Matchup Analysis - Rakdos Scam

Key Cards: Sigarda’s Aid, Urza’s Saga, Sanctifier (post-board)

Problem Cards: Fury/Grief + Rebirth Effect, Blood Moon, Kolaghan’s Command. Post-board: Engineered Explosives, Hidetsugu Consumes All (HCA)

Objectives:

• Grind them out, mitigate the effect of the scam with Saga Constructs
  • Without Blood Moon, it is incredibly difficult for them to overpower an Urza’s Saga.
• Stick a SFM with protection to Kaldra them
  • BR decks aren’t good at killing indestructible creatures. Considering they often damage themselves with Fetches and Thoughtseize, Kaldra can usually race just about anything.
• Get an Aid into play ASAP, as game 1 it is impossible for them to remove.
  • Getting an aid into play means that you can play the instant speed game and force them to interact on your terms.
  • Remember that your cards (especially non-creatures) are safer on the battlefield than in your hand, so deploy them accordingly.
• Fetch Basic Plains aggressively
  • Usually they have to cheese you out, and the easiest way to do that is by mooning your greedy manabase. Get at least 2 Basic Plains into play, then you can usually deploy other options.
• Keep Functional Hands, even if they aren’t great.
  • Mulling vs the Thoughtseize/Grief Scam deck is a fool’s errand, and usually just having the extra physical material matters more than the specifics.
  • That said, make sure you have at least 2-3 land.

SB Strategy and highlights: Sanctifier, Needle, and Skill are all excellent tools.

• While we are slightly favored game 1 (very draw dependent), with the right SB configuration, games 2 and 3 get even better.
• Sanctifier En-Vec has protection from their entire deck (except for EE and the occasional Pyrite Spellbomb and Path of Peril. Additionally, her graveyard clause shuts off the undying/rebirth effects since all their creatures get exiled instead of dying.
• Blacksmith’s Skill does an insane amount of work, countering everything from a removal spell on any permanent (looking at you, equipped Hammer), as well as protecting your chosen 1-drops from an EE.
• Pithing Needle is in here almost exclusively to name Engineered Explosives. Having Needle post-board also means that they need to pop their EE’s prior to Saga Chapter 3, as you can shut off the EEs before they can respond. Additionally, Skills can protect your Needle from K Command, Brotherhood’s End, and HCA.
• Removal Spells are medium, but often necessary. Path and Prismatic Ending are solid options, as Path can kill an early Fury, and Ending can trade evenly with an early Ragavan. March of Otherworldly Light is too inefficient at killing 1 drops though.
• Spell Pierce is a solid choice as well, but I prefer to beat blood moon by simply fetching basic plains. This means that it can be hard to cast your pierces reliably. That being said, if you anticipate your specific RB opponent playing multiple copies of Brotherhood’s End and HCA, keeping 1-2 Pierces in the deck is very reasonable.
• Hushbringer is a solid tool as well. Shutting off their Fury/Griefs as well as blanking their Pyromancers are nice. If you’ve got them, I would bring in at least 1-2 copies.
• Engineered Explosives, Blood Moon, and HCA are additional problems post-board. Here is how you beat them.
  • EE: Both Needle and Skill do a great job at softening/beating an EE. If you have a 0 drop or a 2 drop and an aid in play, your OP has spot to pop the EE when you flash in a hammer. They can do 1 of 2 things:
    • 1. Pop it with the hammer on the stack. You Skill the Aid. EE resolves, your hammer comes in and attaches.
    • 2. Pop it with the aid “attach” trigger on the stack. You Skill the Hammer, it gets equipped, and they die.
  • Blood Moon: Make sure to fetch basics early and often if possible. Since we are often boarding out some of the drums, this is even more important post-board.
    • Additionally, look at the lands your OP is fetching/playing. It is less likely that you get Mooned if they are only grabbing mountains or nonbasics.
      • With that said, unlike UR Murktide, they only need a single black to function for the most part. As such, they can bait you by playing 2 nonbasics and then on turn 3 play/fetch a basic swamp and slam Moon.
      • Since it is harder to get an early read on if they will moon you than against UR Murktide or Rhinos, it is often correct to play around it and get 2 basics into play in the first 2 turns (or 3 if you are on the play) if possible
  • HCA: Honestly, it is very difficult to beat an HCA without also playing too conservatively.
    • The best you can do is try to create enough pressure to force them to play it if they have it. You can do this by either creating a couple constructs and holding your cheap permanents in hand, or by deploying multiple cards in the same turn.
    • Additionally, you can play it similarly as you would an EE. Stick a hammer to a 2 drop (SFM, Sanctifier, Paladin), and protect the hammer with a Skill.

TL;DR: Saga and Sanctifier can single-handedly carry this matchup. Minimize your mulligans, and do your best to play around Blood Moon.