Now that I’m invested in the modern and standard formats a bit, I’ve noticed a sort of phenomenon in the past few months. I say sort of because being able to build more than a few decks, I find myself constantly second guessing my deck choice. It used to be that I had one deck for Standard and one deck for Modern and one Legacy deck. This was fine and it was pretty much set what I was playing for the next couple of weeks. I did ok with this, but as with many grinders I wanted to have a toolbox of decks, I want to be able to shift with the meta game.
In standard this hasn’t been such a problem, I’m able to figure out decks rather quickly and the meta is small enough that I know how to sideboard and how the opposing decks work (this is why playing different decks from time to time is good). In Modern, however, I find I like to play a variety of decks as well. I think this is to my detriment. Modern is vast compared to Standard, and to an extent Legacy (I see that same ten or so decks in Legacy, and I play the same deck out of financial necessity). Modern evolves in a much different way than Standard does.
Let me be blunt about my problem. I want to play too many decks. I play UWR Midrange/Control, Storm, Unburial Gifts, Azorius Midrange, Merfolk, American Gifts and honestly I’m interested in building Affinity, Boggles, and RDW. It’s a real problem. Why? Well, every deck has it’s good and bad match-ups. I want to play Geist one day then I read about how Pod took down a Grand Prix and I think I need hate for that, then I don’t play Pod for weeks and I pretty much get served playing UWR. Then I switch to Gifts and I play nothing but Pod. I see someone playing Combo and I want that. It’s like a disease. Meanwhile, I’m at 520ish Planeswalker Points and I want to make it up to 750 for next season. I need to focus on a Modern deck and I need to start doing better than 2-2 at TNM.
Now, I realize I really don’t NEED to do any of this. In my mind’s eye though, I’m better than 1-3 or 2-2. I know I could play Azorius Midrange and do great. But that deck only rewards me for playing tight, which I can do, but I want a deck that rewards me for playing the deck that beats the best decks in the format. I want to scream whenever I face B/G/x decks. Tarmgoyf and Thoughtseize make me want to puke when they are played against me. That’s not because I think they should be banned or whatever, those cards are what makes modern a challenging format.
At this point, I’m looking to fly out to Antwerp in Late October for the last Modern GP of the year. I have no idea what to play. Right now, Merfolk seems like a solid choice as any. I know the deck, I get free wins vs other decks with islands, and Supreme Verdict/Wrath effects seem like my only worry. Deck without Islands get the Spreading Seas treatment, and Vapor Snag seems like a great way to gain tempo as well was seems criminally underplayed in the format. Tidebinder Mage has it’s place in the deck as well.
Merfolk
| MAIN DECK (0) Creatures [30] (30) 3 Cursecatcher 1 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner 4 Lord of Atlantis 4 Master of the Pearl Trident 4 Merrow Reejerey 3 Phantasmal Image 4 Silvergill Adept 2 Spellskite 2 Spellstutter Sprite 1 Sygg, River Guide 2 Vendilion Clique Spells [10] (10) 4 AEther Vial 4 Path to Exile 2 Sea’s Claim | Lands [20] (20) 1 Cavern of Souls 3 Hallowed Fountain 3 Island 3 Mutavault 3 Seachrome Coast 3 Tectonic Edge 4 Wanderwine Hub SIDEBOARD (15) 1 Blind Obedience 2 Deprive 1 Detention Sphere 3 Echoing Truth 1 Grafdigger’s Cage 1 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner 3 Rest in Peace 2 Stony Silence 1 Unified Will |
I still like BGWu Gifts. Being able to answer pretty much every problem in the format seems like a really great way to go into a large scale event. But those can be long games and I’m not sure that’s were I want to be in another country in between rounds (I like to eat at the local markets and get snacks from outside of the convention center). Still It’s hard to deny the raw power of Deathrite Shaman. It’s hard to give this deck up once you understand its potential. My problem though is that I can’t afford Thoughtseize. Inquisition of Kozilek is nice but there are times it doesn’t do what you want.
