Quote Originally Posted by Timmy101 View Post
Hello all. First time poster here. I apologize if this has been discussed already, I did not read all 105 pages of the thread

I wanted to ask about Carpet of Flowers. I simply don't understand why it is regularly cited as a go to sideboard card vs RUG delver.
1) It forces you to fetch a nonbasic, meaning you are playing into wasteland.
2) They can often Daze their lands back to hand, and then not even replay them depending on the situation.

I was in a tourney last week, on the draw. Mull to 6, kept a 1 lander.
Him: Delver, pass.
Me: Fetch, Trop, Carpet, pass.
Him: Wasteland, kill trop, Ponder, pass.
Me: No lands, generate 1 mana from carpet, cast ponder, he dazes (Carpet now generates no mana).
Him: Sits back on delver and me with no lands.

Am I just looking at this from too narrow a perspective?
Can someone explain some game situations in which the card is worth the sideboard slot?
Do you also board it in place of lotus petal against blue control decks in which the game typically can go longer?


Can someone also explain Defense Grid over Xantid Swarm? Is this just a personal preference/metagame call?

Swarm Pros:
Grid is not killed by common removal (which generally, but not always, is boarded out against you)
Swarm comes down a turn earlier (very important vs reanimator and S&T)
Swarm cannot be spell pierced

Grid Pros:
Affects all instant speed spells, not just countermagic
Does not die to swords/bolts
Does not require fetching of a forest land

Thanks all.
in last 100 pages you can find both advocates and opposers... I fully agree to you points for Carpet is vastly overrated and underperforming, Defense Grid very narrow and even worse, for me... but some are playing it and winning as it keeps appearing in top8 decklists if those cardchoices were the reason none will find out... there is no general answer, depends how you play, whom you face and what you like... I'd say using your brain since post #1 is your best prospect to do well