Sideboard Guide

A guide for sideboarding against each Legacy archetype – explaining what to take out and bring in against those decks. Keep in mind that this is a rough tutorial and sometimes straying from these instructions is correct. Situations, game states and the opponent often call for a different plan of attack.

» Download a PDF sideboard guide

What if effective in this matchup?

“If our opponent is strong in the early game and has a good long-game, how do you win?” You play a different game. Cards such as [[Veil of Summer]], [[Defense Grid]], and sometimes even sideboard options such as [[Hope of Ghirapur]] or [[Xantid Swarm]] allow you to overwhelm the opponent by playing the game differently. These cards are all “must-answers” and if the opponent doesn’t, there’s a good chance that they’re not long for this world. How you overwhelm the opponent is building a presence, start off by getting a copy of [[Wishclaw Talisman]] in play along with some artifact mana. Then you cast something like a “must-counter” business spell or [[Defense Grid]] (in Post-board games). Now you protect you spells with [[Veil of Summer]] from your hand or even in your deck with the [[Wishclaw Talisman]]. You’re able to not feel pressured to race [[Deafening Silence]] due to having access to a pair of [[Abrupt Decay]] which can be searched for.

A friendly reminder that the stipulation on [[Wishclaw Talisman]] is that you can only use it on your turn, meaning you can use it at instant speed.

With [[Defense Grid]] or a business spell backed by multiple copies of [[Veil of Summer]], it becomes tough for the opponent to keep up. Part of this is due to the clunky nature of some of the control decks. With business spells that cost three or four mana and some of their answers costing up to two mana, you can really pick and choose your spots for when you want to move in for the kill. With the rise of [[Oko, Thief of Crowns]], it’s key to remember that you can use [[Veil of Summer]] to protect an important permanent like a [[Wishclaw Talisman]], [[Hope of Ghirapur]], or [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]].

An added benefit of our protection spells being heavy hitting, must-counters, is their effects and how it synergies with our own deck. [[Echo of Eons]] is a reasonable “Storm-engine” against blue-based Control decks when paired with [[Veil of Summer]] and [[Defense Grid]] as they won’t be able to interact with their freshly drawn hand from [[Echo of Eons]]. [[Thoughtseize]] however, isn’t as ideal, but plays a different role in discarding permanent based hate or providing critical information.

Sideboarding Concepts

[[Deafening Silence]] is rising in stock from blue-based control decks, which means in post-board games you should very rarely activate [[Wishclaw Talisman]] before passing the turn back to the opponent. You can help prepare for [[Deafening Silence]] by siding in [[Abrupt Decay]] as a clean answer. I try to cast my copies of [[Abrupt Decay]] when my opponent is unable to cast [[Veil of Summer]], which is actually similar to how I play [[Thoughtseize]] as well.

The hidden nature of v9.3 not containing a main-deck win condition is long-gone with how popular The EPIC Storm has become, many opponents are now aiming to remove [[Burning Wish]] from the game using [[Surgical Extraction]]. Please prepare for this by sideboarding in a win condition. Based on the colors of the opposing deck determines either [[Tendrils of Agony]] or [[Grapeshot]] in an effort to play around our opponent’s copies of [[Veil of Summer]].

Important Cards in the Match-up

Control’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Force of Will]]
[[Force of Negation]]
[[Plague Engineer]]
[[Oko, Thief of Crowns]]
[[Veil of Summer]]
[[Snapcaster Mage]]

Sideboard

[[Leovold, Emissary of Trest]]
[[Counterbalance]]
[[Deafening Silence]]
[[Rest in Peace]]
[[Pyroblast]]
[[Return to Nature]]

TES’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Veil of Summer]]
[[Thoughtseize]]
[[Wishclaw Talisman]]
[[Burning Wish]]
[[Echo of Eons]]
[[Ad Nauseam]]

Sideboard

[[Abrupt Decay]]
[[Defense Grid]]
[[Tendrils of Agony]]
[[Infernal Tutor]]
[[Echo of Eons]]

Sideboarding

Grixis Control:

-4 [[Rite of Flame]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+1 [[Defense Grid]]
+1 [[Tendrils of Agony]]

BUG Control:

-4 [[Rite of Flame]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+1 [[Defense Grid]]
+1 [[Empty the Warrens]]

BUG Leovold:

-4 [[Rite of Flame]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+1 [[Defense Grid]]
+1 [[Empty the Warrens]]

4c Control:

-4 [[Rite of Flame]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+1 [[Defense Grid]]
+1 [[Empty the Warrens]]

Miracles:

-4 [[Rite of Flame]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+1 [[Defense Grid]]
+1 [[Empty the Warrens]]

Stoneblade:

-4 [[Rite of Flame]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+1 [[Defense Grid]]
+1 [[Tendrils of Agony]]

Resource Links

Articles

09-25-2019 TES Matchup Battles: UW Stoneblade by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

08-22-2019 Through the Looking Glass: 4c Snow Control with Rugved Karhade by Anthony LaVerde on theepicstorm.com

08-13-2019 Matchup Mulligan: 4c “Snow” Control by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

07-12-2019 TES Matchup Battles: 4c Control II by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

06-24-2019 Through the Looking Glass: Miracles II with Lawrence Harmon on theepicstorm.com

06-17-2019 Matchup Mulligan: Miracles II by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

04-24-2019 Matchup Mulligan: UW Stoneblade by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

01-28-2019 TES Matchup Battles: Miracles by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

12-24-2018 TES Matchup Battles: Landstill by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

11-14-2018 TES Matchup Battles: Grixis Control by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

11-07-2018 Combating Miracles by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

10-16-2018 Through the Looking Glass: Grixis Control with Brian Braun-Duin by Anthony LaVerde on theepicstorm.com

10-10-2018 Matchup Mulligan: Grixis Control by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

09-20-2018 TES Matchup Battles: Esper Stoneblade by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

02-19-2018 Through the Looking Glass: Miracles with Anuraag Das and Sam Roukas by AJ Kerrigan on theepicstorm.com

02-07-2018 Matchup Mulligan: 4c Pile by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

01-17-2018 Matchup Mulligan: Miracles by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

07-04-2017 Fighting Miracles in the Post-Top Era by AJ Kerrigan on theepicstorm.com

04-20-2017 TES Matchup Battles: 4c Control by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

02-02-2017 TES Matchup Battles: Leovold Sultai by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

08-04-2016 Fighting the Miracles Menace by AJ Kerrigan on theepicstorm.com

09-04-2015 Xantid Swarm Vs. The Metagame by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

Videos

01-27-2020 Allen Yee vs. Phil Blechman with 4c Thopter Sword at Gamestoria, NYC

01-26-2020 Showcase Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Svaca with 4c Control on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-26-2020 Showcase Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Eli12 with BUG Leovold on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-05-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. TheZooKeeper with Miracles on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. WarAndMagicTV with Grixis Control on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. _maddy with Miracles on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-24-2019 Q1 Legacy Playoff – 03/24/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. Ark4n with UW Stoneblade on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-24-2019 Q1 Legacy Playoff – 03/24/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. PhilLesh with UW Stoneblade on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-24-2019 Q1 Legacy Playoff – 03/24/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. stainerson with Miracles on Magic: the Gathering Online

02-17-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Stryfo with 4c Control on Magic: the Gathering Online

02-17-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. t_gaule with Grixis Control on Magic: the Gathering Online

02-17-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Ozymandias17 with Grixis Control on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-20-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. FirstToThirst with Miracles on Magic: the Gathering Online

12-02-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Denym with Miracles on Magic: the Gathering Online

11-04-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Convo with Shardless BUG on Magic: the Gathering Online

10-07-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. AnziD104 with Miracles on Magic: the Gathering Online

10-07-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. flowerdayonyon with Grixis Control on Magic: the Gathering Online

10-07-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Redviking1993 with Grixis Control on Magic: the Gathering Online

10-07-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Condescend with Miracles on Magic: the Gathering Online

08-08-2018 Bryant Cook vs Brian Braun-Duin with Grixis Control on Legacy Premier League

