I want to play a deck that's powerful, fun, and has a lot of staying power, without being so strong that it gets banned. There are a few decks that come to mind when thinking about these specifics, notably Burn, Affinity, and Tron.
I'm looking to build a new deck that has the following:
Highly consistent
Long term staying power in the top level meta
Powerful but not over-powered
Most importantly, fun to play
I already have Burn, which I think fills those roles perfectly.
I'm not a huge fan of Affinity or Tron from having play-tested them. I was looking at Humans, and I think the deck has all the above criteria, but its history in Top Tier Modern is relatively short, which can be worrying for it's long term staying power.
My Abzan Company deck is pretty much dead and I need something new. What do you guys recommend based on the above?
If you want decks that are powerful enough to survive bans, there are UR Storm (which has survived a huge number of bans on its supposedly key pieces), Amulet Titan (which is roaring back despite losing Summer Bloom), and arguably Eldrazi Stompy (Bant used to be the post-bans flavour of the day, but now it's Colourless). Affinity would count, except you've already declined it.
I think Affinity has HAD the most staying power, being a Tier 1 deck ever since the beginning and falling just a bit along the way, but always remaining playable at worst.
Now Affinity is still around in Hardened Scales, but since you are asking what will now, that's anybody's guess. It may still be Affinity (Hardened Scales or Experimental Frenzy)
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Legacy - Sneak Show, BR Reanimator, Miracles, UW Stoneblade
Premodern - Trix, RecSur, Enchantress, Reanimator, Elves https://www.facebook.com/groups/PremodernUSA/ Modern - Neobrand, Hogaak Vine, Elves
Standard - Mono Red (6-2 and 5-3 in 2 McQ)
Draft - (I wish I had more time for limited...)
Commander - Norin the Wary, Grimgrin, Adun Oakenshield (taking forever to build) (dead format for me)
Short of Burn, Affinity and Tron, which the OP had already mentioned, Dredge and Storm are poised to be permanently good. Just how good is anyone's guess because WotC is determined to keep them in check and maybe the banhammer will at some point descend and crush them to smithereens, but we're certainly not at that point yet.
Grixis Death's Shadow is the last deck I'd say is destined to stay on top for a while, although it may shift around over time. The good thing is is that it's mostly modern staples so even if it depreciates in power, it will still remain 4/5 of the parts of whatever deck rises to replace it.
If you buy into any of those decks you won't have to worry over the situation that I'm having now, where I bought what I could afford (and liked), aka Mono U Tron (I traded in a ton of my junk for it through Pucatrade - even got 2 chalices that way :D), but WotC stubbornly refuses to print anything within the design space that would make the deck better (blue answers), or slow the format down overall and make midrange and control stronger so I'm constantly fighting the general power creep and always ending up short.
If I was in your shoes I would probably buy Death's Shadow. The other decks are either too uninteractive or too linear to play to remain interesting in the long run. Then again, you played burn so maybe you don't have a problem with that
I would also wait for the new modern product announcement. If they, god forbid, decide to print cards directly into the format they could, intentionally or (more likely) unintentionally, nuke the metagame completely and then all of this becomes irrelevant.
I would also wait for the new modern product announcement. If they, god forbid, decide to print cards directly into the format they could, intentionally or (more likely) unintentionally, nuke the metagame completely and then all of this becomes irrelevant.
That is my concern as well but if this product were ever going to see the light of day, I'd expect chase cards that are really strong blanket answers to specific zones/archetypes. Makes everyone chase the shiney and sells product that guarantees another product run. Nothing like that would throw the meta too far out because you have some incredibly potent "free" hate already (leyline of the void or surgical extraction).
OP I think grixis deaths shadow is incredibly good. I suck at playing it and perform much better with creature combo personally - but the deck is legit and solid. Even if something in shadow were to eat a ban, as mentioned above, a ton of the deck ports over to other established archetypes.
I mean storm, delver, twin, grixis death shadow, arc light - they all evolved off a very solved mana base for the most part. At the very worst if you chase whatever is hot for the meta, your real estate will port over to other decks well.
