Why does ramp beat us?
-We have no way to stop their "Cast" triggers on their threats, and not enough threats of our own to power through it.
-They're one of the few decks that can dump their hand faster than we can fill it due to massive mana advantage.
-Even when we stop their "ramp" they will eventually draw into enough mana for their threats, just slower.
What can/do we do vs Ramp already?
-We can usually keep their hand full for the first couple turns.
-We can usually manage to smack them once or twice with man-lands and or Visions triggers.
-We can delay their ramp strategy a few turns.
What are Ramp's weak points?
-Reliance on ability to produce large mana pools.
-Crucial "turning" point similar to Control decks where they need to stay alive.
-Depending on the list, they can have a lower-ish creature count, lower-ish land count, and lower-ish answer count compared to most decks. Instead relying on their multitude of ramp and severity of their threats.
Based on the above information, how do we beat them?
-Go under Ramp and kill them quicker, while we can.
Combining all the points above, it looks like they have a certain inevitability that we cannot deal with in our deck. We can slow it, we can harass it, but we cant quite stop it, and as is, we usually cant beat them fast enough. Ramp is pretty much top dog once they get their engine going. So based on that, it looks like we probably need to go under them. Use a few evasive, quick, and punishing threats out of the side, while tweaking our main game plan of bouncing to be used offensively to get our threats in for lethal. We need threats that are fast, somewhat tough, and in color/theme.
What do we need to go under?
-Creatures with decent P/T ratios.
-Creatures with evasion, we wont have enough to be able to afford them being blocked much.
-A way to protect these threats and make sure they get the job done, or close enough to done.
-Any extra push/reach will help.
Some cards that would be good for this? (including what we may already have
Creatures/threats:
Stormchaser Mage: A top choice, haste, flying, a 1/3 body with prowess makes him a monster in this list.
Elusive Spellfist: Another top choice, unblockable, and pseudo prowess on a 1/3 body. Will definitely get some damage in.
Sanguinary Mage: A decent 1/3 with prowess, being red is harder on the mana base without the upsides Stormy has.
Jhessian Thief: Another 1/3 with prowess, but is the draw trigger worth the extra mana and lack of evasion?
Protection for the threats:
Negate: Already in the deck is a plus, counters anything non-creatures is great.
Glint: Protects against targeted removal and some untargeted, but does nothing really for offensive besides prowess triggers.
Dispel: Stops a lot of removal, but is conditional, which isnt ideal
Invasive Surgery: Dispel for sorcery speed, with an upside that we probably wont see. Good by not ideal due to conditions.
A few other counter spells, but nothing that great. Either 3 or more, or too conditional. Some of the reach spells listed below can also slightly help protect at least via evasion or stat boosting.
Reach/Push to finish:
Titan's Strength: Tried and true, +3/+1 and scry 1. Helps filter some, and boost offensive and slightly defensive capabilities.
Sure Strike: +3/+0 and protects somewhat via First Strike. Good offensive ability.
Send to Sleep: Adds pseudo evasion to our guys, not much else.
Kindled Fury: Baby Sure Strike.
Expedite: Cantrip and Haste, no stat boost besides prowess trigger though.
Brute Strength: Good stat boost, and trample. Very offensive, hardly defensive.
Rush of Adrenaline: Baby Brute Strength
Uncaged Fury: 3 mana is expensive, but the effect is pretty dang nice, especially coupled with something else.
Slip through Space: Sorcery speed, but cantrips and makes unblockable.
Infectious Bloodlust: Stat boosts that stay, slightly protects Visions as well, and replaces itself, still not that great though.
Other:
Mountain: Might need more red
Highland Lake: Might need more red
Mirror Mockery: Put this on an Ulamog or World Breaker for some good times, but I think they can just get past it anyways.
Crumble to Dust: Can slow them down, but doesnt really help go under other than lengthening our allotted time to "go under"
Structural Distortion: Very similar to Crumble in overall effect, hurts lands less and life more.
Having such a drastic sideboard change requires heavy investment during siding. At least 8 creatures to reliably have one or two, hopefully more. Stormy is an auto include, so we may need more red. Add in 2 Mountains, which leaves us with just 5 slots left for the SB. With Titan's Strength being only R and giving +3/+1 I think it wins, and the scry is just icing. That leaves 1 slot left for SB... Lets just put Sphinx of the Final Word in case we need him for a different match up. Sideboard is;
1x Sphinx of the Final Word
4x Stormchaser Mage
4x Elusive Spellfist
4x Titan's Strength
2x Mountain
We have our sideboard, what do we side out?
4x Prism Ring: This is fairly slow build up and we wont be trying to stay alive but instead shifting to the aggro role.
4x Engulf the Shore: Against dorks we have targeted bounce, this slows us down, plus less islands now.
1-2x Island: Maybe side out a Fumarole instead, but we will see.
0-1x Wandering Fumarole: They are ETB Tapped which slows us, but the man-lands can finish what the creatures start.
2x Calculated Dismissal: Dont care about countering dorks, need something to leave.
0-1x Anticipate: Need space, Titans Str scry will make up for it.
1-2x Day's Undoing: Need Space and this ends our turn, but it does get our creatures and pumps back IF we durdle long enough.
