Sideboard against NO RUG

[SpeedOfDark]

Greetings thesource community,

So I'm headed to a local legacy tourney soon enough (40-50 players) and I am expecting many of the top players to support some iteration of NO RUG (most likely the list found here (http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=40482))

And my question is: what are the best sideboard cards to combat NO RUG?

I will be playing elf combo (engine: 4 glimpse, 4 NO, 4 GSZ, 1 prog, 1 regal) mostly because it's the only complete legacy deck I own. For the moment it's mono green, but I am open to splashing a color if I can justify the benefits. For the curious, my current list can be found here (http://deckbox.org/sets/74134).

So far my ideas mostly revolve around attacking their NO+prog plan, since the rest of the deck is significantly less threatening (tarmogoyfs + cliques, basically). The best ways I have thought to do this are:

1. Circle of protection: red
By paying 1 mana per turn, progenitus is kept at bay.
As for other matchups, it can be used as a sideboard card against burn-esque strategies (which always seem to pop up at legacy events) for an instant win.

2. Phyrexian Metamorph
This is the most interesting and versatile option I've found so far.
The turn after their NO has resolved, you pay 3 mana and 2 life to copy progenitus and they both die as per legendary rule. Also, in a pinch you can always copy a tarmogoyf for a classic goyfstall or a clique for the hand disruption trigger + killing the cliques by the legendary rule, again. And even further, if they have a hand that's low on counter magic, you can always just use the metamorph to fuel your own glimpse or regal force combo.
As for other matchups, this could be a decent card against reanimator decks or show and tell/hypergenesis decks.

Other utility sideboard card: 1-2
xantid swarm, mostly as GSZ target.

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Suggested by posters:

3. Circle of protection: black
Stops prog, germ tokens, various BW BG aggro combinations, dark depths.

4. Light of Day
Similar to CoP:Black except one time investment.

5. Circle of protection: green
Stops prog, and your usual green aggressors (goyf, reliquary, etc.)

6. Retribution of the Meek
Stops prog, various other fatty oriented-strategies, goyf, reliquary, etc.

7. Elephant Grass
Temporarily stops black creatures and slows down the rest of aggro.

8. Ensnaring Bridge
Stops prog, and potentially other decently sized threats such as goyf.

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Any thoughts? Any silver bullets I have overlooked?

[OurSerratedDust]

I don't know a whole lot about Elf Combo, but Circle of Protection: Red seems pretty good here. In addition to stopping Progenitus, RUG will be playing a bunch of burn spells to kill your dudes, so it probably works well.

EDIT: Yup, I guess you're right. It would probably be way too good in that case, anyways.

[Shawon]

COP: Red does nothing to stop RUG from burning your dudes, just from burning you.

[SpeedOfDark]

CoP:red is a decent prog stopper, but unfortunately it can only stop damage from red sources targetting the player, not his creatures. If it could protect my creatures too, then I would already be figuring out how I want to make my G/W manabase :P

So far I'm leaning more towards the metamorph plan because of flexibility and the fact that I don't need to splash a color.

[lordofthepit]

I'd prefer CoP: Black marginally because it also stops Germ Tokens.

Light of Day might be a narrow card that's pretty good against two of the top decks in the format, as it stops Progenitus and Germ tokens from attacking or blocking. Can also be useful against Dredge and Deadguy/Eva Green/Suicide/Dark Depths. Four mana is a bit steep though.

[lordofthepit]

I'd prefer CoP: Black marginally because it also stops Germ Tokens.

Light of Day might be a narrow card that's pretty good against two of the top decks in the format, as it stops Progenitus and Germ tokens from attacking or blocking. Can also be useful against Dredge and Deadguy/Eva Green/Suicide/Dark Depths. Four mana is a bit steep though.

[dontbiteitholmes]

I'd prefer CoP: Black marginally because it also stops Germ Tokens.

Light of Day might be a narrow card that's pretty good against two of the top decks in the format, as it stops Progenitus and Germ tokens from attacking or blocking. Can also be useful against Dredge and Deadguy/Eva Green/Suicide/Dark Depths. Four mana is a bit steep though.

Don't know if it's the way you want to be going with an elf deck but Elephant Grass does it for 1 and a cumulative upkeep and with elves you are going to be able to pay the upkeep for a lot of turns, still it's probably a bad call. If you are splashing white you could always go for Retribution of the Meek as it kills their Prog and Goyfs and most of the time it won't hit your guys or you will be in alpha strike range.

