Magic: the Gathering Standard’s Top Sideboard Choices January 2023

Posted on by

There are several Magic: the Gathering websites that have been my point of reference on the data of the top-tier and top-performing Standard decks on the current BRO metagame. I am also checking not only the maindeck’s cards but also the sideboards. Thus for today’s blog post, let us do a quick rundown of the latter as of January 2nd week, 2023.

The top Standard cards of decks using for sideboard as based on these recent tournament results are the following:

  1. Disdainful Stroke – This solid Blue counterspell for a mana cost of 4 and up is the automatic choice of Blue-based decks and even those with a splash of color. Prevention of late-game threats is better than cure. Average copies are between two to three.
  2. Duress – Black’s best discard spell is currently in the format. It hits the good cards such as Wedding Announcement and Fable of the Mirror-Breaker and also helps you resolve your best spells by discarding their counterspell first before casting your big spell.
  3. Reckoner Bankbuster – Standard’s best card at the moment both in providing card advantage and threat. I have explained the disadvantages in a previous blog post, though be wary that some opponents are boarding in Abrade to deal with this vehicle.
  1. Unlicensed Hearse – this is still one of the default sideboard cards of the format because of the prevalence of Mono-Blue matchups and White’s graveyard shenanigans with Serra Paragon. It then usually becomes the win condition if left unchecked in the late game. Minimum of two copies in each sideboard list.
  2. Cut Down – Standard’s top one-mana cost spot removal and is refilled with more copies in the board against Soldiers, Mono Red, and a variance of Rakdos, and Artifact aggro decks. At least two copies are considered in the main and two more in the sideboard.

That is a wrap on the top 5 Standard sideboard cards for now. We will do another update by end of January if the top-tier decks’ performance has changed or shifted toward the new variance of artifact-based Standard decks.

Thanks for reading and until the next blog post.