[Deck] Boros Angel Stompy

[Kokusho17]

I had made a thread for this deck some time ago and i wanted to make a new thread to show off some of the newer cards. Well heres the new deck.

Main Deck:
8 Plains
4 Mountain
4 Plateau
2 Ancient Tomb

4 Exalted Angel
4 Stonecloaker
4 Silver Knight
4 Boros Swiftblade
4 Mother of Runes
4 Goblin Legionnaire

4 Sudden Shock
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Swords to Plowshare
2 Mask of Memory
2 Sword of Fire and Ice
2 Umezawa's Jitte

Sideboard: (i have an issue with this)
4 White Knight
4 Pyrostatic Pillar
4 Disenchant
4 Seal of Cleansing
4 Red Elemental Blast / Pyroblast (can't decide on what one)
3 Parallax Wave
3 Price of Progress
3 Boiling Seas
2 Glowrider
I know there are 31 cards in my sideboard but i cant find the right balance of cards so i have right know as they all help against decks in my meta and this is one of the biggest reasons im posting this deck again. I am not gonna explain the cards in the sideboard because i think they all are self explainitory. PLEASE HELP.

Card Explanations:
Lands:
Basics - duh.
Plateau - Fixes my colour requirements.
Ancient Tomb - Fast Angel and Equipment - ussually an auto 4 of but i find myself not using them as much when im low in life so i dropped the number of them to two.

Creatures:
Exalted Angel - Decks Name Sake Creature - Auto 4 of.
Stonecloaker - Evasive creature that can save a dieing creature .
Boros Swiftblade - 2cc Doublestriker - Best used with equipment.
Goblin Legionnaire - 2cc - Instant shocker / Damage preventer.
Mom - Protection from any colour - Auto 4 of.
Silver Knight - 2cc Firststriker - was in original build.

Spells:
Sudden Shock - Originally Lightning Helix but split second factor makes it better.
Lightning Bolt - 1cc 3 damage yes please.
Swords to Plowshare - Best removal card in the game - Auto 4 of.
Mask of Memory, Sword of Fire and Ice, Umezawa's Jitte - Original Equipment = must haves.

Cards that didnt make the cut:

Jotun Grunt - it would be nice to have this card but there is no room.
Tithe - I would like to add either 2 or 3 but i couldn't find room.
Lightning Helix - Explained above.
Solitari Preist - It was a between this and Goblin Legionnaire and the Legionnaire won.
Isamaru, Hound of Konda - there was no room.

Here is the old deck i was using.
4 Exalted Angel
4 Boros Swiftblade
4 Mom
4 Soltari Priest
4 Silver Knight
1 Isamaru, Hound of Konda

4 Lightning Helix
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Swords to Plowshare
3 Tithe
2 Mask of Memory
2 Sword of Fire and Ice
2 Umezawa's Jitte

8 Plains
4 Mountain
4 Plateau
2 Ancient Tomb

The New Version is fun to play with the new tricks added. I need a lot of help in deciding my sideboard so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in Advance.

[dr4g0n]

Don't bother running Pyrostatic Pillar and Glowrider in sideboard. Replace them with Ivory Mask. Once Mask comes out, Burn and combo decks can't touch you.
Also, try running Chrome Mox, as it goes well with Boiling Seas/Armageddon. The Mox might also just give you the extra bit of speed you need by turning a slower card into a one drop.
Another thing, why not run Isamaru? Take out Stonecloakers. They are too slow and far too conditional.

[Anarky87]

Don't bother running Pyrostatic Pillar and Glowrider in sideboard. Replace them with Ivory Mask. Once Mask comes out, Burn and combo decks can't touch you.

Ivory Mask doesn't hinder combo in any such way. They need only bounce it and then go off on their turn, or in response to your replaying it. I think Pillar works better with this deck because it damages the opponent while they look for a way to deal with it, and that's on top of them already being beaten down by critters. While I know they can bounce Pillar as well, it hurts them for doing so and can put them in burn range if need be.

I'd also try to get some Isamaru's in your list somewhere. They're quick beaters and are perfect answers to Lackey's and what have you.