[AngryTroll]

I'd choose a Circle of Protection based on your expected metagame. CoP: Blue stops Progenitus, Clique, and Merfolk; CoP: Green stops Goyfs, Knight of the Reliquary, and friends; CoP: Red stops burn and Goblins.

Phyrexian Metamorph kills Progenitus and Emrakul and matches all of the Green Threats, but is not very good against Goblins or Merfolk. So it really depends upon your expected metagame.

[SpikeyMikey]

The problem with Metamorph is that they don't need board to deal with it. They have counters in the main and Vendilion Clique to clear a path before NOing. In your deck, it's irrelevant, but for decks in blue it's even worse because they're already bringing in REB against you.

The best solution is to put a permanent on the board, preferably a non-creature permanent which they will have serious trouble dealing with. CoP's are one thought, Light of Day another, Ensnaring Bridge is good (if you win the Grapeshot and not Emrakul). Gaddock Teeg and Aven Mindcensor both shut down GSZ and NO but are susceptible to burn. Dropping Absolute Law to protect your creatures from burn and comboing out before they can win with Prog works too.

[SpeedOfDark]

The problem with Metamorph is that they don't need board to deal with it. They have counters in the main and Vendilion Clique to clear a path before NOing. In your deck, it's irrelevant, but for decks in blue it's even worse because they're already bringing in REB against you.

Yeah, I get what you mean with metamorph. I mean, its still decent in my deck, mostly because their counter magic has to be saved for my NO/glimpse/GSZ, but in a deck with less must-counter bombs it probably wouldn't be much help.


The best solution is to put a permanent on the board, preferably a non-creature permanent which they will have serious trouble dealing with. CoP's are one thought, Light of Day another, Ensnaring Bridge is good (if you win the Grapeshot and not Emrakul). Gaddock Teeg and Aven Mindcensor both shut down GSZ and NO but are susceptible to burn. Dropping Absolute Law to protect your creatures from burn and comboing out before they can win with Prog works too.

Hmm... I like your ensnaring bridge idea... I do use emrakul as my wincon, however the fact that he cannot attack is not super important, its mostly the ''take an extra turn'' trigger that matters. But against NO RUG, I might even remove emrakul when sideboarding since comboing off glimpse is not a likely scenario, and it usually means death for them anyways, emrakul or not.

In theory, if they don't have artifact removal and ensnaring bridge resolves, they can't win if my hand is kept low. (unless they burn me out with lavamancer/bolt :P)... that is very interesting :) I can basically just sit on my ass and wait for glimpse or regal force.

One big reason why ensnaring bridge and metamorph interest me more than the CoPs is because even though they provide strong postboard options, its very hard to justify exposing myself to wasteland/crucible/stifle just for a sideboard option that is slightly better than monocolored options.

[mchainmail]

You should really be playing COP: Green.

NO RUG can't beat that card if it's on the table *at all* Also, don't consider splash damage with COP: Anything; you're not boarding in COP: Black against Stoneforge decks.

[DrJones]

I don't know how fast you can generate mana, but if you can reliably get 6 mana by turn two-three, you might want to test Nature's Wrath.

If it enters play, it has the potential to crush merfolk, no rug, and dredge among others, and is also mono-green. I've tested some glimpse decks, and I know that six-mana is achievable, you don't have to worry about the combo chain fizzling because the opponent wouldn't be able to recover from that card. The problem is that it attracts counters and discard like a champion.

[SpeedOfDark]

I don't know how fast you can generate mana, but if you can reliably get 6 mana by turn two-three, you might want to test Nature's Wrath.

If it enters play, it has the potential to crush merfolk, no rug, and dredge among others, and is also mono-green. I've tested some glimpse decks, and I know that six-mana is achievable, you don't have to worry about the combo chain fizzling because the opponent wouldn't be able to recover from that card. The problem is that it attracts counters and discard like a champion.

That's kind of cool :o

I won't use it this time, because I'm using GSZ which slows it down a bit (compared to pact) at the expense of better non-glimpse hands and better sideboard utility, but I'll definitely keep that card in the back of my mind for another day.

[Richard Cheese]

With any COP, I would just be wary of Trygon Predator in NO RUG.

[lordofthepit]

With any COP, I would just be wary of Trygon Predator in NO RUG.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think if you prevent the damage, the disenchant effect doesn't trigger.

[Goaswerfraiejen]

There's always Spore Frog.