Boros Deck DOES Win
Deck Help forum
Posted on Nov. 17, 2010, 11:52 a.m. by The_Last_Gunslinger
I've started this thread under the impression that no one else has begun a competitive Boros thread, which baffles me to no end considering how good the deck is. Throghout the course of every game, the deck naturally thins it's self with all 12 fetch lands, 4 Squadron Hawks, and Stoneforge Mystic. Due to it's vast interactions and great synergy, I'll go as far as saying that its probably the best aggro deck in T2. Ill start by posting the list I've been currently running and enjoying much success with on Magic online.
Main Deck
2x Adventuring Gear 4x Arid Mesa 3x Cunning Sparkmage 3x Evolving Wilds 4x Goblin Guide 4x Journey to Nowhere 3x Kor Skyfisher 3x Lightning Bolt 4x Marsh Flats 5x Mountain 5x Plains 4x Plated Geopede 4x Scalding Tarn 4x Squadron Hawk 4x Steppe Lynx 3x Stoneforge Mystic 1x Sword of Body and Mind
Side Board
3x Arc Trail 1x Basilisk Collar 4x Luminarch Ascension 4x Mark of Mutiny 3x Ratchet Bomb
It was not long when MTGO was flooded with various version of Boros and the meta virtually revolved around whether or not your deck could beat it. Now the deck seems to be in decline, since it lacks sufficient resources to combat U/B, RUG, and U/W control. However, thanks to Jace being some $100, control is not seen very often in MTGO tournaments and the deck does have some tech against control. Some of the card choices I've made pertain to the particular meta I'm currently facing on MTGO, which may not be the correct choice of cards in your particular meta. I'll now explain my deck.
The A-Team
4x Steppe Lynx 4x Plated Geopede 4x Goblin Guide
This is the business end of the deck. There are simply no other creatures in T2 that can compare with damage-to-casting cost ratio of these cards. If Goblin guide gets in for 4, thats like a kicked burst lightning for one red. One hit with Steppe Lynx and Geopede can knock your opponent's life total almost in half.
The Evasion
3x Kor Skyfisher 4x Squadron Hawk
These creatures allow you to keep pressure and damage flowing throughout most stages of the game. But that's not all. Skyfisher can bring back one of your 4 journeys to be cast on a more relevant target, bring back Stoneforge to find more equipment, bring back any creature you attacked with to block, and fill in those gaps where you need landfall. It survives pyroclasm and Arc Lightning, leaving the only red answer a bolt, or forcing your opponent to tap out for a kicked burst lightning.
Squadron Hawk is absolutely key to winning almost every match up. I don't know why anyone would exclude a card that gives you such immense card advantage and keeps steady pressure on your opponent. This card is a huge upgrade from Emeria Angle. Right off the bat, casting one Hawk thins your deck by three cards, guaranteeing that you wont waste turns drawing additional ones. It immediately provides multiple targets for your equipment, namely Sword of Body and Mind. You just keep attempting equips until one sticks and your opponent wastes his single-target removal on your free cards. This card defeats gatekeeper, consuming vapors, and any other deck that uses sac-based removal, which is normally an absolute bane to this deck. Lastly, Hawk with basilisk collar is like having 3 free removal effects. At the very least, you get four flying blockers to keep your opponent at bay while you continue tearing chunks out of your opponent with the A-Team. Through extensive testing, I've come to the conclusion that any Boros deck without Hawks is not Teir 1.
The Equipment
2x Adventuring Gear 1x Sword of Body and Mind 3x Stoneforge Mystic
Applications of Adventuring Gear is self-explanatory, yet I will emphasize that the card will keep your creatures alive throughout the game and nullify the effects of Arc Lightning and pyroclasm. The Boros lists I've seen that keep the Sword in the SB are mainly ones that don't run the the Hawks. One hit with a Hawk equipped with the Sword can be devastating - two hits is usually game.
The Removal
4x Journey to Nowhere 3x Lightning Bolt 3x Cunning Sparkmage
Four Journeys might seem a bit much, but I've found that its the single-most effective removal spell white has to offer, and so why not run 4? This is your one solution to almost any threat your opponent plays. This card answers a lot of SB tech, namely Obstinate Baloth, Kor Firewalker and Wurmcoil Engine, and much more. ect... It answers Kalastria Highborn, Titans, and sometimes even Avenger if your opponent plays it too early seeing as there are no red answers to it. I'd also like to point out that vs vampires, Journey shines since your opponent will often sac the targeted creature in response, allowing you to replay the card with skyfisher.
