Pauper: Boros Synthesizer Deck Tech & Sideboard Guide

That's right - in my opinion, Boros is the best deck in the format because of the recent card Experimental Synthesizer, which entered the deck very well.

The card that arrived with the new set was essential, as Boros had just lost Prophetic Prism (which was banned), and the new artifact fits very well into its mechanics, being a strong value engine, as we see in our list:

Looking at Experimental Synthesizer, we'll see why the deck is even better:

The "ancient" Boros Monarch has always used the mechanic of playing artifacts such as Golden Egg, Prophetic Prism (which has been banned), which when they come into play, draws a card and then casts creatures like Glint Hawk and Kor Skyfisher that, when enters the battlefield, make it possible to return these artifacts to hand. By doing this, it is possible to play them again and draw more cards and generate tons of card advantage

Without Prophetic Prism, the deck became weaker and had some changes — but with the release of Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, Boros gained Experimental Synthesizer, making it possible for us to spend less mana to do the same thing as before, as "rocks" generally cost 2 mana any to cast and the Synthesizer only costs 1 red mana. This was a huge improvement to the strategy.

We can say that Boros Synthesizer is a midrange deck, which as I mentioned above, wants to start generating value with the rocks draws in the first turns, in addition to spending removals on the opponent's creatures and establishing a board with our flying threats. This would be our first posture and perhaps the most desired for all games, but it's not always like that.

There are games where we choose not to generate so much value through the draws, but with life and more attacks, such as starting with Seeker of the Way and only then making playing your draw rocks to trigger its ability. This line will be well-used against very aggressive or control decks.

vs. Faeries

Faeries have three sub-variants: Izzet, Dimir and Mono Blue. In these matchups, the game is naturally good for us, but don't be fooled into thinking it's easy - there's a lot of difference between those two things.

The game is good because we have many answers (removals and creatures with flying) for our opponent's main cards, which are Spellstutter Sprite and the ninjas, the Ninja of the Deep Hours and Moon-Circuit Hacker. Having these answers at our disposal can make the game "easy", but you need to know how to play this game by making the best decisions. One misplay and our entire game plan is far behind.

Post-side the game tends to be better, as we will have Pyroblast and Electrickery, but I still say again that we must be careful and make the most of our moves and resources.

Side in:

Important note: Relic of Progenitus must be used against Dimir because of Gurmag Angler, and in other matchups if your opponent has Stormbound Geist.

Side out:

vs. Affinity

Here I will talk about the two versions, Rakdos and Grixis.

This match I thought was very complicated at the time of Boros Monarch because our best card was Prismatic Strands and against Affinity it is terrible, since Myr Enforcer and Frogmite are colorless. The combo with Disciple of the Vault which was black, but it wasn't damage but life loss, couldn't be prevented either.

But with the banning of Atog and Disciple of the Vault this matchup improved, and today we have a different line from the old Boros. We try to draw as many cards as Affinity itself.

A critical thing is to change the attitude: here we must be as aggro as possible and not let the game drag on, as this can be terrible for Boros.

What makes this game good is precisely the sideboard, since we are very well-prepared, with at least 8 cards against our opponent.

Side in:

Note: If it's against Grixis Affinity, we must add 2 Pyroblast and take out 2 Experimental Synthesizer.

Side out:

vs. Burn

Burn entered this list because the number of times it has appeared has increased a lot, and once again I will mention here the 3 versions that people have played: Mono Red Burn, Mono-Black Burn, and the one I've seen the most, Rakdos Madness Burn.

I have to remember that one of the best Boros Monarch cards is not in the new Boros, which is Prismatic Strands. Due to Experimental Synthesizer exiling a card from the top, and you're kind of forced to play the card, we want to avoid revealing Prismatic Strands.

Due to the absence of Strands, this game was very difficult for us, but on the main deck we have a powerful threat for them: Seeker of the Way, who can win this game on its own. I will also remind you that this match is another one where we change our posture and try to be as aggro as possible, not giving time to our opponent.

This matchup is also better post-side, as we are well-prepared.

Side in:

Note: Only add Leave no Trace if you see your opponent using Curse of the Pierced Heart, Trespasser's Curse or Okiba Reckoner Raid It is also possible to add Relic of Progenitus, which is great against MonoBlack Burn and against Rakdos Madness Burn, but isn't needed against Mono Red Burn.

Side out:

vs. GW Auras

This matchup is complicated for us, as we don't use any way to sacrifice our opponent's creatures, but it's not a losing match, especially post-side.

It's important to wait for the right time to destroy the enemy's enchantments, as well as trying to end the game as quickly as possible - the longer you wait, the greater the chance of them creating a huge creature.

Side in:

Side out:

vs. Boros Synthesizer

I couldn't help but mention the mirror in this article; this game is tricky and very detailed to play, you have to have experience and be very attentive because in addition to knowing all your deck and sideboard, time in MTGO can be an important factor in deciding the result.

I could say that luck can be the determining factor on this mirror, but the game posture, the mulligan and the order of plays will also decide the game a lot — even more post-side, where everything you have, they may have against you. So stay focused on the plays and try to develop your game.

Side in:

Note: Relic of Progenitus is only needed if your opponent also runs Omen of the Dead.

Side out:

To finish this article, I think Boros is a very complete deck, it has plenty of draw, creatures with evasion, lifegain and removals, making it a great deck to play in any event, whether in MTGO or in your store.

Any questions or suggestions, just leave it here in the comments, and I'll be back to talk about it!

Thank you very much, and I hope you enjoyed this article.