After splitting the finals of an RCQ with Golgari Midrange I tested my mettle at RIW’s qualifier last weekend. I’m pleased to report I piloted Golgari to an undefeated record into a top 4 split.
Despite Golgari posting fewer top finishes in the metagame at large I have made some changes to the stock list that provides an edge. Today I’m going to share a sideboard guide and advice on some of the key matchups.
Here’s the list we’ll be using to sideboard; my exact 75 I used at RIW’s RCQ. I wouldn’t change a card:
I wrote an article about the Standard metagame and Golgari Midrange that can be found here.
Since my last article I made a small change by swapping the third Sheoldred for another Tranquill Frillback.
This Town Ain’t Big Enough’s popularity means I need to be more considerate deploying threats without triggered abilities on enter.
I also swapped the third Harvester of Misery in the sideboard for a second Choking Miasma which helps against Gruul and Selesnya Cage.
A third Obstinate Baloth took the place of the Frillback that went into the maindeck. I was at first hesitant about Baloth’s position against Esper Pixie, but Hopeless Nightmare can’t be easily sideboarded out as it’s a primary engine of the deck.
Let’s get to the matchups!
+2 Nissa, Ascended Animist +1 Tear Asunder +1 The End +1 Duress +1 Thrun, Breaker of Silence
-2 Cut Down -2 Harvester of Misery -2 Tranquill Frillback
This is a classic grindy matchup where small edges that generate card advantage will dictate the outcome.
Llanowar Elves can get under the opponent quickly, but die to Cut Down which doesn’t have any other good targets.
Mosswood Dreadknight is capable of generating serious card advantage and is only weak to Anoint with Affliction. Sentinel of the Nameless City’s map tokens can also be a key way to get ahead in the matchup. I’ll often crack the maps after combat to draw out any removal as I don’t want the ability to fizzle.
Sheoldred is able to quickly close a game, but make sure you give your opponent opportunities to burn their Go for the Throats ahead of deploying.
Tranquill Frillback is subpar in fair matchups, but shines against linear decks. Look for opportunities to exile a Mosswood Dreadknight after it blocks. It can also destroy a map or food token.
Duress is powerful, but you must pick your spots. It hits the all important Gix’s Command as well as Nissa’s after sideboard. It can clear the way for a Sheoldred in the mid game if you suspect a Go for the Throat in hand.
+1 Thrun, Breaker of Silence +1 Tear Asunder +3 Obstinate Baloth +2 Duress +1 Cut Down
-1 Anoint with Affliction -2 Go for the Throat -2 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse -3 Llanowar Elves
Golgari has a favorable matchup against Esper Pixie, but the games can be difficult thanks to the power of This Town Ain’t Big Enough. They play Nowhere to Run, Hopeless Nightmare, and Stormchaser’s Talent to generate advantage; Golgari is looking to insulate against those repeated effects.
Llanowar Elves are good against most of the otter decks, but are weaker against Nowhere to Run. Keep their board clear of pesky creatures as -3-3 can team up with a block to take down your midrange threats.
Harvester of Misery kills most of the value creatures as well as stray otters. Optimistic Scavenger is the card I would sideboard out from the Esper side, but it can still get out of hand if left unanswered.
Obstinate Baloth in the sideboard creates a fundamental advantage as it negates Hopeless Nightmare and creates tempo. The chip shots from their value creatures and Nightmares add up making the life gain strong even when hard casting Baloth on the fourth turn.
It’s weak to interact with value enchantments, but there are times they only draw one which diminishes the bounce effects. In these spots it can be justified to destroy them.
+3 Obstinate Baloth +1 Cut Down
-1 Duress -2 Maelstrom Pulse -1 Tear Asunder
A clear case of extreme offense against defense.
Mosswood Dreadknight is a 3/2 roadblock that will not be recast from the graveyard in many cases as establishing beefier blockers is a higher priority.
Sentinel of the Nameless City is a strong blocker as the map tokens pumping it makes Monstrous Rage less effective.
Cut Down is an important interaction piece, but beware of Monstrous Rage and prowess triggers to fizzle. You can set up a blowout by leaving up Cut Down when there are large blockers to instigate pumps proactively.
Screaming Nemesis is the hardest threat to stop so I like to save Go for the Throat and Anoint with Affliction when possible. Remember they can Burst Lightning their Nemesis to turn off life gain at instant-speed.
+2 Choking Miasma +1 Cut Down
-1 Duress -2 Tranquill Frillback
This matchup can be scary and there are certain interaction points to consider. Gruul is able to grind much harder than Mono Red so you should strive to be more proactive in the matchup.
Cut Down can answer Heartfire Hero, but watch out for a follow up Innkeeper’s Talent to grow it out of range. This can be catastrophic as you will then need to use a Go for the Throat which should be reserved for Screaming Nemesis.
Pawpatch Recruit and Manifold Mouse ensure there are more good times for sweepers to be effective.
