How to beat Azorius Stiflenought in Premodern
Over the last 90 days of recorded Premodern matches, the decks with the best results against Azorius Stiflenought are Gruul Goblins (67% over 6 matches). Gruul Goblins's 67% sits in a 95% range of 30%–90%, which is the range a 6-match sample actually supports. The decks with the best records against it most often carry Pyrokinesis, Tranquil Domain and Tormod's Crypt in the sideboard — those are their sideboards in general, not cards chosen for this matchup.
Best records against Azorius Stiflenought
Matches played in the last 90 days, from events that publish round-by-round pairings. Ranked by the bottom of each 95% range, not by the headline percentage, so a small sample cannot outrank a large one.
| Deck | Win rate vs Azorius Stiflenought | Record | Matches | Sample | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gruul Goblins | 66.7% | 4-2 | 6 | Low sample | 30%–90% |
- High sample · 20+ matches
- Medium sample · 8–19 matches
- Low sample · 5–7 matches
31 further pairings (49 matches) fall below the 5-match floor and are not given a percentage. 2 pairings against archetypes that have left the Premodern metagame are excluded. Full history, retired archetypes included, is on Azorius Stiflenought's archetype page and in the Premodern matchup matrix.
What the decks that beat Azorius Stiflenought bring
Sideboard cards run by Gruul Goblins. This is not a sideboard guide for this matchup. We record who beat whom, not what either player boarded, so these are whole-sideboard frequencies across every matchup those decks play — a hint about the kind of card that punishes Azorius Stiflenought, not a list to bring in.
| Card | Decks running it | Average copies | Which decks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pyrokinesis | 1 of 1 | 2.7 | Gruul Goblins |
| Tranquil Domain | 1 of 1 | 2.5 | Gruul Goblins |
| Tormod's Crypt | 1 of 1 | 2.4 | Gruul Goblins |
| Pyroblast | 1 of 1 | 2.3 | Gruul Goblins |
| Red Elemental Blast | 1 of 1 | 1.3 | Gruul Goblins |
| Naturalize | 1 of 1 | 0.9 | Gruul Goblins |
| Anarchy | 1 of 1 | 0.6 | Gruul Goblins |
| Goblin King | 1 of 1 | 0.3 | Gruul Goblins |
Average copies is expected copies per deck — average copies played multiplied by the share of that archetype's lists running the card — so a 4-of in half the lists reads as 2.0.
Decks Azorius Stiflenought beats
The other end of the same table. If you are choosing a deck to attack Azorius Stiflenought with, the record argues against these.
| Deck | Win rate vs Azorius Stiflenought | Record | Matches | Sample | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elves | 20.0% | 1-4 | 5 | Low sample | 4%–62% |
| Mono-Black Midrange | 33.3% | 2-4 | 6 | Low sample | 10%–70% |
- High sample · 20+ matches
- Medium sample · 8–19 matches
- Low sample · 5–7 matches
Questions
What beats Azorius Stiflenought in Premodern?
Across the last 90 days, Gruul Goblins (67% over 6 matches) hold the best recorded results against Azorius Stiflenought. Records come from events that publish round-by-round pairings, and both decks in a match have to be identified for it to count, so these are the pairings we can see rather than every match played.
What should I bring in against Azorius Stiflenought?
We do not have sideboard choices tied to individual matches, so this is not a sideboard guide. What the data supports is narrower: the 1 deck with the best records against Azorius Stiflenought — Gruul Goblins — most commonly run Pyrokinesis, Tranquil Domain, Tormod's Crypt, Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast in their sideboards. Those are whole-sideboard frequencies across every matchup those decks play.
What does Azorius Stiflenought beat?
Azorius Stiflenought's best recorded matchups over the same window are Elves (80% across 5 matches) and Mono-Black Midrange (67% across 6 matches). If you are picking a deck to attack Azorius Stiflenought with, these are the ones the record argues against.
How reliable are these Premodern matchup numbers?
Not very, and the page says so per row rather than in aggregate. Every pairing shows its match count, its sample band and a 95% range; the strongest band we award is 20+ matches, which is still roughly a ±20-point range around the figure shown. Pairings under 5 matches are counted but never given a percentage — there are 31 of those for Azorius Stiflenought right now. Rankings use the bottom of each range rather than the headline percentage, so a small sample cannot outrank a large one it has not earned.
What period does this cover?
Matches played in the last 90 days, filtered on when each match was actually played. Archetypes that have dropped out of the Premodern metagame are excluded from the ranking, which removes 2 pairings here — their historical records are still on Azorius Stiflenought's own archetype page and in the format matchup matrix.
What each number on this site measures, and where it is least reliable, is set out on the methodology page.