After looking over many tournament results from the first two weeks of the new format as well as observing first hand at a couple events, I’ve noticed some good players including some interesting cards in their sideboards.

More importantly, there are some cards that are being overlooked that will help improve many of your matchups. Here’s the list of cards that you should take note of and apply their use to your own decks.

10. Magma Spray

There will be many players that look at this card and think Wild Slash is better, but I am here to stand firm in my long-standing admiration for this card. I’ve been playing this card in my sideboard since it first came back to Standard and I also played it the first time around. Originally it was a necessary evil due to the prevalence of Kitchen Finks. These days, we don’t have anything so oppressive, but we do have creatures for which exiling is particularly relevant.

Although Ashcloud Phoenix and Flamewake Phoenix don’t see tier one play, there will always be copies of these cards at any event you attend. Removing them from the game takes a late-game strategy away from the decks that play them. Additionally, Hornet Queen can be quite a problem once a player gets Whip of Erebos active. Against those decks you don’t really want a Aether Shockwave effect, but you may need to side it in if you find yourself losing to lots of flying insect tokens.

Obviously Wild Slash is great as well, but there won’t be very many games you could have won by slinging a Aether Shockwave at your opponent. Because this is true, the additional utility of Magma Spray makes the card a better sideboard choice. Even if you don’t agree with me, adding some copies of a one-mana removal spell could be helpful because against the decks it’s good against, it’s an all-star. If you have red mana, consider making room for this cheap removal spell so you don’t lose to fast aggro.

9. Lightning Strike

Although these are the top 10 underplayed sideboard cards, I think Lightning Strike in particular should be seeing more maindeck play as well. After playing a lot of Standard this past weekend, I noticed the resurgence of three-toughness creatures in the metagame. There are a lot more Mantis Riders and Fleecemane Lions roaming the lands than have been there in previous weeks.

Lightning Strike gives you a way to interact with early creatures and does a reasonable amount of damage to opponents as well. I plan on adding some Strikes to my Jeskai Tokens deck both in the main and in the sideboard and I suggest you do the same.

When you think about other similar removal spells, Bile Blight comes to mind. Most of the time we play this black removal spell because of its ability to remove piles of tokens, but don’t forget its effectiveness against fast creatures as well. For the same reason, Lightning Strike is also good. Both of these cards rid you of any pesky one- or two-drop creatures and some of the three-drops as well.

8. End Hostilities

This past weekend, I talked to my friend who kept crushing opponents with End Hostilities. While it may be an overcosted wrath effect, End Hostilities is a great way to force the game into playing out how you want it to. My friend used this tactic with his Abzan Midrange deck but I think more decks could be doing this as well.

End Hostilities is a great answer to U/W Heroic, especially if you are bringing it in from your sideboard in a deck that wouldn’t normally pack this card. I have not seen this card in anyone's Abzan Midrange sideboard most likely because they play a lot of creatures. My friend plays more planeswalkers than most and can sideboard into a very controlling shell. This game plan has served him well the past few weeks but I think we can apply it in other matchups as well.

Think about Jeskai Tokens and Abzan Aggro with a game plan of End Hostilities worked into them. Much of the time these two decks play a creature or two in the first couple of turns and then add to the board with a planeswalker or enchantment. Usually the way the game plays out, your early creature does a little damage, then is removed. What if you followed that sequence up with a wrath effect to clear your opponents board and then cast a couple of your threats all at once?

From what I’ve experience in the metagame, this game plan seems strategically amazing. First of all, no opponent will be playing around this line of play because these decks don’t ever want their own creatures to die. Second of all, in both decks you have ways to capitalize on this sequence. In Abzan, you can monstrous your Fleecemane Lion at the end of their turn and then untap into End Hostilities. In Jeskai, you can set up with Jeskai Ascendancy or maybe a removal spell to slow them down, then use your End Hostilities to throw them further behind.

Using this type of card in different decks will create opportunities for you to outplay your opponent and do what they least expect. The card is also amazing against U/W Heroic right now unless they are running the next card on the list.

7. Stubborn Denial

Many players have not adopted Stubborn Denial yet and I’m not sure why. This card should be seeing much more play than it is currently. The main aspect that makes it so good is not only the ferocious trigger, but the noncreature wording. For years and years now we have become accustomed to cards being worded like Spell Pierce where you would be unable to hit planeswalkers and enchantments. Stubborn Denial breaks out of this mold and into a much more versatile world.

Every deck that can play this card definitely should be. Whether it be in the main deck or in the sideboard, Stubborn Denial’s versatility makes it too good not to play. Not only does it act like a blue Gods Willing, but it also stops your opponent from doing a number of other things.

U/W Heroic, Temur Aggro, and Sultai Midrange should all definitely be playing some number of these cards. It is terrifyingly good in U/W Heroic because it doesn’t matter what your opponent brings to battle your voltron, you can protect it from anything.

