We’re just weeks away from the B&R update on December 16 where The One Ring is likely to be removed from Modern.
Today I’m going to discuss updates to my favorite deck, Dimir Frogtide, as it will likely remain intact going into the new year.
The most important reason to Frogtide people is that Psychic Frog is an incredibly fun card to play! I’ve liked getting value in my Magic decks since 2003 and there’s no sign of that stopping anytime soon. After playing with Psychic Frog for months I still can’t believe it was actually printed. I enjoy cards with a lot of play that are so powerful it ultimately doesn’t matter much to go on autopilot.
Energy will likely become the de facto “fair” deck if The One Ring is the only card to be banned because Phlage will be the new trump card. Frogtide is slightly unfavored against Energy assuming both players draw well and pilots are of comparable skill. If you’re stronger than your average energy opponent this can be shored up to a slightly favorable matchup. Every game in the matchup is difficult regardless of experience. No free wins here unfortunately!
The best reason to play Frogtide is its favorable matchup against linear decks. Dimir is currently well positioned to interact with opponents which makes for a good combo matchups. There has been a rise of linear decks to fight Energy.
Why try to out grind Energy if they will eventually go over the top with Phlage? You can’t fight the tide forever so do something broken instead.
Dimir Frog decks are either based around Murktide Regent or Abhorrent Oculus. At the moment, Oculus is the default option as it enables powerful nut draws that can produce a haymaker as early as the first turn (with the help of opposing discard).
I favor a more traditional Murktide shell to Oculus for many reasons:
1. Thought Scour is key to enable the reanimation subtheme which is a significantly weaker cantrip than Preordain. Randomly milling a Swamp can mess with Harbinger of the Tides, too.
2. Unearth requires playing more creatures to have enough targets outside of the flagship Abhorrent Oculus. Think Dimir Collected Company.
3. The weaker cantrips combined with additional threats comes at the expense of interaction which hurts the combo matchup. The remaining interaction is harder to find.
4. I prefer playing fewer threats as a single Frog or giant flier can shut the door when combined with free and cheap interaction.
5. I’ve been cutting my teeth with Energy decks as of late and I feel slightly advantaged against both Murktide and Oculus builds. I need Oculus strategies to be significantly ahead against Energy to justify the weaker combo matchup.
I have been favoring this version of Frogtide for months and it has yet to let me down. Psychic Frog can be dangerous to tap out for on the draw, but three Force of Negation and two Subtlety help stabilize. A Frog on the play needs little assistance to close a game.
Preordain is the strongest cantrip in the format and helps ensure Psychic Frog lands on the second turn. I will trim Preordain in matchups where Spell Snare and/or Stern Scolding shine as it requires tapping blue mana at sorcery-speed.
Subtlety is not only a flash threat, but shines against Energy and Oculus. When the opponent exiles six cards with Oculus it goes back to the deck making it also strong against Unearth. Amulet Titan is good at the moment despite really only making a mark on the Apex Series and I want to respect it with free interaction.
Archmage’s Charm has earned its place over the second Shoot the Sheriff. Every counter matters as Modern is filled with decks that win if a singular spell resolves. I have found two-mana removal spells to even be marginal against Energy as the deck is incredibly resilient against interaction when key threats replace themselves. I will play a second Shoot the Sheriff if I expect a metagame filled with Dimir mirrors.
A Sink into Stupor and Otawara helps shore up interaction for larger threats with just the single Shoot the Sheriff. Sink can pitch to Force and Subtlety, but Otawara conserves life total which is certainly used as a resource in this strategy. Both have diminishing returns so I chose a split.
Thoughtseize rounds out the interaction suite whereas other builds play more threats, Spell Pierce, or Consign to Memory. Proactive interaction plays well with Psychic Frog and Murktide Regent. Consign is too narrow whereas Spell Pierce has limited shelf life and the opponent can play around it easier than Force of Negation. A savvy opponent can waste your mana on key turns and then force through multiple spells after you cast a threat; Thoughtseize breaks open that common dynamic.
Orcish Bowmasters enables a flash game plan while pressuring small creatures in Boros/Mardu Energy and The One Ring. It’s not too helpful to speculate on the next Modern B&R announcement outside of the Ring being banned, but I suspect Bowmasters will still be powerful if that’s the only change. Never underestimate WOTC’s ability to throw us a curveball.
Despite the metagame shifting in unexpected ways after the December 16 B&R announcement, Dimir Frogtide’s interaction will be well suited because it’s generic. This game plan is tried and true.
Three Island and a Swamp not only helps against Blood Moon, but saves life against Boros Energy. I played a single RCQ with just two Islands and lost the first game I played by having to shock in a Watery Grave in the mid game.
I’m firmly in the Darkslick Shores camp rather than Gloomlake Verge. Not only does Verge not produce black mana when you draw two copies, I also need to cast Thoughtseize on the first turn. It’s a closer decision in the Oculus builds without Thoughtseize, but would still prefer Darkslick Shores.
I can get away with three Islands, an Otawara, and just three Darkslick Shores because this build doesn’t play double-black spells in the seventy-five such as Glistening Deluge or The Meathook Massacre. I’m still fundamentally against double-black sweepers versus a deck with Blood Moon.
Memory Deluge is the strangest card in the sideboard, but has overperformed. After sideboarding both players will have more nimble threats and interaction which means I want an additional card advantage engine as games drag on longer. Tapping out for threats “in the grindy matchups” can be dangerous as Dimir has a hard time fighting spells once they have resolved, making the instant-speed aspect very appealing.
Subtlety plays very well with Memory Deluge against Energy as holding up four mana for the powerful 3/3 can feel telegraphed. If the opponent plays around Subtlety, but you actually have the Memory Deluge the game will end in short order. I initially hypothesized Memory was the best kind of Deluge against Energy and it ended up feeling correct.
I board in Memory Deluge against just about every matchup as it can even take the place of a Murktide Regent against combo decks while still keeping the threat density stable. Deluge truly shines when you can find Force of Negation or Subtlety as a fail safe.
Two Harbinger of the Seas is a solid number combined with the three Thoughtseize in the seventy-five. Many flavors of ramp rely on midrange threats powered out by talismans making the ability less useful. Amulet Titan doesn’t want to see Harbinger, but has an entire sideboard dedicated to fighting them. Don’t be a one trick pony with a three mana sorcery-speed threat.
The Fourth Force of Negation comes in against a majority of the combo decks in the metagame. I wouldn’t leave home without the fourth copy.
Toxic Deluge and Stern Scolding are for Energy, but there are plenty of other matchups where they can shine. For example, Stern Scolding can counter nearly all of the creatures against Esper Goryos and Toxic Deluge can kill Scion of Draco with hexproof. The more Scoldings and Snares in the seventy-five the less useful sweepers become as you efficiently keep the battlefield clear.
I’ve toyed with the idea of playing Nihil Spellbomb in the maindeck like the Legacy Frogtide decks, but not being an instant or sorcery for Murktide is a big drawback. It’s a less committal card compared to Ghost Vacuum or Surgical Extraction.
Dimir Frogtide has been overperforming for me and is poised to continue domination after the next B&R announcement. The One Ring is highly likely to be banned, making a deck that didn’t cast it in the first place in a great position. I’m excited for the future of Modern as it will get a much needed shakeup.