07-14-2018 Michael Connin vs. Ali Mirghahari with UW Stoneblade at Prodigy Games: Lake Worth, FL

06-24-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. atdawn_theysleep with 4c Control on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-24-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. Iwouldliketorespond with UW Control on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-29-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. flowerdayonyon with Deathblade on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-29-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. Mikeantor11 with UW Stoneblade on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-04-2018 Bryant Cook vs. Jim Davis with Miracles at StarCityGames: Worcester, MA

08-06-2017 Albert Lindblom (alli) vs atdawn_theysleep with 4c Control (Round 4) on Magic Online (MTGO)

08-06-2017 Albert Lindblom (alli) vs Momsen with 4c Control (Round 3) on Magic Online (MTGO)

05-04-2017 Romario Neto vs Anuraag Das with UWr Stoneblade on Legacy Premier League

04-17-2017 Nick Linder vs. Gabriel Meier with Miracles at Gameplace in Lucerne, Switzerland

03-18-2017 Bryant Cook vs. Joe Stempo with 4c Control at Eternal Extravaganza VI in Washington, DC

04-22-2016 Steven Fierro vs. Fred Chen with Deathblade at Fire & Dice in Woodland Hills, CA

08-22-2015 Joey Valente vs. Corey Armstrong with Shardless BUG at Fire & Dice in Woodland Hills, CA

08-11-2015 Jordon Robbins vs. Jon Ha with Miracles at Ready to Play Trading Cards in Columbia, SC

01-10-2015 Bryant Cook vs. Zane Knapp with Esper Deathblade at StarCityGames: Philadelphia, PA

08-10-2014 Bryant Cook vs. Lloyd Kurth with Shardless BUG at StarCityGames: Syracuse, NY

06-13-2014 Bryant Cook vs. Reid Duke with Miracles at StarCityGames Invitational: Columbus, OH

08-27-2013 Bryant Cook vs. Harry Corvece with Shardless BUG at StarCityGames: Baltimore, MD

06-23-2013 Matthew Bevenour vs. Brad Nelson with Esper Deathblade at StarCityGames: Philadelphia, PA

03-17-2013 Bryant Cook vs. JD Nir with Esper Stoneblade at StarCityGames: Washington, DC

05-12-2012 Bryant Cook vs. Sam Roukas with BUG Control at Jupiter Games in Binghamton, NY

02-11-2012 Bryant Cook vs. Tariq White with Stoneblade at Jupiter Games in Binghamton, NY

[[Daze|]]

[[Spell Pierce|]]

[[Delver of Secrets|]]

The tempo decks are the one archetype that became more difficult from the switch to [[Wishclaw Talisman]] and [[Mox Opal]] based lists. The EPIC Storm added a fourth color and cut the basic [[Island]], which obviously isn’t ideal against [[Stifle]] and [[Wasteland]] strategies.

What is effective in this matchup?

How you beat these decks is setting up your mana efficiently, if you have decent mana, the rest will become much more obtainable. Search for your basic [[Swamp]], then pair it with things like [[Mox Opal]], [[Chrome Mox]], and even [[Lotus Petal]]. From there, [[Defense Grid]] is an all-star against the deck with lots of cheap interaction. I will often try to set up a turn in which I aim to protect [[Defense Grid]] with [[Veil of Summer]]. This allows you to have more colors on your combo turn as well as more mana in general.

A few tips: [[Stifle]] can still counter abilities through [[Veil of Summer]], don’t fall into this trap. [[Stifle]] can also stop [[Wishclaw Talisman]], do not forget this!

A good practice to have is to not cast spells in the opponent’s copies of [[Daze]]. The easiest way of beating the opponent is to turn their cards into dead cards as [[Delver of Secrets]] strategies live on thin margins. If you can make just a few of their cards not effective, it’s a lot easier to navigate through whatever is left in their hand.

Sideboarding Concepts

[[Empty the Warrens]] has a natural friction in the deck because giving your opponent a [[Wishclaw Talisman]] at some point during the game and then turning off all of your own Storm cards. [[Empty the Warrens]] isn’t a reasonable plan if you’re going to provide a tool for your opponent to search up their answer to a horde of [[Goblin Token]]s.

With the rise of [[Null Rod]] as well as [[Collector Ouphe]] in the Tempo archetype, our answer to [[Deafening Silence]] against Control strategies doubled as an answer to these two permanents — of course, I’m talking about [[Abrupt Decay]]. Another thing that can really help to defeat these [[Null Rod]] effects is to sideboard out [[Wishclaw Talisman]] for the [[Empty the Warrens]] package. If you’re going to sideboard in a bunch of high-casting cost cards, it also makes sense to sideboard out [[Ad Nauseam]].

Important Cards in the Match-up

Tempo’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Daze]]
[[Stifle]]
[[Spell Pierce]]
[[Force of Will]]
[[Delver of Secrets]]
[[Wasteland]]

Sideboard

[[Null Rod]]
[[Collector Ouphe]]
[[Plague Engineer]]
[[Blazing Volley]]
[[Flusterstorm]]
[[Surgical Extraction]]

TES’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Swamp]]
[[Mox Opal]]
[[Lotus Petal]]
[[Veil of Summer]]
[[Thoughtseize]]
[[Burning Wish]]

Sideboard

[[Chain of Vapor]]
[[Defense Grid]]
[[Abrupt Decay]]
[[Grapeshot]]
[[Empty the Warrens]]
[[Tendrils of Agony]]

Sideboarding

Grixis Delver:

-4 [[Wishclaw Talisman]]
-1 [[Ad Nauseam]]
-1 [[Mox Opal]]
+3 [[Empty the Warrens]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+1 [[Defense Grid]]

Sultai Delver:

-4 [[Wishclaw Talisman]]
-1 [[Ad Nauseam]]
-1 [[Mox Opal]]
+3 [[Empty the Warrens]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+1 [[Defense Grid]]

RUG Delver:

-4 [[Wishclaw Talisman]]
-1 [[Ad Nauseam]]
-1 [[Mox Opal]]
+3 [[Empty the Warrens]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+1 [[Defense Grid]]

UW/x Delver:

-4 [[Rite of Flame]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+1 [[Defense Grid]]
+1 [[Tendrils of Agony]]

UR Delver:

-4 [[Wishclaw Talisman]]
-1 [[Ad Nauseam]]
-1 [[Mox Opal]]
+3 [[Empty the Warrens]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+1 [[Defense Grid]]

Death’s Shadow:

-1 [[Rite of Flame]]
+1 [[Tendrils of Agony]]

Infect:

-2 [[Rite of Flame]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]

Merfolk:

-4 [[Ponder]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]

Resource Links

Articles

11-28-2019 Through the Looking Glass: Delver with Michael Lewis by Anthony LaVerde on theepicstorm.com

11-27-2019 Matchup Mulligan: RUG Delver II by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

11-25-2019 TES Matchup Battles: RUG Delver II by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

06-26-2019 TES Matchup Battles: Grixis Delver II by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

03-19-2019 TES Matchup Battles: UR Delver II by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

03-13-2019 Matchup Mulligan: UR Delver by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

09-17-2018 Through the Looking Glass: Death’s Shadow with Ben Friedman by Anthony LaVerde on theepicstorm.com

09-14-2018 Matchup Mulligan: Death’s Shadow by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

08-14-2018 Through the Looking Glass: RUG Delver with Eric Vergo by Anthony LaVerde on theepicstorm.com

07-25-2018 Matchup Mulligan: RUG Delver by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

07-18-2018 TES Matchup Battles: RUG Delver by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

06-29-2018 TES Matchup Battles: Death’s Shadow by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

05-16-2018 Through the Looking Glass: Grixis Delver with Jonathan Sukenik by AJ Kerrigan on theepicstorm.com

10-05-2017 Matchup Mulligan: Grixis Delver by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

07-03-2017 TES Matchup Battles: UR Delver by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

01-17-2017 TES Matchup Battles: Grixis Delver by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

Videos

02-01-2020 Bryant Cook vs Evan Flynn with UR Delver at the Leaving A Legacy Open VI: Acton, MA