[Kokusho17]

Anarky is right about Pyrostatic Pillar being better as all blue based combo decks have easy access to bounce spells add the fact that im trying to keep the casting cost of everything but Exalted Angel and Parallax Wave to three or less

As for Chrome Mox, i had them when i first started playing Mono-White Angel Stompy but i took them out to add Tithe when i first made Boros Angel Stompy to help with my mana consistancy (which is why im trying to fit them into the newer version of the deck) as they could fetch Plateaus, so im not going to add them now as the deck works fine without them.

I have no mana issues with this deck (aside from the Tithe issue that im attempting to fix) so please refrain from moving the disscussion in that direction.

About the Stonecloakers, they are extremely useful, i find them better than Isamaru (despite the difference in the casting cost) as i have numerous ways to deal with a turn one Goblin Lackey. I am however thinking of reducing the number of them to fit some Tithe in, probably one Stonecloaker and one of each of Goblin Legionnaire and Boros Swiftblade for three Tithe.

I still need help with my sideboard.

[Anarky87]

I'd really like to see Grunt in the MD, making the same changes you made to include Tithe. He's a great beater, while having a relevant ability attached to him. You could also run some fetches to smooth out your colors (even though you said your consistency was fine), while filling your yard for the Grunt.

For your SB, I think I'd try to include cards that are generic enough that they'll hit a lot of decks. Like:

4 Pillar
4 REB
4 Seal of Cleansing
3 PoP/True Believer/Armageddon/etc.

[Tacosnape]

In your sideboard, you need a bare absolute minimum of six cards you can board in against combo (For your 4 STP, 2 Jitte.) 8 would be better (for the SOFI). You can afford to keep the Mask of Memories in, as they'll let you dig for your combo hate cards quicker.

Pyrostatic Pillar affects every card in your deck and Tendrils decks just go off around it. I would think you'd be better off with Chalice of the Void. Post-board against combo, you'll only have 8 1-drops in your deck (Mom and Bolt), which is more or less what Goblins runs Chalice with.

In addition to Chalice, I'd recommend either Glowrider or True Believer. Neither's an auto shutdown against combo, but both provide more obstacles. Believer is cheaper and has the better clock, but Glowrider plays better off your tomb and must be bounced earlier. Whichever you pick, run 2.

Stick 2 REBPyro in your deck to deal with blue combo, control, and aggro control. You're also being risky by leaving graveyard control strictly to Stonecloaker. Add 2 Tormod's Crypt.

For your last slot, White Knight does you almost no good. Seal isn't worth it, nor is Price, nor is Boil (Boiling Seas? Inferior to Boil unless you run Burning Wish, but don't run either.) I'd run three Disenchants (Or Orim's Thunder if you feel you can handle the curve) to handle random problematic jank.
I'd run three Disenchants and try a couple of something along the lines of Armageddon so you don't bite the big one to control.

So, if your deck was my maindeck, I'd run the following as a pretty all-purpose sideboard:

4 Chalice of the Void
3 Disenchant
2 Armageddon
2 Tormod's Crypt
2 Glowrider
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Pyroblast

You should also consider doing something to stabilize your manabase a bit so you don't capitulate to Goblins via land failure.

[Cait_Sith]

Like most BDW you are heavy in the 2 slot, so avoid CotV. Pillar is fine, but only if you run Helix over Sudden Shock (honestly where if the split second superior to +1 damage and +3 life). I'd actually go for Glowriders for Combo, since it won't slow your creatures (the critical part here) but will buy you the 1-2 turns you need to cut up your opponents.

[Zilla]

This list is very very similar to a red Angel Stompy build I tested a little over a year ago. Swiftblade is the stone cold nuts once he's equipped, but in testing I often found that he was win more; if I have any creature equipped and attacking that my opponent can't answer, I'm probably already winning. Swiftblade's lack evasion and relatively low toughness often made him seem worse than the alternatives.

As for Chalice as a sideboard option, it's perfectly reasonable in this build. Against combo you want it set at 0 or 1, and after sideboard the only 1cc cards you're likely to have are going to be Bolts. There are very few decks you care about setting Chalice at 2 against, so the symmetry in that scenario is largely irrellevant.

