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Pioneer Boros Convoke Guide
Back to Ixalan
Since my last article on Boros Convoke , the deck has achieved good results and has been appearing among the tiers of the format. Now, with the arrival of Ixalan, it seems to have solidified itself in this position. Today I will talk a little about this new list, with some explanations of cards, mulligan decisions, and a sideboard guide against the main decks of the format.
An Updated Version
This is the latest version of the deck that I played at the MTGO Pioneer Showcase.
$204/53.49 Tix
Maindeck (60)
| Creature [36] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Ornithopter | $0.39 | |
| 4 Venerated Loxodon | $0.59 | |
| 4 Voldaren Epicure | $0.39 | |
| 1 Reckless Bushwhacker | $0.69 | |
| 4 Resolute Reinforcements | $0.59 | |
| 4 Knight-Errant of Eos | $7.99 | |
| 3 Imodane's Recruiter | $0.35 | |
| 4 Warden of the Inner Sky | $2.29 | |
| 3 Clarion Spirit | $0.35 | |
| 1 Giant Killer | $0.49 | |
| 4 Thraben Inspector | $0.49 | |
| Sorcery [4] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Gleeful Demolition | $2.49 | |
| Land [20] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Sacred Foundry | $22.99 | |
| 4 Battlefield Forge | $1.49 | |
| 4 Inspiring Vantage | $2.79 | |
| 2 Shefet Dunes | $0.35 | |
| 3 Needleverge Pathway | // | $4.99 |
| 2 Den of the Bugbear | $6.99 | |
| 1 Mountain | $0.01 | |
| Sideboard [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Forge Devil | $0.35 | |
| 1 Rest in Peace | $0.99 | |
| 2 Rending Volley | $2.29 | |
| 1 Jegantha, the Wellspring | $0.99 | |
| 1 Reidane, God of the Worthy | $0.69 | |
| 3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben | $0.99 | |
| 3 Get Lost | $8.99 | |
| 1 Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon | $2.49 | |
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Apprentice and MWS .dec
The grinder L1x0 almost made the top 8 with a similar one, and I talked with him before the Showcase to discuss some ideas. He shared this decklist with me, and I ended up playing it. I went 7-3, losing to Heroic, Lotus, and RG Vehicles, but winning against MonoGreen, 2 UR Phoenix, Heroic, White Weenie, UG Merfolk, and Atarka Red. Overall, I liked the deck; however, before diving deeper, I wanted to review some of the card selections in today's article.
Card Choices
Warden of the Inner Sky
In my article about the top Pioneer cards , I mentioned it as one of the promising highlights that could make a splash in the format, and it quickly earned its spot. Being white, with a ton of synergy with clue and blood tokens, as well as pesky creatures, it can grow swiftly, filtering the deck's draws and even allowing us to play with one less land than usual builds. I'm increasingly amazed at how well this card has fit into the deck's game plan and truly established it as a tier 1 contender in the format.
Clarion Spirit VS Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
While talking with L1x0, we discussed which would be the best option to complement the 2-drops. We came to the conclusion that Clarion Spirit would be a better 2-drop, especially since Thalia doesn't do much in certain matchups, especially in the mirror. We were expecting a high number of mirror matches because the deck was popular. As it turned out, I didn't face any mirror matches in this tournament, and Thalia could have made a difference in some of the matches I lost, particularly against Lotus and Heroic. But I believe that, overall, Thalia ends up being more important, and this allowed us to free up some crucial slots in the sideboard. Clarion Spirit is a very good card, but when considering the deck as a whole, especially in certain specific matchups, I believe Thalia is a better slot and is one of the best cards to play following a move with a creature with convoke.
Get Lost
Another card emerging as a potential staple of the format, Get Lost is quickly gaining ground in multiple decks. It's rare to have a card that can address so many different cards in one go: Temporary Lockdown, Teferi, Hero of Dominaria, The Akroan War, Sheoldred. It's a very important slot, a bit of a "nonbo" if we're running Thalia, but it's still very useful.
