I don’t know about you, but I’m excited for the Pro Tour this weekend.
Modern is a format with a ton of potential and the recent bannings are something that I think will help it get there. I expect the format will be a tad more diverse than we’re used to seeing. The Chalice of the Void / Treasure Cruise / Birthing Pod metagame wasn’t too exciting.
But now we have over twenty viable decks! The easiest way to organize them is by tiers, but that shouldn’t mean much. In general, the tier will represent their overall power level, which in turn will represent how popular they will likely be – but whether something is Tier 1.5 or Tier Two really isn’t worth having a discussion about. In the grand scheme of things, any of these decks could be in the Top Eight of the Pro Tour.
Tier One
These decks have been format staples basically for Modern’s entire existence. They are powerful, resilient, and are either difficult to hate out or are capable of powering through hate.
I’ve been working on what will likely be the most popular deck at the Pro Tour, and the one I’d like to talk the most about.
Abzan Midrange
Creatures (11)
Planeswalkers (5)
Lands (25)
Spells (19)
The first realization I came to was that the mirror is going to be huge, so you need a way to gain an edge. For the most part, Lingering Souls is the best card for the job. It seems like everyone else has caught onto that though. Now you’ll see things like Gavony Township or Zealous Persecution crop up in maindecks as players try to get ahead.
People are even playing Birds of Paradise and Noble Hierarch in their decks to gain an edge in the mirror alongside things like Sword of Fire and Ice. Cutting back on discard and Liliana of the Veil are some of the concessions you have to make in order to fit those into your deck, so beating combo becomes much more difficult.
Dark Confidant has also seen a mini-resurgence because of all the mirror matches, but I’m still not a fan right now. With all the Siege Rhinos and Lightning Bolts, your life total is constantly under pressure. While the games of the mirror used to last a long time, that isn’t really the case anymore. Typically one person overruns the other with Lingering Souls or Siege Rhinos and their opponent can’t come back from it. I used to want to side out all the discard, but now that isn’t the case.
Other than those recent updates, the deck is mostly the same. There are basically four parts to Abzan – the creatures, the removal, the discard, and the manabase. Bonus points if you were wondering why the sideboard wasn’t part of that list, but I consider that an extension of the deck itself.
Some people play Dark Confidant, Anafenza, the Foremost, Loxodon Smiter, Noble Hierarch, Fulminator Mage, and/or Courser of Kruphix. I think Tarmogoyf, Siege Rhino, and Scavenging Ooze are the best ones, and past that, I want more ways to interact with my opponents. Perhaps that is the wrong approach, but it’s the one I’ve been taking.
I like six to eight discard spells, depending on what I expect the metagame to be. Thoughtseize seems like the most important one by far, especially in some of your bad matchups, so I can’t imagine playing less than that. Duress is like a bad Thoughtseize, but it’s generally better to draw in small amounts than Inquisition of Kozilek is to draw in large amounts.
The removal suite is the trickiest part because you have so many options. I like the full four Abrupt Decays and a Maelstrom Pulse to handle random permanents. The Pulse is especially good against Lingering Souls, Batterskull, and planeswalkers, which is why I have a second copy in the sideboard. They can also be used to clear out Wurm tokens after you’ve killed the front end of a Wurmcoil Engine. It can be kind of clunky, but I enjoy the utility of being able to answer any permanent.
I think you can play one each of Slaughter Pact, Murderous Cut, Dismember, or Disfigure maindeck, but I wouldn’t want too many more past that as they all have diminishing returns. Most of the time I’d rather draw a mix of removal spells instead of any two copies of the same card, hence the various one-ofs.
Path to Exile is a card I have a love / hate relationship with. On the one hand, one-casting-cost removal is fantastic, but on the other hand the drawback is very real. I could see playing other cards over it, but I’m truly afraid of Wurmcoil Engine out of Tron and Inferno Titan out of Scapeshift, so I think I’m stuck playing the two copies.
