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A-Midnight Assassin Countermeasures: Essential Sideboard Tech
When you crack open Streets of New Capenna and glimpse A-Midnight Assassin gliding across the neon-drenched cosmopolis, you’re staring down a card that knows how to punch above its weight. A 2 colorless and black cantrip for the mana cost, this creature—“A-Midnight Assassin”—is a Vampire Assassin with flying and deathtouch, moving in like a noir flick that never quite fades to black. In formats where it appears in Arena or casual showdowns, that 1/3 body can threaten your life total while your blockers feel the sting of deathtouch. If you’re piloting a deck with a lean toward tempo, value, or midrange, you’ll want a well-curated sideboard that can neutralize this flyer before it becomes a problem. 🧙🔥💎⚔️
Card profile at a glance
- Name: A-Midnight Assassin
- Mana cost: {2}{B}
- Type: Creature — Vampire Assassin
- Power/Toughness: 1/3
- Abilities: Flying, deathtouch
- Set: Streets of New Capenna (SN C)
- Rarity: Common
- Artist: Christina Davis
- Text: Flying, deathtouch
- Color: Black
The flavor and design around this card lean into the elegant menace of New Capenna's underworld—vampire lore meets crime-family intrigue. On the battlefield, that flying, deathtouch body can slip past a lot of would-be blockers and leave you staring at a narrow path to victory. The real work of a good sideboard is not just answering A-Midnight Assassin in a vacuum—it’s predicting when it will swing the game, and stacking the deck with tools that keep you in the driver's seat. 🎲
Strategic framework: how to neutralize a flying deathtoucher
To keep this threat in check, your sideboard should cover a few core ideas. First, you want reliable removal that can exile or destroy the Assassin outright. Second, you want blue or white disruption—counterspells or bounce—that buys time or reconfigures the fight. Third, you can lean into tempo by presenting faster, pressure-rich lines that race past the Assassin before it can do serious work. Finally, if your deck has a late-game plan, you’ll want ways to prevent a single creature from dictating the pace of the game. 🧠🎨
- Exile or destroy removal: Cards that remove a single creature permanently are the most direct countermeasure. Exile effects prevent resurrection within the same game, which matters against any recurrences or blink strategies. In practical terms, you might bring in spells like Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares—classic, reliable tools that take A-Midnight Assassin off the battlefield for good. If you’re in black-heavy or mixed-color shells, doom-blade-style or unconditional destruction remains a solid option as well. ⚔️
- Bounce and tempo disruption: Spells that return A-Midnight Assassin to its owner’s hand or library entry elsewhere let you reset the battlefield and keep your life total intact while you develop your threats. Blue-based control or tempo decks love these tools, because every bounce buys you a full turn to set up your next play while your opponent redraws a fragile assassin. 🧙♂️
- Counterspells and spell-speed control: In matchups where your opponent relies on the Assassin as the primary driver of pressure, blue-based counterplay can shut the door early. A well-timed negate or counterspell can deny the flight itself before it touches your life. It’s not just about keeping your board clear—it’s about sequencing your own threats so you close the game first. 💎
- Protective and tempo-heavy plays: If your deck can deploy multiple evasive threats or a faster clock, you can race past A-Midnight Assassin. The idea is to threaten damage faster than your opponent can stabilize, using efficient one- or two-drops that punish sleepy turns and force awkward blocks that expose bigger vulnerabilities in their plan. 🎲
Concrete sideboard suggestions by archetype
Not every deck can run a full suite of classic removal, so here are some practical lines you might consider, adapted to a reasonable sideboard footprint. Remember: the goal is to answer the threat without weakening your own game plan.
2–3 exile/destroy spells to guarantee removal when the Assassin resolves. Pair with a couple of bounce effects to keep the pressure on and to maintain turn-by-turn relevance. This keeps you from spending precious resources trading with a fragile creature while you lean into your late-game plan. ⚔️ A few counterspells or tempo cards to deny the early attack and set up your finishers. If your deck already leans blue, you’ll want access to at least one or two counters to keep the field clear long enough to deploy your bigger threats. 🧙♀️ Don’t underestimate the value of interactive removal mixed with graveyard or disruption elements. A-Midnight Assassin is cleanly removed by targeted exile, so you can tailor your sideboard to punish the specific synergy your opponent is attempting while preserving your own game plan. 🧩
Across formats, these measures translate to better matchups, calmer post-board games, and a smoother ride toward victory. And for players who love the lore and the look of New Capenna, it’s a small celebration of the neon-noir vibe behind the card’s design. The art by Christina Davis captures a city where danger wears a tailored suit, and A-Midnight Assassin is the smile behind the velvet rope. And just like the card’s flavor, you want your sideboard to feel both stylish and effective. 🎨
“When a single deathtouch flyer can tilt the balance, you don’t chase miracles—you chase answers.”
As you map out your sideboard, keep in mind that the right tech is not about having the flashiest spell in your pile; it’s about choosing the right tool for the right matchup, at the right time. In the end, the best counters are the ones you don’t overcommit to—your opponent’s plan should stall, not your spirit. 🧙🔥
To prep in-between games, consider keeping your phone handy for quick check-ins on decklists and sideboard options. And if you’re looking to complement your game-night setup with practical gear, a quick upgrade like the Phone Click-On Grip Portable Phone Holder Kickstand can keep you focused during those long drafting sessions or Commander nights. It’s the small touch that keeps you in the zone while you game, not a distraction from the main event. 🎲