Sheoldred and other creatures with large toughness are strong, but they can also be answered with Scorching Shot after board. Obliterating Bolt and Burst Lightning with kicker can answer your high toughness creatures in the first game making a map token’s +1+1 valuable.
+1 Thrun, Breaker of Silence +1 Tear Asunder +1 The End +1 Duress +1 Cut Down
-2 Gix’s Command -1 Preacher of the Schism -2 Tranquill Frillback
This is another close and tricky matchup.
Dimir’s primary path to victory is playing a couple evasive threats and then sticking Kaito or Enduring Curiosity.
Again, it’s important to play Mishra’s Foundry on the third turn alongside the creature you deploy to stop Kaito from stunning it for profit.
There are many situations where deploying a creature can lose the game instead of holding up removal. A turn three Preacher may seem like a good play except Dimir plays Floodpits Drowner into Kaito or Enduring Curiosity and they run away with the game.
Thrun is in the sideboard particularly for the Dimir matchup. Duress can take Blot out or Gix’s Command as there are only a few ways to interact with Thrun.
Maelstrom Pulse can be clunky, but is one of the few ways to deal with a resolved Kaito. Tear Asunder can exile Enduring Curiosity without spending a lot of mana and can answer Katio, too. The End is the final way to deal with Dimir’s two primary threats.
+1 Nissa, Ascended Animist +1 Tear Asunder +2 Choking Miasma +1 Cut Down
-4 Go for the Throat -1 Duress
This is a good matchup because there are so many sideboard cards in the main.
Harvester of Misery and Gix’s Command clean up stray creatures in the mid game. I prioritize targeting Preacher of the Schism with map tokens as a ⅗ plays better with the sweepers.
Llanowar Elves don’t play well with your sweepers, but it’s very important to cast them as quickly as possible. The card disadvantage is worth it in this matchup.
Selesnya can put three creatures with differing power onto the battlefield quickly for cage so I’m always managing that number in the back of my head.
Tranquill Frillback can interact with Collector’s Cage and Overlord of the Mistmoors making it a key four-drop. Maelstrom Pulse is able to kill Pawpatch Recruit and the offspring despite being a token.
+1 Thrun, Breaker of Silence +1 Tear Asunder +2 Ghost Vacuum +1 The End +2 Duress
-1 Anoint with Affliction -3 Cut Down -1 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse -2 Harvester of Misery
A favorable, but tricky matchup.
Llanowar Elves are important to keep up with their fast draws. Eddymurk Crab tapping your elves can be devastating if you were planning on using it to cast a spell on the second main phase. Cast your spells accordingly.
The 1/1 vampire tokens from Preacher of the Schism allows you to be aggressive and defensive and a 2/4 deathtouch creature also shines against the 5/5s.
Duress is strong in the early game to take their green cards that add cards to the graveyard or Up the Beanstalk and can snag This Town Ain’t Big Enough at a crucial time.
The removal that doesn’t kill 5/5s are weak in the matchup, but killing early otter tokens can be relevant. Prowess is a real threat in their deck because they play so many cantrips and bounce effects.
Ghost Vacuum is a key piece of interaction because it stops the 5/5s from coming down ahead of schedule and counters Stormchasher’s Talent from picking up a spell in the mid game. Ignore the ultimate of the Vacuum as sucking up instants and sorceries is crucial.
Thrun is a 5/5 blocker that trades off with their haymakers and can’t be tapped or bounced.
+2 Nissa, Ascended Animist +1 Thrun, Breaker of Silence +1 Tear Asunder +1 The End +2 Duress
-1 Anoint with Affliction -1 Cut Down -2 Gix’s Command -3 Llanowar Elves
Domain looks like a sketchy matchup on paper and it’s on Golgari to play tight. This is another matchup all about card advantage.
Zur, Eternal Schemer can wake up Leyline Binding and overlords to turn the corner quickly, but conveniently dies to Cut Down. They can activate Zur in response to a Maelstrom Pulse or Tear Asunder to grant an enchantment hexproof. This stack interaction is a key point in the mid game and requires many turns of planning.
Mosswood Dreadknight is one of the primary ways to generate card advantage, but beware of their exile-based removal. I will cast Dread Whispers and then wait on casting Dreadknight until I have a removal spell that I can use to kill the 3/2 in response to it being exiled. Black removal is deceptively powerful in the matchup for this reason.
Llanowar Elves are weak in the matchup thanks to Temporary Lockdown and Sunfall. Cut Down and Duress are good in the matchup so two out of three one-drops ain’t bad. Most matchups have this paradigm where two out of three one-drops are good.
I prefer Harvester of Misery to Gix’s Command. They both deal with the 2/1 moths, but you can also discard Harvester to kill your Mosswood Dreadknight. Since most of your other creatures are exiled the raise dead effect from Command isn’t as strong.
Standard has plenty of playable decks and many games with Golgari are fun and interactive. There’s plenty of time to jump into the Standard season with RIW’s second RCQ taking place on March 1. I hope to see you there.