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BMoor's Magic The Gathering Deck Garage
"Borzhov" deck

03.16.06

Every guild in Ravnica has its fans, and every fan has a different way of playing.  But every guild has its weakness.  Can every fan overcome the shortcomings of his or her favorite color-combination?
Okay, here's the deal - Ravnica drops and I LOVE Boros, but I hate the fact that pyroclasm or hideous laughter always clears the board. I'm also trying to keep the deck budgeted. The main downfall of Boros (for me, anyway) is lack of good defensive creatures and lack of spot removal ... I feel a Black Splash fixes all of these problems, so this is my prospective deck ... Please, LMK what you think and give any suggestions.
 
1 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
2 Godo, Bandit Warlord
3 Savannah Lions
3 Souls of the Faultless
3 Yosei, the Morning Star
4 Suntail Hawk
4 Skyknight Legionnaire
 
1 Tatsumasa, the Dragon's Fang
1 Manriki-Gusari
2 Umezawa's Jitte
 
2 Char
2 Debtor's Knell
3 Lightning Helix
3 Final Judgment
4 Mortify
 
2 Tendo Ice Bridge
2 Godless Shrine
3 Sacred Foundry
4 Swamp
5 Mountain
6 Plains
 
I don't really know where to start on the Sideboard
Boros's small creature rush tactics can be very vulnerable to Hideous Laughter and Pyroclasm, lacking in good creatures with power above 2.  But it can be done.  More importantly, it can be done without the need of an additional color.  I'm going to start by dropping all the cards that require Black mana to work.
-3 Souls of the Faultless
-4 Mortify
Then I'll drop your Black mana sources
-2 Godless Shrine
-4 Swamp
I'm thinking a two-color deck doesn't really need Tendo Ice Bridge either
-2 Tendo Ice Bridge
So, is there anything else that seems out of place?
-3 Final Judgement
In a deck that wants to win through lots of creatures attacking, a card that kills all creatures is going to hurt you more than help you.  With Char and Lightning Helix, I doubt you'll need the Judgments or even the Mortifies, for that matter.  Now, what creatures can you put in that will survive 2 damage or -2/-2?
+3 Sunhome Enforcer
Sunhome Enforcer is just about the most defensive creature Boros has.  Its four toughness lets it survive Pyroclasm and Last Gasp alike, and its lifegain and firebreathing abilities make your opponents very reluctant to attack into it.
+4 Veteran Armorer
The Armorer's ability can make your whole army more durable, but it doesn't get the bonus itself.  Meaning Pyroclasm will kill it, and then everything that needed the Armorer to survive will die.  You really need two in play for best results.  or better yet,
+2 Oathsworn Giant
This big guy's fast becoming my favorite White creature in Ravnica block.  With him out, you can attack to your heart's content without worrying about leaving blockers open or your creatures dying to a 2/1 first strike or some such nonsense.
That there should make the deck everything you want it to be, so I'll such fix your mana base after I pulled out the Swamps and such.  I took out 8 lands total, so replace them with 3 Mountain, 3 Plains, and 2 Boros Garrison.  Try to squeeze in that fourth Sacred Foundry too, if you can afford another copy.
Another thing you might want to look into is either of Boros's Angels.



And so concludes another of BMoor's Deck Garage Fixes.  Before I go, I just want to say that I won't be in the Garage again this week; I'm leaving town for a few days and won't have computer acces where I'm going.  I know this may inconvenience you, especially those of you whose decklists are still sitting in my inbox waiting to be dealt with(I think I've got at least thirty).  In the meantime, I recommend sending your decks to one of my esteemed colleagues, Paul Hagan or Fend.  I expect to have some new fixes by Monday, Tuesday at the latest.  In the meantime, enjoy your games!


~BMoor
 




 

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