Building a strong sideboard is essential for success in the Standard format of Magic: The Gathering, as it allows players to adapt to specific matchups and counter the strategies of their opponents. A well-crafted sideboard contains versatile and efficient cards that address the format’s most prominent threats and archetypes, ensuring your deck remains competitive across a variety of situations.

One particular example matchup is the graveyard-based strategy kind of deck. That is getting card advantage via self-mill or recurring cards from their graveyards into the battlefield. Specific cards like Rest in Peace, and others provide powerful answers to recurring problems in Standard, from resilient creatures to graveyard interactions and more.

Today’s Standard deck highlight is Golgari Midrange, and here below is the short sideboarding guide against other top-tier decks in the format. The main decklist is below.

See the example sideboard list of cards.

3 Duress

2 Ghost Vacuum

2 Harvester of Misery

1 Maelstrom Pulse

2 Nissa, Ascended Animist

2 Obstinate Baloth

1 Tear Asunder

1 The End

1 Tranquil Frillback

VS Dimir Midrange

+3 Duress, +1 Tear Asunder, +1 The End, +1 Tranquil Frillback, +1 Nissa, Ascended Animist

Board out Llanowar Elves, and inefficient spot removals like Cut Down.

VS Dimir Self-bounce

+3 Duress, +2 Obstinate Baloth, +1 Harvester of Misery, +1 Tranquil Frillback, +1 Tear Asunder

In the play, remove slow spot removals like Maelstrom Pulse, cut one Gix’s Command, and high-cast creatures like Sheoldred.

On the draw, Llanowar Elves might help you ramp into your bigger threats but maintain a balance of creatures and spells by cutting some one-ofs in your lineup.

VS Gruul Aggro

+3 Duress, +2 Obstinate Baloth, +2 Harvester of Misery, +1 Tranquil Frillback, +1 Maelstrom Pulse

Place in removal as many as possible though be wary of Snakeskin Vein. Anytime they are tapped out, take down their creatures. Duress also helps to keep check of their hand of their sideboard spot removals. You can cut some high-mana cost spells, and a few elves to adjust this sideboard plan.  

VS Omniscience Control

+3 Duress, 2 Ghost Vacuum, +1 Tranquil Frillback, +1 Tear Asunder

Graveyard and enchantments are their main gameplan which you can easily disrupt with these cards. Board out almost all of the irrelevant spot removals.

VS Zur Overlords

+3 Duress, +1 Maelstrom Pulse, +2 Nissa, Ascended Animist, +1 Tear Asunder, +1 The End, +1 Tranquil Frillback

Remove cheap spot removals into an efficient late-game strategy which can also target enchantments. Duress takes care of Sunfall, Leyline Binding, and other spot removals. Zur would be only relevant if it has a good Enchantment to target with its ability.

By carefully choosing sideboard options, players can gain an edge in games two and three wherein these games are the most important, turning difficult matchups into winnable ones and showcasing the importance of preparation in competitive play.