Versus Mono-Black Devotion

How you sideboard is dependent on if they're playing Nightveil Specter or Lifebane Zombie. Lifebane Zombie is a joke and gets run over by Legion Loyalist. If they have Nightveil Specter then you want to keep in the Lightning Strikes. If they have Lifebane Zombie, be sure to play Burning-Tree Emissary before they reach three mana to cast Lifebane Zombie. This might mean running it out bare instead of playing a more efficient Ash Zealot on turn 2.

The deck is very resilient to Thoughtseize. Some people believe they are good enough to keep in while others sideboard them out. If they keep them in, you want to keep a high density of spells so you'll be sideboarding out a land to keep up. Keeping a one-land hand with many two-power creatures that cost one mana is perfectly fine, especially on the draw.

The easiest way to lose this matchup is to let them get a two-for-one with Bile Blight. This may mean not playing the second Burning-Tree Emissary or Rakdos Cackler until you either draw out Bile Blight or put them into a situation where you're sure they would have used it if they had one.

There may be a temptation to bring in Skullcrack to stop the life from Gray Merchant of Asphodel. You're better off either presenting a threat or removing one of theirs.

Out (on the play if they have Lifebane Zombie):

Mutavault  Legion+Loyalist  Lightning+Strike  Lightning+Strike  Lightning+Strike
In (on the play if they have Lifebane Zombie):

Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Searing+Blood
Out (on the draw against Lifebane Zombie):

Mutavault  Legion+Loyalist  Lightning+Strike  Lightning+Strike  Lightning+Strike
In (on the draw against Lifebane Zombie):

Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Searing+Blood
Out (on the play against Nightveil Specter):

Mutavault  Legion+Loyalist  Rubblebelt+Maaka  Rubblebelt+Maaka
In (on the play against Nightveil Specter):

Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel
Out (on the draw against Nightveil Specter):

Mutavault  Legion+Loyalist  Foundry+Street+Denizen  Foundry+Street+Denizen
In (on the draw against Nightveil Specter):

Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Searing+Blood
Versus B/G Devotion

Because they have Golgari Charm and Abrupt Decay you can expect them to have less Drown in Sorrow, Bile Blight, and likely no copies of Pharika's Cure. We sideboard out some of the one-toughness creatures and bring in the second Hall of Triumph to reduce the impact of Golgari Charm.

Out (on the play):

Legion+Loyalist  Foundry+Street+Denizen  Foundry+Street+Denizen  Firedrinker+Satyr  Lightning+Strike  Lightning+Strike
In (on the play):

Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Searing+Blood  Hall+of+Triumph
Out (on the draw):

Mutavault  Legion+Loyalist  Foundry+Street+Denizen  Foundry+Street+Denizen  Lightning+Strike  Lightning+Strike
In (on the draw):

Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Searing+Blood  Hall+of+Triumph
Versus B/W Midrange

This matchup is typically better than Mono-Black Devotion because they have a slower and more painful manabase. They use Banishing Light as a removal spell to hit everything and it's too slow against us. They have more expensive cards like Elspeth, Sun's Champion, Blood Baron of Vizkopa, and Obzedat, Ghost Council. They often have a Whip of Erebos too which is often too slow to matter. Most, if not all B/W Midrange players prefer Lifebane Zombie over Nightveil Specter, allowing Lightning Strikes to be sideboarded out. Be careful not to run a Rakdos Cackler into a Blood Baron of Vizkopa since the Cackler is a black creature.

Out (on the play):

Legion+Loyalist  Rubblebelt+Maaka  Rubblebelt+Maaka  Lightning+Strike  Lightning+Strike
In (on the play):

Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Mizzium+Mortars
Out (on the play):

Mutavault  Rubblebelt+Maaka  Rubblebelt+Maaka  Lightning+Strike  Lightning+Strike
In (on the draw):

Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Mizzium+Mortars
Versus Mono-Blue Devotion

This matchup looks bad on paper, and it is assumed it's good matchup against Boss Sligh and other Mono-Red decks. That's part of the reason for its recent resurgence in popularity. The key to winning the matchup is to contain their payoff cards, which are Thassa, God of the Sea and Master of Waves. If we keep Thassa inactive and the number of tokens created by Master of Waves to a minimum then the alpha strike with Legion Loyalist the turn after they cast Master of Waves ought to be lethal.