6. Ajani, Mentor of Heroes

We all know that planeswalkers are a great answer to control decks, but this one hasn’t gotten any love in a while. When he first came out, we were all about new Ajani, but he was overshadowed by Ajani Steadfast who was then replaced with Sorin, Solemn Visitor. Since Steadfast is no longer an option for most players, although I still sideboard him myself, Ajani, Mentor of Heroes remains unused and cast aside.

I’m here to remind you of his potency. Against any deck that is trying to win via attrition, Ajani, Mentor of Heroes is the perfect threat. If you have a board presence, he makes it stronger by boosting the attacking power of your forces. Being able to distribute your three counters among any of your creatures provides you with great versatility and allows you to tailor your attack to each situation.

When you don’t have a threat, his other +1 helps you find one to cast. Abzan Aggro is the primary place you should be working with this planeswalker, but if the format expands into other GWx decks, then he could also be brought over there as well. Even Abzan Midrange might want a copy of this Ajani to bring in against control decks as a source of card advantage.

5. Barrage of Boulders

Some of you know about the Barrage of Boulders or Scouring Sands, but not enough slots in sideboards are utilizing this card. I prefer to pay three mana because it gives me the extra versatility of my opponent’s creatures not being able to block in some situations. This is not going to be a four of in your sideboard but if you pack two of these, you won’t be sad you did.

Barrage of Boulders is great against token decks and Hornet Queen. The great thing about this card is that it doesn’t matter what variety of red deck you are playing, Barrage is going to do good things for you out of the board. Even if you aren’t killing lots of their creatures, once you can trigger the ferocious ability, you can Falter them into a win.

4. Outpost Siege

In my articles over the last few weeks, I’ve mentioned Outpost Siege a few times but I don’t think I have emphasized its power. Even though this is an enchantment-heavy format, not much removal for these types of permanents is seeing play. I think the reason for this is that there are not many versatile spells out there that give you the option of removing an enchantment or doing something else when one isn’t present.

Maybe for this reason, Sultai Charm should be getting some game time, but regardless, this makes Outpost Siege an upgrade to Chandra, Pyromaster rather than a downgrade. Even if you like Chandra better, as I surely do, you should be splitting your card choices between these two.

My friends and I have been running a one and one split of the two similar cards. One of my friends liked the Siege so much that he removed the Chandra altogether and played two Sieges. You can after all have both Sieges in play at the same time.

Financially, I think the red siege is a great pick up. They are going for under a dollar and for a playable Standard card that probably won’t last long. You should be able to stock up on these as throw-ins on your trades. There is nowhere to go but up.

3. Wingmate Roc

We all know by now the power of Wingmate Roc, but it’s even better out of the sideboard. For FNM last week, I threw a couple of these new Broodmate Dragons in the sideboard of my Jeskai Tokens deck as a late game threat in matchups I knew were going to go long. What I found was that I was sideboarding them in a lot of matchups.

The 3/4 bodies match up well against a lot of the format still and lots of decks have trouble dealing with the two big creatures on one card. This is no surprise because it has seen a lot of play over the last couple of months. I still don’t think I want them maindeck, because my tokens deck is much more aggressive than that, but it was a potent addition to my sideboard. I’m even wondering if a deck like U/W Heroic could benefit from something like this in the sideboard.

Because it has been performing so well, I think we need to start seeing maindeck copies more often as well depending on the deck. Any type of Abzan deck should be Roc-ing this card in their deck. We could use some Wingmates in Jeskai Aggro as well to compliment the other potent creatures in that deck.

2. Anger of the Gods

Anger of the Gods is the forgotten sweeper of the format and it nearly wrecked me for forgetting about it. We all have been playing around Drown in Sorrow and Bile Blight for weeks and weeks, but when you see someone playing red cards, a sweeper is not something that immediately comes to mind.

Well this past weekend, luckily I remembered to play around it because I saw a lot of players walk right into losing their board because it’s not something we’re used to playing against. No one is prepared for this card. Punish them for it.

1. Reclamation Sage

I mentioned earlier that it’s an enchantment-heavy format. In fact, over half of the available cards in the format are from a block where enchantments are the central theme. Khans block has dominated Standard since its inclusion, but let’s not forget the plethora of enchantments and enchantment creatures running around in many different decks.

We don’t have many options as far as good enchantment removal, but Reclamation Sage is a huge exception to that rule. We have so many targets for this card; why is it not seeing play? I’ve been playing two copies of this card maindeck in Abzan Aggro and I’ve thought about moving the third copy to the main deck as well.

It almost always has targets and even when it doesn’t, you still have a creature that can attack. When it does have targets though, it’s catastrophic for your opponent and usually goes a long way towards winning you the game.

Even if you don’t want take the plunge and play Reclamation Sage maindeck, it’s one of the best sideboard cards you can bring with you to any event right now.

 

What other sideboard cards are underplayed in Standard right now? Share your thoughts about the ones I’ve mentioned here as well as your own spicy treats in the comments.

Until Next Time,

Unleash the Force on Standard!

Mike Lanigan
MtgJedi on Twitter
Jedicouncilman23@gmail.com