Hello my fellow Planeswalkers! I am The MTG Hero and today we will be breaking down the most important part of competitive play, sideboarding. When I was just starting tournament grinding many years ago, I was told \u201csideboarding is the most important part of deck building because you only play one game with your maindeck. You play up to two with your sideboarded deck.\u201d This has stuck with me and as a result, I work harder on my sideboards than anything else. I have spent hours upon hours writing down my own guides and tweaking.<\/p>\n
What a Sideboard Is and Is Not<\/p>\n
For many players, deckbuilding ends at 60 cards. The sideboard is often an afterthought. Generally just thought of as \u201cfifteen cards thrown together to deal with stuff.\u201d But at competitive and semi-competitive levels of Magic, a strong sideboard doesn\u2019t just patch weaknesses; it completely reshapes matchups,<\/p>\n
At its core, a sideboard exists to modify your main deck after Game 1. It is not:<\/p>\n
A pile of silver bullets for every possible deck<\/p>\n
A place for cards that \u201calmost made the cut\u201d<\/p>\n
A backup deck you wish you were playing<\/p>\n
Instead, your sideboard should be a targeted extension of your main deck\u2019s plan. Every card should have a clear purpose and a clear matchup it improves.<\/p>\n
A good rule of thumb is: If you can\u2019t name the matchup and the card you\u2019re cutting for it, the sideboard card doesn\u2019t belong.<\/p>\n
Identify Your Deck\u2019s Core Game Plan<\/p>\n
Before choosing sideboard cards, you need to understand what your deck is trying to do better than other decks.<\/p>\n
Ask yourself:<\/p>\n
Am I proactive? This is aggro, combo and other linear synergies.<\/p>\n
Am I reactive? This is control, midrange.<\/p>\n
Do I win by speed, inevitability, or disruption?<\/p>\n
Your sideboard should support your deck\u2019s identity, not fight it.<\/p>\n
Example:
If you\u2019re an aggressive deck, your sideboard cards should usually:<\/p>\n
Remove blockers efficiently<\/p>\n
Protect your threats<\/p>\n
Disrupt opposing stabilization tools<\/p>\n
Identifying your decks weaknesses helps decide what you need. I suggest starting by being honest about what your maindeck cannot beat. Put your ego aside, no deck is perfect.<\/p>\n
Ask yourself:<\/p>\n
What decks am I unfavored against?<\/p>\n
What cards or strategies give me the most trouble?<\/p>\n
Do I lose to speed, inevitability, interaction, or specific hate cards?<\/p>\n
Example:<\/p>\n
Aggro decks often struggle against sweepers and lifegain.<\/p>\n
Combo decks can fold to disruption or hate permanents.<\/p>\n
Midrange decks may have trouble closing games against control.<\/p>\n
Map the Metagame<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t need to beat every deck. You need to beat the decks you\u2019re most likely to face.<\/p>\n
Break the metagame into categories:<\/p>\n
Aggro<\/p>\n
Midrange<\/p>\n
Control<\/p>\n
Combo<\/p>\n
Graveyard-based decks<\/p>\n
Artifact\/enchantment decks<\/p>\n
Then ask:<\/p>\n
Which matchups are already good?<\/p>\n
Which are close?<\/p>\n
Which are actively bad?<\/p>\n
Your sideboard should generally prioritize bad and close matchups. Some people say that there are matchups so bad that you shouldn\u2019t even try to board for, but I don\u2019t like this. I will generally have just what I need to have a chance and that\u2019s it. I won\u2019t over board for it, but I won\u2019t ignore it.<\/p>\n
In that same camp, people say matchups are so good that you don\u2019t need a plan for and that is definitely true. But I will still have one or two slots for cards to lock the matchup up.<\/p>\n
A sideboard should be built for expected opponents, not theoretical ones. Just because a person at your shop plays some weird deck you need specific cards to beat, doesn\u2019t mean you will see that deck at every event, so you probably shouldn\u2019t board for it at a bigger event or a different store.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t need a silver bullet for everything, but you do need meaningful plans against the decks you expect to play multiple times in an event.<\/p>\n
A good rule of thumb:<\/p>\n
60\u201370% of your sideboard should target your worst or most common matchups<\/p>\n
The remaining slots can be flexible or high-impact hate cards<\/p>\n
Choose Flexible Cards Over Narrow Ones When Possible<\/p>\n
Cards that serve multiple purposes are sideboard all-stars and I am constantly looking for these to make building my deck easier.<\/p>\n
For example:<\/p>\n
A removal spell that also exiles helps against both aggro and graveyard decks.<\/p>\n
A threat that removes enchantments and creatures can be good against aggro and control decks<\/p>\n
A strong planeswalker can help you go over the top of opposing aggro decks and threaten control\/midrange decks<\/p>\n
