Catalogue
Graveyard
Dredge
| 55-45
Dredge wins game one most of the time, and the next two games come down to whether you find Rest in Peace or Sanctifier en-Vec. That’s about all there is to it. If you see Dredge often, I recommend playing Mana Tithe in the main. It’s pretty much your only interaction with their stuff in the early turns, and if you can get one of their Cathartic Reunions with it you might buy enough time to combo them.
In: 3 Rest in Peace, 2 Brutal Cathar
Out: 4 Aether Vial, 1 Ranger-Captain of Eos
Recs: Sanctifier en-Vec, Mana Tithe
Reanimator
There are a few different flavors of Reanimator that I haven’t played against, so I’m going to be generalizing here. I think this matchup is at least slightly favored because Rest in Peace is a bomb against them and you also have several ways to deal with a resolved beefer: namely Oust, Solitude, and Brutal Cathar out of the sideboard.
I recommend against using a no-Oust removal split if you think you’ll come across this matchup; without Oust, it becomes impossible to answer a Serra’s Emissary.
Traditional (TS/CS) | 60-40
The traditional Esper Reanimator matchup is relatively straightforward: dodge discard spells, draw your hate cards, exile their graveyard. Easy. A common line is to sacrifice Ranger-Captain of Eos in their upkeep to prevent them from casting Persist for a turn.
In: 3 Rest in Peace, 1 Phyrexian Revoker, 2 Brutal Cathar, 1 Sanctum Prelate
Out: 2 Aether Vial, 1 Prismatic Ending, 4 Skyclave Apparition
Recs: Sanctifier en-Vec[/c], [c]Veil of Summer, Mana Tithe, Path to Exile
Flicker | 55-45
If you’re playing against the Ephemerate versions with Grief and Solitude, it gets a little more complicated. You’ll want to prioritize sticking a Giver to protect your sideboard cards from Solitude, and Sanctum Prelate sometimes goes on one instead of two to keep them from casting Ephemerate.
In: 3 Rest in Peace, 3 Lavinia, Azorius Renegade, 2 Brutal Cathar, 1 Sanctum Prelate
Out: 4 Aether Vial, 1 Prismatic Ending, 4 Skyclave Apparition
Recs: Sanctifier en-Vec, Mana Tithe, Path to Exile
Phoenix
| 60-40
The Jeskai Phoenix deck might have a slight edge on us in game one, but post-board we have Rest in Peace, Sanctifier, and Sanctum Prelate. If you really want to neuter them, you can play Ghostly Prison as well. I like cutting Hierarchs in this matchup because it’s a prime target for Gut Shot and Lava Dart (more common in UR and Mono R Phoenix). You can bring in Brutal Cathar if you feel like you need additional removal.
In: 3 Rest in Peace, 1 Sanctum Prelate, 1-2 Brutal Cathar
Out: 2 Noble Hierarch, 1 Oust, 1 Prismatic Ending, 1-2 Ranger-Captain of Eos
Recs: Sanctifier en-Vec, Mana Tithe
Conclusion
That’s the end of the sideboard guide! If you have any questions about a matchup I didn’t mention, please contact me on Discord (pizza#9468) or in the comments.
Thanks for reading!
