u/Ken_the_Great

Dimir Midrange’s MVP is Kaito, and there is no doubt to that. However, the current meta has a lot of anti-Kaito gameplay (e.g., burn spells that targets Kaito, Erode, go-wide strategy leaving the Kaito open from attacks). Thus, we are trying to make Kaito to be plan B rather than the main plan. 

Thus, our main plan here is to aggro the opponent with the Skeletons package, followed by the ninjutsu/sneak strategy, or the ninjutsu/sneak strategy on its own. 

The following line of play can made on the early turns: 

a.    Plan A: Skeleton aggro line

The ideal line of play using our main plan is: turn 1, Forsaken Miner; Turn 2, Case of the Stashed Skeleton; and Turn 3, Corpses of the Lost. Other lines of play that will be discussed below can be done after this line of play. 

b.    Plan B: Oroku Saki / Kaito line

Turn 1, one-drop creature; turn 2 Oroku Saki, and just destroy the creatures that the opponent will play to allow Oroku Saki attack for another 3. Then you have the Kaito strategy.. and we all know how this works. 

free sb guide here: https://mfy.gg/guides/view/standard-dimir-midrange-sideboard-guide-ms-5R10jXraLHM

https://metafy.gg/guides/view/standard-dimir-midrange-sideboard-guide-ms-7SNS6cSf73k

3 Deep-Cavern Bat 

4 Dream Beavers 

4 Enduring Curiosity 

4 Floodpits Drowner 

4 Gloomlake Verge 

3 Island 

4 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares 

3 Loki, God of Mischief 

3 Multiversal Passage 

1 Nowhere to Run 

3 Requiting Hex 

2 Restless Reef 

1 Shoot the Sheriff 

1 Bitter Triumph

2 Soulstone Sanctuary 

2 Spell Pierce 

4 Spyglass Siren 

2 Oroku Saki, Shredder Rising

5 Swamp 

1 Deadly Cover-Up 

4 Watery Grave 

// SIDEBOARD

3 Day of Black Sun 

4 Duress 

2 Flashfreeze 

1 Ghost Vacuum 

2 Qarsi Revenant 

2 Strategic Betrayal

1 Wan Shi Tong

https://metafy.gg/guides/view/standard-dimir-midrange-sideboard-guide-ms-7SNS6cSf73k

3 Deep-Cavern Bat 

4 Dream Beavers 

4 Enduring Curiosity 

4 Floodpits Drowner 

4 Gloomlake Verge 

3 Island 

4 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares 

3 Loki, God of Mischief 

3 Multiversal Passage 

1 Nowhere to Run 

3 Requiting Hex 

2 Restless Reef 

1 Shoot the Sheriff 

1 Bitter Triumph

2 Soulstone Sanctuary 

2 Spell Pierce 

4 Spyglass Siren 

2 Oroku Saki, Shredder Rising

5 Swamp 

1 Deadly Cover-Up 

4 Watery Grave 

// SIDEBOARD

3 Day of Black Sun 

4 Duress 

2 Flashfreeze 

1 Ghost Vacuum 

2 Qarsi Revenant 

2 Strategic Betrayal

1 Wan Shi Tong

Testing notes:

 1.    Playing on the aggressive curve gives us huge tempo 

The majority of our wins follow one or more of the following sequences:

Turn 1

·      Deploy any one-drop flier to set up future Kaito or Oroku Saki attacks.

Turn 2

·      Sneak in Oroku Saki for a surprise three damage and a card draw.

·      Flash in Floodpits Drowner to place a stun counter while setting up a future Kaito or Oroku Saki attack.

·      Cast Loki to bait removal. If left unanswered, Loki generates significant card advantage, while also allowing Deep-Cavern Bat (“DCB”) to strip key cards from the opponent’s hand without immediately drawing removal.

Turn 3

·      Ninjutsu Kaito into play, which remains the deck’s primary game plan.

·      If Oroku Saki was not deployed on Turn 2, sneak it in on Turn 3 while leaving one blue mana available for Spell Pierce to protect it from removal.

2.    Oroku Saki, Shredder Rising

During the early stages of our playtesting, Oroku Saki consistently caught opponents off guard. Most opponents are comfortable letting our one-drop flyer connect, assuming the damage is insignificant. However, once Oroku Saki is sneaked into play, the attack suddenly becomes three damage and a card draw, creating a substantial tempo swing.

