Dies to Removal

https://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/ ... tg/faq/jou

Brain Maggot
1 Mana Black Mana
Enchantment Creature — Insect
1/1

When Brain Maggot enters the battlefield, target opponent reveals his or her hand and you choose a nonland card from it. Exile that card until Brain Maggot leaves the battlefield.

Brain Maggot's ability causes a zone change with a duration, a new style of ability that's somewhat reminiscent of older cards like Tidehollow Sculler. However, unlike Tidehollow Sculler, Brain Maggot has a single ability that creates two one-shot effects: one that exiles the nonland card when the ability resolves, and another that returns the exiled card to its owner's hand immediately after Brain Maggot leaves the battlefield.

If Brain Maggot leaves the battlefield before its enters-the-battlefield ability resolves, the opponent will reveal his
or her hand, but no card will be exiled.

The exiled card returns to its owner's hand immediately after Brain Maggot leaves the battlefield. Nothing happens between the two events, including state-based actions.

In a multiplayer game, if Brain Maggot's owner leaves the game, the exiled card will return to its owner's hand. Because the one-shot effect that returns the card isn't an ability that goes on the stack, it won't cease to exist along with the leaving player's spells and abilities on the stack.

MBA is the deck I'm going to be on post-rotation. I love the 12 one drops, and have high hopes for Brain Maggot, but this deck is seriously clunky at 3CMC. You can't treat Herald as a 5 drop all the time...

I think voltroning up a Lifebane Zombie is going to be sweet, Gnarled Scarhide does a lot of work.

I could see cutting the Marauder from this list for a maindeck Pharika's Cure. I do love Marauder though, you can definitely jam all 4 depending on how much other 3CMC stuff you have.

I think playing 22 land is a tad greedy, as is the full set of Mutavault.

These MBA sideboards are the best. Duress? Check. Dark Betrayal? Check. Doom Blade? Check. We're ready to go!