The main thing I have to ask about a build klike this (and I asked it of myself when I first tested it) is why do I want to do this? What matchups does it improve? What matchups could it hurt? In my experience with it, I had a weaker manabase, and the deck felt a little less consistent than before. As previously mentioned, I felt Swiftblade was quite often win more, so the only thing I felt the deck really gained was burn as a finisher and added removal, and Pyrostatic Pillar from the sideboard, which is kind of underwhelming when you already have Chalice, Crypt, Glowrider, Rule of Law, and Armageddon as anti-combo options in Mono-White.

The bottom line is that I felt the deck lost a little in some areas and gained a little in others, but there wasn't a particularly compelling reason to go red. Kokusho, have there been any specific matchups you feel have been improved? Do you feel any matchups have gotten worse? If so, could you explain why?

[Kokusho17]

@tacosnape i have 12 one drops 4 Mom, 4 Bolts, and 4 STP. Ive never considered Stonecloaker to be my grave control, i just use him to help me win games. i was playing a test game today against a madness deck and Stonecloaker was a big reason i won, that and a Jitte weilding Boros Swiftblade.

@Godzilla a lot of my matches have improved with the red added. I feel that in adding red to this deck i have gained more against all decks i truely believe that i havent lost a thing when playing this deck, mind you i only play this at my local tourney as im not a big tournament player and part of the reason i added red in the first place was to beat decks i was facing. I love the Swiftblade in this deck, to me he doesnt seem like a win more card, in some cases he is the reason i win cause people dont expect him to come out and dont consider him a threat until its too late.

The really big problem i have with this deck is my sideboard. I've been tinkering with it a bit and heres what ive come up with.

4 Disenchant
3 Pyrostatic Pillar
3 Red Elemental Blast / Pyroblast
3 Glowrider
2 Boil

Its helps with Solidarity. I dont have IGGy to worry about cause no one plays it where i live.

[The Lotus Eater]

I like the older version of your deck a lot better.

Boros Swiftblade is a fun little guy, but I'd much rather have something that will actually get a hit through to make the equipment worth it's weight. Same goes for goblin legionaire, just because it's W/R doesn't mean you have to use it. Soltari Priest seems like a better choice there.

Stonecloaker? Seems like he'd slow you down more than anything.

[Cavius The Great]

Mask of Memory does nothing on a Boros Swiftblade. Maybe replacing it with a piece equipment that deals damage might be a better option.

[Lego]

Mask of Memory does nothing on a Boros Swiftblade. Maybe replacing it with a piece equipment that deals damage might be a better option.

This is technically untrue. Assuming he's getting through, he deals damage twice, and therefore triggers Mask twice. Draw two, discard one, then draw two more, discard one.

In theory I support the Swiftblade for the elusive really-fast-win with Umezawa's Jitte, but in practice I agree with Zilla. Ditto on the "This doesn't seem as good as Mono-White" front as well.

[Cavius The Great]

This is technically untrue. Assuming he's getting through, he deals damage twice, and therefore triggers Mask twice. Draw two, discard one, then draw two more, discard one.

In theory I support the Swiftblade for the elusive really-fast-win with Umezawa's Jitte, but in practice I agree with Zilla. Ditto on the "This doesn't seem as good as Mono-White" front as well.

I rather be dealing extra damage instead of drawing and discarding cards in a deck where the graveyard is completely irrelevant. If he chose to run Jotun Grunt them it's a different story and even then I'd rather be dealing more damage regardless.

[Zilla]

I rather be dealing extra damage instead of drawing and discarding cards in a deck where the graveyard is completely irrelevant.
This ignores the point completely. You have equipment which does this in the form of SoFI and Jitte. They are mid-game cards, however, where Mask is early game. It's about balancing your equipment to meet a curve, so that you're constantly ramping your threats, even as early as turn 2. A creature equipped with Mask is a very real threat; it forces opponents to make trades they wouldn't necessarily want to make, lest they give you free cards. Mask puts amazing pressure on your opponent in the early game, and is equally as important as the other equipment.

[midnightAce]

Guess this is the deck that I'll be playing against next friday, huh? Lol.

On the actual deck, I haven't really seeing it in action yet, so I probably post suggestions after I go against it on friday, but just by looking at the list, the mana base worries me.

