After much discovery in the Modern format I have been playing Azorius Affinity. This is pretty far from my comfort zone with Psychic Frog, but I’m still able to counter spells and draw cards. Affinity is a great choice for RIW’s RCQ taking place on June 21. It’s strong yet forgiving.
Today I’m going to talk about my list and how to think about the archetype.
Affinity is one of the strongest decks in Modern because it’s able to be a powerful and synergistic home for Mox Opal. This deck is capable of broken starts while still able to grind in the later turns. I enjoy the complex decision trees while at the same time winning games when I get them wrong.
Azorius Affinity has a lot of overlap with the new Jeskai Ascendancy deck championed by Andrea Mengucci and Corey Baumeister, but they play differently. Both are respectable options in Modern and I would say Ascendancy has a higher ceiling on power, but comes at the expense of having more decisions that are punishing if made incorrectly.
For example, you must consider playing a Mishra’s Bauble in case Cori-Steel, Jeskai Ascendancy, or Narset, Jeskai Waymaster is drawn later. Extra cards can be kept to loot with Ascendancy; small decisions that can make or break you.
The core of Azorius Affinity is Emry and Tamiyo. I look to cast at least one of these creatures on the first turn- sometimes both.
Emry is more powerful, but both demand an answer as they can run away with the game.
Tamiyo can be flipped quickly as Thoughtcast or Thought Monitor is all you need. I also look to activate Mishra’s Bauble on the opponent’s turn so a single clue activation can get a flip.
The only spells to buy back with Tamiyo are Thoughtcast, Metallic Rebuke, and Sink into Stupor in the maindeck, but these are powerful to recur.
Tamiyo’s +2 ability doesn’t shine often, but can negate an army of cat attacks from Ocelot Pride.
Mox Amber can make green mana for Haywire Mite after Tamiyo flips.
While Thoughtcast can be strong in games where affinity counts are high, they get weaker post board as the opponent can interact more often. Thought Monitor is also weaker in post board games due to lower affinity counts, but has the upside of being cast with Emry.
Make sure you consider attacking before playing Thoughtcast or Thought Monitor on main phase one with Tamiyo on the battlefield as flipping is mandatory. Don’t miss out on that sweet clue value.
Metallic Rebuke is the only maindeck counter. I want the full playset to keep combo decks at bay or to save Tamiyo and Emry from removal. There are times where I will board out a Rebuke if I’m bringing in many other counters.
There are some matchups where Rebuke is mediocre in the first game, but becomes much stronger with the threat of Wrath of the Skies and Meltdown. This is particularly true against Boros Energy and Izzet Prowess.
Portable Hole exiling any nonland permanent costing two or less makes it extremely versatile and I don’t board multiple copies out too often. The artifact count aspect of Portable Hole is also relevant so you can cast it without a target to build up Affinity. Hole lining up to interact with Cori-Steel Cutter makes Affinity particularly well positioned.
Glass Casket is the fifth Portable Hole, but only exiles creatures. I prefer some number of Caskets before playing too many Whipflare and Dispatch since it helps with the artifact count. Winning with your game one deck is easy, but finding the right amount of artifacts post board is what separates good from great Affinity pilots.
Kappa Cannoneer is a powerful creature that pushes the deck in the Affinity direction instead of Jeskai Ascendancy. If you’re new to Affinity an unexpected interaction is that Kappa triggers itself upon entering the battlefield. For this reason Kappa’s last name is “trigger” and not “Cannoneer.” Some amount of Kappas can be boarded out against linear decks, but they stay in fairly often because a creature that wins the game by itself is valuable in scrappy post board games. Wrath of the Skies and Meltdown care about mana value and six is a high number.
This is the best deck to take advantage of Urza’s Saga’s constructs. Amulet of Vigor is the best artifact to tutor in Modern, but there are plenty of disruptive elements and equipment in Affinity.
Think ahead of time what you want to do with Saga as there are scenarios with Kappa Cannoneer where they are at odds. Not enough mana to activate Saga and artifacts to improvise. I find myself landing a Kappa and then using the Saga to find Shadowspear as that’s a tough race to lose.
Pithing Needle requires specific deck knowledge, but here are some names in rough order of importance for key matchups:
Boros Energy– Goblin Bombardment, Ajani, Nacatl Avenger, Arid Mesa, Reflection of Kiki Jiki, and Seasoned Pyromancer.
Izzet Prowess– Cori-Steel Cutter, Mishra’s Bauble (this affects your own, too), a red fetch land. I would board Needle out in the Prowess matchup. Take note of what fetches are in your opponent’s deck since not everyone optimizes their deck to play around a Needle in a haystack.
Gruul Ramp– Needle is weak as the four green fetch lands can have different names here, too. Some Ramp lists play Karn, the Great Creator which can be an issue, but Saga can put Needle onto the battlefield when relevant. Ugin, Eye of the Storms is in some lists and can be problematic in a stalled game. Portable Hole, Tamiyo, Emry, and Kappa are the key permanents with a color. Worldbreaker can also be added to the hand from the graveyard with an activated ability.
Affinity Mirror– Urza’s Saga, Emry, Tamiyo, Seasoned Scholar, Haywire Mite, Shadowspear, Lavaspur Boots, Aether Spellbomb. Remember these cards are also in your deck, but timing this card correctly can be very strong. If you find Needle off Urza’s Saga the opponent cannot respond. You may also have the opponent tap multiple Mishra’s Bauble to improvise a Kappa Cannoneer so they can’t be sacrificed in response.
Storm– Ral, Leyline Prodigy, red fetch lands, and Artist’s Talent. Again, they can play any of the red fetches.