Unburial Gifts
| Creatures [8] (8) 4 Deathrite Shaman 1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite 1 Iona, Shield of Emeria 2 Snapcaster Mage Planeswalkers [3] (3) 3 Liliana of the Veil Spells [23] (23) 2 Abrupt Decay 1 Crime // Punishment 1 Damnation 1 Darkblast 1 Dismember 4 Gifts Ungiven 1 Life from the Loam 4 Lingering Souls 1 Maelstrom Pulse 3 Mana Leak 2 Path to Exile 1 Raven’s Crime 1 Unburial Rites | Lands [26] (26) 1 Breeding Pool 3 Creeping Tar Pit 1 Forest 1 Ghost Quarter 1 Godless Shrine 1 Hallowed Fountain 1 Island 3 Marsh Flats 2 Misty Rainforest 1 Overgrown Tomb 1 Plains 2 Swamp 1 Tectonic Edge 1 Temple Garden 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth 1 Vault of the Archangel 3 Verdant Catacombs 1 Watery Grave SIDEBOARD (15) 1 Abrupt Decay 1 Dispel 1 Fracturing Gust 1 Ghost Quarter 1 Kitchen Finks 1 Pithing Needle 1 Stony Silence 1 Supreme Verdict 2 Surgical Extraction 1 Terastodon 3 Timely Reinforcements 1 Wurmcoil Engine |
If I’m going to play Storm, I’m going to need to get really, really good with it. I’m still just over a novice with this combo. I think Finkel’s list from Seattle is still the best version of the deck. The problem with this is that with Scavenging Ooze making debut in Modern, it could be much harder to go off against whatever decks play it. It’s already a pain playing against blue decks with permission. I’ll need to see how this deck fares after Ooze.
Storm
| Creatures [4] (4) 4 Goblin Electromancer Spells [40] (40) 3 Desperate Ravings 4 Desperate Ritual 4 Gitaxian Probe 3 Grapeshot 2 Increasing Vengeance 4 Manamorphose 3 Past in Flames 1 Peer Through Depths 4 Pyretic Ritual 4 Pyromancer Ascension 4 Serum Visions 4 Sleight of Hand | Lands [16] (16) 1 Cascade Bluffs 3 Island 3 Misty Rainforest 1 Mountain 3 Scalding Tarn 3 Shivan Reef 2 Steam Vents SIDEBOARD (15) 2 Defense Grid 1 Dispel 2 Echoing Truth 3 Empty the Warrens 4 Lightning Bolt 3 Shatterstorm |
I know the safe deck is Azorius Midrange. It’s strong against combo, it’s strong against creature decks, but its got a real problem against Jund. And I’m back to square one again. How do I play a better game than the best fair deck with a slightly inferior fair deck? I can’t just hope for my opponent to have bad hands and mull to five. That’s not gonna cut it.
Azorius Midrange
| Creatures [11] (11) 3 Aven Mindcensor 3 Restoration Angel 2 Snapcaster Mage 3 Vendilion Clique Spells [22] (22) 2 Batterskull 4 Cryptic Command 2 Detention Sphere 2 Mana Leak 4 Path to Exile 3 Spell Snare 2 Supreme Verdict 1 Sword of Feast and Famine 2 Wrath of God | Lands [27] (27) 4 Celestial Colonnade 1 Ghost Quarter 4 Glacial Fortress 4 Hallowed Fountain 5 Island 2 Mystic Gate 2 Plains 1 Seachrome Coast 4 Tectonic Edge SIDEBOARD (15) 1 Disenchant 3 Kitchen Finks 2 Negate 2 Rest in Peace 3 Spellskite 3 Spellstutter Sprite 1 Sword of Fire and Ice |
So that’s my dilemma right now. Too many options. Do I go back to the drawing board? Keep tweaking my proven decks? Jump ship and sell my soul (something I have no problem doing) to play combo? Modern is the format I like the most, but its also the format I have the lowest win percentage. Go figure. I guess I like a challenge.
What are you playing in Modern right now? How do you plan on coping with the shift in the meta and rules as M14 comes out? Do you think graveyard decks are on the way out?
Zac Clark, Durdle Magus
Developments in Durdling is a Hipsters of the Coast article by Zac Clark. It explores durdling both inside and outside of Magic: the Gathering. Checking in on the meta outside the game and seeing how things tick, as well as asides about life, music, and travel in relation to Magic: the Gathering. Movie quotes, obscure comic book references and music you haven’t heard all find their home here. Basically, it’s about screwing around and not actually playing Magic.