The RCQ season is shifting back into gear and I’m getting ready to play at RIW’s on September 14. Now that we’ve had some time to digest the impact of the Nadu and Grief bans I’m going to dive into the Modern metagame once more.
Boros Energy is public enemy number one now that Nadu got the axe. Like Nadu, it has so far only pushed out less efficient decks with similar game plans rather than decks it preys upon. For example, there wasn’t a compelling case to play other turn 3 decks when Nadu was legal and it’s now suboptimal to play other midrange strategies as they are weaker than Energy.
Energy is a great deck to have at the top of the food chain as it’s a very beatable strategy. Cards that kill swaths of small creatures now have an important function in the metagame. Eldrazi decks are leaning on red as a base color for Kozilek’s Return.
Here’s MisplaceGinger’s list from the finals of a recent MTGO Challenge:
I have personally liked MisplacedGinger’s approach to the archetype.
The One Ring is the most powerful spell in the format so it’s natural to play it. Stock Boros plays only twenty-two lands and four copies of The One Ring making the average draw very clunky. Ginger not only increased the land count, but also reduced the number of Rings. Escaping Phlage is already a great play with four mana so there’s little reason to max out on the powerful artifact.
Ginger also took out some of the cards that have been power crept out of the format such as Ragavan and Fable of the Mirror-Breaker. This sentence is very painful for me to write, but it’s true. Modern has effectively rotated with Modern Horizons 3; there are winners and losers. The biggest draw to Ragavan and Fable is the red creature to boost Ajani’s -0 loyalty ability.
Two copies of Goblin Bombardment also make a powerful statement. The second copy is useless on the battlefield, but is strong enough to warrant the inclusion. Flipping Ajani at any point with a red permanent can end a game very quickly. Phlage turning into a four-damage spell on the front half is not only powerful, but resilient against exile-based removal. Opposing energy-based removal spells won’t generate excess resources as they will fizzle, too.
Blood Moon is the main draw to the consistent two color Boros deck. There could be a time where big mana decks lean too hard on Through the Breach or other cheaper threats and midrange focuses on two colors to shore up weakness to Blood Moon, but that time is not now.
I’m also interested in experimenting with Mardu Energy now that Ginger has added more lands for The One Ring. The color requirements are the primary issue with Mardu and more lands can help alleviate. Thoughtseize is helpful against Gruul Through the Breach to not only break up the combo, but snag Pyroclasm effects after board.
There’s an opportunity to hone the Boros Energy sideboard as the metagame evolves. Boros doesn’t have many slam dunk sideboard cards and looks like a series of hateful bears and artifacts played in pairs. It’s difficult to solidify a sideboard as there are many turn three combo and Eldrazi decks to consider; each with their own strengths and weaknesses.
Chained to the Rocks is the new breakout removal spell as it exiles Psychic Frog, Murktide Regent, Phlage, and Suncleanser.
STORM, AMULET TITAN, AND GRUUL BREACH
These powerful decks can threaten quick kills with lower consistency and resilience compared to Nadu. Now that the bird is gone the next tier of combo decks can thrive. This poses a problem for the reactive decks as they must now respect a more diverse metagame.
None of these decks are strong enough to warrant hopping on the bandwagon, but if you like these play styles I would recommend.
Storm is likely the most powerful of the linear combo decks and I would advise packing permanent-based interaction such as Damping Sphere. Abrade is strong interaction out of the Storm sideboard so be advised that simply casting a Sphere won’t end the game, but is a good start. Magebane Lizard is a targeted hate card for Storm that survives Abrade.
Here’s NAHUEL10’s top 8 Gruul Breach list from a recent MTGO Challenge:
If Boros is popular in your area then it’s a great choice to play a fast combo backed by Kozilek’s Return. Boros is able to grind back into games with The One Ring and Phlage, but that only works if you let them survive.
Goldensamoyed made the top 4 of Nordic Masters with a cool take on Storm featuring Escape to the Wilds.
Storm is a very powerful deck and it’s strength in the metagame will wax and wane depending on the amount of targeted sideboard hate present.
Here’s Jack Potter’s Amuet Titan list from a recent MTGO Challenge:
Aftermath Analyst is all the rage in Amulet Titan as it can create some powerful loops that incorporate Lotus Field. The deck is powerful enough to keep pace with the rest of Modern while being even more complicated than before. Damping Sphere can hate out Storm, Amulet Titan, and Tron.
