Good ol’ Rock. Nothin’ beats Rock.
A little over a year ago Randy Buehler hosted a Team Modern Super League and invited the Wizards of the Coast Play Design team to join. The cast members included Melissa DeTora, Paul Cheon, Donald Smith, and Andrew Brown. Great players, but mostly Standard-focused on their day-to-day duties as a Play Designer. However, another three members of the squad did play a lot of Modern. Those people were Michael Majors, Dan Musser, and me. A then-secret project was in the works, now known as Modern Horizons, that we three did a large part to develop. That meant jamming a lot of Modern on a daily basis.
Creatures (13)
Planeswalkers (4)
Lands (25)
Spells (18)
A deck as fair as the pure dark-green driven snow.
The deck was similar to the Jund decks at the time. Instead of Bloodbraid Elf, Lightning Bolt, Terminate, and Kolaghan’s Command, we have a more consistent manabase that can utilize Field of Ruin. Tireless Tracker was our Bloodbraid Elf. The Clues fueled escalated Collected Brutality and keeping ahead with Liliana of the Veil.
The sideboard had a couple of plans. Back to Nature was solely against Selesnya Hexproof (affectionately known as Bogles.) The dual Kalitas, Traitor of Ghets combined with the Slaughter Pact to often get a Zombie token immediately. There wasn’t much Tron to be expected, so just Fulminator Mages were enough to get by.
For this past weekend, Gerry Thompson approved of Golgari Midrange as a solution to the Dredge, Izzet Phoenix, and Burn decks that were to be expected at SCG Regionals. I was pleased to see many of the same elements between his suggestion and “Golgari Traction” from a year ago.
We had a great record with Golgari Midrange a year ago, although I haven’t played any with the deck since. If Gerry says it’s what he’d play, it’s worth looking into, especially if it’s a touch under the radar. I ended up taking some elements from Gerry’s suggested list and combining them with what I was used to and liked from a year ago, also while taking into account what other people have been doing well online with to 5-0 Magic Online Leagues.
Creatures (13)
Planeswalkers (4)
Lands (25)
Spells (18)
I took the deck to SCG Regionals in Dallas with my “50% versus everything” deck. It seemed like it’d have game against everything and have enough play to claw my way to match wins against most things. After a 7-1-1 Swiss record and a quarterfinals win over Mono-White Martyr, I finally fell to Mono-Green Tron in three.
A few of my card choices aren’t stock. This is a combination of wanting familiarity, spice, and general card preference. For example, I used to only play one Dark Confidant. Gerry likes zero, while most of the rest of the world likes three or four. Gerry liked four Surgical Extraction, while others preferred just two. I met in the middle on most things. If I was wrong, I couldn’t be that wrong. Right?
This was a late addition, literally moments before the player meeting at SCG Regionals. It was in my box of extras, tempting me to try something spicy. I decided to cut a second Nissa, Vital Force for the comparable five-drop of The Eldest Reborn and was pleasantly surprised all tournament. Sometimes you just want a sacrifice effect that dodges Leyline of Sanctity, like against Selesnya Hexproof. It’s a solution to planeswalkers without having to lean on Assassin’s Trophy. It tends to be just as good as Nissa, Vital Force in midrange matchups, and works really well in tandem with her. You can return it with Nissa’s -3 or return Nissa with The Eldest Reborn. Go infinite!
Golgari Rot Farm is certainly a pet card of mine. I’m honestly surprised to not see people exploring the Return to Ravnica bouncelands more in Modern. Sure, Modern is fast and there are Field of Ruins and stuff running around. Against certain decks, though, a Golgari Rot Farm as as much of a two-for-one as they come. With Tireless Tracker in the mix it’s even more than that. One of my favorite plays is returning Blooming Marsh and then replaying it untapped as my fourth mana source. It also gets you a fodder card for Liliana of the Veil or Collective Brutality.
I decided to put one in my sideboard as another mana source for when I increase my mana curve with more expensive cards. Golgari Rot Farm is often better than a copy of Field of Ruin when the field doesn’t have good opposing lands to blow up. In any grindy matchup that will for sure go long, I’ll add it on just Tireless Tracker value, even if they have Field of Ruin. With the creature-lands in your deck, those effects are already stressed with targets anyway.
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth is mostly a Swamp that helps out when you have multiple Forests / Treetop Villages in your draw. It also allows you to tap Verdant Catacombs for mana when you don’t want to lose one life or you want to keep it around for a future Tireless Tracker. There aren’t many decks splashing black, so I’m not worried about the symmetrical effect biting me.