I bought into storm, filled out for twin, acquired UB stuff for fairies, and then only had to buy shadows when grixis shadow blew up. Now I'm about $100usd from the new arclight decks.
Build something that gives you mobility for a meta.
Amulet Titan fits all of the categories, I think. You have trouble against Blood Moon, but if you didn't they'd have to ban something from it. Again.
It's also pretty cheap to build, but that's offset by the fact that it doesn't really share any major cards with any other decks.
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Well, I can saw a woman in two, but you won't wanna look in the box when I'm through.
When I think of modern decks that keep on putting up results and staying around, I think of Tron and affinity.
Since I started playing in original Mirrodin block, I can't really imagine Magic without some kind of affinity deck. It's pretty much been around since the dawn of modern as a format and been a great choice, which is really saying something. It's changed a bit, getting a few new cards or innovations.
Also Tron. Before BFZ block, I believe it had Karn, Wurmcoil Engine and big Emrakul and Eye of Ugin. Then BFZ gave it new Eldrazi such as Ulamog, the Ceaseless hunger and Worldbreaker. Eldrazi winter happened and Eye got banned.
Burn has been around since I've been playing modern the past 4 years but I believe it wasn't as good until it got Eidolon of the great revel but correct me if I'm wrong. It's a pretty safe, straightforward choice since you just wanna point bolts at your opponent, which is usually good
I feel that these are decks that have always been reasonable choices and been consistently good
The Izzet deck with Thing in the Ice and Arclight Phoenix look pretty fun, interesting and very powerful. Drawing cards, having the nuts of hands and the fact it is a competitive UR deck seems sweet.
Burn and Jund have been around forever, and will continue to be around long after the Astroid of Bannings and Metashifts wreaks destruction across the Modern Meta. Those would be the decks to safely put your money into, though depending on the meta, they ebb and flow in terms of strength and power.
There has always been a viable UR Spellslinger deck - right now it's UR Phoenix, previously it was a lesser build with only Thing In the Ice and Pyromancer Ascension. So some UR shell seems to always be viable.
Many of us have been searching for that for years. I've personally fallen to Grixis Death's Shadow, which ticks all those boxes.
Agreed on all of those points except the first - consistency. This is GDS' biggest issue, and if we figure out a way to solve it, it will absolutely dominate the format again.
Many of us have been searching for that for years. I've personally fallen to Grixis Death's Shadow, which ticks all those boxes.
Agreed on all of those points except the first - consistency. This is GDS' biggest issue, and if we figure out a way to solve it, it will absolutely dominate the format again.
I mean, it's about as consistent as a deck running 8 relevant creatures is gonna be... lol.
My kingdom for a free card draw spell though. Probe without the Peek effect would be a dream come true.
Many of us have been searching for that for years. I've personally fallen to Grixis Death's Shadow, which ticks all those boxes.
Agreed on all of those points except the first - consistency. This is GDS' biggest issue, and if we figure out a way to solve it, it will absolutely dominate the format again.
I mean, it's about as consistent as a deck running 8 relevant creatures is gonna be... lol.
My kingdom for a free card draw spell though. Probe without the Peek effect would be a dream come true.
Many of us have been searching for that for years. I've personally fallen to Grixis Death's Shadow, which ticks all those boxes.
Agreed on all of those points except the first - consistency. This is GDS' biggest issue, and if we figure out a way to solve it, it will absolutely dominate the format again.
I mean, it's about as consistent as a deck running 8 relevant creatures is gonna be... lol.
My kingdom for a free card draw spell though. Probe without the Peek effect would be a dream come true.
Magic has plenty of cards that return their mana on the back end while costing mana up front, but I don't think such cards can truly be classified as free (on mana) as long as that front end exists.
Magic has plenty of cards that return their mana on the back end while costing mana up front, but I don't think such cards can truly be classified as free (on mana) as long as that front end exists.
I'm surprised that Edge of Autumn has not caught on. Way back when I bought a bunch of foil and non foil Street Wraith and Mishra's Bauble, Edge of Autumn was another that I figured would have some utility. Who needs lands when you're going off and killing someone? You get the card right away. (I also bought a bunch of Urza's Baubles too because these are the cards I identified as "free." It was before way before Git Probe was printed.)