Playing the deck
The best openings involve Gleeful Demolition with some creature with convoke. However, as you play with the deck, you come to realize that the mulligan gods won't always be kind, and some hands may seem really tight but turn out to be playable. Nonetheless, the deck mulligans quite well, so we have to keep in mind and recognize which hands are worth keeping and when we should take the risk on a better 6-card or 5-card hand.
Example Hand #1
We're just one piece away from this hand being perfect, whether it's one of the convokers or even Imodane/Bushwhacker, but it's the sort of hand I believe we can't mulligan. Even without those cards, we have the potential to put down a lot of power right in the early turns, and not every deck can handle an opening like that. It's a fast hand that just needs a good draw to break through. Keep.
Example Hand #2
Theoretically, this hand also relies on drawing well to be very strong. But there's a key difference from the previous hand: we don't have the potential for an explosive start without depending heavily on the draws. Often, just creating several creatures is enough. However, in this case, we are solely dependent on drawing one of the 12 artifact-producing sources to have a decent hand. I would mulligan this hand.
Example Hand #3
I admit I was unsure whether to keep this hand or not. We've got what we need: something to generate an artifact, a double play with Spirit and Ornithopter on turn 2, and Imodane for an 11 damage attack on turn 3, which is pretty good. If in the meantime we draw Gleeful or a creature with convoke, we could have even better turns. I believe this is the point where you need to know when to mulligan with this deck: we have a hand that's solid on its own and can improve depending on our draws, not just reliant on them to be playable. Knowing that the deck can play relatively normal games is also part of the decision. Keep.
Tips & Tricks
#1. Tap Tap tap!
You can tap any creature and artifact to activate Warden of the Inner Sky's ability, including the Warden itself. And when it has 3 counters, you can attack with vigilance and then use it for its ability.
#2. Clarion Spirit
Clarion Spirit creates a spirit token whenever you cast your second spell on any turn, including your opponent's turn. It doesn't happen often, but in certain situations, like casting two Resolute Reinforcements at the end of the turn, it can be significant to have an extra creature on your turn.
#3. Clue Tokens
You can tap Clue tokens to activate the ability of the Warden of the Inner Sky and, in the same turn, purchase the card if you want by paying the two mana. However, you can't do that with Blood and Map tokens.
#4. Convoke the Right Way
Typically, when you're setting up a turn to cast a creature with convoke, it's best to tap the white creature last. For instance, on turn 2, you can cast Gleeful on your artifact, followed by Warden/Giant Killer. This way, you don't leave an opening for your opponent to kill your creature since they can't resolve a Loxodon or Knight without a white creature on the board. Thraben doesn't fall into this category because its clue trigger still gives the opponent a chance to kill it regardless.
#5. Forge Devil
Watch out for Forge Devil after sideboarding. If there are no other creatures on the battlefield, it will deal damage to itself.
Matchups & Sideboard guide
Monogreen Devotion
Our deck is way faster, even though Karn shutting down The Filigree Sylex could wreck a good chunk of our board. The key is to sneak in some damage every turn, even if it means losing a few creatures along the way. Mulligan for fast and unfair hands because that's exactly what your opponent will do to you. After sideboarding, Forge Devils are super helpful in slowing the opponent down; it's vital to take out Llanowar Elves/Elvish Mystic because they enable the most troublesome plays against our deck (like a turn 2 Old-Growth Troll/Polukranos Reborn and still having plenty of removal for Nykthos. Thalia might seem interesting, but she doesn't disrupt the opponent that much, especially if they're running Nykthos.
Rakdos Midrange
Without sweepers, the G1 might be more laid back, but Rakdos has an incredible ability to remove creatures, so we need to apply as much pressure as we can. Versions with Archfiend of Dross are even more dangerous because it drains a lot of life with each creature taken out and also poses a very fast threat on top of that. Post-sideboard, this strategy gets even better, especially with Hidetsugu Consumes All, but we also have additional removal for key cards, where Get Lost becomes important. In this build, I kind of miss Wedding Announcement, but like I said at the start: if we play Thalia in the main deck, we open up more room in the sideboard and I believe it could make a comeback.