01-26-2020 Showcase Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. SknerusMcKwacz with UR Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-26-2020 Showcase Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. TheStyle with UR Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-26-2020 Showcase Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Mogged with Infect on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-05-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. harukasu with Infect on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. TheZooKeeper with Merfolk on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-08-2019 Q3 Legacy Playoff – 09/08/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. Samwise_GeeGee with RUG Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-08-2019 Q3 Legacy Playoff – 09/08/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. fishduggery with RUG Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-30-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Breca with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-23-2019 Q2 Legacy Playoff – 06/23/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. Guitarmy with UR Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-23-2019 Q2 Legacy Playoff – 06/23/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. Mzfroste with UR Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-23-2019 Q2 Legacy Playoff – 06/23/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. Condescend with UR Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-20-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. ecobaronen with UR Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-20-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. oga828 with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-20-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. m0ller with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

12-02-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. PhilLesh with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

12-02-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. ReneRandrup with BUG Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

11-04-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. qbturtle15 with RUG Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

11-04-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. cspickle with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

11-04-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs.Leastbean with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

10-07-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. poporon3n with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

10-07-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Pikula with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-14-2018 Bryant Cook vs. Nathan Robinson with RUG Delver at StarCityGames: Worcester, MA

07-08-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. AdventuresWithTarmo with RUG Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-24-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. AntzzzOnALog with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-24-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. ReneRandrup with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-24-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. AntzzzOnALog with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-29-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. Ultimar with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-29-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. yamakiller with BUG Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-22-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. Kentaro_hokori with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-22-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. Lennny with BUG Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-22-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. James_Zhi with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-22-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. Mzfroste with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-22-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. Eronrelentless with Grixis Delver on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-03-2018 Bryant Cook vs. Benjamin Nikolich with Grixis Delver at StarCityGames: Worcester, MA

01-27-2018 AJ Kerrigan vs. Bob Huang with Grixis Delver at StarCityGames: Philadelphia, PA

10-21-2017 Bryant Cook vs. Hans Jacob Goddick with BUG Delver at Eternal Weekend in Pittsburgh, PA

08-06-2017 Albert Lindblom (alli) vs vs r4wk5t4r with Grixis Delver (Round 2) on Magic Online (MTGO)

08-08-2015 Bryant Cook vs. Jonathon Morawski with Grixis Delver at StarCityGames: Washington, DC

08-08-2015 Bryant Cook vs. Dylan Donegan with Grixis Delver at StarCityGames: Washington, DC

06-26-2015 Nicklas Lallo vs. Hannes Eriksson with Jeskai Delver at Scandinavian Open #5

05-23-2015 Bryant Cook vs. Andrew Boswell with RUG Delver at StarCityGames: Worcester, MA

08-10-2014 Bryant Cook vs. Dan Jordan with Jeskai Delver at StarCityGames: Syracuse, NY

07-20-2014 Bryant Cook vs. Dylan Donegan with RUG Delver at StarCityGames: Baltimore, MD

04-28-2014 AJ Kerrigan vs. Eric Rill with RUG Delver at StarCityGames: Somerset, NJ

09-08-2013 Bryant Cook vs. Ben Friedman with Jeskai Delver at StarCityGames: Philadelphia, PA

07-07-2013 Bryant Cook vs. Jacob Wilson with RUG Delver at StarCityGames: Worcester, MA

03-17-2013 Bryant Cook vs. Ben Green with Jeskai Delver at StarCityGames: Washington, DC

03-17-2013 David Fleischmann Rose vs. Ben Green with Jeskai Delver at StarCityGames: Washington, DC

[[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben|]]

[[Eidolon of the Great Revel|]]

[[Goblin Chainwhirler|]]

These decks attack The EPIC Storm a little differently, they attempt to lower your life-total very quickly to shut off [[Ad Nauseam]] while having very little disruption otherwise. If this is the case, don’t use your life-total as your resource!

The biggest piece of advice I can give for these decks is to mulligan aggressively (especially under the London Mulligan). There’s little need to keep a bad or clunky seven-card hand when you can simply keep a better six or five card hand that can kill our opponent before turn three. It actually works to our advantage, but also aligns well with one of our game-plans in [[Echo of Eons]]. Which will rebuild our initial hand, it’s like starting the game fresh except for the fact that you’ll have a few permanents and hopefully some mana floating!

What is effective in this matchup?

Against these decks, I typically prefer to cast [[Empty the Warrens]] from a high life total very quickly. This should prevent you from dying to burn cards, [[Goblin Chainwhirler]], or too many blockers allowing the opponent to stabilize. If you’re unable to do this, I would lean on [[Echo of Eons]]. Unlike the blue match-ups, you don’t need to protect yourself via [[Thoughtseize]] or [[Veil of Summer]] as your opponent is extremely unlikely to have any sort of meaningful interaction in hand. The risk of drawing a bad seven card hand with [[Echo of Eons]] is why I prefer to [[Empty the Warrens]] if possible, as I believe [[Empty the Warrens]] tends to be more of a sure-thing against these decks. I wouldn’t risk an [[Ad Nauseam]] after turn one due to cards like [[Fireblast]] (Burn and sometimes Zoo). Against these aggressive decks, I’ve found [[Ad Nauseam]] to be the best engine against Goblins and Humans as they rarely have instant speed damage or interaction in general.

The two most common and important creatures against these decks are [[Eidolon of the Great Revel]] and [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]]. It’s best to try to win before they come down and hit the table, but if they do, keep in mind that there’s a [[Grapeshot]] to get off of [[Burning Wish]] or in post-board games [[Chain of Vapor]] off of [[Wishclaw Talisman]].

Sideboarding Concepts

Against all of these decks, [[Veil of Summer]] is lacking. We’re looking to side in answers to what our opponent is trying to combat us with — permanent-based disruption. We also want to bring in additional proactive threats/business spells. A healthy balance between the two is the best way of beating these decks. If you only have answers, there will be games that you can’t do anything because your hand is too reactive and the opposite can be true as well. Having all business spells, but no way of removing a [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] from the table.

Against Burn, you’re really just looking to answer [[Eidolon of the Great Revel]] and [[Pyrostatic Pillar]]. I have seen things such as [[Mindbreak Trap]] and [[Volcanic Fallout]] of the sideboard of the basic [[Mountain]] deck, so keep this in mind if you’re presented the option of playing around these cards.

For Goblins, I would be preparing for artifacts post-board against the “little-red men” in their attempt to prove they’re the better Goblin deck (Spoiler: they’re not), these artifacts are likely [[Chalice of the Void]] and [[Thorn of Amethyst]]. While we are the better Goblin deck, I’ve actually found [[Empty the Warrens]] to be fairly unreliable against Goblins since the printing of [[Goblin Chainwhirler]], while they don’t play too many copies, there’s no need to risk losing to this card.

Humans and Zoo tend to play out fairly similar for The EPIC Storm despite the decks being very different, you’re simply looking to combo-off before [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]], [[Gaddock Teeg]], [[Ethersworn Canonist]], and other disruptive friends hit the table. Keep in your mind that Humans tends to play one or two main-deck sweepers for [[Goblin Token]]s and additional answers post-board. I put a real sense of mulliganing aggressively in these match-ups.