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Legacy - Sneak Show, BR Reanimator, Miracles, UW Stoneblade
Premodern - Trix, RecSur, Enchantress, Reanimator, Elves https://www.facebook.com/groups/PremodernUSA/ Modern - Neobrand, Hogaak Vine, Elves
Standard - Mono Red (6-2 and 5-3 in 2 McQ)
Draft - (I wish I had more time for limited...)
Commander - Norin the Wary, Grimgrin, Adun Oakenshield (taking forever to build) (dead format for me)
I'm surprised that Edge of Autumn has not caught on. Way back when I bought a bunch of foil and non foil Street Wraith and Mishra's Bauble, Edge of Autumn was another that I figured would have some utility. Who needs lands when you're going off and killing someone? You get the card right away. (I also bought a bunch of Urza's Baubles too because these are the cards I identified as "free." It was before way before Git Probe was printed.)
Edge of Autumn is, obviously, designed with an early and late-game functionality. The early-game aspect of the card is all but unplayable in modern, as the decks that want to ramp have better options available. That leaves only the cantrip, which, despite costing no mana, isn't really that great. The "Xerox" decks with high cantrip counts also tend to run few lands, which makes flooding a relatively rare occurrence, and mana can be hard to come by in many cases. Sacrificing a land is a very steep cost early in the game, which is why Scythe Tiger is so terrible and why Shard Volley is burn's least-used bolt variant. Decks that don't mind going backwards on mana have a much better option in Horizon Canopy, which is at least a painland even when sacrificing it isn't a good idea. The final nail in the coffin is that the cantrip is a cycle ability, not the effect of casting a spell, so it misses out on spell-casting synergy even though it works with Delver of Secrets and Bedlam Reveler. Now, if Astral Slide ever makes it into modern...
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I'm looking to build a new deck that has the following:
I already have Burn, which I think fills those roles perfectly.
I'm not a huge fan of Affinity or Tron from having play-tested them. I was looking at Humans, and I think the deck has all the above criteria, but its history in Top Tier Modern is relatively short, which can be worrying for it's long term staying power.
My Abzan Company deck is pretty much dead and I need something new. What do you guys recommend based on the above?
RWG Burn
GW Abzan Company
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
Now Affinity is still around in Hardened Scales, but since you are asking what will now, that's anybody's guess. It may still be Affinity (Hardened Scales or Experimental Frenzy)
Premodern - Trix, RecSur, Enchantress, Reanimator, Elves https://www.facebook.com/groups/PremodernUSA/
Modern - Neobrand, Hogaak Vine, Elves
Standard - Mono Red (6-2 and 5-3 in 2 McQ)
Draft - (I wish I had more time for limited...)
Commander -
Norin the Wary, Grimgrin, Adun Oakenshield (taking forever to build)(dead format for me)Spirits
Grixis Death's Shadow is the last deck I'd say is destined to stay on top for a while, although it may shift around over time. The good thing is is that it's mostly modern staples so even if it depreciates in power, it will still remain 4/5 of the parts of whatever deck rises to replace it.
If you buy into any of those decks you won't have to worry over the situation that I'm having now, where I bought what I could afford (and liked), aka Mono U Tron (I traded in a ton of my junk for it through Pucatrade - even got 2 chalices that way :D), but WotC stubbornly refuses to print anything within the design space that would make the deck better (blue answers), or slow the format down overall and make midrange and control stronger so I'm constantly fighting the general power creep and always ending up short.
If I was in your shoes I would probably buy Death's Shadow. The other decks are either too uninteractive or too linear to play to remain interesting in the long run. Then again, you played burn so maybe you don't have a problem with that
That is my concern as well but if this product were ever going to see the light of day, I'd expect chase cards that are really strong blanket answers to specific zones/archetypes. Makes everyone chase the shiney and sells product that guarantees another product run. Nothing like that would throw the meta too far out because you have some incredibly potent "free" hate already (leyline of the void or surgical extraction).
OP I think grixis deaths shadow is incredibly good. I suck at playing it and perform much better with creature combo personally - but the deck is legit and solid. Even if something in shadow were to eat a ban, as mentioned above, a ton of the deck ports over to other established archetypes.
