We’re celebrating Mythic Championship II London with some awesome fantasy tournaments on Thousand Leagues! You could win a Guilds of Ravnica Mythic Edition or some sweet Hipsters gear—and as always, you can make your own league and invite some friends!
Mythic Championship II London takes place this weekend, featuring both Modern (without War of the Spark) and War of the Spark Booster Draft. There’s plenty of attention around this high-profile event due to the proposed London Mulligan rule and decklists becoming public to players after Round 5. We haven’t had a Modern “Pro Tour” since Pro Tour Rivals of Ixalan last March, where we saw Player of the Year Luis Salvatto and Lantern Control defeat Gerry Thompson’s Mardu Pyromancer deck in the finals.
Despite the finals being somewhat underwhelming, we saw the success of new archetypes such as Hollow One and Mardu Pyromancer, and I expect Mythic Championship II London will be no different. In anticipation of the event, I look at the Top 10 decks I predict we will see on coverage this weekend.
#10—Puresteel Combo
Puresteel Combo has been a low-key established Modern strategy since the printing of Sram, Senior Edificer back in Kaladesh. The deck, also known as Cheerios, takes advantage of Sram and Puresteel Paladin to draw plenty of cards by casting zero-mana artifacts such as Paradise Mantle and Mox Opal. You keep drawing cards until you find Retract to cast these zero-mana spells again, and win with Grapeshot for lethal damage.
With the London Mulligan rule being tested in at the Mythic Championships, combo decks have a better chance of finding their payoff cards. Puresteel Combo is a glass cannon strategy but has the potential to win on turn two or three if the draws line up correctly. I expect Puresteel Combo to be the dark horse of the Mythic Championships as this mulligan rule presents a more consistent gameplan, and can be tough to disrupt if the combo comes together early in the game.
#9—Blue-Based Control
Blue-based Control strategies have been well-loved by pro playersfor many years, and I foresee a modest representation as a result. Control is beginning to flourish as the metagame matures; Zach Allen finished in second at SCG Cleveland earlier this month with Esper Control. We are beginning to see a clearer picture of which decks are at the top of this metagame, which puts Azorius (and Esper) Control in a promising position, especially at the hands of an experienced pilot. I expect Blue-based Control to perform well at the event with cards such as Supreme Verdict and Terminus over-performing as there are plenty of creature-aggressive strategies in the format.
#8—Whir Prison
Whir Prison has been picking up traction over the last few months by denying resources and exploiting Chalice of the Void. Although it’s a unique deck which may not be loved by many, it executes its goal cleanly and effectively. Modern has become an explosive format, and Whir Prison forces your opponent to play to your speed.
Lantern Control employs a similar strategy, and is also in a favorable position. The addition of Kaya, Orzhov Usurper presents finality to these decks, which can otherwise take some time to win games. Will Prison archetypes run it back after Pro Tour Rivals of Ixalan? We’ll have to wait and see.
#7—Five-Color Humans
With the downswing of Bant Spirits, Five-Color Humans again rises as the de facto tribal aggressive strategy in Modern. Over the last month, the deck has been achieving success in Grand Prix Top 8s and winning various Modern Challenges. The addition of Anafenza, the Foremost allows an efficient answer to strategies such as Dredge and in some cases, Izzet Phoenix.
Meddling Mage is also well-positioned again, benefitting from public decklists, and Humans is the premier archetype for the card. I expect to see Humans to be the most represented aggressive deck at the Mythic Championships because it has both a proactive gameplan and ample disruption.
#6—Titanshift
Titanshift and Titan Breach has been achieving consistent Top 8 Grand Prix finishes as well as a Grand Prix win earlier this month. With Azorius Control looking to make a comeback, Valakut strategies can prey on the Modern metagame and thrive after the Krak-Clan Ironworks banning. Although Valakut strategies are often criticized for their linear and uninteractive gameplan, the strategy is powerful and consistent. I expect to see players slinging Mountains at the event.
#5—Grixis Death’s Shadow
If you have been following Zack Kanner and Michael Rapp, you will be aware of Grixis Death’s Shadow in the Modern metagame. The deck offers plenty of disruption and resource denial. Discard spells such as Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek become more valuable with the London Mulligan and public deck lists. Additionally, Stubborn Denial has the potential to perform well if there are more linear and combos strategies prevalent as a result of the new mulligan rule. Grixis Death’s Shadow has many answers for the top decks in the Modern metagame, and I expect a strong showing at the Mythic Championships.
#4—Dredge
Dredge has been incredibly consistent since the printing of Creeping Chill from Guilds of Ravnica. Although Dredge hasn’t won many high-profile events recently, it remains to be a powerful and resilient deck. It boasts excellent matchups against Grixis Death’s Shadow, Izzet Phoenix, Azorius Control, and creature-focused strategies that fill the metagame. Assassin’s Trophy helps the deck fight through graveyard hate. I expect Dredge to feature heavily in this Mythic Championship due to the London Mulligan allowing a higher rate for explosive starts.
#3—Mono-Green Tron
Mono-Green Tron has always been Modern’s safest bet, and it’s back on the rise. Izzet Phoenix can be a tough matchup, but Worldbreaker and the forth Wurmcoil Engine make this matchup closer than it seems. It matches up well against Dredge and Grixis Death’s Shadow. Karn Liberated and Ugin, the Spirit Dragon exile creatures, which is a good place to be right now.
In addition, the London mulligan rule provides more consistent hands to acheive Tron. As a result, I expect to see plenty of Mono-Green Tron over the weekend. If I was playing the Mythic Championship this weekend, this would be my choice as I think it’s very well positioned and have plenty of experience with the archetype.
#2—Amulet Titan
Amulet Titan is one of the best strategies that has been flying under the rader since the banning of Summer Bloom. We’re a Matt Nass or Piotr Głogowski Top 8 away from Amulet Titan being a top deck again. Although it’s lost the potency that Summer Bloom brought, the deck is resilient against the field and seemingly has no bad matchups.
The deck’s steep learning curve discourages players from sleeving it up, but mastery of the deck will lead to success over time. I would not be surprised to see Amulet Titan win the Mythic Championships in London, as it’s a potent strategy that rewards format knowledge as well intricate plays.
#1—Izzet Phoenix
Izzet Phoenix has dominated Modern since Guilds of Ravnica’s release and is one of the most popular strategies in the format. Not only is it consistent but also presents absurd tempo swings with Thing in the Ice, which can act as a one-sided Plague Wind against some opponents.
Izzet Phoenix offers various angles of attack which make it tricky to beat, but it isn’t unbeatable. Despite its popularity, we are beginning to see a potential metagame shift where fewer people are playing the deck. Although I expect to see Izzet Phoenix be the most represented at the Mythic Championships, I wouldn’t be surprised to see fall short of winning the whole event as players are learning how to answer the popular deck.
Modern offers a wide array of competitive strategies, and I foresee a new deck or a fringe archetype to break out at the event. It’s always exciting to see a player achieve success with something that isn’t established, which we have seen recently from Zach Allen and Attila Fur at high profile Modern events. Mythic Championship II London will be a memorable event for many reasons, and I’m excited to see what happens!
Emma is a writer and Modern enthusiast based in Suffolk, England. She has been involved in Magic since Khans of Tarkir’s release back in 2014, but won’t shy away from Cube and MTG Arena. Follow her on Twitter @emmmzyne to join in on the conversation!