A Modern Grand Prix is so close: this weekend is Grand Prix Pittsburgh, a short drive / bus ride away. I will not be able to attend due to work. I’m bummed out, too. My most played and explored format, Modern . . . and I’ll be stuck in Manhattan, accruing real life value. It’s disappointing, for sure. But it gives me an opportunity to write a little about the format as it sits. The popular, the expected, and the unexpected.
Modern is a vast format, perhaps too big to encapsulate into a predictable metagame. But there are trends, amalgamations of recent tournament results and popular choices in the metagame that can serve to average out your expected opponents’ game plans. We have a few mass conscious choices made by the modern-devoted players this year, choices that reveal the fashionable 75 card builds most likely to show up. So let’s start from there.
NAYA IS THE NEW BLACK
Something fashionable is always considered the new black. This season, in the modern format, Naya decks with aggressive one drop creatures backed with a fistful of burn spells have become chic. This take on traditional burn decks has been served by the boon of Atarka’s Command, allowing a more creature-centric build that eschews the more all-in matchbook strategy, balancing the deck’s speed and resiliency. It’s difficult to board against a deck that can play three one-drops in the first two turns, or cast seven burn spells.
Naya burn is one of the best examples of the current world Modern exists in: simple, aggressive strategies that ask the opponent to draw a specific set of answers as fast as the deck’s clock are really in fashion. If a critique of the modern format is one in which the matchups are largely determined by sideboard cards, this deck certainly challenges us to draw our most powerful sideboard cards quickly, and consistently.
Naya Burn
| Creatures (16) 4 Wild Nacatl 4 Goblin Guide 4 Monastery Swiftspear 4 Eidolon of the Great Revel Spells (25) 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Lava Spike 1 Mutagenic Growth 4 Boros Charm 4 Atarka’s Command 2 Searing Blaze 2 Skullcrack 4 Rift Bolt | Lands (19) 4 Wooded Foothills 4 Arid Mesa 4 Bloodstained Mire 2 Sacred Foundry 2 Wooded Foothills 3 Mountain Sideboard (15) 4 Kor Firewalker 2 Path to Exile 2 Rending Volley 4 Destructive Revelry 2 Searing Blaze 1 Smash to Smithereens |
COLLECTED VOGUE
Collected Company has had a contentious impact on Modern. Some believe it, in combination with Chord of Calling, approximates a strategy resembling Birthing Pod decks. While they do approximate them, the power level gap is very wide. I prefer to see Collected Company as a value card used to combat sweepers and one-for-one removal from the reactive decks. The ‘Big Zoo’ decks of the past few years are a good example of this strategy. Made popular by Paul Rietzl earlier this year, the deck slams some of the more efficiently costed creatures in the format, and has a slight toolbox effect with Knight of the Reliquary. Collected Company has shored the deck’s weakness to sweepers by adding an instant speed way to refuel the board.
Naya Company
COMBO NATION
Combo decks appeal to a devote sliver of modern players; and because the format is largely creature based, it’s no surprise that some of the best and most popular combo kills in the format are reliant on creatures. Amulet Bloom has surged in popularity this year, stepping out of the fringes and into the limelight, even invoking the all-too-familiar “Ban It!” language from both Modern speciailists and pros alike. What we’ve seen thus far is that while the deck is incredibly explosive—turn 2 kills are absolutely viable—it suffers both from its difficulty to pilot at a healthy and consistent clip as well as nearly folding to some of the hate cards in the format. Blood Moon, in particular, can shut down even the most considered pilots from casting most of the spells in the deck, provoking cards like Chromatic Lantern from the sideboard.
Expect to run into this deck. The later in the tournament you go, the more proficient the pilot. Getting nut-drawn from this deck is brutal, as you feel all but helpless to the advantage it gains. And watch out for the beatdown plan out of the sideboard, as they’ve taken to siding in Thragtusk and Hornet Queen to combat attrition decks. Will Amulet of Vigor or Summer Bloom be banned? We will find out in January. Until then, stop making predictions. They’re SO not hot right now.
Amulet Bloom
SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW
Splinter Twin. It won the first Modern Pro Tour, and while there have been many bannings and many new decks over the years, Twin is and will always be in fashion. It’s that classic black jacket, that perfect pair of jeans. It always looks good, and rarely needs an adjustment.
Anyone who has played modern knows the threat this deck presents, and what cards can combat it. A lot of the power of Splinter Twin decks is the psychological pressure the deck represents, as well as the ability to pivot into a hard control deck post-sideboard. The printing of Keranos, God of Storms gave this deck a fantastic alternate game plan. Thankfully, Rending Volley gave any deck that can cast red spells a fighting chance against the combo post-board.
Splashes have also gone in and out of fashion. Patrick Dickmann popularized Tarmogoyf, pressing the deck’s tempo advantage while also filling the two-cost slot rather efficiently. These days, tho, with the printing of Kolaghan’s Command and Tasigur, the Golden Fang, Grixis Twin has gained favor over Temur Twin on the splash.
At the end of the day, tho, Snapcaster Mage and Lightning Bolt present enough of a alternate win condition that Blue-Red Twin has remained one of the strongest choices for any tournament.
