Originally Posted by
Eldariel
That seems pretty good though I'd definitely love some utility/draw in the top end to enter the midgame/lategame at a bit more of an advantage but sadly the best options are all pretty hard to fit and at odds with the current configuration. Also the equipment count is kinda low to run any creatures that can't pull their own weight without it; Trinket + Ballista seems common enough to make Warkite "worthwhile" though. I definitely like Hangarback but if I ran Hangarback, I'd also want to run something like Jace to hide behind it, or more equipment to punch with. The existence of Warkite makes Ballista good enough that I'd want to draw it raw even without Trinket, so I do like multiples and thus the Hangarback would have to come from elsewhere.
I do like the manabase in theory but 26 mana sources is a fair bit (though it's close to what I ended up playing in the end as well) in a deck with this little draw and filtering. That's another reason I'm constantly thinking about Jace but again, Jace the draw engine is not an aggressive card as such (Jace the Bouncer and Fatesealer is but that doesn't address the issue) and it could always be a 4-drop beatstick instead. Thus, it does still beg the question. I'm not entirely opposed to the idea of fitting a 1 Hangarback/2 Jace midgame package though; it's akin to what I was doing with Mulldrifters long ago. But it would require fetches, and whether that's a problem depends on the metagame (though Stifle's stock is at something of an all-time low).
Sideboard:
- I've always been an advocate of 3-4 B2Bs. It attacks an angle the deck doesn't otherwise hit and it's incredibly powerful in a number of match-ups, while we can function alright even without the Sol lands particularly in a slightly slower game (which B2B leads to). It notably makes life miserable for many of the midrange control decks and obviously it's a nuclear bomb against Lands. Call this the "anti-land slot".
- Anti-Show and Tell/Land slot may or may not be necessary. Venser is the best overall card here and I like 2 Vensers though I'm not opposed to a miser's maindeck Venser either (Flash creatures have a pretty high surprise factor in conjunction with equipment). Bouncing spells and permanents alike is just a really versatile effect and one of the best answers to Omniscience, Emrakul, Marit Lage or company that you can run. This slot is obviously also good against anything cheating big things into play like Reanimator, Sneak Stompy, Eureka, Hypergenesis, etc. Anything except Natural Order really, because Progenitus is Progenitus. This also doubles as an answer to Ensnaring Bridges, Solitary Confinements, Tabernacles, etc.
- Anti-graveyard slot is a must and at least 1 has to be an artifact like Tormod's Crypt due to Trinket Mage (Relic is also nice and doubles as utility against any decks with Tarmogoyf/Delve creatures/etc. but the dissynergy with Chalice makes me favour Crypt). I've played 2 Crypts but RB Reanimator kinda makes one want to run something like Faerie Macabre or Leyline to dodge Chancellor and to interact turn 0. However, that would take way more SB slots making it well-rounded. One big thing is, sometimes cards like Chalice or
- Anti-creature slot. You might want one and something like Sower or Control Magic can be pretty strong against things like Eldrazi, D&T, Maverick, Ravager Stompy, Deadguy, etc. and not horrible against grindy UGB decks (though Fatal Push and the banning of Top made Sower much worse). Submerge also goes here though its stock has gone drastically down with the shift from primarily green to black creatures. On the flipside, it's extra brutal against delve creatures.
- Anti-spell slot. Unlike in the days gone by, nowadays combo is varied and powerful enough that the MD plan is no longer 80/20 vs. most combo decks in the format. To that end, some creature counterspells (Venser is one but temporary) are good. I really like having some number of Glen Elendra Archmages at least in the side. 2 of them.
- Grind slots. The deck actually isn't bad in longer games and some match-ups (Miracles, control in general) tend to go fairly long. To that end, some grindy cards like JTMS, Hangarback, Griffin or such can serve the SB well.
- General utility. In some match-ups Chalices are pretty weak particularly on the draw (D&T, Goblins, Stompy mirrors, etc.) and things like Spyglass or Needle shine. I like Needle as it's searchable with Trinket but you can split the difference. EE is not horrid vs. Elves, EtW, etc. Ballista similarly. These are good in that they tend to be pretty broadly applicable where you clearly want to side out some part of your plan, and being Trinketable makes for extra value. If the SB has a lot of these, the 4th Trinket definitely needs to be there between the main and the side as the extra value is huge.
Overall, my approach to SBing FS has always been to have enough broad cards that act as silver bullets in various match-ups that I can always side out what I don't want and thus transform my maindeck into a more efficient variant. Add to that actual silver bullets like B2B where applicable, of course. I want to shift the main gameplan towards the deck I'm facing rather than relying on the SB cards solely to win (with B2B being the big exception that doesn't really complement the main plan but is just too strong not to run), since the main gameplan is pretty streamlined and the pieces are kinda interlocked so removing anything messes with the deck's ratios.
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