Important Cards in the Match-up

Aggro’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]]
[[Eidolon of the Great Revel]]
[[Gaddock Teeg]]
[[Sanctum Prelate]]
[[AEther Vial]]
[[Wasteland]]

Sideboard

[[Thorn of Amethyst]]
[[Pyrostatic Pillar]]
[[Ethersworn Canonist]]
[[Mindbreak Trap]]
[[Chalice of the Void]]

TES’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Lion’s Eye Diamond]]
[[Lotus Petal]]
[[Mox Opal]]
[[Wishclaw Talisman]]
[[Burning Wish]]
[[Ad Nauseam]]

Sideboard

[[Grapeshot]]
[[Empty the Warrens]]
[[Infernal Tutor]]
[[Chain of Vapor]]
[[Abrupt Decay]]

Sideboarding

Burn:

-4 [[Veil of Summer]]
-3 [[Thoughtseize]]
-1 [[Ad Nauseam]]
+3 [[Empty the Warrens]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]
+1 [[Infernal Tutor]]

Goblins:

-4 [[Veil of Summer]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]

Zoo:

-4 [[Veil of Summer]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]

Humans:

-4 [[Veil of Summer]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]

Resource Links

Articles

10-08-2018 TES Matchup Battles: Goblins by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

08-06-2018 Matchup Mulligan: Burn by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

08-09-2017 TES Matchup Battles: Burn by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

Videos

06-24-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. TMT_Noski with Burn on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-07-2013 Bryant Cook vs. Jon Ashworth with Goblins at StarCityGames: Worcester, MA

03-03-2012 Bryant Cook vs. Nick Patnode with Goblins at Jupiter Games in Binghamton, NY

03-30-2011 Liam Kane vs. Patrick Sullivan with Burn at StarCityGames: Los Angeles, CA

[[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben|]]

[[Gaddock Teeg|]]

[[Sanctum Prelate|]]

These sort of decks can be divided into two categories, those with heavy hand disruption and those with permanent disruption. The more prevalent decks would be the [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] based decks like Death & Taxes or Maverick with the other decks being a little more uncommon, such as Jund or Nic Fit.

What is effective in this matchup?

In the permanent based matchups, it all comes down to speed, especially in game one. On the play, you want to mulligan aggressively (thank you London Mulligan) for hands that can generate a lot of mana paired with a “tutor effect” to enable a fast kill or at the very least a horde of [[Goblin Token]]s. In these match-ups, [[Ponder]] tends to be a lot stronger on the play than when on the draw as you can afford yourself one “free” turn to go undisrupted. On the draw, it’s actually fairly similar except more difficult since you’re not guaranteed an undisrupted second turn. Because of this, I value being able to cast [[Echo of Eons]] on turn one on the draw if I’m unable to [[Empty the Warrens]] or cast [[Ad Nauseam]]. At least if you cast [[Echo of Eons]], you may shuffle them into a hand that doesn’t do anything meaningful in the match-up.

The exception of the undisrupted turn one is when facing 4c Loam as it plays Mox Diamond as well as [[Chalice of the Void]]. While mulliganing aggressively on the play is still ideal, the importance of [[Wishclaw Talisman]] and [[Burning Wish]] ([[Grapeshot]] and [[Pulverize]]) really go up on the draw.

Against the discard-based decks, consistency based cards are exactly what you would like, meaning that [[Ponder]] is an all-star. Even cards such as [[Veil of Summer]] are terrific as it’s essentially a cantrip that also protects you from hand disruption. One of the most effective ways of beating these decks is to resolve [[Echo of Eons]], which means using a [[Burning Wish]] for one early can often prohibit the opponent from casting [[Hymn to Tourach]] or [[Liliana of the Veil]].

Sideboarding Concepts

Against the permanent based midrange decks, you’ll want to sideboard out [[Veil of Summer]] along with [[Ponder]] as they won’t do much in the matchup. Bringing in effects like [[Abrupt Decay]] and [[Chain of Vapor]], along with other business spells to raise threat density goes a long way.

A number of these [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] decks are often running [[Chalice of the Void]] and [[Deafening Silence]] in their sideboard these days which is why I often bring in [[Abrupt Decay]]. Even if our opponent doesn’t have these cards, it also hits [[AEther Vial]], [[Ethersworn Canonist]], [[Phyrexian Revoker]], and even [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]]! It’s a card that seems difficult to cast but is secretly fine.

[[Chain of Vapor]] is a card I’ve been a big fan of the last few months. This slot was formerly occupied by additional copies of [[Echoing Truth]], but unlike [[Echoing Truth]] it’s much easier to cast in the face of [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] or [[Thorn of Amethyst]]. Recently, I’ve found that these match-ups are all about “breaking serve” and if you can answer your opponents card quickly and efficiently it puts you very far ahead. Because if you don’t? The next turn your opponent follows up their [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] with a [[Sanctum Prelate]] and then a [[Phyrexian Revoker]]. Before you know it you’re buried and in a tough spot, [[Chain of Vapor]] allows you to quickly answer something and then make your move without the need to pass the turn like [[Echoing Truth]]. In general, I believe Legacy has not only become faster, but it has also become even more punishing than the past.

The discard-based decks I used to not sideboard for until [[Collector Ouphe]] (which is also in Maverick) was printed. Now I believe that we should be preparing for this with our copies of [[Chain of Vapor]]. It’s an easy swap since [[Thoughtseize]] isn’t very good in this match-up anyway. You don’t really want to be drawing discard off the top in the late-game. If you’re uncomfortable with sideboarding in the [[Tendrils of Agony]] due to possible copies of [[Veil of Summer]], you can also sideboard in [[Empty the Warrens]] to avoid [[Surgical Extraction]] on your copies of [[Burning Wish]]. I personally prefer the [[Tendrils of Agony]] as discard decks play plenty of ways to answer a horde of [[Goblin Token]]s.

Important Cards in the Match-up

Aggro’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]]
[[Gaddock Teeg]]
[[Chalice of the Void]]
[[Wasteland]]
[[Stoneforge Mystic]]
[[Sanctum Prelate]]

Sideboard

[[Collector Ouphe]]
[[Ethersworn Canonist]]
[[Deafening Silence]]
[[Mindbreak Trap]]
[[Surgical Extraction]]
[[Plague Engineer]]

TES’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Lion’s Eye Diamond]]
[[Echo of Eons]]
[[Rite of Flame]]
[[Dark Ritual]]
[[Chrome Mox]]
[[Burning Wish]]

Sideboard

[[Empty the Warrens]]
[[Grapeshot]]
[[Abrupt Decay]]
[[Thoughtseize]]
[[Chain of Vapor]]
[[Pulverize]]

Sideboarding

Death & Taxes:

-4 [[Veil of Summer]]
-4 [[Ponder]]
+2 [[Empty the Warrens]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]
+1 [[Infernal Tutor]]
+1 [[Thoughtseize]]

Maverick:

-4 [[Veil of Summer]]
-4 [[Ponder]]
+2 [[Empty the Warrens]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]
+1 [[Infernal Tutor]]
+1 [[Thoughtseize]]

4c Loam:

-4 [[Veil of Summer]]
-1 [[Ponder]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]
+1 [[Thoughtseize]]

BG/x:

-3 [[Thoughtseize]]
-1 [[Veil of Summer]]
-1 [[Rite of Flame]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]
+1 [[Tendrils of Agony]]

Nic Fit:

-3 [[Thoughtseize]]
-1 [[Veil of Summer]]
-1 [[Rite of Flame]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]
+1 [[Tendrils of Agony]]

Resource Links

Articles

07-22-2019 Through the Looking Glass: Maverick with Dan Neeley by Anthony LaVerde on theepicstorm.com

05-23-2019 Through the Looking Glass: Humans with Eddie Zamora on theepicstorm.com

05-09-2019 Matchup Mulligan: Maverick by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

04-17-2019 TES Matchup Battles: Death & Taxes II by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

01-11-2019 Through the Looking Glass: Death & Taxes with Phillip Gallagher by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

12-13-2018 Matchup Mulligan: 4c Loam by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

08-23-2018 TES Matchup Battles: 4c Loam by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

05-24-2018 TES Matchup Battles: Maverick by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

08-22-2017 Matchup Mulligan: Death & Taxes by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

12-19-2016 TES Matchup Battles: Death & Taxes by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

08-29-2016 TES vs. Sanctum Prelate by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

05-25-2016 The Current State: Massacre by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

01-08-2016 The Current State: [[Chain of Vapor]] by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

Videos

01-05-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Zaracias with GW Depths on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-05-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Gandalf_the_Grey with GW Depths on Magic: the Gathering Online

12-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. SenorLarson with Death and Taxes on Magic: the Gathering Online

10-26-2019 Bryant Cook vs. Theodore Lockman with Death and Taxes at the Leaving A Legacy Open V: Acton, MA

