Let me gather the data needed for this analysis. First, let me search for the relevant cards and the Belcher archetype simultaneously.
Good, I have all the card IDs. Now let me query the database directly to compare Belcher entries with and without Flare of Denial, focusing on lists that include the creature package.
The recent data returned 0 rows. Let me check the actual date range of Belcher data in the database and also fix the second query.
Only 1 entry under "Belcher." Let me search more broadly — this archetype might be stored under a different name (e.g., "Goblin Charbelcher" or similar).
The main archetype is Blue Belcher with 1,645 entries. Now let me run the full comparison analysis on it.
Here's the full breakdown:
Last 6 months (Sep 2025 – Mar 2026) | 627 entries
| Build | Entries | Winrate | W / L / D |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐙 Creatures + Flare of Denial | 546 | 49.1% | 1280 / 1326 / 56 |
| 🐙 Creatures w/o Flare of Denial | 2 | 42.9% | 3 / 4 / 0 |
| ❌ No creature pkg, No Flare | 79 | 52.2% | 191 / 175 / 13 |
⚠️ Note: Only 2 entries exist with the creature package but without Flare of Denial — this sample is essentially meaningless for comparison. In practice, the creature package is almost always paired with Flare of Denial (546 vs 2 entries).
| Card | Board | Avg Copies | Decks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thundertrap Trainer | Main | 3.99 | 547 |
| Fallaji Archaeologist | Main | 3.89 | 534 |
| Flare of Denial | Main | 3.08 | 546 |
| Flare of Denial | Side | 1.0 | 3 |
Thundertrap Trainer is nearly a 4-of lock, while Fallaji Archaeologist is slightly more flexible (avg ~3.9). Flare of Denial averages 3.08 copies — most lists run 3, some run 4 — and is essentially a mandatory part of the creature package build.
The no-creature, no-Flare build (52.2%) slightly outperforms the creature + Flare build (49.1%) by ~3 percentage points, but sample sizes differ drastically (79 vs 546). The creature/Flare shell is by far the dominant build, representing ~87% of all entries. It's hard to separate whether the lower winrate is a function of the build itself or simply higher play volume attracting more diverse player skill levels.
Sources — 224 tournaments (56% MTGO, 44% Melee):