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Pioneer Boros Imodane Convoke - Deck and Sideboard Guide
Quick intro
Boros Convoke recently burst onto the scene, causing quite a bit of chaos in the Pioneer for several weeks. However, as time passed, players learned how to counter it, and with some problematic cards for the deck, it faded away for a while. Now, with Wilds of Eldraine, the deck has made a powerful comeback, achieving significant results in one of the latest Challenges and also at LEC Lille. Today I'll discuss this new deck list, some card choices, keeps and mulls, and a side guide against the main match-ups.
My current version of the deck
$218/31.16 Tix
Maindeck (60)
| Creature [34] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2 Reckless Bushwhacker | $0.69 | |
| 4 Thraben Inspector | $0.49 | |
| 4 Venerated Loxodon | $0.59 | |
| 2 Giant Killer | $0.49 | |
| 1 Clarion Spirit | $0.35 | |
| 4 Voldaren Epicure | $0.39 | |
| 4 Resolute Reinforcements | $0.59 | |
| 4 Ornithopter | $0.39 | |
| 4 Knight-Errant of Eos | $7.99 | |
| 2 Regal Bunnicorn | $0.99 | |
| 3 Imodane's Recruiter | $0.35 | |
| Sorcery [4] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Gleeful Demolition | $2.49 | |
| Enchantment [2] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2 Legion's Landing | $5.99 | |
| Land [20] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Plains | $0.01 | |
| 4 Battlefield Forge | $1.49 | |
| 4 Sacred Foundry | $22.99 | |
| 4 Inspiring Vantage | $2.79 | |
| 2 Shefet Dunes | $0.35 | |
| 3 Needleverge Pathway | // | $4.99 |
| 2 Den of the Bugbear | $6.99 | |
| Sideboard [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Forge Devil | $0.35 | |
| 3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben | $0.99 | |
| 3 Rending Volley | $2.29 | |
| 2 Reidane, God of the Worthy | $0.69 | |
| 3 Wedding Announcement | $12.99 | |
| 1 Jegantha, the Wellspring | $0.99 | |
$31.16 Tix @cardhoarder
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Apprentice and MWS .dec
The seasoned player Hauterho secured an impressive second place in one of the recent Pioneer Challenges, only to fall to a fellow competitor, the Brazilian grinder Hamuda. Hamuda is renowned for his fast-paced, highly aggressive decks, and he made his mark this time with another Boros, but this time, a heroic version. The convoke list doesn't diverge significantly from the known ones, but some new cards have once again reinvigorated the deck's strength.
Card choices
Regal Bunnicorn
I've previously mentioned this card in one of my recent articles, discussing how perfectly it fits into the Convoke game plan, and it seems my prediction was spot-on. This creature has the potential to be one of the biggest threats on the board, which can make a significant difference in matches against non-black decks, given that Fatal Push is one of the most frequently used removals in the format and it is prime target. Despite this, a few copies are very much worth the slot, as they can easily become a 3/3 or greater within the early turns.
Imodane’s Recruiter/Train Troops
One of the cards that took us all by surprise and stands as one of the best possible additions is the one that's claimed some slots from the previously untouchable Reckless Bushwhacker. The goblin card had some issues in the deck, requiring another spell to trigger its best effect, which made it a peculiar topdeck if you couldn't activate it via the 'surge' effect.
Now, Imodane's Recruiter steps in as a fantastic topdeck that really swings some games. It proved to be a standout card in the sealed edition and rightfully gained prominence, already considered one of the deck's stars. In my opinion, it's the main reason why the deck is once again performing well. This format didn't have any card with its effect of boosting your creatures' power while attacking on the same turn (at most, some decklists tried running [Regal Leosaur], but it didn't have the same impact, despite potentially increasing power even more, but it needed another non-human creature to 'mutate'). Moreover, I believe it's only a matter of time before we start seeing 4 copies included in decklists, as it's undeniably superior to the Goblin Bushwhacker overall.
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
I must admit, I'm a bit torn about this slot. For instance, I'm unsure whether Thalia would be a better pick than Invasion of Gobakhan, a card I've always admired in my convoke lists. However, I do recognize that against specific decks such as control and combos, Thalia plays a significant role by delaying global removal or key deck cards for precious turns. This leads me to believe that Gobakhan can also serve this purpose, even if it's with just one card. But the fact that it strengthens your army when it flips can significantly reduce the clock by adding counters every turn. For these reasons, I believe that the Invasion could potentially be a better card for this slot, but I also appreciate the use of Thalia in the list.
