Ichorid Boarding strategies

[nero angelo]

How do you sideboard in Ichorid deck?

My board:

3 Wispmare
4 Chain of Vapor
4 Contagion
1 Darksteel Colossus
3 Ancient Grudge

My deck:

4 Bazaar of Bahgdad
2 Petrified Field
4 City of Brass

4 Unmask
4 Cabal Theraphy

4 Leyline of the Void
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Serum Powder

4 Ichorid
4 Narcomoeba
4 Golgari Grave Troll
3 Golgari Thug
4 Stinkweed Imp
1 Angel of Despair
1 Flamekin Zealot
1 Eternal Witness/River Khelpie (I still DON'T have a Cephalid Sage )

3 Dread Return
1 Darkblast

I forgot the 4 cards! omg..


Anyways, how do you board in? What do you usually remove maindeck??

[Bill Copes]

I'm not an ichorid player myself, but I've seen people board out combo pieces for disruption (dread returns + dread targets).

[FadeToBlack]

To start, your board is kinda terrible. The standard is:

4 Gemstone Mine - A must. Your going to need 8 colored mana sources post board to play your spells.
4 Emerald Charm - Leyline is your biggest threat (as you can't win with it in play), so all of your removal spells should be able to get rid of said enchantment. Emerald Charm is an instant and has other relevant abilities (untapping a Bazaar, making an attacking Angel lose its wings) that put it on top of other spells.
4 Chain of Vapor - For dealing with everything, from Needle to Jailer to Platinum Angel or Leyline
2 Wispmare - Gets around Thorn, makes Bridge Tokens
1 Random - Typically a DSC or Darkblast

You typically side out your Dread Return package (possibly keeping in a single Dread Return to resurrect a Grave-Troll/make tokens) and any of the following depending on matchups: Chalice, Leyline, Unmask, Petrified Field. Additionally, you'll likely side out a bunch of one-ofs, like Thug, Imp, Ichorid, etc.

Lastly, I'd drop a Stinkweed Imp for the 4th Thug. I find being able to hardcast a Thug is far more valuable than 1 extra dredged card.

[RJ]

2 Wispmare - Gets around Thorn, makes Bridge Tokens

Evoke does not get around Thorn.  The evoke cost will still cost one more.

[kicks_422]

It's a creature, so it won't be affected by Thorn. Also, it gets around Chalice for 1.

[nero angelo]

To start, your board is kinda terrible. The standard is:

4 Gemstone Mine - A must. Your going to need 8 colored mana sources post board to play your spells.
4 Emerald Charm - Leyline is your biggest threat (as you can't win with it in play), so all of your removal spells should be able to get rid of said enchantment. Emerald Charm is an instant and has other relevant abilities (untapping a Bazaar, making an attacking Angel lose its wings) that put it on top of other spells.
4 Chain of Vapor - For dealing with everything, from Needle to Jailer to Platinum Angel or Leyline
2 Wispmare - Gets around Thorn, makes Bridge Tokens
1 Random - Typically a DSC or Darkblast

You typically side out your Dread Return package (possibly keeping in a single Dread Return to resurrect a Grave-Troll/make tokens) and any of the following depending on matchups: Chalice, Leyline, Unmask, Petrified Field. Additionally, you'll likely side out a bunch of one-ofs, like Thug, Imp, Ichorid, etc.

Lastly, I'd drop a Stinkweed Imp for the 4th Thug. I find being able to hardcast a Thug is far more valuable than 1 extra dredged card.

Hmm, I think I like your board.

I know my board looks terrible. haha That's my biggest problem, as of now...

anyways, In an aggro infested meta (bunch full of Sui-Blacks, Platinum Oath aka "Steel Battallion", Hate decks, Goblins, Fish Bomberman and Staxx), wouldn't it be nice to run atleast 3 Contagion in SB?

[RJ]

It's a creature, so it won't be affected by Thorn. Also, it gets around Chalice for 1.

you're right, i was thinking of sphere

[wiley]

Hmm, I think I like your board.

I know my board looks terrible. haha That's my biggest problem, as of now...

anyways, In an aggro infested meta (bunch full of Sui-Blacks, Platinum Oath aka "Steel Battallion", Hate decks, Goblins, Fish Bomberman and Staxx), wouldn't it be nice to run atleast 3 Contagion in SB?

In an aggro infested meta it would be nicer to run a combo deck.  Ichorid doesn't like seeing multiple blockers on the field.  Something about a second paragraph on bride from below.

That said the problem with contagion is that it is a pitch spell.  If the spell isn't withing your opening hand or the next ~3 cards then it is a practically worthless card.  This wouldn't be so bad if Ichorid didn't muligan as much but since it does you have a harder time justifying it's use.  Mana'd ichorid can get away with running force of will because it doesn't mulligan nearly as much.

Not to mention that if the contagion is duressed then you have no answer to an upcoming jailer whereas you could dredge the darkblast back to hand before it hits.

[FadeToBlack]

Hmm, I think I like your board.

I know my board looks terrible. haha That's my biggest problem, as of now...

anyways, In an aggro infested meta (bunch full of Sui-Blacks, Platinum Oath aka "Steel Battallion", Hate decks, Goblins, Fish Bomberman and Staxx), wouldn't it be nice to run atleast 3 Contagion in SB?

In an aggro infested meta it would be nicer to run a combo deck.  Ichorid doesn't like seeing multiple blockers on the field.  Something about a second paragraph on bride from below.

That said the problem with contagion is that it is a pitch spell.  If the spell isn't withing your opening hand or the next ~3 cards then it is a practically worthless card.  This wouldn't be so bad if Ichorid didn't muligan as much but since it does you have a harder time justifying it's use.  Mana'd ichorid can get away with running force of will because it doesn't mulligan nearly as much.

Not to mention that if the contagion is duressed then you have no answer to an upcoming jailer whereas you could dredge the darkblast back to hand before it hits.

One of the other major problems is that your trying to fill your SB with cards that help matchups when your sb really wants to be dedicated to beating the hate. If your packing 3 Contagions in the side, that means your cutting your CoV/Wispmares/Emerald Charms, which is no good.