Out (on the play):

Foundry+Street+Denizen  Foundry+Street+Denizen  Foundry+Street+Denizen  Foundry+Street+Denizen  Ash+Zealot  Ash+Zealot
In (on the play):

Seismic+Stomp  Mizzium+Mortars  Magma+Spray  Magma+Spray  Magma+Spray  Searing+Blood
Out (on the draw):

Foundry+Street+Denizen  Foundry+Street+Denizen  Foundry+Street+Denizen  Foundry+Street+Denizen  Ash+Zealot  Ash+Zealot
In (on the draw):

Seismic+Stomp  Mizzium+Mortars  Magma+Spray  Magma+Spray  Magma+Spray  Searing+Blood
Versus G/W Aggro

They play four copies of Mana Confluence which deals them a significant amount of damage. Where they had Unflinching Courage before they now have Ajani Steadfast, which is slower and easier to deal with. Their removal is Banishing Light which matchups up poorly with our cheap threats. Keep Advent of the Wurm and Selesnya Charm in mind when making attacks. Their token creatures can't block through Legion Loyalist's battalion so on turn 4 when they leave up mana for Advent, that's the perfect time to punish them. They have Soldier of the Pantheon that matches up well against our multicolored creatures so you want to side some number of those out. Be careful not to walk into the exile function of Selesnya Charm. This may mean allowing a trade when you could save your creature with Rubblebelt Maaka or by not attacking into an empty board with Goblin Rabblemaster. Try to save Magma Spray to exile Voice of Resurgence.

Out (on the play):

Rakdos+Cackler  Rakdos+Cackler  Rakdos+Cackler  Rakdos+Cackler  Burning-Tree+Emissary  Burning-Tree+Emissary
In (on the play):

Seismic+Stomp  Harness+by+Force  Magma+Spray  Magma+Spray  Magma+Spray  Mizzium+Mortars
Out (on the draw):

Rakdos+Cackler  Rakdos+Cackler  Rakdos+Cackler  Rakdos+Cackler  Burning-Tree+Emissary  Burning-Tree+Emissary
In (on the draw):

Seismic+Stomp  Harness+by+Force  Magma+Spray  Magma+Spray  Magma+Spray  Mizzium+Mortars
Versus R/W Burn

Your worst matchup. Firedrinker Satyr is terrible to get hit by a Searing Blood. If they have Young Pyromancer, you want the copy of Electrickery. There's no way for them to be left with any Elemental tokens if you overload it. If they have Satyr Firedancer, then you have to play more burn spells to deal with those, as it will outright beat you. The games go long and it comes down to who has the last threat in play, which is sometimes Rubblebelt Maaka. Try to save Magma Spray to exile Chandra's Phoenix, even if they activate Mutavault to block and trade.

Out (on the play):

Firedrinker+Satyr  Firedrinker+Satyr  Firedrinker+Satyr  Firedrinker+Satyr  Lightning+Strike  Lightning+Strike Lightning+Strike  Firefist+Striker  Firefist+Striker
In (on the play):

Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Searing+Blood  Magma+Spray Magma+Spray  Magma+Spray  Hall+of+Triumph
Out (on the draw):

Firedrinker+Satyr  Firedrinker+Satyr  Firedrinker+Satyr  Firedrinker+Satyr  Lightning+Strike  Lightning+Strike Lightning+Strike  Mountain
In (on the draw):

Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Searing+Blood  Magma+Spray  Magma+Spray Magma+Spray  Hall+of+Triumph
Versus Jund Monsters

Three-color decks are what this deck is designed to punish. They are prone to stumbling on their curve with their temples. While Eidolon of the Great Revel doesn't hit a significant number of cards from their deck in game 1, they have to lower their curve to keep up with your speed increasing the number of cards that get hit my Eidolon. They rarely run Bile Blight, Anger of the Gods, or Drown in Sorrow so the cards you play around will be Golgari Charm and Mizzium Mortars. Lightning Strike isn't great, but it is good to have against their Scavenging Oozes or possibly Nylea's Disciples.

Out (on the play):

Foundry+Street+Denizen  Foundry+Street+Denizen  Lightning+Strike  Lightning+Strike  Legion+Loyalist  Legion+Loyalist
In (on the play):

Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Harness+by+Force  Hall+of+Triumph
Out (on the draw):

Foundry+Street+Denizen  Foundry+Street+Denizen  Foundry+Street+Denizen  Foundry+Street+Denizen  Legion+Loyalist
In (on the draw):

Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Harness+by+Force  Hall+of+Triumph
Versus Jund Planeswalkers

A new contender straight out of the Open Series in Kansas City, Jund Planewalkers does some powerful things but is even slower than its Monsters cousin. Garruk, Apex Predator, Vraska the Unseen, and Liliana Vess are too slow to be effective. Xenagos, the Reveler makes tokens that can be circumvented by Legion Loyalist. They have no cards like Polukranos, World Eater or Stormbreath Dragon to put pressure on you. As long as you don't get caught by a Golgari Charm or an overloaded Mizzium Mortars, you should run them over just fine.