Since Oroku only costs two mana to sneak into play, it can also function as a pseudo-removal spell. By attacking with Oroku, you can force unfavorable blocks from your opponent. For decks that use damage based removal, it would be better to always attack with Oroku since they could just bolt it easily. 

When deciding between Oroku Saki, Loki, DCB, and Floodpits Drowner on Turn 2, we generally recommend prioritizing Oroku Saki. It immediately generates card advantage while pressuring the opponent to answer it. If they do spend removal on Oroku, your remaining two-drops are more likely to survive, allowing you to extract additional value from them in subsequent turns 

Throughout our playtesting, we also found that Oroku’s repeated card draw significantly improved our ability to play a longer game. The additional resources allowed us to keep pace with midrange and control decks well into the late game.

Finally, Oroku becomes especially threatening against control decks. Countering a removal spell aimed at Oroku often results in a massive tempo swing. If Oroku survives to attack again, it represents six total damage and two cards drawn over two combat steps—an exchange that many control decks struggle to recover from.

3.    Loki, God of Mischief

If Oroku Saki is unavailable on Turn 2, the next best play is usually Loki. Deploying Loki early allows you to generate additional value from the ETB abilities of Floodpits Drowner and DCB, giving you a steady source of card advantage throughout the game.

We also considered Sunset Saboteur as an alternative two-drop because it can generate card advantage whenever it attacks. Its ability to target creatures also provides some utility. However, after extensive playtesting, our team reached a consensus that this line of play is generally too slow. It often concedes the tempo to the opponent, particularly against aggressive decks featuring Badgermole Cub.

Similar to Oroku Saki, Loki proved invaluable in our games against control decks. Throughout our playtesting, Loki’s repeated card draw allowed us to keep pace in longer games by replenishing our resources and maintaining pressure even after multiple removal spells. Left unanswered, Loki quickly snowballs into a significant source of card advantage, forcing control decks to answer it before it overwhelms them.

4.    Selesnya Ouroboroid / Landfall matchup

Regardless of the winning lines discussed above, we consistently found the Selesnya/Landfall matchup to be the most challenging. The deck was often able to out-value us in the late game through its sources of pseudo card advantage, particularly Earthbended Lands. As the game progressed, it became increasingly difficult to maintain our tempo advantage.

Our win rate against Selesnya improved after increasing Day of Black Sun from two to three copies. This significantly increased the likelihood of drawing a board wipe, allowing us to reset the battlefield and regain control of the game. We also chose to main-deck one copy of Deadly Cover-Up, which not only strengthens the Selesnya matchup but also serves as an effective answer against Jeskai Revelation decks.

Against decks that rely on hexproof effects, Nowhere to Run consistently overperformed. Its ability to answer otherwise difficult-to-remove threats makes it an excellent metagame choice. If your local meta contains a significant number of hexproof strategies, we recommend increasing the number of Nowhere to Run in the main deck or sideboard.

https://metafy.gg/guides/view/standard-dimir-midrange-sideboard-guide-ms-7SNS6cSf73k

3 Deep-Cavern Bat 

4 Dream Beavers 

4 Enduring Curiosity 

4 Floodpits Drowner 

4 Gloomlake Verge 

3 Island 

4 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares 

3 Loki, God of Mischief 

3 Multiversal Passage 

1 Nowhere to Run 

3 Requiting Hex 

2 Restless Reef 

1 Shoot the Sheriff 

1 Bitter Triumph

2 Soulstone Sanctuary 

2 Spell Pierce 

4 Spyglass Siren 

2 Oroku Saki, Shredder Rising

5 Swamp 

1 Deadly Cover-Up 

4 Watery Grave 

// SIDEBOARD

3 Day of Black Sun 

4 Duress 

2 Flashfreeze 

1 Ghost Vacuum 

2 Qarsi Revenant 

2 Strategic Betrayal

1 Wan Shi Tong

So I’ve been thinking about a small MTG side hustle/project and wanted to get the community’s thoughts on whether this is interesting or just cope brewing lol.

I mostly play Standard and I have a ton of bulk rares/uncommons lying around. My idea is to brew rogue but actually competitive-ish Standard decks using mostly cheap cards/bulk rares, test them heavily, create matchup + sideboard guides, then sell the complete physical deck package at a premium to players who want to join the Standard format.

Questions:

1. Would you ever buy something like this?
2. What would make it valuable enough for you to pay a premium over raw card value?
3. Would content/testing matter more than the cards themselves?
4. Is there a market for “rogue deck packages” in Standard?
5. Any obvious flaws with this idea?

Would appreciate honest feedback before I sink too much time into it.