I currently play Merfolk as my go-to deck, but am looking for another deck to have in my back pocket in case I'm feeling something different. I enjoy creatures, grindy gameplay, and resource management. I am on a bit of a budget though.
I currently play Merfolk as my go-to deck, but am looking for another deck to have in my back pocket in case I'm feeling something different. I enjoy creatures, grindy gameplay, and resource management. I am on a bit of a budget though.
Burn. I would say Spirits, but it's probably a bit too much.
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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 currently play Merfolk as my go-to deck, but am looking for another deck to have in my back pocket in case I'm feeling something different. I enjoy creatures, grindy gameplay, and resource management. I am on a bit of a budget though.
Burn. I would say Spirits, but it's probably a bit too much.
I actually tried Spirits, but I found it to be too similar and I don't want to be bothered to buy another playset of vials. I tried burn, but I missed playing creatures.
I currently play Merfolk as my go-to deck, but am looking for another deck to have in my back pocket in case I'm feeling something different. I enjoy creatures, grindy gameplay, and resource management. I am on a bit of a budget though.
What do you think about Eldrazi and Taxes? I know it also plays vial, but you do grind out games a bit more often than not.
I currently play Merfolk as my go-to deck, but am looking for another deck to have in my back pocket in case I'm feeling something different. I enjoy creatures, grindy gameplay, and resource management. I am on a bit of a budget though.
What do you think about Eldrazi and Taxes? I know it also plays vial, but you do grind out games a bit more often than not.
It's not quite a budget deck, but there's definitely budget choices that you can make when you start out. I personally don't think this deck is all that strong, even if it does have some nut draws. But a friend has proven me wrong.
Private message me if you want me to let you know an outlet to get help for the deck. In Modern, the best thing to be doing is talking constantly to Modern specialists of a specific deck that have proven track records. Let me know. I'm sure he wouldn't mind.
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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 currently play Merfolk as my go-to deck, but am looking for another deck to have in my back pocket in case I'm feeling something different. I enjoy creatures, grindy gameplay, and resource management. I am on a bit of a budget though.
What do you think about Eldrazi and Taxes? I know it also plays vial, but you do grind out games a bit more often than not.
It's not quite a budget deck, but there's definitely budget choices that you can make when you start out. I personally don't think this deck is all that strong, even if it does have some nut draws. But a friend has proven me wrong.
Private message me if you want me to let you know an outlet to get help for the deck. In Modern, the best thing to be doing is talking constantly to Modern specialists of a specific deck that have proven track records. Let me know. I'm sure he wouldn't mind.
Eldrazi and Taxes sounds like an interesting idea. I already have a few pieces of Death and Taxes set aside after experimenting with UW Merfolk (a couple Thalias, Restoration Angels, etc.) and I could just work my way to the Eldrazi version and more vials gradually. I'll do some testing on untap.in and see how I like it.
Hello there, I play a semi-competitive meta, with tiers from belcher to uw vialess spirits to doran aggro or knights tribal, Im used to play grind decks with a combo back plan in case i need it and im trying to play temur colours (red green and blue), I've got a nice pool of semi-budget cards with fetches and shocks but no snapcasters or cryptics but the rest, do you have any idea or suggestion? Back on my days I played a lot of faeries and i like the delver-deceiver kiki too but im into temur charm and stuff like that, also have a chance to play something like jeskai control but on a budget.
Im kinda lost, I would love to read all your ideas, thank you for the time, xoxo
Hello there, I play a semi-competitive meta, with tiers from belcher to uw vialess spirits to doran aggro or knights tribal, Im used to play grind decks with a combo back plan in case i need it and im trying to play temur colours (red green and blue), I've got a nice pool of semi-budget cards with fetches and shocks but no snapcasters or cryptics but the rest, do you have any idea or suggestion? Back on my days I played a lot of faeries and i like the delver-deceiver kiki too but im into temur charm and stuff like that, also have a chance to play something like jeskai control but on a budget.
Im kinda lost, I would love to read all your ideas, thank you for the time, xoxo
pick your poison!, mainly green +other colors midrange goodstuff decks:
That's a very nice approach, I've got the whole knightfall and I also played it a lot, It's very nice but im into something new.