Quintorius Combo
The new deck's strategy would involve a different match-up where Thalia would be much more effective in the midrange. In game 1, there's really nothing to do but try to win before the opponent can pull off their discovery combo. After sideboarding, Thalia helps to slow down the combo because it prevents them from successfully executing multiple Eldritch Evolutions. Get Lost is also key for taking out the planeswalker just as it activates its ability, ensuring that the resulting copy is negated. This combo is slower compared to one with Geological Appraiser, and that's actually better for us. Two-drops are too slow for this match-up; we need more interaction, and in that slot, we essentially just want Thalia. If this deck starts to become very popular, a potential answer would be to play with Redcap Melee, which can target both Appraiser and Quintorius.
UW Control
Temporary Lockdown is an even bigger nightmare because most decks play with a number of them main deck. We have to deal with so many different sweepers that I honestly don't know if we can afford to play around anything. Given that, we don't have much choice but to apply as much pressure as possible. After sideboarding, we have cards that really help delay sweepers and Get Lost, which, if we're lucky, can respond to Temporary Lockdown with the ability on the stack, even saving the tokens that would be exiled.
Rakdos Sacrifice
A rough game, mainly due to the presence of Mayhem Devil, a real predator of creatures. The good news is that aside from the Devil, the rest of the deck doesn't bother us too much. We can build a strong board presence and apply pressure with chump blocks from Cauldron Familiar. Venerated Loxodon is a huge help by strengthening our army and making it harder for Mayhem Devil to deal damage with its pings. After sideboarding, we really miss Wedding Announcement, but Get Lost offers some help by removing Mayhem Devil, which is the main threat to our deck.
Lotus Field
Good match, it would have been better if we had Thalia in the main deck, but we still managed to apply a lot of pressure from the early turns. Some of his hands were simply ignored, but there's nothing you can do against those. After sideboarding, we have Thalia and Reidane, which really help to tax the spells from his deck. Depending on the number of Temporary Lockdowns, it's important to have some amount of Get Lost, but overall, I'm not a big fan, especially because we have to deal with other kinds of sweepers, like Path of Peril and Sunfall too.
UW Spirits
I believe we have a generally good matchup, as we often do a lot of 2-for-1s with the creatures, and we have a relatively faster pace, forcing our opponent to play more defensively, which gives us time to set up one of our convokers. Warden can take to the air in just a few turns, which is significant against their flyers. After sideboarding, we have more removal options for specific threats, which makes the matchup even better.
UR Phoenix
The creatures do throw a wrench in our plan, especially Thing in the Ice, which can flip quickly and send all of our creatures on the board back to our hand. However, it relies heavily on one-for-one removal, and our creatures can often do better than that, so we have a slight edge. After sideboarding, Rest in Peace helps disrupt their key graveyard-based strategies, and we'll need removal for their creatures.
Monowhite Humans
Very favorable matchup, we don't need to worry about what he's doing, because usually our board will be bigger and better. After sideboarding, we have more removals for some key creatures, such as Adeline and Thalia’s Lieutenant.
Abzan Greasefang
We don't have answers for the combo in Game 1, so our only option is to go all out to apply pressure and chip away at their life total before they can get Parhelion II on the board or even cast an Esika's Chariot. After sideboarding, we have some removal options for Greasefang, but overall, being aggressive is better than playing too defensively. Get Lost is really good in this matchup, countering both Greasefang and Sheoldred, as well as a potential Temporary Lockdown.
Boros Convoke
One reason to play with Clarion Spirit is that it's actually better than Thalia in this matchup, creating more creatures on the board which is one of the secrets to winning this game. Another matchup we need to steal is one where having very tight turns doesn't help. Whether you play or draw also matters a lot because summoning your convokers first puts you in a very strong position in the game, allowing you to apply pressure early and create larger creatures. Warden is also really good here because it can quickly grow and deal overhead damage while also blocking. After sideboarding, Forge Devil is a decent card because the key is to build up your board presence, and removing even a small creature can make the difference between your opponent making the best plays before or after you. Rending Volley is also important to take out one of the convokers and Warden early in the game.
Final words
Boros Convoke has gained many key cards with the release of Ixalan, which has ultimately established the deck as one of the top contenders in the format. It is no longer surprising to anyone how capable the deck is of executing fast and explosive plays while also having strong recovery from board wipes and holding its own against nearly all other decks in the format.
Until next time!