Splinter Twin
| Creatures (12) 4 Snapcaster Mage 4 Deceiver Exarch 2 Pestermite 2 Vendilion Clique Spells (25) 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Serum Visions 2 Spell Snare 2 Dispel 4 Remand 1 Roast 2 Electrolyze 2 Cryptic Command 4 Splinter Twin | Lands (23) 1 Breeding Pool 2 Desolate Lighthouse 4 Misty Rainforest 4 Scalding Tarn 5 Island 3 Sulfur Falls 3 Steam Vents 1 Mountain Sideboard (15) 2 Blood Moon 2 Keranos, God of Storms 2 Ancient Grudge 1 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir 1 Cavern of Souls 1 Dispel 1 Anger of the Gods 1 Pyroclasm 2 Spellskite 2 Jace, Architect of Thought |
A FASHION REACTION
When I first think of what a reactive strategy in Modern looks like, I immediately think of Jund. Everyone’s favorite two-for-one strategy they love to hate has been one of the more rewarding decks I’ve ever piloted in the format. You’re eternally 50% or worse against every deck in the format game one, but can sideboard better than any other deck. Shoring up your weaknesses is very effective so long as you know what you’re up against going into the tournament. And sometimes you sequence discard spell into discard spell into Liliana, and then the game ends. Well, not on the spot, but down the road. Jund loves to grind.
Jund is also a difficult deck to hate out. It has some rough matchups, but the Jund player can be prepared for them going in. The cards are individually powerful, attack the opponent from multiple angles, and rewards both tight play and an understanding of the opponents game plan. Once they begin casting two spells per turn, the game can spiral out of control being on the other side.
Jund
WHAT ABOUT GRIXIS, JOHNNY?
Grixis ‘Control’ was largely updated, and popularized, by Patrick Chapin earlier this year with a 13-2 finish at Grand Prix Charlotte that ended him in ninth place. The deck has morphed quite a bit since then, but the big gainers this year were delve creatures Tasigur, the Golden Fang and Gurmag Angler along with Kolaghan’s Command. Some have also adopted the use of Jace, Vyrn’s Prodigy. The deck is, at heart, a Snapcaster Mage / Kolaghan’s Command value deck.
This deck has swelled greatly in and out of favor in the short period seeing competitive play, a fact I believe has something to do with the deck’s slow, reactive nature and the still undervalued use of Jace. Also, people prefer to play Splinter Twin Grixis. Nevertheless, its become a pet deck for some—especially those who loved the UWR flash deck of a few years ago—and will undoubtedly show up at any Grand Prix.
Grixis
| Creatures (12) 1 Grim Lavamancer 4 Snapcaster Mage 3 Jace, Vyrn’s Prodigy 2 Tasigur, the Golden Fang 2 Gurmag Angler Spells (25) 2 Inquisition of Kozilek 4 Serum Visions 4 Lightning Bolt 2 Spell Snare 1 Dispel 3 Terminate 1 Mana Leak 1 Remand 1 Dismember 3 Kolaghan’s Command 3 Cryptic Command | Lands (23) 4 Polluted Delta 4 Scalding Tarn 1 Bloodstained Mire 2 Steam Vents 1 Watery Grave 1 Blood Crypt 3 Sulfur Falls 3 Island 1 Swamp 1 Mountain 2 Creeping Tar Pit Sideboard (15) 1 Keranos, God of Storms 1 Mulldrifter 1 Shriekmaw 1 Damnation 1 Anger of the Gods 2 Dispel 1 Izzet Staticaster 1 Flashfreeze 2 Thoughtseize 3 Fulminator Mage 1 Engineered Explosives |
THE OUTLIERS
There are a few other deck choices I expect to see showing up at these tournaments. Some have become popular via a boon to their strategies this year, while others have merely become positioned well in the current metagame.
- Merfolk – due to the printing of Harbinger of the Tides and the power of Spreading Seas against decks like Amulet Bloom and Tron, Merfolk has seen a surge in popularity this year, also notably after a strong finish by Paul Reitzl at a Modern Grand Prix.
- RG Tron – This is the ultimate big mana deck, and thanks to recent printings of Ugin, the Spirit Dragon and Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger, Tron players can unite under a banner of the deck finally being truly a Tier One strategy. They prey on creature based decks, and are very soft to combo.
- Scapeshift – Bring to Light has inspired a lot of people to start experimenting with Scapeshift again, most notably Jeff Hoogland over at The Meadery. Giving Scapeshift a tutor isn’t the same as giving it Dig Through Time, but it could be enough to make the deck competitive at a large event since the delve spell bannings last year.
- Infect – Whether you’re a fan of Tom Ross, or you like your opponents being at ten life, Infect was the most recent deck I piloted at a Modern tournament and it’s been fun getting to know the decks strengths and weaknesses. Another psychological pressure deck, like Twin, but the kills with Infect can be faster—turn 3 is not uncommon—and asks the opponent to answer its threats within a very limited time frame. Keep the board clear on your turn, and never let them untap with a creature to pump. Unless you enjoy losing to Vines of the Vastwood.
- Affinity – This deck has seen a big downswing, but everyone’s favorite robots love to come out and play when no one expects it. I never leave home without sideboard answers to Affinity, because being unprepared for this matchup can catch you with your proverbial pants down after they steal game one.
- Grishoalbrand – This combo deck hasn’t had a strong finish yet, but is definitely a deck to watch out for in the early rounds of a tournament. The high variance, explosive kill combo deck relies on reanimating an early Griselbrand and then drawing most of its deck before chucking all its lands at you with Borborygmos, Enraged. Watch out for 4 Blood Moons or Defense Grid post-board, and know that they can sidestep sideboard hate with Through the Breach.
If there’s anything I left out, it’s because I left it off the table as a deck to watch out for this weekend. Again, Modern is vast and you could always be surprised by something fringe or slightly out of the box at any round, so it’s best to keep your wits about you and be ready to discern your opponents game plan from their opening plays. Either that, or play Gitaxian Probe and Thoughtseize!
Best of luck to all my friends this weekend at the Grand Prix! And have fun!
Derek Gallen lives and writes in Brooklyn, New York.