It's only a short time after Modern Horizons, but previews for Core 2020 have started! Normally core sets have an overall lower card quality as they're more geared to new players, but some of the format staples have come from Core sets so who knows!? What are you excited about, what will pass the Modern test?
Personally, I'm excited for Yarok's Fenlurker as it presents a new 2-drop for Mono B Devotion.
It seems that the last thing Spirits needs is yet another lord, then they get Empyrean Eagle.
Maybe Soul Sisters or Martyr Proc wants Ajani, Strength of the Pride? Makes Ajani's Pridemates, gains life, can one-sided board wipe at the cost of himself if you have enough life...
Flame Sweep looks hilarious as a 3-mana, instant-speed red 2-damage sweeper that hits everything except creatures you control with flying.
"Wakeroot Elemental" is infinite green mana with Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx and 8 Devotion to Green. Animating lands makes it a decent mana sink outside of the combo, too.
How do we break Scheming Symmetry? It's good mid-combo but not so hot pre-combo. It's great with Thought Scour, Jace, the Mind Sculptor's +2, or Ashiok, Dream Render's -1, but then you need an additional card. It's yet another way to enable Archive Trap. You can cast it at instant speed with Teferi, Time Raveler, but then you need to capitalize on the tempo gain fast before they inevitably draw into the answer they tutored for.
How do we break Scheming Symmetry? It's good mid-combo but not so hot pre-combo. It's great with Thought Scour, Jace, the Mind Sculptor's +2, or Ashiok, Dream Render's -1, but then you need an additional card. It's yet another way to enable Archive Trap. You can cast it at instant speed with Teferi, Time Raveler, but then you need to capitalize on the tempo gain fast before they inevitably draw into the answer they tutored for.
Probably not really breaking, but it does put Emrakul, the Aeons Torn on top of your deck, so you can cast it with Possibility Storm. Or cascade into a Living End or Restore Balance without worrying too much about 0, 1 and 2 CMC spells in your deck. Or Miracle spells are also very reliable with this card. All pretty janky, but it is interesting to have this kind of effect in Modern.
Risen Reef seems kind of bat***** in decks that can produce lots of elemental tokens? It's a bit expensive and easy to remove, but notably triggers once on its own ETB so it's not a complete waste even if it's bolted, and if it isn't there's a real good chance you lay down Chandra, Acolyte of Flame or Young Pyromancer the next turn and start drawing/ramping.
Also, could Scheming Symmetry be the card that finally enables Modern Miracles?
Veil of Summer - Thoughts? Could there be any play out of this card? I'd say the card's main problem is that there aren't many decks with green that could run it. But it shuts down IoK, Thoughtsieze, counterspells, Fatal Push... Amulet Titan, or any iteration of the Titan decks, may want it.
Loaming Shaman has seen limited play as a Chord bullet against graveyards. That role has been taken over by Remorseful Cleric.
If you're green and combo, you want Veil of Summer. It's basically the green Silence. Trades with a counterspell (even Dovin's Veto) or discard spell and draws you a card for your trouble.
Veil of Summer - Thoughts? Could there be any play out of this card? I'd say the card's main problem is that there aren't many decks with green that could run it. But it shuts down IoK, Thoughtsieze, counterspells, Fatal Push... Amulet Titan, or any iteration of the Titan decks, may want it.
It's an upgrade over Autumn's Veil, but I'm not sure it's useful enough to qualify for a sideboard slot. Modern wants sideboards that will shut games down on their own so things that are just 2 for 1's are okay, but not great.
Golos, Tireless Pilgrim looks like pretty sweet ramp payoff. Just tutor for the indestructible Cascading Cataracts with it and, next turn, if you have access to 7 other mana, you can start spamming spells and consistently hitting your land drops simply by activating its ability! Shame this guy usually eats up 1 more deck slot than it seems (or your mana base is hellish), so I think Gx Tron will be tough-pressed to find enough slots for it. Oh well, at least if you don't have Valakut, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, or the complete Tron, Golos can get it, too...5 generic mana is a bargain for an any-land tutor with legs, but the legs are 3/5 and have no protection.
I feel silly for saying this, but is 7 power for 3 mana that gives a downside-turned-upside the next upkeep even good enough in Modern right now? It would depend on the shell that rises around it, but I'm not sure if cheap evasion-less beaters are what graveyard strategies are lacking.
I feel silly for saying this, but is 7 power for 3 mana that gives a downside-turned-upside the next upkeep even good enough in Modern right now? It would depend on the shell that rises around it, but I'm not sure if cheap evasion-less beaters are what graveyard strategies are lacking.
