The Modern RCQ season is ongoing and I’ve had some success so far with my favorite deck, Dimir Frogtide. Modern is currently very fun and you can likely achieve some level of success playing what you enjoy so this is a safe time to Frog if that’s what you’re into.
Today I’m going to share my latest list and a sideboard guide.
I’ve made a few topical changes since my last article, but the deck has largely remained the same. I play Modern at least once a week and have posted a winning record each time and entered the top 8 of a recent RCQ as first seed.
In addition, I also split the top 4 of RIW’s RCQ last weekend with this exact 75 as well. There were thirty players and the competition was stacked.
Zach Allen came out of retirement and Raja Sulaiman out of semi-retirement for the RCQ so it was a great time.
Murktide Regent continues to impress as Solitude decks haven’t picked up in popularity as much as I expected. The damage-based removal in Boros and Prowess make it a formidable threat. The single Quantum Riddler in the sideboard can be swapped with a threat that doesn’t line up well in a matchup.
The Boros matchup feels better now that the major angle of attack, Phlage, has been banned. I can focus more on dealing with early threats knowing their ability to turn the corner with little resources in the late game has been diminished. I can now board in all three Engineered Explosives.
Orcish Bowmasters line up best against Boros. I can play a third Tamiyo and a Wan Shi Tong, Librarian instead of the full playset of Bowmasters if I expect a more diverse metagame while maintaining enough ninjutsu enablers for Kaito.
Prowess has gained steam lately since Phlage was the biggest thorn in its side. I also like this matchup as long as I prioritize stopping Cori-Steel Cutter. Spell Snare and Force of Negation really pull their weight. Thoughtseize is surprisingly strong in the matchup as the game typically ends with a threat that goes unanswered rather than a constant stream of damage. Psychic Frog into Murktide Regent is the ideal draw in the matchup.
Amulet Titan has survived the ban hammer and Zuran Orb allows for convoluted loops. Nature always finds a way. Thankfully this is one of the best matchups for Frogtide. Cavern of Souls isn’t popular, making Counterspells strong in the matchup. Harbinger of the Tides is only in the sideboard for big mana decks because most three color value decks have white for Solitude.
Tron is a tricky, but winnable, matchup. In the first game I need to mulligan to a fast Psychic Frog plus Murktide Regent. Most matchups I don’t ever think about pumping Frog in the middle of the game, but I will frequently dump most of my hand against Tron because the only thing that matters is dealing damage quickly. Ugin and Devourer of Destiny are the scariest threats as they exile your threats even if they’re countered.
Temur Rhinos isn’t thriving this time around, but Living End is playable. A blue deck is able to handle the cascade mechanic with Consign to Memory. Remember to replicate Consign to Memory on Violent Outburst to play around Force of Negation.
Esper Goryo’s is a powerful deck, but a favorable matchup. They lean harder on the fair Quantum Riddler plan after sideboard so be careful not to go overboard on interacting with Goryo’s Vengeance only to lose to creatures.
Gruul Broodscale is a strong deck that is tricky to face because of Emrakul and Cavern of Souls. The combo is easy to stop as it can be broken up by Fatal Push; I expect the Broodscale pilot to focus on the Emrakul top end in the matchup as a 13/13 that can’t be countered is hard to stop.
Affinity is strong in Modern and I don’t like the matchup. The three Engineered Explosives in the sideboard help address the swarm, but need to end the game quickly with Murktide Regent. Games you win against Affinity involve fast interaction against the payoff in their hand: Kappa Cannoneer, Weapons Manufacturing, Pinnacle Emissary, or Urza’s Saga. Watch out for Pithing Needle on Engineered Explosives after board.
Affinity
+4 Consign to Memory +3 Engineered Explosives +1 Force of Negation
-4 Orcish Bowmasters -2 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares -1 Spell Snares -1 Cling to Dust
Boros Energy
+3 Engineered Explosives +2 Stern Scolding
-2 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares -3 Thoughtseize
Amulet Titan
+3 Consign to Memory +2 Harbinger of the Seas +1 Force of Negation
-3 Fatal Push -2 Orcish Bowmasters -1 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares
Izzet Prowess
+3 Engineered Explosives +1 Force of Negation
-2 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares -2 Subtlety
Living End
+4 Consign to Memory +2 Nihil Spellbomb +1 Force of Negation
-1 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares -4 Fatal Push -2 Spell Snares
Esper Goryo’s
+2 Nihil Spellbomb +2 Stern Scolding +1 Quantum Riddler
-3 Fatal Push -2 Orcish Bowmasters
Blue Belcher
+4 Consign to Memory +1 Force of Negation +2 Stern Scolding
-4 Orcish Bowmasters -1 Sheoldred’s Edict -2 Fatal Push
Tron
+4 Consign to Memory +2 Harbinger of the Seas +1 Force of Negation
-4 Fatal Push -2 Orcish Bowmasters -1 Cling to Dust
Broodscale
+3 Engineered Explosives +4 Consign to Memory +2 Harbinger of the Seas
-4 Orcish Bowmasters -2 Spell Snare -2 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares -1 Counterspell
So far the Modern metagame has shaped up nicely for Frog gamers. Affinity is difficult, but every deck has a bad matchup. Modern MTGO Challenges often present homogenized metagames, but paper RCQs are the wild west and I want a deck that can hang with the swaths of affordable linear decks.
Good luck out there and thanks for reading!