Even when I was playing the MonoWhite version, (where colour requirement isn't an issue), I was running 18-19 Plains + 3 Tithe. I simply find that the deck cannot go lower especially considering that in your veresion, you often have to keep mana open for the Stonecloaker, Legionnaire activations, burns, StP. So yea, fit in some Tithe, may be even one or two Chrome Mox, since if you are going to stick with the Swiftblade, then Chrome Mox remove Swiftblade can give you both red and white mana.

PS. I will crush you on friday with Zilla's original monowhite AS.

[Kokusho17]

oh its on. but i have made some changes -3 Stonecloaker +3 Jotun Grunt, -3 Legionnaire +3, Soltari Priest.

[dr4g0n]

Try running Aether Vials. They provide free, uncounterable creature-dropping as well as being only 1cc.

[Kokusho17]

it would be fun to add vials, do you have any suggestions on what to cut from the list for 3 of them? just as a trial

[dr4g0n]

Try lowering the number of Bolts and/or Sudden Shocks. Aether Vial presents a constant threat as you drop creatures for free, whereas Bolt and Shock are simply deal 2 or 3

[Atwa]

I guess it totally depends on your meta, but I wouldn't add vial. It looks very nice and all, uncounterable treads, but it also slows you down a lot. The decks baddest matchup will be combo, and you'll need to do either 2 things to win from them:
- Either get lucky and play a lot of hate in a row.
- Or you must put on presure, forceing them to combo out earlier than they plan to, hoping they'll fizzle.

If you play Vial, you slow down your win a little (since you want to deal as much damage as soon as possible. If you deciede to cut some burn for vial, you will also draw dead cards during the matchup. After turn 2 I'll take burn over vial anyday.

[dr4g0n]

I guess it totally depends on your meta, but I wouldn't add vial. It looks very nice and all, uncounterable treads, but it also slows you down a lot. The decks baddest matchup will be combo, and you'll need to do either 2 things to win from them:
- Either get lucky and play a lot of hate in a row.
- Or you must put on presure, forceing them to combo out earlier than they plan to, hoping they'll fizzle.

If you play Vial, you slow down your win a little (since you want to deal as much damage as soon as possible. If you deciede to cut some burn for vial, you will also draw dead cards during the matchup. After turn 2 I'll take burn over vial anyday.

Maybe so, but that hoses against combo decks. Aether Vial is a better all-round card, besides if you're dropping threats quickly, you'll force your opponent to deal with them quickly anyway.

[Top Deck]

if anything it would seem like the logical step would be to run sunforger on your vast creatures with evasion.

sunforger is good because it gives +4/+0 and you can use it to autofetch a plowshare, disenchant, or lightning helix in the deck.

[Atwa]

Maybe so, but that hoses against combo decks. Aether Vial is a better all-round card, besides if you're dropping threats quickly, you'll force your opponent to deal with them quickly anyway.

Maybe, but your aggro, agrro-control and most control matchups should already be pretty good. This deck just plain loses against combo. Why add a card which makes good matchups a little better, while you make your worst matchups ever worse.

Don't get me wrong, I like vial as much as every other Angel player, but this isn't the right deck for it. You should be making sure you don't simply autolose against solidarity, TES or Iggy pop.

[dr4g0n]

Maybe, but your aggro, agrro-control and most control matchups should already be pretty good. This deck just plain loses against combo. Why add a card which makes good matchups a little better, while you make your worst matchups ever worse.

Don't get me wrong, I like vial as much as every other Angel player, but this isn't the right deck for it. You should be making sure you don't simply autolose against solidarity, TES or Iggy pop.

The thing is, when running this deck against extreme combo decks like Solidarity, Iggy Pop and TES, You'd be far better off gaining momentum and being close to unstoppable, than running out of steam by running burn

[Kokusho17]

I think aether vial would slow this deck down. i would rather have the burn. so far in my meta the only combo deck is solidarity and the guy that plays it doesnt play it every week he switches his decks around from time to time. However put in what you want, im just saying im not running the vial.

