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A couple of weeks ago I first laid eyes on / wrote about Boros Auras. This is the version I've been playing:
Boros Aggro | DSK Standard | fives, 5-0 MTGO Standard League
- Creatures (20)
- 2 Callous Sell-Sword
- 2 Manifold Mouse
- 4 Emberheart Challenger
- 4 Heartfire Hero
- 4 Monastery Swiftspear
- 4 Slickshot Show-Off
- Instants (4)
- 4 Monstrous Rage
- Enchantments (16)
- 4 Demonic Ruckus
- 4 Ethereal Armor
- 4 Shardmage's Rescue
- 4 Sheltered by Ghosts
- Lands (20)
- 6 Mountain
- 5 Plains
- 1 Rockface Village
- 4 Battlefield Forge
- 4 Inspiring Vantage
- Sideboard (15)
- 4 Get Lost
- 3 Lightning Helix
- 4 Torch the Tower
- 4 Urabrask's Forge
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I was initially excited by this deck for a couple of reasons. I liked how the deck had some similarities to the Red Aggro decks I had been playing for months... But put a different spin on offense in Standard. I liked the deck's ability to race and go over the top with Sheltered by Ghosts; and of course I'm a sucker for any deck with Lightning Helix (if only in the sideboard here).
I was a little wary of a deck with both Heartfire Hero and multiple basic Plains... But how bad could it be?
cue foreshadowing
After dozens (hundreds?) of games with Boros Auras I feel like I have a good POV on what makes the deck tick... And ultimately, an opinion on if it's worth playing in Standard. Let's approach this deck from the perspective of SWOT - Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunites, and Threats.
Strengths (good, internal)
Years ago at a Grand Prix my friend Patrick Chapin let me get in on some Vintage side games. It was all legends of the early Pro Tour, playing Magic as Garfield intended. You know, with Restricted Moxes and winning with a narrow artifact.
I got to a mild advantage and found Yawgmoth's Will. If you know anything about me (say US Nationals in 2000), you know I have an affinity for Yawgmoth's Will.
I cast it before really thinking about what I was going to do with it. Didn't matter. Patrick picked up the cards.
"The game ends when anyone casts Yawgmoth's Will."
Huh?
I didn't get it; he just repeated: "The game ends when anyone casts Yawgmoth's Will."
I started playing another game. I got to do cool things like empty my hand with fast mana and then refill with Ancestral Recall. You know what's even better than Ancestral Recall? Re-casting Ancestral Recall!
I didn't have anything crazy to do with my Yawgmoth's Will: But re-castling Ancestral Recall seemed good enough.
THE GAME ENDS WHEN ANYONE CASTS YAWGMOTH'S WILL.
I still don't know what I was supposed to do or not do.
What I do know is that, perhaps in a more practical sense, Sheltered by Ghosts ends games.
That's the biggest, baddest, reason to play this deck: Sheltered by Ghosts. You can cast it on turn two and half the time the opponent will just concede.
The reason is that the combination of Ward, lifelink, and tempo (removing the opponent's best permanent, even if that is just a 1/1 for one at that point in the game) can be insurmountable.
Boros Auras isn't the "best" deck in Standard necessarily. Rather, it is an opportunistic predator. If the opponent is a Red Aggro deck of some sort (and doesn't blow you completely out on the play), generally you'll just win with Sheltered by Ghosts. Unlike the more traditional Red Aggro decks, you can sandbag Sheltered by Ghosts, take out the opponent's Atraxa, Grand Unifier, and send everyone instead of being unable to attack into a 7/7 lifelinker.
On the other hand, this deck can do a pretty good impression of Red Aggro. You don't have the super fast Leyline kill... But covering your first-turn Heartfire Hero with offensive auras isn't a bad way to set up your own Burn Together.
In a pinch (generally a sideboarded pinch) you can approximate Burn Together by sending Get Lost or Lightning Helix at your own Heartfire Hero. You might even get a Valiant trigger! Don't try this with Torch the Tower, though.
Weaknesses (not so good, internal)
In a sense every good Magic deck is a combo deck. Insofar that almost every deck can compound or snowball and bowl over the opponent. Even control decks can act this way in the right matchups.
But we don't think about them as combo decks. We think of combo decks as decks that sometimes accomplish something spectacular... But only when they lace together particular cards.
Boros Auras is a combo deck in the worst way.
I've said it a couple of times... Monastery Swiftspear + multiple basic Plains is an eyebrow-raiser.
