The principal haymaker in the Stoneblade archetype is its namesake card, Stoneforge Mystic. While Stoneforge Mystic is a potent enabler, the actual payoff of the card is the powerful Equipment she brings with her. The two Equipments that will be found in every Stoneblade deck are Batterskull and Umezawa's Jitte. However, there are a few more Equipment cards worth considering for Stoneblade. I see the Sword cycle as filling a crucial role in a Stoneblade deck against the Legacy metagame, and would almost never consider playing Stoneblade without one of these Swords in my 75.
The Role of a Sword in "Fair" Matchups
Outside of True-Name Nemesis, Stoneblade typically consist of creatures that are fragile and line up poorly in combat against Legacy staples such as Tarmogoyf, Thalia, Young Pyromancer, and Baleful Strix. It is often difficult to attach Jitte to one of these creatures, and to have it survive multiple combat steps to get value out of the Jitte. On the other hand, while Batterskull comes with its own sizable 4/4 body, it can be inefficient to put into play and Equip without the help of a Stoneforge Mystic. A Sword provides an intermediate option between these two. It can reasonably be cast and equipped without a Stoneforge Mystic, and grows any creature in the deck to be a sizable threat with some form of evasion and threatening triggers. In some fair matchups, the evasion and triggers even make a Sword the first Equipment you tutor for. Furthermore, after sideboarding opposing fair decks will usually have more ways of interacting with your Equipment. Having a 3rd Equipment gives you redundancy against this interaction, and ensures your Stoneforge Mystics remain relevant in long and varied games by adding a threat with a different dynamic to your deck.
The Role of a Sword in "Unfair" Matchups
Batterskull and Umezawa's Jitte tend to be lackluster against spell-based combo decks. While Stoneforge Mystic into Batterskull on curve presents the fastest clock most Stoneblade decks can muster, this is often too slow, and the lifelink, vigilance, and activated abilities tend to be irrelevant. Likewise, Umezawa's Jitte loses a lot of use against decks without creatures (Griselbrand, Emrakul and the like hardly count as creatures!) and is also slow to present a clock. A Sword perfectly compensates for the weaknesses of both Batterksull and Jitte against combo: it increases your clock and has triggers that interact with your opponent. Furthermore, since unfair decks generally don't play creatures, the chance of triggering your Sword is very high. With this kind of Equipment available, Stoneforge Mystic transforms from a slow, clunky clock to a dynamic and compact threat in these matchups.
Which Sword Should I Play?
All of the Swords are powerful cards that can play the role I describe here, but they each have a unique set of advantages and disadvantages. Ultimately, deciding which Sword to play can come down to your preference or expected meta.
The Role of a Sword in "Fair" Matchups
Outside of True-Name Nemesis, Stoneblade typically consist of creatures that are fragile and line up poorly in combat against Legacy staples such as Tarmogoyf, Thalia, Young Pyromancer, and Baleful Strix. It is often difficult to attach Jitte to one of these creatures, and to have it survive multiple combat steps to get value out of the Jitte. On the other hand, while Batterskull comes with its own sizable 4/4 body, it can be inefficient to put into play and Equip without the help of a Stoneforge Mystic. A Sword provides an intermediate option between these two. It can reasonably be cast and equipped without a Stoneforge Mystic, and grows any creature in the deck to be a sizable threat with some form of evasion and threatening triggers. In some fair matchups, the evasion and triggers even make a Sword the first Equipment you tutor for. Furthermore, after sideboarding opposing fair decks will usually have more ways of interacting with your Equipment. Having a 3rd Equipment gives you redundancy against this interaction, and ensures your Stoneforge Mystics remain relevant in long and varied games by adding a threat with a different dynamic to your deck.
The Role of a Sword in "Unfair" Matchups
Batterskull and Umezawa's Jitte tend to be lackluster against spell-based combo decks. While Stoneforge Mystic into Batterskull on curve presents the fastest clock most Stoneblade decks can muster, this is often too slow, and the lifelink, vigilance, and activated abilities tend to be irrelevant. Likewise, Umezawa's Jitte loses a lot of use against decks without creatures (Griselbrand, Emrakul and the like hardly count as creatures!) and is also slow to present a clock. A Sword perfectly compensates for the weaknesses of both Batterksull and Jitte against combo: it increases your clock and has triggers that interact with your opponent. Furthermore, since unfair decks generally don't play creatures, the chance of triggering your Sword is very high. With this kind of Equipment available, Stoneforge Mystic transforms from a slow, clunky clock to a dynamic and compact threat in these matchups.
Which Sword Should I Play?
All of the Swords are powerful cards that can play the role I describe here, but they each have a unique set of advantages and disadvantages. Ultimately, deciding which Sword to play can come down to your preference or expected meta.