Playing the deck
This deck has got some seriously explosive openings, often involving the use of Gleeful Demolition. In the ideal scenario, dropping a Venerated Loxodon on turn 2 ramps up your power from 10 or even more, which is downright bonkers. This deck mulligans well, as even with a 5-card hand, it can be incredibly challenging for opponents to respond to, so that's something to keep in mind when playing this deck.
Example Hand #1
A solid hand, just missing one of the "convokers" to be absolutely stellar. But it's intriguing to see how Imodane turns out to be much more effective than a Bushwhacker, even without the third land in play, as we can cast all our cards until we draw the third land, without necessarily having to hold back any drops to get the goblin out. Sure, an Ornithopter would be a superior choice over Imodane, but in a broader context, it's become an excellent addition to the deck.
Example Hand #2
This is a fairer hand, but it's still a keep. We have two alternatives here: either make a Venerated Loxodon play on turn 3, or flip a Legion’s Landing on turn 3. Both are solid moves, it largely depends on who you're up against and how your opponent will interact with you, but this hand gives you options that could be more effective against certain strategies. It's crucial to keep this in mind when playing: what's the best plan? What's the optimum strategy? In my opinion, against decks where you need to be faster, Loxodon is the superior play. Against more grindy decks, flipping the Legion’s Landing might be the better choice.
Example Hand #3
Almost there, we're just one artifact generator away from being able to cast Gleeful and potentially Loxodon on the next turn. However, this type of hand is a trap, we absolutely need to draw something to generate artifacts. In total, we have 12 draws to get the perfect play, but we also have 40 other draws that would be bad, so the odds aren't really in our favor. This seems like a too risky keep because without an artifact generator, this hand is completely useless.
Matchups & Sideboard guide
Monogreen Devotion
Some hands in MonoGreen are unbeatable for any deck, but we can exert a lot of pressure with our creatures. The key is to try and steal some damage points every turn, even if it means losing a few creatures in the process. Having Imodane on board significantly aids this strategy, as it allows us to attack with a full army in one turn, and then attack with even more power in the next, without necessarily needing another spell to do so, like we would with Goblin Bushwhacker. Post sideboard, Forge Devils are incredibly useful in slowing down the opponent. It's crucial to take out Llanowar Elves/Elvish Mystic, as they enable the most challenging plays for our deck (with Old-Growth Troll/Polukranos Reborn on turn 2 and still with a lot of removal for Nykthos). Of course, as I mentioned, some hands can ignore this, so we need to have very aggressive hands to effectively execute our game plan.
Rakdos Midrange
In Game 1, we can play with more ease as the opponent's deck list likely won't include any sweepers. Historically, Rakdos decks struggle against cards that have more than a one-for-one trade-off, and our deck boasts plenty of these. The swarm strategy is particularly effective against him, and some of their key cards, such as Fable of the Mirror Breaker and Sheoldred, don't pose much of a threat to us. Post-sideboard, we need to adopt a more grindy strategy as they'll likely bring in sweepers attacking from various angles such as Hidetsugu Consumes All, Extinction Event, The Meathook Massacre, among others. In this grindy strategy, Wedding Announcement truly shines.
UR Creativity
Playing against Creativity with Atraxa is a bit more manageable since, like it or not, we do have answers for her. However, the match-up with Gearhulk is pretty rough, as Magma Opus can completely wreck our game plan. In both scenarios, we need to execute our strategy most effectively: aggression. Flood the board with multiple creatures in Game 1, post sideboard attempt not to be so aggressive, or at least hold some gas to bounce back from a Brotherhood's End. Thalia is solid here, delaying the sweepers, but Invasion of Gobakhan would have been better, because it gives us a card to stall a key piece and also a card that would shield us from sweepers while simultaneously strengthening our army. Reidane is also great, taxing Indomitable Creativity and Transmogrify.
