Premodern: Boros Cycling - Deck Tech & Sideboard Guide

Cycling was a mechanic that only gained real traction years after its original introduction, becoming notable in a period that Premodern doesn't cover: in 2004, Julien Nuijten used Astral Slide and Akroma's Vengeance to attack a Metagame dominated by Affinity, repeatedly reusing the ETBs of Viridian Shaman and Eternal Witness to maintain control.

Without Witness and in a format where Affinity doesn't even exist as in Premodern, Astral Slide can still find a home in builds with more creatures like Flametongue Kavu and Monk Realist—we might cover that version in the future—but the best way to play the mechanic in today's scene seems to be with Lightning Rift, which works as both board control and a win condition in the same slot.

Boros Cycling is, at its heart, a Control deck with synergistic cards. Our primary win condition involves using Lightning Rift to manage the board and guarantee reach, while Eternal Dragon and Exalted Angel apply pressure alongside Decree of Justice.

Since we focus so heavily on the Cycling mechanic, we aim to use as many useful cards as possible that can be recycled: Clear, for example, is a great choice for a Metagame where enchantments are a dominant force, but it trades the flexibility of a Disenchant or Seal of Cleansing for the ability to keep our engines running.

Maindeck

Lightning Rift is the heart of this version. For two mana, every card cycled becomes direct damage to the opponent or any creature. Within a few turns, it can eliminate smaller threats, clear the board, and then close out the game.

Astral Slide becomes a versatile piece of interaction and protection here. Exiling creatures whenever we cycle can both save our threats and, for example, "lock down" the opponent's Phyrexian Dreadnought.

Eternal Dragon guarantees mana consistency while interacting with our game plan. When needed, it can be returned to hand and transformed into a recurring cycling tool or a late-game threat.

Exalted Angel tends to close out games against Aggro due to its efficient blend of body and cost. Turns sequencing it after a Wrath of God or Slice and Dice often leave the opponent without the offensive capacity to get back into the game.

Decree of Justice is the most flexible finisher on the list. With cycling, it creates an army of smaller tokens that serve as both blockers and attackers that bypass Counterspell. If cast in the late-game, it will probably end the game in two turns.

Wrath of God and Akroma's Vengeance are our primary sweepers and keep the battlefield clear consistently. Vengeance handles enchantments and artifacts, and we usually don't need to worry about destroying our own Lightning Rifts because we have the late-game threat advantage.

Slice and Dice is a complementary sweeper that can be used on turn three via its Cycling cost to deal one damage to the board, clearing out small creatures from decks like Goblins or Elves.

Swords to Plowshares is the best spot removal in the format, and the life gain becomes irrelevant since we'll accumulate more damage in the late-game.

Spark Spray cycles for just one mana and helps fuel our enchantments easily while also working as spot removal against troublesome X/1 creatures like Goblin Lackey and Priest of Titania.

Clear deals with enchantments and can be cycled for cheap in games where it isn't useful.

Renewed Faith helps hold off the clock of Sligh and other aggressive archetypes.

In addition to Battlefield Forge for color consistency, we have a full set of Secluded Steppe, Forgotten Cave, and Blasted Landscape as lands we can also cycle, ensuring fewer "dead draws."

Sideboard

Tormod's Crypt is a cheap answer against graveyard strategies. Crucial against Reanimator and Psychatog.

Circle of Protection: Red wins games against Sligh and Goblins, and since we tend to go long, we usually have ample mana to prevent the opponent's damage sources.

Pyroblast is the mandatory interaction against blue decks. Ideal against Stiflenought, Psychatog, Standstill, among others.

Overload essentially serves to handle Phyrexian Dreadnought at the lowest possible cost, complementing Swords to Plowshares, but there are other matchups where it can be useful alongside Disenchant.

The additional copies of Clear and Wrath of God come in for games where we need more specific, targeted answers, such as against Enchantress or any go-wide Aggro.

Mono Blue Stiflenought

IN

OUT

The opponent's mana efficiency is our worst enemy, so we need to level our mana costs and try to answer them with the least possible mana investment while keeping Lightning Rift and Astral Slide on the board. Remember that Slide can lock down the opponent's Dreadnoughts as long as we have cards to cycle.

Sligh

IN

OUT

Between Renewed Faith, Circle of Protection: Red, and Swords to Plowshares, we have tools to hold off the opponent for multiple turns until we control the board with Lightning Rift or stabilize with Exalted Angel. Remember not to be too greedy with non-basic lands unless you have a Circle of Protection in play.

Goblins

IN

OUT

Board control is our best path here, so we need to hold the game until we find Wrath of God or have the mana to cast Slice and Dice or Akroma's Vengeance. Answering a Goblin Lackey on turn one is almost mandatory, so look for a Spark Spray or Swords to Plowshares in your opening hand.

Elves

IN

OUT

Clear deals with Survival of the Fittest without being a dead draw if the opponent doesn't find it. Our plan still involves clearing the board before the opponent can explode and attack for lethal, but we need to pay special attention to cards that generate excessive mana and/or interact with Priest of Titania.

Mono Black Midrange

IN

OUT

Sweepers are our best way to create two-for-one trades until we stabilize with Lightning Rift. Clear deals with Phyrexian Arena and Gloom, and this isn't a race matchup where we need Renewed Faith. Tormod's Crypt protects us from Haunting Echoes, which, if resolved, can end the game by removing all Cycling cards from our deck.

Enchantress

IN

OUT

Another of your worst matchups. Once the opponent has a Solitary Confinement in play, it becomes nearly impossible to win. Use Akroma's Vengeance and Disenchant effects, prioritizing their card advantage sources and lock pieces.

Psychatog

IN

OUT

Psychatog can be quite tricky, as they have plenty of disruption for Lightning Rift, but they have severe issues if we can resolve one of our enchantments or cycle a huge Decree of Justice at the end of their turn. Prioritize using Pyroblast to protect Lightning Rift or prevent Psychatog from hitting the board.

Azorius Landstill

IN

OUT

This matchup tends to be decided by who resolves the better Decree of Justice. For this reason, I prefer keeping Wrath of God post-sideboard to "counter" their Decree if we don't have the advantage.

Gruul Oath

IN

OUT

Fortunately, we can go "over the top" of Sphere of Resistance with our Cycling cards, but we need to ensure we have enough mana to play our spells, which can be a challenge early in the game.

We prioritize dealing with Oath of Druids and Sylvan Library with Clear, but destroying a Mox Diamond with Overload or Disenchant can significantly delay the opponent's plans.

That's all for today!

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

Thanks for reading!