Daily Digest: Nivmagus Elemental Returns!

I’ve been playing a lot of Standard lately, but I’m eager to hop in the Modern queues and see how Earlder1’s take on my Pro Tour Return to Ravnica deck
does.

For those not in the know, this deck features Nivmagus Elemental alongside Kiln Fiend and aims to play multiple spells in a turn, culminating in a large
Kiln Fiend or Nivmagus Elemental. Ground Rift is great at clearing blockers out of the way, but Nivmagus Elemental can also exile storm copies, making it
huge as early as turn 1! With an Assault Strobe or Tainted Strike, you’ll be attacking for lethal shortly thereafter.

The mopey Flamekin Harbingers I played at the Pro Tour are gone, replaced with Death’s Shadow, and that’s a change I can get behind. Death’s Shadow is
another card that can function as a Nivmagus Elemental thanks to all the phyrexian mana spells in the deck. It’s not uncommon to be in the single digits on
turn 2.

This deck can kill as early as turn 2, but is weak to discard plus removal. One of the worst matchups was Jund, but that deck isn’t exactly popular right
now. I wouldn’t be surprised if now is the perfect time for Nivmagus Elemental to (Tainted) Strike!

Nivmagus Aggro

Earlder1

3rd Place at Magic Online Premier Event on 06-02-2014

Modern

Creatures (14)

• 2 Simian Spirit Guide
• 4 Death's Shadow
• 4 Kiln Fiend
• 4 Nivmagus Elemental

Lands (16)

• 1 City of Brass
• 4 Blood Crypt
• 2 Arid Mesa
• 1 Marsh Flats
• 2 Scalding Tarn
• 2 Verdant Catacombs
• 4 Blackcleave Cliffs

Spells (30)

• 4 Ground Rift
• 4 Thoughtseize
• 3 Assault Strobe
• 4 Tainted Strike
• 4 Mutagenic Growth
• 4 Apostle's Blessing
• 4 Gitaxian Probe
• 3 Dismember

Sideboard

• 2 Duress
• 4 Pyroclasm
• 2 Lightning Greaves
• 2 Shattering Spree
• 1 Slaughter Pact
• 1 Assault Strobe
• 1 Dismember
• 2 Postmortem Lunge