How to beat Izzet Sligh in Premodern
Over the last 90 days of recorded Premodern matches, the decks with the best results against Izzet Sligh are The Rock (67% over 6 matches), Azorius Replenish (60% over 5 matches) and Naya Terragedon (60% over 5 matches). The Rock'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 Naturalize, Tormod's Crypt and Meddling Mage in the sideboard — those are their sideboards in general, not cards chosen for this matchup.
Best records against Izzet Sligh
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 Izzet Sligh | Record | Matches | Sample | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Rock | 66.7% | 4-2 | 6 | Low sample | 30%–90% |
| Azorius Replenish | 60.0% | 3-2 | 5 | Low sample | 23%–88% |
| Naya Terragedon | 60.0% | 3-2 | 5 | Low sample | 23%–88% |
- High sample · 20+ matches
- Medium sample · 8–19 matches
- Low sample · 5–7 matches
35 further pairings (64 matches) fall below the 5-match floor and are not given a percentage. 1 pairing against archetypes that have left the Premodern metagame is excluded. Full history, retired archetypes included, is on Izzet Sligh's archetype page and in the Premodern matchup matrix.
What the decks that beat Izzet Sligh bring
Sideboard cards run by The Rock, Azorius Replenish, Naya Terragedon. 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 Izzet Sligh, not a list to bring in.
| Card | Decks running it | Average copies | Which decks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naturalize | 2 of 3 | 1.6 | The Rock, Naya Terragedon |
| Tormod's Crypt | 2 of 3 | 0.9 | The Rock, Naya Terragedon |
| Meddling Mage | 1 of 3 | 3.8 | Azorius Replenish |
| Pyroclasm | 1 of 3 | 3.4 | Naya Terragedon |
| Engineered Plague | 1 of 3 | 3.1 | The Rock |
| Exalted Angel | 1 of 3 | 2.7 | Azorius Replenish |
| Defense Grid | 1 of 3 | 2.6 | Azorius Replenish |
| Aura of Silence | 1 of 3 | 1.8 | Naya Terragedon |
| Hydroblast | 1 of 3 | 1.7 | Azorius Replenish |
| Haunting Echoes | 1 of 3 | 1.5 | The Rock |
| Cursed Totem | 1 of 3 | 1.5 | Naya Terragedon |
| Tranquil Domain | 1 of 3 | 1.4 | The Rock |
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 Izzet Sligh beats
The other end of the same table. If you are choosing a deck to attack Izzet Sligh with, the record argues against these.
| Deck | Win rate vs Izzet Sligh | Record | Matches | Sample | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mono-Black Midrange | 16.7% | 1-5 | 6 | Low sample | 3%–56% |
| Mono-Blue Stiflenought | 37.5% | 3-5 | 8 | Medium sample | 14%–69% |
- High sample · 20+ matches
- Medium sample · 8–19 matches
- Low sample · 5–7 matches
Questions
What beats Izzet Sligh in Premodern?
Across the last 90 days, The Rock (67% over 6 matches), Azorius Replenish (60% over 5 matches) and Naya Terragedon (60% over 5 matches) hold the best recorded results against Izzet Sligh. 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 Izzet Sligh?
We do not have sideboard choices tied to individual matches, so this is not a sideboard guide. What the data supports is narrower: the 3 decks with the best records against Izzet Sligh — The Rock, Azorius Replenish and Naya Terragedon — most commonly run Naturalize, Tormod's Crypt, Meddling Mage, Pyroclasm and Engineered Plague in their sideboards. Those are whole-sideboard frequencies across every matchup those decks play.
What does Izzet Sligh beat?
Izzet Sligh's best recorded matchups over the same window are Mono-Black Midrange (83% across 6 matches) and Mono-Blue Stiflenought (63% across 8 matches). If you are picking a deck to attack Izzet Sligh 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 35 of those for Izzet Sligh 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 1 pairing here — their historical records are still on Izzet Sligh'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.