Historic: Izzet Prowess - Deck Tech and Sideboard Guide

Prowess is one of the most efficient decks in Historic when it comes to combat. This deck can put a lot of pressure on the opponent in a very efficient and consistent manner thanks to the resources it plays.

Historic is a very diverse format. Many builds have space to see play, so knowing the most solid and safe options is critical if you want to start playing it. In that sense, Prowess is one of your best bets.

The main strategy is simple, though you'll need some skill to execute it well. You need to destroy your opponent's life points completely as fast as possible. To that end, you'll play creatures that benefit from the other cheap spells in this list through their prowess.

Emberheart Challenger and Monastery Swiftspear are this list's main fighters. They can deal damage as soon as they enter play, are a constant threat, and have a lot of potential because of the many spells this list plays. Challenger also creates card advantage when it is targeted by spells, and that makes it quite powerful in the late game.

A-Dragon's Rage Channeler is a bit different. It is weak at first, but it also Surveils 1 when you cast noncreature spells, which means you can use it to manage the top cards in your deck. As soon as its Delirium is active, Rage becomes a flying 3/1 that can easily end the game. This card is why you can use removals like A-Unholy Heat quite efficiently.

Dreadhorde Arcanist is another support creature for the late game. It can deal a decent amount of damage because it has trample, but its main ability also lets you reuse spells in your graveyard and, thus, makes this deck incredibly recursive.

An important part of Izzet Prowess is spells. In fact, the spells you'll use to buff your creatures are decisive. They're how you'll end matches effortlessly and the cards that make prowess even more powerful.

Heroe's Hangout is a new addition from the latest Spider-Man/Through the Omenpaths set. Its versatility makes it one of the best cards in the entire strategy.

Lastly, we have A-Cori-Steel Cutter, which, though nerfed, is still quite valuable. It is also one of the best cards in this list.

Why Play Izzet in Historic

Historic is very diverse in terms of competitive decks, mostly because of its wide card pool. Prowess is a solid, fast deck that can deal with any threat, and that's what makes it one of the best options for anyone interested in playing this format.

Mulligan and Game Style

This is an excellent opening hand, as it lets you put a lot of pressure on the opponent in the first few turns and progress the main game plan later on. You should keep it in most situations.

This is another great opening hand, though it is a bit slower. The cantrips will give you the fuel you need early on for the main game plan, and Dreadhord is a great card in this case because it lets you play your cantrips again.

This hand is quite dangerous. It is tempting, as it has land drops and cantrips, but you might not draw any creature at all for the first few turns if you keep it. This would put the entire plan at risk, so you better mulligan it.

This sideboard is well-equipped to deal with basically anything the meta throws at it. Currently, Historic seems quite open, with many builds and strategies, but Prowess can deal with any situation rather well.

Jegantha, the Wellspring is a cool card, as it is an extra threat in the late game, and there is no reason we shouldn't use it. Weathered Runestone can stop graveyard combos like Jund/Golgari Food and Sam Combo. Damping Sphere could help against ramp decks like Devotion and Eldrazi.

Vs. Sam Combo

Food decks have been popular in Historic lately, and the Samwise Gamgee combo is, without a question, the most popular of them. In this matchup, you need to stop the opponent from playing their combo. Dealing with the main cards that enable their loop is the best way to do that.

On the other side, you can simply attack them with all you've got while they're still open and end the game before they can play their combo, as the combo itself can't really deal with enemy creatures.

Side in

Side out

Vs. Eldrazi Ramp

The main idea behind this Eldrazi list is to get ahead in mana with cards like Utopia Sprawl and Ugin's Labyrinth to take advantage of their Eldrazi Giants. They can do this quite fast and efficiently, in fact.

Game 1 will be all about speed. The fastest player wins. Then, everything will change in Game 2 because of Damping Sphere, the best card to beat Eldrazi lists and similar. If you manage to hold off your opponent's mana curve, you'll have enough time to play your own threats and end the match.

Side in

Side out

Vs. Boros Auras

This matchup is quite bad, maybe the worst possible. Your opponent can put a lot of pressure on you quite easily, and their creatures only grow and become even more oppressive as the match goes on. Game 1 will be all about luck and your choices. In Game 2, you'll have a few options that could be helpful, but once again you'll have to rely on luck and make all the right choices.

Your opponent can gain life, protect their creatures, draw cards, and deal damage quite fast. All of this makes Auras quite difficult to deal.

Side in

Side out

Vs. Humans

Because of OM1 and several new creatures, Humans and its variants have also been quite popular in the Arena ranked queue. This archetype plays a lot of synergies and is quite powerful, so it is a big challenge for all other aggros that can't build such a vast, powerful board.

This matchup is all about good decisions and draws. Humans might not be able to compete with Prowess' card advantage, but their creatures can form an impenetrable fortress in very little time, and together they can end the game quite easily.

Remove their most critical creatures and try to take advantage of any opening they give you to end the match.

Side in

Side out

Vs. UW Ring Control

I consider this one of the best Prowess matchups. A-The One Ring is one of the main cards in this control list, but, though it seems oppressive, it is quite easy to play around, particularly post-side. Your biggest problem is their removals, particularly their board wipes, which can turn the course of the game completely.

Be careful and don't give your opponent any space. Deal with their planeswalkers and be wary of their global removals. If you follow this game plan and make the best decisions, you should win this easily.

Side in

Side out

What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!