The other two archetipes is what im already playing recently but i wanted another kind of deck, also i think Vaniffar pod will be so easy to disrupt so im not into trying the new pod creature.
All in all Leviatan, u get the whole hammer into the nail, but im looking for another decks, also thank you for trying to share it, something more in mind?
Looking to get back into MTGO after not playing for over a year. Looking for something in the 100-250 tickets range that has a good chance in leagues. I'm looking at Burn, Dredge, Titanshift, Tron, Ad Naus (mosft of which I find super boring repetitive decks) or if I can get away with Jeskai under 300. Something fringe like Temur or Sultai would be sweet if they are actually competitive. Any thoughts on the best bang for my buck?
Edit: So I just found this Jeskai Breach deck from SCG Dallas in 15th place. I played a lot of UR breach and UW and Jeskai and this looks kinda sweet...
So maybe there is a Mardu or Jund Deck that contains some amount of these cards.
Propably along Life from the Loam?!
Has someone a good intention?
It could be even something with Flameblade Adept, Goyf, Seismic Assault and so on.
Budget is not a concern
Cards i own
literally all fetchlands, a whole bunch of FAstland just missing Blackcleave Cliffs, a lot of shocklands, some manlands.
Liliana, Loam, Goyf and every BGx staple except Bob and K.Command are in my binders.
You could always try Mardu Pyromancer. It's a solid mid-range deck that grinds people into dust. It is not a fast deck, expect games to go long or die quickly.
Another thing that might be slightly lower power level is Assault Loam. I personally haven't played it but it looks like a blast and probably suffers the same speed problems as Mardu.
Another solid option that is probably the strongest but most expensive of the three I'm listing is just Jund/ GB rock. The epitome of the modern mid-range deck.
Hi! Here for some deck suggestion as I'm kinda lost in the various deck that you can build in modern.
I want to play something that is aggro, tempo or midrange.
Colors I like to play are green and blue but I'm open to other colors Would prefer a mono-color deck but it's not fundamental.
I would like to build it to play it with friends and to local tournaments and fnm at my lgs (nothing too top tier or expensive but that can battle well against other modern decks).
No problem on the various cards as I can simply go an buy them
Infect has both blue and green in it. It can sort of fill a few roles. It can be aggressive, with a sort of combo kill using a bunch of pump spells. But it can also play more of a control role, attacking for a bit at a time and punishing an opponent for using removal.
Some of the cards like noble hierarch and inkmoth nexus can be expensive but I don't know what your price range is
I've been a long time Legacy player with most of its pool, but I stopped playing 4-5 years ago. Now, I've restarted playing but shifted to Modern.
I've been playing Infect because I had most of the cards, but as the meta is becoming more Red I'm facing more problems. Moreover, I'd like to change a bit.
My meta is as follows:
- 15% Izzet Phoenix
- 12% Jund
- 10% Amulet
- 10% Burn
- 10% Bant Spirits
- 20% Tribals (Merfolks, Elves, Goblins...)
There may be some Scales, Green Tron, Blue Moon, Eldrazi and Taxes, Ad Nauseam,...
Notably, there is no Dredge for now, nor any Storm, Monored Phoenix, Hollow One or Grixis (and I don't expect them).
My options:
- Izzet Phoenix: it is performing great there
- Blue Moon: can be more suited, not sure
- Burn
- Zoo
Feel free to offer a different option. I may consider an investment if it's worth the results.
I've been a long time Legacy player with most of its pool, but I stopped playing 4-5 years ago. Now, I've restarted playing but shifted to Modern.
I've been playing Infect because I had most of the cards, but as the meta is becoming more Red I'm facing more problems. Moreover, I'd like to change a bit.
My meta is as follows:
- 15% Izzet Phoenix
- 12% Jund
- 10% Amulet
- 10% Burn
- 10% Bant Spirits
- 20% Tribals (Merfolks, Elves, Goblins...)
