Sideboard plans in Magic: The Gathering is highly situational and can vary depending on the specific metagame, local play environment, and personal preferences. It is very relevant in a best-of-three matchup as the sideboard games usually define the outcome. Do take note that in every Magic: the Gathering tournament, you should always adjust your sideboard to suit your needs and the prevailing meta.

Today’s short sideboard plan guide is for the Boros Convoke deck in Pioneer. This deck generally focuses on using cheap creatures and token generators to utilize them with Convoke to ramp into powerful creature spells quickly. It might also include creatures that generate free mana and etb effects that gain you board advantage and can deal huge chucks of life point damage in the early turns.

A typical Boros Convoke Sideboard list would look like this one:
1 Jegantha, the Wellspring
3 Forge Devil
1 Magmatic Chasm
2 Rending Volley
2 Silence
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Wear / Tear

Here’s a sideboard plan with some common cards that could be effective against various matchups:

Vs. Aggro Decks (e.g., Mono-Red Aggro, Mono-White Humans, etc)
3 Forge Devil
1 Magmatic Chasm
2 Rending Volley
1 Wear / Tear

You will try to take out their creatures while establishing your own. The Forge Devil does this well while also giving you fodder for Convoke. Rending Volley will take out Adelines and other large-toughness threats while Wear / Tear is assigned for other random enchantments or artifacts that opponents will board in against you. Magmatic Chasm is a situational card and will help for an alpha strike attack if there is a board stall.

Vs. Control Decks (e.g., Azorius Control, Jeskai Control, Esper Control):
2 Silence
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Wear / Tear

Thalia, Guardian of Thraben is the usual bane of these control decks as their spot removals and card advantage spells will be harder to cast. Silence can catch them off-guard during the turn where they would cast a mass removal or planeswalker spell to deal with your creatures.

Vs. Midrange Decks (e.g., GW Angels, RG Vehicles, Mono G Devotion)
For Angels
3 Forge Devil
2 Rending Volley

For Vehicles
3 Forge Devil
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1 Wear / Tear

A common lineup on these decks is the curve from the first-turn mana dude into their big spells that they try to ramp as early as possible. Forge Devil delays that plan while you curve into your explosive turn. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben specifically taxes Esika’s Chariot and removal spells that they sideboard in while Wear / Tear helps destroy their best Vehicle.

Vs. Combo Decks (e.g., Lotus Field, Aura Combo)
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Wear / Tear

If they are mostly on spells to setup their combo, just board in Thalia to delay them while dealing early damage and use Tormod’s Crypt at that instance that they will combo out or remove their graveyard to disrupt further shenanigans.

Do remember that this sideboard plan is just a starting point. It’s essential to analyze the metagame, identify the decks you’re likely to encounter and adjust your sideboard accordingly. Lastly, do playtest sessions and do compare a Plan B list of cards to update the sideboard.

Keep testing and refining your sideboard based on your experiences in local tournaments and events as this is still a continuous process.