09-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. maelstrom197 with Death and Taxes on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-08-2019 Q3 Legacy Playoff – 09/08/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. maxbv with 4c Loam on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-30-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Bahra with 4c Loam on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-30-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Olivetti with Abzan Midrange on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-23-2019 Q2 Legacy Playoff – 06/23/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. m0ller with Maverick on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-23-2019 Q2 Legacy Playoff – 06/23/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. AvocadoToast with Death and Taxes on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-06-2019 Bryant Cook vs. Benjamin Capen with Death and Taxes at the Leaving A Legacy Open III: Acton, MA

03-24-2019 Q1 Legacy Playoff – 03/24/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. luinil with Death and Taxes on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-24-2019 Q1 Legacy Playoff – 03/24/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. Koke_MTG with Death and Taxes on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-24-2019 Q1 Legacy Playoff – 03/24/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. FlyingWhales with Maverick on Magic: the Gathering Online

08-08-2018 Bryant Cook vs Bob Huang with 4c Loam on Legacy Premier League

07-08-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. D00mwake with Death & Taxes on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-22-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. Karolmo with Death & Taxes on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-22-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. Magic-Michael with Death & Taxes on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-03-2018 Kazu Negri vs. Zachary Koch with Death & Taxes at StarCityGames: Worcester, MA

10-28-2017 Bryant Cook vs. David Kagan with Death & Taxes at StarCityGames: Washington, DC

08-06-2017 Albert Lindblom (alli) vs HeyNongMan with 4c Loam (Round 5) on Magic Online (MTGO)

05-04-2017 Romario Neto vs Michael Bonde with Death & Taxes on Legacy Premier League

05-22-2016 Jesse Onland vs. Steven Liao with 4c Loam at Face to Face Games in Toronto, CA

04-30-2016 Jordon Robbins vs. Dane Davidson with Maverick at Ready to Play Trading Cards in Columbia, SC

04-22-2016 Steven Fierro vs. Cory Haukka with Death & Taxes at Fire & Dice in Woodland Hills, CA

09-22-2014 Spencer Miller vs. Greg Pino with Bant Maverick at WUBRG.xyz

12-15-2012 Bryant Cook vs. Eli Kassis with Junk at Jupiter Games in Binghamton, NY

06-17-2012 Ari Lax vs. Devin Badaczeski with Death & Taxes at StarCityGames: Detroit, MI

06-30-2011 AJ Kerrigan vs. James Rynkiewicz with NO-Bant at StarCityGames: Edison, NJ

[[Collector Ouphe|]]

[[Archon of Valor’s Reach|]]

[[Force of Vigor|]]

This category doesn’t really follow any rules, except every deck contains some amount of small creatures and their own disruptive element with a combo finish. I believe it’s easiest to start off my comparing the two decks that are the most similar — [[Food Chain]] and [[Aluren]]. To TES, these decks are essentially the same, they both play [[Force of Will]], [[Thoughtseize]], and [[Leovold, Emissary of Trest]].

What is effective in this matchup?

[[Leovold, Emissary of Trest]] is an issue because it shuts down our cantrips as well as [[Echo of Eons]], but the reason it’s an actual issue is how it works with [[Tendrils of Agony]]. The opponent will get to draw a card for each copy of [[Tendrils of Agony]], which then will often result in [[Mindbreak Trap]] or [[Flusterstorm]]. We can beat this in a few ways, the first being [[Chain of Vapor]] (we have access to two copies in the sideboard), [[Empty the Warrens]], [[Veil of Summer]] (does not stop [[Mindbreak Trap]]), and [[Defense Grid]]. In my opinion, [[Defense Grid]] is typically the best method.

Elves

Against most combo decks, [[Empty the Warrens]] isn’t an all-star — Elves is no exception. The issue is that they can both kill us through blockers with huge trample creatures. The strategy for TES is to be fast while not using [[Empty the Warrens]] unless you have to, I’d much rather cast [[Echo of Eons]] with a mana open given the choice. I wouldn’t get too comfort in your position at any point due to [[Natural Order]] for [[Archon of Valor’s Reach]] or even [[Green Sun’s Zenith]] for a main deck [[Gaddock Teeg]] or [[Collector Ouphe]]. It’s no longer acceptable to wait a turn and see what happens due to these hate creatures — if you have a window to combo off, take it!

Golgari Depths

Against most hand-disruption decks, you should be playing out your artifact mana and [[Wishclaw Talisman]] to avoid discard spells. Another plan is trying to [[Ponder]] or [[Brainstorm]] to set up [[Burning Wish]] on top of your deck until you’re ready to cast [[Ad Nauseam]] or [[Echo of Eons]]. These decks do play [[Abrupt Decay]] and [[Assassin’s Trophy]], but they play less artifact destruction effects than they do discard spells — play to the better odds. One recommendation that I can’t emphasize enough is don’t allow yourself to get blown out by [[Crop Rotation]] for [[Bojuka Bog]] messing up a pass the turn [[Echo of Eons]]. In general, I think [[Empty the Warrens]] is fine on the play but sort of bad on the draw against a [[Marit Lage Token]] or even [[Plague Engineer]].

Sideboarding Concepts

Against [[Food Chain]] and [[Aluren]], I believe it’s a slam dunk to sideboard in [[Defense Grid]] as well as the [[Chain of Vapor]] to mitigate the effectiveness of [[Leovold, Emissary of Trest]]. As I mentioned above, [[Empty the Warrens]] can be a little lack-luster. We’re focusing on killing on the same turn rather than just playing around the issue. Due to not sideboarding in a win condition, I tend to play these games protecting my [[Burning Wish]] from [[Surgical Extraction]] if I can help it.

For all of these decks, I believe that you should be prepared to play around [[Veil of Summer]]. You can do this via [[Defense Grid]] against the blue decks or for the non-blue decks, using [[Grapeshot]] instead of [[Tendrils of Agony]]. In a pinch, you can always [[Empty the Warrens]], but it’s the plan I like the least. Another consideration is for [[Force of Vigor]], this is crucial for sequencing your spells mostly. Play your artifacts in an order so that [[Force of Vigor]] matters very little, for example, [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] should always be the last artifact played since you have priority once it resolves and then cast [[Burning Wish]] before sacrificing it.

Important Cards in the Match-up

Small Creature Combo’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Archon of Valor’s Reach]]
[[Leovold, Emissary of Trest]]
[[Natural Order]]
[[Green Sun’s Zenith]]
[[Cabal Therapy]]
[[Crop Rotation]]
[[Dark Depths]]

Sideboard

[[Deafening Silence]]
[[Collector Ouphe]]
[[Gaddock Teeg]]
[[Force of Vigor]]
[[Thoughtseize]]
[[Mindbreak Trap]]
[[Veil of Summer]]

TES’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Ad Nauseam]]
[[Burning Wish]]
[[Echo of Eons]]
[[Wishclaw Talisman]]
[[Thoughtseize]]
[[Lion’s Eye Diamond]]

Sideboard

[[Abrupt Decay]]
[[Chain of Vapor]]
[[Grapeshot]]
[[Infernal Tutor]]
[[Echo of Eons]]

Sideboarding

Elves:

-4 [[Veil of Summer]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]
+1 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+1 [[Tendrils of Agony]]

Food Chain:

-2 [[Rite of Flame]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]

Aluren:

-2 [[Rite of Flame]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]

Golgari Depths:

-3 [[Thoughtseize]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]
+1 [[Empty the Warrens]]

Resource Links

Articles

02-04-2020 Through the Looking Glass: Golgari Depths with Tom Hepp by Landon Sworts on theepicstorm.com

01-31-2020 Depths vs. TES by Tom Hepp on minmaxblog.com

01-09-2020 Through the Looking Glass: Elves with Adam Wallace by Anthony LaVerde on theepicstorm.com

12-05-2019 Matchup Mulligan: Elves II by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

01-17-2019 Matchup Mulligan: Turbo Depths by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

04-23-2018 TES Matchup Battles: Elves by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

04-03-2018 Matchup Mulligan: Elves by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

02-27-2018 TES Matchup Battles: Turbo Depths by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

01-15-2018 TES Matchup Battles: Aluren by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

10-17-2017 Through the Looking Glass: Elves with Julian Knab by Jasper Gardener Burch on theepicstorm.com