The manabase is where I think I’ve made the biggest breakthrough. Twilight Mire is the best land in the deck, so why not find a way to play more of those? With Twilight Mire, you can fetch basics and not be manascrewed in your Liliana of the Veil / Scavenging Ooze deck, which significantly cuts down on the amount of damage you deal yourself. That can be important why you’re trying to play four Thoughtseizes.
Stirring Wildwood has been a significant upgrade to Treetop Village and I don’t think I’ll ever go back. I end up having more than enough white sources in my deck, which was a somewhat awkward problem in the past when I wanted to cast Stony Silence on turn two.
I’m playing 25 lands total, which is one more than most, because the deck has a slightly higher mana curve than it used to and I rarely feel like I’m losing games when I have lands and spells. Obviously flooding in the late game is a factor and I don’t have much to prevent that, but I do have five utility lands to make it not seem as bad.
The sideboard, as I mentioned, is an extension of the maindeck. You’ll find some more discard, more removal, and some hate cards for truly awful matchups. You could make a case for ignoring some matchups, but I think Abzan has the potentially to be at least competitive with every deck out there. The only weird card in the board is Gaddock Teeg, which I’m currently trying out as another hate card for Tron, but I’m not expecting it to be good enough.
Tron, Affinity, and Bogles tend to be the most difficult matchups, but the mirror certainly falls under that category too because of how volatile the matchup is. Perhaps there’s a way for us to fix that.
Jund
If everyone is playing Abzan, I probably want to be playing something like this:
Creatures (12)
Planeswalkers (6)
Lands (25)
Spells (17)
This version of B/G/X deals with Lingering Souls quite well and even has a game-breaker in Olivia Voldaren. You could even play Thundermaw Hellkite if you wanted to.
The biggest issue I’ve always had with Jund was that it was so weak to Restoration Angel and Celestial Colonnade. Since you can now add Siege Rhino to that list, some drastic measures had to be made. Flame Slash might take down a Tarmogoyf, a big Scavenging Ooze, or a Restoration Angel, but it won’t kill Siege Rhino without a little help. Thankfully, cards like Olivia Voldaren, Chandra, Pyromaster, and Night of Souls’ Betrayal are there for the assist. Oddly enough, Lightning Bolt probably isn’t where you want to be in Jund.
Aside from figuring out the little quirks like that, I think Jund is a great option and will likely perform quite well if they’re prepared for the mirrors, Tron, and Affinity.
Twin
Creatures (11)
Lands (23)
Spells (26)
Creatures (14)
Lands (22)
Spells (24)
I don’t have a ton of first-hand experience with this archetype but I do have a lot of experience playing against it, especially from the B/G/X side. The Tempo Twin variants are far more difficult to play and sideboard against, which is an edge that you need in a Pro Tour. Full-on combo Twin is mostly dead at this point.
B/G/X is a difficult matchup, especially since Siege Rhino crushes the tempo-fueled backup plan. Batterskull and Blood Moon are two of the ways you can try and fight them, but Batterskull doesn’t line up well against 4/5’s. I like Blood Moon, but I feel like trying to out-Tarmogoyf them is probably a better bet since Tarmogoyf is typically bigger than their Rhinos.
Twin is a rock-solid deck and is one of the decks that plays spoiler for all the “fun” decks out there, but it’s also one of the decks that’s been around the longest. People aren’t going to stop playing creature removal, and people aren’t going to stop playing weirdo decks with Ghostly Prison. Being one of the best decks has its perks, but the fact that everyone is out to get you is definitely not one of them.
Affinity
Creatures (25)
- 4 Arcbound Ravager
- 4 Ornithopter
- 4 Steel Overseer
- 2 Memnite
- 3 Etched Champion
- 4 Signal Pest
- 4 Vault Skirge
Lands (16)
Spells (19)
If people really want to beat you they probably can, and I don’t think that’s a great place to be right now. Affinity is still one of the scariest decks, and definitely one of the best Level Zero strategies, so I wouldn’t be shocked if sideboards automatically have four to six cards specifically for Affinity.