[noobslayer]

Dear God. First off, if I am splashing red into this deck, I am going to play no less than:
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix/Magma Jet (With my preference lying in Helix)
Like, those are the first things I'd be writing on my conceptual decklist.
Second, and this seesm to be in contention for some reason, equipment.
I have two configurations:
2 Mask/2 Jitte/2 SoFI for a total of six pieces. Or 2/3 Jitte and 2/3 SoFI for a total of five pieces.

4 Plateau
2 Ancient Tomb
1 Mountain
3 Windswept Heath (Although you can split these with Flooded Strands because of pithing needle)
2 Wooded Foothills
2 Bloodstained Mire
8 Plains

2 Chrome Mox

3 Umezawa's Jitte
2 Sword of Fire and Ice

4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix

4 Mother of Rune
4 Silver Knight
4 Soltari Priest
4 Goblin Legionnaire
3 Exalted Angel

SB:
3 Jotun Grunt
3 Disenchant
3 Red Elemental Blast
3 Glowrider
3 Pithing Needle/Armageddon

[Kokusho17]

Heres the updated list that i have been testing and it has been doing well i still lose a lot of matches to combo but im still winning most of my other matches. I have add and removed a few things so here it is.

8 Plains
4 Mountain
4 Plateau
2 Ancient Tomb

4 Exalted Angel
4 Silver Knight
3 Mother of Runes
3 Soltari Priest
3 Boros Swiftblade
2 Jotun Grunt

4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
4 Swords to Plowshare
3 Tithe
2 Chrome Mox
2 Mask of Memory
2 Sword of Fire and Ice
2 Umezawa's Jitte

4 Disenchant / Seal of Cleansing (2 of each)
3 Pyrostatic Pillar
3 Red Elemental Blast / Pyroblast
3 Glowrider
2 Boil or Armageddon (which one i dont know yet)

Still deciding on the sideboard but its looking better than before.

[Zilla]

Decklist
I don't mean to imply that it's right or wrong, but you're running a W/r Angel Stompy build without Boros Swiftblade. Why did you choose not to include it?

[smeagol]

If running Boros Swiftbalde, why not include some Reckless Charges (and replace some of the Pro: Red dudes, of course). Reckless Charge on a Swiftblade seems just broken... And it also offers the boon of Flashback.

[Kokusho17]

Yes is seems good but, there are better things to do on turn 3.

it will require some testing.....ugh its seems like all im doing with magic is testing.

[noobslayer]

@Zilla. I'm running five equipments, only two of which can count as a draw engine. Because of that swiftblade is pretty bad because I can't constantly keep an equipment on it. With an equipment, it's just a win-more, and without, it's a win-less. I'm not even sold on the Legionnaire slot, but meh, I'm sure I'll be able to find something.

[Kokusho17]

I was just wondering could Angel's Grace be a viable card to use in the sideboard. It would help in some matches. I am not sure how helpful but i could swing a game or two in your favor. I just want to cover all my basis for this deck.

[noobslayer]

That, like extirpate in a lot of decks, is still in testing. It contends for the REB slot personally.

[Kokusho17]

It doesnt matter as to what i take out for it as i dont have a sent in stone sideboard at the moment.

[noobslayer]

On that note, I want to try one or two Jotun Grunts in the main for the time being. Anyone have thoughts on this?

[Kokusho17]

Heres the updated list that i have been testing and it has been doing well i still lose a lot of matches to combo but im still winning most of my other matches. I have add and removed a few things so here it is.

8 Plains
4 Mountain
4 Plateau
2 Ancient Tomb

4 Exalted Angel
4 Silver Knight
3 Mother of Runes
3 Soltari Priest
3 Boros Swiftblade
2 Jotun Grunt

4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
4 Swords to Plowshare
3 Tithe
2 Chrome Mox
2 Mask of Memory
2 Sword of Fire and Ice
2 Umezawa's Jitte

4 Disenchant / Seal of Cleansing (2 of each)
3 Pyrostatic Pillar
3 Red Elemental Blast / Pyroblast
3 Glowrider
2 Boil or Armageddon (which one i dont know yet)

Still deciding on the sideboard but its looking better than before.


I have 2 grunts in the maindeck:wink:, but then again what version are you using?