There may be some Scales, Green Tron, Blue Moon, Eldrazi and Taxes, Ad Nauseam,...
Notably, there is no Dredge for now, nor any Storm, Monored Phoenix, Hollow One or Grixis (and I don't expect them).
My options:
- Izzet Phoenix: it is performing great there
- Blue Moon: can be more suited, not sure
- Burn
- Zoo
Feel free to offer a different option. I may consider an investment if it's worth the results.
Thanks,
What decks did you like playing in legacy? Modern has advanced to have a high number of playable decks, so it's really about what you feel comfortable with and want to play imo. For instance, if you liked playing Delver variants in legacy, both Phoenix and Grixis Death's Shadow are pretty similar to that playstyle. Miracles, UW or Jeskai Control, etc.
I used to play different decks in Legacy:
- Combo: ANT, Belcher, Cephalid, Reanimator
- Aggro: Burn, Boros, Infect, Maverick
- Tempo: Team America, Canadian
- Prison decks: Stax, Dragon Stompy
- Control: Pox, BUG
Therefore, I'm open to any deck in Modern as long as it's well suited to have good results. I'm less inclined to play UW control decks, but the rest is fine for me.
I used to play different decks in Legacy:
- Combo: ANT, Belcher, Cephalid, Reanimator
- Aggro: Burn, Boros, Infect, Maverick
- Tempo: Team America, Canadian
- Prison decks: Stax, Dragon Stompy
- Control: Pox, BUG
Therefore, I'm open to any deck in Modern as long as it's well suited to have good results. I'm less inclined to play UW control decks, but the rest is fine for me.
Again, thanks for your help.
well there are certainly a lot of decks to choose from. you can pretty much just look through the top 20-25 decks at https://www.mtggoldfish.com/metagame/modern/full#paper for decks that have real legs in the competitive scene. the more casual and that list just expands further. you can get a decent idea of where each fits in by looking through the 'Established (Modern)' sub forums, which are broken up by archetype.
UR phoenix is king of the hill at the moment, and much of the meta is revolving around it. for much of 2018 the format was about kci (banned), bant spirits, humans, tron, hollow one, hardened scales, UWx control, dredge, and to a smaller degree mardu pyromancer (which fell out of favor in a big way). before that Grixis Death's Shadow was dominating, and has only recently risen back up showcasing how a loss in popularity isnt the same as a loss of deck strength.
you sound pretty experienced in legacy, which has a lot of intricate/subtle and often nonintuitive interactions. you also didnt list any sort of tribal/vial decks in your legacy suite, so based on that here are my recommendations:
-death's shadow decks (grixis, or 4c traverse): hyper mana efficient and balances between tempo and midrange. get to leverage hand and stack disruption. rated highly skill intensive due to a lot of micro decisions based on shifting gamestate analysis.
-amulet titan: a lot of intricate land interactions with a lot of tutors offering truly puzzling lines of play based finding the best path from point A to point B depending on the gamestate. generally underrated (imo), but can play the combo role or big mana/ramp value to go over the top of fair decks. commonly rated as one of the hardest decks to master.
-hardened scales (or vanilla affinity with the recent addition of Experimental Frenzy: gets to play Mox Opal and Ancient Stirrings which is a great place to be power level wise. both versions have a lot of intricate combat math and interactions leaving room for a lot of optimization. scales has more kill sequences akin to a combo finish than vanilla affinity. rated with one of the higher skill ceilings, but the floor isnt that intensive to reach; which may be a plus while learning.
-UR phoenix: plenty think this is the 'top' deck in modern at the moment, and its results so far agree with that assessment. employs the turbo-xerox philosophy, and a diverse suite of threats that attack from different angles in the form of 'mini-combos' based on the core of cantrips/filter spells. doesnt take much to pick up the deck and harness most of its strength, but the sheer amount of cantriping and how much of your deck you get to see leaves an insane amount of optimization based on small percentage plays.
