Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Sideboard tactics that blunt a draw-and-discard engine

Commander 2019 gave us a delightful jumble of mechanics and personalities, and Desperate Ravings is a gleefully mischievous little bolt of chaos {1}{R} that promises a quick double-draw and a random discard. It’s a classic example of how a single spell can push tempo, poking at the edges of hand-size equilibrium and forcing awkward decisions for everyone at the table. The flavor text—“Her mind was quite gone, yet she spoke nothing but truth.”—pairs perfectly with the card’s pushy, risk-reward vibe. If you’re piloting a deck that wants to keep the board honest or you’re fielding a meta where a few players lean on draw-rich engines, you’ll want a lean, effective sideboard plan. Let’s dive into practical, game-night-friendly tools you can sleeve up to neutralize this little red trick without turning your sideboard into a kaleidoscope of memes. 🧙‍♂️🔥💎

First off, Desperate Ravings doesn’t kill you on the spot; it reshuffles the game through two draws and a random discard. The real pain point is its flashback, which lets the spell re-enter the battlefield from the graveyard for {2}{U}. That extra loop can lock down a late-game percentage of your opponents’ turns if they keep feeding the graveyard and chaining draw effects. The fix is not some exotic trick; it’s targeted disruption that either stops it in its tracks or makes its graveyard-resurrection redundant. Below are three reliable avenues you can consider for your sideboard, depending on your color pie and meta. 🧭

1) Graveyard disruption that cancels the flashback entirely

• Rest in Peace — This is the classic graveyard exile effect that wipes the slate clean for every player. It prevents flashback by removing cards from the graveyard entirely, so Ravings can’t come back from the graveyard even if it hits the top of your opponent’s library later.
• Grafdigger’s Cage — A compact, powerful tax on graveyard-based tricks. It says cards in graveyards can’t be cast, which directly shuts down Desperate Ravings when it’s in the graveyard and is a clean, high-impact answer in multiplayer boards where you’re likely to see two or three additional graveyard plays per game.
• Relic of Progenitus, Tormod’s Crypt — Handy, reusable, and budget-friendly options that exile or suspend graveyard activity. They’re fast, non-invasive, and fit neatly into many sideboards that lean toward artifact or generic answers.

These tools aren’t flashy, but they’re dependable. If your commander slot allows a touch of blue or you’re in a board with mixed colors, you’ll often want at least one graveyard hate effect on the table to ensure Ravings can’t resurface and loop through the graveyard. It’s a strategic firebreak for the kind of meta that prizes graveyard recursion and repeated draw spells. 🧙‍♂️

2) Counter magic to deny the spell outright

• Counterspell and Negate — The blue-on-blue play is straightforward: prevent Ravings from resolving in the first place. If your sideboard grants you access to blue, a couple of flexible counters can win games by stopping the draw before any card hits the stack.
• Swan Song or Disallow — These offer a bit more protection with cross-color utility and resilience against other tricks your opponents may sling in the same turn. Counter management is a little chess game in multiplayer, but shutting down a single draw engine can derail flashing-back lanes for several rounds.

In a red-heavy or mono-red shell, blue cards might require a strategic swap in the sideboard or a “peace treaty” approach where you lean on other disruption (discard, stolen draws, or tax effects). Still, the idea remains: deny Ravings when it would resolve, so you don’t have to share your plan with a bad top-deck reality check. ⚔️

3) Hand disruption and strategic foreknowledge

• Thoughtseize / Inquisition of Kozilek / Duress — If you’re playing in colors that permit hand disruption in the sideboard, these can be brutal tools for preemptively removing Ravings from the opponent’s hand or ensuring they can’t cast it on their next turn. In a social, multi-player setting, you’ll often use these to corral the most data-rich draw engines and force a harder choice on the table.
• Keep in mind the randomness of the discard on Ravings. Even if you can’t counter it or exile it outright, knowing when an opponent might be about to draw into a critical engine can help you plan post-draw responses (tempo plays, instant-speed answers, and safe board positions).

Discard-heavy disruption isn’t always a perfect fit in every deck, but when you’re facing a meta that loves to refill hands quickly, it can slow the tempo just enough for you to stabilize and pivot toward your endgame plan. And hey, if you’re rotating through games, that moment when Ravings is blanked and you drag your own late-game engine back into action feels pretty satisfying. 🧙‍♂️

“Desperate Ravings” is a reminder that even a humble red instant can remix a table’s dynamics. When your sideboard is tuned to answer the grave while watching for the counter, you get a stable lane where your own threats can shine through. 🔥

Finally, a practical reminder: Desperate Ravings is uncommon but not rare. It’s a two-mana spell with a thoughtful print in Commander 2019, and its flashback cost keeps the spell relevant into the late game. The card invites players to weigh risk versus reward and to navigate a table’s collective memory—whether you’re drawing into a critical combo or just trying to stay above water. With the right mix of graveyard hate, counter magic, and selective hand disruption in your sideboard, you’ll keep Desperate Ravings from steering the game too far off your course. And if you’re between matches, a quick upgrade for your daily carry is always a win—imagine how your phone stays protected with a neon-clear silicone case that’s slim, flexible, and ready for travel. Speaking of protection, a certain neon case might not stop a draw spell, but it sure does protect your carry-on adventures between rounds. 🧙‍♂️🎨

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