Hey everyone!

When I began testing for the event Miracles was the frontrunner, but I got scared off of it because of the Eldrazi menace. Despite the overall strength of the deck, I didn’t want to be reliant on counters versus Cavern of Souls strategies. The various artifact lock cards such as Thorn of Amethyst and Chalice of the Void were also very painful to deal with, so I went back to my roots with Stoneforge Mystic. I’m sure there were ways of addressing the Miracles vs. Eldrazi matchup, but I didn’t have time to practice. I have a lot of fun casting Stoneforge Mystic, so it wasn’t the end of the world.

Despite the masses claiming that Stoneforge wasn’t well positioned it felt quite powerful to me in the week leading up to the Grand Prix. I have historically had a different approach to the deck. Here’s what I registered:

Esper StrixBlade ? Legacy | Kyle Boggemes, GP Columbus

• Creatures (14)
• 1 Venser, Shaper Savant
• 2 Vendilion Clique
• 3 True-Name Nemesis
• 4 Baleful Strix
• 4 Stoneforge Mystic

• Planeswalkers (2)
• 2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

• Spells (22)
• 2 Counterspell
• 4 Brainstorm
• 4 Force of Will
• 4 Swords to Plowshares
• 1 Inquisition of Kozilek
• 1 Vindicate
• 3 Thoughtseize
• 1 Batterskull
• 1 Sword of Feast and Famine
• 1 Umezawa's Jitte

• Lands (22)
• 1 Plains
• 1 Swamp
• 2 island
• 1 Creeping Tar Pit
• 1 Scrubland
• 2 Marsh Flats
• 2 Tundra
• 3 Underground Sea
• 4 Flooded Strand
• 4 Polluted Delta
• 1 Karakas

• Sideboard (15)
• 3 Meddling Mage
• 1 Zealous Persecution
• 1 Toxic Deluge
• 1 Spell Pierce
• 1 Flusterstorm
• 1 Painful Truths
• 2 Rest in Peace
• 2 Pithing Needle
• 1 Disenchant
• 1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
• 1 Engineered Explosives

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Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way first: my version of Stoneblade doesn’t play Deathrite Shaman. Stoneforge Mystic already commits at least 6 spell slots to non-Blue cards for Force of Will and I’m even playing a third main-deck equipment.

I wanted to further reduce my reliance on 1-drops to get around Chalice of the Void wherever I could, so that meant Ponder also got the axe.

My answer to the Eldrazi-infested metagame I expected was to play the full set of Baleful Strix. It’s a removal spell for large Eldrazi that’s also Blue so I can pitch it to Force of Will against combo decks. I was also expecting Infect and Delver to show up in force and a pesky 1/1 flying, Deathtouch blocker is exactly what I wanted. Since I have three equipment, the 1/1 flyer is actually a large threat for the opponent and it will typically end up being a cheap 2-for-1. If you want more synergy with the Strix you can also play Academy Ruins in your utility land space to re-buy them. I didn't have room in this list because I had the Karakas and legendary creature package and could only afford so many lands that don’t cast the Strix. I want to cast Strix early because I don’t have Ponders to find more lands. The Strix was also great against the Dark Depths combo because I could block the 20/20 for a turn and then bounce it with Jace, the Mind Sculptor. It could also block the 20/20 each turn when the bird was equipped with Sword of Feast and Famine as the 20/20 is a Black creature. This isn’t a good strategy with Vendilion Clique because they have their own Karakas to bounce it.

Snapcaster Mage is notably absent from this deck because I think Baleful Strix is much better in Legacy. Since I cut most of the 1-drops from this deck, there aren’t many appealing options to flash-back. I would rather have a 1/1 flyer with Deathtouch than a 2/1 body as well. It also costs three mana at the very least to flashback a spell and I have enough high-impact 3-drops already. It’s key to save on mana wherever possible. If I play against Deathrite Shaman decks, I don’t want to play Snapcaster as I have to cast it at weird times to get any value at all. So ,the spells don’t get exiled. I also board in Rest in Peace against BUG decks with Tarmogoyf so Snapcaster doesn’t even work well with my own deck! I need my card advantage spells to be good against grindy BUG decks because that’s the matchup I need them the most.