-4c whir/grixis whir/sultai whir: at the core an artifact prison deck. most versions get to play mox opal and stirrings, but also get to leverage cards like Whir of Invention, Inventor's Fair, and Tolaria West for tutoring bullets or other utility pieces; also you get to harness the power of Chalice of the Void which just demolishes some decks. i personally cant speak much about the deck since i havent played with or against it much. however in general i believe its about systematically cutting off your opponents lines of attack, which requires in-depth knowledge of not only the intricate lines you can take but appropriately identifying your opponents possible lines. rated as one of the harder decks in the format.
-GWx toolbox featuring the Devoted Vizier combo: these decks have fallen out of favor a good bit with very little in regards to results; however i believe the decks are still somewhat underrated. i wont say much other than they are creature combo with toolbox elements thanks to Chord of Calling and cards like Collected Company and Eldritch Evolution. the lack of results speaks of lingering problems with a few of the top decks, but i figured the recommendation was warranted as it fills a unique space. there are a lot of versions, so you might have to do some digging to find appropriate lists for the different builds.
-Dredge: pretty straight forward, uses the mechanic to cheat stuff into play and give fierce narcomoeba beats. often maligned for its linear nature and incorrectly categorized as brainless. from everything ive seen of the deck though it is incredibly hard to optimize, especially regarding how to appropriately play around or through opposition (and there is a lotta GY hate)
runner-ups: infect and burn, which both occupy this weird space between aggro and combo and do so in a manner that prey on certain deck types whenever they rise up; with infect in particular sharking on decks trying to goldfish with little/no creature removal (because its just faster). id rate both as top tier power wise, but matchups can be very swingy in regards to how much skill they require to navigate; which in turn translates to the matchups feeling swingy themselves.
i think you could sink your teeth into any of the above decks and rest assured that they have the power to compete.
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Modern: UWGSnow-Bant Control BURGrixis Death's Shadow GWBCoCo Elves WCDeath and Taxes (sold)
I would highly recommend Grixis Death's Shadow. The thing about that deck is it's very skill intensive and in my opinion the most "legacy-like" deck to play in modern. It is highly competitive and arguably the second most played deck in modern at the moment. It was the most popular day 2 deck at GP Los Angeles last weekend, and has a very good Izzet Phoenix matchup. It is a lot like "Canadian Delver" (RUG) in legacy. Here's a link to the primer: https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/established-modern/midrange/774240-grixis-deaths-shadow
Okay, looking for some advice here. After having my ass handed to me at the GP and 2 MCQs, I decided to play the best, consistent deck. I have it narrowed down to 2 decks.
1. UR Phoenix.
2. Dredge.
Which deck is more consistent? I'm assuming it's Dredge? I also have a few Burn players around my LGS and I heard that UR Phoenix almost can't beat Burn, so maybe I should lean more toward Phoenix? Free Lightning Helix is good!
Which one would you do? I've been playing decks to hedge against Burn, but have dodged them all the last 3 weeks I played at FNM. But maybe that will change and I like to hedge against Burn.
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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)
id say phoenix wins out on consistency. not by a whole lot, but when you are xeroxing that hard all of your 'stuff', while not exactly interchangeable, all move you in the same direction. the end points will change depending on what your deck gives you - but you are constantly moving towards it.
dredge is looking to cobble together certain specific pieces to get the ball rolling; like a dredger, a way to get it into the yard, and hopefully something giving additional draws. however if can be more aggressive in mulligans to find those pieces, because once it gets going its very good at keeping the chain going. from what i understand of the deck, the adoption of creeping chill was actually a net loss in consistency; however the raw power and speed it added made the deck better overall.
dredge is definitely preferable over phoenix if you expect burn. i wouldnt be surprised to find out dredge did so well at the GP precisely because burn strategies were spiking thanks to RNA cards (mostly skewer).
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Modern: UWGSnow-Bant Control BURGrixis Death's Shadow GWBCoCo Elves WCDeath and Taxes (sold)
I've been agonizing for literally a week over what deck to play in modern as I've been playing Standard/Limited alone for over 6 years and want to try it out now that my lgs plays it. I'm gravitating towards Dredge but I'm concerned that the potential banning of Faithless Looting will be problematic. The other one I'm considering is Amulet Titan but I'm worried about the deck's complexity considering this is my first modern deck. I've always gravitated towards combo and ramp decks so these kinda represent the archtypes I enjoy. I've considered Phoenix but I'm worried about it for the same reason as Dredge as well as TitanShift but I'm unsure if the deck is actually good (I do still wanna win afterall). Plz halp. Budget is a non-concern so long as I'm building only 1 deck and not the format.