Videos

12-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. makoeyesX with Golgari Depths on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Gandalf_the_Grey with Golgari Depths on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. luinil with BUG Depths on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-08-2019 Q3 Legacy Playoff – 09/08/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. DNSolver with Golgari Depths on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-30-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. FlyingTempest with Elves on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-30-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Julian23 with Elves on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-30-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. hatjax with Elves on Magic: the Gathering Online

12-02-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Gul_Dukat with Turbo Depths on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-14-2018 Bryant Cook vs. Oliver Tomajko with Infect at StarCityGames: Worcester, MA

06-24-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. Cartesian with Aluren on Magic: the Gathering Online

11-28-2015 AJ Kerrigan vs. Tom Ross with Infect at StarCityGames: Somerset, NJ

10-13-2015 Jordon Robbins vs. George Boone with Infect at Ready to Play Trading Cards in Columbia, SC

08-09-2015 Bryant Cook vs. Zach Koch with Infect at StarCityGames: Washington, DC

01-10-2015 Bryant Cook vs. Rich Meyst with Elves at StarCityGames: Philadelphia, PA

10-02-2011 Jason Golembiewski vs. Chris Anderson with Elves at StarCityGames: Indianapolis, IN

07-24-2011 Liam Kane vs. Joe Lossett with Elves at StarCityGames: Seattle, WA

[[Griselbrand|]]

[[Show and Tell|]]

[[Reanimate|]]

A series of combo decks that aim to put [[Griselbrand]] in play while disrupting the opponent, these decks tend to be fast while disrupting the opponent. I wouldn’t recommend casting [[Empty the Warrens]] against these decks!

What is effective in this matchup?

[[Veil of Summer]] is very effective against all of these decks and for different reasons! Against the [[Show and Tell]] decks, it protects your combo and against the Reanimator decks it protects yourself from discard. It’s truly amazing here. My favorite thing it does against these decks is that it can stop the ability of [[Chancellor of the Annex]], once you resolve [[Veil of Summer]] you no longer need to pay for the trigger. This is because the trigger says, “counter” and your spells can’t be countered.

I mentioned not using [[Empty the Warrens]], this is because these decks can simply go over our [[Goblin Token]]s. [[Griselbrand]] is not only a better [[Batterskull]] against us, but will likely draw into [[Emrakul, the Aeon’s Torn]] or [[Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite]].

Sideboarding Concepts

Recently [[Leyline of Sanctity]] has fallen out of favor for the [[Show and Tell]] decks, this means I am currently not adapting for by siding in [[Chain of Vapor]] unless I see it in game two before a third game. That said, you can still beat a [[Leyline of Sanctity]] with your main deck copies of [[Veil of Summer]] or the sideboard [[Defense Grid]] because they don’t target the opponent. One of my favorite things about [[Defense Grid]] is that you can put it into play off of [[Show and Tell]]! Which in most cases will render the draw seven ability of [[Griselbrand]] fairly useless. It’s also worth noting that you can put [[Wishclaw Talisman]] into play off of [[Show and Tell]]. This helps on the combo turn as you’re more likely to be able to win through a [[Griselbrand]] activation due to responding with a [[Veil of Summer]].

For the Reanimator matchups, [[Chain of Vapor]] is the preferred answer for their big creatures as these decks as it’s easier to resolve through the [[Chancellor of the Annex]] trigger. The other white flying angel we need to be concerned with is [[Iona, Shield of Emeria]], which is another reason to bring in bounce spells!

Important Cards in the Match-up

Large Creature Combo’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Force of Will]]
[[Thoughtseize]]
[[Griselbrand]]
[[Reanimate]]
[[Show and Tell]]
[[Spell Pierce]]

Sideboard

[[Flusterstorm]]
[[Surgical Extraction]]
[[Leyline of Sanctity]]

TES’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Veil of Summer]]
[[Thoughtseize]]
[[Chain of Vapor]]
[[Echo of Eons]]
[[Ad Nauseam]]
[[Wishclaw Talisman]]

Sideboard

[[Defense Grid]]
[[Echo of Eons]]
[[Chain of Vapor]]
[[Infernal Tutor]]

Sideboarding

UG Omnitell:

-1 [[Rite of Flame]]
+1 [[Defense Grid]]

Sneak & Show:

-1 [[Rite of Flame]]
+1 [[Defense Grid]]

UB Reanimator:

-2 [[Rite of Flame]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]

RB Reanimator:

-2 [[Rite of Flame]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]

Resource Links

Articles

11-15-2018 Through the Looking Glass: BR Reanimator with Eric Landon by Anthony LaVerde on theepicstorm.com

06-03-2018 Matchup Mulligan: BR Reanimator by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

01-09-2018 Through the Looking Glass: Show & Tell with JPA93 by Jasper Gardener Burch on theepicstorm.com

11-13-2017 Matchup Mulligan: Sneak & Show by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

03-14-2017 TES Matchup Battles: Sneak & Show by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

Videos

02-01-2020 Bryant Cook vs Matthew Orfanello with UG Omnitell at the Leaving A Legacy Open VI: Acton, MA

12-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. OompaLoompa with Sneak and Show on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-30-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Iwouldliketorespond with UB Reanimator on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-20-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. jtlox with Sneak and Show on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-20-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Monkey_Island with Cloudpost on Magic: the Gathering Online

12-02-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Suabe with Sneak and Show on Magic: the Gathering Online

11-04-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Aylett with Mono-Black Reanimator on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-14-2018 Bryant Cook vs. Bob Huang with Sneak & Show at StarCityGames: Worcester, MA

05-04-2017 Romario Neto vs Patrick Dickmann with Sneak & Show on Legacy Premier League

06-26-2015 Nicklas Lallo vs. Mikael Johansson with Omnitell at Scandinavian Open #5

05-23-2015 Bryant Cook vs. Max Brown with Omnitell at StarCityGames: Worcester, MA

07-20-2014 Bryant Cook vs. Todd Anderson with Sneak & Show at StarCityGames: Baltimore, MD

11-13-2013 Ari Lax vs. Allen Pennington with Tin-Fins at Grand Prix: Washington, DC

02-10-2013 Si Ning Li vs. Joshua Ravitz with Sneak & Show at StarCityGames: Edison, NJ

12-09-2012 Jacob Kory vs. Richard Centanni with Sneak & Show at StarCityGames: Las Vegas, NV

05-12-2012 Bryant Cook vs. Eli Kassis with Sneak & Show at Jupiter Games in Binghamton, NY

[[Thoughtseize|]]

[[Veil of Summer|]]

[[Flusterstorm|]]

These matches are two ships passing in the night with slight interaction. You want to keep explosive hands, usually containing [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] and “tutor effects” or at the very least a cantrip and a [[Veil of Summer]].

What is effective in this matchup?

Being fast is your primary goal. The biggest piece of advice I can give for these decks is to mulligan aggressively (especially under the London Mulligan). There’s little need to keep a bad or clunky seven-card hand when you can simply keep a better six or five card hand that can kill our opponent before turn three. It actually works to our advantage, but also aligns well with one of our game-plans in [[Echo of Eons]]. Which will rebuild our initial hand, it’s like starting the game fresh except for the fact that you’ll have a few permanents and hopefully some mana floating!

Against most hand-disruption decks, you should be playing out your artifact mana and [[Wishclaw Talisman]] onto the battlefeild. That or trying to [[Ponder]] or [[Brainstorm]] for a [[Burning Wish]] to place on top of your deck until you’re ready to cast [[Ad Nauseam]] or [[Echo of Eons]] — this helps to play around discard spells. One of the most effective ways to play around discard spells is to search for [[Echo of Eons]] early with [[Burning Wish]] and then just sit there until you’re ready to cast it. That or just always having the [[Veil of Summer]].

[[Echo of Eons]] has the added benefit against many of these decks by resetting their primary tool (the Graveyard), use this to your advantage! But I would still prefer [[Ad Nauseam]] if possible. Like against most other blazing fast match-ups, you don’t really want to be casting [[Empty the Warrens]] here as you’re not guaranteed to live long enough to kill the opponent. Realistically, I would probably only [[Empty the Warrens]] in a dire situations.