That said, people tend to level themselves in these big tournaments. “Pros don’t play Affinity” is a rule that has very few exceptions, but you always have to be worried about those PTQ winners who aren’t that familiar with the format. They might just pick up the fastest deck and hope to get lucky.
Overall, Affinity is one of the best decks and doesn’t automatically lose to a couple of hate cards. Those games are difficult, but Affinity’s quick clock works with a Dredge-like efficiency. Sometimes Stony Silence comes down after a Cranial Plating is already equipped, and then it’s lights out.
Jeskai Control
Creatures (4)
Planeswalkers (1)
Lands (25)
Spells (30)
B/G/X and Jeskai Control are two of the best decks because they have answers, disruption, and can play a fast clock. There is no hate card or deck that is particularly great against either. They give you the feeling of being in control of your own destiny, and therefore a lot of high-level players will gravitate toward these decks.
I think the trick to putting up a good performance with Jeskai is to identify the threats and have a good plan against them. I wouldn’t want to play the full control version, as I don’t want my opponent to draw out of a bad spot. Something similar to my Pro Tour Gatecrash deck is likely a better place to be.
Sometimes you are put into positions where you really want to be racing but you just can’t do that with a pile of Snapcaster Mages. Restoration Angel gives you a lot of utility, and part of that utility is tied to the fact that you can use your burn spells offensively, giving you another angle.
If I had to guess, I’d say Jeskai would be the second-biggest deck in the Pro Tour, assuming you consolidate all the B/G/X decks.
Tier 1.5
Even using “Tier 1.5” should be silly, but calling these decks Tier Two doesn’t seem right to me. They are a banning away from becoming the new best decks. They might be half a turn slower, slightly less resilient, or not have better matchups than the Tier One decks, but it doesn’t take much for them to look like Tier One decks.
Scapeshift
Creatures (6)
Lands (25)
Spells (29)
- 4 Lightning Bolt
- 4 Peer Through Depths
- 2 Kodama's Reach
- 4 Remand
- 4 Search for Tomorrow
- 2 Harmonize
- 3 Cryptic Command
- 4 Scapeshift
- 2 Izzet Charm
Sideboard
This deck is the perfect example of when an unbanning works out perfectly. The deck is good, not great, but is still able to compete. It’s kind of like a Tron deck in that it goes over the top of decks like Abzan, except that it’s a little more consistent and a little less powerful.
I feel like there is a great version of this deck for the Pro Tour, especially if everyone is slacking on discard spells in favor of more Lingering Souls. Cards like Urban Evolution and Obstinate Baloth go a long way toward beating the most threatening cards out of B/G/X, but you probably want something in your sideboard that can kill them by itself since your Scapeshifts might end up getting caught by a Slaughter Games.
It wouldn’t surprise me If this deck crushes the tournament, but I think some serious innovation has to be done first. Plus, there is always the scare that people show up with faster combo decks like Storm, Amulet, or some sort of Dredge deck.
Storm
Creatures (4)
Lands (16)
Spells (40)
- 4 Sleight of Hand
- 4 Serum Visions
- 4 Desperate Ritual
- 2 Grapeshot
- 4 Manamorphose
- 4 Pyromancer Ascension
- 4 Pyretic Ritual
- 4 Gitaxian Probe
- 3 Past in Flames
- 3 Desperate Ravings
- 4 Thought Scour
Sideboard
This deck is scary!
It always seems like no matter what gets banned from the deck, it’s still a contender. That said, B/G/X being the best deck does not bode well for it. The combination of discard, Abrupt Decay, and a strong clock is bad news. The saving grace is that with Birthing Pod gone there will be far fewer Grafdigger’s Cages, allowing you to move away from the Empty the Warrens sideboard plan and play some Leyline of Sanctities.
I’m partial to the Faithless Looting version, but I understand the draw to Desperate Ravings. I often want to hold onto specific cards with this deck, such as Pyretic Ritual or Pyromancer Ascension, not accidentally discard them to Desperate Ravings. This is especially true in post-board games, where you’re building up to something like Empty the Warrens.
