Edge of Eternities cards have been available for online tournament use for only a few days at this point, and we’re already seeing a bunch of the cards have a major impact on Constructed. With rotation happening alongside this set’s release, it isn’t too surprising to see a lot of new designs thrive in Standard.
What we didn’t expect, though, was for a multitude of tools to make a splash in Modern right out of the gates. A handful of top tier Modern strategies have quickly adopted Edge of Eternities cards into the mix, showcasing just how powerful the set it. In this era of Modern Horizons products, it’s cool to see a premier set give older formats a bit of a shakeup.
Pinnacle Emissary
The first Modern deck to get a boost is Affinity. Affinity is a rather simple archetype. The goal is to flood the board with artifacts in order to maximize potent payoffs like Kappa Cannoneer and Thoughtcast.
Pinnacle Emissary is a sweet addition that makes it much easier to close games. One weakness Affinity decks have had in the past is that with such a high density of zero and one-mana artifacts present, you run the risk of not drawing Kappa Cannoneer or Urza’s Saga and thus not being able to apply pressure.
Well, with so many free artifacts to work with, including Mox Opal and Mishra’s Bauble, Pinnacle Emissary becomes a major threat. Early on, you can cast it via its Warp cost, follow up by casting a handful of artifacts, and flood the board with Drones. These tokens nicely fuel Kappa Cannoneer, too, enabling some pretty broken starts.
Then, later in the game, Pinnacle Emissary will be waiting in exile, ready to be recast. Pinnacle Emissary is the ultimate value machine. Just be weary of opposing hate cards like Meltdown when deciding whether you want to go all in on the Robot.
Esper Midrange
Our next deck to receive a strong improvement is Esper midrange. The combination of Overlord of the Balemurk and Phelia, Exuberent Shepherd is still as strong as ever, and this deck’s grinding power is nearly unmatched.
Well, now, this shell gets to make use of another elite option to pair with Phelia in the form of Quantum Riddler. The goal is to Warp Quantum Riddler, then blink it out with Phelia when you attack. Not only will you end up ahead on cards, but you’ll have a huge flier for your opponent to contend with in the early turns. This new tool also pairs perfectly with Ephemerate for similar reasons.
It wasn’t uncommon for Orzhov midrange players to splash blue for Consign to Memory, and moving forward, there’s a very strong reason to play blue. Quantum Riddler makes it more likely you’ll have an explosive draw, which is very appealing. This new card has already appeared in the top eight of a Magic Online Modern Challenge, and we expect it to keep making a splash moving forward.
Boros Energy
Moving on to arguably the best deck in the format, even Boros Energy may have found some upgrades from Edge of Eternities. One player had success running two intriguing three-drops in Haliya, Guided by Light and Cosmogrand Zenith.
Both cards offer a lot in their own ways. Haliya gives you an easy way to trigger Ocelot Pride even if you don’t have a good attack available. In conjunction with Phlage, Titan of Fire’s Fury, Haliya can provide a lot of card advantage. Even curving Voice of Victory into Haliya sets you up nicely to draw cards as long as you can keep attacking.
Meanwhile, Cosmogrand Zenith rewards you for playing multiple spells on the same turn. So long as you cast Cosmogrand Zenith and follow up with a spell right away, if your opponent has a removal spell you still got your value.
Generating tokens synergizes with Guide of Souls and Goblin Bombardment. If you already have your Ocelot Pride engine rolling, putting a +1/+1 counter on your whole squad and threatening a ton of damage has its appeal as well. It’s hard to go wrong here.
We’re still skeptical that these additions will stick around long-term, though. The three-drop slot in Boros Energy is highly contested, with other options like Seasoned Pyromancer available. Cosmogrand Zenith having four toughness does help its cause. Just don’t be surprised if this new tech doesn’t catch on.
A Variety of Archetypes
While Affinity, Esper midrange, and Boros Energy feel like the most notable decks to make use of Edge of Eternities cards, they aren’t the only places you’ll see the new cards. In yesterday’s Magic Online Modern Challenge, the winning Bant midrange deck made use of Ouroboroid. While it’s just a one-of, it’s a nice option to find off Birthing Ritual or Neoform in a deck with so many small creatures like Ice-Fang Coatl.
We’ve also started to see Consult the Star Charts make an appearance in multiple blue different blue decks. Consult is one of the most versatile card draw spells we’ve seen. It scales well as games go long, too, making it the perfect topdeck.
There’s a good chance some of these adaptations don’t end up making the cut. After all, it’s natural for players to want to test out the new cards following a set’s release. Regardless, Edge of Eternities is the real deal, and we look forward to watching the Modern metagame unfold.
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