UW Control
The outcome of this match hinges heavily on how many Temporary Lockdowns they have, especially in the main deck. We're dealing with a vast array of sweepers, and frankly, I'm not sure if we can afford to play around anything. I firmly believe that an aggressive approach can yield significant rewards. Assembling a token army before turn 3 provides us with the ability to work with our board state, allowing us to conserve some gas should we face a Supreme Verdict. The silver lining is that counterspells aren't very effective against us, and we can cast multiple spells in a single turn, giving us a mana advantage over our opponent. Post-sideboard, it's a different game altogether. I believe that Invasion of Gobakhan would outperform Thalia. Moreover, it wouldn't hurt to bring in Wedding Announcement. Reidane complements our sideboard plan, taxing sweepers and The Wandering Emperor.
Rakdos Sacrifice
The match was challenging, mainly due to the presence of Mayhem Devil, a true predator of creatures. The silver lining is that, aside from the Devil, the rest of the deck doesn't bother us much as we can generate a lot of board presence and apply pressure through chump blocks from Cauldron Familiar. Venerated Loxodon is a key player, bolstering our forces and making it harder for Mayhem Devil's damage pings to have an impact. However, it's still a tough match. Post-sideboard, we aim for a more grindy game with Wedding Announcement and the Valkmira side of Reidane, which is particularly effective in this match as it neutralizes the devil.
Lotus Field
Just like Monogreen, Lotus also has some hands that simply disregard what the opponent is doing. Mulligan for aggressive and curved hands, preferably with Venerated Loxodon for a larger army that reduces the clock, leaving no time for the opponent to set up the combo securely. Imodane is a major help here, able to deliver a lethal blow once more, without having to rely on another spell to do so. Post sideboard, I believe Thalia is indeed a better option than Gobakhan, as taxing all of the opponent's spells is better than taxing just one, and with exile removals, the flipped version of the invasion wouldn't make much of a difference. Once again, teaming up with Reidane, we significantly disrupt the turns he tries to set the combo.
UW Spirits
I believe it's a generally good match-up overall. We create a lot of two-for-one situations with our creatures, and we have a relatively larger clock, forcing him to play a bit more defensively. This gives us time to slot in one of the Convoke cards and also gain card advantage. It's a deck that doesn't have sweepers, so the swarm strategy is good, but Katilda could pose a problem as she's a massive blocker that also gains life in the process. Post-sideboard, our removals help to clear some blockers and continue applying pressure on the opponent.
UR Phoenix
The game can be intense, largely because their deck doesn't rely heavily on sweepers. Additionally, some players are cutting 'Thing in the Ice', which can be a real nightmare for this deck. The deck has a lot of 1-for-1 removals, and our deck usually does better than 1-for-1, so the advantage is on our side. After sideboarding, they will have some sweepers, so the 'Wedding Announcement' strategy is a solid move here, as well as some removals for Ledger Shredder and potential Crackling Drakes. Thalia can be okay, but I'm not a fan of playing her with many non-creature spells, which in my view are more critical here than she is.
Monowhite Humans
We're in a favorable match-up, we have significantly more creatures, we've got more advantageous battles, and we've managed to flip the switch at the right times, thanks to Goblin Bushwhacker and Imodane's Recruiter. Post sideboard, we have additional removals for some key creatures like Adeline and Thalia's Lieutenant.
Abzan Greasefang
In Game 1, what we typically need to do is ignore what the other player is doing and flood the board with creatures, applying as much pressure as possible. This is especially effective since they take a lot of damage from Thoughtseizes and the deck's mana base. Giant Killer can provide a turn of respite, but I believe it's a bad move to leave 3 mana open while they're setting up to cast an Esika’s Chariot. In this match, the absence of Legion Loyalist is somewhat noticeable, as it was quite helpful in getting past angel and cat tokens, giving us an advantage in battle. After sideboarding, we have a few removal options for Gresefang, but generally being aggressive is better than playing too defensively. Especially since they also change their game plan, playing a more midrange style with removals and Sheoldred, the Apocalypse.
Final words
Boros Convoke emerged on the scene recently as one of the most explosive decks in the format. However, as players started to learn how to play against it, it seemed to fall slightly into obscurity. Now with new cards in the mix and a fresh Goblin Bushwhacker at its disposal, it appears to have made a strong comeback. It's definitely a deck to watch out for, and it's one of my top picks for the upcoming Regional tournament. Until next time!