Legacy: Boros Energy - Deck Tech & Sideboard Guide

Greetings, Legacy friends! Today we'll bring an archetype from Modern to our Legacy playground!

A few months ago, Romeu Humberto - a fellow writer/columnist from CardsRealm - asked me this: with Boros Energy so dominant in Modern, can't it be ported to Legacy? Of course, there's a difference in power level between the formats, but it's not uncommon for some decks to appear in Modern and afterwards stand their ground in Legacy - such as the Crashing Footfalls deck and, more recently, Orzhov Flicker, as a variant within the Death and Taxes archetype.

Well, since then, we saw some versions of Boros Energy having good results in Legacy and now I feel safe to answer Romeu's question: it was only a matter of time.

There's no denying how powerful the deck was in Modern, which directly led to the banning of Amped Raptor and The One Ring as well.

In addition, the trio of Ajani, Nacatl Pariah, Ocelot Pride and Guide of Souls has already appeared in a few Legacy decks.

It's no surprise, then, that players have started experimenting with these cards. I faced the deck a few times while playing leagues on Magic Online, which reminded me of the conversation with Romeu. The following list made top 8 in a Challenge 32 on Magic Online, played by potato_potato:

In addition to the trio we mentioned before, this Legacy version features Esper Sentinel, from MH2, in addition to the now Modern-banned Amped Raptor and the disruptive Thalia, Guardian of Thraben as the main creatures.

Being a Legacy deck, it's important to have key cards from the format as well: Broadside Bombardiers, which is a Goblin Bombardment on steroids, turning Tokens into damage and eventually activating the Planeswalker side of Ajani, Nacatl Pariah; Swords to Plowshares, the best removal in Magic; and Wasteland, a must-play in aggressive decks.

There's also a Legacy-only card, thanks to Commander precons: the Staff of the Storyteller, yet another way to have Tokens fuel the synergies of the deck.

Rounding out the deck, some cards that complement the gameplan: Galvanic Discharge is basically a 5th Swords to Plowshares, Enduring Innocence is an extra way to draw cards, Agate Instigator gets damage through even in a stalemated board, and Witch Enchanter, while primarily a land, can be a life-saver every once in a while.

Boros Energy seems like a great deck for Modern players looking to transition to Legacy. It's a relatively budget deck by the format's standards – the only Reserved List cards are three Plateau, which can be replaced by Sacred Foundry or basic lands without too much loss to consistency, and the majority of the deck can be ported over from Modern to Legacy.

As the results have shown, while it's not a top-tier deck, it certainly can be competitive.

Since this isn't a combo deck and also has a lot of redundancy, you're basically looking for a reasonable mix of lands and a curve of creatures to play in the early turns.

Of course, some combinations, like Ajani, Nacatl Pariah on turn 2 followed by Broadside Bombardiers on turn 3, are strong enough to keep hands with no turn-1 plays.

Examples:

While a bit light on lands, you can't ask for much more from this deck. Ocelot on turn 1 followed by Ajani on turn 2 is a very strong opening. Verdict: Keep.

If the previous hand was good, this one is excellent – perfect ​​curve from 1 to 3, basic Plains means you're immune to Wasteland, and thus safe to play two Cats in the early turns. Verdict: Easy Keep.

More of what we saw on the previous hands - light on lands, plenty of action. Basically, what you want from the deck. Verdict: Keep.

This one's too much reactive, with no early plays. This is a pass. Verdict: Mulligan.

I often strongly disagree with some choices in decklists from other players. And one thing I always harp on about is Leyline of the Void. I believe it's the best option in a metagame where decks like Oops, All Spells are relevant. But it has one important caveat: if you're going to use it, play full four copies.

I work with statistics, and every time I see a list with 3 Leylines, I feel a percentage of pain! It's a dead card except on the starting hand, and not having all 4 drastically reduces your odds. In other words, you're sabotaging your own chances by not using the maximum allowed. To summarize in numbers, assuming you're willing to mulligan to 5 cards, a deck with 4 Leylines has a 39.95% chance of having one in the opening hand, and a 78.35% chance of finding it on your mulligans. With 3, you have 31.54%, and 67.92% if you are willing to mulligan up to 5. That's more than a 10% difference.

In practice, with 4 Leylines at least one should appear in almost 8 out of 10 games, while with 3 it should appear in only 7 out of 10. Considering how impactful they are, it's like you're willing to give up 1 game in 10 whenever you face an opponent with a graveyard strategy. Complaints aside, let's look at the rest of the Sideboard.

Beyond Leylines, there is Ghost Vacuum against graveyard strategies. Also, Angel's Grace and Deafening Silence to hold back Combo decks – Grace is particularly effective at putting a brake on Thassa's Oracle interactions.

Static Prison is a generic answer against problematic creatures and artifacts, like Chalice of the Void. Speaking of Chalice, Meltdown is a bomb against decks that use the artifact alongside Chrome Mox. It's also super effective against Painter.

Rounding out the Sideboard, 2 Red Elemental Blasts, because Blue still exists in Legacy.

Dimir Reanimator

The deck is basically sitting ducks in game 1, even though it's possible to win the race against an Atraxa or an Archon of Cruelty, either by eliminating the threat with Swords to Plowshares or going over it with Broadside Bombardiers.

Thalia, Guardian of Thraben helps delay their spells, but has a huge target on its forehead in Orcish Bowmasters.

Post-sideboard, your graveyard hates and Blasts make everything easier.

In:

Out:

Temur/Izzet Delver

Ocelot Pride and Guide of Souls keep the life points' race in your favor, and Swords to Plowshares helps with Murktide Regent. The match is a war of attrition, and fortunately, Energy has the tools to generate card advantage without wasting Tempo.

In:

Out:

Eldrazi Aggro

It's possible to have a wide board, with more than your opponent can handle, and Wasteland will stop Eye of Ugin from making a mana advantage. That's pretty much it —your goal is to have more threats than they have answers.

Thalia isn't very useful, and Meltdown can hit a troublesome Chalice of the Void and even remove a Grim Monolith.

In:

Out:

Red Stompy

The gameplan is similar to the Eldrazi match, but be careful since they have access to Fury. Thalia's also more useful here, since they play Chrome Mox and Fable of the Mirror-Breaker.

In:

Out:

Painter

Between Swords to Plowshares, Galvanic Discharge, and Broadside Bombardiers, you have the tools to disrupt their setup without losing pressure. Wasteland is also excellent against Urza’s Saga.

Post-side, some of the slower cards give way to bombs like Meltdown and Stony Silence.

In:

Out:

White creature decks have been a staple in Legacy, and Boros Energy offers yet another fresh take on the archetype. As it’s still a new deck, it’s still in a refining process, but it seems like an interesting path for Modern players looking for a higher power level format.

Here's an energetic cheer, and see you next time!