Originally Posted by pfiremc13
I guess needles could still be ok because you often board out deeds in the matchups where you'd board in the needles.
Decks that you board needles in for have removal and definitely aren't boarding it out. Needle doesn't die to STP.
Good point.
Another point I'd like to make is that Pithing Needle and Phyrexian Revoker both do different yet similar things.
Revoker can stop Lion's Eye Diamond and Heritage Druid.
Pithing Needle can stop Wasteland and Thespian Stage.
Both overlap a lot in terms of what they can or cannot stop, but its the few differences make both relevant in certain matchups.
This is true. Revoker is better vs combo. I think I like needle though as it is more for the control match up.
Agreed: which is why I run 1 of each in the board. ^_^
In what combo matchups would you actually side in revoker though?
Elves! (stops manadorks), Sneak and Show (stops Griselbrand and Sneak Attack; overlaps with Pithing Needle in this case), and anything with artifact mana (notably Lion's Eye Diamond), I-Painter (stops Grindstone and Welder; again overlaps with Needle here).
Pithing Needle I'd maybe bring it in against Burn (Barbarian Ring), Dredge (Cephalid Coliseum), and definitely Lands.
I would bring in a card just to fight one other card unless the card I was fighting was central to the deck.
Otherwise I agree.
Yeah: I hear ya on your first point. Actually thinking of replacing the one Needle with another Revoker as, shockingly enough, I forgot the Jace 2.0 in my list can just bounce away the Marit Lage token.
How often is your opponent dumb enough to main phase his combo though? Seems meh. I personally think I will be on a maelstrom pulse this upcoming week in the board, not only as a walker killer, but I also struggled vs Tombstalker.
True ... honestly though that's a bit of dilemma I'm facing. Phyrexian Revoker is ultimately better against other forms of combo, but the existence of Stage Depths in Lands makes this a tricky swap.
Blargh! Maybe this could work?
3x Carpet of Flowers
1x Melira, Sylvok Outcast
2x Glen Elendra Archmage
3x Thoughtseize
3x Surgical Extraction
2x Phyrexian Revoker
1x Pithing Needle
I think that lands is small enough percentage of the meta that you honestly just not even care about the deck.
Played in my LGS's Monthly this afternoon, going 2-2 drop. I want to focus on sideboarding since I really struggled a bunch. My deckliist is pretty standard for BUG Pod, though I maindeck the third Deed because I play in the most Goblin-infested metas around.
Round 1 against Doomsday ANT: 1-2.
In: 4 Force of Will, 2 Envelop, 3 Riptide Pilferer, 1 Glen Elendra Archmage.
Out: 3 Pernicious Deed, 1 Sower of Temptation, 1 Kitchen Finks, 1 Grave Titan, 1 Veteran Explorer, 1 Murderous Redcap, 1 Baleful Strix, 1 Shriekmaw
Round 2 against Goblins: 0-2
In: 1 Abrupt Decay, 1 Golgari Charm, 1 Fleshbag Marauder, 1 Oona, Queen of the Fae
Out: 1 Glen Elendra Archmage, 1 Eternal Witness, 1 Veteran Explorer, 1 Cabal Therapy
Round 3 against DnT: 2-0
In: 1 Abrupt Decay, 1 Golgari Charm, 1 Fleshbag Marauder, 1 Acidic Slime
Out: 1 Glen Elendra Archmage, 1 Eternal Witness, 1 Veteran Explorer, 1 Cabal Therapy
Round 4 against Elves: 2-1
In: 1 Abrupt Decay, 1 Golgari Charm, 1 Fleshbag Marauder, 2 Envelop, 1 Glen Elendra Archmage
Out: 1 Sower of Temptation, 1 Veteran Explorer, 1 Eternal Witness, 2 Baleful Strix
Overall my big struggle was figuring out what to take out without messing with the Pod chaining too much. The biggest surprise to me was getting clobbered by Goblins. He just recovered from Deed way better than I did, and Chieftan's really messes with math. I really liked Uktabi Orangutan maindeck, and I also wish there was a way to fit another Golgari Charm in the 75.
How would you guys have sideboarded my matchups?
Testing today. Went to a store with a less developed meta so it was full of shitty budget combo decks. I did pretty well, even though it was against like belcher and high tide. I am actually liking the needle idea
When I am boarding out creatures I'll often board out 1 pod and 1 recurring nightmare, since you have fewer ways to make it good and you're kind of playing a different type of game vs. combo decks.
Goblins actually seems like a rough matchup. I haven't ever played vs it but the card advantage they have plus the high casting costs making deed and decay somewhat ineffective seems scary. I'd probably leave in the therapy though since your best bet is probably to hit the high impact spells (warchief/ringleader/matron/seige-gang) before they get a chance to play them off the lands from veteran explorer.
Goblins has always been a rough match up. If your meta has allot of goblins I suggest engineered plague
Regarding sideboarding vs goblins. I agree on leaving Therapy in. Goblin Ringleader is what gives them the ability to recover after a Deed, so I'd agree on not boarding Therapy out and using the second naming of Cabal Therapy to hit Ringleader just before the opponent reaches 4 lands or 4 counters on an Aether Vial to increase chances of hitting one. Giving them lands off Explorer also seems like a questionable solution [edit: I meant to say it's a daring play] unless possibly if you've gotten rid of Ringleader already, so boarding one Explorer out seems right.
I'd leave Fleshbag Marauder in the sideboard and keep Eternal Witness in the main. Using Eternal Witness to reuse Abrupt Decay or Pernicous Deed is good. Having the opponent sacrifice a creature of his/her choice is rather useless, they will often have lots of tokens or small expendable creatures available.
It seems very likely that Sower of Temptation will get killed by a cycled Gempalm Incinerator so it may not be worth a 4 mana investment. Not sure about Oona. Oona's ability is neutralized by Goblin Sharpshooter and she is bounced by Karakas (sometimes played in a white splash?). Grave Titan seems like a better pod target. I think I would board in Acidic Slime instead, to get rid of Vial (or a boarded Rest in Peace/Grafdigger's Cage) in order to prevent swarming and to possibly shut them off lands with Recurring Nightmare once Deed has cleared the board.
So, to conclude I'd probably board like this:
In: 1 Abrupt Decay, 1 Golgari Charm, 1 Acidic Slime
Out: 1 Glen Elendra Archmage, 1 Veteran Explorer, 1 Sower of Temptation
For those who are trying to get them, Starcity Games has a Korean Veteran Explorer in stock. Get it fast!
Was like, I'll pick up a set! 20 dollars each? I'll pick up some shock lands...
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