I couldn’t stop singing the praises of the strix all weekend, and I’m sure all of my friends are sick of hearing about it at this point. It also got me thinking about other decks that can play more copies of the Strix as it shines against BUG midrange decks that are quite popular at the moment.

The bird is the word.

I played Venser, Shaper Savant because there were already two Vendilion Cliques in the main and I had the Karakas combo available. It was a second way to interact with non-creature permanents that I could also pitch to Force of Will. I’m torn about playing it going forward, though, because he did good work while Vendilion Clique underperformed. I don’t want to include Karakas as my utility land if I only play Venser.

As far as disruption was concerned, I was very happy with discard and Force of Will while Counterspell didn’t pull any weight at all. It’s a sad day, but it feels that Counterspell barely has a place in Legacy with all of the Cavern of Souls. Force of Will is the only true counter left with a good home in Legacy and I don’t board it out too often. Legacy is about sticking a threat that is able to win the game by itself, so I want to land and protect a threat that will replace the card advantage lost by pitching a Blue card.

I had some interesting sideboard cards that I learned a lot about as well. Zealous Persecution was strong against Elves and Death and Taxes; I might want a second copy over the Toxic Deluge because it doesn’t kill my own True-Name Nemesis. Elspeth, Knight-Errant won an entire game by herself against Miracles because it doesn’t get countered by Pyroblast. It’s my only double White spell in the 75, but she’s worth it. I also like Elspeth against the BUG decks because she can hold off Tarmogoyf and doesn’t die to Abrupt Decay.

The best sideboard card for me is once again Meddling Mage. Rather than sing its praises, I’ll list off what Chris Pikula does for me in each matchup. This is not definitive because Legacy games are very dynamic and you see the opponent’s hand with discard spells.

Rest in Peace was good in the board against Lands and various Tarmogoyf decks. I liked having zero cards in my deck that cared about the graveyard so I can board in RIP willy-nilly.

Painful Truths was awesome each time I boarded it in. I would be careful about playing too many of them because it’s not Blue and the life loss can add up quickly. Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Elspeth are the alternatives to duplicate Painful Truths that don’t cost any life.

I don’t want to get too far in depth with my matches, but here’s how they played out:

Round 1: Bye

Round 2: Bye

Round 3: Abzan Midrange 2-0

Round 4: Shardless BUG 1-2

This is a close matchup and I can make tweaks to make it better. If you cut Vendilion Cliques for Lingering Souls and Venser for Restoration Angel the matchup would be favorable. Academy Ruins is also good here to re-buy the Baleful Strix as it will trade 2-for-1.

Round 5: BUG Delver 1-2

Hymn to Tourach was cast against me twice and each time knocked out the two worst cards for me. I think I can win most of those games assuming other random cards were discarded instead.

Round 6: Elves 2-1

I was about to win Game 1, but died to hard-cast Craterhoof Behemoth. Umezawa's Jitte won the next two games.

Round 7: Eldrazi 0-2

The sideboard card I lost to was All is Dust. I don’t think every version of the deck has this, but it was a nightmare. I didn’t draw enough Baleful Strix Game 1.

Round 8: Merfolk 2-0

The most important card in the matchup is Stoneforge Mystic. Land it early and you’re favored otherwise it could be difficult.

Round 9: Four Color Loam 1-0-1

Sword of Feast and Famine plus Baleful Strix was holding off a 20/20 flyer. The matchup was pretty close and Rest in Peace was crucial in the second game to fight off Knight of the Reliquary and Life from the Loam.

I ended day 1 at 6-3 for the third time in a row.

Round 10: Sneak and Show 2-1

Meddling Mage proved to be very strong in this matchup. Pithing Needle also got to name Sneak Attack. I don’t feel good about the matchup Game 1, but it’s fine post board when I have these lockout elements.

