Sideboard Philosophy

The sideboard changes threat quality rather than adding narrow spells. Seven of its ten cards are units, which lets the deck raise unit density against control, replace low-impact bodies with protected threats, add Gear interaction without abandoning the battlefield plan, and move from lone defence to Vilemaw stabilisation while keeping the same Legend and Champion.

Minimum unit density

The shuffled deck starts at 18 units and should generally stay there. Going below is acceptable only when the opponent presents very few scoring units, when a specific spell attacks their central engine directly, or when they cannot punish a slow first development.

Default cuts

• Whiteflame Protector, against fast decks, dense counterspells, matchups where Vilemaw is the better eight-drop, and games decided before eight Energy.
• Onslaught, against Defy-heavy and targeted control, and wherever Fervent is regularly removed or displaced.
• Rampage, against low-unit control, Deathknell boards, Deflect threats and untargetable threats.
• Sabotage, against thirty-unit decks and any opponent whose meaningful cards are units.
• Pit Rookie, when the sideboard offers a stronger body at a similar point on the curve.

Rarely cut

Three Lonely Poro, three Scuttle Crab, three First Mate, three Irelia, Fervent, three Rengar, Trophy Hunter, three Discipline, at least one Charm, and at least two Hourglass.