I just flew in from Minneapolis, and boy are my arms tired (from casting spells). While it wasn’t my best Pro Tour performance (2-5), I still had just as much fun (if not more) than any previous event. Instead of talking about what went wrong in Standard, I’d like to write about my pocket strategy for the current meta, and under drafted all-star — Boros Aggro!
Battles
The only (non-rare) battles I’m interested in playing are Invasion of Mercadia, and Invasion of Regatha. Both of these are perfectly suitable cards using just the front side, and I’m rarely looking to flip them. Explaining to people that Invasion of Mercadia is Tormenting Voice with upside often results in a surprised reaction. Invasion or Regatha is four damage to face and potential to pick off a creature for three mana, which is a great deal for the deck.
One Drops
This is one of the harder parts of the deck to wrap my head around, because these cards aren’t very exciting at face value. It’s extremely important to have and maintain board presence in the deck, and small creatures can help you to ensure exactly that. Additionally, they are great at wearing cheap equipment to push damage and help with convoke cards.
Combat Tricks
This is one of my favorite cards in Boros, and I still think it’s under drafted. While Volcanic Spite and Stoke the Flames are great, you won’t get many outside of your first 1-3 picks in any given pack. Aerial Boost is something you can reliably get your hands on, and is extremely flexible. Working on offense or defense (in a pinch), can be a great finisher, and has the ability to be cast for “free” via convoke.
Synergistic Creatures
Mirror-Shield Hoplite is the main card that pulls me into the deck. This card can easily take over a game after one or two backup creatures hit the battlefield, but most importantly, no one is taking this card. Reyav works on a different axis by amplifying your equipment, but most importantly, no one takes this card (I got a Pack 2, Pick 15 Reyav at the Pro Tour).
This is by far the best common creature in the deck, especially when paired with the Mirror-Shield Hoplite. Thankfully, most other decks will prioritize this creature lower. Azorius has Protocol Knight, Selesnya rarely comes together well enough to compete, and Orzhov doesn’t typically have any interest.
Equipment
Boros is the only deck I have been happy to run a Kitesail in thus far, and it can be amazing with Reyav, Master Smith. Beamtown Beatstick is another great equipment for the deck, with menace often being one of the most relevant parts, working very well with Fearless Skald. Kor Halberd is the least impressive, but can be serviceable if you need something from the weapon rack. Ramosian Greatsword is one to largely avoid, unless you find yourself in a go-wide version of the deck featuring plenty of copies of Ral’s Informants.
While I do think it’s possible to force the deck from the start, I think it’s better to draft normally before jumping in. The reasoning is that a lot of the best cards in Boros are not very flexible, and other color combinations are still very strong when open.
I did share the Boros “pocket strategy” with a friend participating in a Top 8 draft for the PTQ, resulting in a very close 2-1 record. With him committing to the deck after a Pack 1 Pick 13 Mirror-Shield Hoplite.
While my Pro Tour deck didn’t end up Boros, It’s worth noting that it was just as open as I had predicted, getting a Pack 2 Pick 15 Reyav, and would have resulted in a great deck as well if I didn’t have such a good Izzet start.
I hope this article helps you smash your opponents in typical Boros fashion! If not…
Lose and Learn, Learn and Win!