The card disadvantage can matter against Liliana of the Veil, but even though you’re a resource-based combo deck, you’re ultimately looking for specific pieces. We’ve only got so many rituals left in the deck after all the bannings, ya know?
I’d make sure to have a fighting chance against this deck, although I wouldn’t necessarily expect to see it in the tournament at all.
Zoo
Creatures (22)
Planeswalkers (2)
Lands (20)
Spells (16)
Creatures (25)
- 4 Kird Ape
- 2 Tarmogoyf
- 4 Wild Nacatl
- 4 Knight of the Reliquary
- 3 Qasali Pridemage
- 2 Scavenging Ooze
- 3 Loxodon Smiter
- 3 Siege Rhino
Planeswalkers (1)
Lands (22)
Spells (12)
I like these decks a lot actually. Wild Nacatl might not seem like my style, but I’ve actually sleeved them up in sixty card decks, believe it or not.
These versions of Zoo feel like a bizarro version of B/G/X where you’re controlling the board while steadily adding to it yourself. Eventually they just run out of answers and they die, or they kill all your stuff and you try to burn them out. In a world where discard isn’t great, I’d rather play Zoo than any B/G/X deck.
That said, I’m always scared of a bunch of combo decks showing up at Pro Tours. If you’re playing Zoo, I’d recommend playing a Geist of Saint Traft version that can splash counterspells in the sideboard, or the Siege Rhino version that can sideboard something like Thoughtseize that is good against all combo decks.
It’s a tough world for Zoo to live in, but it’s been consistently doing well online, so I have faith that it could put up a good performance at the Pro Tour. With a sweet list tuned for the metagame, I would expect Zoo to be pushed closer to Tier One status.
Tron
Creatures (5)
Planeswalkers (4)
Lands (20)
Spells (31)
- 4 Pyroclasm
- 4 Oblivion Stone
- 4 Sylvan Scrying
- 4 Chromatic Sphere
- 4 Chromatic Star
- 3 Relic of Progenitus
- 4 Expedition Map
- 4 Ancient Stirrings
Sideboard
This is the nightmare matchup for B/G/X. Each game feels like it is so close before it ultimately slips out of your grasp. You just need to fade one draw step in order to get ahead, but it always seems like they have the big threat, Tron piece, or sweeper needed to bury you.
Despite being a wacky combo-ish deck full of big spells and an unwieldy manabase, Tron is fairly consistent. It’s also one of those decks that is almost always drawing live because of how powerful their cards are. Really far behind on board? Well, maybe we’ll find Chromatic Star into Ancient Stirrings into Oblivion Stone!
Infect
Creatures (16)
Lands (20)
Spells (24)
- 3 Rancor
- 2 Might of Old Krosa
- 4 Vines of Vastwood
- 4 Groundswell
- 3 Gitaxian Probe
- 4 Grisly Salvage
- 4 Become Immense
Sideboard
This is my pick for breakout deck of the tournament. Creature removal is plentiful, but Infect can bob and weave around that. Maybe it’s G/U Infect or maybe it’s G/B like the above list, but I wouldn’t be surprised either way. The more people focus on things like Affinity, Tron, and G/B/X mirrors, the easier it is for Infect to mop up like Ari Lax did at Pro Tour Return to Ravnica.
Tier Two
Bogles
Creatures (12)
Lands (21)
Spells (27)
I think this is a worse Infect deck unless you’re expecting a bunch of creature decks like Zoo. If that’s the case, Bogles probably have a better chance of succeeding. Again, this is one of those decks that people have an aversion to playing, but after Reid Duke’s run at Worlds two years ago, I think Bogles is becoming more of an acceptable choice.
The handsome Dave Heilker took down the Premier IQ in Washington DC, so that should give the deck a little more legitimacy as well. It’s a bold choice, but one with a high potential payoff.