Out (on the play):

Foundry+Street+Denizen  Foundry+Street+Denizen  Lightning+Strike  Lightning+Strike  Lightning+Strike
In (on the play):

Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Hall+of+Triumph
Out (on the draw):

Foundry+Street+Denizen  Foundry+Street+Denizen  Foundry+Street+Denizen  Foundry+Street+Denizen  Lightning+Strike
In (on the draw):

Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Hall+of+Triumph
Versus U/W Control and Esper Control

Esper is typically easier to beat than U/W as they have more temples and shocklands. Azorius Charm is annoying but can be punished by an Eidolon of the Great Revel in your first main phase. The second Hall of Triumph comes in to not overextend into Supreme Verdict and to turn off their Last Breaths, as well as to better pressure their Jace, Architect of Thought. Firefist Striker is pretty weak and Lightning Strike generally doesn't have any creature targets other than Mutavault. Skullcrack stops the lifegain from Elixir of Immortality and Sphinx's Revelation. Legion Loyalist does a good job getting through tokens from Elspeth, Sun's Champion.

Out (on the play):

Lightning+Strike  Lightning+Strike  Lightning+Strike  Firefist+Striker  Firefist+Striker  Rubblebelt+Maaka Rubblebelt+Maaka
In (on the play):

Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Skullcrack  Skullcrack Hall+of+Triumph
Out (on the draw):

Lightning+Strike  Lightning+Strike  Lightning+Strike  Firefist+Striker  Firefist+Striker  Foundry+Street+Denizen Foundry+Street+Denizen
In (on the draw):

Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Skullcrack  Skullcrack Hall+of+Triumph
Versus Mono-Green Devotion

Of all the devotion decks, this one is the most explosive. Their draws that start on Elvish Mystic then go to Burning-Tree Emissary(s) into Sylvan Caryatid will be too much for even our fastest draws. The good news is that after sideboard they need to reduce their number of real threats to bring in cheaper cards making them prone to flooding out. If they have Nylea's Disciple, lean towards keeping in Lightning Strike and taking out a one-toughness creature to reduce the impact of Golgari Charm. If they pass with mana up, think about what they can appropriately Chord of Calling for (Hornet's Nest is a target post-sideboard) and that they could be leaving up Setessan Tactics.

Out (on the play):

Legion+Loyalist  Lightning+Strike  Lightning+Strike
In (on the play):

Mizzium+Mortars  Seismic+Stomp  Harness+by+Force
Out (on the draw):

Legion+Loyalist  Lightning+Strike  Lightning+Strike
In (on the draw):

Mizzium+Mortars  Seismic+Stomp  Harness+by+Force
Versus Boss Sligh

Rabble Red is exactly the kind of deck that Boss Sligh doesn't want to see: a deck that it can't go underneath and has stronger cards and cheap removal. This matchup is about stranding their situational pumps spells by killing all their creatures. You play the match defensively, which will often include casting Rakdos Cackler without the unleash and leaving back Ash Zealot on defense.

Out (on the play):

Firedrinker+Satyr  Firedrinker+Satyr  Firedrinker+Satyr  Firedrinker+Satyr  Firefist+Striker
In (on the play):

Magma+Spray  Magma+Spray  Magma+Spray  Searing+Blood  Electrickery
Out (on the draw):

Firedrinker+Satyr  Firedrinker+Satyr  Firedrinker+Satyr  Firedrinker+Satyr  Firefist+Striker  Firefist+Striker
In (on the draw):

Magma+Spray  Magma+Spray  Magma+Spray  Searing+Blood  Electrickery  Mizzium+Mortars
Versus White Weenie variants

Skullcrack notably turns off the damage prevention part from protection. This means that Solider of the Pantheon will trade with a multicolored creature and that your red creatures will damage to their creatures when they block and cast Brave the Elements. There is also enough lifegain from Ajani Steadfast and Fiendslayer Paladin after sideboard to sometimes prevent lifegain.