I don't think I've ever played a deck that lost to its own mana base as much as this one.
The Red Aggro decks in Standard all need to draw a mix of creatures and buff spells to look impressive. The more conventional ones are REALLY combo-tacular, starting the game with Leyline of Resonance, and then either Cacophony Scamp and two pump spells; or Heartfire Hero, a pump spell, and a Burn Together.
Boros Auras is even more balanced on a pin from the "I have to draw a mix of creatures and buffs" than its redder cousins. Red Aggro generally doesn't have to bite first. Sometimes they want to jam all their spells, but they can often wait for the opponent to cast removal and buff the other incoming creature.
Because so many of this deck's buffs are sorcery speed (Demonic Ruckus, Ethereal Armor, and of course Sheltered by Ghosts), you often give the opponent the opportunity to two-for-one you.
Add to that the fact that, unlike with the other Red Decks, you can actually get color screwed and you have a pair of weaknesses that can potentially outweigh all the good things that this deck has going for it.
Sad face emoji.
Opportunities (good, external)
One of the reasons I love playing aggro - in particular Red Aggro decks - is that they feel like being psychic.
When I am angling for a Gear Three win, I can usually predict all the moves my opponent is going to make and trump them with my mana efficient - and inevitable - burn spells.
At its best, Boros Auras has the same quality. This largely emanates from the inclusion of Shieldmage's Rescue. To a degree you can jam Sheltered by Ghosts and pre-empt the opponent's whole game plan... Their next removal spell, while taking out their best permanent... But Shieldmage's Rescue is the more common path.
Think about this card as the White Snakeskin Veil that also synergizes with Ethereal Armor.
If you already have the initiative, Boros Auras can be great at not only holding it, but making the opponent look silly.
If the opponent has to tap multiple lands on their own turn - say to get an Abhorrent Oculus or Haughty Djinn in play - you can often just maneuver around whatever they're doing while shoving in damage.
If you have the initiative - again, you have to already have it - man does this deck look good.
The sideboard is pretty good. I recently rolled a Rakdos Aggro deck by drawing all three of my Lightning Helixes. The game was never close! There are many decks that simply fold to Urabrask's Forge; and unlike with Boros Tokens, opponents don't necessarily know to plan for it against Boros Auras.
Finally, the biggest reason to play this deck is how badly it smashes most other aggro decks... Provided they didn't start with a Leyline in play. I just can't imagine caring what Boros Convoke is trying to do. They're making some 1/1s and planning for a big attack. But you're linking life and taking out key permanents and racing.
If your opponent goes first with a Leyline in play you kind of just have to hope that they don't have the kill; because if they do you're dead... But if they don't (and your mana comes out functionally), you look absolutely great.
Just one play note if you're up against a similar deck (including Orzhov or Azorius Auras)... You might not be able to Sheltered by Ghosts an opposing creature wearing Sheltered by Ghosts... But you can exile the Sheltered by Ghosts itself. That isn't as high a roll, but it can accomplish what you need to not lose.
Threats (not so good, external)
Once you get past the fact that you're paying the potential color screw cost by choosing this deck, you have to wrap your head around the fact that, if you get your mana, you still don't always win.
That sucks!
The biggest threats to this deck that I've run into recently are around the removal / interactive cards that other decks are playing.
Black discard decks were always challenging for Red Aggro variants, but things have gotten ridiculous recently. Black mages are playing not only cards Ike Anoint With Affliction to take the edge off of your Heartfire Hero, but Sheoldred's Edict and Nowhere to Run to get around your Shieldmage's Rescue.
Okay, okay... Those cards are probably meant for your redder cousins, but they bite here, too.
Boros Auras takes a lot of splash damage thanks to the popularity of Rakdos / Gruul Aggro in Standard... And doesn't necessarily get to cash in as consistently as they do.
So where does that leave us?
I've been playing this deck a lot recently... But I am not sure if I can recommend it.
I suppose it depends on what you're trying to accomplish; and how big of a tournament you're planning to play it in.
For instance, I would never play this deck in a Standard RCQ at a Local Game Shop. Its win rate is probably in the same band as decks I would consider, but the color screw games are just too frequent + brutal.
I would be more apt to play it at the Regional Championships, where my opponents would all be a little better; where I might need a little luck to succeed. I was a bit more down on the deck earlier this week, but kind of went on a heater, which reminded me why folks try these kinds of high rolling semi-combo decks to begin with.
LOVE
MIKE
