My Modern Azorius Control List For SCG CON New Jersey

The new year is upon us, and this means SCG CON is back in business! First stop is New Jersey, a brisk six-hour drive for me. Back in the day, this distance is basically down the street, but the world has changed for this 40-year-old. Six hours went from an easy drive to my maximum distance; luckily, most of the events I plan to go to do not exceed that. Charlotte, Philly, New Jersey, and Baltimore are all within my range, so plan to see this grizzled veteran casting Counterspell in a few weeks.

What About MagicCon Philadelphia?

I have not decided if I am going to MagicCon Philadelphia hosted by Wizards of the Coast (WotC), due to the financial barriers they have installed for the average player. The entry cost for simply walking into the premises is absurd, especially for those of us who have family that like to join us. In addition, the price tag for the event is also high, rounding out to a possible $320 for two tournaments. Free entry into the tournament area for an SCG event is something I took for granted, as I assumed it would always be that way. The continued monetization from WotC has put a sour taste in my mouth, and I know I am not the only one that feels this way.

Stock value and general satisfaction continues to drop for the best card game of all time. Many of us warned that the short-term gains they would enjoy from milking the consumer for every dime would be overtaken by the long-term repercussions of these actions. This is not something we wanted to be correct about, since it has hurt the game overall. Luckily for Magic and us, the game is too strong to collapse, in my opinion. Therefore, I will continue to compete in the SCG events, while locally testing to stay up to date.

The SCG CON New Jersey Spread

SCG New Jersey has a host of competitive events, along with some Commander for the casual side of the aisle. Many of you know I have recently dabbled in Commander, with my favorite deck being Urza, Lord High Artificer. Sheldon Menery and Saffron Olive going adds a nice bonus to the Command Zone, for those that have not had the pleasure of meeting/playing against them.

I go way back with Sheldon, as he helped me during the judge certification process close to twenty years ago in Baltimore. Since then, he has done wonders for the Commander community, and it will be nice to catch up. Unfortunately, if there is a main event for a nice chunk of change, my time will be reserved for that. Even though competitive blood runs through my veins, adding a nice casual element to my game has been all upside in my overall Magic enjoyment.

What to Play in Modern?

With Modern as the format of the main event, figuring out what deck to play has been a challenge. Many of you know that I have been very high on Jeskai Breach as of late. Ever since my Regional win with a four-color version right before the pandemic, it has been my favorite combo deck of the format. Azorius Control (Kaheera) kept growing in power over the last two years, making it difficult to switch to Jeskai Breach, until the recent success of my buddies Corey and Ross. Their success at SCG CON events has given the deck new life, and I was dead set on playing it in the next applicable event.

Jeskai Breach

Jeskai Breach is a special deck with the inclusion of Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer and Ledger Shredder. I have seen some successful versions that have subbed out Ledger Shredder for Fable of the Mirror-Breaker. This change makes total sense, accomplishes a similar outcome, and has more upside in a world full of single-target removal. The extra mana is where the debate lies, and I am unsure which is better in the current metagame.

Ross played an updated list with success in the NRG Series, but it is difficult to analyze the results without some additional scrutiny. Luckily, there is ample data from across the competitive spectrum that backs up the power of Jeskai Breach. Regardless of the difficulty level, many players have been able to scoop up prizes on the back of Grinding Station in Modern. It is still at a criminally low percentage of the Modern metagame, but that is for a very good reason.

The “Shifting Metagame” Myth

For years, I have fought back against those who try to pin a metagame as “constantly shifting” when there is no rotation. With Legacy and Modern especially, the decks that people invested in are the only decks that will play for years. This is not just a financial investment, but an emotional one as well. Players fall in love with their Modern deck and have a hard time putting it down for the next “best thing.” This, in combination with the giant financial barrier for switching, makes the Modern metagame relatively predictable.

There are some exceptions to the rule, through bannings and simple modifications to existing archetypes. The control world could shift to all four-color versions, due to the strength of Yorion, Sky Nomad. Then that card gets banned, putting those lost souls back to original styles of control, Five-Color Indomitable Creativity, or a simple Four-Color Omnath variation. There have been times when Burn will shift from one color to two colors, or Izzet Murktide will toy with a white splash. These examples of simple shifts or banning-induced adaptations is the limitation of a Modern metagame if the other decks can remain competitive.

The Power of Izzet Breach

Looking at the top decks of the format, half of them have been around for many years. On the outskirts, Mono-Green Tron, Living End, Merfolk, and Burn can easily win a tournament. For this reason, it is imperative that you do not over-analyze which deck is best for any given week when preparing for a live event. To be successful in Modern, your deck must be able to tango with most of the archetypes that lurk around the format. Giving up a match to Burn is fine if you are not dead in the water to the other aggro decks. Having deficits to multiple fringe decks in Modern, on the other hand, is a recipe for disaster, an aspect that did not exist in the formats with forced rotations.