I mean storm, delver, twin, grixis death shadow, arc light - they all evolved off a very solved mana base for the most part. At the very worst if you chase whatever is hot for the meta, your real estate will port over to other decks well.
I bought into storm, filled out for twin, acquired UB stuff for fairies, and then only had to buy shadows when grixis shadow blew up. Now I'm about $100usd from the new arclight decks.
Build something that gives you mobility for a meta.
It's also pretty cheap to build, but that's offset by the fact that it doesn't really share any major cards with any other decks.
Since I started playing in original Mirrodin block, I can't really imagine Magic without some kind of affinity deck. It's pretty much been around since the dawn of modern as a format and been a great choice, which is really saying something. It's changed a bit, getting a few new cards or innovations.
Also Tron. Before BFZ block, I believe it had Karn, Wurmcoil Engine and big Emrakul and Eye of Ugin. Then BFZ gave it new Eldrazi such as Ulamog, the Ceaseless hunger and Worldbreaker. Eldrazi winter happened and Eye got banned.
Burn has been around since I've been playing modern the past 4 years but I believe it wasn't as good until it got Eidolon of the great revel but correct me if I'm wrong. It's a pretty safe, straightforward choice since you just wanna point bolts at your opponent, which is usually good
I feel that these are decks that have always been reasonable choices and been consistently good
Spirits
There has always been a viable UR Spellslinger deck - right now it's UR Phoenix, previously it was a lesser build with only Thing In the Ice and Pyromancer Ascension. So some UR shell seems to always be viable.
GWUBRDraft my Old Border Nostalgia Cube! and/or The Little Pauper Cube That Could!RBUWG
Modern:WDeath & TaxesW | RUGRUG DelverRUG
Agreed on all of those points except the first - consistency. This is GDS' biggest issue, and if we figure out a way to solve it, it will absolutely dominate the format again.
Abzan Traverse / Traverse Shadow / UR Kiki
I mean, it's about as consistent as a deck running 8 relevant creatures is gonna be... lol.
My kingdom for a free card draw spell though. Probe without the Peek effect would be a dream come true.
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
So... Street Wraith, basically?
Street Wraith does not flip Delver, flip Thing, bring back Phoenix, make Pyromancer tokens, trigger Prowess, or be cast with Snapcaster.
Like I said, my kingdom for a free card draw spell.
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
Manamorphose is pretty close.
Spirits
I'm surprised that Edge of Autumn has not caught on. Way back when I bought a bunch of foil and non foil Street Wraith and Mishra's Bauble, Edge of Autumn was another that I figured would have some utility. Who needs lands when you're going off and killing someone? You get the card right away. (I also bought a bunch of Urza's Baubles too because these are the cards I identified as "free." It was before way before Git Probe was printed.)
Premodern - Trix, RecSur, Enchantress, Reanimator, Elves https://www.facebook.com/groups/PremodernUSA/
Modern - Neobrand, Hogaak Vine, Elves
Standard - Mono Red (6-2 and 5-3 in 2 McQ)
Draft - (I wish I had more time for limited...)
Commander -
Norin the Wary, Grimgrin, Adun Oakenshield (taking forever to build)(dead format for me)Edge of Autumn is, obviously, designed with an early and late-game functionality. The early-game aspect of the card is all but unplayable in modern, as the decks that want to ramp have better options available. That leaves only the cantrip, which, despite costing no mana, isn't really that great. The "Xerox" decks with high cantrip counts also tend to run few lands, which makes flooding a relatively rare occurrence, and mana can be hard to come by in many cases. Sacrificing a land is a very steep cost early in the game, which is why Scythe Tiger is so terrible and why Shard Volley is burn's least-used bolt variant. Decks that don't mind going backwards on mana have a much better option in Horizon Canopy, which is at least a painland even when sacrificing it isn't a good idea. The final nail in the coffin is that the cantrip is a cycle ability, not the effect of casting a spell, so it misses out on spell-casting synergy even though it works with Delver of Secrets and Bedlam Reveler. Now, if Astral Slide ever makes it into modern...