Round 11: Lands 2-0

They can go crazy with various lock-out elements, but it’s hard for them to beat True-Name Nemesis. Pithing Needle is there to name Thespian's Stage so you don’t have to worry about the 20/20. Rest in Peace is another way to fight Punishing Fire as well as Life from the Loam.

Round 12: Infect 2-0

I resolved Stoneforge Mystic on turn two both games and the Jitte I searched for connected on turn four. Make sure you kill their Noble Hierarch on your turn because that’s their best creature. The sideboard card they have for you is Krosan Grip for the Jitte and your Meddling Mage should name either Krosan Grip or Invigorate. When you block, keep in mind they may have one of their two Berserks.

Round 13: Elves 0-2

My opponent played very well and didn’t dilute the deck in the sideboarded games. I played a True-Name Nemesis on turn three and then died in Game 2. I would name Abrupt Decay with Meddling Mage to protect Umezawa's Jitte, but I think the right call is either Green Sun's Zenith or Glimpse of Nature.

Round 14: Death and Taxes 2-0

The Karakas package was very good in this matchup. I could threaten to bounce Thalia, Guardian of Thraben but I also had Venser + Karakas going to offset equipments.

Round 15: Miracles 2-1

At this point I was very tired, but managed to pull it out. Elspeth won Game 2 by herself. Game 3 was won by Jace plus two forces to protect it. I had a Pithing Needle on Sensei's Divining Top in Game 3 that helped.

Overall I thought the deck was quite good. Here’s my updated list:

Updated Esper StrixBlade ? Legacy | Kyle Boggemes

• Creatures (12)
• 4 Baleful Strix
• 4 Stoneforge Mystic
• 4 True-Name Nemesis

• Planeswalkers (4)
• 1 Liliana of the Veil
• 3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

• Spells (23)
• 4 Brainstorm
• 4 Force of Will
• 4 Swords to Plowshares
• 1 Inquisition of Kozilek
• 2 Ponder
• 2 Vindicate
• 3 Thoughtseize
• 1 Batterskull
• 1 Sword of Fire and Ice
• 1 Umezawa's Jitte

• Lands (21)
• 1 Plains
• 1 Swamp
• 2 island
• 1 Creeping Tar Pit
• 1 Scrubland
• 2 Marsh Flats
• 2 Tundra
• 3 Underground Sea
• 4 Flooded Strand
• 4 Polluted Delta

• Sideboard (15)
• 4 Meddling Mage
• 2 Zealous Persecution
• 1 Inquisition of Kozilek
• 1 Painful Truths
• 2 Rest in Peace
• 2 Pithing Needle
• 1 Lingering Souls
• 1 Vendilion Clique
• 1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant

Buy This Deck

I’m moving in a slightly different direction with this list. I was careful to maintain 20 Blue cards to pitch to Force of Will. Vendilion Cliques got cut from the main, as they were too weak against other fair decks, so Karakas and Venser got the axe as well. The second Vindicate replaced the Venser so I have the same amount of spells to fight permanents. I’m trying Sword of Fire and Ice because I cut the Counterspells and flash creatures which makes untapped mana less valuable from Sword of Feast and Famine.

Since I cut the Karakas, and didn’t want a different utility land, I added some Ponders to keep my Blue count higher and hit early land drops. I liked having 4 discard spells, but they’re bad in the late game so an extra Jace as well as a Liliana of the Veil will give me ways to get rid of them as I cut the two Vendilion Cliques.

The fourth Meddling Mage in the board was a long time coming. I won too many games where I had a critical mass of mages so I want the maximum amount. I cut the Spell Pierce and Flusterstorm because they didn’t counter anything the entire tournament. The fifth discard spell and Vendilion Clique in the board will help guide my Meddling Mages.

I also stepped up my ability to grind with a sideboard Lingering Souls to go with my Elspeth. Be careful about flashback cards when you want to board in Rest in Peace.

Big thanks to RIW Hobbies for all of the support and being great.

That’s all for this week. Get out there and go get some value!

Thanks for reading.

-Kyle