Burn
Creatures (12)
Lands (20)
Spells (28)
- 2 Flames of the Blood Hand
- 4 Lightning Bolt
- 4 Lava Spike
- 4 Rift Bolt
- 2 Shard Volley
- 4 Searing Blaze
- 4 Skullcrack
- 4 Boros Charm
Sideboard
Simple, yet effective. This deck also tends to play spoiler to B/G/X decks. If someone really wants to beat up on those decks but doesn’t want to play Tron, you could certainly do worse than playing Burn. That said, I think most people would opt to play Tron instead because it’s a more powerful deck overall. I don’t expect Burn to be a significant portion of this Pro Tour.
U/R Delver
I couldn’t find a decklist for this post-banning.
Odd…
Dredgevine
Creatures (25)
- 3 Golgari Grave-Troll
- 4 Bloodghast
- 4 Vengevine
- 4 Gravecrawler
- 4 Lotleth Troll
- 3 Satyr Wayfinder
- 3 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
Lands (20)
Spells (15)
Sideboard
Creatures (40)
- 4 Birds of Paradise
- 3 Golgari Grave-Troll
- 4 Bloodghast
- 4 Hedron Crab
- 4 Death's Shadow
- 4 Vengevine
- 2 Fauna Shaman
- 4 Skaab Ruinator
- 4 Gravecrawler
- 4 Lotleth Troll
- 3 Varolz, the Scar-Striped
Lands (20)
Sideboard
Creatures (28)
- 4 Birds of Paradise
- 4 Bloodghast
- 4 Hedron Crab
- 4 Vengevine
- 4 Gravecrawler
- 4 Lotleth Troll
- 4 Satyr Wayfinder
Planeswalkers (4)
Lands (22)
Spells (6)
Sideboard
As you can see, there are numerous ways to build this deck. I think someone should try to do something with Bridge from Below and some sacrifice outlets like Drowned Rusalka and Greater Gargadon, but we’ll see.
I like Pedestrian’s take on the deck because it looks more like a normal beatdown deck with a self-mill engine, but I guess that’s what happens when you cut all the cards that say “dredge” on them for normal cards.
I’d guess that this deck won’t put up a good showing unless someone finds a particularly good version of the deck, which is difficult to do given the limited window of time the Pro Tour competitors have and the fact that the deck can be built several different ways.
Ad Nauseam
Creatures (4)
Lands (20)
Spells (36)
This deck did pretty well at Pro Tour Born of the Gods, but that was in the hands of Jared Boettcher. Since that is basically this deck’s only notable finish outside some 3-1s in Magic Online Daily Events, I think it’s safe to assume this one isn’t good enough to hang with the big dogs of Modern.
Amulet
Creatures (10)
Lands (28)
Spells (22)
This deck has some pilots that continually do well with it, as evident by Stephen Speck and his second-place finish at Grand Prix Omaha which he followed up by winning the Premier IQ in Indianapolis. Aside from that, most people shy away from decks like this because of the inherent variance involved. After all, hands with Amulet of Vigor tend to be excellent, and hands without it tend to fall short.
Merfolk
Creatures (24)
- 2 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
- 4 Lord of Atlantis
- 4 Silvergill Adept
- 3 Cursecatcher
- 4 Master of the Pearl Trident
- 4 Tidebinder Mage
- 3 Master of Waves
Lands (20)
Spells (16)
Sideboard
Without Treasure Cruise in the format, one of Merfolk’s best cards, Chalice of the Void, is suddenly much worse. Without a card that hoses a significant portion of the metagame, Merfolk loses a lot of what made it playable in the first place. Still, this is one of the decks that tends to outperform expectations, mostly because it’s one of the decks that is respected the least.
This is definitely not the entire scope of Modern. There are some other Primeval Titan decks, Goryo’s Vengeance, various white creature decks, and a slew of other crazy decks out there. For the most part, the range of decks people are willing to play at a Modern Pro Tour is relatively low, so you might not see too much of the cool stuff. Regardless, it should be a fun tournament, and I hope someone has the courage to play with their brews!