Sideboard Nouveau Pt.2
Plan to sideboard. Create and establish what you want to do against each deck that is powerful, and keep yourself open to the different type of decks that could be seen. A player who is best prepared is a player ready to tackle down a metagame with their own deck. As many have said before, a ready mind is the one who success comes natural to. Nothing is without work and no one is ready for the unknown, but players can do their best to prepare for it.
“You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.” -Zig Zilgar
A way to be ready is to plan ahead, take notes and keep track of them. In between a game, it may feel like cheating, but a player could look at their notes to tackle the next game best to their ability. Memorization makes things faster, but is not necessarily a tool best qualified in terms of ability. The best players are the ones who are able to use each of their tools to their best, while knowing different angles and different abilities in different situations. The amount of times I have gone blindly into a tournament with a new deck and an ill-prepared sideboard, and have done well, is high, but that is because I know what cards are appropriate to play and what cards are appropriate to utilize in those moments. This hardly comes up in a 9 round day, when players are mentally and physically exhausted toward the end. Surely the ability to play is there, but so is the ability to tilt and fall face flat on to the table, metaphorically of course.
What I suggest is to take notes of a sideboard plan, with everything in mind before and after the game. What works and what doesn't. Have the piece of paper with you at all times, on the back of a life pad or folded into fours to fit perfectly in the deck box. Plan what you are going to take out before a tournament begins, take note of what cards work and what cards were horrible. No 15 cards are perfect for the day, but the closer a player is to the perfect 15 is when the matchups become less stressful and easier to fight against.
It feels like cheating to do this. Not enough people do it, and they are the ones that are too confident to win a game. The rules permit, and it is as free as remembering a Pact trigger by putting a dice on the top of your deck. Having a plan keeps a player honest, and that is an easy way to play to your own outs rather than failing to meet a chance to win as the moment comes.
What I love is the people who do this for me, so I can figure out a plan against certain matchups. When people write down they own method to sideboarding, it makes our job as players easier. We are able to use their tool to our gain without the work of figuring out a plan for ourselves. The internet is wondrous for the establishment of people doing well with certain decks. Some of the best players of a certain archetype put their sideboarding plans online for players to use and use well. Take this forward and learn from what others have succeeded in doing. Remember, you’re as best a player as you are willing to learn, and sometimes that is all someone needs to play the best game of Magic they can.
Not every sideboard plan is best for you as a single player, but that shouldn't stop from trying until you find the right sideboard action, and it is easier to access your own with a template to work with. Onward into the battlefield, with a plan and a course for each battle!
