them are really in contention for winning. I was looking at burn, thinking it would be a good list to run at the tournament, but then I couldn't decide whether to run maindeck price of progress or not. Against the people who are playing U/W exalted aggro and only have playing plains and islands, I don't want it at all. Against Zoo, I really, really want it.

Is it legal to sideboard game one, based on who I know I'm playing against?

[cdr]

No.

[KrzyMoose]

No.

Your maindeck must be the same for game one of each match.

*edit* And for completeness's sake, your sideboard must be the same for game one of each match, too.

[scrumdogg]

No, you can sideboard between Games 2 and 3 but must revert to your original decklist for each Game 1. To answer your strategy question, how many of the 5-6 people in contention have manabases that make Price of Progress drool? If your prime competition suffer to Price, keep (3) maindeck, hurt them a lot and win, then side them out versus the rest - the people you are beating anyway, even with (3) dead(ish) cards. If the good players aren't hurt by PoP, reverse that, and run a build aimed at basic land based opponents with the ability to sideboard into R1 Game Over.

EDIT: Heh, triple insta-response :)

[DrJones]

Absolutely not, the best you can do is design a 55/20 deck, then take a look at the decks the other people play, and run the best 5 cards from your sideboard for that gauntlet in your main deck when you register it.

What I usually do, is including in my decks ways to filter dead cards, like Jaya Ballard or Stormbind. If opponents play with Tarmogoyf, you might want to run Lightning Axe and Fiery Temper, too.

[LostButSeeking]

Yeah, that's what I figured, otherwise people would do it. Thanks for your help guys.

[Valtrix]

Something people may find interesting about limited, which I didn't know for a long time (though unrelated to legacy, still important):



Any drafted or opened cards not used in a player’s Limited deck function as his or her sideboard. Players may look at their sideboards during a game as long as the sideboard remains clearly distinguishable from other cards. The sideboard must be clearly identified and separated from all other cards in the play area.

Before the beginning of the second or subsequent game in a match, players may change the composition of their decks by exchanging cards from their decks for cards in their sideboards. Players can also request additional basic land cards at this time. There are no restrictions on the number of cards a player may exchange this way as long as the main deck contains at least forty cards. Cards do not need to be exchanged on a one-for-one basis. The deck must be returned to its original composition before the first game of each match.

Players participating in Limited tournaments that do not use deck lists may freely change the composition of their decks between matches by exchanging cards from their decks for cards in their sideboards without being required to return their deck to its original composition before their next match. The Head Judge or Tournament Organizer must inform players if this option is not being used prior to the start of deck building. This option is not available at Competitive or Professional REL tournaments.