Narrow hate cards are still important, but every slot you dedicate to a single matchup is a slot you\u2019re not using elsewhere. Ask whether a card improves several matchups or dramatically improves one critical matchup.<\/p>\n
Choose Sideboard Roles<\/p>\n
Most strong sideboards include cards that fall into a few key roles like interaction you don\u2019t want main deck.<\/p>\n
These are answers that are powerful but narrow.<\/p>\n
Graveyard hate<\/p>\n
Artifact\/enchantment removal<\/p>\n
Combo disruption<\/p>\n
They\u2019re too situational for Game 1, but devastating when relevant. These cards change how your deck plays post-board.<\/p>\n
Additional threats against control<\/p>\n
Sweepers against creature decks<\/p>\n
Card advantage engines for grindy games<\/p>\n
This is where you surprise opponents who sideboard incorrectly.<\/p>\n
Protection spells are cards that defend your main plan:<\/p>\n
Anti-removal effects<\/p>\n
Countermagic<\/p>\n
Taxing effects<\/p>\n
These are especially important for linear decks that rely on a small number of key pieces.<\/p>\n
Getting the Numbers Right<\/p>\n
A common mistake is running too many single copies: \u201cThis card is good against that deck, so I\u2019ll play one\u201d multiple times<\/p>\n
In practice, a bunch of one-ofs are unreliable unless you have card selection or tutoring. Sideboard cards should appear often enough to matter.<\/p>\n
General guideline for building your sideboard and even your main deck is:<\/p>\n
1 copy: Tech<\/p>\n
2 copies: You want to have it, but it isn\u2019t life or death<\/p>\n
3 copies: Cards you want to see<\/p>\n
4 copies: Cards you must have<\/p>\n
Plan Your Cuts Before the Event<\/p>\n
The most common mistake I see is players not considering that sideboarding isn\u2019t just about what comes in, it\u2019s about what comes out as well.<\/p>\n
For every matchup, you should know:<\/p>\n
Which cards get worse post-board<\/p>\n
Which cards are actively bad<\/p>\n
How many slots you realistically have<\/p>\n
Writing this down or testing it beforehand prevents panic sideboarding and overboarding.<\/p>\n
A common mistake is boarding in too many cards and weakening your deck\u2019s core.
If you bring in 6 cards, make sure you actually have 6 cards to cut. This also works in reverse, if you have 6 cards that are actively bad or unplayable in a matchup, make sure you have 6 good cards to bring in. Not just random crap.<\/p>\n
More cards in does not automatically mean better.<\/p>\n
As a guideline:<\/p>\n
Most matchups involve 3\u20136 cards coming in.<\/p>\n
Extreme matchups might involve 7\u20139, but those are rare.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re swapping half your deck every round, something is wrong.<\/p>\n
Test, Adjust, Repeat<\/p>\n
A sideboard is never \u201cfinished\u201d metas are constantly evolving and changing. No two tournaments are the same. Your local meta might be full of aggro decks, but going to a RCQ or bigger events you might see considerably more midrange, control and combo. Know the room and what to expect.<\/p>\n
Basically, after matches, ask yourself:<\/p>\n
Did I draw my sideboard cards?<\/p>\n
Did they actually improve the matchup?<\/p>\n
Was there a card I always boarded in but never wanted to draw?<\/p>\n
The best sideboards evolve with:<\/p>\n
The metagame<\/p>\n
Your playstyle<\/p>\n
Your deck\u2019s tuning<\/p>\n
Be willing to cut \u201ctheoretical\u201d cards for ones that perform in real games.<\/p>\n
Sideboarding is matchup dependent. A card that\u2019s excellent in one matchup may be terrible in another.<\/p>\n
Ask:<\/p>\n
Which of my cards line up poorly against my opponent\u2019s plan?<\/p>\n
Which cards are slow, low-impact, or easily answered?<\/p>\n
For example:<\/p>\n
Creature removal against spell-based combo<\/p>\n
Expensive threats against hyper-aggressive decks<\/p>\n
Narrow interaction against redundant strategies<\/p>\n
The goal is not to remove \u201cbad cards\u201d universally, but bad cards in this matchup.<\/p>\n
Wrap-Up<\/p>\n
A strong sideboard is intentional, disciplined, and focused. It doesn\u2019t try to do everything. But what it does, it should do well. When built correctly, your sideboard becomes a weapon, not a safety net. If Game 1 shows you how the matchup starts, the sideboard determines how it ends. Build it with the same care you give your main deck, and you\u2019ll win matches before the second game even begins.<\/p>\n
I hope this guide into my deck building helps! As always I would love to hear feedback from my readers and it helps me grow not just as a content creator, but as a player. I always listen for good advice or something I can take away from a conversation and apply to my own play. That is how I have become successful in this game and I hope others do the same. Until next time Planeswalkers, Hero out!<\/p>\n
Links<\/p>\n
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