Amulet Titan– Boseiju, Who Endures, Aftermath Analyst, Hanweir Battlements, Tolaria West, Mirrorpool, The Mycosynth Gardens, Otawara, Soaring City, and Urza’s Saga. There are tons of lands to name so you can pick one already in play or think about some lines you can lose to.
Like Portable Hole, there are times it’s correct to play the naturally drawn Needle ahead of there being a reason on the battlefield to build up Affinity or to Improvise. For this reason you want to have a game plan with Needle ahead of responding to something on the battlefield.
Mishra’s Bauble is the glue of Affinity. There are times I will target the opponent at a strange time to get more information on what to name with Pithing Needle. You can Bauble yourself to find out if it’s worth sacrificing a clue on your own turn. I think hard before sacrificing Bauble as it enables affinity cards and Kappa Cannoneer.
Soul-Guide Lantern is my graveyard hate of choice as it can cycle and be cast every turn with Emry. I wasn’t happy with Tormod’s Crypt as it will likely sit on the battlefield threatening an activation which doesn’t play well with Kappa’s improvise as it must be untapped.
Haywire Mite can both gain life and serve as a removal spell. I prefer more Mites in the sideboard over Wear/Tear because they can be recurred with Emry and contribute to artifact count.
Lavaspur Boots is best for giving Emry and Tamiyo haste. The more I play the deck the less I fetch Boots with Urza’s Saga to give the second construct haste if it doesn’t immediately end the game. Once you have a couple constructs on the battlefield I’ll search for a disruptive piece and close the game the following turn.
Shadowspear is the stronger of the two equipment. I prefer four Kappa Cannoneer to take full advantage of Shadowspear instead of playing a 3-3 split with Thought Monitor. The ability to make opponent’s lose indestructible and hexproof isn’t very relevant, but it can come up against Ketramos.
Improvise with Kappa and Metallic Rebuke means you should be aware that most artifacts can be activated when they’re tapped, including clue tokens. Mishra’s Bauble, Soul-Guide Lantern, and mana sources are the only artifacts that can’t be activated when they’re tapped.
Razortide Bridge is an artifact for early Mox Opal starts to mitigate entering tapped. Artifact lands are vulnerable to Karn and Collector Ouphe, but indestructibility helps rebuild affinity after Wrath of the Skies. Emry doesn’t play artifact lands from the graveyard, but they do trigger Kappa’s pump ability.
Darksteel Citadel is the fifth colorless land alongside Urza’s Saga. I’ve been happy with one, but there are times I have to mulligan hands that don’t cast an early Tamiyo or Emry.
Island can be found from Ghost Quarter which is a popular silver bullet for Sowing Mycospawn as well as White Orchid Phantom.
Hallowed Fountain can be found from a Boseiju activation. I prefer a single Seachrome Coast to the third Hallowed Fountain or a second Darksteel Citadel.
Spire of Industry enables Haywire Mite and Whipflare. Well worth the splash. There are times I need a 0 cost artifact to enable the colors for a smooth opening hand.
Otawara and Sink Into Stupor let me play eighteen land with more functioning as spells. Affinity can win the game quickly making the bounce closer to removal. Otawara’s channel is cheaper with Emry and the front side of Tamiyo, but does not include planeswalkers.
Consign to Memory is primarily for Ramp, but can also counter Goblin Charbelcher. Ramp decks are powerful and this is perhaps the best sideboard card in Modern. Consign is more reactive than I would prefer in the mirror, but it can prevent Urza’s Saga from gaining the construct ability or stifle a Portable Hole.
Whipflare is primarily for Boros, but it can also clean up tokens from Cori-Steel Cutter. It’s not an artifact so I don’t board it in too much outside of their intended matchups.
A single Dispatch is good in a variety of matchups and can be recurred with Tamiyo, but I prefer another Glass Casket over additional copies.
Damping Sphere is an artifact that helps against two fast decks- Storm and Amulet Titan. I don’t love Damping Sphere against Gruul Eldrazi as they can play a more controlling game and it misses Utopia Sprawl’s extra mana.
Force of Negation is great as it allows Affinity to interact and develop the board against linear decks. I’m much closer to three copies than one.
Welding Jar can help mitigate the impact of Wrath of the Skies and Meltdown in post board games. It can be recurred with Emry and activated while tapped with improvise. There are typically Urza’s Saga silver bullets to cut in each matchup so it’s nice to have one to swap in the sideboard. There’s upside to playing an unexpected Saga target as the opponent cannot respond once it’s the find.
A big part of the post board games is navigating the artifact hate. Here are some hate cards in popular decks:
Boros Energy: 1-2 Wrath of the Skies, 0-2 Wear/Tear, 0-2 Clarion Conquerer.
Izzet Prowess: 1-2 Meltdown/Shattering Spree
Mirror: 0-2 Wear/Tear and 0-2 Haywire Mite.
Storm: 1-2 Brotherhood’s End and 3 Prismatic Ending. They can also Wish for Brotherhood’s End in game one.
Gruul Ramp: 3 Nature’s Claim. They have pivoted away from Force of Vigor due to many green cards being devoid, but it’s still possible they play a small number.
Amulet Titan: 1 Collector Ouphe that can be found with Green Sun’s Zenith and 0-1 Force of Vigor. There can also be additional copies of Boseiju in the sideboard making it a more appealing name with Pithing Needle.
Modern is in a great spot right now as there are plenty of decks in the top tier. This is not to say you can play anything and succeed as the top decks are doing powerful things very quickly. Affinity is a great choice as it takes advantage of Mox Opal and Urza’s Saga, draws cards, and interacts. What’s not to like?