Not only do big Eldrazi enter the battlefield with Through the Breach, but also hard casting them the old fashioned way is a viable strategy. Thanks to The One Ring, big mana decks are able to cast threatening cards in the face of Blood Moon to compete with Modern’s current rules of engagement.
Big mana decks still have a challenge against the fast combo matchups.
They must quickly assemble lock pieces in the form of Karn, the Great Creator for The Stone Brain, Trinisphere, or Ensnaring Bridge to compete. Kozilek’s Command exiling the graveyard is a hidden fourth mode to disrupt combo, too.
_Batutinha_ made the finals of a recent MTGO Challenge with a Tron list with plenty of interaction to keep pace.
The traditional Izzet Murktide shell has been abandoned due to power creep. Again, Ragavan isn’t powerful enough to justify anymore.
It’s no secret that Magic players love to cast Psychic Frog and black is the clear color to pair with Murktide Regent. If you’re preparing for paper RCQs, blue decks are typically well represented.
A major sticking point in the past with Dimir Frogtide was the weakness to Boros Energy and Eldrazi. Luckily these two points have been remedied by specifically targeting the problematic matchups.
Here’s MANJYUI’s list from a recent MTGO Challenge top 8:
Maindeck Toxic Deluge can help clean up a sticky battlefield filled with creature tokens. The sideboard goes even harder on deluges and even dips into the Glistening variety.
Cling to Dust is a maindeck answer to Phlage that functions as a cantrip. It can feel hopeless to battle Phlage each time it returns from the graveyard, but is better when your interaction also escapes.
Maindeck Harbinger of the Tides is a recent innovation you should respect out of Frogtide. If you see a black fetch that isn’t Polluted Delta be prepared for Harbinger as finding Swamp is part of the game plan. Boros Energy pilots need to fetch their basic Mountain with purpose.
The premier blue control deck that utilizes The One Ring survived the bans. It’s able to compete with Boros Energy with the help of Wrath of the Skies as long as the second Plains makes it into the list as Blood Moon can be an issue.
I’m lower on Jeskai Control as it formerly preyed on Nadu, but has a harder time keeping up with numerous different turn three decks in the form of Storm, Breach, and Amulet. Nevertheless I expect Jeskai Control to show up to paper RCQs as it’s a fan favorite.
Here’s boytriton’s MTGO Challenge top 8 list:
Jeskai takes the crown as the top control deck with the help of Phlage. You need a pretty good reason to consider another control deck as Jeskai will out grind potential opposition.
Esper Goryo’s has taken a fall from grace with the banning of Grief. I’ve been working on the deck to account for the lack of Grief as it’s not as simple as replacing the elemental with four pieces of interaction.
I’ve been tinkering with the deck to find the maximum blend of power and consistency; it’s not there yet unfortunately.
Ephemerate is significantly less powerful so I’m cutting the fourth copy for a maindeck Consign to Memory. The powerful counter not only interacts with The One Ring, but can counter the triggered ability of sacrificing a legendary creature at the beginning of the next end step. Leaning on another color to keep the legendary creature on the battlefield increases consistency against Blood Moon; I can now win the game without basic Plains! This is especially important as I lean harder on Frog to pitch uncastable cards against Blood Moon.
I’m going all in on Psychic Frog to increase the number of powerful cards in the deck. It doesn’t dig as deep as Archeologist or Tainted Indulgence, but forces the opponent to take time off to interact. Thoughtseize into Frog will just win some games without using the graveyard.
The Grief version of Goryo’s played twenty land as the Ephemerate combo took just a single mana. Without access to a quick elemental blink line the deck is more mana hungry. The eleventh fetch land will help against Blood Moon. It’s also sketchy to keep hands without all three colors. Four surveil lands ensures the fetch lands have plenty of utility into the late game.
I’m sticking with the Priest of Fell-Rites over the Emperor of Bones. The Priest can enter the battlefield from the graveyard in a deck with few creatures. I don’t want to invest mana into adapting the Emperor against removal. Ulamog will see itself in exile when it enters with the help of the Emperor so I see them as a package deal. I prefer Griselbrand even though it can no longer be exiled with Grief. Note that blinking Ulamog with Ephemerate will also get ten counters as it sees itself in exile.
Nadu and Grief are gone, leaving Boros Energy to take the top position in the metagame. Boros Energy is a very beatable deck leaving Modern in a healthy and evolving state for now. I intend to play Boros Energy in upcoming RCQs as it’s efficient and quick in the face of an open metagame.
I look forward to seeing the Modern metagame ebb and flow as the RCQ season progresses and hope to snag a couple more top 8s along the way.