I personally think that UR Phoenix and Dredge are at the top of the Modern metagame. I believe that Amulet is close, if played well. I would practice it a bunch if you have time. It is really a deck that takes an investment in play time to master. I've played Summer Bloom Titan AND Amulet Titan both and still make many mistakes. But then I play a bunch of decks, so I lose a bit when I switch around.
Titanshift is solid, but I feel that it's a Tier below those 3 decks. I love Titanshift and have played it in many formats ever since Valakut was printed, but I just don't have faith in it anymore. You may try RG Breach, but I feel like it has similar problems.
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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)
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Spirits
Arena Username: ThunderGunZ1976
Modern:
UMerfolkU
UWGSpiritsUWG
RGoblinsR
Standard:
...whatever I can afford on Arena
Burn. I would say Spirits, but it's probably a bit too much.
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 actually tried Spirits, but I found it to be too similar and I don't want to be bothered to buy another playset of vials. I tried burn, but I missed playing creatures.
Arena Username: ThunderGunZ1976
Modern:
UMerfolkU
UWGSpiritsUWG
RGoblinsR
Standard:
...whatever I can afford on Arena
What do you think about Eldrazi and Taxes? I know it also plays vial, but you do grind out games a bit more often than not.
GBW Abzan Midrange
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/decks/9485-temur-evolve RUG
GBR Jund Flayer
Naya Zoo GRW
Pauper:
Izzet Blitz UR
Standard:
Izzet Drakes UR
UR Izzet Wizards
It's not quite a budget deck, but there's definitely budget choices that you can make when you start out. I personally don't think this deck is all that strong, even if it does have some nut draws. But a friend has proven me wrong.
Private message me if you want me to let you know an outlet to get help for the deck. In Modern, the best thing to be doing is talking constantly to Modern specialists of a specific deck that have proven track records. Let me know. I'm sure he wouldn't mind.
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)Eldrazi and Taxes sounds like an interesting idea. I already have a few pieces of Death and Taxes set aside after experimenting with UW Merfolk (a couple Thalias, Restoration Angels, etc.) and I could just work my way to the Eldrazi version and more vials gradually. I'll do some testing on untap.in and see how I like it.
Thanks a lot!
Arena Username: ThunderGunZ1976
Modern:
UMerfolkU
UWGSpiritsUWG
RGoblinsR
Standard:
...whatever I can afford on Arena
Im kinda lost, I would love to read all your ideas, thank you for the time, xoxo
pick your poison!, mainly green +other colors midrange goodstuff decks:
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/modern-chromatic-fauna#paper :Knight of the Reliquary+Retreat to Coralhelm
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/modern-eldritch-kiki#paper :Saheeli Rai+ Felidar Guardian
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/modern-temur-vannifar-pod#paper :Prime Speaker Vannifar+anything
The other two archetipes is what im already playing recently but i wanted another kind of deck, also i think Vaniffar pod will be so easy to disrupt so im not into trying the new pod creature.
All in all Leviatan, u get the whole hammer into the nail, but im looking for another decks, also thank you for trying to share it, something more in mind?
Edit: So I just found this Jeskai Breach deck from SCG Dallas in 15th place. I played a lot of UR breach and UW and Jeskai and this looks kinda sweet...
i was looking for a midrange deck.
It should contain some of these cards:
Propably along Life from the Loam?!
Has someone a good intention?
It could be even something with Flameblade Adept, Goyf, Seismic Assault and so on.
Budget is not a concern
Cards i own
literally all fetchlands, a whole bunch of FAstland just missing Blackcleave Cliffs, a lot of shocklands, some manlands.
Liliana, Loam, Goyf and every BGx staple except Bob and K.Command are in my binders.