This metagame reality is the reason a deck like Izzet Breach is so strong in the hands of an experienced player. The deck is independently strong, regardless of the deck choices of the other competitors. Graveyard hate on its own is not good enough to defeat the powerful combo deck with the addition of alternate win conditions. Ragavan and Ledger Shredder can claim victory on their own, without graveyard assistance. The union of strong graveyard hate, and targeted removal can take down this deck, but very few archetypes can boast such a combination…outside of one.

Can Azorius Control Keep Up?

Azorius Control (Kaheera) has lost some favor with me since I began piloting Jeskai Breach. I thought the power of the format rose to a level that made a reactive control deck too weak to compete. While my resolve wavered, others continued to post results with lists very similar to mine. There were a few changes, but nothing drastic enough to make or break the archetype in competitive play. Let us take a look at Raja Sulaiman’s list from the same event.

This list looks nearly identical to the version I have piloted over the last few events, with a few interesting modifications. I love Subtlety in this deck, adding another layer of free interaction when resources are tied up. He also added the third Chalice of the Void to the maindeck, something that I have done from time to time. The Modern world will never get slower, so preventing one-cost spells in perpetuity is a strong effect to have. These are two changes that I can get behind, and I have seen them in more recent Modern events online.

How I’d Build Azorius Control (Kaheera)

Azorius Control (Kaheera) decks that are successful have begun to drop spells that have only specific fringe purposes in return for cards that have a higher floor across the metagame. I have recently dropped Dress Down and Spreading Seas, since neither card has a significant impact in most matchups. Investing two mana for these spells can be better spent in other areas, especially when facing down deadly creatures on Turn 1.

Card Choices

In: Subtlety

This is the list that I have landed on for the main event in SCG New Jersey. My love for Jeskai Breach is still strong; however, I believe that this version of Azorius Control (Kaheera) will give me the best chance to win the event. The inspiration from recent success led me to try out Subtlety, and I was not disappointed. All the top decks rely on creatures to defeat you, and Subtlety is an easy way to not get blown out when mana is not available for disruption. In addition, the protection it provides from planeswalkers is great, even though it happens less frequently. Control decks have been able to come back from creatures left unchecked for a few turns, but it is much more difficult to repeat that success against a planeswalker.

Out: Spreading Seas and Dress Down

Cutting Spreading Seas and Dress Down completely from the list is another step in the right direction. Spreading Seas has been on its way out the door for a year now, but the Dress Down move is a more aggressive stance. The card can either completely destroy an opponent, or be a waste of time that requires vital mana early in the game to cantrip with no effect. Those types of cards have a place in the sideboard usually, but Dress Down has been a win-more card in my experience. I would rather gain a little less advantage, deliver some traditional disruption, and win on a narrow margin to have that spot freed up. This may be one of those situations where I am forced to eat my words, but that is a risk I am willing to take!

In: Leyline Binding and Shark Typhoon

With the additional room, Leyline Binding has been added as a three-of and Shark Typhoon has increased its maindeck presence. These two cards are universally strong and give the controller disruption to most threats and an outlet for excess mana that is unmatched. Leyline Binding will quickly become a control staple in competitive formats with fetchlands. It simply required adding another tri-land to search for, and make it one of the cheapest removal spells for any size threat. For Shark Typhoon, cycling it on Turn 2 gives a similar effect to a dead Spreading Seas or Dress Down. With each passing turn, it produces a larger creature with evasion and flash. I love Shark Typhoon in all competitive formats, and I am happy to dedicate a second one to the maindeck here.

Still Sideboarded: Stony Silence and Grafdigger’s Cage

The sideboard underwent some change, but I prefer the traditional loadout that has treated me well over the last year in competitive play. The single Stony Silence has been great, as there are decks that still rely on artifact activation to win.

This logic applies to the newly added Grafdigger’s Cage, a card that I have not played much in Azorius Control. With the number of decks that bring creatures back from the dead, it can act as a third Rest in Peace. It shines the most against decks that bring (or cast) creatures from the library. Decks like Five-Color Indomitable Creativity and Golgari Yawgmoth do not want to see this hit the battlefield on Turn 1, earning it a single spot in the sideboard.

The rest of the sideboard does work against the staples of the format, which have not changed for the reasons discussed earlier. I may regret not going in with Jeskai Breach, but the heart wants what the heart wants.