Sideboarding Concepts

It’s a little odd, but in a number of these match-ups you don’t sideboard at all or just small adjustments for small percentages. Both [[Veil of Summer]] and [[Thoughtseize]] are key players here! We’re essentially pre-boarded for the “mirror-match” so to speak. Against Ad Nauseam Tendrils (ANT) I would expect [[Flusterstorm]] and [[Veil of Summer]], the tricky part is an untapped fetchland on turn one could mean either. Playing out your artifacts early on and then on a later turn using a “tutor effect” into a pay-off spell such as [[Ad Nauseam]] or [[Echo of Eons]] is the easiest way of playing around [[Flusterstorm]] if you’re unable to discard it. Beating [[Veil of Summer]] is rather easy though, in The EPIC Storm reaching twenty storm isn’t all that difficult thanks to [[Ad Nauseam]] and to a lesser extent [[Echo of Eons]]. In post-board games, I would simply look to [[Grapeshot]] the opponent, then [[Tendrils of Agony]], and if you’re sure the opponent has a [[Veil of Summer]] and can’t reach enough Storm count I would [[Empty the Warrens]]. If you expect [[Surgical Extraction]] (which has become less common), then sideboard in [[Tendrils of Agony]].

[[High Tide]] are Jeskai Breach are a little different as we can expect to fight against copies of [[Force of Will]] and other intersactions spells like [[Flusterstorm]] or [[Silence]] (Jeskai Breach). If you have [[Defense Grid]], these should come in. Recently, these Jeskai Breach decks have added [[Lavinia, Azorius Renegade]] which as increased the need to side in something such as [[Abrupt Decay]]. Previously, I wasn’t so high up on bringing in [[Abrupt Decay]] in the matchup because the Jeskai Breach player will often cast [[Orim’s Chant]] before playing [[Underworld Breach]], with the targets being doubled this seems like an easy decision at this point!

Important Cards in the Match-up

Combo’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[High Tide]]
[[Veil of Summer]]
[[Goblin Charbelcher]]
[Thoughtseize]]
[[Lion’s Eye Diamond]]
[[Cabal Therapy]]

Sideboard

[[Flusterstorm]]
[[Echoing Truth]]
[[Surgical Extraction]]
[[Veil of Summer]]

TES’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Veil of Summer]]
[[Thoughtseize]]
[[Lion’s Eye Diamond]]
[[Burning Wish]]
[[Wishclaw Talisman]]
[[Mox Opal]]

Sideboard

[[Defense Grid]]
[[Thoughtseize]]
[[Infernal Tutor]]
[[Echo of Eons]]
[[Tendrils of Agony]]
[[Grapeshot]]

Sideboarding

ANT/TES:

None.

Belcher:

-1 [[Veil of Summer]]
+1 [[Thoughtseize]]

Dredge (Play):

-3 [[Veil of Summer]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]
+1 [[Thoughtseize]]

Dredge (Draw):

-2 [[Veil of Summer]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]

High Tide:

-1 [[Rite of Flame]]
+1 [[Defense Grid]]

Jeskai Breach:

-4 [[Rite of Flame]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+1 [[Defense Grid]]
+1 [[Thoughtseize]]

Grixis Phoenix:

None.

Hogaak:

None.

Resource Links

Articles

02-18-2020 Through the Looking Glass: Jeskai Breach with Stefan Schütz by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

02-11-2020 Matchup Mulligan: Jeskai Breach by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

01-23-2020 Matchup Mulligan: The EPIC Storm by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

01-21-2020 TES Matchup Battles: The EPIC Storm by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

10-30-2019 Through the Looking Glass: Hogaak with Kat Light by Anthony LaVerde on theepicstorm.com

10-22-2019 TES Matchup Battles: Hogaak by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

10-17-2019 Matchup Mulligan: Hogaak by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

08-20-2019 TES Matchup Battles: Ad Nauseam Tendrils by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

04-30-2019 Through the Looking Glass: Ad Nauseam Tendrils with Brandon Osborne on theepicstorm.com

03-27-2019 Through the Looking Glass: Grixis Phoenix with Callum Smith on theepicstorm.com

02-25-2019 TES Matchup Battles: Grixis Phoenix by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

02-07-2019 Matchup Mulligan: Grixis Phoenix by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

12-29-2018 Through the Looking Glass: Dredge (Mana) with Patrick Schuster by Anthony LaVerde on theepicstorm.com

11-06-2018 Matchup Mulligan: Dredge by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

12-29-2017 TES Matchup Battles: Dredge by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

09-17-2017 Matchup Mulligan: Storm by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

Videos

01-26-2020 Showcase Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. AnziD with Jeskai Breach on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-26-2020 Showcase Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Ark4n with Dredge on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-05-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. LuisMJ with Hogaak on Magic: the Gathering Online

12-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. fistfullofmetal with Manaless Dredge on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. MahfuzVanGogh with Dredge on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-08-2019 Q3 Legacy Playoff – 09/08/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. Fuz65 with ANT on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-08-2019 Q3 Legacy Playoff – 09/08/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. youmeandiowa with DETH on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-30-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. CryptomancerRB with ANT on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-30-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Orim67 with Hogaaak Zombies on Magic: the Gathering Online

06-23-2019 Q2 Legacy Playoff – 06/23/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. THE_DADDY with Dredge on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-06-2019 Bryant Cook vs. Kenton Najdzien with Grixis Phoenix at the Leaving A Legacy Open III: Acton, MA

02-17-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Guitarmy with ANT on Magic: the Gathering Online

02-17-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. SpatulaOfTheAges with Enchantress on Magic: the Gathering Online

11-04-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. albertoSD with Dredge on Magic: the Gathering Online

10-07-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. LindenPaine with ANT on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-14-2018 Michael Connin vs. Anthony Garcia with High Tide at Prodigy Games: Lake Worth, FL

07-08-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. DNSolver with Reanimator Depths on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-08-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. mh99 with TES on Magic: the Gathering Online

07-08-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. ExpectNoMercy with Dredge on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-29-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. muecke with ANT on Magic: the Gathering Online

10-16-2013 Jeremy Stowe vs. Andrew Dziedz with Dredge at StarCityGames: Milwaukee, MN

07-07-2013 Bryant Cook vs. Royce Walter with TES at StarCityGames: Worcester, MA

11-05-2011 Liam Kane vs. Caleb Neufeld with Dredge at StarCityGames: Las Vegas, NV

[[Chalice of the Void|]]

[[Karn, The Great Creator|]]

[[Sphere of Resistance|]]

Against all of these decks, you want to be fast and protect your lands. While hopefully dodging [[Chalice of the Void]] and [[Karn, The Great Creator]]!

What is effective in this matchup?

The first step to winning these match-ups is to search for your basic land(s). This is especially crucial for playing around [[Wasteland]], if your opponent is also packing [[Ghost Quarter]], maybe you should consider leaving one in your deck. One way to do this is to sit on your fetchlands as long as you can.

For beating Eldrazi Stompy or other [[Chalice of the Void]] aggro decks, you’re really looking to win quickly. Once again, lean into the London Mulligan. You have [[Echo of Eons]] as a resource to come back into the game if need be.

If you’re not winning quickly you’re going to want to be getting all of your permanents on the battlefield as quickly as possible. This will allow you to get underneath permanents like [[Chalice of the Void]] and [[Thought-Knot Seer]]. It’s hard to exile a [[Wishclaw Talisman]] from the battlefield with the 4/4 creature! [[Wishclaw Talisman]] can also search up [[Chain of Vapor]] in a pinch (in post-board games). Be careful — [[Wishclaw Talisman]] is shut off by [[Karn, The Great Creator]]. Don’t get too comfortable!

[[Karn, The Great Creator]] tends to be an issue because it’s a one-sided [[Null Rod]] that shuts off all of our artifact mana: [[Chrome Mox]], [[Lotus Petal]], and [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]]. [[Karn, The Great Creator]] will then lock you out of the game completely by retrieving a [[Mycosynth Lattice]] which in conjunction with [[Karn, The Great Creator]] will stop all of your cards from working properly. Another downside of [[Karn, The Great Creator]] is sometimes he can find an answer to a horde of [[Goblin Token]]s with the sideboard [[Ratchet Bomb]], that said, I still think [[Empty the Warrens]] is a very strong plan against the Eldrazi decks.

