Legacy Sideboard Guide For Beating Initiative Decks
Initiative decks punish slow starts with Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Chrome Mox and a fast three-mana creature. Once White Plume Adventurer or Seasoned Dungeoneer puts a player into the Undercity, the game can quickly shift from ordinary creature combat to a race against extra mana, card draw and a large board. Learn more about O Que Silent Hill 2 Diz Sobre Luto E Trauma Uma Análise Profunda.
A successful sideboard plan needs to answer both halves of the strategy: the explosive mana and the initiative creatures. The right cards depend on your archetype, but the general principles remain useful whether you are playing Delver from Melbourne, a control list at a Sydney event, or a paper brew at a Brisbane game store.
| Matchup situation | Main priority | Strong answers | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast blue tempo | Stop the first adventurer | Force of Will, Daze, Wasteland, Swords to Plowshares | Trading removal after the dungeon engine starts |
| Fair control | Trade efficiently and recover | Countermagic, Terminus, Prismatic Ending, Dress Down | Keeping narrow cards with no target |
| Combo | Race their acceleration | Force of Will, Force of Negation, Thoughtseize, discard | Boarding for combat instead of mana |
| Artifact-heavy build | Attack its resources | Force of Vigor, Meltdown, Wear // Tear, Null Rod | Ignoring Chrome Mox and Chalice of the Void |
| Creature deck | Prevent the first attack | Removal, blockers, sweepers, Karakas for support creatures | Assuming life gain solves the problem |
Understand What The Initiative Deck Is Trying To Do
Initiative lists are built around compressing several turns into one. A turn-one Ancient Tomb can produce a turn-two White Plume Adventurer, while Chrome Mox and Lotus Petal create even more explosive openings. The creature does not need to survive for several turns to matter: taking the initiative immediately starts the dungeon, and the first rooms can generate a substantial advantage.
White Plume Adventurer is usually the most important target because it costs three mana and provides a fast route to the Undercity. Seasoned Dungeoneer is also dangerous, especially once the player already controls the initiative. Caves of Chaos Adventurer and Undermountain Adventurer are slower but can dominate a battlefield if your removal is limited.
The key timing rule is simple: removing an adventurer after its enters-the-battlefield trigger resolves does not remove the initiative. Swords to Plowshares still prevents future attacks, but it may be too late to stop the first burst of value. Countermagic, discard or instant-speed interaction aimed at the trigger or creature before it resolves is often worth more than a conventional one-for-one later.
Choose Interaction That Matches The Clock
Blue tempo decks should usually keep hands that interact with both the mana source and the payoff. Daze is excellent against a three-mana adventurer when the opponent has relied on Ancient Tomb, but it becomes weaker once the opponent has spare mana from the Undercity. Wasteland is strongest before the first creature lands, particularly against City of Traitors, although spending a land drop on disruption can slow your own pressure.
Sideboard construction becomes clearer when you separate cards by purpose. A card that answers only Chalice of the Void may be poor if the opponent can still cast White Plume Adventurer. A card that answers only a creature may fail when the opposing hand contains multiple copies and several fast mana sources.
High-Value Answers To Prioritise
- Free countermagic for White Plume Adventurer, Seasoned Dungeoneer and key protection
- Efficient exile removal that prevents a second attack or blocks an oversized threat
- Land disruption against Ancient Tomb and City of Traitors
- Artifact removal for Chrome Mox, Lotus Petal and Chalice of the Void
Players refining their sequencing can benefit from the Legacy Pit’s stack interaction basics, particularly when deciding whether to counter the mana spell, the creature or a protection spell. In this matchup, the technically correct target is often the spell that creates the first irreversible advantage, rather than the largest creature on the battlefield.
Sideboard Plans By Archetype
Delver-style decks generally want to preserve pressure while adding a few more answers. Bring in additional Forces, removal and possibly Submerge or Brazen Borrower if those cards fit the list. Trim slower threats, conditional cantrips and cards that are poor against large creatures. The ideal sequence is to disrupt the first mana accelerator, deploy a threat and use Wasteland or Daze to prevent the opponent from rebuilding.
Control decks can afford a longer game, but they cannot give the Initiative player several uncontested dungeon steps. Terminus, Supreme Verdict and Prismatic Ending are useful once multiple creatures appear, while Dress Down can be valuable when timed before an adventurer enters. Be careful with sweepers that leave a dungeon advantage intact; clearing the board does not automatically remove the cards, mana or life already gained.
Combo decks should treat Initiative as a fast prison-combat opponent. Bring in discard and free countermagic, and consider artifact interaction if Chalice of the Void is a serious obstacle. Do not dilute the primary combo plan with too many narrow answers. A hand that can execute quickly while holding one piece of disruption is often better than a hand containing several reactive cards and no clock.
Play Around The Dungeon, Not Just The Creature
Once the opponent controls the initiative, attack and blocking decisions change. A small creature may be valuable because it can prevent the opponent from safely attacking with a dungeoneer, even if it cannot win combat. If your deck can take the initiative itself, doing so can deny the opponent’s next upkeep trigger, but this is usually difficult and should not replace removal.
Life totals also need careful interpretation. Ancient Tomb damage and dungeon rewards may make the opponent appear vulnerable, but a single attack from an initiative creature can provide a large swing. Cards that merely gain life are rarely enough unless they also answer the creature or stop the dungeon progression.
Sideboarding should account for how Australian tournaments actually play out. A Melbourne weekly may involve many tuned blue decks, while a Perth event can have a smaller but varied field where narrow hate is risky. At a Sydney or Adelaide tournament, check whether the local metagame contains more prison lists, combo pilots or creature decks before committing valuable sideboard slots. With cards and singles priced in AUD, flexible answers also offer better value than a sideboard built around one rare matchup.
Common Cards To Trim
- Slow threats that cannot block or interact before turn three
- Graveyard hate when the Initiative list has little or no recursion
- Narrow countermagic that misses creatures and artifacts
- Expensive sweepers if the opponent is likely to rebuild quickly
Maintain Discipline Through The Match
Initiative games can feel decided after one trigger, but many are still recoverable. A removal spell may buy the turn needed to attack back, and a Wasteland can strand a second adventurer in hand. Track the dungeon rooms, the opponent’s available mana and whether their creature can attack safely instead of conceding based on the first burst of value.
The mental side of Legacy matters because the matchup creates dramatic swings. A player who is frustrated by an early Undercity may overuse Force of Will, fire removal at the wrong target or miss a profitable attack. Thinking about grief and trauma may seem distant from tournament Magic, yet the broader lesson about recognising emotional pressure applies: identify the moment your decisions become reactive, then return to concrete game information.
Before an event, goldfish the opponent’s fastest openings and practise post-sideboard hands. Know which card you are willing to pitch to Force of Will, when Daze remains live and whether your removal handles a creature before or after it takes the initiative. Australian travel can make preparation especially valuable when a tournament means a long trip from Brisbane to Sydney, a flight from Perth, or an early start around a local sausage sizzle and registration queue.
The best sideboard guide is a starting point rather than a fixed script. Test the plan in your own deck, record which cards overperform and adjust for the field you expect. Bring your refined list to a Legacy Pit tournament or stream your testing session, then share the results with the community through the site’s discussion channels and live events.