Sideboarding
Izzet Phoenix
Out:
In:
Izzet Phoenix is the number one deck that Golgari Midrange is gunning for, reflected in many of the maindeck choices like the two Nihil Spellbomb and the Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet. Surgical Extraction is mostly used as a removal spell for Arclight Phoenix. Additional copies can be used to nab Thing in the Ice, Faithless Looting, or Manamorphose. You can often see their hand with a Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek. If you can nab a spell in their graveyard and in their hand it’s usually worth it. They’re a critical mass deck and you’re here to pick them apart and win with a Tarmogoyf or Scavenging Ooze left over.
Be wary of Blood Moon if possible and use Verdant Catacombs accordingly. Typically Field of Ruin isn’t very good against them, but if they come with some Blood Moons, then they’re more important and should be left in.
Dredge
Out:
In:
The three maindeck Scavenging Ooze, two Nihil Spellbomb, and one Kalitas do work. Assassin’s Trophy is pretty poor against recurring threats and especially bad to give them a land for Bloodghast. Golgari Rot Farm comes in since you have so many weak removal spells you need to bring out. The extra mana source helps to more reliably cast Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet and to get as many activations as you can out of Scavenging Ooze.
Burn
Out:
In:
“Not dying and not missing land drops” is the name of the game. It’s critical that you can land Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet on Turn 4 if you have it. Golgari Midrange is pretty good against Burn, since the deck is built to deal minimal damage to its pilot from its manabase. If possible cast Scavenging Ooze when you can get at least one activation from it. If you can’t, it’s okay to trade it with an attacking Goblin Guide or Eidolon of the Great Revel to conserve your life total and not allow the spectacle of Skewer the Critics.
Mono-Green Tron
Out:
In:
Tron has always been a very difficult matchup for B/G/x decks. Cheesing them out with land destruction into Surgical Extraction is your primary plan against them. This works for a little while until they start dropping Wurmcoil Engine naturally. This is where Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet helps, since it avoids the dies trigger from Wurmcoil Engine. The Eldest Reborn can get a Karn Liberated or Ugin, the Spirit Dragon and even bring it back on your side of the battlefield. If they get all the way up to Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger things are nearly all lost, but “nearly” isn’t “completely.” A Liliana of the Veil plusing quickly to expend the Tron player’s resources before they hit enough natural land drops is key to the matchup too, as is the -6 ultimate. Liliana, the Last Hope is solely for the couple Fulminator Mages or the looming clock of her ultimate.
Selesnya Hexproof
Out:
In:
Liliana of the Veil is your best card in the matchup and the rest of your deck is largely just filler. If they have Leyline of Sanctity, your life is rough, as it requires an Assassin’s Trophy or Maelstrom Pulse to get past. A common line against this deck is to cast Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kolizek to take their second hexproof creature and then wait until Turn 4 to cast Liliana of the Veil when you have a Fatal Push up for the Dryad Arbor that they plan on fetching up with a Windswept Heath. The Eldest Reborn shines here as a sacrifice effect that even gets past Leyline of Sanctity.
Hardened Scales Affinity
Out:
In:
The goal here is to not die from an Inkmoth Nexus early and live to cast one of your powerful four-mana spells. Discard isn’t great against regular Affinity since they dump their hand so fast, but Hardened Scales is a quite a bit slower so they’re live longer. Tireless Tracker is slow, but you want something to have a stream of cards after you’ve one-for-one’d your opponent a bunch. Liliana of the Veil isn’t great against Hangarback Walker or modular in general, but with a high density of removal it’s not terrible as long as you don’t draw multiples early. Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet is super-important here to turn off modular and Hangarback Walker.
(Regular) Affinity
Out:
In:
Discard isn’t great against Affinity, but you want something to do on the early turns. Similar to Hardened Scales Affinity you want to live long enough to cast a good four-drop while not dying to an Inkmoth Nexus. Liliana of the Veil and Tireless Tracker are clunky in multiples, but drawing one of each in a game is pretty good to put the hammer down. Collective Brutality is pretty medium and will tend to trade down. Escalating is a good way to dump a dead discard spell or to snipe a Galvanic Blast when they’ve tapped low.
Azorius Control
Out:
In:
The goals against Azorius Control are to not get caught too badly by a Terminus or Wrath of God and to have a discard spell to clear the way for a heavy hitter like a Tireless Tracker to make a few Clues, The Eldest Reborn, or one of your three planeswalkers. Rest in Peace can be a problem for your Tarmogoyfs and is one reason to keep in all copies of Assassin’s Trophy. Opposing planeswalkers and Search for Azcanta are the primary means of the opponent grinding you out. Celestial Colonnade won’t often kill you when you have four Field of Ruin.
