Modern: Boros Energy - Deck Tech & Sideboard Guide

Modern Horizons 3 arrived at Magic Online, and with it, many players are starting to test the new cards and explore possibilities with the set.

Among the many new features, such as the impressive results of Nadu, Winged Wisdom in the Leagues or the rise of Mono Red Storm with Ruby Medallion and Ral, Monsoon Mage, a new variant of aggressive decks has emerged and highlighted one of the main mechanics that MH3 brought: Energy.

With a focus on Amped Raptor and Guide of Souls, Boros Energy has been one of the most common decks in this first week, and especially one of these which I have tested a more aggressive build - and in this article, I share my version with a Sideboard Guide of the main matchups I have faced in the Leagues today.

This version forgoes the interactions that some players have relied on in White Orchid Phantom and Boom // Bust with Flagstones of Trokair and Rustvale Bridge in favor of a more proactive strategy focused on being fully Aggro, but having enough traction to stay in the game for longer.

Here, we seek to merge two distinct strategies that, at the same time, work well together: the first is the Energy package with Amped Raptor, Unstable Amulet and Guide of Souls to establish a fast clock while taking advantage of the card advantage of other permanents and the flexibility of Galvanic Discharge.

The other proposal is to use Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd to add value along with powerful ETB effects. In this list, it has excellent synergies with Ajani, Nacatl Pariah and Unstable Amulet, and even blinking an Amped Raptor is a good proposal, as it guarantees the necessary energy to trigger Guide of Souls the next turn.

Maindeck

Our energy package.

Guide of Souls turns any creature we have into a threat, and in an archetype focused on the Energy mechanic, it is not difficult for us to trigger its ability every turn.

Amped Raptor is one of the strongest cards in MH3 so far and can cast almost every spell on the list for free. It tends to come out in games where we need more conditional responses that can “whiff” when played by it.

Unstable Amulet is a recurring source of card advantage and damage in Boros Energy, and one of the main targets of Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd, in addition to interacting with Amped Raptor.

Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd has a dozen interactions with our permanents and grows every time we reuse our cards, especially with Unstable Amulet and Ajani, Nacatl Pariah. Additionally, it can also remove unwanted blockers.

Ajani, Nacatl Pariah is much stronger in games than it seemed in theory - and the main reason is the fact that, due to the Legends Rule, a copy of it can trigger the Planeswalker side of the other while creating a token to protect it, making him much more efficient than we expected in spoiler season.

Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer doesn't have any interaction with the rest of the deck, but it remains a powerful card and becomes even more threatening when transformed into a 4/3 with flying by Guide of Souls, in addition to being another red permanent for Ajani.

Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury doubles as removal and threat that feeds on our graveyard. Alone, it sets a two-turn clock, and alongside Guide of Souls, it can deal up to 11 damage in a single attack.

Static Prison is almost as good in Energy as Leyline Binding in Domain Zoo, and its low mana cost allows you to find it without difficulty with Amped Raptor, where even if there is no target in play for the enchantment, it will still give us two energy before being sacrificed the next turn.

Galvanic Discharge can deal with almost any creature or Planeswalker on this list, and it is common to use it to destroy Yawgmoth, Thran Physician, Nadu, Winged Wisdom or even Primeval Titan if necessary. In smaller creatures, we can store unused Energy to power Unstable Amulet.

Lightning Bolt is a classic removal of the format and another way to always have a “hit” with Amped Raptor, being extremely useful for dealing with various creatures and Planeswalkers of the format while, in other situations, we can use it to speed up our clock.

The pack of six Fetch Lands is enough to maintain archetype consistency and find basic lands for matches against opponents who use Blood Moon in Game 1.

Inspiring Vantage helps maintain consistency and speed, Elegant Parlor can be found with fetches and used to fuel Phlage, while Aether Hub can almost always generate mana of any color while helping to feed our strategy.

Sideboard

Some new cards from Modern Horizons 3 were tested on this list with good results.

White Orchid Phantom is especially lethal with Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd in games where we need to keep lands in check. With several players experimenting with new variants of Eldrazi Tron, it is only natural that this card is standing out today.

Wrath of the Skies works best in a non-aggressive list, but it is an efficient sweeper that interacts with the general mechanics of our list, and we can use it mainly to deal with Urza's Saga and Simulacrum Synthesizer's tokens.

Disruptor Flute has proven to be extremely efficient, and will likely be a staple of in a few months.

Tormod's Crypt and Unlicensed Hearse are essential for dealing with decks like Living End or for disrupting interactions with the graveyard, while Wear // Tear interacts with several archetypes in specific situations, being very useful, but it is also one of the cards that forces us to remove Amped Raptor in some games.

Mono Black Evoke

IN

OUT

Amulet Titan

IN

OUT

Bant Nadu

IN

OUT

Living End

IN

OUT

Golgari Yawgmoth

IN

OUT

That's all for today!

If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment!

Thanks for reading!