General but STRANGE sideboard advice
Deck Help forum
Posted on May 21, 2012, 3:40 p.m. by Witteee
So, as a general opinion on how sideboards are constructed for a deck, I am wondering what fellow players take into consideration when selecting their 15 cards. Now I know, at least what I have done in the past and generally until now, I take certain cards that I believe will give my deck an edge against certain archetypes I run into at my local meta. I am sure for the most part when you guys construct a deck with a 15 card sideboard you want a list that will do the same for you.
What leads me to my actual question is that I have noticed that of the 15 cards maybe 6 can work well against a certain matchup, and the cards you side-out are the ones that have a weakness against whomever you are playing. What if you had a sideboard that instead of trying to fit in 2-3 cards of differing quantities to stand up against their threats or their board presence, you took 15 cards out of your deck, side in 15 more and change the way your deck works entirely? The reason I ask is because of the way that there are a multitude of decks that see play in all different colors. You can go up against artifact heavy tempered steel decks, control decks ( whether they are esper or traditional blue black), RDW is always a tough match unless you hit the precise cards you board in, so what if instead of having those 15 cards to deal with their deck, you switch the theme of your deck to counter what they decide to board in against you? If they feel as if they have a general idea of how your deck is working, then they will board in things to help them shut down your deck. But if they board in cards to hate on your deck, and you side those cards out so they will have no target, wouldn't that be effectively putting them at a disadvantage?
When they board in, and you board out, wouldn't that have them think they might keep a "good" opening hand, only to find out that you have switched the style and tempo of play then they have a hand full of dead cards and you now control the way the game is being played. It wouldn't even have to be a control deck, just having you deck work in a different manner then what your opponent is thinking gives you the upper hand, or am I just crazy?
I would also think it is suffice to mention that I don't play top tier decks, I make my own rogue decks (usually different ones week to week) to keep everyone guessing what it is that I am playing. That alone has won me games because my opponents have no idea how exactly I plan to win the game and then BAM power shifts in my favor and they are hurtin' in a neck brace. Then once they think they get an idea of how I have my win-con, they board in against it, and I usually only change a few cards over, and what I side out is probably less meaningful than what they sideboard in.
I have been playing a lot of Boros reanimator/control, but with a few cards added into what my sideboard is, I could totally change my deck to full on aggro and vice-versa. Am I focusing too much on the mental aspects of gameplay? Should I instead stick to the tried and true method of putting in 3-5 cards in a 60 card deck and pray that my answer to their threat resolves? or instead keep them on their toes and always guessing as to what my next move is going to be?
I appreciate feedback and I encourage you to think outside the box when playing too, a lot of the time it pays off.
JaggedJesus says... #3
I run a reasonably successful Blue control deck that splashes 6 Swamp/Plains and 9 Black/White spells. With the other splash colour being my sideboard.
Both to throw people off and to deal with Creatures/Non-creatures, respectively. (Oh and because I hate thinking "Now, what do I side this out for...")
(By "Non-Creatures, I mean Artifacts and Enchantments)
trais says... #2
I once considered building a Tempered Steel deck that switched to Quest for the Holy Relic back when it (and ornithopters) were standard legal. I never got a chance to build it because of cost restrictions, but I think it might have worked out well.
You do need to keep in mind, though, that the two versions of the deck need to differ enough that what worked well against one works horribly against the other. Otherwise, the advantage is lost.
Also keep in mind that you will lose all the versatility of 'answers' to opposing decks. No longer will you be able to side in Doom Blades or Go for the Throats - your sideboard will have to be entirely dedicated to changing your deck in a more drastic way. This could be quite a loss if you're playing against, say, Wurmcoil and neither version of your deck has an answer for it.
It might be a good idea, and it would certainly be very fun to do, but I think you're underestimating the value of a more traditional sideboard. Especially since if it gets into the third game, your opponent will know that you have no specific answers against them, and their potential to hold back in hesitance is lost.
May 21, 2012 6:09 p.m.