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Sideboard Strategies for A Paragon of Modernity

In Streets of New Capenna, the streets aren’t just slick glass and neon—some artifacts come with wings. A-Paragon of Modernity is a neat little puzzle: a colorless artifact creature that flies, sits at a comfy 2/3 for four mana, and carries a surprising decision tree on its activated ability. The text reads: “{3}: Paragon of Modernity gets +1/+1 until end of turn. If exactly three colors of mana were spent to activate this ability, put a +1/+1 counter on it instead.” That last line turns every mana faucet into a potential power spike, especially in multi-color builds where you’re balancing fetch lands, shocks, and duals to stay on cadence. The card’s elegance is in its simplicity—and its potential to rotate from a decoy to a threat in a single turn. 🧙‍♂️🔥💎

“When you see a flying artifact with a cost you can polish into a +1/+1 counter, the real question becomes: who is controlling the tempo, and who is controlling the mana?” — seasoned basement-drafters everywhere

Understanding the threat

• Conversion playstyle: A-Paragon is colorless and relies on a mana-activated pump. The ability itself is neutral until you start throwing three colors into the mix, at which point the cardcareen shifts toward a counter—an in-your-face reminder that color-screws in crowded metas matter as much as raw power.
• Tempo swing potential: A 2/3 flyer for four is sturdy but beatable. The real danger is when the opponent sneaks in that extra counter or a series of small pumps that pushes it over the top in the late game.
• Format fragility: The card’s legality in various formats is mixed, and in many environments it won’t be a persistent format-shattering problem. In Arena, it often becomes a tempo piece that can be answered with targeted removal or counterplay. 🎨🎲

What you bring in: a practical sideboard plan

The goal of sideboarding against a flying, mana-taxing, three-color-pump threat is to disrupt its ability to “go big” while maintaining your own game plan. Here are solid, practical tools you can lean on, organized by strategy rather than by specific card lists.

Direct artifact removal and denial

• Artifact removal with instant-speed or destruction effects buys you time to answer the threat before it accrues value. Think green and white options that can dispatch an artifact creature efficiently, or versatile spells that can hit other targets if needed.
• Destroy or exile effects that target artifacts can immediately KO the Paragon, especially if you’re anticipating a pumped version that might threaten to outpace your blockers. The key is to keep the tempo swing in your favor rather than letting it stick around to threaten a big swing.

Activate-the-ability denial

• Pithing Needle-style effects named to A-Paragon of Modernity are an elegant, low-cost way to shut down its activated ability entirely. If the Needle names the card, its {3} activation can’t be used—no pump, no counter, nothing. This line is particularly potent in control-heavy or midrange matchups where you want to neuter the card’s engine without committing heavy removals.
• Stifle-style counters to activated abilities can counter a pump before it resolves, buying you a crucial tempo window to stabilize. This is especially useful when you expect the opponent to try a two-step pump that would threaten your board state.

Counterplay and disruption

• Counterspells and permission effects that can target activated abilities or the card’s spell on the stack help you keep A-Paragon from ever finishing its line. In practice, you’ll want to curb the moment it tries to “go big,” forcing your opponent to walk through your defenses rather than snowballing ahead.
• Board-wide disruption that doesn’t overextend your resources can still punish the Paragon by making it difficult for the opponent to keep mana open for the activation. A well-timed bounce or tempo play keeps you in the driver’s seat.

Tempo, value, and resilient threats

• Attacking with evasive creatures or leveraging blockers that trade efficiently can blunt its early impact. If you keep the pressure up and answer the Paragon’s inevitable pumps, your opponent may be forced to overcommit and stumble into favorable exchanges for you.
• Resilient threats that outclass a 2/3 flyer with a late-game plan can overwhelm the Paragon as it sits at base stats. If your deck plans to outvalue opponents in longer games, you’ll want to lean into your own win conditions while keeping a vigilant eye on that artifact creature.

In meta contexts where three-color mana bases are common, the Paragon’s pump becomes a tactical decision point. Do you invest in triple-color power for a shot at a counter, or do you pivot to a leaner, more tempo-driven path that denies your opponent the space to maneuver? The beauty of sideboarding is that you can tailor your plan to the local environment and your own deck’s design—without giving up the core engine you’re trying to run. 🧙‍♂️⚔️

Deck-building airlocks: integrating the plan into your metagame

If your shell already features robust artifact removal, you’ll be steps ahead. The Paragon’s threat profile is a strong reminder that even when a single card looks tame on the surface, its activated ability can pivot the game when the mana spews in three colors. By dedicating a few slots to named artifacts, a versatile counterspell suite, and targeted removal, you keep the opponent’s tempo in check and preserve your own strategic lane. The result? A game where you decide when the Paragon becomes a problem—and when it simply can’t punch through. 🔥💎

And if you’re looking to keep your life in good shape while you’re out there expertly navigating these sideboard decisions, you can always keep your phone handy with the sleek Phone Click On Grip Back Holder Kickstand—the kind of everyday gadget that makes gaming between matches effortless. The real-life mobility and grip won’t win you a game, but it might help you keep your hands steady for that crucial last-minute decision. Because even in a world of flying artifacts, practicality matters. 🎨

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