Back when Aetherdrift was in its early days, one of the cards that saw a lot of hype out of the gates was Monument to Endurance. Monument to Endurance, while a bit on the expensive side, is a really sweet build-around if you have a lot of ways to discard cards. Unfortunately, Monument decks have mostly fallen by the wayside over the past few weeks.
There’s still hope, however, as one player has managed to put up multiple solid tournament performances this week with a neat Boros discard shell. By pairing Monument to Endurance with free discard outlets that are difficult to remove once in play, you can get a ton of extra mileage out of the powerful artifact. If you’re a fan of elite discard synergies, look no further.
What Boros Provides
One of the weaknesses that some other Monument to Endurance shells run into, such as Cycling decks, is that in order to generate value, you’re forced to invest mana each turn discarding cards and not effecting the board. First of all, this leaves you vulnerable against aggro decks even if you have Monument in play. In the event where you didn’t draw Monument, you’re likely forced to spin your wheels as well.
This Boros shell addresses both of these issues nicely, since most of your discard outlets are creatures that directly impact the board. Fear of Missing Out and Fable of the Mirror-Breaker both synergize with Monument but are also just decent cards on their own. The same can be said for Inti, Seneschal of the Sun.
By dipping into white, you get access to two extremely strong creatures to pair with Monument in the form of Guardian of New Benalia and Seasoned Hallowblade. These cards are quite difficult for the opponent to kill, since they can gain Indestructible at a moment’s notice.
What’s especially nice about these cards, though, is that they’re free, repeatable discard outlets. So, even when you tap out for Monument, you can still get triggers right away.
With multiple copies of Monument in play, discarding two cards each turn lets you draw two cards and forces your opponent to lose six life. You aren’t down on resources in the exchange, and your opponent will be dead in no time. The opponent has to have artifact destruction at the ready, or they’re in trouble.
Plus, all these creatures are decent attackers in their own right in the event you don’t draw Monument early. Sometimes, curving Marauding Mako into Seasoned Hallowblade and backing up your pressure with Fiery Temper is good enough.
Playing a Grindy Game
As much as this archetype is slanted towards the aggressive end, thanks to Monument, you’re fully able to win long games against decks like Rakdos midrange. Attrition battles become easier the more copies of Monument you have access to, and this deck takes advantage.
One of the more interesting inclusions that showcases this idea on full display is The Mycosynth Gardens. As a land, the opportunity cost to play this card is pretty low. Once you have Monument and a discard outlet in play, copying Monument is a surefire way to pull ahead.
Another great tool to dig for while you’re discarding and drawing cards is Ox of Agonas. This deck naturally does a great job filling its graveyard, so Escaping Ox is very realistic. Sometimes, casting Ox for five mana is worthwhile, too, especially if you have some Treasures lying around from Fable or Monument.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Ultimately, this shell’s ability to play both the aggro and midrange role makes it a bit difficult to gameplan against. If you pack your deck with removal spells, Monument and the Indestructible creatures will bury you. If you come prepared for Monument but don’t have an answer to turn one Marauding Mako, you’re in deep trouble.
This gives Boros Monument an edge in a variety of matchups. The Monument package is particularly strong versus Rakdos midrange, mono-black midrange, and Dimir self-bounce, three decks that aren’t super well equipped to get rid of the precious artifact.
At the same time, curving out with creatures can easily put Azorius control decks on the backfoot. Supreme Verdict doesn’t answer your white creatures. If your control opponent taps out and allows you to sneak Monument past Counterspells, you’ll be in good shape.
The biggest concern this deck seems to have is with some of the top-end red aggro threats. Screaming Nemesis and Sunspine Lynx are very problematic. Burst Lightning and Portable Hole out of the sideboard do a good job containing the small Mice, but these anti-life gain cards are much harder to kill.
Hitting Screaming Nemesis with Fiery Temper isn’t exactly a strong play, and Sunspine Lynx is outside of range. If either of them gets suited up with a Monstrous Rage, you’re likely done for.
Given mono-red’s popularity, it may be worth adding more flexible white removal spells to the sideboard that can answer these bad boys. You have some decent matchups in the field, and if mono-red ever dies down a bit in popularity, Boros Monument could start to flex its muscles a bit more.