Out (on the play):

Rakdos+Cackler  Rakdos+Cackler  Rakdos+Cackler  Rakdos+Cackler  Firedrinker+Satyr  Firedrinker+Satyr Burning-Tree+Emissary
In (on the play):

Electrickery  Searing+Blood  Magma+Spray  Magma+Spray  Magma+Spray  Mizzium+Mortars Skullcrack
Out (on the draw):

Rakdos+Cackler  Rakdos+Cackler  Rakdos+Cackler  Rakdos+Cackler  Firedrinker+Satyr  Firedrinker+Satyr Burning-Tree+Emissary
In (on the draw):

Electrickery  Searing+Blood  Magma+Spray  Magma+Spray  Magma+Spray  Mizzium+Mortars Skullcrack
Versus Junk Midrange

Of the three-color decks in Standard, this is the one that will give you the most trouble. They have the right mix of acceleration, life gain, card advantage, and removal to compete. If they draw it all in the right order then it's tough. Fortunately like other three-color decks, they are prone to stumbling or taking too much damage from their own lands. Junk builds come with a wide variety of cards to play around so often it's best to throw caution to the wind and jam your cards and hope for the best.

Out (on the play):

Foundry+Street+Denizen  Foundry+Street+Denizen  Lightning+Strike  Lightning+Strike  Legion+Loyalist
In (on the play):

Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Harness+by+Force
Out (on the draw):

Foundry+Street+Denizen  Foundry+Street+Denizen  Foundry+Street+Denizen  Foundry+Street+Denizen  Legion+Loyalist
In (on the draw):

Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Harness+by+Force
Versus Naya Hexproof

You can't interact with their creatures, but they do a ton of damage to themselves with Mana Confluence and shocklands. Their best bet is to one-shot you with Ghor-Clan Rampager and a double strike effect like Ajani, Caller of the Pride or Boros Charm. Your goal here is to put up enough pressure on them where they have to leave their hexproof creature with Ethereal Armor on it on defense. This is a matchup where a Rakdos Cackler sometimes comes down leashed to chump-block.

Out (on the play):

Firefist+Striker  Firefist+Striker  Lightning+Strike  Lightning+Strike  Lightning+Strike  Legion+Loyalist Stoke+the+Flames
In (on the play):

Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Skullcrack  Skullcrack Electrickery
Out (on the draw):

Firefist+Striker  Firefist+Striker  Lightning+Strike  Lightning+Strike  Lightning+Strike  Stoke+the+Flames
In (on the draw):

Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Skullcrack  Skullcrack  Electrickery
Versus Mono-Red Devotion

Boros Reckoner is a problem but can be overcome. Firedrinker Satyr gets hit hard by a Mizzium Mortars and sometimes they come with Anger of the Gods after sideboard. Here we do our best to contain their devotion by removing their creatures. If they have Chandra's Phoenix, you also want to sideboard in Magma Spray.

Out (on the play):

Firedrinker+Satyr  Firedrinker+Satyr  Firedrinker+Satyr  Firedrinker+Satyr
In (on the play):

Harness+by+Force  Searing+Blood  Seismic+Stomp  Hall+of+Triumph
Out (on the draw):

Foundry+Street+Denizen  Foundry+Street+Denizen  Foundry+Street+Denizen  Foundry+Street+Denizen
In (on the draw):

Harness+by+Force  Searing+Blood  Seismic+Stomp  Mizzium+Mortars
Versus Naya Aggro

This matchup comes down to being a very quick race. They have four Soldier of the Pantheon and four Brave the Elements to give your Skullcracks good things to turn off. Their manabase hurts themselves more than any other deck in the format so a few quick hits along with burn will finish them off. When they hit four mana, be wary not to lose to Ghor-Clan Rampager + Boros Charm.

Out (on the play):

Rakdos+Cackler  Rakdos+Cackler  Rakdos+Cackler  Rakdos+Cackler  Burning-Tree+Emissary  Burning-Tree+Emissary Burning-Tree+Emissary
In (on the play):

Magma+Spray  Magma+Spray  Magma+Spray  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel  Searing+Blood Skullcrack
Out (on the draw):

Rakdos+Cackler  Rakdos+Cackler  Rakdos+Cackler  Rakdos+Cackler  Burning-Tree+Emissary  Mutavault
In (on the draw):

Magma+Spray  Magma+Spray  Magma+Spray  Searing+Blood  Skullcrack  Skullcrack
#Select  #Standard