Of my entire deck, I expect the most conjecture to surround the 3 bolts, instead of 4, and the sparkmages in favor of spikeshot elder. Sparkmage essentially has the same effect as spikeshot elder, except you can always use sparkmage the turn you play it and its a direct answer to anyone who plays spikeshot. Spikeshot has the added utility of sometime being able to deal more than 1 dmg, yet the 4 journeys seem to make up for that in the sense that they can answer anything. Decks that run 3 spikeshots are more or less confined to playing 3 Adventuring gear, which I would rather only have 2 with the Sword, and 4 pieces of equipment seems to be too much. Yes I realize that spikeshot is much cheaper, yet its normally not wise to play him early anways because he'll be the first to die. I lost several games where I played spikeshot turn 1, geopede turn 2, only to loose both to Arc Lightning getting no use out of the card. Playing spikeshot late defeats the whole point of playing him in the first place seeing as you need 4 mana just to deal 1 dmg when you could you could have played more threats, like a hawk or two, or pay equip costs. You essentially need two turns to get spikeshot rolling with adventuring gear, which you will almost never do considering how much removal is out there, and maybe kill one creature in the process. I feel that the primary reason of even playing pingers in the first place is because of basilisk collar, which is far more expensive and less effecient to set up on spikeshot than a sparkmage. The reason I don't have 4 sparkmages is because of its casting cost, and I simply can't find room at this time. Even if I did find a slot for the 4th, I'd probably add a bolt as a consistent answer to jace and other threats.
This leads me to the 3 bolts. Jace is not all that popular on MTGO seeing as he's a $100 card I don't see him often enough in a MTGO meta flooded with budget aggro. Furthermore, Sword seems to be a more sufficient answer to most blue decks, and it can kill a jace an opponent used to fate-seal. Lastly, and I hate to say it, but bolt is actually not a great answer to most of the decks on MTGO. It hardly effects a vampire, goblin, or elf board, or anything that runs vengevine and fauna shaman. However, I will admit that if I should find one open slot in the deck, bolt would be first to fill it.
The Side Board
Before I begin, I will state that the sideboard, in my opinion, is rather sub-par and deserves much scrutiny. The rule thumb for SB cards is that their effect should be 3x greater than any other card in your deck. Since most of the cards in my SB don't meet that standard, I remain thoroughly unsatisfied with most of the choices.
Luminarch Ascension - I have been racking my brain for a month now trying to figure out a good side board card for control decks. I have had only limited success with Luminarch, considering the card is not any good against RUG or decks that run into the roil. The one decent effect the card has against Red control decks is that it forces your opponent to use his burn against you instead of your creatures. I have considered ruin blaster, yet this card general performs poorly against RUG with all its ramp, is useless against pyromancer's ascension, and has only occasional success against UB and UW control. Yet, preordain can easily remedy mana issues. If your going to have a 4-mana card against control, it might as well be Koth. I have yet to test Koth in the SB because I simply can't afford him at this time. Perhaps a set of sparkmages in the MD and spikeshot elders in the SB with collar is an answer. I welcome any SB suggestions to bring in against control, as I'm currently out of ideas.
Ratchet Bomb
....But it might conflict with journey. I believe that to be the reason why Boros piolets don't run da-bomb. I find this card to be the single most effective answer to WW Quest, a deck which MTGO budget tournaments is flooded with. It can kill quest early enough and even wipe most of their board between all the 0-1 casting cost cards they play. Its also decent answer to pyromancer's ascension, a deck thats been recently increasing in popularity. It can also answer mimic vat. Lastly, the card is a superb answer to Kuldotha red blowout with rebirth and devastating summons. The other options I've considered have been kor sanctifiers, which combos nicely with skyfisher, but too expensive to answer quest, and shatter, which is kind of narrow. I believe any card we play against control has to resolve in the first two turns of the game in order to by-pass counter magic. Any card more expensive than that must be either uncounterable, or IF you manage to resolve it, practically hands you the win. That said, neither sanctifiers nor ruin blaster meet that criteria.
Arc Trail If you thought Bolt was a decent answer to aggro.... In more cases than not, I've found this card vastly superior against any deck that bolt is good against. It slows down goblins, vamps, and quest decks, and an early one can beat the mirror all on its own.
Basilisk Collar has already been explained and Mark of Mutiny is self-explanatory.
So there you have it. Like I said, I'm quite happy with the main deck but welcome any suggestions.
kabrazell says... #2
My testing partner actually won an FNM with boros a week ago, it is indeed a good deck. Thats all I have to say.
November 18, 2010 3:30 p.m.