[[Burning Wish]] has gotten better against lands as a combo enabler. Previously, [[Empty the Warrens]] was a liability because it’s easily answered by [[The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale]] and [[Dark Petition]] was risky due to [[Crop Rotation]] into [[Bojuka Bog]]. Since then, we’ve added [[Echo of Eons]] and a sideboard copy of [[Infernal Tutor]] over [[Dark Petition]] to smooth those things over! [[Burning Wish]] is an even stronger tool in post-board games due to [[Pulverize]]. Against all of these decks, I tend to value [[Burning Wish]] fairly highly in my opening hand due to the ability to answer [[Chalice of the Void]] or even a possible [[Thorn of Amethyst]]. A cool thing about [[Pulverize]] is it can stop your opponent from playing [[Mycosynth Lattice]], since in then you’ll be able to blow up all permanents including their [[Karn, The Great Creator]]! A tip for you regarding [[Pulverize]] in these match-ups is to conceal or hide your [[Mountain]]s until you’re ready to cast [[Pulverize]]. This can be done by sitting on fetchlands like [[Bloodstained Mire]] or holding the [[Badlands]] or [[Volcanic Island]] in your hand.

For the Bomberman match-up, I tend to like to keep hands with a lot of zero casting cost artifacts. This is because their deck also plays quite a few zero converted mana cost spells, which prohibits them from playing [[Chalice of the Void]] for zero.

Sideboarding Concepts

While [[Veil of Summer]] can allow zero mana spells to resolve through a [[Chalice of the Void]] on zero, it’s not very reliable. For this reason, we sideboard it out as the green instant has very little impact on the match-up. From here we bring in our suite of answers: [[Chain of Vapor]] and [[Abrupt Decay]].

[[Chain of Vapor]] is the best bounce spell for answering [[Karn, The Great Creator]] and [[Sphere of Resistance]] but tends to be weaker to [[Chalice of the Void]]. If possible, I would try to sequence [[Abrupt Decay]] to destroy any copies of [[Chalice of the Void]] and then leave [[Chain of Vapor]] for whatever is left. Did I mention it can even bounce [[Marit Lage Token]] in a pinch?!

Important Cards in the Match-up

Prison’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Chalice of the Void]]
[[Thought-Knot Seer]]
[[Thorn of Amethyst]]
[[Ancient Tomb]]
[[Karn, The Great Creator]]
[[Ghost Quarter]]

Sideboard

[[Ratchet Bomb]]
[[Leyline of the Void]]
[[Sphere of Resistance]]
[[Thorn of Amethyst]]
[[Trinisphere]]

TES’s Key Cards

Main Deck

[[Swamp]]
[[Mox Opal]]
[[Thoughtseize]]
[[Echo of Eons]]
[[Wishclaw Talisman]]
[[Burning Wish]]

Sideboard

[[Pulverize]]
[[Abrupt Decay]]
[[Thoughtseize]]
[[Chain of Vapor]]
[[Infernal Tutor]]
[[Empty the Warrens]]

Sideboarding

Eldrazi/Chalice Aggro:

-4 [[Veil of Summer]]
-4 [[Ponder]]
+2 [[Empty the Warrens]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]
+1 [[Infernal Tutor]]
+1 [[Thoughtseize]]

Bomberman:

-4 [[Veil of Summer]]
-1 [[Ponder]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]
+1 [[Thoughtseize]]

Lands:

-4 [[Veil of Summer]]
-1 [[Ponder]]
+2 [[Abrupt Decay]]
+2 [[Chain of Vapor]]
+1 [[Thoughtseize]]

Resource Links

Articles

12-16-2019 TES Matchup Battles: Bomberman by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

05-21-2019 TES Matchup Battles: Eldrazi Ramp by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

03-22-2018 Through the Looking Glass: Lands with Jarvis by AJ Kerrigan on theepicstorm.com

03-19-2018 TES Matchup Battles: Eldrazi by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

03-16-2018 Matchup Mulligan: Eldrazi by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

12-13-2017 Matchup Mulligan: Lands by Bryant Cook on theepicstorm.com

09-27-2017 TES Matchup Battles: Lands by Alex Poling on theepicstorm.com

03-07-2016 Storming Through the Rise of the Eldrazi by AJ Kerrigan on theepicstorm.com

Videos

01-05-2020 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. bobsbread with Eldrazi Ramp on Magic: the Gathering Online

12-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. xJCloud with Bomberman on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-29-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Pathy with Eldrazi Ramp on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-08-2019 Q3 Legacy Playoff – 09/08/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. twin_mtg with Bomberman on Magic: the Gathering Online

09-08-2019 Q3 Legacy Playoff – 09/08/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. Hulahula with Eldrazi Ramp on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-24-2019 Q1 Legacy Playoff – 03/24/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. franticpats with Lands on Magic: the Gathering Online

03-24-2019 Q1 Legacy Playoff – 03/24/19 – Bryant_Cook vs. Pathy with Eldrazi Ramp on Magic: the Gathering Online

02-17-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Aylett with Eldrazi on Magic: the Gathering Online

02-17-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Lagerbon with Chalice & Taxes on Magic: the Gathering Online

01-20-2019 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. CrazyCranium with Lands on Magic: the Gathering Online

12-02-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Iziter with Eldrazi Ramp on Magic: the Gathering Online

11-04-2018 Legacy Challenge – Bryant_Cook vs. Nocley with Eldrazi Ramp on Magic: the Gathering Online

08-08-2018 Bryant Cook vs Jarvis Yu with Lands on Legacy Premier League

06-24-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. hardtimes4Nik with Eldrazi Aggro on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-29-2018 Bryant_Cook vs. Call1Me1Dragon with Lands on Magic: the Gathering Online

04-30-2016 Jordon Robbins vs. Eric Yu with Lands at Ready to Play Trading Cards in Columbia, SC

[[Blood Moon|]]

[[Fiery Confluence|]]

[[Karn, The Great Creator|]]

This matchup is very similar to the Prison decks above, I recommend reading that as well. The difference between those decks and these, is that this category of decks goes after our mana harder. Between [[Blood Moon]], [[Magus of the Moon]], [[Chalice of the Void]], [[Sphere of Resistance]], [[Thorn of Amethyst]], [[Trinisphere]], and [[Karn, The Great Creator]] it’s a lot to take on!

What is effective in this matchup?

More important than ever, it’s important to search for your basics! Fortunately here, you don’t need to worry about [[Wasteland]]. What’s nice about these decks (as well as Lands above) is that [[Chrome Mox]] and [[Mox Opal]] act as a basic land that is very difficult for our opponent to interact with.

I can’t emphasize how strong [[Burning Wish]] into [[Pulverize]] is for these match-ups. Unlike the Prison decks, these [[Blood Moon]] style decks very often give you the [[Mountain]]s that are required for [[Pulverize]]’s alternate casting cost making it a slam dunk. Because of this, I really value [[Burning Wish]] quite highly on any hand when on the draw. There’s also [[Wishclaw Talisman]] into [[Chain of Vapor]] (in post-board games), but be careful — [[Wishclaw Talisman]] is shut off by [[Karn, The Great Creator]]. Don’t get too comfortable!

Something you should keep in mind is that while I do like [[Empty the Warrens]] against these decks as it allows you to combo quickly, they do play between three and four copies of [[Fiery Confluence]]. Meaning, if you can play a discard spell post-[[Goblin Token]]s, look to hit this. Some lists even play a [[Ratchet Bomb]] to get with [[Karn, The Great Creator]]…

Sideboarding Concepts

While [[Veil of Summer]] can allow zero mana spells to resolve through a [[Chalice of the Void]] on zero, it’s not very reliable. For this reason, we sideboard out [[Veil of Summer]] as it has little impact on the match-up. From here we bring in our suite of answers: [[Chain of Vapor]] and [[Abrupt Decay]].