I’ve heard rumors that Faeries might be playable in Modern these days, so of course, I had to check it out. What I’ve found is that, while Faeries has been
intermittently successful, the list is far from settled. One version that I saw was playing four Pack Rats which sounds pretty reasonable, but that’s not
what I’m playing today. My list today is based on Joe Bernal’s third place finish in Toledo with a few small changes to try some “fun ofs.”
Creatures (12)
Lands (25)
Spells (23)
- 3 Mana Leak
- 1 Peek
- 2 Spell Snare
- 3 Cryptic Command
- 1 Peppersmoke
- 4 Bitterblossom
- 1 Agony Warp
- 1 Doom Blade
- 3 Disfigure
- 1 Twisted Image
- 1 Batterskull
- 2 Dismember
Sideboard
Round 1
My loss in game 2 was interesting. I think I could have won if I didn’t cast Thoughtseize, as I would have been able to Spellstutter for five, and since he
had two five-mana spells I couldn’t beat, Thoughtseize didn’t help. I’m not sure if that’s a situation I should have known to play around.
Round 2
I really overreacted to the way the first game played out in sideboarding for game 2, and I should have noticed how many mountains my opponent had at the
end of the game. In the third game, I don’t think there was anything I could have done without more lands.
Round 3
This matchup felt quite good for this build of Faeries, which makes sense since I’ve prioritized cheap removal, and Bitterblossom matches up very well
against all of their cards.
Round 4
This matchup also felt particularly good because of the specifics of this list of Faeries. Maindeck Disfigure instead of maindeck Thoughtseize is a big
deal. My opponent also opened on a burn spell instead of a creature both games, and those games are always easier.
This deck felt fine but not great. I don’t love the land selection–I think River of Tears is a lot better than Watery Grave specifically and likely better
than Secluded Glen as well. Snapcasters were great against UWR, but I’m curious about the Pack Rat approach.