Whir Prison
Out:
In:
The primary plan is as usual: A discard spell into a threat like a Tarmogoyf that hopefully runs away with the game before the opponent can piece anything together. Creeping Corrosion is great here and should be used as soon as possible, even if it only gets a few artifacts. If you can get an Ensnaring Bridge into their graveyard and Surgical Extraction it, you should be in good shape. The Eldest Reborn is there to pick off the Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas that they usually sideboard in. Collective Brutality is pretty unreliable if they don’t draw Whir of Invention or have cast it already. They can’t do too much about you going off with Tireless Tracker, so you have time to dig for Creeping Corrosion, Maelstrom Pulse, or Assassin’s Trophy if they get you under an Ensnaring Bridge.
Storm
Out:
In:
Storm tends to sideboard into Pieces of the Puzzle and Empty the Warrens, so I don’t like adding anymore graveyard interaction like Surgical Extraction when they’re already moving away from the Past in Flames plan. Nihil Spellbomb and Scavenging Ooze should be enough. The Languish is insurance against an early Empty the Warrens. Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet is fine, but not great, but can hold off ten to twelve Goblin tokens nearly on its own. They have some number of Lightning Bolt and Abrade after sideboard too. Kitchen Finks is a good card to cast into open mana on Turn 3 if you expect a removal spell.
Grixis Death’s Shadow
Out:
In:
Grixis Death’s Shadow is battle of attrition with discard spells flying both ways. Even one Clue from Tireless Tracker, a Liliana of the Veil down-ticking and sticking, or a card from Dark Confidant can go a long way. Collective Brutality is in a weird spot where it’s a pretty weak discard spell that doesn’t kill much with the -2/-2, but can keep them honest when threatening a late-game drain for two. It can clear the way for Liliana of the Veil, which is one of your better cards.
Nihil Spellbomb is also only okay since they can often create a Gurmag Angler in one shot, forcing you to be really preemptive with the Spellbomb while also being unable to get the cantrip effect. They play Mishra’s Bauble to pump your Tarmogoyf. Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet is also fine, but can be too slow and can trade down to Dismember or Fatal Push. I never want to draw two.
With their low basic land count you can oftentimes use Field of Ruin, Assassin’s Trophy, and Fulminator Mage to get them off red mana. If you see them Thought Scour away a Blood Crypt or Steam Vents, you can take the opportunity to strand Temur Battle-Rage in their hand.
Amulet Titan
Out:
In:
After sideboard Amulet Titan comes with some number of Path to Exile and Spell Pierce, making Collective Brutality more live. Their addition of Coalition Relic makes the first copy of Creeping Corrosion not so bad. I like keeping in most of the creature removal, especially on the draw, so Sakura-Tribe Scout or Azusa, Lost but Seeking doesn’t run away with the game.
If you can Surgical Extraction a Primeval Titan early, you’re looking pretty. They sideboard additional threats like Hornet Queen, so it’s not lights out or anything. Beware of Summoner’s Pact into Obstinate Baloth if you have a Liliana of the Veil itching to +1.
Humans
Out:
In:
Humans is the matchup where only having the one sweeper hurts the most. Collective Brutality has enough targets to clear the way for Liliana of the Veil being useful. Reflector Mage is probably their best card and can get really annoying if you draw multiple Tarmogoyfs or get your Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet bounced. The good news is that Fatal Pushes and Assassin’s Trophy are amazing.
Golgari Midrange
Out:
In:
Getting Clues with Tireless Tracker is what’s up. Assassin’s Trophy is pretty medium when both players have creature-lands and sometimes Tireless Trackers on the battlefield. Collective Brutality isn’t great, but you really don’t want to get stuck without an answer to a Dark Confidant since most Golgari Midrange decks play more than one. The Eldest Reborn is pretty rockin’ here since neither player has that many threats. Just don’t let them activate and sacrifice a Treetop Village if you can help it.
On the draw your Fatal Push and discard spells are important against Dark Confidant and Tireless Tracker, and you should mulligan to a hand that can interact with them. On the play you have a pile of Lilianas and a Maelstrom Pulse to get rid of their card advantage engines.
I think Golgari Midrange is a great choice for this weekend’s Modern Open in Philadelphia. It’s customizable and set up well against the top decks in the field like Izzet Phoenix, Dredge, and Burn. I’ll likely hit a closer tournament to Louisiana, like Grand Prix Tampa Bay or the Hunter Burton Memorial this weekend.
Remember: When in doubt, Jund Rock ’em out.