Playstyle
Midrange, Aggro-Midrange, Aggro-Combo, Aggro, Midrange-Combo
Green @ it's best
Another thing that might be slightly lower power level is Assault Loam. I personally haven't played it but it looks like a blast and probably suffers the same speed problems as Mardu.
Another solid option that is probably the strongest but most expensive of the three I'm listing is just Jund/ GB rock. The epitome of the modern mid-range deck.
I want to play something that is aggro, tempo or midrange.
Colors I like to play are green and blue but I'm open to other colors Would prefer a mono-color deck but it's not fundamental.
I would like to build it to play it with friends and to local tournaments and fnm at my lgs (nothing too top tier or expensive but that can battle well against other modern decks).
No problem on the various cards as I can simply go an buy them
Some of the cards like noble hierarch and inkmoth nexus can be expensive but I don't know what your price range is
I've been a long time Legacy player with most of its pool, but I stopped playing 4-5 years ago. Now, I've restarted playing but shifted to Modern.
I've been playing Infect because I had most of the cards, but as the meta is becoming more Red I'm facing more problems. Moreover, I'd like to change a bit.
My meta is as follows:
- 15% Izzet Phoenix
- 12% Jund
- 10% Amulet
- 10% Burn
- 10% Bant Spirits
- 20% Tribals (Merfolks, Elves, Goblins...)
There may be some Scales, Green Tron, Blue Moon, Eldrazi and Taxes, Ad Nauseam,...
Notably, there is no Dredge for now, nor any Storm, Monored Phoenix, Hollow One or Grixis (and I don't expect them).
My options:
- Izzet Phoenix: it is performing great there
- Blue Moon: can be more suited, not sure
- Burn
- Zoo
Feel free to offer a different option. I may consider an investment if it's worth the results.
Thanks,
What decks did you like playing in legacy? Modern has advanced to have a high number of playable decks, so it's really about what you feel comfortable with and want to play imo. For instance, if you liked playing Delver variants in legacy, both Phoenix and Grixis Death's Shadow are pretty similar to that playstyle. Miracles, UW or Jeskai Control, etc.
I used to play different decks in Legacy:
- Combo: ANT, Belcher, Cephalid, Reanimator
- Aggro: Burn, Boros, Infect, Maverick
- Tempo: Team America, Canadian
- Prison decks: Stax, Dragon Stompy
- Control: Pox, BUG
Therefore, I'm open to any deck in Modern as long as it's well suited to have good results. I'm less inclined to play UW control decks, but the rest is fine for me.
Again, thanks for your help.
well there are certainly a lot of decks to choose from. you can pretty much just look through the top 20-25 decks at https://www.mtggoldfish.com/metagame/modern/full#paper for decks that have real legs in the competitive scene. the more casual and that list just expands further. you can get a decent idea of where each fits in by looking through the 'Established (Modern)' sub forums, which are broken up by archetype.
UR phoenix is king of the hill at the moment, and much of the meta is revolving around it. for much of 2018 the format was about kci (banned), bant spirits, humans, tron, hollow one, hardened scales, UWx control, dredge, and to a smaller degree mardu pyromancer (which fell out of favor in a big way). before that Grixis Death's Shadow was dominating, and has only recently risen back up showcasing how a loss in popularity isnt the same as a loss of deck strength.
you sound pretty experienced in legacy, which has a lot of intricate/subtle and often nonintuitive interactions. you also didnt list any sort of tribal/vial decks in your legacy suite, so based on that here are my recommendations:
-death's shadow decks (grixis, or 4c traverse): hyper mana efficient and balances between tempo and midrange. get to leverage hand and stack disruption. rated highly skill intensive due to a lot of micro decisions based on shifting gamestate analysis.
-amulet titan: a lot of intricate land interactions with a lot of tutors offering truly puzzling lines of play based finding the best path from point A to point B depending on the gamestate. generally underrated (imo), but can play the combo role or big mana/ramp value to go over the top of fair decks. commonly rated as one of the hardest decks to master.
