How to Build a Sideboard in Modern

When playing Modern at your local game store it is very easy just to copy a list online and use its sideboard. However, in local metagames, a sideboard built for large tournaments such as Pro-Tours, Regional Championships, and MTGO Challenges is typically not as effective. A more tuned sideboard will significantly help bad matchups, but will create a larger weak spot against new players showing up with decks previously not present.

To build a sideboard you have to assess how many decks you care about and how much you care about each one. From there you will choose what 15 cards are to go in your sideboard and the specificity of them. There are many incredibly powerful sideboard cards that only hit one or two decks. Most decks opt for the less powerful and broad sideboard hate cards. In this article I will go through some of the most popular sideboard cards in modern and what they are good against. 

Chalice of the Void

First off we have Chalice of the Void. This Modern and Legacy staple is an amazing sideboard tool. The XX costing artifact is perfect for turning off 0 or 1 mana spells. In Modern this card is typically included against decks like Living End and Crashing Footfalls, but for decks without a density of 1-drops, it can also be a great tool against UR Murktide as often Chalice can turn off more than 20 cards in their deck. 

Engineered Explosives

Engineered Explosives is yet again a very versatile spell that plays well against Rhinos but also hits a wide array of other decks. An Engineered Explosives on 0 destroys all rhino tokens for 2 mana. Additionally, placing it on 1 can be thoroughly back-breaking against Hammer Time. The more fringe things it hits are decks looking to kill with Urza’s Saga constructs, Food decks, and Creativity.

Fury

Fury is a major piece of the Rakdos Scam archetype but also serves as a great way to clear up small creatures for no mana. It is best against Yawgmoth where a well-timed Fury can kill up to 4 creatures being a free four for two, or in the late game when not evoked it can be a 4 for 1. It is also good to bring in against Crashing Footfalls/ Rhinos as the 3/3 Double Strike Body and the four damage etb trigger allows for 1 card to trade for both Rhinos Tokens. Fury is also absurd against any other creature deck: Merfolk, Humans and the like will often fold to a zero-mana double removal spell.

Endurance

Endurance is free graveyard hate on an agressively costed body. When evoked you get to put your opponents graveyard on the bottom of their library for the cost of two cards. When cast normally it's a three-mana 3/4 with Flash and Reach, which is already perfectly defensible as a midrange body. This card is great against decks that remotely care about the graveyard. UR Murktide, Living End, Dredge, and Yawgmoth all get a bit sad when you resolve and Endurance. 

Pithing Needle

Pithing needle is good against decks where activated abilities of a few particular cards are important. Against worse players who forget to fetch in response it can also be used against fetchlands to effectively get rid of them. Additionally, it is good against Urza’s Saga shells, Yawgmoth (Yawgmoth, Cauldron), Hardened Scales (Walking Ballista, Cauldron), and Hammer Time (Colossus Hammer, Stoneforge Mystic) as each deck has very powerful cards to name. 

Force of Vigor

This is a free instant speed spell that destroys two artifacts and/or enchantments. While most pitch spells are 2 for 1 trades (with fury being a major exception) this one is exceptionally powerful as the combination of instant speed and a two for two trading means it is one of the best ways to deal with powerful enchantments. Even cards like Blood Moon that are resistant to removal via land hate are weak to it as it is a free spell. Though it is rather obvious, Force of Vigor is great against decks like Hardened Scales, Hammer Time, 4-Color (Leyline Binding and Up the Beanstalk are powerhouses) and less meta-decks like Affinity and Enchantress. Decks like Affinity and Enchantress do seem to pop up more at the LGS level in my experience. 

Haywire Mite

Haywire Mite is tutorable off of Urza’s Saga and Chord of Calling, and since it has an activated ability it's good with Agatha’s Soul Cauldron too. This means it sees play across many decks. It is good against many of the other decks listed previously alongside Force of Vigor, with the additional benefit of exiling against indestructible artifacts like Kaldra Compleat and The One Ring.

Leyline of the Void

Free spells are good. Leyline is graveyard hate that can start the game on the field, making it invulnerable to Thoughtsiezes/ Griefs. As such, Leyline is great against Scam as it stops turn one scamming, and slows down Murktide by stopping delirium for Unholy Heat / DRC and delve for Murktide. The exile effect also slows down Yawgmoth significantly by turning it’s undying creatures into relatively dopey cards.

Dismember

Dismember is a colorless removal spell for decks that lack access to colors with good removal. Effectively a one-mana and 4 life -5/-5 effect that sees play in Tron and Merfolk. This is good against Scam but also is somewhat good against decks like Yawgmoth or Domain.

These cards all see significant play as they are wider in their impact against the current meta. An example of a more specific card would be Cursed Totem which is very good against just Yawgmoth and Hardened Scales. 

I hope this guide of sideboard cards was helpful and allows you to better tune your sideboard for your LGS. Do not be afraid to run 4 copies of some of these cards if the decks they hate are especially common. I know if my meta had multiple Hardened Scales or Scam decks I would be packing a lot of Force of Vigors and Leylines.