It is silly, but I thought the same. 'Oh you cast a French Vanilla 7/6 on Turn 2, Congrats, crack fetch, Push'. Its sweet and all, but its still 3 mana unless you bin it, and Unearth it or something.
Clearly Modern is so amped up right now we are all jaded.
Which isn't necessarily a bad thing; we have access to most of the best removal in the game, so there's a higher bar for creatures to pass. It just feels silly for a 3 mana 7/6 with upside (for any shell it would be played in) to not meet par. I guess part of the issue is that 3 mana is just a lot to pay in Modern, especially for a creature that doesn't have any immediate impact, regardless of size.
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Personally, I'm excited for Yarok's Fenlurker as it presents a new 2-drop for Mono B Devotion.
Scheming Symmetry also looks playable as a combo deck enabler. Bolas's Citadel anyone?
Cryptic Caves can act as a Horizon land for Eldrazi Tron or Colourless Eldrazi Stompy decks.
MTGO/MTGA: Tyclone
My Primers ~ GWx Vizier Company ~ Knightfall ~ RG Eldrazi ~ Green's Sun's Zenith
More Brews ~ Modern Four Horsemen ~ Gitrog Dredge
Also liking the Cryptic Caves.
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Want to play a UW control deck in modern, but don't have jace or snaps?
Please come visit us at the Emeria Titan control thread
Maybe Soul Sisters or Martyr Proc wants Ajani, Strength of the Pride? Makes Ajani's Pridemates, gains life, can one-sided board wipe at the cost of himself if you have enough life...
Flame Sweep looks hilarious as a 3-mana, instant-speed red 2-damage sweeper that hits everything except creatures you control with flying.
"Wakeroot Elemental" is infinite green mana with Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx and 8 Devotion to Green. Animating lands makes it a decent mana sink outside of the combo, too.
How do we break Scheming Symmetry? It's good mid-combo but not so hot pre-combo. It's great with Thought Scour, Jace, the Mind Sculptor's +2, or Ashiok, Dream Render's -1, but then you need an additional card. It's yet another way to enable Archive Trap. You can cast it at instant speed with Teferi, Time Raveler, but then you need to capitalize on the tempo gain fast before they inevitably draw into the answer they tutored for.
So do we see a pyroblast but for blue white?
"Reveal a Dragon"
Also, could Scheming Symmetry be the card that finally enables Modern Miracles?
Miracles, like what? UW Terminus was a thing for a good period of time.
Spirits
It was? For some reason I was thinking it was never quite good enough.
I'm not as up on the meta as I used to be, though.
"Reveal a Dragon"
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Want to play a UW control deck in modern, but don't have jace or snaps?
Please come visit us at the Emeria Titan control thread
Has Loaming Shaman ever been remotely playable in Modern?
GWUBRDraft my Old Border Nostalgia Cube! and/or The Little Pauper Cube That Could!RBUWG
Modern:WDeath & TaxesW | RUGRUG DelverRUG
If you're green and combo, you want Veil of Summer. It's basically the green Silence. Trades with a counterspell (even Dovin's Veto) or discard spell and draws you a card for your trouble.
| Ad Nauseam
| Infect
Big Johnny.
It's an upgrade over Autumn's Veil, but I'm not sure it's useful enough to qualify for a sideboard slot. Modern wants sideboards that will shut games down on their own so things that are just 2 for 1's are okay, but not great.
Hanged Executioner is rather like Midnight Haunting without Flash but with the ability to boot a creature some day. Might Spirits want it?
Blightbeetle hoses Hardened Scales Robots harder than Stony Silence does (unless Scrapyard Recombiner really picks up in popularity), but that's seemingly all it hoses (you don't board this in against Scavenging Ooze).
For Zoo-like decks, Barkhide Troll is a 2-mana 3/3 that can protect itself from one removal spell at the cost of shrinking.
"Punitive Rod" is funny if you have a sac outlet for it and Rod of Ruin if you don't. Not quite good enough?
and this guy is scaled wurm size for only three mana...
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Want to play a UW control deck in modern, but don't have jace or snaps?
Please come visit us at the Emeria Titan control thread
damn... it looks broken enough on its own. 3 mana for a 7/6, and discarding isnt exactly that bad, just play w/e you draw....
UBRGrixis ControlUBR | URPhoenixUR | UWMiraclesUW |GBRJundGBR | UBFaeriesUB | UBWAd NauseumUBW |GBRWBlueless ShadowGBRW |
MTGA
UBRGrixis ControlUBR | UTempoU
It is silly, but I thought the same. 'Oh you cast a French Vanilla 7/6 on Turn 2, Congrats, crack fetch, Push'. Its sweet and all, but its still 3 mana unless you bin it, and Unearth it or something.
Clearly Modern is so amped up right now we are all jaded.
Spirits