Dealing with Sigarda Voltron in Mono White
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on Aug. 23, 2014, 10:22 a.m. by ducttapedeckbox
I've been playtesting quite a bit against one of my friends who runs a Sigarda, Host of Herons voltron build, and once he (she?) hits the board I essentially lose. Sigarda shuts down my general (Michiko Konda, Truth Seeker ), and is usually indestructible before I get the chance to Wrath of God . Right now my best (and nearly only) chance of surviving is getting a Ajani Steadfast emblem out, and even then I've still lost, but that's inherent problems with the deck. Normally I wouldn't focus at all on countering a specific deck, but I play against this deck much more than any other.
So, how do I deal with Sigarda? Do I focus on removing all of her enchantments/artifacts? If I do that though, I'm on a ~4 turn clock. I don't think running something like False Prophet is great either, as she'll just come back. Something like Nevermore ? I'm not sure guys, anyone have any tips?
You're running too many inefficient cards, I posted some of them on the deck page. In their place, add more wraths, or more artifact/enchantment hate, etc. Nevermore works since you'll always be able to name their commander, consider adding some tutors like Idyllic Tutor or Enlightened Tutor .
August 23, 2014 11:07 a.m.
smithereen says... #4
Good cards for dealing with voltron commanders include Hallowed Burial , Terminus , and Planar Cleansing . Give those a try.
August 23, 2014 12:39 p.m.
MagicalHacker says... #5
Tuck wipes, aura wipes, Nevermore effects, and Humility will do pretty well in the deck. I know how incredibly difficult it is to stop Sigarda, Host of Voltrons since I played her and lost only two games, both of which were because MLD. She's the best voltron Commander, and I admit that it's just an opinion, but this opinion should be held by everyone in my opinion.
August 23, 2014 12:49 p.m.
Glaring Spotlight could also prove useful. Hexproof commanders are a b*tch.
August 23, 2014 1:02 p.m.
scopesightzx says... #7
What kind of Voltron is it? Artifact or enchantment? Paraselene is a great answer to enchantment voltron.
August 23, 2014 2:16 p.m.
I am an avid Sigarda Voltron player.
One of the things I've always enjoyed about running Sigarda was that she really doesn't need much attached to her for her to win the game for me. I stopped caring when people blew up my enchantments because...well...I still had a 5/5 flying hexproof creature that I couldn't be made to sacrifice. The only time I have any problems with Sigarda are when someone removes the hexproof (Glaring Spotlight ), board-wipes before I make her indestructible (Wrath of God ), uses mass exile (Merciless Eviction ), Or uses mass tucking/tucking on a counterspell (Terminus , Hallowed Burial , Spell Crumple ). Even the tucking isn't always back-breaking however, as I run tutors to get her back.
Something like Paraselene
has never phased me, personally. Neither has Nevermore
simply because I'm playing green in EDH so a have plenty of enchantment/artifact hate. I think you should focus on your board wipes in the forms of those described above. Can't get them quick enough? Use mana rocks like Sol Ring
and Mana Vault
. Can't draw them? Add more copies in the form of things like Humility
.
I play Sigarda as my Spike deck. I play it to win. And the reason I use her is because she is one of the single best voltron commanders ever printed. So if you find that you can't consistently answer that deck...just realize you're not the only one. It's hard to beat!
August 23, 2014 5:14 p.m.
HeroInMyOwnMind says... #9
Technically things like Contagion Engine work too. All the mass tuck effects work best, if you can get them off. Like most Voltron decks, if you can eliminate their commander, they lose most of their momentum.
August 23, 2014 6:22 p.m.
ducttapedeckbox says... #10
Thank you all for the suggestions. There are too many for me to respond to individually, but you've all given me some good ideas. I will address a few of them below.
Goody pointed out the major flaw in the deck- it's inefficient, and I know that. It's slow, and doesn't do all too much and the source of this trouble comes from me not knowing what direction to take.
That aside, tuck effects seem like my best option, except that they aren't extremely reliable (as is anything) without some of the more expensive tutors. I should have mentioned that I'd like to budget this deck. Humility is an interesting card, but it puts me at as much of a disadvantage as my opponent. If I were to add it, it would have to be one of the focus cards in the deck.
August 23, 2014 9:27 p.m.
Nova Pentacle can stall it out depending on the deck you're running. Prison Term works if you can get it on the field before they Sigarda, since it's ability doesn't target. Prison Term's a staple in almost every white deck I run.
August 23, 2014 11:44 p.m.
FancyTuesday says... #12
Michiko Konda, Truth Seeker vs Sigarda, Host of Herons just isn't a matchup you're going to win very often. Not only does Sigarda shut down your Commander, but as a Commander she's very good against your color. White's strengths include targeted exiles (Swords to Plowshares , Path to Exile ), life gain (useless against commander damage), damage prevention (useless against a source you can't target), disenchants, weenies, and board wipes. So just by her nature Sigarda is neutering your commander and your color.
The advantages you do keep; disenchants, weenies, and board wipes, all cost you in terms of card advantage and you'll slowly lose ground. You have to answer the threat of Sigarda so you need to wipe the board, spoiling weenies, and disenchant effects to remove whatever is protecting her from board wipes require two cards of yours just to destroy a single threat of theirs. You can always try simply blocking her with things like Avacyn, Angel of Hope but there's nothing really stopping your opponent from hitting that with his own spot-exile.
Your only answers for an indestructible Sigarda are False Prophet , Final Judgment , Martyr's Cry , Perilous Vault , Hallowed Burial and Terminus . Martyr's Cry is particularly effective as it reloads your hand while your opponent, going all in on a single creature, gets very little in return. Hallowed Burial and Terminus are good solutions as well, but even then you only have a few really good answers in a color with very little in the way of tutoring or card draw. The bottom line is that it's just an uphill battle for you.
August 24, 2014 2:47 p.m.
ducttapedeckbox says... #13
Thank you FancyTuesday and Volsungz -- it is true, Sigarda is a terrible matchup for me with Michiko and it's a tough one to even think about winning. I've taken your suggestions and made major changes to the deck in question. Hopefully I at least stand a chance now :P I won't forget losing a game once I got an Ajani Steadfast emblem, that was just bad.
August 24, 2014 3:08 p.m.
Chump block fliers might be the easiest reliable choice to prevent commander damage but I would assume he has some enchantments like Unquestioned Authority .
Preventing/Redirecting damage could work but I don't know what cards are available for that path since I've never really tried it.
August 24, 2014 5:58 p.m.
PreZchoICE1 says... #15
Forcefield is also an answer to sigarda if your budget allows it
August 25, 2014 4:25 p.m.
ducttapedeckbox says... #16
Forcefield costs as much as the entire deck sooo nope, I'd run it if I could though!
August 25, 2014 4:44 p.m.
Martyr's Cause can stop voltron in its tracks as long as you can produce tokens.
GoldGhost012 says... #2
Nevermore is almost certainly one of the best and only ways to stop Sigarda. That hexproof ability means she's really hard to kill, and the "can't sacrifice" bit makes her even harder. Being a Commander really puts the icing on the cake since she'll always come back. But if she can't be cast, she can't be cast.
Other ways to "stop" her are tossing chump blockers in her way until you can deal with her a little more permanently, killing all the Voltron pieces, thus slowing her down, and possibly something that keeps creatures from attacking.
August 23, 2014 11:07 a.m.