-hardened scales (or vanilla affinity with the recent addition of Experimental Frenzy: gets to play Mox Opal and Ancient Stirrings which is a great place to be power level wise. both versions have a lot of intricate combat math and interactions leaving room for a lot of optimization. scales has more kill sequences akin to a combo finish than vanilla affinity. rated with one of the higher skill ceilings, but the floor isnt that intensive to reach; which may be a plus while learning.
-UR phoenix: plenty think this is the 'top' deck in modern at the moment, and its results so far agree with that assessment. employs the turbo-xerox philosophy, and a diverse suite of threats that attack from different angles in the form of 'mini-combos' based on the core of cantrips/filter spells. doesnt take much to pick up the deck and harness most of its strength, but the sheer amount of cantriping and how much of your deck you get to see leaves an insane amount of optimization based on small percentage plays.
-4c whir/grixis whir/sultai whir: at the core an artifact prison deck. most versions get to play mox opal and stirrings, but also get to leverage cards like Whir of Invention, Inventor's Fair, and Tolaria West for tutoring bullets or other utility pieces; also you get to harness the power of Chalice of the Void which just demolishes some decks. i personally cant speak much about the deck since i havent played with or against it much. however in general i believe its about systematically cutting off your opponents lines of attack, which requires in-depth knowledge of not only the intricate lines you can take but appropriately identifying your opponents possible lines. rated as one of the harder decks in the format.
-GWx toolbox featuring the Devoted Vizier combo: these decks have fallen out of favor a good bit with very little in regards to results; however i believe the decks are still somewhat underrated. i wont say much other than they are creature combo with toolbox elements thanks to Chord of Calling and cards like Collected Company and Eldritch Evolution. the lack of results speaks of lingering problems with a few of the top decks, but i figured the recommendation was warranted as it fills a unique space. there are a lot of versions, so you might have to do some digging to find appropriate lists for the different builds.
-Dredge: pretty straight forward, uses the mechanic to cheat stuff into play and give fierce narcomoeba beats. often maligned for its linear nature and incorrectly categorized as brainless. from everything ive seen of the deck though it is incredibly hard to optimize, especially regarding how to appropriately play around or through opposition (and there is a lotta GY hate)
runner-ups: infect and burn, which both occupy this weird space between aggro and combo and do so in a manner that prey on certain deck types whenever they rise up; with infect in particular sharking on decks trying to goldfish with little/no creature removal (because its just faster). id rate both as top tier power wise, but matchups can be very swingy in regards to how much skill they require to navigate; which in turn translates to the matchups feeling swingy themselves.
i think you could sink your teeth into any of the above decks and rest assured that they have the power to compete.
UWGSnow-Bant Control
BURGrixis Death's Shadow
GWBCoCo Elves
WCDeath and Taxes(sold)1. UR Phoenix.
2. Dredge.
Which deck is more consistent? I'm assuming it's Dredge? I also have a few Burn players around my LGS and I heard that UR Phoenix almost can't beat Burn, so maybe I should lean more toward Phoenix? Free Lightning Helix is good!
Which one would you do? I've been playing decks to hedge against Burn, but have dodged them all the last 3 weeks I played at FNM. But maybe that will change and I like to hedge against Burn.
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)dredge is looking to cobble together certain specific pieces to get the ball rolling; like a dredger, a way to get it into the yard, and hopefully something giving additional draws. however if can be more aggressive in mulligans to find those pieces, because once it gets going its very good at keeping the chain going. from what i understand of the deck, the adoption of creeping chill was actually a net loss in consistency; however the raw power and speed it added made the deck better overall.
dredge is definitely preferable over phoenix if you expect burn. i wouldnt be surprised to find out dredge did so well at the GP precisely because burn strategies were spiking thanks to RNA cards (mostly skewer).
UWGSnow-Bant Control
BURGrixis Death's Shadow
GWBCoCo Elves
WCDeath and Taxes(sold)Best regards,
Titanshift is solid, but I feel that it's a Tier below those 3 decks. I love Titanshift and have played it in many formats ever since Valakut was printed, but I just don't have faith in it anymore. You may try RG Breach, but I feel like it has similar problems.
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)